Breaking News, August 9

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday approved the proposal of the Department of Rural Development for construction of two crore more houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Gramin (PMAY-G). The Cabinet approved the 'Implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin during FY 2024-25 to 2028-29," which prescribes for the construction of two crore more houses at existing unit assistance of Rs 1.20 lakh in plain areas and Rs 1.30 lakh in North Eastern Region States and Hill States of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, according to an official statement. The Cabinet approved continuation of the scheme from April 2024 to March 2029.

A brick kiln owner was shot dead by some unidentified attackers here, police said on Friday. Additional Superintendent of Police (West), Sanjay Rai, said on the night of August 4-5, Monu Singh (35) was sitting in the veranda of a room at his kiln when unknown assailants approached on foot and shot him before fleeing the scene.

Mizoram and Assam on Friday agreed to continue to promote and maintain peace along the inter-state border, as part of efforts to resolve their decades-long boundary dispute. The two northeastern states held border talks here on Friday after 20 months. The last meeting was held in November 2022 in Guwahati.

The opposition BJP and JD(S) on Friday continued their protest march to Mysuru, demanding the resignation of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment 'scam.' The week-long Bengaluru-Mysuru padayatre (foot march) has sought to highlight the alleged fraudulent allotment of sites to land losers by MUDA, including to Siddaramaiah's wife Parvathi.

Tension prevailed at the Sitalkuchi fenced land border area of Cooch Behar district in West Bengal on Friday morning after panicked Bangladeshi nationals, numbering nearly a thousand, assembled on the other side of the fence in their bid to cross over to India and seek refuge. The attempt was, however, foiled by the BSF which maintained a strict vigil at the border. The Bangladeshis were later removed from the spot by the Border Guards Bangladesh personnel, the Border Security Force confirmed.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday launched the 'Tamizh Pudhalvan' (Tamil son) scheme of Rs 1,000 per month assistance to help boys from government and state-aided schools pursue higher education. Launching the scheme here at the Government Arts College, Stalin said the 'Dravidian model' government is committed to social justice and outlined a slew of welfare schemes formulated accordingly.

The Jalna District Consumer Redressal Forum has asked the postal department to pay Rs 31,917 as compensation to a man whose parcel to Russia could not be delivered satisfactorily. Chetan Khandelwal had sent a 5.3 kg parcel worth Rs 18,000 to his daughter, who is studying medicine in Russia, in May last year but it was returned to him in an underweight condition, an official said. On August 6, the District Consumer Redressal Forum ordered that the postal department pay Rs 31,917 as compensation, he added.

The Mizoram cabinet on Friday approved an amendment bill to strengthen the Lokayukta, the state's anti-corruption ombudsman formed in 2018, an official said. The meeting of the council of ministers chaired by Chief Minister Lalduhoma discussed in length the Mizoram Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill 2024 and approved it, she said. The amendment bill is likely to be presented in the assembly during a two-day session to be held on August 20 and August 21, the official said.

Rajya Sabha member from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Swati Maliwal on Friday made a strong case for setting up sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Delhi to help depollute the Yamuna as she accused the Delhi government of only making false promises to clean the river. Raising the issue of pollution in the river during Zero Hour in the Upper House, she said people of the National Capital are lucky that Yamuna passes through the city, but the tragedy is that due to "our failure" the river has turned into a drain. Maliwal said the Yamuna is worshipped since long, but today 22 drains empty in the river and 238 million gallon of untreated sewage is being dumped into it daily.

The Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die on Friday, one sitting ahead of the scheduled end of the session. The current session of Parliament was scheduled to end on August 12 but Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House sine die (for an indefinite period). The Rajya Sabha was also adjourned sine die on Friday. During the session, the Finance Bill was passed. A bill to amend the Waqf law was also introduced and referred to a joint committee of Parliament amid protests over its provisions. Birla said the productivity of the House was above 130 per cent.

Former BJP MLA Ashok Sarma on Friday joined Congress along with hundreds of his supporters. At a joining programme here, the senior BJP leader took the membership of Congress in the presence of its deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, state president Bhupen Kumar Borah, Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia along with AICC leaders Prithviraj Sathe and Vikas Upadhyay. "On this day, the Quit India movement started to get Independence from the British. I chose this day to join the Congress in recognition of the sacrifice made by the party and its leaders," Sarma said, addressing the huge crowd.

The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) filed against Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya. The petition, submitted by advocate Manjesh Kumar Yadav, challenged statements made by Maurya regarding the significance of organisations over the government. READ MORE...

President Droupadi Murmu delivered a speech to the Indian community during a reception held in Auckland, New Zealand. The event was marked by enthusiastic participation from the Indian diaspora, who gathered to hear the President speak on various issues of importance to both India and its overseas citizens.

Manish Sisodia, former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, has been in custody for 17 months without commencing his trial. The Supreme Court expressed concern over this delay, highlighting that it deprives him of his fundamental right to a speedy trial. While granting bail, the Supreme Court imposed conditions, including surrendering Sisodia's passport and a directive not to influence witnesses. The court emphasised that the majority of documents related to the case are already with the investigative agency, minimizing the risk of evidence tampering. READ MORE...

A mild earthquake with a magnitude of 3.3 struck Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, at 9:53 a.m. today, according to the National Center for Seismology. The tremors were felt across the region, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. Authorities are monitoring the situation closely.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has announced that discussions regarding seat-sharing among alliance partners have been successfully concluded. Speaking on the matter, Raut emphasized that there are no differences of opinion between the parties involved. 

Raut stated, "The seat-sharing talks have been completed... There is no difference of opinion between the parties over seat sharing." He further underscored the coalition's commitment to removing what he described as the "unconstitutional, illegal Maharashtra government" from power, stressing that it would be done "in a democratic manner." 

The Russian Defense Ministry has reported that up to 300 Ukrainian troops, backed by 11 tanks and over 20 armored combat vehicles, have crossed into Russian territory. According to the ministry, the incursion marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between the two nations. Details on the extent of the incursion and the current situation on the ground are still emerging.

Prayagraj: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Allahabad High Court challenging the Congress party's alleged promise of Rs 8,500 in exchange for votes during the Lok Sabha elections. The petition seeks to disqualify 99 Congress MPs, seize the party's election symbol, and suspend its registration.

The PIL, filed by social activist Bharti Singh through advocates O.P. Singh and Shashwat Anand, is likely to be heard next week. The petition claims that during the last Lok Sabha elections, Congress introduced a "Guarantee Card" scheme, promising to deposit ₹8,500 monthly into the bank accounts of poor, backward classes, Dalits, and minorities starting from July after the elections. The petition alleges that this promise turned out to be completely false.

President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated India's star track and field athlete Neeraj Chopra on his magnificent silver win at the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024. Taking to their social media handle 'X' (formerly Twitter), the leaders separately lauded Chopra for clinching two successive Olympic medals for the country — his first gold in the Tokyo Olympics followed by his silver medal in the men's javelin event at the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024. READ MORE...

An earthquake of magnitude 4.4 on the Richter Scale occurred today at 06:57 IST in Soreng, Sikkim, said National Center for Seismology.