In a tragic incident, six young members of a family, most of them cousins, drowned in the Meshwo river in Kheda district on Wednesday evening, the police said. Upon receiving information about the incident, a team from the Nadiad Fire Brigade reached the spot near Kanij village and recovered all six bodies from the river, a senior police officer said. "Six brothers and sisters, including cousins, have come to take a bath in the evening in a river near Kanij village, where they all drowned. The team reached the spot and operations were carried out to take them out," Rajesh Gadhiya, Superintendent of Police (SP) Kheda, told reporters. All the bodies were sent for post-mortem. The victims had come from Naroda in Ahmedabad to their maternal uncle's house in the district for the holidays. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
01 May,2025 08:53 AM IST | Kheda | ANIRajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma on Wednesday directed police to launch a campaign against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. He instructed them to deport Bangladeshi nationals who are illegally residing in the state, an official said. The chief minister held a series of meetings with senior officials and issued necessary directions. "The CM has directed officials to run a special campaign against illegal Bangladeshis residing in the state. He instructed the officials to identify such individuals and start the process of deportation," the official said. In a review meeting of the energy department, the CM said that the government is working to provide electricity to the state's farmers during the day by 2027 and also to the industrial sector. Sharma said that to achieve these goals, the power generation to transmission and distribution system should be strengthened with foresight. While reviewing the availability and demand of electricity, he asked the officials to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the farmers during the Rabi season. He also said that alternative sources of power generation should be prepared given the demand in the near future. The chief minister also held a meeting with a delegation from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and discussed various matters, including the upgradation of the state's road network, development of infrastructure and potential investment. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
01 May,2025 08:52 AM IST | Jaipur | PTIIndia has closed its airspace to all aircraft registered in Pakistan and those operated by Pakistani airlines, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), another major step following the April 22 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam in which 26 people were killed. India issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) on Wednesday, confirming the closure of its airspace to all Pakistani-registered, operated, or leased aircraft, including military flights, from April 30 to May 23 (estimated duration). Both India and Pakistan have now blocked each other's airlines from using their airspace, as the neighbouring country had already announced this step six days ago. Notably, there has been a rise in ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, and the Indian Army has effectively responded. Security forces have intensified anti-terror operations in the Kashmir valley in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and the government has given armed forces complete operational freedom to decide on the response to the brutal terror attack. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) met a day after the Pahalgam terror attack. In the briefing to the CCS, the cross-border linkages of the terrorist attack were brought out. It was noted that this attack came in the wake of the successful holding of elections in Jammu and Kashmir and its steady progress towards economic growth and development. India has taken a raft of measures against Pakistan for its support to cross-border terrorism, including holding the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance and closing the Integrated Check Post at Attari. India has also decided to curtail the strength of High Commissions. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
01 May,2025 08:49 AM IST | New Delhi | ANIIn a significant decision, the Centre on Wednesday said it has decided to include caste enumeration in the forthcoming census exercise in a “transparent” manner. Announcing the decisions taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA), Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the census comes under the purview of the Centre but some states have done caste enumeration in the name of surveys. Alleging that the states ruled by opposition parties have done caste surveys for political reasons, the minister said it is Modi government's resolve to transparently include caste enumeration in the forthcoming pan-India census exercise. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
01 May,2025 08:44 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesThe Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is understood to have deliberated on the overall security situation in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday amid speculations about India’s possible retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack in view of its cross border linkages. The CCS meet was held at the prime minister’s residence, a day after Modi held a meeting with the top military brass and accorded operational freedom to the armed forces on the “mode, targets and timing” of India’s response to the April 22 attack that killed 26 people. It was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and EAM S Jaishankar, people familiar with the matter said. In the high-level meeting with the defence brass on Tuesday, Modi asserted that the armed forces have “complete operational freedom” to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India's response, government sources said. The prime minister affirmed that it is “our national resolve” to deal a crushing blow to terrorism, government sources said. Govt revamps NSA Board The Centre on Wednesday revamped the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB). It is learnt that former R&AW chief Alok Joshi has been appointed as NSAB chairman. The NSAB is an advisory body that provides inputs to the National Security Council Secretariat. The new members appointed to the NSAB are former Western Air Commander Air Marshal PM Sinha, former Southern Army Commander Lt Gen A K Singh and Rear Admiral (retd) Monty Khanna, people familiar with the matter said. Former diplomat B Venkatesh Varma and retired IPS Rajiv Ranjan Verma have also been appointed to the NSAB as its members, they said. US urges de-escalation State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that Washington is reaching out to India and Pakistan “regarding the Kashmir situation”, and telling “them not to escalate the situation.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio “expects to speak with the foreign ministers of Pakistan and India as early as today or tomorrow. He is encouraging other national leaders and foreign ministers to reach out to the countries on this issue,” Bruce said. On April 26, US President Donald Trump said that there have always been tensions between India and Pakistan, and the two countries will figure it out between themselves “one way or the other”. Agencies 786 Pakistanis leave, 1465 Indians return As many as 786 Pakistani nationals, including 55 diplomats, their dependents and support staff, besides eight Indians with Pakistani visa, have left India through the Attari-Wagah border crossing in the last six days following a government order in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, officials said on Wednesday. A total of 1465 Indians, including 25 diplomats and officials, besides 151 Pakistani citizens with long-term Indian visas have crossed over to India from Pakistan through the international border crossing located in Punjab since April 24. The ‘Leave India’ notice to the Pakistani nationals was issued by the government following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. The deadline for exiting India for those holding SAARC visas was April 26. For those carrying medical visas, the deadline was April 29. The deadline for 12 other categories of visas was April 27. Those having long-term, diplomatic or official visas have been exempted from the ‘Leave India’ order. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
01 May,2025 08:43 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesLeader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said he welcomes the government's "sudden" decision to include caste enumeration in the forthcoming census after "11 years of opposing it" but demanded that a timeline be decided for its implementation, news agency PTI reported. His comments came within hours of the government announcing that caste enumeration would be included in the forthcoming census exercise in a "transparent" manner. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, the former Congress president said, "We support this [government's decision] completely but we want a timeline. We want to know by when it will be done. This is the first step and Telangana is a model for caste census." While reiterating the demand for removing the 50 per cent cap on reservations, Gandhi said funds should be allocated for the caste census. "We want people's census, not bureaucrats' census," he added. Opposition parties, including the Congress, have been demanding a nationwide caste census, making it a major election issue. Some states such as Bihar, Telangana and Karnataka have already conducted such surveys. PM must act strongly, not dilly-dally: Rahul Gandhi on Pahalgam terror attack Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Wednesday that those responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack must pay the price for what they have done and Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi must act strongly now and not dilly dally on the action. Addressing the media at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in the national capital, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said those behind the Pahalgam terror attack must also be made to realise they cannot do this to India. Urging PM Modi to take action and not dilly-dally, Gandhi said that the government has the Opposition's 100 per cent support. "The prime minister has to take action. Action has to be clear and strong. The prime minister must not dilly dally and needs to act. He can act in whatever time frame he thinks necessary," Gandhi said. Noting that people have been killed in cold-blooded manner in Pahalgam, he stated that the PM should not waste time and must act now to tell them that India is not going to tolerate this kind of nonsense. "People have been killed in a cold-blooded manner, and it is pretty clear who is responsible for this. The people who are responsible for this must pay the price. The Prime Minister must take decisive and strong action without delay or confusion," he said, noting that the action has to be clear and strong and without any confusion. (With PTI inputs)
30 April,2025 10:35 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentAdani Power Limited has generated 102.2 Billion Units (BU) of power in financial year 2024-25, which is a surge by 19.5 per cent from the 85.5 BU clocked in 2023-24, the company's earnings results released Wednesday showed. According to company information, the Adani Group company's consolidated power sale volume was at 95.9 BU in 2024-25, up by 20.7 per cent from 79.4 BU in 2023-24. The company has attributed the surge to robust power demand and higher operating capacity, reported news agency ANI. The consolidated continuing total revenues were higher by 10.8 per cent at Rs 56,473 crore in 2024-25 against the Rs 50,960 crore recorded in 2023-24. In the January-March quarter, consolidated power sale volume was at 26.4 BU, up by 18.9 per cent from 22.2 BU in same quarter of 2023-24, due to growing power demand and higher operating capacity. The consolidated continuing total revenue for Q4 2024-25 was higher by 5.3 per cent at Rs 14,522 crore vs Rs 13,787 crore in Q4 2023-24, primarily due to higher volume, offset by lower tariff realisation, reported ANI. Adani Power's Profit After Tax (PAT), however, was lower for 2024-25 at Rs 12,750 crore as compared to the Rs 20,829 crore clocked in 2023-24. The decline has been attributed to lower one-time revenue recognition and higher tax charge. The PAT for January-March 2024-25 was similar at Rs 2,599 crore to the PAT for Q4 2023-24, affected by lower recognition of one-time items. Commenting on the results, SB Khyalia, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Adani Power Limited, said, "Adani Power has posted ever higher operating and financial performance for FY 2024-25, aptly demonstrating the strength and resilience of the Adani Portfolio companies." "As we progress quickly in the next phase of capacity expansion, we are prioritising capital and cost efficiencies to sharpen our competitive edge and extend our sectoral leadership across key parameters. We are employing our deep, cross-domain expertise to make the business future ready to continue delivering superior returns over the long term. Our unrelenting commitment to sustainability, which has seen us rank among the best thermal power producers in the world on several counts, will continue to guide us on our growth journey," the CEO added. Adani Power (APL), a part of the Adani portfolio, is the largest private thermal power producer in India. The Company has an installed thermal power capacity of 17,510 MW spread across eleven power plants in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Tamil Nadu, apart from a 40 MW solar power plant in Gujarat. (With ANI inputs)
30 April,2025 09:44 PM IST | Ahmedabad | mid-day online correspondentBandhan Bank on Wednesday reported nearly 6-fold jump in net profit at Rs 317.90 crore for March quarter 2024-25. The bank had earned a profit of Rs 54.62 crore in the same quarter a year ago. Total income rose to Rs 6,133 crore in January-March FY25 from Rs 5,890 crore a year ago. For the full 2024-25 fiscal, net profit rose 23.1 per cent to Rs 2,745 crore year-on-year. Total income during the year rose to Rs 24,915 crore from Rs 21,041 crore in FY24. Shares of Bandhan Bank closed at Rs 165.65 apiece, down 1.31 per cent over the previous close on BSE. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
30 April,2025 08:48 PM IST | New Delhi | PTIThe Amur Falcon ‘Chiuluan 2’ is continuing its journey and has reached western Odisha after taking a break at night in Chhattisgarh, an official said on Wednesday. Dr. Suresh Kumar, Senior Scientist from Wildlife Institute of India said, "We have got the latest location of Chiuluan 2, at 5 pm on Wednesday it was in Western Odisha. It had definitely stopped for the night yesterday in Chhattisgarh." The satellite tagged Amur falcon Chiuluan 2 has arrived in India from Somalia. According to the experts tracking the bird's journey, the falcon travelled 3,800 km nonstop in 93 hours from Somalia to India and was heading towards the North East part of the country. The satellite transmitter fitted Amur Falcon Chiuluan 2 had arrived in Gujarat first. The approximate travel distance from its departure from Somalia to coming close to Bharuch in Gujarat was 3,100 km and Chiuluan 2 covered this distance in 67 hours nonstop flight. Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Hitler Singh from Manipur forest department had earlier said, "Based on the data received today our falcon fueled by strong winds flew at a speed of 55 km/hr in the last leg of the oceanic crossing and covered a distance of 1000 km in little more than 18 hours and entered Gujarat at 2 am today morning near Somnath and continued its nonstop flight and crossing Khambat flew past Bharuch and Ankleshwar and has not landed as per last received data." When asked if the Amur falcon Chiuluan 2 had taken a halt, the officials had said, "I am not sure, it might have taken a momentarily rest and might continue to fly. This shall be known from the next update. If the bird travels less than 500 km in 24 hours it must be taking rest for some time in the central Indian forest." In the month of November 2024, two Amur falcon Chiuluan 2 and a female Gwangram were fitted with satellite transmitter and released at Chiuluan village in Tamenglong district of Manipur by the local forest department in the presence of Divisional Forest Officer Hitler Singh and Dr Suresh Kumar from WII. Several other Amur falcons were fitted with identification rings and released too. The main objective of the project is to study the migratory route of these birds.
30 April,2025 08:44 PM IST | Mumbai | Ranjeet JadhavAs many as 509 Pakistani nationals, including none diplomats and officials, left India in the past three days through the Attari-Wagah border point and a few hundred more exited on Sunday as the deadline for the 12 categories of short-term visa holders of the neighbouring nation ends, an official said. As many as 629 Indians, including 13 diplomats and officials, have returned from Pakistan through the international border crossing located in Punjab. The ‘Leave India’ notice to the Pakistani nationals was issued by the government after 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed by Pakistan-linked terrorists at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22. The deadline for exiting India for those holding SAARC visas was April 26. For those carrying medical visas, the deadline is April 29. However, those having long-term and diplomatic or official visas were exempted from the ‘Leave-India’ order. According to officials, 191 Pakistani nationals left India through the Attari-Wagah border on April 25 and 81 more exited on April 26. As many as 287 Indians crossed into India from Pakistan On April 25, and altogether 342 Indians, including 13 diplomats and officials, returned from Pakistan through the Attari-Wagah border on April 26, officials said. Around 5050 Pakistani citizens have been living in Maharashtra on long and short-term visas, followed by Madhya Pradesh—228, Telangana—208, Kerala—104, Odisha—12, Gujarat—7 and Goa—3. NIA takes over probe The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken over the probe into the Pahalgam terror attack, officials said on Sunday. The anti-terror agency has taken over the Pahalgam terror attack case following orders from the MHA. The teams, overseen by an Inspector General of Police, a Deputy Inspector General of Police and a Superintendent of Police from the anti-terror agency, are examining the eyewitnesses to the Pahalgam attack. The entry and exit points are being closely scrutinised by the investigating NIA teams for clues to the modus operandi of the terrorists, the officials said. The teams, aided by forensic and other experts, are checking the entire area thoroughly for evidence to expose the terror conspiracy. 629 No. of Indian nationals returned from Pakistan Houses of militants demolished in J&K Srinagar: Authorities have demolished houses of three active terrorists in Bandipora, Pulwama and Shopian districts of Jammu and Kashmir as security forces continued their crackdown on the terror ecosystem in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, officials said on Sunday. The house of Adnan Shafi, who had joined terrorist ranks last year, was demolished at Wandina in Shopian district on Saturday night, they said. They said the house of another active terrorist—Amir Nazir—was demolished in Pulwama district. In Bandipora district, the house of Lashkar-e-Taiba ultra Jameel Ahmad Shergojri was demolished. Shergojri has been an act ive terrorist since 2016. With this, the total number of houses of terrorists and their overground workers demolished since the Pahalgam attack has gone up to nine. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
30 April,2025 08:14 PM IST | Chandigarh | AgenciesLoP Rahul Gandhi requested in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a special session of both houses of Parliament to showcase unity and determination following the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday. "The terrorist attack in Pahalgam has outraged every Indian. At this critical time, India must show that we will always stand together against terrorism," LoP Rahul Gandhi stated in the letter. "The Opposition believes that a special session of both Houses of Parliament should be convened, where the representatives of the people can show their unity and determination. We request that such a special session be convened at the earliest," Rahul Gandhi further added. "At this critical time, India must show that we always stand together against terrorism," Gandhi wrote in a post on X on Tuesday. My letter to PM Modi requesting a special session of both houses of Parliament to be convened at the earliest. At this critical time, India must show that we always stand together against terrorism. pic.twitter.com/7AIXGqBqTl — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 29, 2025 The attack, carried out by terrorists at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, is one of the deadliest in the Valley, which claimed a total of 26 lives, mostly tourists and left several others injured, since the 2019 Pulwama strike, in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed. The attack was one of the biggest terror attacks in the region after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. The incident occurred around 3 pm when terrorists descended from the mountain in Baisaran Valley and started firing at the tourists. The incident comes when Kashmir is witnessing a surge in tourist arrivals after reeling under militancy for years. Also, the 38-day Amarnath pilgrimage is scheduled to begin on July 3. Some of the injured were brought down from the meadows by local people on their ponies. India on April 24 downgraded diplomatic ties with Pakistan and announced a raft of measures, including the expulsion of Pakistani military attaches, suspension of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 and the immediate shutting down of the Attari land-transit post in view of the cross-border links to the Pahalgam terror attack.
30 April,2025 08:05 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
