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The Telangana government will ask permission from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to begin excavation at Chada village to see whether this historic site played a prominent role as a Buddhist centre. The erstwhile Nalgonda district has many early historic sites like Phanigiri, Vardhamanukota and Gajulabanda, etc and Chada village is in the newly formed Yadadri-Bhvanagiri district, which was earlier part of Nalgonda. Due to availability of many early historic sites in the vicinity, it can be inferred that this region was important. The Telangana Heritage Department in a statement said the site was first reported by its technical staff in 2003 and it is spread across 10 acres. During the course of surface exploration, successive teams have found mounds, brick bats, pot shades, limestone stumps, limestone Buddha statue, fragments of decorated lime panels, lotus medallion and one small inscription (Brahmi script), the statement said. It said the evidence of limestone panels...

A 22-year old software engineer working in Hyderabad was found dead under suspicious circumstances at her residence in Korutla town of Jagtial district, police said. According to the police, the techie, employed with a multinational company in Hyderabad, was working from home and was found dead at her residence on Tuesday. Her younger sister allegedly left the house with a man the same day, as per CCTV footage, police said. Gold ornaments and Rs 2 lakh cash were also missing from the house, as per the complaint by the techie's parents, police said. The parents of the sisters, who were in Hyderabad to attend some event, had spoken to them over phone on Monday but after not getting any response from them on Tuesday, asked the neighbours to check, the police said. The neighbours noticed the techie's body on a sofa in a room and alerted the police. Some liquor bottles were found in the house and it was suspected that there were scuffle marks on the body of the woman, police s...

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin today announcedhis podcast series, "Speaking for India”, to highlight what he calls the “destruction of India under BJP”.     The podcast would also promote the vision of an “egalitarian and harmonious India” that the opposition alliance aspires to build, Mr Stalin said in a video hours before the third meeting of the INDIA grouping, in Mumbai. Awakening India's Tomorrow, A Southern Voice Speaks for #INDIA ! #Speaking4India pic.twitter.com/VqdY0PoxWF — M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) August 31, 2023 "Recently, I started a question-and-answer session: Ungalil Oruvan (one among you) to share my views. The DMK is turning 75 years old and is the third major party in the Parliament. It was nurtured by iconic leaders like (former Chief Ministers) C N Annadurai and M Karunanidhi, who created a deep impact," the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister is heard saying in the video posted on X, formerly Twitter. The podcast will be availab...

A group of farmers in Karnataka are holding a night-long candle-light vigil to protest against orders to release of Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu. The protest in Mandya -- near Srirangapatna -- started this morning. Their objection is to the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee's recommendation that Karnataka release 5000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu for the 15 days. Independent MLA Darshan Puttanaiah, who is backed by the Congress, has joined the protest. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has planned to travel to Delhi tomorrow to discuss the Cauvery water issue. Tamil Nadu has gone to the Supreme Court, which will hear the state's plea to direct Karnataka to release the water. Karnataka has filed an affidavit claiming that the Tribunal's order was based on the assumption that it was a normal monsoon in the state, which it was not. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said that the state cannot afford to release water, since it will empty the reservoirs and cause drinking w...

A man was arrested for driving an open jeep allegedly with a child on its bonnet while celebrating Onam, through a busy road near the state capital, police said on Wednesday. The incident was reported from Menamkulam road near here on Tuesday evening. The man allegedly drove the vehicle with a six-year-old boy, the son of his friend, on the bonnet, they said. The issue came to light after some passersby took a video of the dangerous celebration on their mobile phones, which went viral on social media. A police officer said the boy's father and some of his other friends were also in the same vehicle when the incident happened. "The case was registered under IPC 279 (rash driving) and Motor Vehicle Act 184 (dangerous driving). He was taken into custody, and his arrest was recorded," he told PTI. The accused was identified during a search conducted after identifying the vehicle number, he added. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff an...

The Congress in Karnataka celebrated its 100 days of governance with the launch of its costliest scheme - Gruha Lakshmi - that promises Rs 2,000 per month to women heads of households. The event was planned at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's home ground Mysuru, which was presided by the top leadership - Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge. "Women from different corners of Karnataka are present here. I welcome them to this event," Mr Gandhi said. Some 10 women walked out with Rs 2,000 in their accounts, and a wide smile on their faces. While 50 per cent of the estimated 1.08 crore beneficiaries' accounts will get credited today, the remaining have been promised the money tomorrow. "I'm very happy. It will help me pay the school fee for my children," a woman said. "I feel independent. I don't have to depend on my children for medicines," another said. The only rider in the scheme is that this can be availed by only those families that do ...

Three people were charred to death when a fire broke out inside a firecracker warehouse in Haveri district of Karnataka on Tuesday, police said. The incident happened at the storage facility on Haveri-Hanagal main road in the district, they said. The exact cause of the fire could not immediately be ascertained. The victims were all residents of Haveri district and their bodies were completely charred in the blaze, the police added. A 32-year-old welder from Harihar area in Davangere district, who was working in the third floor of the warehouse, jumped to save himself and sustained grievous injuries in the backbone that left him unconscious. He is currently in hospital. The firecrackers stocked in the warehouse were meant for sale during the upcoming festivals of Ganesha Chathurthi, Dasara and Deepavali, police said. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) source https://www.ndtv.com/andhra-pradesh-news/3-k...

In a major drug haul, Rs 44 crore worth narcotics, including cocaine and heroin, were seized from a passenger at the international airport in Karipur in Karala, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) said today. The Calicut Regional Unit, under the Cochin Zonal Unit of the DRI, seized 3.5 kilo gram of cocaine and 1.3 kg of heroin from Rajeev Kumar, a resident of Musafar Nagar in Uttar Pradesh. The seized drugs were worth Rs 44 crore, DRI officials said. The DRI officials successfully intercepted the passenger who had arrived from Nairobi in Kenya through Sharjah in an Air Arabia Flight and seized 4.8 kg of drugs from the said passenger at Calicut International Airport on Monday, they said. The passenger had concealed the contraband inside the items like shoes, hand purses, hand bags, picture boards and file folders in his checked-in baggage, they said. The passenger has been arrested and further investigation is in progress, the DRI officials added.   (Except for the ...

The Central Bureau of Investigation has secured a conviction in an 'abetment to suicide' case - widely seen as one of the most difficult to prove - after a court in Puducherry sentenced a man, Pradeep, to five years' rigorous imprisonment over the 2012 death by suicide of Priyadarshini, a MBBS student. The court also levied a fine of Rs 5,000 on Pradeep, who is a resident of Puducherry's Thirukannur. The CBI had contended Pradeep broke up with Priyadarshini, who hailed from Andhra Pradesh's Tirupati district, and then sent a text message casting aspersions on her character and that the message had led to the young woman killing herself. A key piece of evidence was that text message, which was recovered by a team of forensic scientists from Chennai. The CBI had registered the case in April 2015 on orders from the Madras High Court after being directed to take over a complaint registered at Puducherry's Thirubuvanai Police Station. The CBI filed its chargeshe...

From a high of Rs 140 per kg in the wholesale market a few weeks ago, the prices of tomatoes have come down sharply in parts of Karnataka to about Rs 20 as supply of the commodity has improved substantially, officials said on Monday. In the Mysuru APMC (Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee) yard, for example, tomato prices were down to Rs 14 per kg on Sunday. "Last week, the average price of tomatoes was Rs 18 to Rs 20 per kg as the supply has improved," Mysuru APMC Secretary M R Kumaraswamy told PTI over telephone when contacted. Market sources said the supply of the commodity has improved by two to three times compared to last month leading to sharp decline of their prices. "The highest price of tomatoes at the wholesale rate at Mysuru APMC was Rs 140 per kg last month," Kumaraswamy said. Retail prices of tomatoes are now ruling around Rs 30 in the State, he added.  (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published f...

A rape accused jumped across a 40-foot boundary wall to escape from a prison in Karnataka last week, but was captured again a day later. The incident was captured on CCTV at Davanagere sub-jail on Friday. In the footage, Vasant - a 23-year-old inmate who faces rape charges - was seen jumping across the wall and running away. He was arrested again a day later from Haveri. In March, three prisoners had escaped from the Kurukshetra district jail in Haryana from an area where maintenance work was underway. source https://www.ndtv.com/karnataka-news/video-shows-karnataka-prison-break-inmate-jumps-across-40-foot-wall-to-escape-4335541

The Editors Guild of India on Sunday voiced concerns over the decision of the Karnataka government to set up a fact-checking unit to monitor "fake news" on social media platforms. The Guild insisted that efforts to check such content have to be by independent bodies that are not under the sole purview of the government lest they become tools to clamp down on voices of dissent. Any such monitoring framework should follow principles of natural justice, including giving prior notice, right to appeal and judicial oversight, the Guild said in a statement here. It said such fact-checking units should also be set up with due consultation and involvement of all stakeholders, including journalists and media bodies, so that press freedom is not tampered with. The Guild has already filed a petition in the Bombay High Court, challenging the amendments to the IT Rules 2023 that allow the setting up of a 'fact-checking unit' under which the executive will have the sole authorit...

Forest officials have managed to trap and capture yet another leopard near the seventh mile of the Tirumala Ghat in Andhra Pradesh in the early hours of Monday. This marks the fourth big cat that has been captured since the beginning of ‘Operation Leopard', which began earlier this month and was initiated after several leopards were sighted on the walkway to the hilltop temple. All the trapped leopards have been shifted to the Tirupathi Sri Venkateswara Zoological park. Operation Leopard has been going on continuously since August 15 in the state. Earlier this month, in two separate incidents while climbing the footway to Tirumala Temple were two children were attacked by leopards. While one child, a girl, was killed a five-year-old boy sustained injuries in the attack. Amid the incidents, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) board and forest officials had set up CCTVs and cages to trap the leopards. Nageswarao, Chief Conservator of Forest said “In the early hours of Mond...

Union Home Minister Amit Shah took on Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) for his alliance with All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi. In an attack on the Bharat Rashtra Samithi chief, Amit Shah said, "You have broken the dreams of the fighters of Telangana Mukti Sangram by sitting with Owaisi for the last nine years". Amit Shah was addressing the 'Raithu Gosa-BJP Bharosa' rally at Khammam. Referring to the AIMIM as the 'Razakars', the Union Home Minister said, "I want to tell KCR, that the youths of Telangana had laid down their lives for the state's liberation, not to sit down with the Razakars." The Razakars were the paramilitary volunteer force of Hyderabad Nizam at the time of Hyderabad's integration into the Indian state. It is believed that the AIMIM has its roots in this paramilitary force which had resisted Hyderabad's Liberation. Speaking about the actions taken by the KCR gover...

Taking a swipe at Telengana's ruling BRS (Bharat Rashtra Samithi), its ally AIMIM and opposition Congress over dynasty politics, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has dubbed them "2G, 3G and 4G" parties. Speaking at "Raitu Gosa - BJP Barosa" Public Meeting at Khammam today, Mr Shah said the countdown has started for the "corrupt and oppressive" Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao-led BRS government which is supported by AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi. "Congress is a 4G party--Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira ji, Rajiv ji and now Rahul Gandhi -- It is a four-generation party. KCR's party is the 2G party and Owaisi's party is 3G party," Mr Shah said. "Neither 2G will come, 3G will come nor 4G will come. Now is the turn of the lotus," Shah said. BRS "destroyed the dreams" of people who lost their lives during the separate statehood, Shah charged. Election is round the corner and the BJP is going to form the government, Mr Shah ...

The survival prospects for little Diana (name changed), a one-and-a-half-year-old girl, appeared bleak as she was urgently flown from Bulgaria to MGM Healthcare in Chennai, following severe heart failure. Suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy, she endured two cardiac arrests: the first during transit over Karachi airspace, and the second upon her arrival at MGM Healthcare. Both cardiac arrests necessitated resuscitation. Upon her arrival, she was rushed to the operating room immediately. There, Diana was connected to a venoarterial (VA)-ECMO, a heart-supporting device, and quickly transferred to the ICU, her chest left open. She miraculously regained consciousness 48 hours later, as doctors charted the course ahead. Although they were contemplating an artificial pump, a heart from a two-year-old brain-dead boy in Mumbai gave hope. However, there was a catch: the donor's heart had a different blood group. However, defying the odds, doctors proceeded with the transplantation, citi...

As many as 26 opposition parties came together to fight against the Modi government but Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao who calls himself a secular has not attended even a single meeting, AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge alleged on Saturday. Addressing a public meeting at Chevella near Hyderabad, Mr Kharge said KCR never spoke about the unity of secular parties to defeat the BJP. "You call yourself a secular party here. But, you are in cahoots with BJP from inside there," he said. The AICC president said PM Narendra Modi and the Union Home Minister question Congress party's contributions to the country. Mr Kharge then went on to highlight the Congress party's contributions, including unification of princely states and making of the Constitution after Independence, irrigation projects initiated during Nehru era, nationalisation of banks and the promotion of computers during Rajiv Gandhi's tenure as Prime Minister. At the public meeting, he releas...

Uttar Pradesh resident Alka Prajapati was sleeping in the ill-fated private party train coach when screams of "fire, fire" erupted. While she instinctively scurried towards safety, she found the train door locked. Thankfully, someone broke open the lock to let the panic-stricken passengers out, possibly averting a bigger tragedy. "We were sleeping when we heard the cries and tried to escape. The door was locked so we could not escape immediately. Someone broke the lock and we came out. There was thick smoke and I couldn't breathe properly and just took God's name," she told PTI at the hospital where she was receiving medical attention. Railway employees arrived there 15-20 minutes later, and all efforts to put out the flames were taken. "But it (the coach) was on fire," she said, still recovering from the shock. Some survivors who spoke to the media said they were proceeding to Rameswaram. Vinod Kumar, another passenger, said the sudden scream...

At least 10 people have died and more than 20 are injured in a massive fire that broke out inside a stationary train compartment in Madurai railway station early this morning. The Southern Railway said that an "illegal gas cylinder" on board led to the fire. The passengers of the "private party coach" had arrived from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. Madurai district collector MS Sangeetha, who rushed to the station to enquire, said 10 persons were killed in the fire accident in the train compartment. 20 people with injuries have been admitted to a hospital for treatment. "10 persons reported dead," in the fire, a Southern Railway release said. Police, fire and rescue services personnel besides railway staff, involved in dousing the fire, extricated the charred bodies from the compartment. The fire broke out at 5:15 am today and the fire service personnel who arrived at the spot half an hour later put down the blaze by 7:15 am, a Southern Railway release sai...

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to pass any order on the Tamil Nadu government's plea seeking release of 24,000 cusecs of Cauvery water daily by Karnataka for irrigating the standing crops. A three-judge bench headed by Justice BR Gavai sought a report from the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) on the amount of water released by Karnataka, after Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati informed the court that a meeting of the authority is scheduled for Monday. "We do not possess any expertise on the matter. The ASG informs that authority is meeting on Monday to decide discharge of water for next fortnight. "We find that it will be appropriate that CWMA submits its report on whether the directions issued for discharge of water have been complied or not," the bench, also comprising Justices PS Narasimha and PK Mishra, said. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, informed the bench that the meeting of CWMA is schedule...

A school student was forced to write a term examination by sitting on the floor at a private school in Kerala for not remitting monthly fees, his family claimed today. The Class 7 student, the family said, suffered humiliation and harassment by the principal at the school, located in Vellayambalam, in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram. The school management agreed with the family's allegation as it admitted that the principal was wrong in making the boy sit on the floor for delay in paying tuition fees. According to the boy's family, the principal, who walked into the examination hall during the test, asked those students who were yet to remit the fees to stand up. "When sir (principal) told me I didn't remit the fees, I requested him to ask my father. But he was not ready to listen to me. He asked me to come out and sit on the floor," the boy told a news channel. As he felt insulted in front of his friends, the student was reluctant to go to school the followi...

A temple, mosque and a church built in the premises of Telangana's new Secretariat complex were inaugurated on Friday with Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao attending special prayers held in the three places of worship. Several ministers and officials were present on the occasion. AIMIM president and Hyderabad Lok Sabha member Asaduddin Owaisi, his younger brother and AIMIM floor leader in the assembly Akbaruddin Owaisi were present at the inauguration of the mosque. Speaking at the mosque, the chief minister said the government's efforts to maintain brotherhood in Telangana would continue. The Telangana Secretariat, with a temple, church and mosque built in its premises, is a great example of harmony and brotherhood for the entire country, he said. The chief minister inaugurated the new Secretariat on April 30. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) source h...

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday launched the expansion of the state's pioneering free breakfast scheme for all government primary school students across the state. The chief minister marked the expansion by serving breakfast to school students in Nagapattinam's Tirukkuvalai and sat down to share a meal with the children. Mr Stalin's father, former Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi, was a student in Thirukuvalai. #WATCH | Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin inaugurates the state-wide launch of the CM breakfast scheme in Nagapattinam district. (Video source: Tamil Nadu DIPR) pic.twitter.com/GvVJn7Qpb2 — ANI (@ANI) August 25, 2023 "This is not just a fund allotment but an investment in our children's future. The Tanil Nadu government has invested to enhance students' minds and knowledge. This would definitely manifest in the form of talent and capacity-building which will profit the state," he said. The initiative, which was launched in Septe...

A pregnant woman delivered her baby on the side of a road in a remote area of Telangana's Nirmal district on Thursday after she was carried across a stream while in labour. The ambulance that was supposed to pick her up had run out of diesel. Gangamani, a tribal woman, from the remotely located Thulasipet village of Pembi Mandal went into labour and was forced to deliver her baby boy on the side of the road after being stranded there for a reported four hours. Gangamani's husband said that when she went into labour, they called for an ambulance. However, due to the lack of road connectivity, the ambulance could not reach them. With the help of villagers, she crossed the Dothi stream, but even on the other side, the ambulance did not arrive because it had reportedly run out of diesel. "We even sent Rs 500 for the fuel over Google Pay, but the vehicle did not come. The baby was delivered on the road," the husband said. Subsequently, a 108 ambulance arrived, cut the ...

X Corp (formerly Twitter) has been given "one more and last opportunity" by the Karnataka High Court to submit material to show compliance of the blocking orders issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeiTY). The counsel for X Corp informed the bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice MGS Kamal that he was awaiting instructions from the client and sought time for the same. The high court, while adjourning the case to September 15, made it clear that it was the last chance the company was being granted. "Today counsel for appellant prays for adjournment on the ground that he is awaiting instruction, accordingly one more and last opportunity is granted. Appeal is adjourned to September 15," the high court recorded. Twitter (later changed to X Corp) had approached the high court against several blocking orders issued by the MeiTY. A single-judge bench had dismissed the petition and imposed a cost of Rs 50 lakh for approaching...

Over 400 two-wheelers were burnt in a huge fire that broke out in a bike showroom in Andhra Pradesh's Vijayawada on Thursday. #WATCH | Motorbikes gutted in fire at a bike showroom in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh pic.twitter.com/aO14raASOk — ANI (@ANI) August 24, 2023 There was, however, no loss of life was reported in the blaze and the exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. The fire broke out in TVS showroom situated in KP Nagar area off the Chennai-Kolkata national highway. "When we reached, the showroom was entirely engulfed in fire and smoke. We controlled the fire in one and a half hours. The exact cause of the fire is under investigation. Out of 1000, 400-500 vehicles were gutted in the fire," said Sanakarao, District Fire Officer.  Financial loss is estimated to be worth crores.   (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) source https://www.ndtv.com/andhra-pradesh-news/over-4...

UK energy regulator Ofgem on Wednesday fined US banking giant Morgan Stanley more than £5 million ($6.3 million) for failing to record and retain WhatsApp messages exchanged by its energy traders. Ofgem hit the bank with the £5.41 million fine after concluding it did not take "sufficient reasonable steps to ensure compliance" with its own policies around UK transparency and integrity rules. It is the first-ever fine issued in Britain under legal requirements to record and retain electronic communications relating to trading wholesale energy products. The rules aim to protect consumers by providing Ofgem with the powers to investigate and sanction firms or individuals it believes could be involved in market manipulation and insider trading. "This fine sends a strong message to market participants that they must comply with all... rules or face enforcement action," Ofgem's regulatory enforcement director Cathryn Scott said in a statement. She called Morgan St...

Madras Day is an annual celebration of the vibrant history, culture, and heritage of the city of Chennai. Chennai turns 384 years old today (August 22). Known for its temples and rich heritage, Madras was renamed Chennai in 1996. History  The history of Madras Day goes all the way back to August 22, 1639. Back then, a piece of land was acquired by the British East India Company to establish a settlement. This day marks the birth of the city of Madras. Madras Day was initiated by a group of enthusiastic individuals who wanted to celebrate the rich history of the city. The first celebration took place in 2004, and since then, it has grown into a big festival filled with events, exhibitions, talks, and performances. These activities highlight various aspects of the city's identity, from its architecture and cuisine to its arts and traditions. Significance  Madras Day holds great importance as it allows the people of Chennai to connect with their history and learn about the ...

The ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) today announced the first list of candidates, months ahead of the assembly polls in Telangana later this year. There have been just seven changes, and most sitting MLAs have been retained. "We are confident of winning 95 to 105 seats," K Chandrashekar Rao, who is looking to score a hat-trick in the southern state, said while releasing the names for 119 constituencies. The Chief Minister, who represents the Gajwel constituency in the state assembly, will contest from one more seat this time -- Kamareddy. Gampa Govardhan of the BRS has won the election from Kamareddy for four consecutive terms -- 2009, 2011, 2014 and 2018. KCR asserted that the BRS's friendship with Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM will continue. The move is being seen as KCR trying to get the first mover's advantage. In the 2018 state elections, he surprised opponents by advancing the polls. Congress, the main opposition party in the state, ...

DMK youth wing state secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin on Sunday hit out at Governor RN Ravi over his opposition to the Bill seeking the abolition of the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET) in Tamil Nadu, saying that the latter should change his name to "RSS Ravi". Addressing a valedictory function at the one-day hunger strike staged by the DMK youth wing and doctors over the demand seeking exemption of the state from the central exam, Udhayanidhi Stalin questioned the Governor's authority. "Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi has got so much arrogance. Who are u, Governor? What authority do you have? He is not RN Ravi, he is RSS Ravi," said Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of Chief Minister MK Stalin. He further said that the Governor has no role other than that of a "postman", who should forward all matters approved by the state Assembly to the President. A man in Chennai killed himself after his 19-year-old son died by suicide on August 13, after failing to...

Two agriculture officers from Mandya district have been arrested by the CID in connection with the "fake letter" written to Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot complaining to him that state Agriculture Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy sought bribes. According to a top CID officer, the two agriculture department officers were arrested from KR Pet in the district for writing the 'fake letter' on behalf of seven assistant agriculture directors. In July, Raj Bhavan had received the purported letter complaining that the minister was exerting pressure on the officers and employees of the agriculture department through the joint director of agriculture to pay him bribe ranging from Rs 6 lakh to Rs 8 lakh. They even threatened to die by suicide with their families if such a "tradition" of demanding bribes is not controlled. Accordingly, the Governor sent the letter to Chief Secretary Vandita Sharma to look into the complaint and initiate appropriate action. Chief...

In a never-before high for Telangana, the state Excise Department managed to collect Rs 2639 crore without selling a single bottle of liquor. The money came from nearly 1.32 lakh applications charging Rs 2 lakh non-refundable application fee each, for the allotment of 2,620 liquor shops. The vends will be picked district-wise through lottery on Monday. Those who get the licence have to pay a fee of Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1.1 crore per annum, depending on the population of the area where the shop has been allotted. One-sixth of the annual licence fee has to be paid by August 23. Under the rules, a retail excise shop in an area with population upto 5000 will pay Rs 50 lakh. A person holding licence for a retail shop in an area with a population over 20 lakh will pay Rs 1.1 crore a year. For a trader, the fee is small compared to the margins. They can make 27 per cent for an "ordinary" brand and 20 per cent for premium varieties. There is reservation in the allotment of licence to...

A Tapas unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) crashed in agriculture fields near a village in Karnataka's Chitradurga on Sunday morning, officials said. According to officials, the UAV - TAPAS - crashed while it was on a trial flight. "A Tapas drone being developed by the DRDO crashed during a trial flight in a village of Chitradurga district, Karnataka," Defence officials said. "DRDO is briefing the Defence Ministry about the mishap and an inquiry is being carried out into the specific reasons behind the crash," they told news agency ANI. As the word spread, local villagers rushed to the crash site to catch a glimpse of the UAV. Visuals show that the damaged UAV and its equipment inside lay scattered on the field. Tactical Airborne Platform for Aerial Surveillance-Beyond Horizon-201 or Tapas BH-201 is a long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle that used to be previously referred to as Rustom-II.   (Excep...

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday made his first Vande Bharat Express train journey, travelling from Kannur to Ernakulam. The Chief Minister travelled in the executive coach of the train which departed Kannur at 3:40 pm #WATCH | Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan travelled onboard Vande Bharat Kannur-Ernakulam express train today pic.twitter.com/hNzIDU0ACj — ANI (@ANI) August 19, 2023 The Kannur railway station saw heavy security deployment before the Chief Minister's arrival. Alongside his security team, a substantial police force, led by the Kannur city police commissioner and railway police, was stationed at the station, said authorities. Utilizing drones, the police inspected the railway tracks, while a canine unit was also there as part of the security. Kerala's first Vande Bharat Express was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Thiruvananthapuram Central Station on April 25. Vande Bharat Express is an indigenously manufactured, semi-high-speed, ...

An elderly woman and her three granddaughters died due to asphyxiation in a freak fire accident allegedly triggered by a mosquito repellent machine in their house at Mathur MMDA near Manali in Chennai, police said on Saturday. The woman identified as Santhanalakshmi, 65, and her granddaughters -- Sandhya, Priya Rakshita and Pavithra, aged between 8 and 10 years -- were sleeping in their house when the fire broke out. Their neighbours, who noticed smoke billowing out from the house this morning, informed the police and fire and rescue service personnel, said police. Upon their arrival, the police found all four persons unconscious and immediately rushed them to a hospital where the doctors declared them "brought dead". Preliminary inquiries by the police reveal that the mosquito repellent machine kept in the room where the family members were sleeping fell on some nylon material triggering a fire. The family members would have inhaled the smoke in their sleep and died, a se...

The opposition BJP and Congress on Saturday hit out at the BRS government over the alleged "abuse and assault" on a tribal woman in a police station in Hyderabad and demanded that the government provide help to her. Slamming the BRS government for allegedly not responding on the incident so far, BJP MLA Eatala Rajender demanded that those responsible should be arrested after registering a case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. There should be an inquiry into the incident and those involved should be removed from service, he said. Former Congress MP Madhu Yashki Goud demanded that the government provide medical aid and compensation to the woman. He said the Congress would also take up the issue with State Human Rights Commission. Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Friday sought a report from senior government officials regarding the alleged assault on the woman. Ms Soundararajan was deeply anguished upon learning a...

An outbreak of African swine flu has been reported in Kanichar village in this north Kerala district, following which the district Collector ordered culling of pigs in two farms there. The district animal husbandry official confirmed the flu at a private farm located at Malayampadi on Friday. Subsequently, the district authorities ordered culling of the pigs there and in another nearby farm located in a 10km radius, and bury the carcasses as per protocols. An area of one km around the pig farm, where the infection had been detected, was declared as an infected area and a radius of 10km as a disease surveillance zone, official sources said. Distribution and sale of pork in the area and its transportation to other places have been banned for three months, they said. The Collector, the chairman of the district disaster management authority, also asked the local authorities to submit an urgent report to confirm whether the pigs from the affected farm were transported to other farms in...

The Karnataka government has ordered a judicial inquiry into the allegations of demand for '40 per cent commission' for public projects during the previous BJP-led dispensation in the state. Three months after coming to power, the ruling Congress on Thursday passed an order setting up the inquiry panel led by retired High Court judge Justice Nagamohan Das, fulfilling one of its key promises made in the run-up to assembly polls. According to the order, the commission will inquire into the activities of the departments where large-scale public works are taken up. The Karnataka State Contractors' Association had written to the Prime Minister as well as the then Chief Minister about 40 per cent commission being charged on all public projects. Even before the commencement of work, 25 to 30 per cent commission is paid to the public representatives while the remaining is paid after completion of work, the order explained. "However, no action was taken on these serious al...

A mentally-ill man from Chhattisgarh was found dead with his body tied underneath a berth in a general compartment of the Kochuveli Gorakhpur Raptisagar Express train at Chennai Central railway station, police said on Friday. The man, in his mid-twenties, was mentally unstable. His two relatives who accompanied him from Erode in the state, to be taken to his hometown, tied his hands and feet and shoved him under the berth in a general compartment after some passengers expressed insecurity when he paced up and down the compartment, the Government Railway Police (GRP) said. His neck was also apparently tied with a cloth to prevent him from screaming, the police said. "The man would have died of strangulation when he struggled to free himself," the police official said. When the train arrived at the Central railway station here around 11.45 pm on August 16, the two relatives attempted to wake him but in vain. Upon being informed, the GRP sent the body for post-mortem. Enqui...

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday announced that his government has taken a decision to cancel the implementation of the National Education Policy, 2020, in the state.  Taking to 'X' (formerly known as Twitter), Mr Shivakumar wrote, "After coming to power, we promised to cancel the National Education Policy and we are committed to that promise. What is the rush to implement NEP first in Karnataka? Why has NEP not been implemented in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh?" "The education system in Karnataka is a model for the country. That is why Bangalore is the IT capital today. So many people in the state are in good positions abroad, because of our education system", the Deputy Chief Minister further added.  Earlier on Monday, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the National Education Policy (NEP) will be cancelled from the next academic year in the state. He said that the NEP implemented by the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (B...

A bank account analysis of arrested Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji and his wife shows they received "huge cash deposits", the Enforcement Directorate said Thursday, days after filing a chargesheet against the DMK leader in a money laundering investigation liked to 'cash for jobs scam' in the state's transport department. The prosecution complaint, filed under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), was submitted by the central agency on August 12 before a special court in Chennai and it took cognisance of the chargesheet on Wednesday, it said in a statement. The about 3,000-page chargesheet includes more than 2,000 pages of annexures and 168-170 pages of operational documents. The agency alleged that Mr Balaji, 47, "abused" his official position as the transport minister of Tamil Nadu (during the previous AIADMK regime) along with his brother RV Ashok Kumar and personal assistants B Shanmugam and M Karthikeyan and ...

Two tiger cubs were found dead at the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and a probe has been ordered to ascertain the reason for their death, Forest Department officials said on Thursday. The cubs were found dead during a patrolling by officials. An autopsy will be carried out as part of the probe to ascertain the reason for the cubs' death, they said, without elaborating. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) source https://www.ndtv.com/tamil-nadu-news/2-tiger-cubs-found-dead-in-tamil-nadu-reserve-probe-ordered-4304737

Kerala government has decided to distribute the new supplementary textbooks to restore the deleted chapters in National Council of Educational Training and Research (NCERT) Class 11 and 12 textbooks relating to Mahatma Gandhi's assassination, the 2002 Gujarat riots and the period of emergency. State General Education Minister V Sivankutty has informed that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the book distribution programme at Cotton Hill School in Thiruvananthapuram on August 23. Recently, the state government decided to include chapters removed by NCERT in Classes 11, 12 books. "It's a time when the process of curriculum reform has started at the national and state levels. Meanwhile, at the national level, under NCERT's leadership, many sections were deleted from the 6th to 12th standard textbooks. Kerala had quickly responded academically to this. This exclusion has been made in the name of reducing the academic load due to covid but anyone who examine...

The Madurai bench of Madras High Court quashed the FIR registered against Lois Sophia, who was arrested for raising slogans against BJP in 2018 on board a flight on which then State BJP president Tamilisai Soundarajan had also travelled. Judge Dhanapal while quashing the proceedings against Ms Sophia, said that the incident was not a crime and the matter was trivial. The court quashed the case pending before Thoothukudi Judicial Magistrate III. Quashing the proceedings against her, the court observed that procedure under Section 155 of the CrPC (Information as to non-cognisable cases and investigation of such cases) was not followed and the police had inserted Section 505 (1)(B) of the IPC in the FIR. The court was hearing a petition filed by Ms Sophia in 2019 seeking to quash the case against her. In September 2018, Ms Sophia, a Research student was arrested for chanting "fascist BJP government down" on a plane in the presence of former Tamil Nadu BJP president Tamilisa...

A case was registered against Telangana Congress president A Revanth Reddy in Nagarkurnool District on Tuesday for the alleged derogatory and threatening comments against the police. Nagarkurnool District Police Officers Association lodged a complaint with police accusing Revanth Reddy, who is also a Lok Sabha member, for the derogatory and insulting remarks against the police here on Monday. Based on the complaint, a case under IPC Sections 153 (giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and other sections were registered against Reddy and others, a senior police official told PTI. Further investigations are on. Meanwhile, the Police Officers Association of Bhadradri-Kothagudem district strongly condemned the alleged remarks of Reddy which they said had hurt the sentiments of the police. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) source https...

Senior BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai today appealed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to reconsider his decision of scrapping the National Education Policy (NEP) from next academic year. Mr Bommai said the Siddaramaiah government will be doing a disservice to the children of Karnataka by abolishing the NEP. The NEP draft brought out by the Centre was approved by Siddaramaiah during his previous tenure, the BJP leader told Press Trust of India. Former ISRO chief and ex-Karnataka Knowledge Commission chairman K Kasturirangan was appointed by the Central government as the chief of the task force to prepare new education policy. On his advice, the NEP was drafted, he explained. "When this being the case, for mere petty political reasons, Siddaramaiah wants to bring in a new system (of education). It's detrimental to the future of children of Karnataka," the former Chief Minister pointed out. "NEP is the most progressive legislation as far as education is concerned and th...

A 74-year-old retired sub-inspector of the Bengaluru Police was today arrested for allegedly raping a seven-year-old girl, who is the daughter of his tenant. The incident is from east Bengaluru. According to the girl's mother, her daughter went down to pick up her toy that had fallen down to the ground floor on Monday night at around 8:30. When she did not return till late, the mother said she raised an alarm, and her daughter returned, in tears. "Her lips were swollen, she was crying as she told me what had happened to her downstairs. She was very scared," the mother said. The survivor's father said when he went down to the ground floor to confront the accused, the retired sub-inspector's son threatened him. The son also works in the police department, he said, and added that he threatened him, saying he knows many goons. "He asked me to quietly take the money and vacate the house," the father alleged. The girl's father then complained to the po...