NEW DELHI: Govt is looking at pruning the list of vehicles exempted from paying toll on national highways, and the first category that may be removed is “secretaries to govt of India”. Currently, vehicles transporting and accompanying people holding any of the 25 public offices – such as President, PM, governor, CJI, CMs and MPs…
Kolkata: Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Sunday called off a scheduled meeting with her party’s legislators after only 20 of 80 MLAs turned up, with the party blaming the mass absence on a “sudden and emergent ground situation” triggered by attacks on senior functionaries and several arrests statewide.Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh, speaking outside Mamata’s…
NEW DELHI: After an “exhaustive and microscopic” analysis of the 70-year-old Immoral Traffic Prevention Act (ITPA), Supreme Court has ruled that the principal objective of the legislation is neither to abolish prostitution nor to make it a criminal offence but to prevent its commercialisation.A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan said, “We…
NEW DELHI: Ahead of the elections to 24 Rajya Sabha seats and MLC polls in some states, BJP’s central election committee (CEC) met at PM Narendra Modi’s residence on Sunday to finalise the names of candidates.The CEC includes Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh and BJP president Nitin Nabin, and its meeting came a…
NEW DELHI: Staring at a tough sowing season due to forecast of a weak monsoon and pressure on inputs such as fertilisers and diesel, the Centre will on Monday launch a month-long nationwide campaign on balanced and judicious use of inputs such as fertilisers and water, timely advice to farmers in view of weather-related challenges…
NEW DELHI: Amid government’s big push for next-generation reforms for improving ease of living and ease of doing business, PM Modi has directed all ministries and departments to go back to the intended beneficiaries – citizens and businesses – to assess the impact of policy modifications on their life and work.TOI has learnt that PM…
SRINAGAR: Liquor will now be available in Ladakh, where only beer, wine and ready-to-drink beverages were permitted so far for retail sale through vends, except in Leh where there was no partial prohibition.Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has approved the new excise policy for the UT which “aims at curbing the growing dependence on narcotics…
SRINAGAR: An intruder from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) was caught crossing the LoC in north Kashmir’s Uri sector, the Army said Sunday as unconfirmed reports and a social media video suggested the sneak-in was driven by a love affair with a local woman.Sources said the man was identified as Zeeshan Ahmad Mir, 22, a resident of…
NEW DELHI: Congress MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah on Sunday said he was hopeful of finding a place in the next Karnataka cabinet, claiming that the party high command had assured him of a ministerial berth.The son of outgoing chief minister Siddaramaiah, however, said no final decision had been taken and that he remained an aspirant for…
NEW DELHI: A Trinamool Congress (TMC) party office belonging to Mathurapur MP Bapi Haldar in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district was vandalised by a group of local residents on Sunday, with villagers alleging that flood relief materials were being illegally stored there, police said.According to police, window panes and signboards at the office were…