Breaking News, April 1 | LIVE UPDATES

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday defended the purchase of cheap Russian oil even as sanctions have been imposed on Moscow following its military attack on Ukraine.

A 45-year-old man was arrested by the police at Delhi Airport for allegedly cheating the Indian High Commission in London in a bid to obtain a second passport as his previous one had expired.

Future Retail Limited (FRL) counsel on Friday told the Supreme Court that nobody wants to do business with it today as Section 7 of the IBC may come any day, and the company owes landlords thousands of crores in rentals, as Amazon could not get Future Retail, it destroyed the company.

A scrap godown, over a dozen shanties and a mini-truck were destroyed in a massive fire that broke out here in Sector 37-D on Friday, officials said.

Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba visited the BJP headquarters here on Friday and met its president J P Nadda and other leaders from the ruling party.

With just five days left for the 23rd CPI-M Party Congress to be held at Kerala's Kannur, decks have all been cleared for giving one more term to Sitaram Yechury as General Secretary of the party, sources said.

The Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) Commissionerate, Navi Mumbai, on Friday said it has busted a fake input tax credit racket of Rs 19.84 crore, and arrested the director of a Vikhroli-based firm in this connection.

Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba arrived in India on Friday on a three-day visit, during which he will meet his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and hold bilateral talks to strengthen bilateral relations.

Accusing the Centre of being insensitive towards the common people, two Rajya Sabha members on Friday expressed concern over the "unprecedented" increase in the prices of essential drugs and demanded immediate relief. Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in the House, John Brittas of CPI(M) said prices of more than 800 medicines are being increased by 11 per cent effective April 1 which will adversely impact the common man, and urged the government to withdraw the hike. Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi too joined the issue and urged the Union government to provide relief on the front. "I'm sad because the life of the common man is becoming tough and much more difficult. Today's April 1 and already the people are reeling under the price rise and every day petroleum price is going up. But today...another unfortunate thing is going to happen. The wholesale price of drugs of more than 800 items, which are essential for our survival, is being increased by 11 per cent," Brittas said.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police have detained 12 Rohingya Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district, officials said on Friday. They had arrived at Dar village in Gool tehsil as part of a Tablighi group, the officials said. The 12 members were then sent to jail in Hiranagar area of Kathua district, where most of the Rohingyas Muslims, who had illegally entered the union territory, are housed. Police identified them as Ameer Hakam, Jaffar Alam, Mohammed Noor, Abul Hasan, Mohammed Alam, Noor Ameen, Noor Hussain, Sayeed Hossain, Mohammed Salim, Mohammed Ismail, Kamal Hussain and Mustafa Hussain. As per the reports, they were staying as refugees at Bhatindi and Narwal in Jammu for eight years.

Power giant NTPC on Friday announced the commercial operation of 22 megawatts of floating solar capacity in Kayamkulam, Kerala. The capacity, which began commercial operation on Thursday, is part of its 92 MW Kayamkulam floating solar PV project, NTPC said in a statement. "Consequent upon successful commissioning, the first part capacity of 22 MW out of 92 MW Kayamkulam Floating Solar PV Project at Kayamkulam, Kerala, is declared on commercial operation with effect from 13:00 hours of 31.03.2022," it said. With this, the standalone installed and commercial capacity of NTPC has become 54,516.68 MW. Further, the group's installed and commercial capacity have increased to 68,631.68 and 67,971.68 MW, respectively. 

A day after the Congress revamped its Goa unit, senior party leader P Chidambaram on Friday said the organisational changes signal a generational shift and expressed confidence that the "young team" will win the people's support. Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday appointed young leader Amit Patkar as the president of the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee. He will be assisted by Yuri Alemao as the working president. Further, Gandhi appointed Michael Lobo as the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader in the Goa Assembly, while Sankalp Amonkar was made the deputy CLP leader and Carlos Ferreira its chief whip. In a tweet, Chidambaram said, "My warm congratulations to the new President and Office-bearers of Goa PCC. My warm congratulations to the new CLP leader of Goa and the new team." "I warmly welcome Shri Digambar Kamat to the CWC. He deserves the honour due to his dedicated service and rich experience," the former union minister said. The organisational changes in Goa signal a generational change and a huge responsibility has been cast on the "young team", Chidambaram said. "I am certain they will rise to the occasion and win the support of the people of Goa," he added.

Assam CM HB Sarma: After withdrawal of AFSPA from most parts of the state, a new horizon of a peaceful environment will start here. The state will get new strengths of development. On behalf of Assam & Northeast,I extend my gratitude to PM & HM for taking this historical decision. 

The Centre has told the Supreme Court that quashing of reservation in promotion to SC/ST employees in government jobs may lead to ôemployee unrestö and "multiple litigations". In an affidavit filed before a bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and B R Gavai, the Centre informed it that the policy for reservation is in consonance with the constitution and the law laid down by this court. "If the case is not allowed, it would necessitate withdrawal of the benefits of reservation in promotion granted to SC/ST employees. This may lead to reversions of SC and ST employees, re-fixation of their salaries including re-fixation of pension of many employees who may have retired in the meantime, recovery of excess salaries/pension so paid to them. This would lead to multiple litigations and employee unrest," the Centre said. Defending its policy, the Union of India stated that representation of SCs/STs  in government jobs is inadequate and contended that grant of reservation does not in any manner hamper the administration.

Hitting out at the Centre over the rising fuel prices and other issues, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Friday said the promises of ''achhe din" (good days) and depositing Rs 15 lakh into the bank accounts of people were nothing but 'April Fools' Day' jokes. Alleging that the government has fooled the people for the last seven years, he said it should now work for their welfare as it is a "life and death" situation for the common man. April 1 is celebrated as April Fools' Day, wherein people play practical jokes on each other. Talking to reporters, Raut said, "The promises of 'achhe din', depositing Rs 15 lakh into the bank accounts of citizens, integrating Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) into India and providing employment are nothing but April fool jokes." The government should stop lying and be committed to the welfare of people. It is a matter of life and death for the common man, he said. Before coming to power in 2014, the BJP had promised to bring back black money and deposit Rs15 lakh into every citizen's bank. The promise of 'achhe din' was a top campaign point of the saffron party at that time.   

The Punjab Assembly on Friday passed a resolution seeking the immediate transfer of Chandigarh to the state. The resolution was moved by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in the absence of two BJP legislators, who earlier staged a walkout from the House.  The one-day special session came amid a political row sparked by Union Home Minister Amit Shah's announcement that central service rules will apply to the employees of union territory of Chandigarh. Except the BJP, members of all the political parties AAP, Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and the lone Bahujan Samaj Party MLA came out in support of the resolution and dubbed the Centre' move 'dictatorial and autocrati. Chandigarh is the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana. 

Long queues of vehicles were visible across Delhi during peak traffic hours on Friday morning as the Delhi government's Transport Department launched a drive to ensure lane discipline by drivers of DTC and cluster buses. Under the drive launched in compliance with Supreme Court directions, violation of lane discipline will attract a fine of Rs 10,000. Violations will also be punished with prosecution under the Motor Vehicles Act, suspension of driving license and termination of vehicle permit, an order by the Transport department stated. For the safe journey of the public, DTC and cluster buses in the entire city will ply on the bus lanes and will stop at the designated stops in earmarked boxes only from April 1, said a notice by the department. "The public is advised to avoid plying their vehicles in the designated bus lanes. Vehicles parked in the bus lanes or bus boxes are liable to be towed and will invite penal action as per law," stated the notice. "The lane enforcement drive is being started today by the Delhi Transport department. The drivers of buses and heavy motors are appealed to drive in the bus lanes only. The Delhi people are also requested not encroach the bus lanes so that the buses ply smoothly," Transport minister Kailash Gahlot said in a tweet.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday came out against the Centre for its reluctance to hand over central public sector undertakings in Kerala which are proposed to be privatised, saying that the objective of the state government is to rejuvenate and strengthen such institutions further.

Pulwama Police along with 55 RR and 182/183 bn CRPF has arrested 3 terrorist associates of terror outfit JeM. They were providing logistical support to terrorists in the district. One AK rifle, three magazines and 69 AK rounds were recovered from them. 

An accident in a mine in central Serbia killed at least eight people and wounded 20 on Friday, state Serbian television RTS reported. The accident in the Soko coal mine happened around 5 a.m. (0300 GMT). The RTS report says part of the mine pit collapsed trapping the miners inside. The head of the medical center in nearby Aleksinac, Rodoljub Zivadinovic, said that 18 people have been hospitalized there, mostly with light injuries.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, a day after the US warned of consequences for countries attempting to "circumvent" American sanctions against Moscow. The high-level talks took place in the backdrop of indications that India could buy greater volumes of discounted Russian oil and both sides were keen on having a rouble-rupee arrangement for bilateral trade. Lavrov arrived in New Delhi on Thursday evening after concluding a two-day visit to China.

The Income Tax department has notified forms for filing I-T returns for 2021-22 fiscal, which also seek details of income from overseas retirement benefit accounts from taxpayers. The Income Tax returns forms 1-5 have been notified by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). ITR Form 1 (Sahaj) and ITR Form 4 (Sugam) are simpler forms that cater to a large number of small and medium taxpayers. Sahaj can be filed by an individual having income up to Rs 50 lakh and who receives income from salary, one house property and other sources (interest, etc). ITR-4 can be filed by individuals, HUFs and firms with total income up to Rs 50 lakh and having income from business and profession. ITR-3 is filed by people having income as profits from business/ profession, while ITR-5 is filed by LLPs. While the ITR-1 form has been kept broadly the same as last year, the new addition to the form was the inclusion of income from a retirement benefit account maintained in a foreign country for the calculation of net salary. It also seeks details on whether or not the said retirement benefit account was maintained in a notified country under section 89A of the I-T Act. Taxpayers can also claim relief from taxation under section 89A on this income. This will pave the way for the government technology team to develop Excel utility well in time, helping the taxpayers for early filings, AMRG & Associates Senior Partner Rajat Mohan said.

The Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), the trade union wing of the Congress party, on Friday took out a protest march at Changanassery town near here against Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan who had recently made a comment that the trade union was not a feeder organisation of his party. Hundreds of INTUC workers staged the protest march raising slogans against the senior Congress leader asking him to apologise and withdraw his statement. Satheesan on Wednesday lashed out at the trade union over their decision to protest against a private television channel here after one of its anchors made some alleged disparaging remarks against Left trade union leader and Rajya Sabha MP, Elamaram Kareem. Satheesan had said that the media criticised political leaders everyday and they have the right to do it. 

About 16 million residents in Shanghai are being tested for the coronavirus during the second stage of the lockdown that shifted on Friday to the western half of China's biggest city and financial capital. Meanwhile, residents of Shanghai's eastern districts who were supposed to be released from four days of isolation have been told their lockdowns could be extended if COVID-19 cases are found in their residential compounds. The lockdown in Shanghai, being done in two phases over eight days to enable testing of its entire population, has shaken global markets worried about the possible economic impact. China's manufacturing activity fell  to a five-month low in March, a monthly survey showed Thursday, as lockdowns and other restrictions forced factories to suspend production. For four days starting Friday, residents of Puxi on the west side of the Huangpu River dividing Shanghai cannot leave their neighbourhoods or housing compounds. The gates at some compounds were locked from the outside, with groceries and meals delivered to collection points. Government workers and volunteers wearing full protective equipment went door-to-door with megaphones in the city with 26 million people, calling on residents to report for testing at designated sites where they were met by long lines and waits of more than 90 minutes. China's National Health Commission said another 1,787 domestic cases of COVID-19 had been recorded on Thursday, including 358 in Shanghai. Another 5,442 tested positive for the virus without becoming ill, 4,144 of them in Shanghai. 

A court in Jharkhand's Hazaribag district has sentenced five people, including a nonagenarian, to life imprisonment for the murder of a senior advocate in 2013. The court of the Additional District and Sessions judge, Vinod Kumar Mishra, here on Thursday, sentenced five people- 90-year-old Jobraj Choudhury, Geeta Devi, Mohan Choudhury, Jainand Choudhury and Mahendra Choudhury- to life imprisonment for murdering Vinod Kumar Choudhury at Barkatha village in 2013. The court also slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on each or additional imprisonment for one year if they failed to pay the fine. Vinod Choudhury, a senior advocate of Hazaribag Bar, had rushed to Barkatha to save his land, which the accused had forcibly captured and started construction work. After the advocate reached his village from Hazaribag, the convicts chased him and beat him to death with lathis and other lethal weapons. Following the incident, the relatives of Vinod Choudhury had rushed to the Barkatha police station and lodged an FIR against the accused. During the investigation, the police found it to be a case of land dispute, registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, and arrested the accused.

A probationary police officer's wife allegedly committed suicide by hanging at her residence in Sultanpur on Friday, less than four months after marriage, officials said. The deceased Monika Pandey had entered wedlock with Shivam Mishra, a trainee deputy superintendent of police, on December 7 last year. She was 30. The couple had a court marriage in Lakhimpur, they said. Her body was found hanging from a ceiling fan in a room of their residence, according to Superintendent of Police Vipin Mishra. Pandey was pursuing Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) from Lucknow, the SP said. Her body has been sent for post-mortem examination, he said. 

Rights activist Irom Sharmila, who was on a 16-year-long hunger strike demanding repeal of AFSPA, welcomed the Centre's decision to reduce areas under the Act's purview in Assam, Nagaland and Manipur but maintained that the "draconian, colonial law" should be rolled back completely. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday announced a reduction in the number of 'disturbed areas' in the three northeastern states where the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 continues to be imposed along with Jammu & Kashmir. Sharmila, hailed as the 'Iron Lady of Manipur', termed AFSPA an 'oppressive law' and said that it has never been a solution to tackling insurgency. "I welcome the Centre's decision to reduce the number of areas under the AFSPA's purview. It is a positive step in the right direction. But the law should be repealed as it is not a solution," she told PTI in a telephonic interview. "India is a democratic country. For how long should we carry forward this colonial law? Why should people suffer because of it? In the name of fighting insurgency, crores of rupees are wasted which could have been utilised for the overall development of Northeast. AFSPA acts as a roadblock for progress," Sharmila, who ended her marathon hunger strike in 2016, said.

The district administration of Pune in Maharashtra has made wearing of helmet mandatory for the staffers of government and semi-government offices while commuting to work on two-wheelers. The district authorities and police officials, however, made it clear that the order is not meant for the common citizens. The order will be implemented from Monday, with sensitisation and awareness programmes at various government offices, they said. The order issued by Pune district collector Rajesh Deshmukh on Thursday said the use of helmet is mandatory for the staffers using two-wheelers to go to government and semi-government offices, the offices of various local bodies, municipal corporations, municipal councils, colleges, schools and all government establishments in the district. The use of helmets is mandatory for two-wheeler riders as well as pillion riders under the Motor Vehicles Act, it said. This order about the helmet rule is based on the guidelines issued by the Maharashtra transport commissioner, it added. Those failing to comply with the order will be penalised as per the provisions of the Act, it said.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday inaugurated the HUDA City Centre Metro Station underpass and flyover along with foot over bridges on Signature Tower and IFFCO Chowk intersections. "Gurugram is Haryana's gateway to the world and we have to ensure that it is developed as a futuristic city in all regards. The projects inaugurated today will provide better connectivity and mobility in addition to easing out congestion," Khattar said. He also inaugurated the civic water supply to five sectors in New Gurugram. The provision of water supply in Sectors 111-115 will cater to thousands of residents, who were dependent on water tankers, according to officials.  On the occassion, Khattar announced that the Rao Birender Singh Sports Complex, an ultra-modern sports facility, will come up in Wazirabad village soon. Ministry of Planning Rao Inderjeet Singh had during a recent function confronted the Khattar over the delay of this stadium, which is to be named after his father and the second chief minister of Haryana.

Citing the Centre's assertion in the Supreme Court that states can consider granting Hindus minority status if they deem so, Trinamool Congress MP Shanta Chhetri on Friday demanded in the Rajya Sabha that the community be granted minority status in Meghalaya. Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in the House, Chhetri said the Centre has told the Supreme Court that states can consider granting Hindus the minority status if the community is not in a majority within their jurisdiction. If Hindus are in minority in a particular state they should be able to establish and administer educational institution of their choice in keeping with the rights granted to the minority by the Constitution as per the Centre, she said. "I humbly urge the August House to draw the kind attention of the Home Minister to urgently direct the Meghalaya government to grant minority status to Hindus via a notification as per Article 29 and 30 of the Constitution of India," Chhetri said.

Senior Congress leaders while welcoming Trinamool chieftain Mamata Banerjee's initiative inviting all opposition parties to unite against the BJP, indicated the grand old party  will however have to play the role of the "central pole" of any future national opposition grouping. The Congress leaders also felt "little differences" between the 137-year-old party and other opposition parties should be kept aside as non-BJP leaders attempt to unite to defeat 'a fundamental force' like the BJP. Congress Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha, Anand Sharma, told PTI, "This (opposition unity) has been Congress' stated position. The Congress president and the working committee have repeatedly stressed this. In the past the Congress has taken the initiative to bring all on one platform." Sharma went on to stress, "The thing is that when we talk in the national context, Congress will remain in the central pole of opposition." 

The union territory of Puducherry was coronavirus-free for a second straight day with nil active cases and no fresh infections being reported from any of its four regions in the last 24 hours, a senior official of Department of Health said on Friday. As many as 200 samples were tested during the last 24 hours ending 10 AM Friday and no new infections were detected, Director of Health G Sriramulu said in a release here. There were no active cases in the union territory, he added. The test positivity rate was zero while the fatality and recovery rates remained 1.18 per cent and 98.82 per cent respectively, he said. The overall caseload stood at 1,65,774 and total recoveries also stood at 1,63,812, Sriramulu said. The death toll was 1,962 as nil fatalities were recorded in the last 24 hours.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi says he is heading to Poland later on Friday to assess the need for the war-displaced Ukrainians in that country and assist those who seek refuge in Japan. Hayashi, during his five-day trip through Tuesday, is set to meet with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and other top officials, as well as international organisations. Officials are still making arrangements for a possibility of his government plane bringing some Ukrainians on his way back, Hayashi said. "In order to support the Ukrainian people facing the difficulty and to show our solidarity with Ukraine, Japan is pursuing our effort to accept those who fled to a third country," Hayashi said. Japan's government last month launched a taskforce to prepare accepting Ukrainian war-displaced as part of humanitarian support ù a rare move for a country known for its strict and reluctant refugee policy. 

The Delhi High Court Friday sought response of the Centre on plea by BSES Rajdhani Power Limited challenging an order of the Ministry of Power in relation to the transfer of power generated by a Dadri thermal station from the national capital to Haryana. Justice Yashwant Varma also extended the stay on the Centre's March 29 order on the transfer of power supply from the Dadri-II plant to Haryana. The court listed the matter for further hearing on April 29 after Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, representing the Centre, sought two weeks to respond to the petition. "ASG and other counsel prayed for and are granted two weeks time to file counter affidavit. Interim order to continue till the next date of hearing. List on April 29," the judge said. The ASG said this is not the first time that such reallocation has been done, it was done earlier also. The high court, on March 30, had stayed the Centre's order on transfer of power to another state. The petitioner discom had claimed that the order is completely without jurisdiction and if implemented, 23 per cent of the populace of the national capital would be deprived of power in the next 24 hours.

India effectively handled the Omicron wave, which caused numerous deaths in other countries, because of better Covid management and a massive vaccination drive, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Friday. Replying to a supplementary question in the Lok Sabha, Mandaviya said the ICMR has from time to time guided the country and helped in vaccine-related research leading to India having its own indigenous vaccine. "It was under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guidance that India saw best Covid management and largest vaccination drive... While Omicron caused numerous deaths in other countries, India sailed through the Omicron wave because of vaccination," Mandaviya said during the Question Hour. India, which battled the deadly second wave blamed on the Delta variant in April-May last year, faced the Omicron challenge in December 2021-January 2022. However, the impact of Omicron in India was apparently less severe compared to the Delta variant. The cumulative vaccine doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 184.31 crore. India's indigenous Covid vaccine Covaxin is being manufactured by Bharat Biotech.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is serving his fourth term in office, will complete his five-year-tenure and was "not going anywhere", senior leaders of his party, the Janata Dal (United), asserted on Friday. More than one top leaders of the JD(U) came out with the clarification a day after the rumour mill had a field day interpreting an off-the-cuff remark by Kumar during an informal interaction with journalists. The speculations were triggered by Kumar's reference to the Rajya Sabha being ôthe only Houseö he has not been a member of. 

Vikas Kumar, a 1988-batch officer of the Indian Railway Traffic Service, on Friday assumed charge as the new managing director of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), officials said. The Delhi government on Wednesday had appointed Kumar as the successor of Mangu Singh, who on Thursday bid an emotional farewell to the DMRC after an illustrious career of 25 years at the urban transporter, including the last decade as its top boss. Singh was the managing director of DMRC since January 1, 2012, and his famed tenure ended on Thursday. Kumar is the third managing director of the DMRC after E Sreedharan and Mangu Singh, officials said. He will hold the post for a term of five years, as per an official order issued by the transport department of the Delhi government. "Vikas Kumar has taken charge today as the new Managing Director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation," a DMRC spokesperson said on Friday. Kumar, who was holding the position of the Director (Operations) in the DMRC, has over three decades of experience in rail-based urban transportation projects, the DMRC said in a statement on Thursday. He has worked with the Indian Railways in various capacities before joining the DMRC in September 2004. He has been associated with the urban transporter for more than 17 years in key management positions, it said.

India is an important trading and strategic partner of the US, a top Biden administration official has told American lawmakers, asserting that despite some sharp differences, the two countries have agreed to work together on various issues, including the market access commitments. US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, testifying before the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday during a hearing on the US Trade Policy Agenda, noted that there are sharp differences between the two countries on a number of issues. For instance, during her trip to India in November last year, there was a strong push back from India on the issue of alleged dumping of shrimps, she said. "I have raised this directly with my Indian counterpart in Delhi last November when I visited him. I did get very forceful pushback. But I am committed to working with you on this issue. And that means in our own system, but that also means engaging the Indian government. And I look forward to exploring ways to do that," Tai told Senator Bill Cassidy in response to a question. Cassidy alleged that warm water shrimp from India are heavily subsidised and perhaps do not meet phytosanitary standards. "Similarly, they apparently heavily subsidise their rice even before the seed is planted," he alleged.

At least two persons were killed and 15 others injured in a road accident in Andhra Pradesh's Anantapur district on Friday. The police said a Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) bus, which was on its way from Bangalore to Hyderabad, rammed into a stationary truck near Miduthuru village in Anantapur's Peddavadugur mandal. The bus and truck drivers were killed in the collision while 15 others were injured. The police rushed to the spot and launched a rescue and relief operation. The injured were shifted to a private hospital in Anantapur. The deceased were identified as G.V. Reddy, TSRTC bus driver and truck driver Sakatram Yadav, a native of Bihar. The police registered a case and took up further investigation. Meanwhile, in another accident in Kurnool district, two persons were killed and eight others were injured. According to police, the accident occurred when a car hit a road divider after the driver lost control of the vehicle near Nannur in Orvakallu mandal. The car was on its way from Tirupati to Mahabubnagar in Telangana. The injured were admitted to a local hospital.

NEP should be called 'National Education Policy. So many people were involved in drafting the policy. We were brainstorming on it for last 6-7 years. We took advice of teachers & students from far-flung areas along with modern intellectuals: PM Modi during 'Pariksha Pe Charcha'

Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik has directed  to extend distribution of additional 5 kilo grams of rice per month free of cost to beneficiaries of the State Food Security Scheme for next six months. It may be mentioned here that the benefit of 5 KG free Rice was earlier extended for the beneficiaries of SFSS from December 2021 to March 2022. As per the directive each beneficiary of the State Food Security Scheme will get an additional 5 Kgs of rice from the allotment month of April 2022 to September 2022. As many as 8,09 lakh beneficiaries  will continue to be  covered under the State Food Security Scheme. For this purpose, 24,270 Tonnes  of rice will be supplied from the State pool with an expenditure of Rs. 91.70 crore from the State’s own fund. This will facilitate beneficiaries enrolled in the State Food Security Scheme to remain at par with beneficiaries under National Food Security Act.

BJP MP from Farrukhabad Mukesh Rajput has demanded to change the name of Farrukhabad to Panchalnagar. He has also written a letter to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The Central GST Commissionerate here has arrested the owner of a private firm for alleged tax evasion after conducting a search operation at his premises, during which it recovered fake bills collectively worth over Rs 31 crore, an senior official said. Based on a tip-off that Raipur-based Sainath Enterprises was involved in large-scale evasion of Goods and Services Tax (GST) by way of availing inadmissible input tax credit from fake and non-existent entities without actual receipt of the goods, the officials of the CGST, Raipur carried out a search at the premises of its proprietor Basudev Mittal. Several incriminating documents were also seized during the search, he said on Thursday. "The investigation revealed that the firm was arranging fake invoices and taking input credit thereon from the web of a number of fictitious firms operating out of Odisha. Total fake bills of over Rs 31 crore involving GST of Rs 5.69 crore were unearthed," the official said.

In view of the weekly COVID test positivity remaining below two per cent for the past one month in Nagaland and the advisory issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the state government has announced that all COVID-19 restrictions stand withdrawn from Friday. There will be no restriction on the number of people who can attend any event, Nagaland Chief Secretary J Alam said. The COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for travellers or tourists entering Nagaland will also stand withdrawn, he said. The curbs were lifted two years after they were imposed for preventing the spread of coronavirus. However, people have been advised to continue adhering to COVID-19 appropriate behaviour like wearing of face masks in public places, following hand hygiene and maintaining physical distancing at all times, he said. Nagaland had first detected the COVID-19 infection among three Chennai returnees on May 25, 2020.    

arents dropping off their children to school buses with mixed emotions, ensuring that they were carrying sanitizer bottles and well-decorated schools -- these were the scenes in Delhi-NCR as institutions resumed offline classes from Friday after a gap of more than two years. Sudha Acharya, chairperson of the National Progressive Schools' Conference (NPSC), which has over 120 private schools as its members, said that students were eagerly awaiting this day. "It is after two years that schools are re-reopening and students were excited to get back to school," she said. Acharya is the principal of ITL Public School, Dwarka. At her school, teachers conducted a special prayer assembly for students. 

Two South Korean air force planes collided in mid-air during training on Friday, killing three people and injuring one, officials said. The two KT-1 trainer aircraft crashed into a mountain in the southeastern city of Sacheon after colliding, emergency officials said. Three people were found dead and one was injured, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity citing department rules. Officials said three helicopters, 20 vehicles and dozens of emergency workers were dispatched to the scene. The air force confirmed the collision. But an air force statement said it was trying to confirm the reported casualties and whether pilots on the aircraft tried to eject to safety. It said the KT-1 aircraft is a two-seat plane.

Registered FIR, will preserve CCTV footage & file status report: Delhi Police tells HC on vandalism outside CM's residence. 

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday moved a resolution in the state Assembly seeking immediate transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab. In the past, the House has passed a number of resolutions urging the Central government to transfer Chandigarh to Punjab, he said. "For maintaining harmony and taking the sentiments of people into account, this House once again recommends to the state government to raise the matter with Central government to immediately transfer Chandigarh to Punjab," according to the resolution moved by CM Mann in the House. The one-day special Assembly session comes days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah's announcement that the central service rules will apply to employees of the Union Territory of Chandigarh. Chandigarh is the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana. Earlier, after the session began, Congress MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh and his son Rana Inder Pratap Singh, who is an Independent legislator, were administered oath of office.

Pakistan summoned a senior US diplomat here and lodged a strong protest over America's alleged "interference" in its internal affairs, according to media reports on Friday. The US State Department on Thursday firmly rejected embattled Prime Minister Imran Khan's remarks over Washington's role in an alleged 'foreign conspiracy' to oust him from power. In a live address to the nation, 69-year-old Khan discussed a 'threat letter' and termed it as part of a foreign conspiracy to remove him as he was not acceptable for following an independent foreign policy. He named the US as the country behind the threat letter in what appeared to be a slip of tongue.

The Assam State Election Commission has postponed the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) polls to April 21 as the previous date of April 19 fell within the week-long Rongali Bihu celebrations. The change was made after several political parties and social organisations submitted representations and memoranda seeking postponement. The Commission held a meeting on Thursday to deliberate on the demand and decided to defer it. "Taking into consideration that Rongali or Bohag Bihu is the main festival of Assam and the election date falls within the seven-day period of festivities, the Commission decided to revise the polling date to April 21 and the counting dates to April 24 from the earlier April 22," a release said. The holding of GMC polls during Bihu festivities had ruffled the feathers of the political parties, with both the ruling BJP and opposition demanding the postponement of the election as "Bihu festivities will be held in most parts of the city and it will be difficult to campaign and conduct the polls". The Rongali Bihu celebrations will begin on April 14. The notification for elections to the 60 wards of GMC was issued on March 23 and the model code of conduct came into force with immediate effect. A total of 7,96,829 voters, including 3,96,891 males, 3,99,911 females and 27 of the third gender, are eligible to exercise their franchise in 789 polling stations spread across the 60 wards. The Commission has decided to use EVMs in the election.

CBI will take the custody of former Maharashtra minister Anil Deshmukh, suspend cop Sachin Waze and Kundan Shinde today, in the corruption case.

At least 45 people were arrested and a curfew briefly imposed in most parts of Colombo city after hundreds of protesters gathered outside the residence of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa demanding his resignation for failing to address the worst economic crisis in the island nation. A foreign exchange crunch in Sri Lanka has led to a shortage of essential goods such as fuel. cooking gas, and power cuts that last up to 13 hours a day. On Thursday protesters shouted slogans, directing their ire against what they perceive as the Rajapaksa regime's gross mismanagement that has exacerbated Sri Lanka's foreign-exchange woes. They also demanded President Rajapaksa's resignation.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday that Australia will send armoured Bushmaster vehicles to Ukraine after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy specifically asked for them while appealing to Australian lawmakers for more help in Ukraine's war against Russia. Zelenskyy addressed the Australian Parliament on Thursday and asked for the Australian-made, four-wheel-drive vehicles. Morrison told reporters the vehicles will be flown over on Boeing C-17 Globemaster transport planes. He didn't specify how many would be sent or when.

There will be no change in power tariffs for consumers of all categories in Punjab, as per tariff orders issued by the state's electricity regulatory commission on Thursday for the 2022-23 financial year. The new tariff will be applicable from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023, the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) said in a statement. "The consumers of the state have not been burdened with any increase. No change in tariff for any category has been made in the tariff for FY 2022-23," the statement said.

BJP, ally won both the Rajya Sabha seats from Assam. "We won both the Rajya Sabha seats from Assam (one by the BJP and other by UPPL, our partner) by a margin of 11 and 9 votes respectively," tweeted CM Himanta Biswa Sarma. 

Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts & areas under Namsai & Mahadevpur police stations in Namsai dist, bordering Assam, are declared as ‘disturbed area’ u/s 3 of AFSPA from April 1 to Sep 30, unless withdrawn earlier: MHA

Nine people killed, four injured in a road accident in the Bufliaz area of Poonch. Every possible support is being extended to those injured and the next of kin of deceased persons, says DM Poonch.

One terrorist has been killed in an ongoing encounter at Turkwagam area of  Shopian district. However identity of the slain militant is yet to be ascertained as gunfight is still underway.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov landed in New Delhi on Thursday evening to hold talks with Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar over crude oil offer, rupee-ruble payment and arms deals. It is the first high-level visit from Russia after the country went to war with Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Delhi at 6 pm. Lavrov would be meeting Jaishankar on Friday afternoon and by 5.50 p.m. he would be flying for Moscow.