IndiGo has cancelled scores of flights in two days and will not be operating around 32 flights on Monday following shortage of pilots, a source said.

The country's largest airline has cancelled flights from IndiGo's fromn Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, the source in the aviation industry said.

Many flights have been cancelled by the airline since Saturday.

The carrier cancelled around 15 flights on Saturday and around seven on Sunday, officials at the Delhi airport said.

"The airline has been facing problems in crew management. Therefore, these flights -- which had to depart from Delhi yesterday and today were cancelled," one of the airport officials said.

In a statement, IndiGo said that due to a severe hailstorm in North India on February 7, 11 IndiGo flights were diverted and that disrupted operations across our network the following day.

"As part of recovering our schedule, positioning of the crew and aircraft had to be readjusted. As a result, a number of flights were cancelled. We regret the inconvenience caused to our customers," IndiGo said.

Officials at Bengaluru airport officials said that around 16 flights of the airline were cancelled on Sunday.

"The airline is facing shortage of commanders and pilots and this is forcing the airline to cancel flights from across stations," the source told PTI.

"As of now 32 flights from across the network have been cancelled for Monday by the carrier," the source said.

A second query sent to IndiGo seeking its response on the cancellation of 32 flights for Monday due to pilots shortage did not elicit any immediate response.

Operations at the Delhi airport saw massive disruption on February 7 as a total of 36 flights were diverted due to severe rain and hailstorm in the national capital.  -- PTI

A grenade attack took place at a Central Reserve Police Force near Paldium Cinema in Maisuma area of Lal Chowk here on Sunday, leaving 11 persons injured.

Among those who sustained injuries are three CRPF personnel, four Jammu and Kashmir police personnel and four civilians.

The injured have been shifted to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Their condition is said to be stable, said Jammu and Kashmir police.A case has been registered.

Further details are awaited.  -- ANI

Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will sit on a day-long hunger strike in the national capital on Monday demanding special status for his state and fulfilment of commitments made by the Centre under the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.

The TDP had walked out the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance last year protesting the 'injustice' done to Andhra Pradesh after its bifurcation.

Naidu will stage the 'Dharma Porata Deeksha' (a day-long protest for justice) at the Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in the national capital from 8 am to 8 pm on Monday.

He will also submit a memorandum to President of India Ram Nath Kovind on February 12, an official statement said.

The chief minister will sit on a hunger strike along with his ministers, party MLAs, MLCs and MPs. Members of state employee associations, social organisations and student organisations will also join the fast, it said.

Naidu is scheduled to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat and also to the Ambedkar Statue at the Andhra Pradesh Bhavan before sitting on the hunger strike.

Leader of several opposition parties are expected to extend their solidarity to the Andhra Pradesh chief minister's protest, the statement said.

It may be noted that Naidu had staged an indefinite fast at the Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in October 2013, demanding that if a separate state is carved out of then unified Andhra Pradesh, both should get equal justice.

He was forcibly shifted to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital the fifth day after his health deteriorated.

Last year, the chief minister had observed fast Vijayawada on his birthday on April 20 demanding special status for the state.

After quitting the NDA in March last year, the TDP had also moved a 'no-confidence motion' in the Monsoon session of Parliament in July 2018, which was defeated.  -- PTI

In the run up to the Lok Sabha polls, Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party will host a mega rally of non-Bharatiya Janata Party leaders in the national capital on February 13 against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre.

"'Tanashahi Hatao, Desh Bachao' (Remove Dictatorship, Save Country) rally will be organised at Jantar Mantar on February 13. All opposition leaders will attend this rally against the Modi government," senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Gopal Rai told PTI on Sunday.

It will be attended by all those who had attended Mamata Banerjee's Kolkata rally last month, he said.

However, sources said, the Congress is unlikely to participate in the rally that will be attended by Mamata Banerjee and Chandrababu Naidu among other opposition leaders.

With the Lok Sabha elections just months away, the rally will help to bring the opposition leaders together and firm up a 'mahagathbandhan' to challenge the BJP-led NDA, they said.

Delhi chief minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal had also attended the Kolkata rally, where he gave a call to defeat the Modi government.        Kejriwal has been a fierce critic of Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah.  -- PTI

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Sunday said he has not received an invite for the Prime Minister's official programme in Hubballi-Dharwad and accused the Modi government of indulging in 'petty politics'.

"Today's Narendra Modi's programmes, till now no officials have come to invite me," he told reporters before the prime minister arrived at Hubballi.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he pointed out that for railway projects, the state government shares 50 per cent of theamount, along with land.

"We need not say anything to point at the prime minister's petty behaviour... We don't have any objection to them doing their party event, but the government programme that he (PM) isattending, despite having projects that has state government's assistance....

"They don't have basic courtesy to invite. They are indulging in cheap politics," he added.

Modi's Sunday programmes include laying the foundation for the IIT Dharwad building and gas pipeline project, among others, besides addressing a political rally in Huballi later to kick start the Bharatiya Janata Party's Lok Sabha poll campaign in the state.

The prime minister is expected to visit the state two more times this month on February 19 and 27 to campaign for BJP that has set a target of winning over 22 of the total of 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Chief Dinesh Gundu Rao alsohit out at the Modi government for not inviting the chief minister to official programmes at Hubballi and termed it as an 'insult' to Karnataka.

He alleged that the Modi government was claiming credit for establishing an IIT in Dharwad without acknowledging the contribution of the state, that allotted 500-acres of prime land for this purpose.  -- PTI

Meals on board the soon-to-be-launched Vande Bharat Express or Train 18 will not be optional for passengers unlike in premium trains such as Shatabdi, Rajdhani and Duronto express, where travellers can choose not to take catering services, officials said.

However, passengers travelling the last leg on the route of the semi-high speed train -- Allahabad to Varanasi -- will have the choice of opting out of the meals provided by the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), in advance while booking their tickets, the sources told PTI.

The catering charges would not be included in their ticket prices.

For others, the prices of the meals will be part of the ticket fare of the train which will run from Varanasi to Delhi on its maiden journey on February 15.

If the passengers who have opted out in advance want a meal during their travel, they will have to shell out an extra Rs 50 for it, the sources said.

In 2017, the IRCTC made meals on board prepaid trains like Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto (which add the meal prices in ticket) with pantry services optional.

It was done to effectively control unfair practices of overcharging, issues of quality as well quantity and also to avoid wastage of food. This gave the passengers option to 'not eat' if he does not want the food supplied on board.

This also reduced the cost of the tickets on these trains by around Rs 250.

Talking about Train 18, an official said, "The catering charges between the stations have been fixed and they will be added to the ticket fare of all passengers.

"However, passengers boarding the train to travel the final or first leg of the journey from Varanasi to Allahabad or Allahabad to Varanasi may opt out of the catering services. They will have to opt out at the time of booking."

"A separate receipt shall be issued to such passengers by the IRCTC," the source said.

The train which has two classes of tickets -- executive class and chair car -- will have differently priced meals, the source said.

While passengers travelling from New Delhi to Varanasi in the executive class will be charged Rs 399 for morning tea, breakfast and lunch, travellers in the chair car will need to pay Rs 344 for the same.

Those travelling from New Delhi to Kanpur and Prayagraj will have to pay Rs 155 and Rs 122 for executive class and chair car, respectively.

From Varanasi to New Delhi, the passengers will be charged Rs 349 and Rs 288 in the executive class and chair, respectively. They will be served evening tea with snacks and dinner.

The tickets in Train 18 or the Vande Bharat Express, which will eventually replace Shatabdi trains, will be priced higher than the fares of the premium train.

The train will cover the 755-km distance in eight hours with stoppages at Kanpur and Prayagraj.

It will be the fastest train on the route. The current fastest train takes around 11-and-a-half-hours to complete the journey.  -- PTI

The government has refused to share details of the decision-making process on quota for economically weaker section (EWS) citing a clause of the RTI Act that bars disclosure of records of cabinet papers and discussions by ministers.

Venkatesh Nayak, who works as Programme Coordinator, Access to information Programme with NGO Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), had sought details like copy of cabinet note on the matter besides correspondence received from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in this regard.

The Centre has implemented 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker sections of the general category in central government posts and services from February 1, 2019, onwards.

In reply to Nayak's RTI query, the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry said the requisite information cannot be provided as it was exempted under Section 8 (1) (i) of the transparency law.

The Section bars disclosure of 'cabinet papers including records of deliberations of the council of ministers, secretaries and other officers'.

However, the same clause, further says, "Provided that the decisions of council of ministers, the reasons thereof, and the material on the basis of which the decisions were taken shall be made public after the decision has been taken, and the matter is complete, or over."

Nayak said there is no press release about this subject on the website of the Press Information Bureau or the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry.

"The government has denied to share the requisite information citing the Section 8 (1) (i) of the RTI Act. However, the exemption relating to cabinet papers- which the officer concerned has quoted in his reply itself permits the disclosure of all the information I had sought, after the matter is complete or over.

"The 10 per cent quota amendment has already come into force. Nevertheless, the officer (who has replied to the applicant) seems to think that the matter is neither complete or over," Nayak said.

He also cited a June 12 decision by the transparency watchdog Central Information Commission (CIC) in which a direction was issued for the government departments to put in public domains all cabinet papers and materials related to bills tabled in Parliament.

"I will appeal against the denial of the information," Nayak said.

According to an order by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, persons who are not covered under the existing scheme of reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and socially and educationally backward classes and whose family has gross annual income below Rs 8 lakh are to be identified as EWSs for the benefit of reservation.  -- PTI

American aerospace major Boeing on Sunday announced the arrival of first batch of four Chinook military helicopters for the Indian Air Force at the Mundra port in Gujarat.

A statement from the company said the CH47F (I) Chinooks will be ferried to Chandigarh, where they will be formally inducted into the Indian Air Force later this year.

The Chinook is a multi-role, vertical-lift platform, which is used for transporting troops, artillery, equipment and fuel.

It is also used for humanitarian and disaster relief operations and in missions such as transportation of relief supplies and mass evacuation of refugees.

"The CH-47F (I) Chinook is an advanced multi-mission helicopter that will provide the Indian armed forces with unmatched strategic airlift capability across the full spectrum of combat and humanitarian missions.

"The Indian Air Force currently has 15 Chinook helicopters on order," the statement said.

India had finalised a mega contract with Boeing to procure 22 Apache helicopters and 15 Chinooks for the Indian Air Force in September 2015.

"Boeing has strengthened its supply chain with over 160 partners in India, and a JV to manufacture fuselages for Apache helicopters. Annual sourcing from India stands at $1 billion," it said.  -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday lashed out at the Congress, saying it ignored the nation's security during its tenure and alleged it was associated with several scams in the defence sector.

"From the seas to the skies, the Congress has several scams associated with the defence and in the process the party did not allow the modernisation of defence forces for long years that they were in power," Modi said addressing a party rally at Perumanallur, about 13 km from Tirupur.

Asserting the National Democratic Alliance's work culture was different from that of previous governments, he said 'those who had got opportunity to rule the nation for years did not bother about India's defence sector. For them, this sector was only about brokering deals and helping their own set of friends'.

Modi said the NDA government had a different approach to national security and that it was the country's dream to be self-sufficient in defence production and ensure 'our forces have all possible support they require in keeping our nation safe'.

He referred to the 'pathbreaking step of creating two defence corridors, one of which is in Tamil Nadu'.

The prime minister said a corridor in the state will bring industry and investment options and opportunities for the state's youth.  -- PTI

Over 1,800 mementos Prime Minister Narendra Modi received were auctioned in a fortnight-long exercise which began last month, the PM's office said Sunday.

It is, however, not clear how much funds were generated through the auction, the proceeds of which will be used for the Namami Gange, a Central government project to clean the Ganga river.

During the auction organised at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), a specially handcrafted wooden bike, received a successful bid of Rs 5 lakh.

A similar bid was also received for a unique painting, which depicts Prime Minister Modi on a railway platform -- a uniquely artistic interpretation of Modi's special bond with the railways.

Other big ticket items include a Lord Shiva statuette which had a base price of Rs 5,000 but was auctioned for Rs 10 lakh, which is 200 times the base price, the statement issued by the PMO said.

A wooden replica of the Ashok Stambh, which had a base price of Rs 4,000 was sold for Rs 13 lakh, a traditional 'Horai', received from Majuli, Assam, (a traditional symbol of the State of Assam - an offering tray with a stand), which had a base price of Rs 2,000 went for Rs 12 lakh, a statuette of Gautam Buddha, which had a base price of Rs 4,000 was auctioned for Rs 7 lakh, the statement said.

"Prime Minister Modi, even as chief minister of Gujarat, used to auction mementoes received by him, so that the proceeds could go for the education of girl children.

"Continuing the same practice, he has now enabled the collection of funds which will help clean up the Holy River Ganga," the statement said. -- PTI

Police on Sunday ordered a probe into alleged manhandling of woman by cops in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir.

The inquiry was ordered after a 15-second video clip, showing two cops manhandling a woman in a village in Shopian on Saturday night, went viral on social media.

"The video is being probed and an inquiry is ordered to examine the conduct of the policemen," a police spokesman said.

The spokesman said the cops had gone to the house of one Rameez Khan while investigating a case of kidnapping of a minor girl.

Police received a complaint from a man that his 15-year-old daughter was abducted by three persons -- Rameez Khan, Mohsin Khan and Saleem Khan, of Shadab Karewa in Shopian, he said.

The spokesman said as the police party raided the house of the accused to recover the victim, they found two of the accused -- Mohsin Khan and Saleem Khan -- in the house.

"The family members of the accused, especially women around the house, tried to block the policemen on duty. The accused meanwhile managed to escape," he added.

The spokesman said the incident happened in pursuance of the investigation by the cops of a serious crime.  -- PTI

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has warned of stern action against all those found involved in illicit liquor trade even if they were associated with any political party.

"In past too such type of mischievous acts by SP leaders had come to fore. In Azamgarh, Hardoi Kanpur and Barabanki SP leaders were found to be involved in past hooch tragedies. We can't deny conspiracy this time too," Yogi said here on Saturday night.

He was responding to queries of reporters after attending meeting with MPs and MLAs to review preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party national president Amit Shah's visit on February 23 and 24 to attend 'Kisan Adhiveshan'.

The CM said he had spoken to Chief Minister of Uttrakhand and asked for sharing details as the spurious liquor was served to natives of Uttar Pradesh in a  Haridwar village where they had gone to attend a programme.

"A racket of spurious liquor was being operated there in Uttrakhand therefore I have spoken to CM seeking details over it," he said.

He said the action has been taken against excise officer, excise inspector, SHOs and beat constables in and Saharanpur and Kushinagar.

Taking serious note of the deaths due to spurious liquor in Kushinagar as well as Saharanpur districts, the state government has ordered a 15-day joint drive by excise and police officials against those involved.

The Uttar Pradesh government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased and help of Rs 50,000 each for those undergoing treatment in hospitals.

Over 60 people have died in the hooch tragedy that hit two adjoining districts in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh with more people dying of the spurious liquor they drank at a Haridwar village, officials said.

More than 20 victims died in Balupur and its neighbouring villages in Haridwar district and around 40 had died in UP's Saharanpur district.

In an unrelated incident, nine people have died over the week in eastern Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar district, allegedly after drinking spurious liquor.  -- PTI

Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar and former Trinamool Congress MP Kunal Ghosh are being questioned at the Central Bureau of Investigation office in Shillong in connection with the  Saradha chit fund scam.

The questioning of Kumar, as per the directions of the Supreme Court, continued for the second day on Sunday.

The Kolkata Police chief was quizzed for nearly nine hours on Saturday by three senior CBI officers about his alleged role in tampering of crucial evidence in the case, officials said.

Kumar had led the special investigation team (SIT) formed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to probe the Saradha scam before the case was handed over to the CBI by the apex court.

Ghosh, who arrived here shortly after 10 am, sought blessings of goddess Saraswati at a pandal, barely 100 meters from the CBI office, before entering the highly secured office of the investigating agency at Oakland.

"I have no comments (to make). I have been asked to attend a hearing at this office. All along I have been cooperating with the investigating agency. So I came to attend it," he told mediapersons before entering the CBI office.

The former Trinamool Congress MP was arrested in 2013 in the Saradha ponzi scam and has been out on bail since 2016. The CBI is likely to confront him with Kumar.

Ghosh had implicated BJP leader Mukul Roy, who was once the right hand man of Banerjee, and 12 others in the Saradha scam.

The Supreme Court had directed Kumar on Tuesday to appear before the CBI and 'faithfully' cooperate in the investigation of cases arising out of the Saradha chit fund scam.

The court chose Shillong as the neutral meeting place 'to avoid all unnecessary controversy' and made it clear that Kumar would not be arrested.

The CBI had moved the Supreme Court after its officials were thwarted by Kolkata Police when they had gone to Kumar's official residence in Kolkata to question him on February 3.

Banerjee had rushed to the spot and had staged a three-day 'Save the Constitution' sit-in against the CBI move and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah of plotting a 'coup'.

The central investigating agency had said that its officials had wanted to question Kumar to plug the holes in the Saradha investigation case as he was supposed to be in possession of certain key documents as a member of the SIT.  -- PTI

In a landmark decision, Abu Dhabi has included Hindi as the third official language used in its courts, alongside Arabic and English, as part of a move designed to improve access to justice.

The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department on Saturday said it has extended the adoption of interactive forms of statement of claims filed before courts by including the Hindi language alongside Arabic and English in labour cases.

This is aimed at helping Hindi speakers to learn about litigation procedures, their rights and duties without a language barrier, in addition to facilitating registration procedures via unified forms available through the ADJD website, the judicial body said.

According to official figures, the United Arab Emirates population is estimated to be around nine million of which 2/3rd are immigrants from foreign countries.

The Indian community in the UAE, numbering 2.6 million, constitutes 30 per cent of the total population and is the largest expatriate community in the country.

Yousef Saeed Al Abri, undersecretary of the ADJD, said the adoption of multilingual interactive forms for claim sheets, grievances and requests, aims to promote judicial services in line with the plan Tomorrow 2021, and increase the transparency of litigation procedures.

"This is in addition to facilitating registration procedures to the public through simplified and easy forms and raising litigants' legal awareness via interactive forms of the statements of claims, to ensure access to the legal materials related to the subject of the dispute," Al Abri was quoted as saying by the Khaleej Times.

He indicated that the extension of the adoption of interactive forms in several languages comes under the directives of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs and ADJD Chairman.

Al Abri explained that the adoption of new languages comes as part of the bilingual litigation system, the first phase of which was launched in November 2018, through the adoption of procedures requiring the plaintiffs to translate the case documents in civil and commercial lawsuits into English, if the defendant is a foreigner.

"The foreign investor receives the case files translated, thus contributing to the provision of a global judicial service that meets the requirements of residents in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi," he added.  -- PTI 

An Indian man in Dubai has been charged with sexually harassing a British tourist inside a lift at a residential tower.

The 24-year-old Indian worker was charged at the Dubai Court of First Instance after the prosecutors accused him of exposing himself to the 35-year-old tourist and inappropriately touching her.

'Around 4.40 pm on the day of the incident, I was going to practise yoga at the gym on the 37th floor. An Asian man took the lift with me. It was just the two of us.

'He stood so close to me in a way to touch me. I was moving away but he would not step away from my left side. I could hear him moaning,' the victim was quoted as saying by the Khaleej Times.

"He walked out at 34th floor and when I reached the 37th floor, I found his semen traces on my clothes," she told the public prosecution investigator.

The victim reported him to the hotel security and the surveillance cameras were checked. The lift did not have any camera but the defendant was captured on camera right before he entered the lift after her, the report said.

A police corporal said they arrested the suspect the next day at the same tower.

"He admitted during interrogation that he stood very close to the woman in a way to touch her on purpose more than once," the police said.

The woman's clothes were seized. The defendant's DNA traces were found on the tourist's clothes, as shown in a report.

A ruling will be pronounced on February 25, the report said.

The detained Indian worker has denied the charge in the court.  -- PTI

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Mukul Roy was among the four people booked on Sunday in connection with the killing of Trinamool Congress MLA Satyajit Biswas in West Bengal's Nadia district, a senior police officer said.

Of the four people named in the first information report, two have been arrested, an officer of the West Bengal Police told PTI.

Biswas, 41, who represented Krishnaganj constituency in the state assembly, was shot from point blank range by unidentified assailants on Saturday evening inside a Saraswati puja marquee at Phoolbari area in the district bordering Bangladesh.

He was immediately taken to a local hospital where doctors announced him 'brought dead'.

"So far, we have arrested two persons in this case and detained another three. A country-made revolver used to shoot the MLA has also been recovered.

"As per our primary findings, it seems that the victim was fired from behind and the act was the result of a well-planned plot," the officer said.

Asked about the chances of the assailants fleeing the area, the police officer said the state police have been put on a high alert.

"Nadia shares border with Bangladesh and there could be a possibility of them (assailants) trying to escape to the neighbouring country. Police have been put on high alert to check the movements along the border," he said.

Roy, a former TMC member of Parliament, joined the BJP last year after his relations soured with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Claiming that the attack was a conspiracy by the BJP, TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee said Saturday that those involved in the killing will be punished after a full- fledged inquiry.

He also said the saffron party was trying to create disturbances ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and resorted to 'politics of murder' by singling out leaders having mass bases.

The allegations were termed 'baseless' by Roy and BJP state president Dilip Ghosh.  -- PTI

Five terrorists were killed on Sunday in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district, the Army said in Srinagar.

The gunbattle broke out after the ultras opened fire on a search team of the security forces in the district's Kellem village this morning, an Army official said.

He said five terrorists were killed in the encounter.

The identity and group affiliation of the ultras are being ascertained.

Weapons and war-like stores have been recovered from the encounter site, the official added.

Clashes between protestors and security forces broke out near the encounter site, a police official said.

Heavy stone pelting resulted in injuries to four Central Reserve Police Force personnel.

The official said the law enforcing agencies were trying to restore order in the area.  -- PTI/ANI

As debate intensifies over rising unemployment in the country, the Modi government claims to have generated over 3.79 lakh jobs between 2017 and 2019 in its various establishments, according to the interim budget for 2019-20.

The government said it has generated 2,51,279 jobs in central government establishments between 2017 and 2018.

This is estimated to go up by 3,79,544 to reach 36,15,770 on March 1, 2019, shows an analysis of documents of the interim budget, presented by Union Finance Minister Piyush Goyal on February 1.

The data assumes significance as the Congress and other opposition parties have been targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi over rising unemployment.

The government has rejected the charges.

Replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the president's address to Parliament on Thursday, Modi cited data from provident fund, National Pension System (NPS), Income Tax filings and sale of vehicles among others to say crores of new jobs were created in the formal and unorganised sectors, including transport, hotels and infrastructure.

Most of the recruitment was done by the Ministry of Railways, police forces and the direct and indirect tax departments.

The budget documents give a sector wise break-up on how the jobs were added in central government establishments. It said Indian Railways will generate the highest number of jobs -- 98,999 by March 1, 2019 against its actual strength of 12,70,714 in March 2017.

There will be 79,353 additional jobs in police departments by March 1, 2019, up from the actual strength of 10,52,351 as on March 1, 2017.

Similarly, jobs in direct tax departments will touch an estimated 80,143 by next month as against 50,208 in March 2017 (an increase of 29,935 jobs). In indirect tax departments, the government said there were 53,394 employees in March 2017.

This went up to 92,842 in March 2018. It also gave the same figure (92,842) as the estimated strength of indirect tax establishment as on March 1, 2019.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation will have 2,363 more personnel by March 1 this year against its actual strength of 1,174 in March 2017, the document shows.

Similarly, for the Department of Posts, it said there will be 4,21,068 personnel on March 1, 2019 as against its actual strength of 41,88,18 in March 2017.

In the Ministry of External Affairs, 11,877 people are estimated to be working by next month as against its actual strength of 10,044 in March 2017, which was estimated to have reached 11,870 in 2018.  -- PTI

Taking a swipe at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said he had only replicated the Centre's development programmes instead of his assurance of initiating new schemes for the poor in the state.

Addressing a rally, Modi said Naidu had claimed he was his senior but instead was 'a senior in switching sides and ditching his father-in-law, N T Rama Rao, former chief minister'.

Naidu promised the sunrise of Andhra Pradesh but is fixated with the rise of his own son N Lokesh, Modi charged.

The chief minister promised the redevelopment of Amaravati but is now engaged in his own development, the prime minister alleged.

He said Naidu had not initiated any new programmes for the poor but was only putting his stamp on the National Democratic Alliance government's development schemes.

On providing clean fuel in the country, Modi said while in 60 years, only 12 crore gas connections were given, the NDA government had given 13 crore gas connections in just four years.  -- PTI

At a function in a Mumbai film studio where Pakeezah was being shot, the then home minister Lal Bahadur Shastri failed to recognise Meena Kumari when she garlanded him and asked journalist Kuldip Nayar sitting near him who the woman was.

Meena Kumari was at the height of her success as an actress when this incident took place.

Shastri was invited to the shooting of Pakeezah, in which Meena Kumari was the heroine. There was also much pressure from the Maharashtra chief minister to attend it and Shastri could not say no.

This interesting account of Meena Kumari's encounter with Shastri on the film sets finds mention in Nayar's new book On Leaders and Icons: From Jinnah to Modi, which he finished only weeks before he passed away last August.

The function was attended by leading personalities from the cinema world.

'Many top actors were present. Meena Kumari garlanded Shastri. Amidst loud applause, Shastri asked me in his soft voice who the lady was. Meena Kumari, I said in amazement. Shastri expressed his ignorance. Yet never did I expect him to admit this in public,' Nayar wrote.

He, however, praised Shastri for his innocence and honesty.

Shastri made a brief speech on the occasion.

'He began his speech with the remark, 'Meena Kumariji, mujhe maaf karna, maine aapka naam pahle dafa suna hai' (Meena Kumari ji, please forgive me, I have heard your name for the first time). The legendary beauty of Hindi cinema, the darling of millions across the nation, was a figure of embarrassment and sat impassively in the front row,' the book said.

Shastri was given a tour of the film studio. For him, it was like going through a routine exercise. Shastri's speech made no comment about the sets or the film itself, Nayar wrote.

In the iconic movie directed by Kamal Amrohi and released in 1972, Meena Kumari played the lead role of a golden-hearted nautch girl from Lucknow. Raaj Kumar, Ashok Kumar and Nadira were also in the film.

In the book, published by Speaking Tiger, Nayar recounts his experiences of meeting many of the men and women who shaped the destiny of pre- and post-Independence India, revealing hitherto unknown aspects of their personalities and shedding light on many key events in the country.

He also mentions about Faiz Ahmed Faiz's flawless recitation of his poetry even after consuming a full bottle of Black Dog whiskey.  -- PTI

Total deposits in Jan Dhan accounts are set to cross Rs 90,000 crore with the government making the flagship financial inclusion programme more attractive especially by doubling accident insurance cover to Rs 2 lakh.

According to data from the finance ministry, the deposits, which have been steadily rising since March 2017, have already reached Rs 89,257.57 crore as on January 30, and are steadily rising.

The deposits stood at Rs 88,566.92 crore on January 23.

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) was launched on August 28, 2014, with an aim to provide universal access to banking facilities for all households.

Enthused by the success of the scheme, the government has enhanced the accident insurance cover to Rs 2 lakh from Rs 1 lakh for new accounts opened after August 28, 2018.

The overdraft limit has also been doubled to Rs 10,000.

The government has also shifted the focus on accounts from 'every household' to 'every unbanked adult'.

According to the latest data, there were 34.14 crore account holders under the PMJDY.

An average deposit in these accounts was about Rs 2,615, compared with Rs 1,065 on March 25, 2015.

Over 53 per cent of the Jan Dhan account holders are women, 59 per cent accounts are in rural and semi-urban areas.

As per the data, 27.26 crore accounts holders have been issued RuPay debit cards with an inbuilt accident insurance cover.  -- PTI

Telugu Desam Party workers staged protests against Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he arrived Sunday on his first visit to Andhra Pradesh after the ruling TDP severed ties with the National Democratic Alliance.

The Chandrababu Naidu-led party quit the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance protesting the 'injustice' done to the state post-bifurcation.

Giving the protocol a go-by, none of the state ministers turned up at Vijayawada airport to formally receive the prime minister, who is on an official-cum-political visit.

BJP leaders alleged that people were 'thwarted', from reaching the venue in large numbers and said countdown would start for Naidu when Modi commences his rally.

This is Modi's first visit to Andhra Pradesh, a year after the ruling TDP walked out of the BJP-led NDA.

The ruling party organised protests in various cities and towns in the state Sunday in protest against Modi's visit.

At Vijayawada and Guntur, TDP workers donned black shirts and took out rallies demanding that 'Modi go back'.

In his daily teleconference with the party leaders, the Chief Minister dubbed Modi as the 'modati drohi' (first betrayer) of Andhra Pradesh.

"Modi is coming for a war on AP. They have done all injustice to the state, destroyed the systems and ruined the country. Modi is facing protests wherever he is going in the country.

"He has come to AP to mock at us," Naidu said.

Elaborate security arrangements had been made in and around the Gannavaram airport in the wake of the call given by the chief minister for protests against the prime minister's visit.

After the reception on the airport tarmac, the prime minister flew to Guntur by a special IAF helicopter.

Protests were also organised on Saturday in some parts of the state against the visit.

The Congress called for observance of black day on Sunday over Modi's 'failure' to honour the promises made to Andhra Pradesh post-bifurcation, party sources said. In Vijayawada, the Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India-Marxist organised a demonstration on Saturday protesting Modi's visit.

Reports said similar protests were held in Kadapa and Kurnool districts as well.  -- PTI

Ahead of his questioning in Jaipur over Bikaner land scam, Robert Vadra, Congress president Rahul Gandhi's brother-in-law, said on Sunday that he was "fine, good and disciplined" to deal with anything he is put through.

"Just want to say thank you to all my friends and acquaintances who have reached out in support from all over the nation, at this time. Im fine, good n disciplined to deal with anything, Im put through. Truth will always prevail. Wishing you all a happy Sunday n a healthy week (sic)," he posted in Instagram.

Vadra is expected to depose before the ED in Jaipur on Sunday in another money-laundering case related to an alleged land scam in Bikaner, after being grilled by the the Enforcement Directorate a day earlier.

After two sessions of questioning on February 6 and 7, officials said the investigating officer of the case wanted to put across more questions to Vadra in connection with the case and hence he was asked to depose again on Saturday.

The ED case against Vadra relates to allegations of money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property located at 12, Bryanston Square, which is allegedly owned by him. 

Hours before sunrise, lakhs of devotees had already taken dip in Sangam on Basant Panchami the third and final shahi snaan during the Kumbh. Many were seen carrying the holy water of the Ganges, a sense of satisfaction reflected on their faces.

Even before 2 am, a number of devotees were seen taking the exit route from the Mela area, and searching for a mode of transport to reach their respective destinations.

It was 1.45 am, and Rakesh Kumar, a resident of Banda, was heading home.

"The main reason to take the (holy) dip early was that I will get ample amount of time to reach home. The crowd was relatively less and hence there were no problems," he said.

Deepak Kumar, who runs a caf and is a resident of Fatehpur district, said, "I took the dip at around 1.00 am. I now have time to explore the city. Apart from this, it also helps me in returning home in time."

The devotees appeared excited and the cold breeze sweeping the Sangam area could not deter their spirit. Chants of 'Har Har Gangey' and 'Jai Ganga Maiyya' filled the air around the venue. Visitors were also seen clicking selfies at various locations in the Mela area.

As the number of visitors began increasing, police officials issued instructions to them to take a specific exit route.

"Close to 50 lakh devotees had already taken dip before sunrise," Kumbh Mela Adhikari Vijay Kiran Anand said.

Weeks after the announcement of a biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, another biopic on his political rival Rahul Gandhi has been planned. Titled 'My Name Is RaGa, the film will trace the personal and political journey of Rahul Gandhi.

Rupesh Paul, whose filmography includes projects like Saint Dracula 3D and Kamasutra 3D, is directing the film. 

Paul, who is returning to direction after four years, said, The movie has no intentions to glorify Rahul or to demystify him. Its the story of a coming back of a human being who had been ridiculously attacked. Anyone who has fearlessly confronted defeat and failure can relate to this story. In that sense, I dont want to call this a biopic, its a story of any man who becomes unstoppable after he wins over a catastrophic life.

The teaser of the film has already been released and it features many members of the Gandhi family. However, Paul is planning to shoot some new scenes to cover new developments. He said, We are planning to shoot at more interesting locations like Collin College in the US where he had to study with a fake name and also the school where he completing his schooling and also a brief portions in Italy where his grandparents lived.

Though the release date of the film hasnt been announced, its likely to hit the screens before the general elections of 2019.

Read full story HERE

Also please read: Professor Sanjay Subrahmanyam's interview with Rediff.com

Veteran actor-director Amol Palekar was repeatedly interrupted during his speech by some members of the National Gallery of Modern Art in Mumbai on Friday evening. Palekar was speaking at the opening of an exhibition Inside The Empty Box in the memory of artist Prabhakar Barwe.

A video available on social media showed Palekar criticising the ministry of culture for reportedly scrapping the advisory committees at the gallerys Mumbai and Bengaluru centres.

Referring to these reports, Palekar said, Many of you may not know that this retrospective will be the last show decided by the advisory committee of local artists and not by some bureaucrat or an agent of the government with an agenda of either moral policing or proliferation of certain art commensurate with an ideological incline.

As of November 13, 2018, the artistes advisory committees at both regional centres Mumbai and Bangalore -- have been abolished, is what I have learnt, he said.

He added that he was in the process of verifying the hearsay.

At this point, an NGMA member on the stage interrupted, saying that Palekar should talk about the event.

To which, Palekar responded, I am going to talk about the same. Are you you applying censorship to that? He then said that as per his information, after the abolition of local artists committee, decisions as to whose work should be exhibited would be taken from Delhi by the ministry of culture.

He was again interrupted by a woman, who said, This is not needed at the moment, sorry... The function is about Prabhakar Barwe, please stick to that.

However, Palekar refused to stop, and went on to mention that writer Nayantara Sahgal was invited to speak at the Marathi literary convention recently but at the last minute the invitation was withdrawn because what she was going to say was slightly critical of the situation around us.

Are we creating the same situation here? he asked.

The CBI will continue the questioning of Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar for the second day on Sunday and former TMC MP Kunal Ghosh will appear in person at the investigating agency's office here for interrogation in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam, officials said Saturday.

Three senior CBI officers questioned Kumar for nearly nine hours on Saturday about his alleged role in the tampering of crucial evidence in the scam, the officials said.

There was no briefing by the Central Bureau of Investigation on the questioning which began at around 11 am at its highly secured office at Oakland here as per the directions of the Supreme Court.

Kumar's counsel Biswajit Deb, who is also the TMC coordinator for Meghalaya, said Kumar is "cooperating and complying" with the CBI.

"He (Kumar) has come here on the orders of the Supreme Court. He has complied earlier and he is complying now as per the orders," he told reporters outside the CBI office.

Kumar led the special investigation team formed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to investigation the chit fund scam before the probe was handed over to the CBI by the apex court.

He will be present at the CBI office for the second day tomorrow, said Deb, who met Kumar along with two senior IPS officers from West Bengal -- Javed Shamim and Murlidhar Sharma -- thrice during the day for brief periods.

The agency may confront him with Kunal Ghosh who has also been called on Sunday, but a final call will be taken by the investigating officer present in Shillong, agency sources said.

The CBI is relying on a 91-page letter from Ghosh, who was expelled by TMC, to the Enforcement Directorate, detailing the role of Kumar in handling the ponzi scam probe after the main accused, Sudipta Sen and Debjani Mukherjee, both promoters of Saradha Group of companies, had fled to Kashmir, officials said in Kolkata.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Andhra Pradesh for the first time after the Telugu Desam Party pulled out of the NDA last year. PM Modi is scheduled to visit Guntur, Tiruppur and Raichur today. Ahead of PM Modi's visit, The TDP, Congress and Left parties have planned big protests and large posters of "No more Modi"and "Modi never again" have already come up across the state.

The BJP, in Andhra Pradesh, has asked its cadre to be present at the rallies and make the Prime Minister's visit a success. The party lodged a complaint with police seeking action against those who put up the hoardings against the Prime Minister.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, one of PM Modi's strongest critics, yesterday called on TDP workers to hold Gandhian protests during his visit to the state. "It is a dark day. PM Modi is coming to witness the injustice that was done to Andhra Pradesh by him. He is weakening the states and constitutional institutions. PMO's intervention in Rafael is disrespect to the nation. We will do peaceful Gandhian protests with yellow and black shirts and balloons," Naidu said yesterday.

Naidu is upset with the Narendra Modi government and accused PM Modi of not keeping his promise of giving special category status to the state.

"PM Modi is weakening the states and constitutional institutions," said Chandrababu Naidu.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II's 97-year-old husband Prince Philip surrendered his driving licence after causing a car crash that outraged the media and stirred a debate about old age and driving.

  

Buckingham Palace said Philip, formally known as the Duke of Edinburgh, took the decision on his own after rolling over his Land Rover last month.

"After careful consideration the Duke of Edinburgh has taken the decision to voluntarily surrender his driving licence," Buckingham Palace said in a brief statement.

Police in the eastern part of England where the accident happened outside a royal residence said they had passed Philip's file to prosecutors to determine whether anyone should be charged.

"Norfolk Police can confirm that the 97-year-old driver of the Land Rover involved in the collision at Sandringham ... voluntarily surrendered his licence to officers," said a police statement.

"The investigation file for the collision has been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for their consideration."

A CPS spokesman said the service "will take this development into account" as it studies Philip's case.

Few royal watchers seriously expect the duke to be punished by the police.

A witness told British media that Philip had emerged unharmed but "shocked and shaken" from the collision with the much smaller Kia hatchback.

Police said a nine-month-old baby in the back seat of Kia was uninjured. One woman in the vehicle broke her wrist and the other cut her knee.

The duke was forced to follow standard police procedure and take a breath test.

Police said the results "provided negative readings" for both drivers.

Philip came under days of media criticism for failing to quickly and publicly apologise for causing the crash.