Kolkata, Aug 6 (IANS) Like the previous year, different community Durga Puja committees in West Bengal have refused the annual Durga Puja donation offered by the state government, demanding justice for the R.G. Kar rape and murder victim. Last week, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced the enhancement of annual Puja donations to Rs 1,10,000 to each community Puja committee, up from the figure of Rs 85,000 last year, and within a week of that announcement, two such community Durga Puja commit…

New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) The Parliament on Wednesday passed The Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, 2025, with the Rajya Sabha approving it by voice vote amid the ruckus created in the upper house by the opposition MPs over the Special Intensive Revision issue.The Bill has already been cleared by the Lok Sabha. With both Houses of Parliament already having approved the Bill of Lading Bill, 2025, it will now be sent to the President for her assent to be promulgated as the law.Minister of State for Port…

New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) Union Minister of Textiles Giriraj Singh on Wednesday officially launched the book titled ‘Carbon Footprint Assessment in the Indian Handloom Sector: Methods and Case Studies’, which incorporates simple steps to measure and reduce the carbon footprint in India’s handloom industry. The book has been jointly prepared by the Office of Development Commissioner for Handlooms, Ministry of Textiles and Department of Textiles & Fibre Engineering, IIT, Delhi.An official …

New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday brushed aside claims of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and Congress leader Randeep Surjewala, about the alleged irregularities and imperfections in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar and advised them to lodge their complaints, if any, via proper channels.EC’s pointed rebuttal comes on back of charges by the two tall leaders of respective parties, where they called the exclusion of 65 lakh names from d…

Kolkata, Aug 6 (IANS) The parents of R.G. Kar rape and murder victim, on Wednesday, left for New Delhi for two days to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Praveen Sood to express their grievances on the progress of investigation by the central agency in the tragedy on their deceased daughter. “We are going to New Delhi to meet the CBI Director and our counsel in the Supreme Court, Karuna Nandi. There is a high possibility that we might have t…

New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday called for Presidential assent on two Bills passed by Telangana legislature for 42 per cent reservation for backward classes.Rahul Gandhi expressed the hope that the President of India Droupadi Murmu will give her assent to the Bills.“The Telangana Government and Congress sat on a dharna in Delhi today, demanding that the President assent to the law reserving 42 per cent fo…

Bhubaneswar, Aug 6 (IANS) In a bid to bring visual uniformity and a distinct identity to public infrastructure, the Odisha government, on Wednesday, issued a notification mandating a uniform saffron-themed colour code for all government buildings across the state. As per the notification issued by the Works Department on July 30, 2025, the new colour scheme will be implemented henceforth for all new government buildings, and will also be applicable during periodical repair and renovation of exis…

New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed development works, welfare schemes and future projects. The Chief Minister apprised the Prime Minister of the state’s progress, emphasising that with the Central government’s policies and support, the state has been achieving remarkable milestones across various sectors. An official statement quoting the Chief Minister said that under the leadership…

Kolkata, Aug 6 (IANS) A court in West Bengal’s West Burdwan district on Wednesday handed down the death penalty to a man convicted of killing his minor daughter after raping her. The court pronounced the verdict within 15 months since the heinous crime was committed.Judge Suparna Bandopadhyay of the exclusive Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) court in Asansol gave the verdict after considering the testimony of 16 witnesses and supporting evidence of the presence of the father’s…

Mumbai, Aug 6 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday held discussions with the Vantara team about the return of the 36-year-old, ailing elephant Mahadevi from the Vantara wildlife rehabilitation facility in Gujarat, to the Nandani Monastery in Kolhapur District.Wednesday’s meeting took place a day after Fadnavis chaired a meeting with representatives of various political parties and government officials and announced that the state government will file a review petition…