Breaking News, February 14 | HIGHLIGHTS

The Army is planning to procure around 95 Prachand Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) and 110 Light Utility Helicopters (LUH) to enhance the profile of its combat aviation wing, Chief of Army Staff Gen Manoj Pande said here on Tuesday.

Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday sparked a row saying 40 CRPF jawans were martyred in Pulwama in 2019 due to a "blatant intelligence failure". A tweet by Singh on the anniversary of the Pulwama suicide bomber attack on the CRPF convoy evoked a sharp reaction from Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan who demanded that the "DNA" of the Congress party be examined. “Today we pay homage to the 40 CRPF Martyrs who died because of the blatant Intelligence Failure in Pulwama. I hope all the Martyred Families have been suitably rehabilitated,” Digvijaya Singh tweeted. More than 40 soldiers made the supreme sacrifice after a suicide bomber rammed his vehicle into the CRPF convoy in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir on this day in the year 2019.

The Delhi government has pulled up the district magistrate (south) for alleged "inaction" related to the Mehrauli demolition drive and directed him again to carry out fresh demarcation in the area, officials said on Tuesday. Revenue Minister Kailash Gahlot had directed the DM (south) last week to carry out fresh demarcation of "disputed" area after the affected residents alleged that the demarcation exercise was done keeping them in the dark. In an order issued by Gahlot on Tuesday, it was alleged that DM (south) neither complied with the direction for fresh demarcation nor asked the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to stop the ongoing demolition exercise.

The Assam government on Tuesday commenced an eviction drive to clear "encroachment" in Burhachapori Wildlife Sanctuary in Sonitpur district. Sonitpur Deputy Commissioner Deba Kumar Mishra claimed that "thousands of people illegally occupied the forest area for decades" and the administration has decided to clear "encroachment on 1,892 hectares of land" during the ongoing exercise. "According to our records, 2,513 families were residing in the encroached forest area and they were issued notices to vacate the land. Almost all the people had already left before the commencement of the drive," he claimed.

Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway in Maharashtra’s Palghar district on Tuesday morning, said an official. The mishap occurred near the Charoti check post in Dahanu taluka, some 120 km from Mumbai, said the official from Kasa police station. The three men were on their way to fill petrol in the motorcycle. As they took a turn to enter the fuel station, the tractor trailer knocked them down and sped away, said the official.

Purvanchal continues to play a key role in the ruling BJP's scheme of things as the region is now home to six governors, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and is also represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha.
The Centre recently appointed former Union minister and Gorakhpur Cantonment ex-MLA Shiv Pratap Shukla and Laxman Acharya, a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council, as governors of Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim, respectively. Acharya hails from Varanasi, the Prime Minister's Lok Sabha constituency.

Former Tripura chief minister and CPI(M) leader Manik Sarkar claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become “restless over the Left-Congress alliance” in the poll-bound state. Alleging that the BJP-led government is “not following the Constitution” and has “murdered democracy” in Tripura, he said that the two rivals – the Left and the Congress- have joined hands to end “fascist” rule in the state.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with French President Emmanuel Macron via video conferencing on Tuesday. "Today PM Modi will interact with French President Emmanuel Macron via VC at 4:30 pm," an official said.
India and France enjoy deep friendly ties, with the leaders of the two countries also sharing a warm personal equation.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday paid tribute to the CRPF personnel killed in the 2019 terror attack at Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir, saying the nation can never forget their sacrifice. Over 40 soldiers had made the supreme sacrifice after a suicide bomber rammed his vehicle into the CRPF convoy.

The Delhi government has granted permission to the Central Public Works Department to transplant trees from the site of the proposed Executive Enclave under the Central Vista project, officials said on Tuesday. The Executive Enclave will come up on the south side of South Block in plot number 36/38 in the high-security Lutyens’ Delhi. "Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has cleared the way for (the) Prime Minister's (Executive) Enclave. "The CPWD (Central Public Works Department) had sought permission for transplantation of 173 trees from (the) project site from (the) Delhi government and the chief minister has cleared the file, thereby expediting the project," an official said.

'Income Tax department teams at BBC's Delhi and Mumbai offices are conducting survey operation' officials on Tuesday infromed. 

The Income-Tax Department has notified forms for filing I-T returns by individuals as well as businesses for 2022-23 fiscal year. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), through a notification dated February 10, has notified ITR forms 1-6, ITR-V (verification form) and ITR acknowledgement form.

 A fire broke out at the top floor of a paying guest accommodation in south Delhi's Gautam Nagar after two LPG cylinders exploded on Tuesday, officials said. Fire officials received information regarding the explosion at 9.10 am. Five fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the blaze was brought under control, the officials said.

A 13-year old boy who was a student of a private school at Krishnapura near Surathkal here, allegedly died by suicide on Monday, police sources said. The deceased boy is identified as Harshith (13), a resident of Katipalla. His body was found hanging from a tree behind the house of his grandfather. Sources said he used to stay at his grandfather's house every weekend. The reason for him taking the extreme step is not known. Surathkal police have registered a case and investigations are on.

A gunman opened fire Monday night at Michigan State University, killing three people and wounding five more, before fatally shooting himself off campus amid an hourslong manhunt during which frightened students hid in the dark. Police reported the man's death early Tuesday, four hours after shootings broke out, first at Berkey Hall, an academic building, and then nearby at the MSU Union, a popular hub to eat or study. “This truly has been a nightmare we're living tonight,” said Chris Rozman, interim deputy chief of the campus police department.

A former village head in Chhattisgarh’s Dntewada district was killed allegedly by Naxalites who accused him of being a police informer, an official said on Tuesday. The killing took place in a forest near village Thulthuli under the Barsoor police station on Saturday, said the police official. The ex-sarpanch, Ramdhar Alami, was a resident of village Hitameta, he said. The Naxalites left behind a few pamphlets near Alami’s body that claimed he worked as a police informer and promoted the Bodhghat dam project for money, the official said.

A vehicle in the carcade of Jan Adhikar Party chief Pappu Yadav met with an accident in Buxar on 13th February, driver Sudhir Kumar and party's Buxar president Sunil Kumar injured. Pappu Yadav was unhurt in the incident.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid tribute to the CRPF personnel who lost their lives in a terror attack on their convoy in Pulwama on this day in 2019.

He tweeted, "Remembering our valorous heroes who we lost on this day in Pulwama. We will never forget their supreme sacrifice. Their courage motivates us to build a strong and developed India."

More than three years after he teamed up with Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar in an overnight coup to form a short-lived government in Maharashtra, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said the dramatic exercise had NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s backing.

The New Zealand government declared a state of emergency Tuesday across the country's North Island, which has been battered by Cyclone Gabrielle. The declaration enables the government to support six regions where local emergencies had already been declared and provide additional resources, Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnulty said.

"Unit 4 of Mumbai Crime Branch arrested 4 drug peddlers from the Kalachowki area yesterday and recovered 'Charas' worth Rs 26 lakhs from their possession. Further probe underway," said Mumbai Police officials.