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A crucial meeting between the representatives of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and the government was underway at the Vithalbhai Patel House here on Friday as part of efforts to find an amicable solution to the outfit's demands related to exam irregularities. While the government was represented by Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Minister of State for PMO Jitendra Singh, the CJP was represented by its national spokesperson Saurav Das and another youth. This was the third official meeting between the CJP and the government. Nadda and Das, along with another CJP spokesperson, Ashutosh Ranka, had attended two back-to-back meetings on July 20 at the minister's residence. The meeting is taking place hours after activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike late on Thursday night following government assurances on his key demands. The CJP had earlier declined the government's invitation to hold talks at a minister's residence or office, insisting that discussions should ta
The government on Wednesday told the Lok Sabha that it is willing to hold a discussion on the NEET paper leak issue, and urged Speaker Om Birla to convene a meeting of all parties to decide on the rule, date and duration of the debate. As soon as the House reassembled at noon after an earlier adjournment, Birla asked Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju to make a statement but Congress leader K C Venugopal intervened to assert that the Opposition is also seeking the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Rijju said the government is willing to hold a discussion on NEET paper leak issue but the Speaker will have to meet floor leaders of all parties to decide on the rule under which the discussion will be held, its date and duration. Amid Opposition sloganeering, the House was adjourned till 2 pm. The opposition has been demanding a discussion on the NEET paper leak issue and is also seeking the resignation of Pradhan over the handling of the controversy over th
The Centre has ordered deployment of 20 additional companies of the CRPF in Delhi to strengthen security measures in view of the CJP protests and demonstrations by various political parties, officials said on Wednesday. The forces, all drawn from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), are being airlifted from West Bengal after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) ordered their immediate deployment in the national capital on Tuesday night. A total of 20 CRPF companies are being airlifted from Kolkata to be deployed in Delhi to strengthen the law and order in view of the CJP protests, demonstrations by various political parties and the ongoing Parliament session, official sources in the security establishment told PTI. Multiple instances of violent clashes during the latest protests have necessitated this immediate deployment, they said. They said these companies were deployed in West Bengal for the conduct of assembly elections held there a few months back and were asked to stay put
The Centre has withdrawn the licensing exemption for medicinal formulations containing more than 12 per cent of ethyl alcohol and brought them under stricter regulatory oversight, including mandatory licensing and prescription-only sale, to curb misuse and prevent diversion for intoxication, officials said. Certain medicinal products, including tinctures of cardamom, ginger and other aromatic preparations, have been exempted from licensing requirements under Schedule K of the Drugs Rules, 1945, the ministry said. Some of these formulations contain high concentrations of ethyl alcohol, in certain cases up to 80-90 per cent volume per volume (v/v), making them susceptible to misuse for intoxication, it said. References were also received from certain state governments in this regard, the ministry said. To address this concern, the government has mandated that all formulations containing more than 12 per cent v/v ethyl alcohol, in quantities exceeding 30 ml, shall no longer be covered
India has extended the anti-dumping duty imposed on certain Chinese tubes and pipes till January 27, 2027 to guard domestic makers from cheap inbound shipments, according to a finance ministry notification. The duty on 'seamless tubes, pipes and hollow profiles of iron, alloy or non-alloy steel' was first imposed on October 28, 2021 for five years. Amending a notification, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has said it extends "the levy of anti-dumping duty... up to and inclusive of 27th January, 2027 unless revoked, superseded or amended earlier". The existing duty ranges between USD 961.33 and USD 1,610.67 per tonne. The CBIC has also announced continuation of an anti-dumping duty on imports of 'Normal Butanol' or 'N-Butyl Alcohol' exported from Malaysia, South Africa, and the United States of America for five years. It is used in different sectors such as chemicals, paints, adhesives, and coatings. Anti-dumping measures are taken to ensure fair trade and pr
The Centre plans to refer the Diljit Dosanjh-starrer "Satluj" to an Inter-Departmental Committee (IDC) constituted under the IT Rules 2021 for a detailed examination and future course of action, government sources said on Tuesday, two days after streaming platform ZEE5 was directed to take down the film over "security concerns". The film, which was earlier titled "Punjab '95" and details the life of activist Jaswant Singh Khalra in Punjab in the turbulent 1990s when the state was reeling under terrorism, was stuck with the censors for more than three years. Released uncut on ZEE5 under the new title of "Satluj" on July 3, the film was removed from the platform on July 5. Sources said the matter will now be examined by the IDC, a committee constituted under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, to consider grievances relating to content published by OTT platforms and digital news publishers and make recommendations to the ...
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday ordered unblocking of the Cockroach Janta Party's X handle, which was withheld in May. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma passed the judgement on a petition filed by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke against the Centre's blocking order. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that the CJP's social media handle was blocked to avoid "chaos" among students and parents ahead of the June 21 NEET re-test. "Since NEET is already over, the primary concern is no longer of any relevance. In these circumstances, the order is revoked. The petition is allowed," Justice Sharma ordered. The original X handle of the CJP, which started as a satirical digital outfit on May 15 following a controversy over Chief Justice of India Surya Kant's remarks, was withheld in India on May 21. Soon after, the group resurfaced with a new handle, 'Cockroach is Back', which presently has over 2,27,000 followers. The movement has drawn attention for its unconventional ...
The Delhi High Court on Monday sought the stand of the Centre on pleas by Delhi Gymkhana Club members and staff against the show-cause notice for eviction from its 27.3-acre premises on Safdarjung Road here. Justice Avneesh Jhingan issued notice to the central government on applications seeking a stay on the operation of the show-cause notice, and asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to ensure that the July 7 hearing before the Estate Officer is adjourned to a day after the next date of hearing in court on July 28. SG Mehta said the Centre would file its response to the applications. Noting that a hearing before the Estate Officer was scheduled for July 7, he added, "They can seek an adjournment there." "Mr Mehta, we are keeping this for the date already fixed (in the main case). Just see it (Estate Officer's hearing) is adjourned beyond that date," Justice Jhingan told the law officer. The pleas by Vijay Khurana and Delhi Gymkhana Club Ltd Staff Welfare Association form part of t
Amid reports that e-rickshaws could be remotely shut down through the Chinese smartphone application BAT-BMS, the government said on Friday that two such apps had come to its notice and have since been removed from app stores. IT Secretary S Krishnan asserted that app stores must exercise due diligence, and said the government would take up the matter with them to ensure that potentially harmful apps are not made available. Confirming that action has been taken in the matter, Krishnan said, "That is right...there are a couple of apps, which came to our notice yesterday and both of them have been taken down from the app stores." He was speaking on the sidelines of a CII Cybersecurity summit. The issue drew public attention on Thursday after reports surfaced that some e-rickshaws were being rendered inoperable through a remote shutdown feature linked to the Chinese smartphone application BAT-BMS. The videos sparked widespread concerns over the cybersecurity risks posed by such ...
The government has provided one more year till July 31, 2027 to micro and small enterprises from non-leather footwear sector to comply with the mandatory quality control order. The move would give smaller footwear manufacturers more time to obtain BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) certification. It has also allowed footwear manufacturers to import up to 4,500 pairs annually for research, design development, testing, and other non-commercial purposes without meeting QCO (quality control order) requirements. However, these imported footwear have to be marked as "NOT FOR SALE" and have to be disposed of as scrap. Amending the footwear made from all rubber and all polymeric material and its components (Quality Control) order, 2024, the Department For Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) order said in a provision, "for figures, letters and word '31st July, 2026', the figures, letters and word '31st July, 2027' shall be substituted". Commenting on the order, think tank GTRI s
Officials of the Land & Development Office under the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry on Saturday took physical possession of the 15.20-acre Jaipur Polo Ground in the Race Course area of the national capital, officials said. The development follows a May 20 eviction order under which the L&DO sought possession of the land parcel, citing its need for a "larger public purpose and benefit". The order, however, offered no details about the intended use of the land. On June 8, the Delhi High Court asked a district court to decide on a plea by the Indian Polo Association seeking a stay on the eviction notice. However, the district court declined to grant interim relief against the order.
The Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) is focusing on moving towards 'automation' in processes involved in manufacturing explosives to make operations safer, a senior government official has said. The department, which functions under the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has undertaken major regulatory reforms to strengthen safety and ease of doing business, DPIIT Joint Secretary Dr Kajal said on Thursday. Talking to PTI in Nagpur on the sidelines of 'Awareness workshop on reforms undertaken by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO)', she asserted DPIIT is making concerted efforts to prevent accidental blasts at explosives manufacturing factories. Asked what safety precautions DPIIT and PESO, which comes under the department, are taking to prevent blasts at explosives manufacturing units, the official said both agencies are making their best efforts to prevent such tragedies in the future. She was asked specifically in the contex
The Centre has decided to expand its QR tagging initiative for Food Corporation of India (FCI) foodgrain bags, with plans to implement the system across three states -- Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha -- in the ongoing marketing season. The plan will cover 20 lakh tonnes of rice moved from milling points to distribution centres. The move, aimed at tracking end-to-end movement of foodgrains and curbing the recycling of grain bags, follows a successful pilot in Andhra Pradesh for rice in December 2025-January 2026, and in Punjab for wheat during April-May 2026. "We are planning to put QR tags on foodgrain bags transported from procurement states to distribution states," a senior Food Ministry official told PTI. "In the ongoing marketing season, we are going to do this in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha for rice." Under the expanded pilot, select districts from each of the three states will be covered. Approximately 10 lakh tonnes of rice will be moved with QR tagging from