IPA Webdesk
Priyanka in Indira-like call to women
Gorakhpur: At a recent election rally, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the scion of Nehru-Gandhi family that dominates the opposition Congress party, strode on stage and asked the crowd to repeat after her: “I’m a woman, I can fight.” The slogan is at the heart of the party’s bid to revive...
Bengal minister Subrata Mukherjee dead
West Bengal panchayat and rural development minister Subrata Mukherjee died while being treated for cardiac ailments at a state-run hospital in Kolkata on Thursday. Mukherjee was 75 and is survived by his wife. The minister was considered one of chief minister Mamata Banerjee‘s closest commanders. He had three other...
Delhi ignores firecracker ban, air quality near ‘severe’
New Delhi: Skies over Delhi hung heavy with smoke and its air quality inched towards “severe” category on Diwali night as people burst firecrackers in a blatant disregard to the government’s ban against it, imposed amid an increase in the contribution from farm fires. People from several parts of the...
Excise duty cut estimated to cost Rs 45,000 cr
The excise duty cuts on diesel and petrol will cost Rs 45,000 crore and lead to a 0.3 percentage point widening on the Centre’s fiscal deficit, a foreign brokerage said on Thursday. Going by the overall consumption, the costs of the surprise move which came after months of concerns...
Arunachal cuts VAT on fuels by 5.5%
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Thursday announced that his government has reduced the value-added tax rates on petrol and diesel by 5.5 per cent, a day after the Centre slashed excise duty on fuel. The revised VAT rates would be applicable in the northeastern state from the...
Karnataka cuts diesel price by Rs 19
Bengaluru: Karnataka is the first among 10 BJP-rules states that has cut fuel prices drastically this Diwali, bring huge relief to people, especially commercial transporters who depend on diesel-powered automobiles for long-distance freight. The Karnataka Chief Minister’s office in a statement said diesel is now cheaper by Rs 19...
US Defence report mentions Chinese village in Arunachal
New Delhi: The annual United States Department of Defence report on military developments involving China details the US perception of the tension along the Line of Actual Control or LAC, and also refers to the creation of a 100-home Chinese village in Arunachal Pradesh. The report has been submitted...
7 BJP-ruled states announce more cuts in fuel prices
New Delhi: Seven BJP-ruled states – Assam, Tripura, Manipur Karnataka, Goa, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand – have announced additional cuts in prices of petrol and diesel on Wednesday. This came just hours after the Centre announced a cut in excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 5 and...
BJP hails cut in petrol, diesel prices
The BJP on Wednesday hailed the central government’s decision to reduce petrol and diesel prices as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Diwali gift. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president J P Nadda said the decision will boost consumption and keep the inflation low. “I thank @narendramodi Ji’s Gov for reducing Excise...
Petrol, diesel excise duty slashed on Diwali eve
In a Diwali bonanza by the Narendra Modi government, the excise duty on petrol and diesel has been slashed by Rs 5 and Rs 10, respectively. The decision will come into effect from tomorrow. In a statement, the Government of India also urged the states to reduce the VAT...
Pegasus-maker blacklisted by US for selling spyware
Washington: US authorities on Wednesday put the Israeli maker of Pegasus spyware on the list of restricted companies, after determining the firm supplied software used to target officials and journalists. “These tools have also enabled foreign governments to conduct transnational repression, which is the practice of authoritarian governments targeting dissidents,...
HP Cong sweep has BJP worried
A sweep by the Congress in Himachal Pradesh bypoll just a year ahead of the state assembly elections could not have come at a worse time for Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur who had hinged his party’s campaign to ‘clean and efficient governance’. The biggest setback for the Chief...
Chouhan reasserts his pole position with bypoll wins
The 3-1 bypoll victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday has yet again proved that Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s magic is far from over. The wins come at a time when Chouhan’s rumoured departure from the CM House kept him under pressure, especially when his party had shunted chief...
Sidhu, Channi put up united face in Punjab Congress meeting
Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and state Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu, who have not been on the same page over certain appointments, Tuesday said they will work with each other and fight the upcoming polls together, according to party MLAs. They met with each other during a...
After Puneeth Rajkumar’s death, rush for cardiac tests
Bengaluru: The outpatient department of Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research in Bengaluru is crowded with first-time patients who want to know their cardiovascular health. Narayan, 46, came from Hassan district with his uncle as he feels pain in his chest. He suspects that his heart has...
Assam CM says bypoll win due to PM’s NE agenda
After clean sweep in the all five seats of Assam by-poll by the BJP-led ruling alliance, Chief Minister cum star campaigner Himanta Biswa Sarma said it was not an ordinary victory, but one that signified development. The BJP led alliance (BJP-AGP-UPPL) won all five assembly seats in Assam where...
BJP loses in Himachal’s Mandi, trails in 3 assembly seats
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is most likely to face a huge embarrassment by the end of the day as it lost Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi parliamentary seat to the Congress and is also expected to lose three assembly seats of Fatehpur, Arki, and Jubbai-Kothkai. Congress candidate Pratibha Singh, who...
BJP hits out at Akhilesh for Jinnah, Sardar Patel comparison
Lucknow: The BJP Monday attacked Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav for “comparing” Muhammad Ali Jinnah with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, calling his statement “shameful” and seeking an apology. While Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said an “insult” to Sardar Patel will not be accepted, Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya slammed Yadav,...
