Let bygones be bygones, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said on Wednesday hoping that in the New Year, 'bitterness, ill-will and mistrust' caused by his recent exchanges with Prashant Kishor will fade away ahead of the assembly elections in the state.

The senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader, who was receiving guests at his residence on the occasion of New Year, also hoped that the people of the state will vote for the National Democratic Alliance in assembly polls with the same enthusiasm as was evident in the Lok Sabha polls wherein the coalition won 39 out of 40 seats.

"May the New Year bring peace and prosperity to the people of Bihar who give their blessings to NDA just like they had done in the parliamentary elections last year," Modi said when asked by journalists what message he would like to give on the day.

Flanked by a large number of cabinet and party colleagues, supporters and officials, Modi  who returned from a day-long vacation at Chennai where one of his son lives celebrated the New Year by cutting a sumptuous cake with an icing that read '2020'.

Polls are due in Bihar in 2020.

When asked about the bitterness in the wake of his veiled attack on Kishor and the latter's strongly worded riposte to the same, Modi said 'jo baat beet gayee so beet gayee (let bygones be bygones)'.

He also hoped that 'katuta (bitterness), dwesh (ill-will) and avishwas (mistrust)' in the NDA camp would fade away.  -- PTI

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal faced black flags by agitators protesting against the amended Citizenship Act on Wednesday, the first day of the year.

Activists of the All Assam Students' Union and Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chhatra Parishad (AJYCP) waved black flags at him at a number of locations while the chief minister was travelling from Guwahati to the ashram of religious preacher Krishnaguru in Barpeta district.

The protesters also shouted anti-CAA and anti- government slogans while Sonowal's convoy was passing through Nalbari and Barpeta districts.  -- PTI

The Rajasthan government on Wednesday suspended two doctors, three nursing staff and a ward boy and terminated the services of a contractual staffer, a day after a child died in a fire that broke out in the newborn care unit of Alwar hospital.

Two doctors, unit in-charge Mahesh Sharma and Kirpal Singh, who was on duty when the fire broke out, were suspended, said Medical and Health Department Director K K Sharma.

Besides the two doctors, three nursing staffers and one ward boy too were suspended on the basis of a preliminary enquiry report, he added.

An electrician, who was on contractual appointment in the hospital, too was terminated.

An infant girl received critical burns in the fire incident at Geetanand Government Hospital, Alwar on Tuesday.

She succumbed to the injuries during treatment at J K Lon hospital in Jaipur on Wednesday.  --  PTI

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday arrested a senior official of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and two middlemen in connection with a Rs 3-crore bribery case, officials said.

The official arrested is Additional Director General, DRI, Ludhiana, Chander Shekhar, they said.

It was alleged that in June, 2019, the DRI had conducted a search at a private clearing agency which provides services to various exporters, a CBI Spokesperson said in New Delhi, adding some documents pertaining to an exporter were also seized.

The complainant alleged that Anup Joshi, Clearing House Agent, and Rajesh Dhanda, a close friend of Chander Shekhar, demanded Rs 3 crore on behalf of the public servant for ensuring that he is not implicated by the DRI over the documents recovered, officials said.

The agency arrested Joshi and Dhanda while allegedly receiving Rs 25 lakh as first installment of the bribe demanded by them on behalf of the officer, they said.

During the questioning, the middleman told the sleuths that the bribe was allegedly for the officer, they said.

They said searches are being conducted in New Delhi, Noida and Ludhiana.  -- PTI

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday said state governments have a Constitutional duty to implement laws passed by Parliament and those vowing not to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act should seek appropriate legal opinion.

He said it was surprising that those who have come to power by taking oath under the Constitution are making 'unconstitutional' statements.

His statement came a day after the Kerala assembly passed a resolution urging the Centre to withdraw the amended citizenship law.

Prasad said the government's which claim they would not allow the CAA or are getting resolutions passed against implementing it may seek appropriate legal opinion on constitutional provisions.

"It is the constitutional duty of the states to implement laws passed by Parliament," Prasad told reporters in New Delhi.

He said Parliament can make laws on subjects under the Union List which includes citizenship.

To drive home his point that states cannot oppose laws passed by Parliament, he referred to Clause 2 of Article 245 of the Constitution.

"Article 245 (clause 2) states that no law made by Parliament shall be deemed to be invalid on the ground that it would have extra-territorial operation," he said.

Other states including West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have said they will not implement the amended Citizenship Act.  -- PTI

Aligarh Muslim University has further extended the winter break keeping in view the continuing protests against the amended citizenship law in the country.

The university was to reopen on January 6.

According to an AMU notice, the decision to extend the vacations again was taken after a meeting chaired by Vice-Chancellor Tariq Mansoor on Wednesday.

A detailed schedule for the reopening of the university 'in a phased manner' will be notified after the review of the situation.

On December 15 night, the university had announced an extended winter break following violent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) on the campus.

Over 60 people, including 40 students, AMU security staff and policemen, were injured in the violence.

At least four students who received serious injuries are still being treated.

A number of injured students had alleged that police and the Rapid Action Police (RAF) indulged in excesses. Police have booked 56 persons, including a number of students, for holding a protest which later turned violent.

On December 24, nine days after the violence, the RAF filed a separate FIR in which around 1,000 unidentified students were booked for violence.

Students have also formed a coordination committee for continuing their peaceful protest against the CAA on the campus.  -- PTI

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party government over the plight of a 14-month-old girl whose parents were arrested for participating in an anti-Citizenship Act  protest defying prohibitory orders, saying it is the moral duty of the government to allow the child's mother to go home.

On December 19, people gathered in Beniya Bagh area of Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha constituency, to protest against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), defying Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) imposed by police.

Champak's parents, activists Ekta, 32, and Ravi Shankar, 36, who run an NGO, Climate Agenda, were among those arrested in connection with the protest.

"To suppress civil demonstrations, the BJP government has shown such inhumanity and separated a small child from her parents," Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet.

The toddler's health has deteriorated, but there has been no change in the BJP government's intentions, the Congress general secretary said.

"It is the moral duty of this government to allow the innocent mother of this child to go home," she said.   -- PTI

Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria on Wednesday said the creation f of the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) was a 'very big and bold step' and stressed that the onus was on three services of the Armed Forces to support it fully and make it successful.

Speaking to ANI, the Air Chief said, "The creation of CDS is a very big step and a very-very bold step.

"The onus is really on three services now to support it fully and to make it succeed in its foundation stage and bring in the jointness, synergy, economise the effort, and really achieve everything that is desired from this post well within the time-frame specified.

"It will take a lot of work and we should be ready to do it and do it well."

Assuring full support of the Indian Air Force (IAF) towards promoting 'jointness' within the services, Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria said that it will help in all the efforts that are required to bring in the jointness at the levels that are required.

"The IAF will fully support it and will help in all the efforts that are required to bring in the jointness at the levels that are required... There are issues with training, logistics... there are areas already identified.

"We have done a lot in the recent past and we need to do much more and that effort will continue," he said.  -- ANI

The last date for submission of application form of NEET (UG) - 2020 has been extended to January 6 (up to 11:50 pm), to help the candidates who were not able to apply online due to heavy rush on the website.

This is being done following many requests that have been received by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in this regard.

The date of correction of particulars in the online application form remains the same, i.e. from January 15 to January 31 (up to 11.50 pm).

Additionally, candidates from the Kashmir Valley, Leh and Kargil can submit the application form offline at the Nodal Centres fixed by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

To get more information, candidates may refer to a public notice dated December 15-17 that is available on the NTA website - ntaneet.nic.in -- ANI

This year is going to be an eventful year for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), said agency chairman Dr K Sivan on Wednesday, adding that four astronauts have been selected to undergo training in Russia for the Gaganyaan mission.

"We had good progress on Gaganyaan in 2019, many of the designs were completed. Four astronauts have been identified for the training purpose. The training for the astronauts who are from the Indian Air Force will be planned in the third week of January which will take place in Russia," said Sivan.

He also stated that Chandrayaan-3's configuration will be almost similar to Chandrayaan-2 but will have a rover with a propulsion module.

"In Chandrayaan-2 we had orbiter, lander and rover configuration but the Chandrayaan-3 will be having a lander and rover with a propulsion module. The work is being carried out very smoothly," he said.

Sivan further added that Chandrayaan-3's lander and craft cost is approximately Rs 250 crore, whereas the launch cost will be around Rs 350 crore.

So, the total cost will be around Rs 600 crore.

The ISRO has asked the government for Rs 14,000 crore budget for the 2020 projects.

"Just like last year, this year is also going to be an eventful year for ISRO. This year is going to the year of Chandrayan-3 and Gaganyaan. We have planned another satellite for this year i.e. GSAT 20. Many targets have been planned for 2020. For Gaganyan many systems need to be tested before flight. Crew training is another major activity that is going to happen this year," said Sivan.

Sivan further added that ISRO is planning to undertake many major projects, new developments and at the same time launch the satellites required for societal purpose as well. -- ANI

The Congress on Wednesday slammed the Modi government over the hike in railway fares and the price of LPG cylinders, saying it will put the common man into a deeper financial crisis.

Congress spokesperson Sushmita Dev said the hike comes at a time when the economy is in shambles.

Question is when will the travesty going to end, Dev asked, asserting that the hike was 'injustice towards the poor people'.

"Is this a fair new year's gift to the common man, Congress thinks it is not," she said.

The government on December 31, raised train fares marginally by one paise to four paise per kilometer depending on the travel class.

It also hiked LPG cylinder rates by Rs 19 per cylinder.   -- PTI

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said that the resolution passed by the Kerala Assembly is against the 'unconstitutional Act passed by the Centre'.

"The resolution passed by Kerala Assembly is against the unconstitutional Act passed by the Centre. It has been noticed by the whole country," Vijayan said.

The Kerala Assembly had on Tuesday passed a resolution seeking withdrawal of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.

Before the resolution was passed against the Act, Vijayan in a special Assembly session targetted Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and said that citizenship law is part of an agenda.

"The CAA is part of an agenda. Muslims are being considered as internal enemies by RSS, who is controlling the ruling dispensation at the Centre," he alleged.   -- ANI

Continuing a 29-year unbroken practice, India and Pakistan on Wednesday exchanged a list of their nuclear installations under a bilateral arrangement that prohibits them from attacking each other's atomic facilities.

The two countries exchanged the list of nuclear installations and facilities covered under the Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations between India and Pakistan, the External Affairs Ministry said.

This was done simultaneously through diplomatic channels in New Delhi and Islamabad.

The exchange of the list came amid tense diplomatic ties between the two countries over the Kashmir issue.

The agreement was signed on December 31, 1988 and came into force on January 27, 1991.

The pact mandates the two countries to inform each other of nuclear installations and facilities to be covered under the agreement on the first of January of every calendar year.

This is the 29th consecutive exchange of the list with the first one taking place on January 1, 1992.   -- PTI

Jammu and Kashmir high court has withdrawn its advertisement notification to fill up 33 non-gazetted posts in district courts of the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh, a move which triggered an opposition outcry against the opening of employment to all Indians after the nullification of Article 370 in August last year.

The advertisement to fill the vacancies was issued by the J&K high court''s Registrar General Sanjay Dhar on December 26, 2019 with the last date for submission of applications being January 31, 2020.

'It is hereby notified for information of all concerned that the advertisement Notice of December 26, 2019, whereby applications were invited for different posts in Non-Gazetted category in the high court of Jammu and Kashmir stands withdrawn with immediate effect,' Dhar said in a fresh notification issued on Tuesday evening.

Though no reason was given for the withdrawal of the notification, the development comes amid vociferous protest from various opposition parties, including the National Conference, JKNPP and Left parties, which have demanded reservation for locals in government jobs in J&K.

The 33 vacant posts of non-gazetted officials in district courts of J&K and Ladakh that the high court had opened for eligible candidates from all over the country, included those of senior and junior scale stenographers, typists, compositors, electricians and drivers.

Responding to a question on the issue of jobs in Jammu and Kashmir to locals, Jammu and Kashmir administration spokesman Rohit Kansal at a press conference on Tuesday said 'there have been various suggestions that have been received by the government and these are under examination'.  -- PTI

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman Dr K Sivan on Wednesday said that the central government has approved Chandrayan-3 and the project is ongoing.

"The government has approved Chandrayan-3, the project is ongoing. The land acquisition for a second spaceport has been initiated and the port will be in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu," said Sivan.

He also recalled the achievements of ISRO in the year that passed and outlined the focus areas of 2019.

"In 2019 our strategy mainly was the expansion program, we wanted to expand ISRO horizontally.

"The second strategy adopted in 2019 was the capacity building sn outreach program. The third one is reduction of the physical work in ISRO. We have also constituted Gaganyan advisory committee," Sivan said.

The ISRO chairman further added that a second vehicle building has also been inaugurated to increase the number of launches and stated that the ISRO is expanding its horizon of activity.

"We brought the high school children to ISRO to train them for two weeks on space, Science and technology. Another major activity we initiated is that we want the PSLV to be produced by the industry," said Sivan. --  ANI

Congratulating General Bipin Rawat for his appointment as the country's first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Modi said he is an outstanding officer who has served India with great zeal.

'Creation of the Department of Military Affairs with requisite military expertise and institutionalisation of the post of CDS is a momentous and comprehensive reform that will help our country face the ever-changing challenges of modern warfare,' the prime minister tweeted. -- PTI

Delhiites continued to remain in grip of cold conditions on Wednesday as the minimum temperature settled at 2.4 degrees Celsius, five notches below the normal, officials said. 

   

Twenty-nine trains were delayed for over two-nine hours due to weather conditions, they said. 

 

"The minimum temperature was recorded at 2.4 degrees Celsius, five notches below normal," a MeT official said, adding, the humidity was 97 per cent.

 

The air quality recorded at 9.38 am was 433 in the "severe" category.

 

According to the Meteorological department, it would be partly cloudly sky with moderate fog in the morning. 

 

The maximum temperature in the national capital would hover around 16 degrees Celsius. -- PTI 

Newly- appointed Chief of the Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat on Wednesday said the armed forces stay away from politics and work as per the directives of the government of the day, remarks that come amid allegations that the forces were being politicised.

 

Gen Rawat also said that his focus as CDS will be to integrate the efforts of the three services and to work as a team.

"We keep ourselves away from politics. We act according to the directives of the government of the day," he said.

Gen Rawat said his focus will be to ensure best and optimal use of resources allocated to the three services. -- PTI  

Two army personnel were killed in a gunfight with heavily-armed Pakistani infiltrators along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district on Wednesday, officials said. 

 

The infiltrators were intercepted in the Khari Thrayat forest when they were trying to sneak into India from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, they said.

"Two army soldiers martyred during cordon and search operation in Nowshera sector. The operation is still in progress and further details are awaited," Jammu-based Indian Army Public Relations Officer (PRO) Lt Col Devender Anand said in a statement.

The search operation was launched following information about the movement of suspected terrorists, the officials said. 

The infiltrators opened fire on the troops and during a fierce gunfight, the two soldiers were killed, they said.

The officials said a massive operation is on in the area. -- PTI 

The new army chief General MM Naravane on Wednesday said that India needs to pay more attention to its border along China and asserted that the force is capable of dealing with any security challenge.

"We have been giving attention to our western front in the past. The northern front now also requires an equal amount of attention... The army is capable of tackling any dangers to the country," General Naravane told reporters after receiving the first Guard of Honour as the army chief.

"In that context, we are now going in for capability development and enhancement of our capacities even in our northern borders which includes the northeastern part of our country," he said.

On the border dispute with China, the army chief said that continuing peace along the border will pave the way for a solution.

He said: "We have been able to maintain peace and tranquillity along borders and I'm sure that situation will prevail. By maintaining this, we will be able to set the stage for the eventual solution."

General Naravane said that operational readiness and modernisation will be among the top priorities of the army under his leadership.

"Our priority will be to be ready to meet any challenge and to be operationally prepared at all times. This will happen as a result of modernisation. We will continue to build our capability especially in the North and Northeast region of our country," he said.

He said that the Indian Army will pay special attention to respect human rights. 

"We will also pay special emphasis on raising security awareness among ranks and file and pay special attention to respect human rights," the army chief said. -- ANI

General Naravane saluted the 'Amar Jawan Jyoti', the eternal flame, and laid a wreath at the memorial.

General Naravane took over as the 28th Chief of the Army Staff on Tuesday, succeeding General Bipin Rawat who has become India's first Chief of Defence Staff. -- ANI

Broadband internet service was restored in government-run hospitals and SMS facility on all mobile phones from Tuesday midnight in Kashmir, after over four-and-a-half months of suspension.

Internet services, landline and mobile phones were snapped across Jammu and Kashmir on August 4, a day before the Centre's announcement to scrap the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and divide it into two union territories. 

 

Though most services, except mobile internet, were restored in Jammu within a week, Kashmir saw landlines and post-paid services being restored in phases.

"It has been decided to restore internet connectivity to all government hospitals with effect from midnight of December 31 besides fully restoring SMS on mobile phones," Jammu and Kashmir administration spokesman Rohit Kansal told reporters here.

However, Internet and pre-paid mobile services in Kashmir are yet to be restored.     

On December 10, he had said machine-based SMSes were enabled for mobile phones in Kashmir in order to facilitate students, scholarship aspirants, traders and others, and that restoration of full message services was part of the process.

"Continuous efforts of the government have been to facilitate and move forward as much as possible and as quickly as possible, and ever since August 5, we have been progressing in this direction both in Jammu and in Kashmir. We have been moving progressively forward and we will try to ensure as much and as quickly as possible," Kansal said in response to a question about restoration of Internet services.

He said that "our direction has been progressive, positive, and movement forward". 

"We have been trying to take all possible steps slowly, surely but firmly in the form of restoration. These steps will continue," said Kansal, who is also principal secretary for planning, development and monitoring in the Union Territory administration of Jammu and Kashmir.

On August 5, the Centre had abrogated Article 370 provisions that gave special status to J-K and bifurcated the erstwhile state into UTs of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. 

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday extended new year greetings, hoping aspirations of everyone are fulfilled in 2020.

 

The new year is a time for new beginnings, the Vice President said.

"I convey my warm greetings and best wishes to all our citizens on the advent of the New Year 2020," Naidu said.

Prime Minister Modi hoped that 2020 is filled with joy and prosperity.

"May everyone be healthy and may everyone's aspirations be fulfilled," he wrote on Twitter.