New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday moved two new bills in the Lok Sabha that look to repurpose levies on ‘sin goods’ such as tobacco, pan masala, and related products ahead of the scheduled phaseout of the GST compensation cess levied on them. The Central Excise (Amendment) Bill seeks to levy excise duty…
Kolkata: Tension escalated outside the West Bengal CEO’s office here on Monday as members of the BLO Adhikar Raksha Committee staged a demonstration, raising slogans and attempting to breach police barricades just as BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari and several party MLAs arrived there for a scheduled meeting with election officials. Police had erected multiple layers…
New Delhi: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday asserted in the Rajya Sabha that the government is not averse to discussing SIR or electoral reforms, as he asked the Opposition not to insist on setting a timeline. He was responding to opposition members who were demanding an immediate discussion on the Special Intensive Revision…
New Delhi: “Those sitting inside bite, dogs don’t,” Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury said on Monday after she arrived in Parliament with a rescued stray in her car, triggering a row and prompting some ruling party members to accuse her of indulging in drama. Chowdhury said she had picked up the stray earlier in the day…
On the eve of my father’s 29th death anniversary, I feel compelled to share a few thoughts on the values that shaped him—and continue to guide me. My father, the late Dr. Channa Reddy, lived a life defined by integrity, fearlessness and an unwavering commitment to public welfare. I have always tried to follow that…
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said the State Election Commission’s decision to postpone some of the local body polls was “wrong”. The decision to postpone some of the elections triggered by someone’s petition in court and sub-judice matters was unfair to other candidates, Fadnavis told reporters in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar before leaving…
New Delhi: India on Monday pitched for a global mechanism to check any possible misuse of biological weapons in view of the uncertain international security environment. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said “misuse” of biological weapons by non-state actors is no longer a distant possibility and international cooperation is needed to combat such a challenge….
New Delhi: The Congress on Monday termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi the “biggest dramabaaz” and said his statement accusing the opposition of indulging in drama in Parliament is “nothing but hypocrisy”. Congress leaders, party president Mallikarjun Kharge and general secretary Jairam Ramesh, were responding to Modi saying in his comments before the start of the…
New Delhi: Parliament is not a place for drama, it is a place for delivery, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday in a hard-hitting attack on the opposition and accused it of turning the House into a “warm up arena” for elections or as an outlet to vent out frustration after defeat. Speaking to…
A Miraculous Escape from a Sri Lankan Nightmare There are journeys you plan, journeys you cherish, and journeys you simply survive. Our trip to Sri Lanka—meant to be a quiet Ramayana trail pilgrimage—slowly turned into the third kind. What began as a serene family excursion, tracing mythological footsteps across the emerald island, ended in a…
