Srinagar, Aug 11 (IANS) J&K Police on Monday said that all security and logistic arrangements are in place for the upcoming Independence Day celebrations in the Kashmir Valley.Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Independence Day rehearsal parade, IGP, Kashmir Zone, V.K.Birdi, stressed that all necessary security and logistical arrangements have been put in place for the upcoming Independence Day celebrations across the Valley.Rehearsal for the August 15 parade was held in Srinagar …

New Delhi, Aug 11 (IANS) Ethanol blending with petrol by public sector oil companies shot up to 19.93 per cent in July this year, taking the average for the ongoing ethanol supply year (ESY) 2024–25 to 19.05 per cent, the Parliament was informed on Monday.The country’s target of blending 20 per cent ethanol with petrol has been advanced from 2030 earlier to Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2025-26 due to the rapid expansion, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Suresh Gopi, said in a wr…

Srinagar, Aug 11 (IANS) The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has submitted to the J&K High Court that the Lt Governor (L-G) is empowered to nominate five members to the Legislative Assembly. The MHA said that these nominations were necessary for inclusive and adequate representation of all communities.The MHA, in its affidavit to the high court, said the L-G’s powers were discretionary and can be exercised without the aid and advice of the council of ministers, asserting that the L-G’s office …

Chennai, Aug 11 (IANS) In yet another case of man-animal conflict due to encroachments by humans and resultant habitat loss for wildlife, a 60-year-old plantation worker from Kerala was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Gudalur, Tamil Nadu, on Monday triggering protests from local residents over alleged inaction by the Forest Department.The deceased, identified as Mani, a native of Oveli New Hope in Gudalur was employed at a private estate in the same area.The incident occurred when he was…

Jaipur, Aug 11 (IANS) A 20-year-old B.Sc. Agriculture first-year student allegedly committed suicide in Kota on Sunday, just hours after returning from his village, where he had celebrated Raksha Bandhan.The deceased, identified as Abhishek Meena, was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his rented room in the Rangbari area of Kota, police said on Monday.According to his cousin, Satish Meena, Abhishek hailed from Rampuriya Bhagatan village in Mangrol, Baran district. He had been studying in Kot…

Bhopal, Aug 11 (IANS) Raising apprehension over the number of missing children and women from Madhya Pradesh, veteran Congress leader and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath, on Monday, demanded the state government to form a special task force of police to trace the missing persons. Kamal Nath (76), who is among the senior-most members in the Assembly, citing a media report said that more than 58,0000 children have gone missing in past four years from the state, which is alarming and concerning.Th…

Gangtok, Aug 11 (IANS) Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on Monday delivered a sharp rebuttal to recent criticism from the opposition Citizen Action Party (CAP), asserting that his government is fully capable of governing without unsolicited guidance. Addressing a public gathering, Tamang refrained from naming CAP directly, but his remarks left little doubt about the target.“We know how to run the state. We do not require instructions from those sitting in the opposition,” he said, ami…

New Delhi, Aug 11 (IANS) India on Monday slammed the irresponsible remarks made by Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir during his recent visit to the United States, emphasising that “nuclear sabre-rattling is Pakistan’s stock-in-trade”. During his US visit over the weekend, Munir has warned that Pakistan will never allow India to choke the Indus River and will defend its water rights at all costs even if the forces will have to destroy any dam that India sought to…

Aizawl, Aug 11 (IANS) The Mizoram government has started the recruitment process to form a Mizo Territorial Army (MTA) battalion to deal with drug trafficking and other law and order-related issues, officials said on Monday. A Mizoram Home Department official said that 70 male candidates would be recruited for the first batch, and subsequently, recruitment of other batches would be done. Successful candidates would undergo nine months of rigorous training at the Assam Regimental Centre in Shillo…

Gandhinagar, Aug 11 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel offered prayers at the historically significant Hatkeshwar Mahadev Temple in Vadnagar, North Gujarat, on Monday. With devotion, he prayed for the nation’s and state’s continued development, progress, and for the health, prosperity, and peace of all citizens.The Hatkeshwar Temple has been included in the Swadesh Darshan Yojana and the Heritage Circuit Project. Under the temple complex development plan, the first phase — worth …