Breaking News, February 28

With 707.24 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of paddy procured from 96.41 lakh farmers up to Sunday, the paddy procurement is progressing smoothly in this Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2021-22 at minimum support price from farmers, as was done in previous years, an official statement said on Monday. The paddy has been procured from states/UTs of Chandigarh, Gujarat, Assam, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Telangana, Rajasthan, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, West Bengal, Tripura, Bihar, Odisha, Maharashtra, Puducherry, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh, a Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution Ministry statement said.

The Coimbatore District Hoteliers Association Monday sought the support of police department to implement the recent judgement that the owners of eateries/ hotels/ restaurants are at liberty to fix closing timings on their own depending upon their convenience. In a recent judgement, the Madras High Court had held that police cannot decide the working hours of eateries and restaurants under the guise of law and order problems and also observed that it is the bounden duty of police authorities to provide appropriate protection to the eateries/ hotels/ restaurants, the association secretary M Shivakumar told reporters here.

The Kerala High Court on Monday expressed its strong displeasure in the way the ruling CPI-M has broken all rules and have taken over the streets here, ahead of their 23rd State party conference that begins Tuesday and will end on Friday. The tough comments came from Justice Devan Ramachandran, who has been speaking tough for a while ever since a petition came before him in November last year while hearing a petition seeking police protection for removing a party flag post which was causing trouble.

The Delhi Gymkhana Club members have moved an application in the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Centre's appointed club Administrator, to conduct elections. The club members have cited the apex court order, passed on September 30 last year, directing the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to decide the entire matter afresh within 4 months' time, and if not decided within this period, then the Administrator should conduct elections to install a duly elected Committee.

After remaining closed for Friday's congregational prayers for 30 weeks, the 'Jamia Masjid' (Grand Mosque) is being opened for devotees for this week's Friday prayers in J&K's Srinagar city. Kashmir Divisional Commissioner, P.K. Pole and IGP, Vijay Kumar visited the Jamia Masjid in the Nowhatta area of the old city Srinagar on Monday to take stock of various parameters necessary for allowing the Friday prayers. Sources said authorities also held a meeting with the Imam of Jamia Masjid to discuss the arrangements for throwing the mosque open for Friday prayers this week.

Lucknow University has launched a new initiative in line with the New Education Policy (NEP), called the 'Karmoday' scheme to ensure an engaging and supportive environment for students and provide an opportunity for experimental learning. The scheme is student-centric and lays emphasis on development of capabilities in students in higher education.

Against the backdrop of the illegal phone-tapping FIR lodged by police against a senior woman IPS officer Rashmi Shukla on Saturday, the Maharashtra Congress on Monday said that the investigators should probe the role of Bharatiya Janata Party Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis in the entire matter. "The IPS officer Rashmi Shukla is merely a pawn. The real culprits are those who guided her when Fadnavis was the state chief minister," state Chief Spokesperson Atul Londhe said here.

One person has been shot dead in a firing incident in the Gautam Nagar area of Delhi on Monday morning, Delhi Police informed. Deputy Commissioner of Police of South District, Benita Mary Jaiker today said to ANI, "Around 3 am, a PCR call was received regarding an incident of firing in Gautam Nagar area was received. It was found that a 28-year-old man has been shot dead."

"He was previously involved in a murder case in 2016 and was in jail from 2016 till 2021. He came out on interim bail due to COVID-19 related guidelines. Personal rivalry is suspected to be the motive behind the murder, though we are probing from all angles," the police said. The police added that multiple teams have been formed to nab the accused persons.

(ANI)

Sensex down 760.46 points, at 55,098.06 in opening trade

Delhi Police has recovered the body of a woman from a hotel room in South West Delhi's Mahipalpur on Sunday. As per preliminary information, the 26-year-old woman had checked in at the hotel with a man, Shivam Chauhan of Ghaziabad two days ago, said the police.The police had received information about the girl's body lying in the hotel around 3 pm on Sunday. The investigation has begun and the body has been sent for post-mortem. The police have also found some liquor bottles in the room.

The Kerala government on Sunday lifted certain restrictions in the state and decided to allow 100 per cent occupancy in theatres. In its order, the state government allowed bars, hotels, restaurants and theatres to function with full occupancy. The order also stated that meetings and training can be held offline in government and private sectors if required. Kerala reported 3,581 new COVID-19 cases on Friday.