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Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday paid tribute to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth centenary, and announced that "Atal Canteens" are being inaugurated to provide subsidised meals to the poor. Speaking at the inauguration event, Gupta said 45 Atal Canteens are being inaugurated in line with the government's election promise, while work on the remaining 55 will be completed soon. "Under the scheme, labourers, needy people and families living in jhuggi clusters will get a full meal for Rs 5. The idea is to ensure that people eat with dignity," she said, adding that lakhs of residents would benefit from the initiative. Recalling Vajpayee's contribution to Delhi's infrastructure, the chief minister said the former prime minister flagged off the Delhi Metro on December 24, 2002, when Kolkata was the only city with a metro system. She said the capital now has a 394-km metro network, which was expanded further under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Gupta als
The Congress on Thursday claimed that over 90 per cent of the Aravallis will not be protected under the redefinition of the hills and will open them up for mining and other activities. In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said there is no connection between Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "global talk and local walk" when it comes to environmental concerns. He also accused the government of launching a determined assault on ecological balance by weakening environmental protection laws and loosening pollution norms. Under the new definition, an "Aravalli Hill" is a landform with an elevation of at least 100 metres above its local surrounding terrain and an "Aravalli Range" is a cluster of two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other. "The Modi Sarkar is now going to protect only those Aravalli hills that are at a height of more than 100 metres. According to the Forest Survey of India's data that is authoritative, only 8.7 per cent of the Aravalli hills .
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid tributes to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 101st birth anniversary and said his personality, work and leadership will continue to be a guiding light for the all-around development of the nation. Vajpayee served as prime minister of India thrice between 1996 and 2004. "My respectful tributes to the former prime minister, Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji, who resides in the hearts of all countrymen, on his birth anniversary," Modi wrote on X in Hindi. He said Vajpayee dedicated his entire life to good governance and nation-building. "He will always be remembered as a brilliant orator as well as a spirited poet. His personality, work and leadership will continue to be a guiding light for the all-around development of the nation," the PM said. Modi said the birth anniversary of Vajpayee is a special occasion for everyone to draw inspiration from his life. He said the former prime minister's conduct, grace, ideologic
Two "dynasts" have come together fearing defeat in the upcoming BMC polls, the BJP said on Wednesday, after Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray announced an alliance of their parties. Addressing a joint press conference in Mumbai along with his cousin Raj Thackeray, Uddhav Thackeray said the two parties have come together to stay together. Reacting to the development, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said, "Two dynasts have come together. They have forged an alliance between their parties fearing defeat. The people of Mumbai want to choose development under the NDA-BJP." This clearly shows that they have come together to save their "deposits" from being forfeited in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, he said. "The people of Mumbai are with the NDA-BJP and they will choose development," Bhandari said. The BMC polls are scheduled to be held on January 15.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday will inaugurate a landmark national memorial and inspirational complex in Lucknow that will host, among others, statues of BJP ideologues Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. December 25 is the 101st birth anniversary of Vajpayee. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, on 25th December 2025, on the occasion of 101st birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee. At around 2:30 PM, the Prime Minister will inaugurate Rashtra Prerna Sthal and also address a public gathering on the occasion," an official statement said. Driven by the vision of Prime Minister Modi to honour the legacy of luminaries of independent India, the Rashtra Prerna Sthal will serve as a tribute to the life, ideals, and enduring legacy of one of India's most revered statesmen, whose leadership left a profound impact on the nation's democratic, political, and
The ruling BJP has emerged as the most dominant force in the recently-held municipal council and nagar panchayat elections in Maharashtra, securing the highest number of seats in five out of the state's six administrative divisions, accounting for 30 to 50 per cent of the seats in most regions. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 2,431 seats, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena 1,025, and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) 966, according to the data released by the State Election Commission (SEC). The three parties are part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance. Among the opposition parties, the Congress won 824 seats, while its Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies - NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT), won 256 and 244 seats, respectively. The only exception was the Konkan division, where the Shiv Sena, led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, outperformed the BJP. Of the 647 seats decided in Konkan, the Shinde-led Sena won 229 seats, or about 35.4 per cent, while the BJP followed with 192 ...
Arunachal Pradesh found itself navigating a series of challenges in 2025, ranging from a diplomatic row involving an Arunachalee woman's harassment at Shanghai airport and protests over a power project to natural disasters, underscoring the resilience of the country's easternmost frontier state. The year also witnessed the NDA's dominance in the political sphere with the BJP winning a majority of zilla parishad and gram panchayat constituencies and emerging victorious in civic elections. The BJP bagged 170 out of 245 zilla parishad member (ZPM) seats, including 59 uncontested ones, establishing its clear dominance at the district level. The party won 14 of the 20 wards in the Itanagar Municipal Corporation elections, while it got two wards, and its partner Peoples' Party of Arunachal (PPA) secured five in the Pasighat Municipal Council. The opposition Congress failed to open its account in both civic bodies. The year's most-talked-about episode was the ordeal of Pema Wangjom Thongdo
Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan said the saffron party's grassroots outreach across the state and development-oriented vision helped it emerge victorious in the local bodies elections. The Mahayuti alliance of the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP on Sunday swept the elections to 288 municipal councils and nagar panchayats, winning 207 posts of presidents in the local bodies. The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi was restricted to a collective tally of 44. The BJP won 117 posts of municipal presidents, Shiv Sena won 53, and the NCP won 37 posts. The Congress bagged 28, the NCP (SP) seven, and Shiv Sena (UBT) nine. Addressing a party meeting in Kalyan town of Thane district on Sunday night, Chavan said, "Once the elections were announced, BJP workers went door to door, informing citizens about the welfare schemes of the Central and state governments. They earned people's trust, and this dedication has resulted in a decisive victory." People endorsed the development-oriented vision of Pri
The Congress on Sunday accused the Centre of "surreptitiously" raising railway fares and said instead of allocating greater funds from the Union Budget, the government is now trying to "squeeze the already-suffering" poor. The opposition party also demanded that the hike be scrapped immediately to ensure that passengers aren't burdened with higher fare. The Railway Ministry on Sunday announced a hike in ticket prices by 1 paise per km for ordinary class beyond a journey of 215 km, and 2 paise per km for non-AC classes of mail/express trains and AC classes of all trains. The new rates will be effective from December 26, 2025. Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal claimed that in yet another move to harass the poor and middle classes, the government is "surreptitiously" raising railway fares across the country. "Under the Modi regime, ordinary passengers have been subjected to a hell-ride,? with overcrowded trains, stampedes on railway stations and a total l
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said the BJP has set a record in local body polls with 48 per cent of councillors winning on the party symbol, and its candidates elected as presidents in 129 municipal councils. He attributed the Mahayuti alliance's success in the municipal council and nagar panchayat elections to the BJP organisation and development agenda of the government. Counting of votes for elections to the posts of president and members in 286 municipal councils and nagar panchayats held in two phases began in the morning. Fadnavis said the BJP has once again emerged as the single largest party. "48 per cent councillors have been elected on the BJP symbol, which is a record. The BJP has created another record with 3,300 councillors being elected from the party. "BJP candidates have been elected as presidents in 129 municipal councils. In 75 per cent of the local bodies, Mahayuti nominees have been elected as municipal presidents," he said. Fadnavis .
Senior BJP leader Rajendra Rathore on Sunday rejected former chief minister Ashok Gehlot's claim that the Union government's report redefining the Arvallis would destroy 90 per cent of the mountain range in the state, and claimed it lays down a stricter framework for its conservation. The Supreme Court, on November 20, 2025, accepted the recommendations of a committee under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change on the definition of Aravalli Hills and Ranges. According to the new definition, "Aravalli Hill is any landform in designated Aravalli districts with an elevation of 100 metres or more above its local relief" and an "Aravalli Range is a collection of two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other". However, Rathore noted that the 100-metre criterion is not limited to height alone. "According to the court-approved definition, all hills of 100 metres or more, their slopes, and terrain within 500 metres between two hills remain outside the mining ambit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the Congress, accusing the party of engaging in "anti-national" activities and helping illegal Bagladeshi immigrants to settle in the state. Addressing a public rally after unveiling a Rs 10,601-crore fertiliser plant at Namrup in Assam's Dibrugarh, Modi also alleged that the Congress did not make any effort to modernise the old plant here, and find solutions to problems faced by farmers. "The Congress is indulging in anti-national activities. They want illegal Bangladeshi immigrants to settle in Assam," the PM claimed. The opposition party is not concerned with the identity, existence and pride of Assamese people, which the BJP has been trying to protect, he said. "The Congress is opposing the revision of voter lists as it only wants to grab power... They oppose whatever good I try to do... The BJP government will always work to protect the identity, land, pride and existence of Assamese people," Modi asserted.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday announced that the state has earned Rs 26,683 crore in revenue from its own resources over the past two and a half years, Rs 3,800 crore more than the previous government's average revenue. In a press statement issued here, the chief minister explained that after taking office, his government implemented an auction-cum-tender process for liquor vends, which earned Rs 5,408 crore in revenue, a significant increase from the Rs 1,114 crore generated under the previous dispensation. "The BJP government did not auction liquor vends, and instead, it followed a policy of annually renewing licenses with a 10 per cent increase in fees. Our government decided to introduce an auction-cum-tender process, and the income to the state exchequer increased considerably, which was not seen during the BJP's tenure," he said. Sukhu claimed that when the Congress government took office, the BJP left behind a debt burden of over Rs 75,000 crore, along wit
Supporters of BJP and right-wing outfits on Saturday staged protests across the city and its outskirts against incidents of arson, loot and killing of minority Hindu community members in Bangladesh. In Kolkata's northern outskirts Sodepur, Trinamool Congress Dumdum MP Saugata Roy had to get down from his vehicle and walk around 1km before boarding an auto-rickshaw as BJP supporters continued to block the Sodepur-Madhyamgram Road. Similar protests were reported in the CIT Road-Beckbagan area of the city, as well as in Howrah and other parts of the state, with saffron-clad youths blocking traffic for around half an hour, demanding protection for Hindus in Bangladesh. In Sodepur, Roy, who was heading towards the Panihati Utsav winter carnival to inaugurate the festival, was stranded in his car for about half an hour as protestors refused to lift the blockade and allow his vehicle to pass. Around 100 BJP youth wing activists of North 24 Parganas district burnt tyres on the road and ...
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday attacked the Congress for neglecting Assam and the northeast during its rule, and asserted that the BJP government was correcting mistakes the grand old party kept making in the region for decades. Addressing a rally after inaugurating a new terminal of the Guwahati airport, Modi alleged that the development of Assam and the northeast was never a part of the Congress agenda. The Congress gave protection to infiltrators who grabbed forests and land, threatening the security and identity of Assam... The BJP governemnt has been correcting mistakes the Congress kept making for decades in the northeast, the PM asserted. Modi said the Election Commission started the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to ensure infiltrators are kept out of the poll process, but deshdrohis' (traitors) were trying to protect them. The Centre is taking strict steps to stop infiltration, he said. The Prime Minister said development under the BJP's ...