NEW DELHI: Even as exclusive breastfeeding rates have improved globally over the past decade, India continues to lag behind, with the proportion of infants exclusively breastfed for the first six months declining from 63.7% in NFHS-5 (2019-21) to 55.8% in NFHS-6 (2023-24).Ahead of World Breastfeeding Week (August 1-7), the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF…
Raj Thackeray alleges donation theft at Siddhivinayak Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday alleged that donations worth Rs 18 crore were being siphoned off annually at Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak Temple and claimed that Rs 1,400 crore had been stolen at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.“Every year, Rs 18 crore was being stolen,” Thackeray…
NEW DELHI: Long and crushing working hours have become a serious challenge for resident doctors, causing them psychological distress and mental health problems. Flagging the issue in an affidavit before Supreme Court, National Medical Commission (NMC) has stressed that reasonable working hours and time for rest are a must for their wellbeing and proper functioning,…
NEW DELHI: Review committees of Railway Board have recommended premature retirement of five Group ‘A’ officers in “public interest”, a decision which officials said was aimed at sending out a strong message of “zero tolerance for corruption, lack of integrity and inefficiency”.While two of these officers belong to senior administrative grade (SAG), being equivalent to…
NEW DELHI: Stepping up his campaign against the rollout of E20 fuel, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal Saturday announced a march to PM’s residence Tuesday to submit petitions against the ethanol-blended fuel programme, while demanding that consumers be given the option to choose betw-een pure petrol and E20 at fuel stations.Addressing AAP’s ‘National Townhall Against…
MUMBAI: CBI lodged a cheating case against Reliance Capital Ltd (RCL), its ex-chairman Anil Ambani and unknown public servants in the alleged Rs 1,816 crore loss caused to Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).CBI alleged that EPFO invested Rs 2,500 crore in RCL’s secured non-convertible debentures in 2013-14 and the company subsequently defaulted on repayment.Earlier, the…
NEW DELHI: The risk of overall monsoon rainfall being ‘below normal’ continues to loom over India due to a strengthening El Niño, but World Meteorological Organisation’s (WMO) latest monthly global seasonal climate update, released late Friday night, offered a ray of hope. It predicted the possibility of a “positive” Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), which could…
NEW DELHI: SC judge Ujjal Bhuyan has questioned opacity in the collegium’s decisions on judicial appointments.“I have noticed that the last three collegium resolutions contain no reasons whatsoever. Is this a step back from the principle of transparency?” said Justice Bhuyan at a panel discussion on Saturday. “By withholding reasons, we also create space for…
NEW DELHI: GST collections rose 15.4% to Rs 2,11,205 crore in July, the second highest since the new structure was implemented last Sept, on the back of a 29% jump in integrated GST (IGST) on imports. This was also the highest pace of growth since rate rationalisation.The rise in IGST on imports in July (for…
NEW DELHI: Cabinet Friday approved two strategic tunnel projects and the approach roads on NH-244 in J&K at an estimated cost of around Rs 9,800 crore to provide all-weather connectivity between Kashmir Valley and Jammu region while improving access to Chenab Valley,.The projects comprise Singhpora-Vailoo tunnel and Sudhmahadev-Dranga tunnel, along with their approach roads, on…