Browsing: India

Kolkata: An IIT-Bombay professor, a physics alumnus of the 1993 batch of Presidency College, now Presidency University, donated Rs 20 lakh to the School of Astrophysics to support academic programmes and enhance its infrastructure.The professor, who requested anonymity, contacted the school’s assistant professor, Suchetana Chatterjee, a few months ago and expressed his wish to contribute to the academic development of the department. “It was a few months ago that he communicated that he wanted to make some contribution to the academic progress of the School of Astrophysics as a gift to his alma mater,” said Chatterjee, adding that he paid…

Mumbai: For Saturday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) scaled down the weather warning for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region from an orange alert to a yellow alert. So, instead of heavy rainfall, Mumbai, Thane and Palghar can expect light to moderate showers, isolated thunderstorms with lightning, and gusty winds till Tuesday.Raigad district’s red alert was also downgraded to orange.Friday’s downgraded weather forecast follows intense pre-monsoon activity across the Konkan coast and indicates an early onset of the southwest monsoon for the city. Mumbai’s official monsoon onset date is June 11. According to meteorological experts, the weather warning has been downgraded because…

New Delhi: A 27-year-old driver has been arrested in Gujarat for allegedly decamping with Rs 30 lakh belonging to his employer, a businessman based in west Delhi’s Tilak Nagar. The accused had been employed for only six months before committing the theft.According to police, the businessman reported on May 15 that his driver had gone missing with a bag containing Rs 30 lakh in cash intended for a business transaction. A case was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and an investigation was launched.”A dedicated police team was constituted, which reviewed CCTV footage and conducted multiple…

DCM Shivakumar and CM Siddaramaiah BENGALURU: Karnataka govt late Friday night notified the renaming of Ramanagara district ‘Bengaluru South’ district. The notification issued by the revenue department has made the changes under the Karnataka Land Revenue act of 1964. In Kannada and Hindi, the district will be called ‘Bengaluru Dakshina’ and ‘Bengaluru Dakshin’, respectively. The notification says the district HQ will continue to be in Ramanagara town. “We want development, foreign investment in our district, and jobs for our people,” said DCM Shivakumar. who led the name-change move. Amid biting criticism from HD Kumaraswamy, Union minister for steel and heavy…

Hyderabad: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) booked Yendamuri Srinivas, a superintendent of customs currently posted at Customs House in Auto Nagar, Vijayawada, in a case of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.Srinivas previously served as inspector and superintendent at the office of the additional commissioner of customs in Kakinada.According to the FIR, the alleged financial irregularities pertain to the period between Jan 1, 2018, and Oct 5, 2024. During this time, Srinivas reportedly accumulated assets worth 1.4 crore, which are approximately 106% higher than his verifiable income. The CBI booked him under the Prevention of Corruption…

Illustration by Shinod Akkaraparambil CHENNAI: The caste census, seen as crucial to evolve policies, may also crack open a Pandora’s box of reservation debates, especially in Tamil Nadu, where quota politics is heating up.Tamil Nadu’s quota politics is under scrutiny as Union govt-proposed caste census sparks demand for increased reservation and potential legal and political challenges. The DMK govt has claimed the census is a “hardearned victory”. Parties such as PMK are pushing for additional data for internal quota, while Thol Thirumavalavan’s VCK is demanding 60 notified scheduled caste communities be declared adi dravidars. This has raised concerns about the…

Ahmedabad: In the new wave of Covid-19, 20 new cases were recorded in the city in 24 hours, taking the number of active cases from 11 to 31. Out of the total, 10 are in the North West Zone, seven in the West Zone, and two in the South West Zone, among others, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s (AMC) data shows.Across the state, 46 active cases had been recorded as of Friday afternoon, according to state health department officials. They said all the cases are of the Omicron subtype and there is no need to panic. The percentage of hospitalisation is very…

Prayagraj: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated 103 redeveloped railway stations across the country, including Karchhana station of Prayagraj division of North Central Railways, via video conferencing under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, at an event held at Karchhana station on Thursday. The chief guest on the occasion, Union minister of state for health and family welfare, chemicals and fertilizers, Anupriya Singh Patel, said that over 1,300 Amrit Bharat stations are being developed nationwide under the first phase of the scheme, out of which 157 are in Uttar Pradesh, and 19 of redeveloped stations were inaugurated on Thursday. She emphasised the…

Kendrapada: With monsoon approaching, residents of riverside villages in Kendrapada district are concerned over the deteriorating condition of embankments, which they claimed have not been repaired despite appeals to authorities. The 25-km stretch along the Luna-Chitrotpala river island, covering several gram panchayats including Bangalpur, Indalo, Jalapok, Mehindinagar, Aitipur and Basapur, is particularly vulnerable due to poor maintenance work. “Unsafe river embankments are prone to breaches during high flood. The govt must act quickly to strengthen the structures before the rainy season,” said Manas Dalei of Basapur village. Two years ago, Singhgaon and Nimpur villages suffered flooding due to breaches in…

COIMBATORE: A 40-year-old wild female elephant died without responding to treatment in Karadimadai area of the Madukkarai forest range in Coimbatore district on Friday.According to forest department sources, anti-poaching watchers (APWs) on routine patrol spotted the elephant in a weak condition on Thursday. They alerted the Madukkarai forest range officer. Treatment began on Thursday evening, with a forest veterinary officer administering intravenous fluids. The efforts to revive the elephant failed. It died at 11.55am on Friday.”Though staff members offered fruits to the ailing elephant, it was too weak to consume them. There were no external injuries. The death is suspected…