Breaking News, January 2 | Highlights

Facing corruption allegations from a rival party member, Apna Dal (Sonewal) leader Ashish Patel on Thursday said he is ready to be sacked, but will not resign from his ministerial post. The Uttar Pradesh Technical Education Minister also alleged, without explaining much, that he was under threat of an attack from the Special Task Force, a state police unit. "Those who are afraid and have done something wrong resign. Sack me, if you want but I will not resign," Patel told reporters here.

Khoda Police arrested BJP Yuva Morcha's Khoda Mandal president Anuj Kasana here under the stringent Gangster Act. The arrest, which took place late on Wednesday evening, sparked protests by the BJP Yuva Morcha workers, who gathered in large numbers outside the Indirapuram police station to voice their dissent on Thursday.

The Maharashtra government on Thursday transferred 12 Indian Administrative Service officers, including Milind Mhaiskar, who has been appointed as Additional Chief Secretary in the Forest and Revenue department. Mhaiskar, who was ACS in the Health department, has been replaced by Nipun Vinayak. Venugopal Reddy has been appointed as ACS in Higher and Technical Education department.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha attended the 43rd book fair held at Hapania International Fair Ground.

Amid allegations that the ruling Congress is attempting to impose "conditions" on the implementation of the 'Rythu Bharosa' scheme for farmers, a cabinet sub-committee of the Telangana government on Thursday decided, in principle, to extend the benefit to "every ryot cultivating crops. " The sub-committee on the 'Rythu Bharosa' investment support scheme will present its views to the state cabinet, which is expected to convene in a couple of days, official sources said.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Thursday held a pre-budget consultation meeting with representatives from the industry and manufacturing sector. According to an official statement, during the meeting, the Chief Minister reiterated the state's commitment to an inclusive approach toward prosperity and progress, highlighting the role of industrial institutions in Haryana's economic development.

Credit growth may ease to 9. 7-10. 3 per cent in FY26, weighed down by the persisting high CD ratio and implementation of the proposed changes in the liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) framework, ICRA said in a report. ICRA has revised its credit growth estimate downwards to 10. 5-11 per cent for FY25 from its earlier estimate of 11. 6-12. 5 per cent.

Markets regulator Sebi on Thursday barred three individuals, including Ketan Parekh, from the securities markets with immediate effect for their alleged involvement in a front-running scheme which generated illegal gains of Rs 65. 77 crore. Further, Sebi directed 22 entities, including Parekh, to impound unlawful gains worth Rs 65. 77 crore earned from the alleged violations, jointly and severally.

The Supreme Court on Thursday quashed an FIR against a foreign national who allegedly defaulted in paying Rs 9 crore to a company over a development project. A bench of Justices C T Ravikumar and Sanjay Kumar set aside an August 2020 decision of the Allahabad High Court refusing to grant him the relief and said the FIR showed vague allegations against Kim Wansoo.

After spending 16 long years behind bars, Pakistani national Mohammad Masroof, also known as Mansoor Ahmed, is set to return home. The 50-year-old will be released from Gorakhpur District Jail on February 7, when his jail term, began in 2008, ends, officials said Thursday.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Thursday inaugurated the 13-day Agartala Book Fair on the outskirts of the state capital. Speaking at the event, the CM called upon people to "offer books during social events instead of giving bouquets. " "If we develop this practice, it will not only encourage people to read books, but also help writers, publishers and booksellers economically," he added.

The government on Thursday said no person has any legal right to seek reasons for their suggestions, views, or feedback not being included in the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP). The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in a notification also said that the government may seek views of the industry stakeholders for the FTP but it reserves the right to suo moto formulate, amend or incorporate any specific provisions in the policy, without seeking views, suggestions, comments, or feedback from stakeholders.

Transactions through the popular Unified Payments Interface (UPI) touched a record 16. 73 billion in December, recording a growth of 8 per cent over the preceding month, according to data released by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). In November, the UPI transaction count was 15. 48 billion.

The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notices to the Election Commission of India and the Gautam Buddha Nagar district magistrate on a plea against a Allahabad High Court order allowing their removal as parties in an election petition. A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar was hearing a plea by one Geeta Rani Sharma alleging wrongful rejection of her nomination papers during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections for the Gautam Buddha Nagar constituency in UP. While issuing a notice, the CJI said the Allahabad High Court was wrong in removing the district magistrate as a party from the petition at the very least.

Infrastructure consultancy firm REPL on Thursday said power utility Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Ltd (JBVNL) has inked a pact with it to execute a GIS project. The five-year project involves consumer indexing, GIS-based asset mapping, creation or upgradation of GIS database and applications, it said.

Three members of a girl's family including her father were arrested here on Thursday for allegedly killing a 17-year-old youth as they suspected him of having an affair with her, police said. Ganesh Tande (17) was beaten up severely in the early hours of Thursday in Wagholi area, resulting in his death, said a senior official. "He was friends with Laxman Petkar's daughter. They used to chat daily. The Petkar family was opposed to their friendship and made a plan to kill him," he said.

Rajasthan State Human Rights Commission on Thursday issued a notice to the Khairthal-Tijara district collector and municipality commissioner in connection with the mauling of a seven-year-old girl by stray dogs. RSHRC Chairperson Justice G R Moolchandani has asked the authorities to submit a report on the incident by January 31 and compensate the victim's family.

Jan Suraaj party chief Prashant Kishor on Thursday said that he will be starting a fast unto death over the demand for cancellation of the BPSC exam in Patna.

Investors' wealth surged Rs 8. 52 lakh crore in two days of market rally, with the benchmark Sensex climbing nearly 2 per cent on Thursday alone. The 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex jumped 1,436. 30 points or 1. 83 per cent -- its best single-day gain in more than a month -- to settle at 79,943. 71 on Thursday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid tributes to Mannathu Padmanabhan Pillai, a freedom fighter and social reformer who founded the Nair Service Society, on his birth anniversary and lauded him as a true visionary. "Remembering Sri Mannathu Padmanabhan on his birth anniversary.

A protest broke out at a private engineering college in Medchal near here after some female students raised suspicions that their videos were being recorded from the hostel washroom, police said on Thursday. Taking cognisance of the issue, Telangana State Commission for Women chairperson Nerella Sharada directed the Cyberabad police commissioner to ensure a free and fair investigation.

An earthquake measuring 4. 8 magnitude was recorded in northern Nepal on Thursday with tremors felt by people in the capital city Kathmandu and neighbouring districts. The quake was recorded at 1. 02 pm with its epicentre located at Sindhupalchowk district, 70 km north of Kathmandu, according to the National Seismological Research Centre (NSRC).

A 30-year-old autorickshaw driver was on Thursday shot dead allegedly by two unidentified persons over old enmity in Sonari area here, a police officer said. The victim identified as Suraj Pramanik was resting in his auto near Bal Vihar when the accused on a motorcycle opened fire at him, the officer said. The local residents rushed him to MGM hospital where doctors declared him dead.

Renowned Bengali director Arun Roy breathed his last at a state-run hospital here on Thursday. He was 56. Roy, who had been battling cancer for one-and-a-half-years, was admitted to RG Kar Hospital last month due to a lung infection. His condition worsened over the last few days, hospital sources said.

Prayagraj: A foreign national with an expired visa found in the Kumbh area was deported to his country.

Delhi CM Atishi inaugurates the six-lane Punjabi Bagh flyover.

Ministry of Home Affairs has amended the Model Prison Manual, 2016 and the Model Prisons and Correctional Services Act, 2023 to address caste-based discrimination within prisons across states and Union Territories, and to replace the existing definition of 'Habitual Offender'. It has also directed all states and the Union Territories to take note of the changes and ensure strict compliance with all directions. The move followed the Supreme Court's landmark judgement dated October 3, 2024, in Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1404 of 2023, titled Sukanya Shantha vs. Union of India and Others.

Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini chaired the pre-budget consultation meeting with representatives of the industry regarding the budget for the year 2025-26.

Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit holds door-to-door campaign in Delhi's Sarojini Nagar cluster.

Patna: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar reacts on being asked about Lalu Prasad Yadav's statement.

Vice-President, Jagdeep Dhankhar called on President, Droupadi Murmu, to exchange New Year greetings at Rashtrapati Bhavan, today.

Zoji La mountain pass connecting Kashmir Valley with Ladakh closed from both sides as fresh snowfall continues to blanket the region.

Maharashtra: Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan along with his wife arrives at Shirdi's Saibaba temple.

Maha Kumbh 2025: Preparations underway for Mahanirvani Akhadsa's peshwai rituals at Prayagraj, UP. 

Arif Mohammed Khan takes oath as Governor of Bihar.

Tamil Nadu: PMK leader Sowmiya Anbumani detained while leading a protest over Anna University Sexual Assault incident in Chennai.

SC agrees to consider plea of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi seeking implementation of 1991 places of worship law.

Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar takes oath as 23rd Governor of Kerala.

Visibility was affected as a thick blanket of fog descended over Uttar Pradesh's Mathura.

Arif Mohammad Khan will be sworn in as the governor of Bihar at the Raj Bhavan here on Thursday. The oath-taking ceremony is likely to be held around 11 am.

Delhi Police has arrested four people including 2 Bangladeshi nationals, in a major crackdown on illegal immigration and fake documentation racket, said DCP South, Ankit Chauhan.

Jammu and Kashmir: Snow clearance operation underway amid fresh snowfall in Bandipora. 

Himachal Pradesh: A thick blanket of snow envelops Lahaul-Spiti valley as the temperature in the region continues to drop.

Uttar Pradesh: A thin layer of fog engulfs Varanasi as coldwave grips the city.

Rehearsals for Republic Day 2025 are underway at Kartavya Path in Delhi. 

Dhar, Madhya Pradesh: The containers of toxic waste from Bhopal's Union Carbide Factory have reached the disposal site in Pithampur.

Tamil Nadu: A fire broke out in the Government Medical College & Hospital due to an electrical leakage in Ramanathapuram. The fire has now been doused off and no casualties have been reported, said the District Collector.

 Delhi: People take the help of a bonfire to keep themselves warm as mercury dips in the National Capital.