IAF's four fighter pilots undergoing rigorous training for the landmark Gaganyaan mission, and who earned the 'astronaut wings' on Tuesday, have a stellar resume. They have a flying experience in the range of nearly 2,000-3,000 hours and two of them are recipients of the prestigious 'Sword of Honour'.
The prime minister also raised questions over the alleged appeal by former director general of the Pakistan Army, Sardar Arshad Rafiq, that senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel be made chief minister of Gujarat.
This year, eight eminent individuals are being given Padma Bhushan and 54 are being conferred with Padma Shri awards, besides the two Padma Vibhushan recipents.
In one of the worst natural disasters in Kerala, at least 123 persons were killed and 128 injured in massive landslides triggered by torrential rains in Wayanad on Tuesday. With hundreds trapped under the debris, sparking fears of mounting fatalities, rescue agencies were racing against time to pull out any survivors.
According to police officials, BJP supporters started reaching the venue as early as 9 am while the gates of the stadium were opened at 11 am, almost five hours before the ceremony.
Reaching out to tribals, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday lauded their contribution to Indian culture through the ages and said Lord Ram drew inspiration from them during his exile as he slammed the Congress for "neglecting" adivasis during its previous rules.
Modi has appointed P K Sinha, who superannuated as cabinet secretary on Friday, as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), he said.
Pandit, who was appointed as the JNU VC in February last year, said some people opposed her decision to put the national flag and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's photo on the varsity premises.
Born in 1924, Vajpayee entered politics during the Quit India movement in 1942. He was also the first external affairs minister to deliver a speech in the UN Assembly in Hindi. Vajpayee was elected to Lok Sabha from Lucknow in 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2004. He is the first and the only non-Congress leader who completed his full term as prime minister.
In addition to these temple models, metallic rings, lockets and other cloth items bearing Lord Ram's name are flying off the shelves in Ayodhya, according to shopkeepers.
Do we have enough trained oncologists and medical professionals in India to man these over 4,500 beds in the public sector?
Till now, the maximum Bharat Ratnas were awarded in 1999 when four recipients were given the coveted award.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala accused the government of creating 'a situation' in the court that the murderer of a former prime minister was freed, and asked if the BJP supported this.
'It did not start as a Hindutva slogan.' 'It started to tease the TMC and slowly it got internalised and the BJP started countering with Jai Shri Ram slogans because Mamata was getting provoked.'
As BJP leaders went all out to project the event as a moment of national pride, some leaders were directly critical of the ceremony with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, belonging to the Communist Party of India-Marxist, slamming the state's role in the Ram Temple consecration, saying the line that demarcates religion and state seems to be 'getting thinner and thinner'.
On Monday night, when President Ram Nath Kovind presented the Padma awards at a civil investiture ceremony in the Darbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan, the loudest applause was reserved for Swami Sivananda, the 125-year-old yoga guru who walked barefoot to receive the Padma Shri -- after prostrating before Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi and President Kovind.
US President Trump "presented the Legion of Merit to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his leadership in elevating the US-India strategic partnership," O'Brien said in a tweet.
'Mood is upbeat as first teams arrive in the Olympic Village,' says India's Chef-de-Mission Gagan Narang
'He was a nobody then.' 'And whatever little his contribution was there, it was restricted to Gujarat.'
'Sonia did not visit this place once since she won. Who's to say they won't lose this one, too?'
'People want to do business in the name of the Kedarnath temple.'
Renowned ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas, whose velvet smooth voice gave expression to the many colours of love, longing and heartache in songs such as Chitthi Ayee Hai and Aur Ahista Kijiye Baatein, died in Mumbai on Monday, February 26, 2024, after a prolonged illness.
The defence minister visited the forward areas at a time when China is upgrading its infrastructure along the border.
A new landmark of India -- both structural and spiritual -- rises on Ayodhya's horizon on Monday as a new-age architectural marvel of elegant sandstones, diligently carved by craftspeople with dedication and devotion to Lord Ram.
The Congress has accused Twitter of acting against Gandhi's account under pressure from the government.
A day ahead of the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple, the streets and the skyline of Ayodhya have turned saffron with flags flying atop buildings, small and big, across the temple town.
'Rafale is an open and shut case and there is only one man who has done corruption'
Turning tables on Congress and left thinkers, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday accused them of practising "ideological intolerance" towards the Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and trying to project India as an intolerant society through structured and organised propaganda.
He had served as External Affairs Minister from June 1991 to March 1992. Solanki was a two term MP of Rajya Sabha from Gujarat.
Headed by former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, the JD-S has long been a strong third player in the southern state where the Congress and the BJP have been the two main parties.
President Droupadi Murmu receives blessing from Hirbai Ibrahim Lobi before presenting her with the Padma Shri for social work at Rashtrapati Bhavan, March 22, 2023.
"I did not want to take the photograph of Lord Ram but etch his image in my heart instead," said Amit Pathak, a resident of Tulsinagar in Ayodhya, a day ahead of the 'pran pratishtha' ceremony at the Ram temple.
Telugu film star Pavan Kalyan, who recently launched Jana Sena Party, on Thursday said his party would not contest the upcoming elections, though he supported Narendra Modi for the prime minister's post.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday turned 63 and was greeted on his birthday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and many other leaders.
The government has extended the term of Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das by another three years upto December 2024, according to an official order.
Senior IAS officer and former MyGovIndia chief Gaurav Dwivedi was on Monday appointed the Chief Executive Officer of public broadcaster Prasar Bharati. A 1995-batch officer of Chhattisgarh cadre, Dwivedi will have a five-year tenure from the date he assumes charge. Currently, he is posted as Principal Secretary, Commercial Tax, in the Chhattisgarh government. "The President of India has today appointed, after due recommendation by the Selection Committee, Shri Gaurav Dwivedi, as Executive Member (Chief Executive Officer) in Prasar Bharati for a period of five years from his assumption of charge," a statement from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry said.
Making a statement in the lower house soon after a meeting of the Union Cabinet, Modi said, "An autonomous trust has been formed, it is called 'Shri Ram Janambhoomi Teertha Kshetra'." The Supreme Court had directed the government to form the trust within three months and the deadline was ending on February 9.
President Droupadi Murmu said the nation will benefit from Dhankhar's long and rich experience in public life and extended her best wishes for a productive and successful tenure.
The inauguration of the state-of-the-art infrastructure surrounding the historic Kashi Vishwanath Temple near the iconic Dashashwamedh Ghat comes ahead of the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh early next year.
BJP general secretary Ram Madhav said the two neighbours needed to inject informality in their relations, as is the case in many places of the world like the EU and ASEAN.
