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Two members of BJP's IT cell in Varanasi were among three people arrested late Saturday for the gangrape of a 20-year-old BTech student of IIT-BHU. The arrested trio confessed to the crime, including disrobing and filming the survivor at gunpoint. The three could face charges under the National Security Act and the UP Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act. One of the arrested individuals was identified as the convenor of BJP's IT cell's city unit, while another was identified as its co-convenor. The revelation sparked a political controversy in UP. http://dlvr.it/T0pjZS

Suspected militants attacked a police outpost in Moreh Turelwangma Leikai, bordering Myanmar, with a shower of rocket-propelled grenades, mortar fire, and bullets. Four commandos and a village guard were injured in the attack. The injured commandos were moved to Imphal for advanced treatment and are out of danger. The N Biren Singh government sent reinforcements to Moreh, and some houses were set ablaze during the attack. Displaced residents staged a demonstration against the renewed attacks on state forces. http://dlvr.it/T0pjSv

The Centre designates the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (TeH), a separatist outfit in Jammu and Kashmir, as an 'unlawful association' under the UAPA. The group is involved in anti-India activities and aims to establish Islamic rule. Home Minister Amit Shah warns that any involvement in anti-India activities will be thwarted. The ban on TeH is part of the government's zero-tolerance policy against terrorism. The group has been involved in fomenting terrorism, secessionism, and anti-India propaganda, and receives funds from Pakistan and proxy organizations. TeH also opposes the democratic system and boycotts assembly elections. http://dlvr.it/T0pjL3

J&K Police have put a GPS anklet on a terror case suspect to monitor his movements while he is out on interim bail. This is the second recent instance of such devices being used. The anklet was fitted Saturday on Khursheed Ahmed in Udhampur district on the orders of a Jammu NIA court four days ago. Ahmed is native of Doda district in Jammu and was arrested last year. J&K Police claimed it became the first force in the country to use such GPS anklets for UAPA suspects on bail. http://dlvr.it/T0pjBJ

The Israel Embassy blast case has been transferred to the special cell of Delhi Police for further investigation. The forensic reports regarding the blast are still awaited. The incident took place near the Israel Embassy on December 26. The Delhi Police have collected samples from the blast site for analysis. Two suspects have been identified based on CCTV footage, but their involvement has not been confirmed. All workers and diplomats at the Israel embassy are reported to be safe.

President Droupadi Murmu extended her greetings to all the countrymen on the eve of New Year 2024 and called upon the people to pledge to build a prosperous society. In a message, the President said, "On the joyous occasion of the New Year, I extend my warm greetings and best wishes to all Indians living in India and abroad. The arrival of the New Year is an occasion to move forward with new resolutions and goals."

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IndiGo's Airbus A320 (VT-IQA) operated the first commercial flight to Maharishi Valmiki International Airport in Ayodhya after PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the airport. Passengers, including Kamal Kumar, a garments dealer from Sikar, Rajasthan, were excited to be on this special flight to Ayodhya. They chanted Ram dhun and received a Shri Ram patka at the boarding gate. Captain Ashutosh Shekhar, the pilot, also received a patka from devotees. After a one-hour flight, passengers arrived at Ayodhya Airport to a warm welcome. http://dlvr.it/T0n9gg

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After the inauguration of various projects by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Saturday that today is a historic day as PM Modi's resolutions for Ayodhya are coming true and Ayodhya is becoming prominent on the world map. "Today is a historic day; today PM Modi's resolutions for Ayodhya are coming true, and Ayodhya is becoming prominent on the world map. Today, India will also be known as a spiritual power. 22 January will be an important day for India.

Rajiv Ranjan quits as JD(U) party president, making way for CM Nitish Kumar to take charge ahead of Lok Sabha elections. Majority of JD(U) presidents have faced unceremonious exits. George Fernandes, founder president, was replaced by Sharad Yadav. RCP Singh, once confidante, was asked to step down. Lalan Singh, considered 'alter ego' of Nitish, fails to complete his tenure. Nitish takes over to save the party and strengthen its organizational base. JD(U) faces crises with shifting votes. Nitish focuses on consolidating OBC votes.

After being in a higher moderate category for the last few days, Mumbai's air quality index (AQI) rose to almost near a poor mark (196) of 200 on Thursday thus further deteriorating the air quality Mumbaikars breathed. AQI is nothing but the concentration of carcinogenic PM2.5 in air. As against 8 suburbs previously, nearly 13 suburbs were in poor category of AQI on Thursday which included Kandivali west,Sewri, Shivaji Nagar Govandi, Byculla, MIndspace Malad west, Kherwadi bandra east, Chembur, BKC MPCB, Chakala Andheri east, Navy Nagar Colaba, Malad West, Borivali East, and BKC IITM.

Former MP Anand Mohan and his wife Lovely Anand met CM Nitish Kumar, sparking speculation. Lovely is with the RJD while their son Chetan Anand is an RJD legislator. Mohan clarified it was a courtesy meeting and denied joining the JD(U). He also expressed willingness to contest elections. The meeting is significant due to the strained relations between Mohan and the RJD, exacerbated by his controversial remarks. Nitish had previously visited Mohan's village and assured support to him.

Delhi health minister criticizes chief secretary for inaction on alleged sexual harassment at Burari Hospital. The Minister questions the functioning of the elected government and the safety of women. He asks if the BJP will demand action against the Chief Secretary. The Minister highlights the shocking incident and the need for immediate government action. He also mentions the lack of control of the elected Delhi government over officers due to recent amendments in the GNCTD Act.

TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu took a dig at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, stating that political migrations have begun in the state. Naidu mentioned that leaders from ruling YSRCP have joined TDP in several Assembly segments. He criticized Jagan's decision to shift his office to Visakhapatnam and highlighted the influence of the sand mafia in the state. Naidu also raised concerns about the registration of cases under the Atrocities Act against those opposing the sand mafia.

Political strategist Prashant Kishor met TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu in Vijayawada on Saturday, sparking buzz that he may advise the party for the coming assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh.Kishor, who visited the former Andhra Pradesh chief minister's residence late afternoon, played down the speculation and called it a "courtesy meeting"."I met Chandrababu Naidu. This was a courtesy meeting, long overdue. Told him that I would come and meet him," said Kishor, while speaking to reporters.

Political strategist Prashant Kishor met TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu in Vijayawada on Saturday, sparking buzz that he may advise the party for the coming assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh.Kishor, who visited the former Andhra Pradesh chief minister's residence late afternoon, played down the speculation and called it a "courtesy meeting"."I met Chandrababu Naidu. This was a courtesy meeting, long overdue. Told him that I would come and meet him," said Kishor, while speaking to reporters.

Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav claimed that Union minister Giriraj Singh shared his anxieties about his fate in the BJP and the Narendra Modi government. Yadav dismissed Singh's claim that Lalu Prasad said it was time to make Yadav the Chief Minister of Bihar. The Mahagathbandhan formed its government last year when Nitish Kumar joined it, snapping ties with the BJP. Yadav revealed that Singh was worried about his prospects for a ticket in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and confided that only one or two persons were calling the shots in the Union government.

Four soldiers killed and three wounded in a terrorist ambush on military vehicles in J&K's Poonch district. The attack occurred during a joint operation against terrorists in the Dhera Ki Gali area. The terrorists attacked a truck and a Maruti Gypsy, resulting in casualties. The banned People's Anti-Fascist Front claimed responsibility for the ambush, similar to a previous attack in April. The region remains vulnerable to attacks, and strict measures have been taken to apprehend the terrorists.

Ramesh Devkinandan Dhanuka (62), retired chief justice of Bombay High court, lodged an FIR with the Colaba police saying an unidentified person sent him a message asking to update his Pan card details. When he opened the link and submitted the Pan card details, Rs 49,998 was siphoned off from his bank account. The police are searching for the cyber fraudster.

Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday took a dig at the Congress over objections of its leaders to some provisions of new criminal law bills, saying "if mind is of Italy, then it is difficult to understand (these provisions)". Replying to the debate on the three criminal law bills in the Lok Sabha, he said these are in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution. He made a veiled attack on Congress over foreign origins of party leader Sonia Gandhi

France submits bid to India's defence ministry for the estimated Rs 50,000 crore deal for 26 Rafale-Marine fighter jets. The bid includes offer, pricing, and other details. The deals for the fighters and additional Scorpene submarines were granted preliminary approval by the Defence Acquisitions Council. The government-to-government deal will be signed after final cost negotiations and approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security. The Navy wants the deals to be finalized within this fiscal year due to a shortage of fighters for its aircraft carriers.

The ban on animal sacrifice ritual at the old Shyama Mai temple in Darbhanga has been withdrawn by the temple management committee, honoring the sentiments of various sections. The committee clarified that it neither supports nor opposes the animal sacrifice ritual, allowing every faithful to practice their respective rituals. However, the committee will no longer arrange for sacrificial rituals or charge any fee for it. They have also announced plans to erect a wall around the sacrificial area and encourage symbolic sacrifice rituals to prevent cruelty towards animals.

Six states/ UTs (Bihar, National Capital Territory of Delhi, Kerala, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal) have not signed the MoU for the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme, while Punjab has proposed to withdraw from the MoU. So far, 29 States/ UTs along with KVS/ NVS have signed the MoU. The PM SHRI scheme aims to showcase the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020 and establish exemplar schools. The scheme plans to set up more than 14,500 PM SHRI Schools by strengthening existing schools managed by the central government, state/UT government, and local bodies.

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary wrote a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urging him to consider revoking the suspension of 13 MPs, who were suspended from the Parliament on Thursday "for creating a ruckus" in the House over their demand for a statement on the breach.

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo, Mamata Banerjee, arrived in Delhi for a four-day visit. She plans to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, her party's MPs, and attend a meeting of the opposition INDIA bloc. Banerjee aims to discuss the release of central funds due to West Bengal, which have been withheld. She also expressed concern over the recent Parliament security breach and the subsequent suspension of opposition MPs. Banerjee's visit includes meetings with TMC MPs, participation in the INDIA meeting, and the scheduled meeting with Prime Minister Modi.

Raghuram Rajan, former RBI Governor, emphasizes that India needs to address malnutrition and focus on its human capital to become a developed nation. He questions how the country can achieve development when malnutrition is prevalent. Rajan highlights the importance of nurturing human capital by offering large-scale training. He believes that training a large number of people well will lead to significant value creation. Rajan also expresses confidence in the cleaning up of the banking system during his tenure as RBI Governor.

India's unique search behavior is a key factor in influencing the future of Google's search business, according to Google's vice president of search. The company has been addressing the challenges posed by India's search behavior by improving voice recognition for Hindi and other local languages. Google has also collaborated with the Indian Institute of Science on Project Vaani, which focuses on gathering and transcribing speech data from all districts in India. The future of search, according to the vice president, is multi-modal, with an emphasis on combining different content types like images and text.

India conducted a flight trial of an autonomous flying wing technology demonstrator, a step towards building a stealth UCAV and remotely-piloted strike aircraft. The successful flight demonstration showcases India's maturity in technology readiness levels. The high-speed flying-wing UAV, developed by DRDO's ADE, will lead to the development of the RPSA. The ADE has been focusing on developing stealthy drones and aircraft with reduced radar cross-section.

The government allowed the use of both sugarcane juice and B-heavy molasses to produce ethanol, capping the diversion of sugar at 17 lakh tonnes. This decision comes after the recent ban on cane juice for ethanol production. Sugar mills and oil marketing companies will decide the share. The sugar industry had raised concerns as many distilleries were sugarcane-based. The government will review the situation in a month or two.

Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Friday ordered to launch an extensive drive against leprosy and work towards the elimination of the disease. Leprosy among people mainly in tribal dominated districts in Chhattisgarh is a serious concern and a drive against the disease is the first decision taken in regards with health, by the chief minister. In his first review meeting with health department officials, chief minister Sai directed to invigorate the 108 emergency ambulance services in state and ensure that the ambulance reaches to the needy within half an hour of the request call.

The Delhi Police informed the court that the security breach in Lok Sabha was a 'well-planned attack' with the intention to incite fear. The four accused were produced before the special judge for NIA cases, who sought their custodial interrogation for 15 days. However, the court sent them to 7-day police custody. The police accused the four of indulging in an act of terrorism and stated that they tried to incite fear. The accused had special shoes made in Lucknow to hide smoke canisters used in the attack

Following a major security breach in Parliament, strict measures were implemented to reduce contact between MPs and visitors. Smart ID Cards were provided to members as part of the new Smart ID Card-based Visitor Management System. Additionally, a Facial Recognition System was installed to regulate access in Parliament. The system captures images of entrants and triggers the flap barrier to open. The incident occurred during Zero Hour when two intruders entered the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitor gallery, releasing yellow gas and shouting slogans before being overpowered by MPs.

Congress leader Rajeev Shukla said that the security breach in parliament should be dealt with vigilance and without proper investigation no one should comment on it. "Parliament is a temple of democracy and any such incident is condemnable. Today, 23 years back, there was an attack in the same parliament, look at the day chosen by the attackers. There is a security lapse for sure, these things need to be dealt with vigilance, and nobody should make any comment on it without proper investigation," Congress leader Rajeev Shukla said.

During a major security breach in the Lok Sabha chamber, two individuals jumped in and released yellow gas, causing fear among the MPs. Lok Sabha members Hanuman Beniwal, Malook Nagar, and Gurjeet Singh Aujla overpowered the intruders and were praised by their fellow members. Another two individuals sprayed colored gas outside the Parliament premises. All four have been apprehended by security forces. The protesters were raising slogans against dictatorship, sending a message that the government should pay attention.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday met a delegation of the industry body Ambattur Industrial Estate Manufacturing Association (AIEMA) over the losses suffered by their members due to Cyclone Michaung recently. The recent cyclone impacted the coastal part of Southern India, including Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. During the meeting, officials of the Department of Financial Services were also present. "The Union Finance Minister assured the delegation that the Central Government would take all necessary steps to ensure speedy disbursal of eligible insurance claims," it said.

The Indian consumer tech sector is projected to reach $300 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 25%. The sector's total addressable market (TAM) is valued at $100 billion, with mobility and entertainment being the dominant sectors. Fashion is expected to surpass entertainment as the second-leading sector by 2027. The expansion of digital public infrastructure has led to a significant increase in Indians availing entertainment and gaming services, as well as seeking on-demand services. Chiratae Ventures has invested $450 million in the sector and believes that winners will emerge at the intersections of technology disruption and vertical domains. http://dlvr.it/T04K35

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) reported a 66% decline in the killing of security personnel in Jammu and Kashmir during encounters with terrorists from 2018 to 2022. Data shows that a total of 134 security forces were killed in different encounters during this period. The decline is attributed to the government's policy of zero tolerance against terrorism and the implementation of various strategies such as round-the-clock nakas, intensified Cordon and Search Operations (CASO), and sharing of intelligence inputs. Measures to prevent terrorist attacks on civilians and sensitizing personnel on the ground have also been taken.

India's doctor-population ratio is 1:834 assuming 80 per cent availability of registered allopathic doctors and 5.65 lakh Ayush doctors, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. There are 36.14 lakh nursing personnel in the country and the nurse-population ratio is 1:476, she said. According to the National Medical Commission (NMC), there are 13,08,009 allopathic doctors registered with the State Medical Councils and the NMC as on June, 2022, Pawar said in a written reply. http://dlvr.it/T027Tz

In the unfolding drama of climate change discussions, the recent exposé by Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD) has brought to light a disconcerting narrative perpetuated by fossil fuel interests. Their target: Carbon Capture and Storage... http://dlvr.it/T02796