News Update: Maha Congress seeks applications for assembly poll tickets; aspirants to pay Rs 10k-20k

Catch all the news from around the world here

10:59 PM

Water level in Ganga rises amid heavy rainfall

Amid the heavy rainfall in the state, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) on Saturday informed that the water level of the Ganga river in Rishikesh is continuously rising.

 

As the water level of the river reached the Triveni Ghat Aarti Sthal, SDRF issued an alert for travellers and warned them to avoid staying at the ghats at night.

 

Currently, the situation is normal at the moment and all the travellers and citizens in the town are being alerted by the water police and SDRF teams.

10:59 PM

8 injured in explosion at sponge iron factory in Bankura, West Bengal

Eight people were injured in an explosion at a sponge iron factory in West Bengal's Bankura district on Saturday evening, police said.

 

The blast happened in an electric transformer in the factory, located in Barjora, around 7.30 pm, they said.

 

Eight people were injured, and they were admitted to a hospital, police said.

 

At least two persons received critical burn injuries in the accident, but their conditions are stable, locals said.

10:19 PM

Rahul Gandhi to visit Manipur on Monday

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will visit Manipur on Monday and meet the violence-affected people in different districts of the state.

 

State Congress president K Meghachandra said Gandhi would travel from Delhi to Silchar on a flight, and from there would head to Jiribam district where fresh violence happened on June 6.

 

"Gandhi will visit some relief camps in the district. He will then return to the Silchar airport, and from there, take a flight to Imphal," Meghachandra said.

10:10 PM

US says Iran's presidential election was 'not free or fair'

US says Iran's presidential election was 'not free or fair' and won't 'lead to fundamental change in Iran's direction', reports AP.

9:52 PM

Char Dham Yatra postponed for tomorrow

In view of the Meteorological Department's alert of heavy to very heavy rains in various districts of the Garhwal division, the Char Dham Yatra has been postponed for tomorrow, i.e. July 7.Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey has issued orders in this regard.

9:07 PM

PM Modi greets Dalai Lama on his birthday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on his 89th birthday and wished him a quick recovery following his knee surgery.

Modi said on X, "Sent my greetings to His Holiness @DalaiLama on the occasion of his 89th birthday. Pray for his quick recovery after knee surgery, good health and long life." The Dalai Lama is a widely respected religious figure who has a following across the world. He has been living in exile in India since 1959 after he escaped Tibet following its annexation by China.

He is now in the US where he is recovering from a knee-replacement surgery.

In his birthday message, he said he is physically fit and is determined to continue his service to Lord Buddha's teachings.

9:06 PM

13 killed in rain-related incidents in last 24 hours in UP

Thirteen people were killed in rain-related incidents across the state in the last 24 hours, Uttar Pradesh's relief department officials said on Saturday.

9:05 PM

Delhi State Kabaddi Association announces launch of inaugural Delhi Kabaddi League

The Delhi State Kabaddi Association on Saturday announced the launch of its inaugural league. The Delhi Kabaddi League will feature eight franchise teams named after different regions, with a formal bidding process to be conducted later. Players from Delhi will be indexed into various groups, as the tournament will serve as a platform to promote local talent.

8:52 PM

At least 47 dead as monsoon mayhem continues in Nepal

At least 47 people have been killed in monsoon related disasters of flood, landslide, and lightning in Nepal in less than a month since the onset of the rainy season, as per Home Ministry records.

 

In the meeting of the National Assembly on Friday, the Minister of Labour, Employment, and Social Security, Dol Prasad Aryal, informed the members of the upper house about the casualties during the monsoon mayhem.

8:50 PM

Assam floods: 114 animals die in Kaziranga National Park, 95 rescued

The devastating flood in Assam's famed Kaziranga National Park (KNP) has claimed the lives of 114 wild animals while 95 others have been rescued till Saturday, an official said. The animal mortality in the KNP has increased from 77 till Friday. The dead animals include four rhinos and 94 hog deer due to drowning in the KNP and 11 others during treatment. The forest officials rescued 86 hog deer, two each of sambar deer and scops owl and one each of a rhino calf, Indian hare, otter, elephant and jungle cat, the KNP official said. Currently, 34 animals are under medical care while 50 others have been released after treatment, the official said.

8:22 PM

Maharashtra Cong seeks applications for assembly poll tickets; aspirants to pay Rs 10k-20k

The Congress on Saturday sought applications from those aspiring for tickets to contest the Maharashtra assembly polls, likely to be held in October-November.

In a statement, the state Congress unit said aspirants from the general category will be required to give Rs 20,000 to the party fund with the application, while women and those from the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe categories will have to give Rs 10,000. These forms will have to be submitted to the party's district units by August 10, it said.

8:09 PM

35,819 foreign medical graduates take exam

More than 35,000 candidates on Saturday took the exam for foreign medical graduates to become eligible to practice medicine in the country, the Union health ministry said. There was "no untoward incident" in the conduct of the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), it said.

8:02 PM

Six-storey building collapses in Surat city, four to five people feared trapped

A six-storey residential building collapsed in Pal area of Surat city in Gujarat on Saturday afternoon and at least four to five people are feared trapped under the debris, officials said.

 

While one woman was pulled out alive from the debris, the search and rescue operation was still on, said Surat district collector Sourabh Pardhi. "We learnt that four to five flats in the building were occupied. One woman has been rescued. Four to five people are still feared trapped underneath. Search and rescue operations are ongoing with the help of NDRF and SDRF. We are hopeful that the operation will end in a couple of hours," he told reporters.

7:47 PM

Delhi records max temp of 34.7 degrees Celsius

The maximum temperature in Delhi on Saturday settled at 34.7 degrees Celsius, two notches below the normal , the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

 

The relative humidity was between 69 per cent and 92 per cent, according to the department's bulletin.

 

The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be around 34 and 36 degrees Celsius, respectively, on Sunday, the IMD said.

6:54 PM

PM Modi congratulates Pezeshkian on election as Iran president

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday congratulated Masoud Pezeshkian on his election as Iran president.

 

He said in a post on X, "Looking forward to working closely with you to further strengthen our warm and long-standing bilateral relationship for the benefit of our peoples and the region."

 

Reformist candidate Pezeshkian won Iran's runoff presidential election on Saturday, besting hard-liner Saeed Jalili by promising to reach out to the West and ease enforcement of the country's mandatory headscarf law after years of sanctions and protests squeezing the Islamic republic.

5:22 PM

Dev Prakash Madhukar, main accused in Hathras stampede, sent to 14-day judicial custody by CJM court

Dev Prakash Madhukar, the main accused in the Hathras stampede case, has been sent to 14-day judicial custody by the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court. The incident, which resulted in numerous casualties, has raised serious concerns about crowd management and safety protocols.

3:58 PM

Amit Shah announces 50% subsidy on Nano Urea, urges farmers to utilize new fertilizer technology

Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced a significant decision by the Gujarat Chief Minister to provide a 50% subsidy on nano urea and nano-DAP. Shah emphasized that after applying nano urea to crops, farmers should avoid using granular urea as it can harm crops and soil. He assured that liquid nano urea and liquid nano DAP are sufficient for crop health and increased productivity. Encouraging farmers to take advantage of the reduced prices, Shah highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Drone Didi Scheme,' urging farmers to train women in using drones for spraying fertilizers.

3:54 PM

Budget to be presented in Lok Sabha on July 23

President Draupadi Murmu has approved the proposal to summon both Houses of Parliament for the Budget Session from July 22, 2024, to August 12, 2024, subject to exigencies of parliamentary business. The Union Budget for the financial year 2024-25 will be presented in the Lok Sabha on July 23, 2024. Announcing the date, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju posted on X, “Hon’ble President of India, on the recommendation of Government of India, has approved the proposal for summoning of both the Houses of Parliament for the Budget Session, 2024 from 22nd July, 2024 to 12 August, 2024 (Subject to exigencies of Parliamentary Business).”

3:45 PM

Swati Maliwal case: Court extends Bibhav's judicial custody till July 16

On Saturday, a court in Delhi extended Bibhav Kumar's judicial custody until July 16. Kumar, an aide to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, is accused of assaulting AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal on May 13 at the CM's official residence. The extension was decided during a video conferencing session before Metropolitan Magistrate Gaurav Goyal.

3:40 PM

Hathras stampede incident: Dev Prakash Madhukar arrested from Delhi's Najafgarh

Nipun Aggarwal Superintendent of Police, Hathras said, "Dev Prakash Madhukar, the main accused in the Hathras has been arrested...a reward of Rs 1 lakh was announced on him... He was arrested from Delhi's Najafgarh and was brought to Hathras... Further investigation is underway..."

3:40 PM

Amit Shah lauds PM Modi for establishing cooperation ministry

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said, "... PM Narendra Modi initiated an independent cooperation ministry on this day. For many years, the cooperative sector had a demand for a separate ministry, but Congress did not feel the need to do so... PM Narendra Modi understood the needs of the cooperative sector and formed an independent ministry for it. I appeal for a huge round of applause for the Prime Minister..."

3:23 PM

Opposition questions Maha govt over Rs 11 cr reward to cricketers, BJP hits back

Opposition Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) in Maharashtra have criticised the Eknath Shinde-led government for announcing an Rs 11 crore reward for the T20 World Cup-winning Indian team, alleging that the government is seeking to self-congratulate. While expressing pride in the cricketers' achievement, the opposition argued that there was no need to allocate Rs 11 crore from state funds and suggested that the chief minister should pay the amount from his own pocket.

3:17 PM

IMD issues heavy rain warning for Gujarat; Orange alert in Bharuch, Valsad, Navsari

IMD Scientist Ramashray Yadav said, "The weather forecast for Gujarat covers all the districts. In the upcoming 7 days, there will be light to moderate rain in the state. For today, a warning of heavy rainfall has been issued. An orange alert has been issued in Bharuch, Valsad, Navsari... An offshore trough has been formed in South Gujarat. Another trough has also been formed which will travel from southwest UP to Northern Arabian Sea via Gujarat coast..."

3:16 PM

PM Modi calls Keir Starmer; congratulates him on becoming UK Prime Minister

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his pleasure in speaking with Keir Starmer and extended his congratulations on Starmer's election as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. In a tweet, PM Modi affirmed India's commitment to enhancing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the UK, emphasizing bolstered economic ties aimed at advancing mutual progress, prosperity for their peoples, and contributing to global welfare.

3:13 PM

Delhi court extends judicial custody of Bibhav Kumar till July 16

Tis Hazari court extended the judicial custody of Bibhav Kumar till July 16. He was produced through video conferencing in Swati Maliwal assault case.

2:53 PM

Soldier killed in gunfight with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district

A soldier was killed in an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district on Saturday, according to officials.

Security personnel were conducting a cordon-and-search operation in Modergam village in south Kashmir when terrorists opened fire on them. The operation is still ongoing, and further details are awaited.

 

2:44 PM

Hathras stampede: Mayawati seeks action against guilty, warns against following 'babas'

BSP chief Mayawati demanded strict action against Bhole Baba and others responsible for the July 2 Hathras stampede, which claimed 121 lives. In a post on X addressing the poor, Dalits, and the oppressed, Mayawati urged them not to be misled by preachers like Bhole Baba. Instead, she advised following the path of Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, empowering themselves, and changing their destiny. Mayawati emphasized that joining the BSP is crucial to avoid tragedies like the Hathras incident.

2:19 PM

'Kalki 2898 AD' crosses Rs 800 crore mark at worldwide box office earnings

Director Nag Ashwin's ambitious 3D spectacle "Kalki 2898 AD" has surpassed the Rs 800 crore mark in worldwide box office earnings, the makers announced on Saturday.Promoted as India's most expensive film with a reported budget of Rs 600 crore, the mythological and sci-fi action drama premiered globally on June 27 in six languages. Produced by Vyjayanthi Movies, "Kalki 2898 AD" features Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Deepika Padukone, and Prabhas.

2:10 PM

Hathras stampede: UP govt hiding failure with minor arrests, says Akhilesh

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday of attempting to cover up its failure in the Hathras stampede, which resulted in 121 deaths, by making "minor arrests." In a post on 'X,' Yadav expressed concerns that such incidents will continue as the state government has not learned from the administrative errors that caused the stampede. He added that if the BJP government claims it had no involvement in the event, it has no right to remain in power.

 

 

1:53 PM

Counselling process for NEET-UG 2024 delayed, may begin later this month

The start of the counselling process for the NEET-UG 2024 medical entrance exam, originally set for Saturday, has been postponed.

The Medical Counselling Committee had anticipated the session to begin on July 6, despite not releasing a detailed notification or schedule. Counselling dates will be announced once this process is complete to include seats from new colleges in the first round," an official source stated. Counselling is expected to commence later this month.