New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) As many as 725 Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), including 392 exclusive POCSO (ePOCSO) Courts, have collectively disposed of 3.34 lakh cases till June 30, since their inception in 2019, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday. Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal, in a written reply, said that the government has released Rs 1,034.55 crore to the States/UTs since the Nirbhaya Fund’s inception to ensure the smooth functioning of FTSCs….

Hyderabad, Aug 8 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Friday alleged that former Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao tapped the phones of his daughter K. Kavitha, son-in-law Anil Kumar and nephew and then minister T. Harish Rao.He claimed that the phones of politicians were tapped in the name of Maoists during the rule of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and that thousands of crores were looted through phone-tapping.Bandi Sanjay appeared before Special Inve…

New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) In a major crackdown on drug trafficking, the Narcotics team of Delhi Police’s North-West District arrested two drug peddlers and recovered 1.081 kg of fine quality opium from their possession. The arrests were made near Gate No. 5, Azadpur Mandi, following a specific tip-off. The accused have been identified as Ranjeet (25) and Rajesh Singh (21), both residents of Nathupur in Gurugram, Haryana. Along with the contraband, police also seized a motorcycle allegedly used i…

New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) The Income Tax Bill, 2025, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha on February 13 to replace the existing Income Tax Act, 1961, has been formally withdrawn, sources said on Friday.A new version of the Income Tax Bill, incorporating most of the recommendations made by the Select Committee chaired by BJP MP Baijayant Jay Panda, will be introduced in Parliament on Monday, according to people in the know.To avoid confusion by multiple versions of the Bill and to provide a clear…

Kochi, Aug 8 (IANS) The carcasses of five wild elephants, including a calf and a pregnant female, have been recovered from three forest divisions in Kerala’s Ernakulam district, following days of intense rainfall and flooding in the region.Two tuskers were found dead on Thursday in the Kuttampuzha forest range, which falls under the Malayattoor division, about 50 km from Kochi. Their bodies were spotted in the Pooyamkutty River near Kuttampuzha panchayat.According to forest officials, both ele…

Jaipur, Aug 8 (IANS) In a significant move aimed at promoting ease of doing business in Rajasthan, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma has approved a relaxation under Section 4 of the Rajasthan Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1958. With this decision, institutions employing between 0 to 10 workers will now be exempt from the provisions of mandatory registration under the Act.This change is expected to bring major relief to small shop owners and commercial establishments, reducing procedural…

New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday intervened in the matter of a north Delhi restaurant denying entry to a guest in traditional Indian wear on the grounds of not following the outlet’s ‘western dress’ code.As the news of Pitampura-based eatery’s action reached Assembly premises, BJP’s Jangpura legislator Tarvinder Singh Marwah sought action against those who disrespected Indian ethnic clothes.Marwah told IANS, “Whoever has done this must be punished acco…

Thrissur, Aug 8 (IANS) The Congress party in Kerala is considering initiating legal proceedings over the BJP’s victory in the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency in the 2024 general elections following the revelations made by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi regarding large-scale electoral fraud.The Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly, V.D. Satheesan, told the media on Friday that Gandhi has called for a thorough investigation into alleged election malpractices.“Nu…

Bhubaneswar, Aug 8 (IANS) The opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Friday sharply criticised the state government, accusing it of showing complete neglect toward the agriculture sector over the past year. Addressing a press conference on Friday, BJD leaders alleged that none of the promises made to farmers have been fulfilled. They accused the government of acting against the interests of the farming community.The party claimed that the growth rate of the agriculture sector has sharply declined -…

New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) As part of the ongoing celebrations of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Ministry of Textiles has reaffirmed its commitment to empowering women handloom weavers through various central sector schemes. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Friday, Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita shared that over 14,000 women weavers have been trained under the SAMARTH scheme across the country in the past three financial years (2022-23 to 2024-25).The Ministry is implementi…