Author: Agencies
NEW DELHI: India and Russia are finalising dates for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India, which is expected to take place in early December, sources said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is also expected to visit India before President Putin’s visit, to prepare for the summit and discuss bilateral issues. At the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 27, Lavrov announced that a visit by the Russian President is planned for New Delhi in December, marking the ongoing diplomatic preparations. Speaking about India-Russia relations, Lavrov highlighted the depth of the bilateral agenda, covering trade,…
NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday increased Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) by 3 per cent for about 49.19 lakh central government employees and 68.72 lakh pensioners. The DA/DR increase of 3 per cent over the existing rate of 55 per cent of the basic pay/pension to compensate against the price rise is effective July 1, 2025. The combined impact on the exchequer on account of an increase in DA and DR will be Rs 10,083.96 crore per annum, I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while briefing on decisions taken in the Cabinet meeting. The increase is in…
JAMMU: MIER College of Education (Autonomous) recently hosted a one-day Induction Program to welcome its incoming batches of students enrolled in B.A. (Hons) Psychology, Applied AI, Political Science, M.A. Psychology (Clinical and Counselling), B.Ed., M.Ed. Special Education (ID), and Diploma in Guidance and Counselling. The event was graced by eminent dignitaries of the MIER Group of Institutions, including Dr. Renu Gupta, Chairperson; Prof. Adit Gupta, Director and Principal; Rupa Gupta, Joint Director; Prof. Mool Raj Sharma, Controller of Examination; Dr. Monika Bajaj, Head, School of Social Sciences and Humanities; Prof. Nishta Rana, Head, School of Education; Dr. Bharti Tandon, Deputy…
SRINAGAR: Budgam Police have attached the head office of the banned organisation Tehreek-e-Hurriyat located at Rehmatabad, Hyderpora, under Section 25 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA), officials said today. The attached property includes a three-storey building on 1 kanal 1 marla of land (Khasra No. 946, Khata No. 306), which had been functioning as the office of the banned outfit. The action is linked to FIR No. 08/2024 registered at Police Station Budgam under UAPA. An official stated that the attachment was carried out after collecting sufficient evidence and obtaining due approval from the competent authority, in accordance…
NEW DELHI: E-Arrival Card facility will be available for foreign travellers at the Delhi airport from October 1, a system that will allow international passengers to fill out their arrival information online replacing the manual paper-based cards. Delhi airport operator DIAL, in a release, on Tuesday said the facility will ease the arrival process for travellers, improve efficiency, reduce queues, and support the airport’s sustainability goals by cutting down paper usage. The facility will be launched under the aegis of the Bureau of Immigration. Similar facilities are available at airports in Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea, and Malaysia, according to…
LEH: Ladakh Administration has rejected claims of a “witch-hunt” or a “smoke-screen” operation against activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was detained under the National Security Act last week. It asserted that the actions taken by law enforcement agencies were based on credible inputs and documents. The administration appealed that the process of law should be allowed to take its own course and expressed confidence that “together we will bring back normalcy in the peace-loving Leh township and continue with our dialogue process”. Wangchuk, the primary face of the agitation seeking statehood and Sixth Schedule safeguards for Ladakh, was detained under the stringent…
MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday kept its policy interest rate unchanged at 5.5 per cent for the second consecutive time, citing concerns over tariff uncertainties. Announcing the fourth bi-monthly monetary policy of the current fiscal, RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) unanimously decided to keep the short-term lending rate or repo rate unchanged at 5.5 per cent with a neutral stance. While GST rate rationalisation will have a sobering impact on consumption and growth, tariff related developments may slow down the economic expansion in the second half of the current fiscal, he…
JAMMU: Authorities have ordered the suspension of a doctor, who was subsequently booked by the police over allegations of misconduct with a female patient at a government hospital in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ramban district, officials said. A female patient levelled allegations of misconduct against a consultant gynaecologist at the sub-district hospital, Banihal, triggering anger among people in the area on Tuesday. The issue was subsequently raised by Banihal’s National Conference MLA, Sajjad Shaheen. In a post on social media, he wrote “I immediately spoke to the Health Minister, Madam Sakina Itoo, and briefed her about the incident, strongly urging strict action…
JAMMU: Acting on the directions of a local court, Jammu Police have registered an FIR against former Mayor of Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) Chander Mohan Gupta and nine others in connection with the alleged theft of 13 cows and 24 calves, along with misappropriation of nearly ₹97 lakh belonging to Hare Krishna Gaushala Charitable Trust. The case was registered by SHO Bakshi Nagar under sections 316, 318(3), and 325 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, on the complaint of Rohit Bali, General Secretary of the trust. The accused include Narender Verma alias Nitai Dass, his wife Manju Verma, Vijay…
JAMMU: The Crime Branch of the Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday chargesheeted two arrested property dealers for duping two investors of Rs 1.25 crore on the pretext of selling land in Kathua district, an official said. Devinder Singh and Anil Kumar were arrested following registration of a case last year on the written complaint of Verinder Sharma of Jammu and Jaswinder Singh of Pathankot in Punjab who are partners and are intending to manufacture a unit in Kathua, the official said. The official said the accused approached them and claimed that they had 270 kanals of land at village…