Vientiane, Aug 8 (IANS) Lao Minister of Foreign Affairs Thongsavanh Phomvihane extended his heartfelt congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of the 58th anniversary of the founding of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the 28th anniversary of the country’s accession to the regional bloc. In a speech delivered to mark the two anniversaries, Thongsavanh highlighted ASEAN’s achievements over the past 58 years in promoting peace, stability, and prosperity throughout the …

New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday approved the targeted subsidy of Rs 300 per 14.2 kg cylinder for up to 9 refills per year (and proportionately pro-rated for 5 kg cylinder) to the beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) during FY 2025-26 with an expenditure of Rs 12,000 crore.The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was launched in May 2016 with the objective to provide deposit-free LPG connections to adult women fr…

Bengaluru, Aug 8 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said that a movement to “protect” democracy and the Constitution has begun under the leadership of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the people of the state will support it. Siddaramaiah made the remark addressing a protest rally at Freedom Park against “electoral malpractice and vote theft” during the Lok Sabha elections.The Chief Minister alleged that the Election Commission has become a branch office of the BJP.”The protes…

New Delhi/Dhanbad (Jharkhand), Aug 8 (IANS) The Supreme Court has granted bail to former BJP MLA from Jharkhand’s Jharia, Sanjeev Singh, who was in jail for eight years on charges of murdering his cousin and then Deputy Mayor of Dhanbad, Neeraj Singh. Sanjeev Singh, the husband of Jharia’s current BJP MLA Ragini Singh, had appealed to the apex court after his bail plea was rejected by the lower court and the Jharkhand High Court.His advocate Mohammad Javed said that the division bench of Chief J…

Patna, Aug 8 (IANS) Jan Suraaj chief, Prashant Kishor, on Friday slammed the Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey over corruption charges, asserting that the minister is involved in the medical college scam. “Pandey accepted a bribe of Rs 25 lakh from BJP’s Bihar state president Dilip Jaiswal in exchange for helping Kishanganj’s MGM Medical College secure the status of a deemed university,” charged Kishor while addressing a press conference in Patna.He claimed the money was used to buy a …

New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) The Cyber Police of North-West District have arrested a 24-year-old man for allegedly running a fake work-from-home job scam and duping people under the pretext of online employment offers. The accused, identified as Parth Bhatia, a resident of Moti Nagar, West Delhi, was apprehended following a complaint from a woman named Anshula Sharma, a resident of Model Town. Sharma alleged that she was cheated of Rs 15,000 and her Apple MacBook after being lured with a fraudulent p…

Shimla, Aug 8 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday handed over appointment letters to 312 drawing teachers at a ceremony here. On the occasion, he also gave a send-off to five students from government schools who were embarking on an educational tour to Japan.The students would visit various academic institutions and historical sites across Japan.During the event, the Chief Minister launched several educational initiatives, including the student-centric news pl…

Patna, Aug 8 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on Friday, laid the foundation stone for the grand redevelopment of the historic Janaki Temple at Punaura Dham in Bihar’s Sitamarhi district, believed to be the birthplace of Goddess Sita. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, several Union Ministers, and other dignitaries attended the event.Before the ceremony, Union Minister Shah offered prayers at the temple.The Bihar Cabinet had approved the Rs 882.87 crore project on July 1, aimed at the integrated …

New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday approved the proposal for implementation of the Rs 4,200 crore ‘Multidisciplinary Education and Research Improvement in Technical Education’ (MERITE) Scheme in 275 technical institutions comprising 175 engineering institutions and 100 polytechnics across the country from 2025-26 to 2029-30.Out of the total Rs 4,200 crore outlay, there will be an external assistance of Rs 2,100 crore from a World Bank lo…

New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) The Staff Selection Commission and Railway Recruitment Board are the only two government agencies authorised by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to use face authentication in their examinations to verify the identity of candidates and other officials, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Friday. Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada, in a written reply, said, “The real-time face authentication during examinations hel…