Bengaluru, Aug 11 (IANS) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said on Monday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi understands the importance of Bengaluru city and has assured him of all possible assistance.Responding to a media query about his close interaction with PM Modi during the latter’s visit to Bengaluru on Sunday, Shivakumar said, “One thing is certain — Prime Minister Narendra Modi knows how important Bengaluru is. He also agreed that the world can be seen through Bengalur…

Kolkata, Aug 11 (IANS) The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Kolkata on Monday forecast scattered rain and thunderstorms across south Bengal districts till Thursday, while heavy rain is set to continue in north Bengal under the influence of the monsoon axis.According to the Met office, the monsoon axis now stretches from Faridkot through Ludhiana, Nazibabad, Shahjahanpur, Balia, Jalpaiguri, and east-northeast Arunachal Pradesh.”As a result, moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal is pavi…

New Delhi, Aug 11 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday said that none of the political parties, including the RJD-led Opposition, have filed any objection or complaints over the draft electoral rolls published for Bihar on August 1.It further informed that more than 10,000 individual electors have submitted their objections directly to the poll panel, while more than 50,000 new electors, who crossed the stipulated voting age limit of 18 years, have submitted their forms, seeki…

Mumbai, Aug 11 (IANS) Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to provide authentic information about the whereabouts, safety, and health of former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, before the matter is taken to the Supreme Court.The trigger is, Raut said, from July 21, the day former Vice President Dhankar resigned, till this day on Monday, there has been no information about the former VP’s whereabouts. In a letter to the Home Minister, Raut asked, “Where is Dhan…

New Delhi, Aug 11 (IANS) The government’s financial inclusion schemes — from Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) to MUDRA and the quintessential UPI-based digital payments — are shifting India’s growth story from being metro-centric to truly national, according to a report on Monday.According to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, “Economic growth cannot only be restricted to a few cities and a few citizens. Development has to be all-round and all-inclusive.”“In practice, that inclusivi…

Godda (Jharkhand), Aug 11 (IANS) Surya Hansda, a history-sheeter with a long list of criminal charges and a former BJP leader, was shot dead in a police encounter in Jharkhand’s Godda district on Monday morning, officials said. The operation was carried out near Jirli Samari Pahari in the Boarijor police station area, a hilly and forested zone where Hansda was reportedly hiding.Soon after the encounter, a heavy contingent of police and administrative officials sealed off the area. Entry to the…

New Delhi, Aug 11 (IANS) Leaders of the INDIA bloc, including Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on Monday staged a protest march from Parliament to the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters, opposing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections and raising allegations of “vote theft” during last year’s Lok Sabha polls.Dur…

New Delhi, Aug 11 (IANS) The Rajya Sabha witnessed yet another disruption as Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh declined to admit 29 notices submitted under Rule 267, prompting vociferous protests from Opposition members and forcing an adjournment till 2 P.M. on Monday.Citing procedural constraints and parliamentary precedents, Singh informed the House that the notices received were not in conformity with Rule 267, which permits suspension of regular business to discuss matters of urgent pu…

Raipur, Aug 11 (IANS) A technical snag in an Air India flight arriving from Delhi led to a tense hour-long delay at Raipur airport, leaving around 160 passengers, including a sitting MLA, stranded inside the aircraft with no immediate explanation. Flight AI 2797 departed Delhi at 8.15 p.m. and landed at Raipur’s Swami Vivekananda Airport at 10.05 p.m. on Sunday. However, upon touchdown, the aircraft’s door failed to open due to what airline staff later described as a “technical fault”.Pa…

Kochi, Aug 11 (IANS) The Kerala Police have issued a lookout notice against popular rapper Vedan in connection with a rape case, amid fears that he may attempt to leave the country to evade arrest.The move follows intelligence inputs suggesting that the musician could be planning to travel abroad.With the lookout notice now in place, Vedan can be detained at any airport or other point of exit from the country and handed over to the police.Officials said the step was taken to ensure the accused r…