New Delhi, July 10 (IANS) India, which is the fastest-growing major economy, is on track on its mission to clean mobility journey, Minister of State for Road, Transport and Highways, Harsh Malhotra, said here on Thursday.Addressing a session at the ‘India Energy Storage Week 2025’ here, the minister stated that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government’s commitment to provide impetus to the green mobility and development of EV manufacturing eco-system in the country and the inception of PM E-DRIVE and FAME-II schemes are a testament to it.Further, policies like EV retrofitting regulations and toll tax exemptions for EV, are aimed at making transportation more accessible and sustainable. Malhotra stated that the transition to electric mobility is not merely a technological shift but is a national imperative to achieve climate goals, maintain economic resilience and energy security.He mentioned the Multi-Modal Logistics Parks, which are being developed by Ministry of Roads, Transport and Highways integrating road, rail, and warehousing are now being equipped with green energy provisions and EV-friendly facilities which would lead to reduced logistics costs, lower emissions, and strengthen India’s position as a clean and connected transport hub.Malhotra highlighted that PM Modi government is committed to generate 500GW of Renewable energy by 2030 and India stands at the threshold of becoming a global hub for clean mobility solutions.He urged the stakeholders to develop a transport future that is not just electric — but safe, inclusive, and environmentally responsible.“We must recognise that battery storage technologies which are tailored to India’s climate and mobility needs — will be crucial for our future,” said Malhotra, urging industry leaders to invest in R&D, manufacture locally and adopt circular solutions like battery recycling and reuse.Over the last 11 years, India has seen remarkable industrial and business growth, and this momentum is now being channelled toward achieving the 2070 Net Zero target which is the pivotal focus of the government.–IANSna/

Kochi, July 10 (IANS) The Kerala High Court on Thursday granted bail to Sukanth Suresh,…

New Delhi, July 10 (IANS) With supportive policies, fiscal incentives, reduced tariff barriers and new market access through free trade agreements (FTAs) developed countries including Australia, the UAE, the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) nations, and the UK, the agriculture sector has witnessed significant progress, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has said.Addressing the 16th Agriculture Leadership Conclave here, the minister stated that 25 crore Soil Health Cards have been distributed to farmers to promote balanced fertiliser usage, and crop loans have been made accessible through the Kisan Credit Card initiative.Goyal said the government has consistently placed the agricultural sector at the forefront of its development agenda under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.A large number of farmer families have benefitted from the PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi scheme. Additionally, 1,400 mandis have been integrated with the e-NAM platform, enabling farmers across the country to access real-time information on crop prices and enhance market linkages.“In the fertiliser sector, the government has provided substantial subsidies to ensure that farmers receive fertilisers at affordable prices. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, timely fertiliser supply to farmers was ensured,” the minister told the gathering.He noted that India’s agricultural sector has demonstrated remarkable resilience—even amid global market turbulence and declining export trends.The efforts of Indian farmers have contributed to a stable agri-export performance, with agriculture, animal husbandry, and fisheries exports reaching Rs 4 lakh crore.The farming community has played a key role in building an Atmanirbhar Bharat and turning the “Local Goes Global” vision into a reality.Goyal said India’s farmers have been instrumental in the global success of products such as basmati and other varieties of rice, spices, fresh fruits and vegetables, horticulture and floriculture produce, as well as in the fisheries and poultry sectors.He emphasised the government’s focus on promoting digital agriculture by introducing Artificial Intelligence, geospatial technology, weather prediction systems, vertical farming, and AI-enabled tools. These innovations, he noted, would support Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and cooperatives.–IANSna/

Mumbai, July 10 (IANS) Actress Kareena Kapoor, on Thursday, took to social media to send her best wishes to Rajkummar Rao ahead of the release of his upcoming film “Maalik.”

Taking to her Instagram stories, she shared the trailer of the film and wrote, “Good luck the entire team. Kill it guys.. sending huge love watch it in cinemas tomorrow!” Bebo also tagged Rao and others in her post. It is worth noting that Kareena Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao have never shared screen space before. Her gesture of support ahead of the release of “Maalik” highlights the mutual respect within the industry, even among actors who haven’t yet collaborated.Rajkummar Rao’s action thriller Maalik was announced on the occasion of his 40th birthday. The makers later revealed that the film would be hitting theatres on July 11, 2025. Directed by Pulkit, Maalik is backed by Kumar Taurani under the Tips Films banner, along with Jay Shewakramani’s Northern Lights Films.Interestingly, the ‘Stree’ actor underwent a striking physical transformation for his role. The actor grew his beard for more than 80 days to achieve a wild, rugged appearance that exudes raw intensity on screen. Director Pulkit had shared that the look was carefully planned, as the team wanted Rajkummar to reflect a strong and unfiltered sense of power through his appearance in the film.He said, “We wanted Raj to embody a sense of raw power, something that feels lived-in, gritty, and unapologetically real. He committed to the process fully, both physically and emotionally. Rajkummar Rao grew his beard for nearly three months to embody a character bursting with wild energy. What you see in the teaser is just the beginning, there’s so much more to this character, and Rajkummar has delivered something truly special.”The film also stars Manushi Chhillar, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Medha Shankr, Huma Qureshi, Anshumaan Pushkar, and Swanand Kirkire.–IANSps/

Kolkata, July 10 (IANS) A political and social uproar has erupted in West Bengal after a history question paper from a reputed state university indirectly referred to Indian freedom fighters as “terrorists.”The controversial question appeared in an examination paper of Midnapore-based Vidyasagar University. The question read — “Name three district magistrates of Midnapore who were killed by terrorists.”The reference has sparked outrage, especially given the historical significance of undivided Midnapore, which was a major hub of the armed revolutionary movement against British colonial rule during the pre-independence era.Adding to the controversy, the university itself is named after Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, the iconic 19th-century educationist, social reformer, and philanthropist whose pioneering efforts led to the acceptance of widow remarriage in India.Members of civil society have questioned the competence and ideological inclination of the academic who framed the question. Many see it as a glaring example of the deteriorating state of the education system in West Bengal.Local BJP leaders have written to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Education Minister Bratya Basu, demanding that the person responsible for setting the paper be identified and penalized.Though both the CM and Education Minister have yet to comment publicly, Registrar of Vidyasagar University, J.K. Nandi, admitted the error and described it as a “typing mistake.” He said an emergency meeting has been called to investigate how the question made it to the final paper.“We will ensure such mistakes are not repeated in the future,” Nandi assured.The CPI(M) has alleged that both the BJP at the national level and the Trinamool Congress at the state level are responsible for the distortion of history, claiming this incident was just the latest manifestation.Interestingly, even the district unit of the Trinamool Congress acknowledged the seriousness of the matter, stating that equating freedom fighters with terrorists was an “unpardonable mistake.”–IANSsrc/skp

Bhubaneswar, July 10 (IANS) As a potential crisis in the supply of essential commodities including…

Chennai, July 10 (IANS) Director Anuraj Manohar’s critically acclaimed Malayalam action drama ‘Narivetta’, featuring actors Tovino Thomas, Cheran and Suraj Venjaramoodu in the lead, has now completed a stellar 50-day run in theatres.
Actor Tovino Thomas took to his Instagram page to share the happy news. Putting up a poster that showed the film had crossed the 50-day milestone, Tovino wrote, “#Narivetta Historic 50Days!”The Malayalam action drama ‘Narivetta‘, which is based on a true story, hit screens on May 23 this year.The film triggered huge expecatations as it marked the acting debut of ace Tamil film director Cheran in Malayalam.The film was about how the administration dealt with a plea from poor tribals seeking the construction of thatched homes and the registration of the land they had been living on for generations.Produced by Tippushan and Shiyas Hassan and written by Abin Joseph, the film had cinematography by Vijay and music by Jakes Bejoy. Editing for the film was by Shameer Muhammed while Art direction was by Bawa and costume design was by Arun Manohar.Penning his thoughts on the film, Tovino, in a post he had put up prior to the release of the film, had said ‘Narivetta’ was a political ‍drama. He had then said, “I believe it is a topic that needs to be spoken about boldly and discussed. I hope it will be a film that will make you enjoy it with all your heart in the theatre ‍ and make you think ‍ after leaving the theatre‍.”Stating that he had an emotional journey with the character he played in ‘Narivetta’, Tovino said he experienced the joy, happiness, crisis and pain of life along with the character. “This is a film that I have been waiting for‍ with great anticipation in my acting career.”–IANSmkr/

Manchester, July 10 (IANS) Following India’s historic T20I series triumph over England on foreign soil, spinner Radha Yadav expressed that the team is growing in confidence. She believes this victory is just the beginning of a promising journey ahead, as the team is well on its way to achieving something special.India women clinched a historic first-ever T20I series victory over England on English soil with a game to spare, with a comfortable six-wicket win at Old Trafford on Thursday (IST).India defeated England in the first-ever T20I contest between the two sides in 2006, but hadn’t won a T20I series against them until the victory at Old Trafford.”The belief and the dedication this time is really different. This time this team, this atmosphere – it’s magical and we are actually onto something. We want to create something big going forward as well and this is the path we want to go down.”There are still a lot of things we have to correct, we have that in our mind and but…this is a different team and we are going to dominate no matter what,” ICC quoted Radha as saying.India’s spinners Radha and Shree Charani – who picked up a combined 4 for 45 in eight overs, led the charge as the visitors restricted England to 126 for 7 after they chose to bat for the second match in a row.In response, India openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana put on a 56-run stand in seven overs to set the tone for a dominating win, before Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues secured India’s first women’s T20I series win in England.Despite the series loss, England coach Charlotte Edwards believes her team is still on track to do well at the ICC Women’s World Cup in India and Sri Lanka later this year.”As long as we are looking to get better, I am not going to panic. We are going to be calm. We are a team on a journey. We are a team in transition. It’s not going to happen overnight. We are not going to suddenly get this team performing how we want them to.”But hopefully we have got a bit of time, certainly in T20 cricket. Hopefully you will see an improved team in ODI cricket, that’s our immediate goal (at the 50-over World Cup) come October,” Edwards told Sky Sports after the match.With India holding a 3-1 lead, the fifth and final T20I match of the series between the two sides will be held in Birmingham on Saturday.–IANSbc/ab

Mumbai, July 10 (IANS) Maharashtra Minister Shambhuraj Desai on Thursday announced in the state council that the government will take stern action against builders who deny Marathi people homes in their residential complexes in Mumbai. His announcement comes amid ongoing agitation launched by the Shiv Sena-UBT, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and Marathi Ekikaran Samiti, demanding further development of the Marathi language while strongly opposing the “imposition” of Hindi language from grade one for classes 1 to 5.The question in this regard was raised by Shiv Sena-UBT legislator Milind Narvekar, who demanded that the government should enact a law taking strong action against builders and developers who deny homes to Marathi people in Mumbai.Narvekar said that there have been many cases of Marathi people being denied houses in Mumbai on the grounds of language and cannibalism.He demanded that 50 per cent of houses should be reserved for Marathi people in new buildings in Mumbai.Minister Desai, in his reply, said that the Housing Department has not received any representation from the Parle Pancham organisation.”However, as the legislator Milind Narvekar has cited that Marathi people are being denied houses in Mumbai, the action will be taken against the concerned builder,” Minister Desai told the state council.Minister Desai further said, “No one in Mumbai, Mumbai suburbs, and Maharashtra has the right to deny a house to a Marathi person. If a complaint of denial of a house is received, the Mahayuti government will take strict action against the concerned builders and developers. In Maharashtra and Mumbai, the first right belongs to the Marathi person. Mumbai belongs to the Marathi people. The rights of the Marathi person will not be denied in the state. The Mahayuti government will work to protect their rights.”BJP legislator Chitra Wagh raised a question about whether the previous Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government proposed a law for 50 per cent reservation in housing complexes for Marathi people.Replying to Wagh, Minister Desai said no such law was made during that time, and there was no such demand.–IANSsj/svn

Mumbai, July 10 (IANS) The Maharashtra government on Thursday assured strict action in the incident involving schoolgirls being stripped for menstruation checks at a school in Thane district. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed stern action against all those involved, including the principal and staff members.The assurance came after Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan informed the Legislative Assembly that the government was treating the matter with utmost seriousness. His response followed strong condemnation from opposition legislators, including Congress MLAs Nana Patole and Jyoti Gaikwad, and NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad, who demanded immediate accountability.Calling the incident shameful, Patole said such actions have no place in a progressive state like Maharashtra. Awhad demanded that the principal be arrested, while Gaikwad called for accountability of the school staff and also urged the government to ensure better menstrual hygiene infrastructure in schools, including access to clean water and sanitary napkin vending machines.Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar also expressed grave concern, stating that the government must initiate action against the guilty and present a detailed statement in the House.The government’s response came after the principal and a female attendant of the Thane school were arrested on Wednesday. Four teachers and two trustees have also been booked under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, following allegations that around 10 girls were forced to undress for a menstrual check after bloodstains were found in a school washroom.Police said that after spotting the stains on Tuesday, school authorities summoned girls from Classes 5 to 10 to a convention hall. There, a projector was used to display photographs of the stained washroom tiles, and students were asked to identify who among them was menstruating.According to police sources, students who raised their hands were asked to provide thumb impressions, while others were taken to washrooms where they were allegedly stripped and physically examined by attendants. One of the complainants reported that the principal confronted her daughter, accusing her of lying about her period and forcibly obtained her thumb impression.The incident came to light after shocked students narrated the ordeal to their parents, prompting protests by guardians and swift police action. The arrested principal and attendant were scheduled to be produced before a local court on Thursday.The case has sparked outrage across the state, with child rights activists and political leaders condemning the incident and calling for long-term reforms in menstrual health awareness and gender sensitivity in schools.–IANSsj/skp