BJP calls 12-hour Bengal shutdown on April 30

BJP calls 12-hour Bengal shutdown on April 30

The BJP on Monday called a 12-hour shutdown in West Bengal on April 30 to protest against the “violence” and “rampant unethical practices” resorted to by the ruling Trinamool Congress during the recent civic polls. The call coincides with the 12 hour statewide general strike called by the main opposition Left Front. Several trade unions, […]

Documents leak case: Court denies bail to Saikia

Documents leak case: Court denies bail to Saikia

A Delhi court on Monday dismissed the bail application of former journalist Santanu Saikia accused in connection with petroleum ministry documents leak case. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjay Khanagwal dismissed the bail application of Saikia, who argued for his bail application himself in the documents leak case as none of the advocates are appearing due to […]

PM donates a month’s salary to quake relief fund

PM donates a month’s salary to quake relief fund

Prime Minister Narendra Modi donated one month’s salary to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for assistance to those affected in India by the quake that devastated Nepal, an official statement said on Monday. The government on Sunday announced a compensation of Rs.6 lakh each for the families of the people killed in the earthquake […]

LPG subsidy: Make choice opting in, not opting out

LPG subsidy: Make choice opting in, not opting out

It was believed that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley would withdraw the LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) subsidy for those who fall in the 30-percent tax bracket. However, this budget included no such measure. Thereafter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly called on people to “give it up” and join the “opt out of subsidy” scheme. While […]

‘India can tackle shortage of medically important radioactive isotope’

‘India can tackle shortage of medically important radioactive isotope’

Amid global concerns over scarcity of molybdenum-99, Indian scientists are gearing up to address the country’s need of producing the key radioactive isotope required for diagnostic purposes in nuclear medicine, including cancer detection. Scientists at the Kolkata-based Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC) claim India can resort to an alternative route of production of molybdenum 99 […]

Quake toll in India goes up to 72

Quake toll in India goes up to 72

The toll in India following Saturday’s earthquake has gone up to 72, with Bihar accounting for 56 deaths, a top official said on Monday. Home Secretary L.C. Goyal, addressing the media at a joint press conference with Defence Secretary R.K. Mathur and Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar, said 12 people died in Uttar Pradesh following the […]

Thirty-eight Indian cities in high risk earthquakes zones

Thirty-eight Indian cities in high risk earthquakes zones

At least 38 Indian cities lie in high-risk seismic zones and nearly 60 percent of the subcontinental landmass is vulnerable to earthquakes. Barring rare exceptions, such as the Delhi Metro, India’s hastily-built cities are open to great damage from earthquakes. The earthquake that devastated Nepal on saturday and jolted northern India, damaging buildings as far […]

5.1-magnitude quake hits Bihar

5.1-magnitude quake hits Bihar

Two days after an earthquake jolted Bihar, another temblor, measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale, rocked the state on Monday. Damage to property was reported from various places, but there was no report of any casualty, an official here said. With the earthquake again rocking Bihar on Monday at 6.05 p.m., it has created further […]

Operation Khoj: A lifesaver for destitute children

Operation Khoj: A lifesaver for destitute children

Just four years ago, Aslam was found lying in a semi-conscious state on a platform at Delhi’s Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station due to a drug overdose. Today, the 15-year-old dreams of becoming a “choreographer” and has already started attending dance classes to achieve this. The route to this dramatic transformation in his life wasn’t easy […]