A community in Chhattisgarh's Balod district has banned engaged couples from speaking to each other privately on the phone until their wedding, citing concerns about increasing relationship break-ups.
Polling in 70 constituencies began at 8 am and will conclude at 5 pm, except in nine polling booths in the Maoist-affected Bindranawagarh seat in Gariaband district, where voting began at 7 for security reasons, a poll official said.
The IMD has warned of heatwave to severe heatwave conditions in parts of West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh during the next five days.
With the second list, the total number of candidates declared by the Congress went up to 83 out of the total of 90.
The centuries-old belief that worshipping at the temple cures fatal dog bites still continues, with victims from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh visiting the temple, reports R Krishna Das.
The ruling Congress, voted to office in 2018 after 15 years in opposition, and the Bharatiya Janata Party are the main contenders for power in the state, where the Aam Aadmi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and some regional outfits are also in the fray.
In both of these Hindi heartland states, the straight contest between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the opposition Congress.
Globally recognised organisations including the CDC, the Clinton Foundation, and domestic pharmaceutical and health care companies have sent their teams to visit the centres and study the concept, reports R Krishna Das.
A three-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a bicycle mechanic in Chhattisgarh's Balod district on Wednesday, police said.
'A political party taking the law into its hands is objectionable, especially in the context of the 2002 incidents in Gujarat.'
On the basis of feedback from the teams, the ministry has written to the states highlighting the areas of concern, including sub-optimal containment operations and contact tracing, skewed testing and shortage of health workers. Authorities need to work in these areas, it said.
The Centre said bird flu has been confirmed so far in Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat, and asked these six states to contain the disease as per the action plan.
Besides Uttar Pradesh, the other six states where bird flu is confirmed are Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat.
A police jawan was killed in a gun-battle with Maoists in insurgency-hit Chhattisgarh's Kondagaon district today, the police said. "The encounter took place near a river in restive Hekli forests under Mardapal police station limits when security personnel were returning after a search operation in the evening," Kondagaon Additional Superintendent of Police Surjit Atri told PTI.
Eight women died and 52 others have been hospitalised due to botched surgeries at a government-organised sterilisation camp in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur district.
'After toiling in the field and selling vegetables in the local market, we don't make more than Rs 1,500 a week.' 'That is just enough for the five of us to survive.' 'My family cannot afford to pay for private coaching for IIT-JEE.'
A total of 10 women candidates, one less than last time, have emerged victorious in Chhattisgarh Assembly polls where the saffron party is back in power for the third time.
Congress Vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday raked up "snoopgate" controversy to lash out at BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi saying the BJP's PM nominee is so desperate for power that he can even "divide the nation" to achieve his goal.
Projects include steel plant & railway line; Modi's visit first by a PM to the tribal belt in 30 yrs
This classification of districts is to be followed by states and union terrotories till a week post May 3, when the second phase of lockdown will end, for containment operations.
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