New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS) Bihar’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and his team of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) have disposed 341 claims and objections received directly from electors for inclusion of names in the draft voter list and exclusion of ineligible voters, an official said on Tuesday.The election office has so far received 13,970 claims and objections from electors concerning Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, said an ECI bulletin.It said as per rules, …

New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS) The number of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) or Maoism affected districts have come down from 126 in 2013 to 18 districts in April 2025 along with a sharp dip in violent incidents, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday. Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, in a written reply, said LWE-related violent incidents and resultant deaths of civilians and security forces have come down from the high of 2010 by 81 per cent and 85 per cent in 2024.Maoism, wh…

Chennai, Aug 12 (IANS) In a move aimed at ensuring food security and easing the burden on some of society’s most vulnerable sections, Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin on Tuesday launched the ‘Chief Minister’s Thayumanavar’ scheme. The initiative will deliver ration items directly to the homes of senior citizens aged 70 and above, as well as differently-abled beneficiaries, across the state.The official launch took place in Chennai, where CM Stalin personally handed over ration supplies to a dif…

New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS) The government is still involved in the discussions on the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) with Washington with the aim to expand trade and investment through tariff stability and long-term trade predictability, the Parliament was informed on Tuesday.A reciprocal tariff at the rate of 25 per cent has been imposed on certain goods exported from India to the US, starting from August 7.It is estimated that around 55 per cent of the total value of India’s merchand…

Chandigarh, Aug 12 (IANS) Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday flagged off ‘Tiranga Yatra’ led by girl students from Chandigarh and will travel through Punjab and reach Jammu and Kashmir’s historic Lal Chowk on August 18. The yatra, organised by the Media Student Association, aims to foster unity, promote respect for the national flag and strengthen bonds of brotherhood across the country.The Chief Minister also paid floral tributes to the portrait of Bharat Mata.Speaking on the o…

Raipur, Aug 12 (IANS) A prolonged encounter between District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel and Maoists is reportedly underway since Tuesday morning in the dense forested terrain of Gangaloor on Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district. The operation, which began on Monday as part of a coordinated anti-Maoist offensive, has seen intermittent exchanges of fire, underscoring the persistent volatility in the region.According to police sources, two DRG jawans sustained minor injuries during the gunfight. Both…

Kolkata, Aug 12 (IANS) The Kolkata Police on Tuesday issued summons to former India cricketer-turned-BJP MLA Ashok Dinda to appear before it for allegedly threatening to beat up policemen during the ‘Nabanna Avijan’ protest on August 9.The BJP MLA has been asked to appear before the officers of New Market Police Station on August 17.Sources said, BJP leader Arjun Singh, too, has been asked to appear before the police for hurling abuses at on-duty policemen.A senior officer of Kolkata Police said…

Lucknow, Aug 12 (IANS) Proceedings in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly were disrupted on Tuesday as the Fatehpur tomb vandalism issue triggered heated exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches.The Samajwadi Party (SP) demanded a discussion on the incident, accusing the BJP-led government of trying to disturb communal harmony.Leader of Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey alleged that a ruling party leader had called people to gather in Fatehpur a week earlier, which he claimed led to the violence…

Hyderabad, Aug 12 (IANS) Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K. T. Rama Rao (KTR) has issued a legal notice to Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar over what he termed as “baseless and defamatory” remarks in connection with the alleged phone-tapping controversy.The notice demands an unconditional public apology from Bandi Sanjay to KTR and his family, along with an assurance that no such direct or indirect defamatory statements will be made in the future. It war…

New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS) Indian Railways is providing free Wi-Fi facilities at 6,115 railway stations across the country, the Parliament was informed on Tuesday.The free Wi-Fi service at railway stations is part of the government’s Digital India Programme, aimed at bridging the urban-rural digital gap.“Almost all railway stations across Indian Railways have 4G/5G coverage provided by the Telecom Service Providers. These networks are also being utilised by passengers for data connectivity, re…