LOCAL NEWS

<p><strong>Patna/Muzaffarpur:</strong> The flood situation remained grim in Bihar on Friday though the water level has come down in several rivers, while a section of the affected people put up a road blockade in Muzaffarpur district alleging inadequate relief measures, officials said.</p> <p>More than 45 lakh people in 30 out of the total 38 districts of the state have been affected by the calamity in two phases since last month, according to the Disaster Management Department (DMD).</p> <p>Chief Minister Nitish Kumar initiated the process of transferring financial assistance of Rs 7,000 to the bank account of each flood-hit family. He also inspected areas affected by the deluge in Darbhanga and surrounding areas.</p> <p>In a bulletin, the… Read More »Bihar Floods: Over 45 Lakh People Affected Across 30 Districts, Water Levels Begin To Recede In Several Rivers

India will witness the steepest rise in living standards of the common man on the back of the government’s initiatives and the efforts towards doubling per capita income in a few years, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Friday. Addressing the 3rd edition of the Kautilya Economic Conclave, the minister stressed that inequality in India has declined with the Gini coefficient, a statistical tool to measure inequity, showing improvement in urban as well as rural areas. “I expect these improvements to continue as the effects of the last ten years of economic and structural reforms manifest more thoroughly in the data in the coming years as the Covid shock fades from the economy,” Ms Sitharaman… Read More »India Will See Steepest Rise In Living Standards In Coming Decades: Minister

<p><strong>New Delhi:</strong> Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday made oblique reference to the widening conflicts in the Middle East and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, saying the two regions were crucial for the global economy and energy security.</p> <p>His comments came amid fears of further escalation of conflict in the Middle East if Israel were to retaliate and attack Iran, potentially its nuclear and oil facilities. This, analysts fear, could fuel a surge in energy prices and draw the region into a wider conflict.</p> <p>Speaking at the 3rd edition of the Kautilya Economic Conclave here, Modi on the domestic front committed to continuing structural reforms to help India become a developed nation by 2047.</p> <p>”This conclave… Read More »PM Modi Alludes To Middle East Conflicts, Russia-Ukraine War As Major Risks To Global Economy, Energy Security

<p>Criminal cases should not be slapped against journalists merely because their writings are perceived as criticism of the government, the Supreme Court said on Friday.</p> <p>A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and S V N Bhatti said in democratic nations, the freedom to express one’s views is respected and the rights of journalists are protected under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.</p> <p>The bench was hearing a plea filed by journalist Abhishek Upadhyay, who has sought quashing of an FIR lodged against him in Uttar Pradesh for publishing a news report on the “caste dynamics of the general administration” in the state.</p> <p>”Merely because writings of a journalist are perceived as criticism of the government, criminal… Read More »Criminal Cases Shouldn’t Be Filed Against Scribes For Writings Perceived As Govt Criticism: Supreme Court

The servitors of the famous Sri Baladevjew temple in Odisha’s Kendrapara district on Friday alleged the use of adulterated ghee to prepare prasad and bhog in the 300-year-old temple. Sarat Patri, one of the priests of the temple, stumbled across adulterated ghee tins in the temple kitchen and raised this issue before the temple managing committee. The temple authorities recently procured 6 tins of government-owned OMFED ghee to prepare bhog of the temple during the Navaratri period. But the cooks found an unpleasant odour and a sour taste of the ghee. Other priests and cooks of the temple also raised doubts about the purity of ghee. Balabhadra Patri, the Executive Officer of the Baladevjew temple… Read More »Baladevjew Temple Servitors Allege Use Of Adulterated Ghee To Prepare Prasad