New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) Unfazed by the Election Commission’s dismissal of charges regarding vote theft and electoral malpractices in Karnataka, Bihar and other states, Congress leader Pawan Khera on Monday raked up the issue of alleged irregularities in Maharashtra Assembly elections and cited a few constituencies where he claimed that gross violations happened, apparently because of oversight of polling officers. This follows Rahul Gandhi and Congress’ assertions that one crore fraudulent en…

Chandigarh, Aug 18 (IANS) The Haryana Human Rights Commission has taken suo-motu cognizance of a media report highlighting an incident where a serving employee of the Public Health Department, a resident of Rohtak, was allegedly denied his salary in the post-COVID period because his Aadhaar record shows him as “deceased”. This is despite the fact that he is alive and continues to discharge his duties regularly.As a result of this administrative lapse, the employee has reportedly been deprive…

New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday told Parliament that the government has reduced its debt burden over the last five years and the fiscal deficit targets are being aligned to reduce it further in the coming years.The government has steadily reduced the debt over the years from 61.4 per cent of GDP in 2020-21, after the Covid-19 pandemic, to 56.1 per cent of GDP in the Budget Estimate for 2025-26, the Finance Minister said in a written reply to a question in t…

New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) India remained a strong magnet for long-term investors in FY25, with sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) infusing a net Rs 8,426 crore into the country, the Parliament was informed on Monday.The steady inflows underline global investors’ confidence in India’s growth story.In FY24, the funds had brought in a much higher Rs 47,604 crore, while FY23 had also witnessed solid inflows of Rs 15,446 crore, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in a written reply to a ques…

Amaravati/New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh’s Information Technology and Human Resources Development Minister Nara Lokesh on Monday met External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar in the national capital to pitch his state as a hub for global skills and diaspora engagement.The state minister also pushed for skills mobility and responsible migration, positioning Andhra Pradesh as a frontrunner in India’s global workforce vision.Lokesh took the opportunity to apprise the Union Minister a…

New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on Monday, after repeated disruptions by Opposition members prevented a scheduled special discussion on Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla’s historic space mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The session, intended to celebrate India’s growing space ambitions and Shukla’s return, was derailed by sloganeering and protests in the Well of the House by members of the Opposition.The day began with high anticipation a…

Hyderabad, Aug 18 (IANS) The death toll due to electrocution during the Sri Krishna Shobha Yatra in Hyderabad rose to six with one of the injured succumbing at a hospital on Monday.The incident occurred at Gokulnagar in Ramanthapur, past midnight, when the Rath came into contact with an electric wire. The yatra was being taken as part of the Sri Krishna Janmashtami celebrations.Four others were injured, and one of them, identified as Ganesh, succumbed while undergoing treatment at Osmania Hospit…

New Delhi/Bhopal, Aug 18 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Parliament on Monday during his visit to the national capital.During the meeting, Yadav apprised the Prime Minister of the state’s ongoing welfare and development projects, including the PM MITRA Park in Dhar and the Bhopal Metro, slated for launch later this year, probably in October.PM Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the country’s first PM MITRA Park in Dhar on August 25. The…

New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) Following “Zero Tolerance Policy‟ against negligence, the Union Ministry of Education has directed all States/UTs to ensure the structural safety of school buildings and identify dilapidated structures through safety audits, the Lok Sabha was informed on Monday. Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan informed the House that a direction for a comprehensive safety audit of school buildings was issued on August 7, advising demolition if required, or repair of structur…

Mumbai, Aug 18 (IANS) Pro Kabaddi League season 2 champions U Mumba will be aiming to get their hands on the PKL title once again in Season 12, starting on August 29. Led by captain Sunil Kumar, U Mumba finished the last campaign with 12 wins in 22 games to qualify for the PKL Playoffs after three seasons. However, their fruitful season came to an end when they went down to the Patna Pirates in Eliminator 2.Despite qualifying for the PKL Season 11 Playoffs, U Mumba announced that head coach Ghol…