NEW DELHI: Ministry of home affairs on Thursday amended Model Prison Manual, 210 and the Model Prisons and Correctional Services Act, 2023 to address caste-based discrimination within prisons across the country.The MHA also replaced the existing definition of “habitual offender” to ensure that there is no discrimination of prisoners on the basis of their caste.“The…
NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the Border Security Force (BSF) of aiding infiltrators to enter India to destabilise the state.Speaking at a public event, Banerjee charged the BSF with allowing entry through several border areas under its jurisdiction such as Islampur, Sitai and Chopra.She questioned the motives behind these actions,…
NEW DELHI: After a 7.4 magnitude earthquake devastated Vanuatu on December 17, 2024, India pledged $500,000 in relief assistance. The earthquake, centered near Vanuatu’s coast in the South Pacific Ocean, caused significant destruction and loss of life.India expressed condolences and offered support to Vanuatu’s government and people for relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction efforts. “As a…
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi (File photo) NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to consider Asaduddin Owaisi‘s plea, along with similar petitions, seeking implementation of the 1991 places of worship law. The matter will be taken up for hearing on February 17.Owaisi’s plea sought implementation of the 1991 law, which asks to maintain the…
NEW DELHI: The political tussle between the BJP and AAP escalated on Thursday as both parties engaged in a poster war, accusing each other of voter fraud ahead of the upcoming Delhi assembly polls.The BJP released a poster targeting AAP leader and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, titled “Farzi Voters Se Ishq Hai” (love…
The Quadrantids meteor shower. (Lowell Observatory photo) The initial weekend of 2025 presents multiple astronomical occurrences, including a brief meteor display, a January ‘SuperSun’, and a twilight conjunction of the Moon and a planet.A remarkable celestial display welcomes New Year 2025, as the Quadrantids, visible from December 27 until January 16, reaches maximum intensity on…
India’s school infrastructure presents a mixed picture of progress and persistent challenges, as highlighted in the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2023-24 report. While over 90% of schools have basic amenities like electricity and gender-specific toilets, advanced facilities such as functional desktops, internet access and ramps with handrails remain limited.Only 57.2% of…
BHOPAL/INDORE: Trucks carrying hazardous waste left over from the 1984 gas tragedy began rolling out of the abandoned Union Carbide site in Bhopal for a disposal plant in Pithampur, 230km away, on Wednesday night, even as workers of other factories in the industrial estate near Indore voiced concern about their safety. “Transportation to Pithampur has…
MUMBAI: The tussle in Mahayuti over posts of guardian ministers continued almost two weeks after cabinet portfolios were allocated.Shiv Sena minister Bharat Gogawale on Wednesday reiterated that he’s the senior-most MLA in Raigad and will surely be appointed the district’s guardian minister, but NCP minister Aditi Tatkare is poised to lock horns with him for…
MUMBAI: An Indian woman living in a rural area, who is illiterate, obese, and has health insurance, is more likely to undergo a hysterectomy than an urban woman with a desk job, according to a new statistical analysis study. Agricultural women workers were 32% more likely to undergo a hysterectomy compared to other occupation groups,…
