Page 40 - Uttar Pradesh

Blast at Indian Oil's Mathura refinery injures 8; fire now under control

Eyewitnesses reported hearing a loud blast as huge flames rose from the refinery's Mathura plant, with the fire visible from several kilometres away

Prayagraj UPPSC protest: Cops register FIR against 12 for vandalisation

The protest by candidates demanding "one day, one shift exams" has been going on for the past two days outside the commission's office in Prayagraj

UPPSC row: Cong slams UP govt over police action against agitating students

The Congress on Tuesday alleged that police in Prayagraj lathi-charged students raising their voice against the "arbitrariness" of the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission and claimed that earlier also attempts have been made to suppress the voice of the youth demanding jobs. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said it is unfortunate that "lathi charge" was done on students protesting for their demands in Prayagraj. The students raising their voice against the "arbitrariness" of the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) should be heard carefully, he said in a post in Hindi on X. "This is not the first time that BJP is trying to suppress the voice of youth in this way. Earlier also, attempts have been made to suppress their voice for demanding jobs or protesting against recruitment scams and paper leaks," Ramesh claimed. Understanding these problems of the youth, the Congress party had talked about taking concrete initiatives under the Yuva

Goons from UP, Bihar making bombs in Bengal, says BJP's Dilip Ghosh

Ghosh accused the Mamata Banerjee government of being friends with anti-social people

Shooter Shivkumar, 4 others arrested in Baba Siddique murder case from UP

In a breakthrough, Mumbai Police and Uttar Pradesh STF on Sunday arrested wanted shooter Shivkumar in NCP politician Baba Siddique murder case from the northern state along with four others, an official said. Former Maharashtra minister Siddique, 66, was shot dead on October 12 by three assailants outside his son MLA Zeeshan Siddique's office building in Bandra East, Mumbai. He sustained two bullet injuries on his chest and was rushed to the Lilavati hospital in Mumbai, where he passed away. A Mumbai crime branch official, however, said three persons including Shivkumar were arrested. The STF and the Mumbai Crime Branch today (Sunday) arrested the shooter Shivkumar and his four protectors from Nanpara in Bahraich district, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order and STF) of UP Police Amitabh Yash told reporters in Lucknow. Yash said that the accused Shivkumar was trying to flee to Nepal. The four others, namely Anurag Kashyap, Gyan Prakash Tripathi, Akash Srivastava a

Ram temple delayed by 3 months due to worker shortage, stone replacement

The Ram temple in Ayodhya, initially scheduled for completion by June 2025, will now likely be finished by September 2025, said Nripendra Mishra, chairman of the construction committee. Mishra cited a shortage of around 200 workers and the need to replace certain stones on the temple's first floor as primary reasons for the delay. "Currently, we are facing a labour shortage, causing delays in construction," he said on Friday. "The complete construction is now expected by September 2025 instead of June 2025," added Mishra, chairman of the Temple Construction Committee. He said while 8.5 lakh cubic feet of red 'Bansi Paharpur' stones have been readied for the temple boundary and delivered to Ayodhya but construction has slowed due to the reduced workforce. In addition to the worker shortage, Mishra noted that some stones on the first floor appeared "weak and thin" and will be replaced with 'Makrana' stones to ensure durability. A recent two-day meeting of the temple construction ..

'Can't bulldoze overnight': SC slams UP, issues directions to all states

The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government for an "illegal" demolition in 2019 while issuing directions to all states and union territories (UT) on the procedure to be followed during road widening and removal of encroachments. A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra also directed the UP government to pay Rs 25 lakh compensation to the man whose house was razed in 2019 for a road widening project. "You can't come with bulldozers and demolish the constructions overnight. You don't give the family, time to vacate. What about the household articles inside the house?" the bench asked the counsel representing the UP government. Further, the apex court directed the UP chief secretary to conduct an inquiry into the matter pertaining to a house in Maharajganj district and take suitable action. The bench elaborated on the steps that a state or its instrumentality must undertake before taking action in pursuance to a

HC issues notice to CM, others on plea seeking transfer of MUDA case to CBI

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday issued notice to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and others on a writ petition filed by RTI activist Snehamayi Krishna seeking a direction to transfer the MUDA site allotment case to CBI. Justice M Nagaprasanna, who also issued notice to Siddaramaiah's wife Parvathi B M, brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy, Union of India, the State government, CBI and Lokayukta, directed the Lokayukta to place on record investigation conducted in the case so far. The court posted the next hearing to November 26. Meanwhile, the Lokayukta police have summoned Siddaramaiah, who is accused number one in the case, for questioning on November 6. They had on October 25 questioned his wife, who is the accused number two in the case. The CM is facing allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). Siddaramaiah, his wife, Swamy and Devaraju -- from whom Swamy had purchased a land and gifted it to Parvathi

Finmin starts phase 4 of RRB consolidation, number to fall from 43 to 28

In a bid to achieve operational efficiency and cost rationalisation, the Finance Ministry has initiated the fourth round of consolidation for Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) and the number of such banks is likely to come down to 28 from 43 at present. As per the roadmap prepared by the Finance Ministry, 15 RRBs operating in various states would be merged. Among states that will see consolidation of RRBs include Andhra Pradesh, which has the maximum number of RRBs (4), Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal (3 each), and Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Rajasthan (2 each). In the case of Telangana, the amalgamation of RRBs will be subject to bifurcation of assets and liabilities of Andhra Pradesh Grameena Vikas Bank (APGVB) between APGVB and Telangana Grameena Bank. "Given the rural expansion of RRBs and agro-climatic or geographical ethos and in order to retain the USP of RRBs viz the closeness to communities, it is the felt need to embark on .

Rahul Gandhi arrives in Lucknow, set to attend events in Raebareli

Congress MP Pramod Tiwari told that despite his busy schedule, Rahul Gandhi, who is also an MP from Raebareli, will be visiting Raebareli to fulfil his duties as an MP

Uttar Pradesh government partners NTPC to float solar power plants

The state has already received new and renewable energy investment proposals of ~7 trillion, of which ~57,000 crore worth of projects came under the UP State Bio-Energy Policy 2022

UP govt to frame policy on courses in animal husbandry, para-veterinary med

The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday decided to formulate a policy to start diploma and certificate courses in animal husbandry and para-veterinary medicine in the state. The decision in this regard was taken at a state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. This initiative is being taken to strengthen veterinary services in rural areas and increase the number of para-vets trained in veterinary science, Animal Husbandry Minister Dharampal Singh said. Under this new policy, animal husbandry diploma and certificate courses can be conducted in private as well as government institutions in the state, which will help para vets in necessary training and skill development. Singh said that the role of paravets is very important in rural areas, because the number of veterinarians in the state is limited. "There are about 34,500 veterinarians in the entire country, while at present only 8,193 veterinarians are available in Uttar Pradesh. Due to this shortage, paravets

UP court orders reopening of custodial death case against 8 policemen

A court here has ordered reopening of a custodial death case of a 36-year-old man in 2021 in which eight policemen are facing murder charges, observing that the probe appears "incomplete" and "flawed". Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Sudha Yadav dismissed the narrative of the police that the deceased Ziauddin died of a heart attack, pointing out to the deep injury marks found on the body of the deceased. "The deceased's age is mentioned as 36 years in the case, and there is no evidence of any serious illness in the deceased's past, nor is there any mention of alcohol or drug use by the deceased that could have led to his death. The investigation conducted by the police on these points appears to be incomplete and flawed," the court said in its order on October 4. A murder case was filed against eight policemen from the Sammanpur police station on March 26, 2021 regarding the death of Ziauddin who was in police custody at Sammanpu police station. The custodial death took place on Ma

UP CM Adityanath meets PM Modi and Nadda amid Mahakumbh preparation

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi here for a meeting, which comes amid the state government's preparations for the Mahakumbh in January and the November 13 assembly bypolls there. There was no official word on the meeting's agenda. Adityanath also met BJP president JP Nadda. The Uttar Pradesh government is making all-out administrative efforts to make arrangements for the Mahakumbh, a sacred Hindu event that is likely to draw tens of millions of faithful, besides enthusiastic tourists, from across the country and also different parts of the world. The bypolls to nine assembly seats are also being seen a litmus test for the BJP, especially the chief minister, after the party suffered a big setback in the Lok Sabha polls during which the INDIA bloc bested the ruling alliance in the seat tally.

No one will face injustice: UP CM assures people during Janata Darshan

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday met around 200 people and listened to their concerns during a Janata Darshan event in Gorakhpur. He reaffirmed the government's commitment to resolving public issues, assuring, "No one will face injustice." The chief minister instructed officials to act with full responsibility and sensitivity, ensuring that all eligible individuals benefit from public welfare schemes, according to an official statement. He also ordered strict action against land mafia and those illegally occupying land, stating, "Justice should be provided to everyone without discrimination." Interacting with those seated outside the Mahant Digvijaynath Smriti Bhawan, he listened to their issues one by one and accepted their applications, according to the release. He then forwarded the applications to the officials, instructing them to ensure swift and satisfactory resolution, it said. For complaints involving criminal activities, the chief minister direct

Floating structures bring water to UP villages under Jal Jeevan Mission

Floating structures, including a pump house and pipelines installed on water in the Dhanraul Dam, are providing an innovative solution to deliver water to local population in hundreds of villages in Uttar Pradesh's Sonbhadra district. The technically and visually impressive structures have been made under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Jal Jeevan Mission. These floating installations are part of the Belahi Gram Group Drinking Water Project and aim to benefit thousands in the region, according to officials. The hilly terrain of Sonbhadra poses challenges for construction, including high costs, extended timelines, and legal complications due to forest land regulations. "Considering these factors, technical experts decided to establish a floating pump house in the Dhanraul Dam," said Rohit Yadav, Additional District Magistrate for Namami Gange. The project, Yadav said, aims to supply water to 21,638 households across 210 villages, benefiting an estimated 108,000 people. "Work is ...

Uttar Pradesh: Senior bureaucrats tasked with attracting investment

Since UP is aspiring to become a trillion-dollar economy, the Yogi Adityanath government is toying with innovative ideas to achieve the ambitious target

UP fast-tracks land acquisition drive; aims to buy 96k acres within 3 yrs

In the first six months of FY25, 21,751 acres of land have already been acquired. Additionally, about 5,811 acres have been fully developed for allocation to industrialists and investors

NGT castigates UP officials for mining permissions in turtle sanctuary

The National Green Tribunal has castigated three district magistrates of Uttar Pradesh and the member secretary of the state's pollution control board for granting permission "in a mechanical manner" for mining works in the state's turtle wildlife sanctuary. Issuance of clearances and grant of permission for such activities in the prohibited areas was not only a flagrant violation of environmental laws but also "non-application of mind and exercise of illegal power" by the authorities concerned, the NGT said. A bench of NGT judicial member Justice Sudhir Agarwal and expert member Afroz Ahmad was hearing two connected matters regarding illegal sand mining in the 30-km sanctuary on the banks of river Ganga spread across the districts of Pyayagraj, Mirzapur and Sant Ravidas Nagar (Bhadhoi). Noting the evidence before it, including the reports of two joint committees formed earlier, the tribunal in its order dated October 24 said that mining leases were in the "prohibited area" both ...

How Uttar Pradesh became India's new business magnet, overtaking Bengal

Over the past year-and-a-half, Uttar Pradesh has witnessed remarkable growth, adding 28,649 active companies