Hydroponic cannabis valued at Rs 7 crore seized at Coimbatore Airport, two arrested

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Chennai, Aug 12 (IANS) The Customs officials have seized hydroponic cannabis valued at Rs 7.2 crore at the Coimbatore International Airport. In two separate seizures on late Monday night, the Coimbatore Air Intelligence Unit and Air Customs officials intercepted two passengers who had arrived from Singapore.Acting on a specific intelligence input that high-grade narcotics were being smuggled into the country, customs officials kept a close watch on the passengers disembarking at Coimbatore Inter…

Three women try to commit suicide in front of Calcutta HC; attempt foiled by cops

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Kolkata, Aug 12 (IANS) In an unprecedented development, three women attempted to commit suicide at one of the main entrances of the Calcutta High Court in central Kolkata on Tuesday afternoon by setting themselves on fire, allegedly over the fear that their names would be deleted from the voters’ list after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls in West Bengal.However, the alert cops on security duty foiled their attempts and nabbed all three of them just after they saw one of the…

India clocks fastest rate of poverty reduction

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New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS) India has recorded the fastest large-country poverty reductions in modern history, enabling more than 269 million people to escape extreme deprivation between 2011-12 and 2022-23 on the back of sustained economic growth, robust welfare systems, and the strategic use of technology, according to an India Narrative article.India’s extreme poverty rate fell from 27.1 per cent to just 5.3 per cent during this period, and projections indicate that by 2025, the national extre…

341 claims, objections filed by individual electors disposed in Bihar: ECI

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New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS) Bihar’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and his team of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) have disposed 341 claims and objections received directly from electors for inclusion of names in the draft voter list and exclusion of ineligible voters, an official said on Tuesday.The election office has so far received 13,970 claims and objections from electors concerning Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, said an ECI bulletin.It said as per rules, …

Mega Tinkering Day 2025: Over 4 lakh students unite to build, innovate together in real-time

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New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS) In India’s largest-ever school-based tinkering event, over 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) mobilised more than 4 lakh students from across the country to build, innovate together in real-time, Niti Aayog said on Tuesday.The ‘Mega Tinkering Day 2025’ was hosted virtually and simultaneously in schools from 35 states and union territories by Atal Innovation Mission (AIM).A total of 4,73,350 students from 9467 ATL-equipped schools participated in the event and engage…

CM Stalin launches ration at doorstep scheme for elderly, differently-abled

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Chennai, Aug 12 (IANS) In a move aimed at ensuring food security and easing the burden on some of society’s most vulnerable sections, Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin on Tuesday launched the ‘Chief Minister’s Thayumanavar’ scheme. The initiative will deliver ration items directly to the homes of senior citizens aged 70 and above, as well as differently-abled beneficiaries, across the state.The official launch took place in Chennai, where CM Stalin personally handed over ration supplies to a dif…

Maoism-hit districts down to 18 from 126 in 2013: Nityanand Rai

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New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS) The number of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) or Maoism affected districts have come down from 126 in 2013 to 18 districts in April 2025 along with a sharp dip in violent incidents, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday. Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, in a written reply, said LWE-related violent incidents and resultant deaths of civilians and security forces have come down from the high of 2010 by 81 per cent and 85 per cent in 2024.Maoism, wh…

Two jawans injured in intermittent gunfire with hiding Maoists in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur

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Raipur, Aug 12 (IANS) A prolonged encounter between District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel and Maoists is reportedly underway since Tuesday morning in the dense forested terrain of Gangaloor on Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district. The operation, which began on Monday as part of a coordinated anti-Maoist offensive, has seen intermittent exchanges of fire, underscoring the persistent volatility in the region.According to police sources, two DRG jawans sustained minor injuries during the gunfight. Both…

Haryana CM flags off 'Tiranga Yatra' led by girl students from Chandigarh

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Chandigarh, Aug 12 (IANS) Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday flagged off ‘Tiranga Yatra’ led by girl students from Chandigarh and will travel through Punjab and reach Jammu and Kashmir’s historic Lal Chowk on August 18. The yatra, organised by the Media Student Association, aims to foster unity, promote respect for the national flag and strengthen bonds of brotherhood across the country.The Chief Minister also paid floral tributes to the portrait of Bharat Mata.Speaking on the o…

Govt involved in discussions on India-US bilateral trade deal: Minister

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New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS) The government is still involved in the discussions on the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) with Washington with the aim to expand trade and investment through tariff stability and long-term trade predictability, the Parliament was informed on Tuesday.A reciprocal tariff at the rate of 25 per cent has been imposed on certain goods exported from India to the US, starting from August 7.It is estimated that around 55 per cent of the total value of India’s merchand…