New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) As the country celebrated the joyous festival of Raksha Bandhan, Congress leaders including senior Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge extended heartfelt greetings, highlighting the cultural and emotional significance of the festival that honours the bond between brothers and sisters.Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took to X to share her warm wishes on Raksha Bandhan, saying: “Heartfelt congratulat…

Chennai, Aug 9 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin will launch a new welfare initiative on August 12, providing doorstep delivery of essential commodities to senior citizens above 70 years of age and persons with disabilities across the state. The Chief Minister’s Thayumanavar scheme aims to ensure that vulnerable sections of society receive their Public Distribution System (PDS) entitlements without the difficulty of visiting ration shops.The programme will cover rice, sugar, wheat, pa…

Sagar, Aug 9 (IANS) In a tragic incident on the eve of Raksha Bandhan, four young men drowned in the Bebas River near Richhawar village under Sanodha police station limits in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district.As of Saturday morning, the bodies of three victims have been recovered, while search operations continue for the fourth.Speaking to IANS, Sanodha police station in-charge Bharat Singh Thakur said the tragedy occurred late Friday evening when five friends from Khushipura and Richhawar village…

Kolkata, Aug 9 (IANS) In August last year, West Bengal was rocked by widespread protests over the ghastly rape and murder of a lady junior doctor of state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata within the hospital premises.Doctors, common men, and women had taken to the streets to protest, demand justice, and hold the state government accountable for its failure to provide security to women in workplaces.On the anniversary of the tragic incident, another round of protests and ral…

New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) Schoolgirls on Saturday tied ‘rakhi’ to General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. The Army chief’s arm, representing the “sword arm” of the nation, was adorned with the sacred threads, symbolising the Army’s role in defending the nation’s borders.The Army chief’s arm, which had delivered a decisive response during ‘Operation Sindoor’, now held the hopes and blessings of a grateful nation.In a heartwarming and symbol…

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 9 (IANS) Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE), the technology arm of the state’s General Education Department, has rolled out an online Artificial Intelligence (AI) training programme for teachers in the Lakshadweep islands.KITE CEO K. Anvar Sadath said the initiative will cover all teachers across the nine islands, with a focus on AI and robotics.“Robotics has been included in the revised Class 10 ICT textbooks used in Lakshadweep, since the isla…

New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) To avoid rush by ensuring hassle-free ticket booking experience during the upcoming peak festive seasons, the Ministry of Railways on Saturday said that it has decided to formulate a ‘Round Trip Package’ on discounted fare and rebates benefit.The move will facilitate passengers and redistribute the peak traffic for a larger range during peak festival seasons and ensure both sides utilisation of trains, including special trains.”It has been decided to formulate an experime…

Patna, Aug 9 (IANS) RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday tried to strike an emotional cord with the women voters, penning a Rakshabandhan letter to the “sisters of Bihar” and making a series of promises to them if the Mahagathbandhan is voted to power in the Assembly elections. In a message on the social media platforms X and Facebook, the Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, extended festive wishes and urged women to symbolically tie a rakhi to him.”My dear sisters of Bihar, first of al…

Chennai, Aug 9 (IANS) Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Saturday inaugurated a newly constructed government hospital at Tambaram Sanatorium in Tamil Nadu’ s Chengalpattu district, built at a cost of Rs 115 crore. The six-storeyed facility, equipped with 400 beds and advanced medical amenities, is expected to significantly boost healthcare services for residents in and around the southern suburbs of Chennai.Following the inauguration, the Chief Minister inspected the hospital’s infrastructure, includ…

Bengaluru, Aug 9 (IANS) In a major revelation that underscores the scale and precision of India’s recent military response to cross-border terrorism, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh confirmed that the Indian Air Force (IAF) shot down six Pakistani aircraft during Operation Sindoor, including five fighter jets and a high-value surveillance platform, likely an AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft.Speaking at the Air Chief Marshal L.M. Katre Memorial Lecture in Bengaluru, the A…