Category: NATIONAL NEWS

Cold conditions continued in Kashmir as the mercury dropped at most places in the Valley and the Ladakh region, with all stations recording sub-zero minimum temperature. Kargil was the coldest place in the state as the minimum there settled at a low of minus 16 degrees Celsius, down from yesterday’s minus 15.5 degrees Celsius, a MeT official said here. The night temperature in nearby Leh town rose nearly four degrees from a low of minus 12.4 degrees Celsius yesterday to settle at a low of minus 8.7 degrees Celsius last…

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Homoeopathic doctors’ bodies today came together at the Ramlila Maidan here in support of a Bill that the might allow doctors pursuing Indian systems of medicine to practice allopathy after clearing a bridge course. The National Medical Commission Bill, 2017, which seeks to replace the existing apex medical education regulator Medical Council of India (MCI) with a new body, was moved by the government recently. One of its recommendations include that specific educational modules or programmes be introduced to bridge various systems of medicine and promote medical pluralism, with the…

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The CBI has arrested a commissioner of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) department from Kanpur and eight others, including his staff and private officials, in connection with an bribery case. According to agency sources, Sansar Chand, a 1986-batch Indian Revenue Service officer, posted as the commissioner, two superintendents of the department, one personal staff and five private people were nabbed by the CBI in a late-night operation spread across Kanpur and Delhi. They said it is alleged that the commissioner was a “habitual” offender, taking bribes from businessmen on…

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The Ministry of Railways is having a rethink on flexi-fares and bringing in a dynamic pricing system that will help increase occupancy and enhance revenues, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said today. Replying to questions in the Rajya Sabha, he also said his ministry was planning a major overhaul of the obsolete signalling system currently being used and to introduce latest technology. During the Question Hour, some members raised questions about the flexi-fares, with BJP member Ram Vichar Netam saying there were times when the prices rose to a quite high…

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Noisy protests by Samajwadi Party members over communal clashes at Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh forced the adjournment of the Rajya Sabha this morning. The newly-elected members of Aam Aadmi Party too were seen raising slogans against sealing drive in the national capital in the Well of the House, along with the SP members. Congress member K V P Ramachandra Rao also entered the Well holding a placard with the slogan ‘Help Andhra Pradesh’, though he did not utter a word. Soon after the obituary reference was made for those killed…

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Authorities today imposed restrictions in parts of Srinagar and Shopian districts to foil the separatists’ plan of holding a rally to protest against the recent civilian killings in alleged Army firing. Separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, under the banner of Joint Resistance Leadership, had called for a march to Shopian district to protest against the killing of three civilians in alleged Army firing on stone-pelters there January 27. While Geelani and Mirwaiz were placed under house arrest, Malik reportedly managed to reached…

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The prime accused in the murder of Chandan Gupta in Kasganj was arrested today as the strife-torn western Uttar Pradesh town, which saw communal clashes last week, moved towards normalcy despite tension in some pockets, officials said. The UP government submitted a report on the incidents in Kasganj to the Union Home ministry conveying that the police were probing the violence and whether it was pre-planned, an official said. “Saleem, the main accused, has been nabbed,” IG, Aligarh range, Sanjeev Gupta said. Aged below 30, Saleem, and his two brothers,…

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Ahead of the panchayat election in the state, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will kick-start major state-wide projects for new roads and doubling of existing ones. “In order to strengthen the rural road infrastructure in the state, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will on February 12 at Nadia flag off the construction of 8700 km of rural road projects spread across the state,” said Pradip Kr Mazumdar, the agriculture advisor to the chief minister. “Out the 8700 kms of roads approximately 75 per cent will be new grameen (village) roads…

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Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has claimed that Congress will emerge as winner in bypolls conducted in Ajmer and Alwar Lok Sabha constituencies and Mandalgarh Assembly seat in the state yesterday. Congress will win bypolls conducted on all the three seats, Gehlot said talking to reporters in Kota today. State election department has made arrangements for counting scheduled on February 1 for all the three seats. Information of all rounds of counting will be available on department’s website, a spokesperson said. Bypolls were necessitated in these three seats due…

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Breaking his silence on the communal clashes in Kasganj, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today warned of strict action against the perpetrators of violence and said those indulging in anarchy will not be spared. His remarks came after days of violence in Kasganj where clashes broke out on last Friday in which one person was killed and two others were injured. “Our government is committed to provide security to each and every citizen. Those indulging in anarchy will not be spared,” he told mediapersons here. The chief minister warned…

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