Category: India

54 killed in thunderstorms across Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, MP 

Editor

Storms and lightning across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bengal killed at least 54 people in the past 24 hours, officials said on Tuesday, taking the toll from freak weather this month to around 290. Two people died in Bengal’s Malda district during heavy rain and thundershower on Monday night. Anima Ghosh, 40, died in the Englishbazar area when a big tree fell on the three-wheeler in which she was returning home from work. In another incident, Anup Saha, 35, died in the Rathbari area when part of…

Read More

Patient’s time of death to decide private hospital bills: Delhi Govt

Editor

Partial waiver of bills if patient dies in a day of being admitted to Delhi private hospital The Delhi government on Monday issued a draft policy with sweeping changes in charges levied by private hospitals in the city, including a controversial provision for a partial bill waiver if a patient dies within a day of being taken to a hospital emergency. Under the draft policy, which will be open for suggestions from the public for a month, if a patient dies within six hours of being taken to a hospital…

Read More

Delhi-Meerut Expressway that Modi ‘Dedicated’ to the Nation is 69% Incomplete

Editor

Narendra Modi held a massive roadshow to inaugurate a mere 8.3-km stretch of the 82-km highway. Given the elaborately choreographed roadshow Prime Minister Narendra Modi’ put on for the benefit of television to inaugurate phase 1 of the much-awaited Delhi-Meerut expressway one could be forgiven for thinking the wait for a quick drive between the two cities is finally over. In reality, however, nearly 90% of the 82-kilometre project is yet to be made operational. It emerges that Modi only inaugurated phase 1 (worth Rs 841 crore) of the Rs 7,500 crore…

Read More

Petrol & Diesel prices touch new high, upward trend continues for 16th straight day

Editor

Petrol being sold at Rs 78.43 per litre in Delhi and Rs 86.24 per litre in Mumbai. The cost of diesel per litre has also been increased to Rs 69.31 per litre in Delhi and Rs 73.79 a litre in Mumbai. Fuel prices continue to touch another peak for the 16th consecutive day, with petrol being sold at Rs 78.43 per litre in Delhi and Rs 86.24 per litre in Mumbai. The cost of diesel per litre has also been increased to Rs 69.31 per litre in Delhi and Rs…

Read More

Govt can cut petrol prices by up to Rs 25 a litre, but will not: P Chidambaram

Editor

Congress leader and former union finance minister P. Chidambaram on Wednesday criticised the Centre for the fuel price hike and claimed that petrol prices can be reduced by Rs 25 per litre, but the government is not doing it. “It is possible to cut up to Rs 25 per litre, but the government will not. They will cheat the people by cutting price by Re 1 or Rs 2 per litre of petrol,” Chidambaran said in a tweet. Across the four metropolitan cities, prices rose around 30 paise on Tuesday.…

Read More

Fuel prices soar for 10th straight day, govt seeks long-term solution

Editor

Wednesday marked the 10th day in a row that fuel prices rose, to Rs 77.17 a litre of petrol and Rs 68.34 a litre of diesel in the capital, but law and information technology (IT) minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said a long-term solution is being worked out to address the price volatility. After a 19-day hiatus in the run-up to the Karnataka polls, the price of petrol has increased by Rs 2.54 in the last 10 days, and that of diesel by Rs 2.41. Consumers and opposition parties have been…

Read More

One dead, 3 Injured in fresh violence in Tuticorin

Editor

A man was killed in fresh police firing on anti-Sterlite plant agitators on Wednesday, while some others were injured in clashes with security personnel in Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin town, a day after ten people were killed in police firing in the town. Locals have been agitating for over 100 days demanding the closure of Vedanta Group’s Sterlite copper plant over pollution concerns. Opposition parties slammed the government and criticised the use of force against the protesters. The Madurai bench of Madras High Court on Wednesday stayed the expansion of Sterlite’s…

Read More

Met issues heat wave alert after Delhi sizzles at 44 degrees, Palam at 46

Editor

Brace for the first heat wave of the season on Wednesday. With the day temperature in the city shooting up to 44 degrees Celsius on Tuesday and 46 degrees Celsius at the outskirts in Palam, the India Meteorological Department has issued a warning of a heat wave on Wednesday in Delhi. Scientists of the regional weather forecasting centre (RMC) have warned that the day temperature in Delhi could touch 45 degrees Celsius by the weekend with a possibility of a dust storm on Thursday. “Heat wave conditions are very likely…

Read More

Nine killed as police fire on anti-Sterlite protesters in Tamil Nadu

Editor

Nine people were killed on Tuesday during a protest seeking the closure of Vedanta’s Sterlite Copper unit in Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin, ANI news agency reported. The protest turned violent with agitators pelting stones and toppling police vehicles after they were prevented from marching towards the plant. As the violence spiralled, police opened fire, killing a man. Police said section 144 of CrPc has been invoked in and around the Sterlite unit as per the orders of the Madras High Court. However, angered over not being allowed to take out a…

Read More

Govt hints at fuel duty cut, as oppn mounts pressure over petrol-diesel prices

Editor

Record fuel prices have triggered a political row, with the Opposition attacking the NDA government for not taking steps to cut taxes on fuel so as to provide some relief to consumers, even as petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the government would work out a solution. Petrol prices touched fresh highs in Delhi and Mumbai on Monday, at Rs 76.57/litre and RS 84.40/litre respectively. Diesel prices in the two cities reached Rs 67.82 and RS 72.21 per litre. The Congress tweeted saying the Modi government was “fleecing” consumers. “The Modi…

Read More