Varanasi civic bodies main players in its development

New Delhi, Oct 17 (IANS) Civic and urban bodies of Varanasi will be the chief executing agencies to develop the temple town into a heritage city, the union urban development ministry told its administration in a meeting here Friday, sources said. A meeting was called by urban development secretary Shankar Agarwal Friday in which mayors of […]

Will only BJP delegations go to UN, asks Mamata

Kolkata, Oct 17 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday slammed the Narendra Modi-led government for not including members of other political parties in the delegation accompanying him to the United Nations. “Earlier the prime minister used to take an all-party delegation along with him to UN. This year it was cancelled. This is murder […]

Ensure safety of NE people, Rajnath urges Haryana, Karnataka

New Delhi, Oct 17 (IANS) Home minister Rajnath Singh Friday urged the Haryana and Karnataka governments to ensure safety of all citizens, including those from the northeast, a ministry statement said. “The home minister today (Friday) spoke to the chief ministers of Karnataka and Haryana and requested them to maintain law and order under all circumstances. […]

CSE welcomes launch of air quality index

New Delhi, Oct 17 (IANS) The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Friday welcomed the release of the national Air Quality Index (AQI) by Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar here. “CSE has been demanding adoption of this programme as this can help people to understand the quality of air and the possible […]

Jayalalithaa to be released from jail Saturday

Bangalore, Oct 17 (IANS) Former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalaithaa, who secured bail from the Supreme Court, will be released from the central jail here Saturday after the special court issues order on paying surety, a senior prison official said. “As the special court has not received the Supreme Court order granting Jayalalithaa interim bail […]

Government laxity behind Odisha illegal mining: CEC

Bhubaneswar, Oct 17 (IANS) The Supreme Court-appointed CEC, which submitted its final report on illegal mining in Odisha to the court Friday, has indicted the state for its laxity in governance, leading to violation of acts, rules and guidelines. The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) said: “The senior officers of the state government from the Chief Secretary […]

Don’t insult but consult us: Mamata to centre

Kolkata, Oct 17 (IANS) Accusing the BJP-led central government of not consulting West Bengal in ordering an NIA probe into the Oct 2 Burdwan blast, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday countered allegations of her government aiding infiltration saying the borders were guarded by central security forces. However, Banerjee affirmed that her government would extend “full cooperation” […]

SC grants bail to Jayalalithaa; AIADMK celebrates

New Delhi/Chennai, Oct 17 (IANS) The Supreme Court Friday granted bail to jailed former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, triggering celebrations in the state by the cadres of her AIADMK. Along with Jayalalithaa who was convicted and sentenced to four years jail and a Rs.100 crore fine in the corruption case, the three other convicts […]

Four Indians jailed for fraud in Singapore

Singapore, Oct 15 (IANS) Four Indian nationals in Singapore were Wednesday given jail terms ranging between three and four years for fraudulent Goods and Services Tax (GST) tourist refund claims of about $570,000. They were ordered to pay penalties equivalent to three times the amount of tax undercharged, The Strait Times reported. Sundar Panneer Selvam, 46, […]