medianews18

Dhanbad (Jharkhand): At least 14 people, including 10 women and 3 children, were charred to death and many others were injured when a massive fire broke out in a multi-storey building in Jharkhand's Dhanbad on Tuesday. Many people were trapped in the building.  A major fire broke out at the 13-storey Ashirwad Twin Tower located in Dhanbad's Joraphatak in Jharkhand. More than 24 injured have been admitted to the hospital. The fire probably started when an earthen lamp fell. Then a gas cylinder blasted. More than 20 fire brigades extinguished the fire. Fire spread from one flat to another The fire broke out on the third floor at 6.30 pm on Tuesday. In no time it spread from one flat to another and then up to 5th floors. The flames were so strong that the bodies were unrecognizable due to scorching. Some bodies are stuck to each other. The dead include 10 women, three children and an elderly person. Resident Subodh Lal's flat is on the fourth floor. His daughter's marriage...

PM Cares Fund: The Prime Minister's Office has told the Delhi High Court today i.e. Tuesday (January 31) that PM CARES is not a fund of the Government of India. The government has said in its reply that it cannot even be considered as a public authority.  Public Charitable Trust The affidavit filed by the Under Secretary of the PMO states that the PM CARES Fund has been set up as a Public Charitable Trust. It is not created under the Constitution of India, an Act of Parliament or any State Legislature. In fact, the PMO has responded to a petition filed by a person named Samyak Gangwal. Gangwal had demanded to declare PM Cares as a government fund under Article 12 of the Indian Constitution. The PMO affidavit states that there is no control, directly or indirectly, of the central government or any state government in the functioning of the trust. Accepts only voluntary donations The PMO has further stated that the PM CARES Fund accepts only voluntary donations from individuals and ...

Patna: Upendra Kushwaha, chairman of the National Parliamentary Board of the ruling Janata Dal United in Bihar, has once again alleged that he is being sidelined in the party. He said in a press conference in Patna on Tuesday that Nitish Kumar had given him a position without power and ignored his suggestions. "I was definitely made the chairman of the parliamentary board. I thought I will get an opportunity to discharge the responsibilities. I will be able to protect the interests of the workers." No power to nominate members Describing the post of Chairman of the Parliamentary Board as a lollipop, he said, "But later I came to know that when I was made the Chairman of the Parliamentary Board, a lolliop was handed over to me. I became the Chairman but I had no power to nominate members. What does that mean? I've never been asked for any suggestions." Post was made meaningless He said Nitish made him the JD (U) Parliamentary Board chief after amending the party...

Mumbai: Gautam Adani, the chairperson of Adani Group, has been out of the list of top ten rich of the world. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Adani has lost $ 8 billion in a single day.  His net worth was $ 92.7 billion on January 29, which came down to $ 84.4 billion on Monday. This brought Adani to the 11th position in the index. Adani's net worth has decreased by $ 35.6 billion in a week. Gautam Adani has slipped out of the list of the world's top 10 richest people, a report with Bloomberg stated. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, the tycoon was earlier positioned fourth on the list.  Shares fall for 4th day in a row On Tuesday morning, shares of most of the Adani Group firms were trading in negative territory, falling for the fourth day running, amid concerns over US-based short seller Hindenburg Research's report. Hindenburg released the report on January 24 - the day on which Adani Enterprises' Rs 20,000-crore follow-on share sale opened...

New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Economic Survey 2023 in the Parliament during the budget session on Tuesday. The survey has estimated the GDP growth rate for the financial year 2023-24 to be 6.5%.  This will be the slowest growth in the last 3 years. Whereas the nominal GDP has been estimated at 11%. Real GDP estimate for FY23 is 7%. The survey states that India will continue to be the fastest growing major economy in the world. According to the survey, India is the third largest economy in the world in terms of PPP (Purchasing Power Parity) and fifth largest in terms of exchange rate. After releasing the survey, now the Chief Economic Advisor and other senior officials will hold a press conference. The survey includes India's gross domestic product (GDP) estimates, inflation estimates, foreign exchange reserves and trade deficit.  The folowing are the key highlights of the survey: State of the Economy ·        ...

New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu said during her joint address in Parliament on Tuesday that the Amrit Kaal of independence is the period for every citizen of the country to perform their duty and contribute in building a developed India. Smt. Murmu said that today India's self-confidence is at its peak and the way the world is looking at us has changed. Countrymen have seen many such positive changes for the first time in the last nine years. Addressing the joint session of both the Houses in the Central Hall on the first day of the budget session of Parliament, the President said, “This 25-year period of Amritkaal is the golden century of independence and the period of building a developed India. These 25 years are for all of us and for every citizen of the country to show the culmination of our duties." She said that we have to make such an India which is self-reliant and capable of fulfilling human obligations, which does not have poverty and whose middle class is also...

New Delhi: The hills of North India have seen fairly widespread rain and snow including Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Rain and snow have been witnessed over parts of Srinagar, Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Manali, Kufri, Narkanda, Chardham etc. According to Skymet, parts of the hills around 7000 feet observed some snowfall. This was the first spell which was seen across the mountainous states simultaneously.  A Western Disturbance is still persisting, rain and snow may continue on Tuesday, however, the intensity as well as the spread is expected to be lesser than what was seen on Monday which was the peak day. Hailstorm may be seen in Uttarakhand  As the system is gradually moving from west to east, hailstorm may be seen in Uttarakhand more as compared to the other states. From tomorrow, conditions will improve and only extreme northern parts of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh may be seen. Another Feeble Western Disturbance will be arriving on February 2 and c...

New Delhi: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said it is expecting some slowdown in the Indian economy next financial year and estimated the growth to 6.1 percent from 6.8 percent during the current fiscal ending March 31. The IMF growth projections are 6.8 percent growth for this current fiscal year, which runs until March, and then it is expecting some slowdown to 6.1 percent in fiscal year 2023. And that is largely driven by external factors. Global growth will also fall The IMF on Tuesday released the January update of its World Economic Outlook, according to which the global growth is estimated to decline from an anticipated 3.4 percent in 2022 to 2.9 percent in 2023, then rise to 3.1 percent in 2024. Growth in emerging Asia is expected to rise According to the report, growth in emerging and developing Asia is expected to rise in 2023 and 2024 to 5.3 percent and 5.2 percent, respectively, after the deeper-than-expected slowdown in 2022 to 4.3 percent attributable to China...

  Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that India is continuously moving forward under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Chouhan was addressing the inaugural programme of Khelo India Youth Games at Tatya Tope Stadium. Medal winners in youth games will be given Rs. 5 lakh CM Chouhan said that only yesterday India's women's team won the T-20 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. The players of Madhya Pradesh who come after winning medals will be given a prize of Rs. 5 lakh for the next games. CM Chouhan established the sports torch Amarkantak. Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Anurag Thakur said that India’s young players are doing well at the international level. Traditional sports have been included at the national level. State Sports Minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia said that a new chapter of sports is starting with the Khelo India Youth Games in the saga of Madhya Pradesh. Culture and historical heritage of MP depicted The ceremony start...

Srinagar: Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra came to an end in Srinagar on Monday amid heavy snowfall. It started 145 days back on September 7 from Kanyakumari. Rahul addressed the public gathering at the Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium during the closing ceremony. He mentioned Modi, Amit Shah and RSS twice and attacked BJP. The march culminated with a rally in a stadium in Srinagar on Monday afternoon. It was attended by  Gandhi and several other Congress leaders and also leaders from some opposition parties who joined in a show of unity. I have seen violence He said, 'I now want to say something to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and to the army-security forces. I understand violence. I have seen violence. One who has not seen violence will not understand this. Like Modiji, Amit Shahji, Sangh people, they have not seen violence. They are are afraid  I have suffered the pain of losing my loved ones Rahulk said further: Here we walked for 4 days. I guarantee that no BJP leader can act l...

Peshawar: There has been an explosion inside the mosque built in Police Lines in Peshawar city of Pakistan. Reports said blast was carried out by a suicide bomber who was present among the Namazis. According to local media, 29 policemen have died so far. There are reports of 158 people injured. Out of this, the condition of 90 is said to be critical. There were mostly policemen among the injured, said the eyewitness. Hospital sources said 13 of those injured were in critical condition. The blast occurred near the Police Lines area around 1.40 pm when a suicide attacker blew himself up during the Zuhr (afternoon) prayers. 550 people were present in mosque An eyewitness said – Around 500 to 550 people were present in the mosque at the time of Namaz. The suicide attacker was present in the middle row. It was not clear how he reached the Police Lines, as one has to show a gate pass to enter here. Police said the mosque had collapsed and several people were believed to be buried under its ...

New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear a petition challenging ban on the BBC documentary on PM Modi. The court will hear the matter on February 6.  On January 21, the Central government banned the controversial BBC documentary "India: The Modi Question" in the country. However, student organizations in several educational institutions have raised hue and cry over the screening of the documentary, leading to controversy. The petitioner ML Sharma on Monday appealed for an early hearing of the case before a bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud. After this, the court directed to list it. Constitutional question raised in PIL Advocate ML Sharma has raised a constitutional question in his PIL. In the petition, he has urged the apex court to decide whether citizens have a right under Article 19(1) and (2) of the Constitution to see news, facts and reports on the 2002 Gujarat riots. In the petition, Sharma has termed the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's January...

New Delhi: The budget session of Parliament is starting from 31 January. The budget session will begin at 11 am on Tuesday with the address of President Droupadi Murmu to the joint sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in the Central Hall. The Economic Survey will also be tabled in both the houses on the first day of the budget session. After this, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget on 1 February.  This Union Budget could be the last full budget before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In such a situation, everyone's eyes are fixed on this budget to be presented before the general elections. Relief on the income tax likely It is expected that in the budget presented before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the government can give some relief on the income tax front to the middle class and employed people. There is buzz that Nirmala Sitharaman may hike the limit for the highest tax slab from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh and reduce the highest tax rate from 30 perc...

Lucknow: Controversy regarding Ramcharitmanas is escalating in UP. At least eight people have been booked in Lucknow, capital of Uttar Pradesh, for desecration of the holy book.  They have been accused of tearing pages of Ramcharitmanas and then burning it in the Vrindavan Yojna area of the city on Sunday. Police said an FIR has been lodged at the PGI police station in Lucknow. PGI Statin House Officer (SHO) Rajesh Rana said that the FIR was filed after a complaint was received from a BJP member Satnam Singh Lavi. All India OBC Mahasabha members protested Protests were held in Lucknow on Sunday by burning some copies of Ramcharitmanas. All India OBC Mahasabha office bearers demonstrated while extending their to support of SP leader Swami Prasad Maurya. The Mahasabha had already announced the protest. The workers reached the housing development office of Vrindavan Sector-9 at around 9.30 am on Sunday. Here they raised slogans against Ramcharitmanas and demanded a ban on it. Also sai...

Bhopal: Khelo India Youth Games hosted by Madhya Pradesh, the heart of India will be launched in a grand ceremony in Bhopal on January 30.  The programme will be given a colourful launch in the presence of Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Anurag Thakur, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister of State for Sports Nisith Pramanik and MP's Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia at Tatya Tope Nagar Stadium in Bhopal on Monday at 7 pm.  Cultural and historical heritage of MP displayed Grand preparations have been made for the opening ceremony of Khelo India Youth Games to be held in Madhya Pradesh for the first time. About a 100 meter -long stage has been built on the main ground of the TT Nagar stadium, in which the cultural and historical heritage of Madhya Pradesh has been displayed.  It displays the Narmada Ghat, Khajuraho Temple, Bhim-Betka, Shri Mahakal Mahalok, Sanchi Stupa, Temple of Orchha, Bhedaghat and Gwalior Fort.  Jay B...

New Delhi: The Ministry of Education, Government of India has released All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2020-2021. The Ministry has been conducting All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) since 2011, covering all higher educational institutions located in Indian Territory and imparting higher education in the country.  The survey reveals total enrollment in higher education has increased to nearly 4.14 crore in 2020-21 from 3.85 crore in 2019-20.  Since 2014-15, there has been an increase of around 72 Lakh in the enrolment (21%). The enrollment has crossed 4 crore mark for the first time.  Female enrollment increases The Female enrollment has increased to 2.01 crore from 1.88 crore in 2019-20.  There has been an increase of around 44 lakh (28%) since 2014-15. The percentage of female enrollment to total enrollment has increased from 45% in 2014-15 to around 49% in 2020-21. Increase in number of universities, colleges The total number of Universities...

Lucknow: Team India has defeated New Zealand by 6 wickets in the second match of T20 series. With this, the Indian team has levelled the 3-match series. The third match of the series will be played on February 1 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Batting first after winning the toss, the New Zealand team could only manage 99 runs for eight wickets in 20 overs at the Bharat Ratna Atal Vihari Vajpayee Stadium in Lucknow on Sunday.  Captain Mitchell Santner scored an unbeaten 19 runs. Michael Bracewell and Mark Chapman were dismissed for 14 runs each and openers Finn Allen and Devon Conway scored 11 each. Arshdeep Singh took two wickets for India. Captain Hardik Pandya, Deepak Hooda, Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar got one wicket each. Surya Kumar Yadav scored highest unbeaten 26 India achieved the target of 100 runs by losing 4 wickets with one ball to spare. Surya Kumar Yadav scored the highest unbeaten 26 runs. Ishaan Kishan added 19 runs. Michael Bracewell and Ish S...

  Bhubaneshwar: Odisha health minister Naba Kishore Das has succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment in a private hospital in capital Bhubaneswar on Sunday. He was shot at his chest during a program in Brajarajnagar in Jharsuguda district around noon on Sunday. He was rushed to the hospital in Jharsuguda and subsequently airlifted to the Apollo hospital. According to reports, the accused, a police ASI on duty,  was nabbed soon after he allegedly shot at the minister at point blank range when he was getting down from his vehicle to attend a program. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has ordered a crime branch probe into the incident.   Expressing condolence over the minister’s death, Patnaik said, “He was an asset for both the Govt and the party. His death is a great loss to the State of Odisha.” The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has expressed deep grief over the demise of Minister in Odisha Government, Naba Kishore Das. The Prime Minister tweeted: “Sad...

Potchefstroom: India has won the title of the first Under-19 Women's Cricket World Cup. The Indian team defeated England by 7 wickets in the final. India won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Potchefstroom stadium in South Africa and bowled out England for 68 runs in 17.1 overs. India achieved the target of 69 runs in 3 wickets in 14 overs. Chasing a paltry 69 for victory, the Indian side hit up the runs for the loss of just three wickets. India lost Verma (15) and Shweta Sehrawat (5) early, but Gongadi Trisha (24) and Soumya Tiwari (24 not out) steadied the innings and guided the team home in 14 overs. Titas Sadhu, who took 2 wickets for 6 runs in the final, was given the player of the match award. England captain Grace Scrivens was the player of the tournament. She scored 293 runs in 7 matches and also took 9 wickets. Rs 5 crore for India team The BCCI announced a reward of Rs 5 crore to the women's cricket team and support staff for winning the tournament. Also, BCC...

  New Delhi: There were three major events in 2019, which marked an important milestone in the relations between India and Pakistan. The relations between the two countries deteriorated so much that they became very distant from each other. On 14 February 2019, 40 CRPF jawans were martyred in a suicide terror attack in Pulwama, Kashmir. Twelve days later i.e. on 26 February 2019, the Indian Air Force conducted a surgical strike in Balakot, Pakistan. In this, many terrorists are claimed to have been killed.  On August 5 2019, the Government of India abolished the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and declared it a Union Territory by abrogating Article 370. These were the three incidents that happened in 2019, due to which the relations between India and Pakistan worsened rapidly. At that time Pakistan's then Prime Minister Imran Khan said that until Article 370 is restored in Jammu and Kashmir, there will be no talks with India. Before Imran, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had said that...

  New Delhi: Rashtrapati Bhavan's famed Mughal Gardens will now be known as 'Amrit Udyan'. The resplendent gardens are open to the public once a year and people can visit from January 31 this time. President Droupadi Murmu graced the opening of the gardens of Rashtrapati Bhavan -- Udyan Utsav 2023 -- on Sunday. 'On the occasion of the celebrations of 75 years of Independence as Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, the President of India is pleased to give a common name to the Rashtrapati Bhavan gardens as Amrit Udyan', Navika Gupta, Deputy Press Secretary to the President, said in the statement. A move towards a new India Union ministers and BJP leaders welcomed the decision as a move towards a "new India". "Welcome and thank Hon'ble President Droupadi Murmu Ji for renaming the iconic gardens at the President House as 'Amrit Udyan.' "This new name not only shreds yet another symbol of a colonial relic but also reflects India's aspirations f...

Bhubaneshwar: Odisha's health and family welfare minister Naba Kishore Das was shot at in Jharsuguda district on Sunday. His condition is said to be very critical. An ASI fired on him from point blank range in Brajrajnagar. He suffered 4-5 bullets in the chest. The accused ASI has been caught. The motive behind the attack was not immediately clear. The attacker was in police uniform so no one suspected him. After the firing, the accused started running. Initially people thought that he was running to nab the attacker. But later it came to light that he himself was the attacker. The police said that Naba Das had gone to Brajrajnagar to attend a programme. An ASI Gopaldas attacked Naba Das as soon as he got down from the car. The minister was on his way to attend a program at Gandhi Chowk in the town. "Assistant Sub-inspector of Police (ASI) Gopal Das opened fire at the minister. The minister is injured and rushed to hospital," Brajrajnagar SDPO Gupteswar Bhoi said. Accordi...

Srinagar: Bharat Jodo Yatra has reached its last leg. On Sunday afternoon, Rahul Gandhi hoisted the tricolor at Lal Chowk  to signal the conclusion of the foot-march that got underway on September 7. During this Srinagar echoed with Vijayi Vishwa Tiranga Pyara . Security has been tightened at the venue. The march started from Pantha Chowk in the morning and will end near Nehru Park on Boulevard Road in Srinagar city. There is information about the involvement of Jairam Ramesh, Mallikarjun Kharge, Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti with Rahul Gandhi. Muzaffar Shah, President of Awami National Conference has also participated in the yatra. Today, there will be a halt of the yatra at Cheshma Shahi Road in Srinagar and Rahul will hold a press conference at 5:30 pm. The J&K portion of the Bharat Jodo Yatra continued to be particularly crucial because it ran into difficulties with the party alleging a security breach at Banihal. Gandhi was joined at Awantipora and Banihal by notable ...

Tehran:  Seven people died while over 400 were injured as a 5.9 magnitude earthquake shook the city of Khoy in northwestern Iran's West Azerbaijan province. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 km, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported. Khoy is a city and capital of Khoy County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. According to the report of the Iranian news agency IRNA, the tremors were felt at 9:44 pm local time on Saturday. Earthquake tremors were felt in many areas of West Azerbaijan province. Earthquake tremors were also felt in several cities, including Tabriz, the capital of neighbouring East Azerbaijan. According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center, tremors were also felt in Turkey, Iraq, Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan. Debris falling around as a result of the tremor also damaged cars in the streets. Many aftershocks have been recorded so far. Khoy residents are spending the night outdoors in freezing temperature. The quake comes 10 ...

Ajmer:  The Central University of Rajasthan in Ajmer district has suspended 10 of its students for 14 days for watching BBC's documentary 'India: The Modi Question' on PM Modi on Republic Day. Information about this decision has been given in an order issued by the proctor of the university on Friday, a day after watching the film. According to this order, after an inquiry by the Proctorial Board, these students are suspended from both study activity and hostel for 14 days under Ordinance No. 47 of the University with immediate effect. It has been told that all these students were watching this documentary on mobile phones. The university administration has called it an administrative action. Students told to maintain law and order on campus An advisory issued by the proctor in the name of the students has asked the students to maintain law and order in the campus and avoid sloganeering. At the same time, in another order issued by the registrar of the university, it has be...

New Delhi: The Western disturbance has moved away after giving scattered light to moderate rain and snow over Western Himalayas.  After the passage of Western disturbance, cold wins from north have dropped the temperatures across Northwest India including Delhi and NCR, according to Skymet Weather. Cold wave at isolated pockets of Rajasthan and Haryana Therefore, after the passage of Western disturbance, cold winds from the Western Himalayas will once again blow the northwest and Central parts of the country leading to significant drop in temperatures and cold wave at isolated pockets of Rajasthan and Haryana. After a brief relief from cold wave conditions, parts of north India are set to experience a temperature drop in the coming days. Delhi may witness a cloudy sky from 2 January and some parts may even receive light rainfall. Snow show in Himalayas not over yet However, the snow show is not over yet and another fresh Western Disturbance is coming again. The system is currently...

New Delhi: The ICC Women's T20 World Cup will begin on 10 February. This will be the eighth edition of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup, hosted by South Africa. The first edition of the Women's T20 Cricket World Cup was held in 2009 in England. India in Group-2 The 10 teams of this Women's T20 World Cup have been divided into two groups. Teams from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have been placed in Group-1. India is in Group-2, where England, West Indies, Pakistan and Ireland are also in this group. Along with India, the eyes of the whole world will be on this World Cup. Although India has not been able to win the World Cup even once. The first match of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup will be played between South Africa and Sri Lanka in Cape Town. The second match will be between West Indies and England. On the other hand, on February 11, the teams of Australia and New Zealand will clash with each other. India-Pakistan match on 12 Feb Afte...