Defying predictions of his political eclipse, Nationalist Congress Party chief Ajit Pawar has not only consolidated his position in the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti, but also fortified his place in Maharashtra politics by becoming deputy chief minister for the sixth time.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav took a holy dip in the Sangam at Maha Kumbh on Sunday, urging the BJP to bathe with "patience." He criticized the BJP for splashing water on each other after bathing in the Sangam, saying people come to Kumbh for virtue and charity, not for water sports. Yadav, who had earlier taken a dip in the Ganga river in Haridwar on Makar Sankranti, said he had always visited the religious congregation. The latest official figures show that 1.17 crore people took a dip in the Sangam till late Sunday afternoon, bringing the total number of 'snan' (bath) in Maha Kumbh since its start to 11.47 crore.
With 12 MPs, the JD-U is the second biggest Bharatiya Janata Party ally after the TDP's 16, and leaders of the saffron party are in touch with allies over ministerial berths and other issues.
Sharma said 2,500 tankers that supply potable and non-potable water across Mumbai have been on strike since February 8 and it's a do-or-die situation for them.
'Till the BJP does not understand Kejriwal they cannot win Delhi.'
A day after joining the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and state minister Chhagan Bhujbal on Monday went to meet Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to discuss allocation of portfolios in the cabinet, sources said.
Several stalled developmental projects and those waiting Centre's clearances are likely to come up for discussion at the meeting, during which the chief minister is likely to urge the Union ministers and MPs from the state to use their good offices for intervention of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Government of India on the Cauvery issue.
India's Republic Day parade featured a tri-services tableau showcasing the country's increasing focus on enhancing synergy among its armed forces. The tableau, themed "Shashakt aur Surakshit Bharat" (strong and secure India), displayed a battlefield scenario with indigenous military equipment, including the Arjun main battle tank, Tejas MKII fighter aircraft, and the destroyer INS Visakhapatnam. The display highlighted the Ministry of Defence's commitment to boosting tri-services synergy and jointness in preparation for future conflicts.
China plans to divert about 200 billion cubic metres of water annually from the Brahmaputra at its highest point, namely the Great Bend, where it turns into India. China's Brahmaputra dam will severely impact India, warns former senior RA&W officer and China expert Jayadeva Ranade.
The aim of the programme is to increase the water table in the stressed areas through dams, ponds, and afforestation. According to a NITI Aayog study, by 2030, the country's water demand is projected to be twice the available supply, implying severe water scarcity for hundreds of millions of people and an eventual 6 per cent loss in the country's GDP.
The National Democratic Alliance government has asked states to emulate the Gujarat water management model to address the problem of water scarcity.The Centre has forwarded a compact disc received from Gujarat government's Water and Sanitation Management Organisation on the subject "The state-wide water supply grid" to the states to study how the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state managed the problem of water scarcity.
Amid the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel that has claimed thousands of innocent lives, Israel's Energy Minister has warned that Tel Aviv will not allow humanitarian aid or any essential resources into Gaza until Hamas releases captives, Al Jazeera reported.
'The ruling does not automatically mean that your house can be taken away, but suppose it blocks an expressway or a highway or such essential development, then it can be taken away as long as there is a law to support that action.'
Many low-lying areas in West Bengal's sub-Himalayan region were reeling from a flood-like situation while major rivers in Bihar were flowing above the danger level at several places as unabated heavy rain lashed the country's eastern parts on Sunday.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman spelled out water, its management, clean rivers as one of the 10 points of vision for the next decade.
Naval assets take years to build, and therefore, not only is futuristic force planning essential, but indigenous projects must also be put into the pipeline, technologies developed and contracts for assets signed regularly so that the Indian Navy always remains a future-focussed force, asserts Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta (retd).
"When Amit Shah was in Goa (for campaigning for February Assembly polls), he asked for a Himalaya (brand) water bottle. It was then brought from Mapusa (located around 10km from Panaji)," Naik said, addressing an event in South Goa.
Lee Jae-myung's decisive victory in South Korea's snap presidential election marks a major political shift driven by public backlash against authoritarian, with significant implications for domestic reform and the future of the US-South Korea alliance, observes Dr Rajaram Panda.
Patel insisted that the meeting with Shah and other BJP leaders was a "courtesy call" as he and Ajit Pawar had not met them formally since joining the ruling alliance in Maharashtra.
An environmental activist in Bengaluru on Monday filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Karnataka high court seeking a direction for water audit on Karnataka State Cricket Association stadium premises to determine the amount of usage of water on a daily basis for the Indian Premier League matches.
The opposition party's remarks come after Bihar ministers claimed that the latest report of NITI Aayog's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index 2023-24 vindicated the state's long-standing demand for greater central financial assistance.
All municipal corporations have been directed to shut down swimming pools and not to provide water tankers for revellers.
Canada's next prime minister Mark Carney slammed United States President Donald Trump for 'unjustified tariffs', saying Americans should make no mistake as Canada will win the trade war just as it wins in hockey.
'It has changed the political character of India by ejecting socialism as an ideology from the Constitution of India.'
India should encourage the second coming of SAARC with climate change as an urgent agenda and keeping Indian security concerns in mind as the subtext, suggest Lieutenant General Ashok Joshi (retd) and Colonel Anil Athale (retd).
>The Indian Army still uses old British-era names and recruits soldiers based on caste or region, which hurts national unity, argues Colonel K Thammayya Udupa (retd).
There are critics who say the Bommai's government was not able to counter the Congress narrative to paint his administration as corrupt, a factor that helped the Congress surge in the May 10 assembly elections.
Modi's irrigation push in the Budget is aimed at scoring on the political front along with achieving growth targets
Mina Guli wants to complete 100 marathons across the world to raise awareness of water scarcity and save water.
How to conduct the mock exercise with active public participation of people was discussed threadbare at a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan. Top civil and police officers of the country participated in the meeting, official sources said.
'When so many young Baloch men and women are willingly volunteering as fighters and even suicide bombers.'
Jorhat has many attraction to offer for the discerning and offbeat traveller.
'We pressurised him (to accept the deputy chief ministership).' 'Being out of power would have made him weaker.'
'War is not an answer. War is not a solution.' 'Deterrence is a solution. We should have the stick with us with which we can beat Pakistan.'
'We requested controlled release of water without waiting for the water level in the reservoir to reach its full level.'
The unspoken subject of Mithya is violence, and the big zinger here is our recognition that the movie is showing us the makings of a juvenile delinquent -- perhaps the finest since Truffaut unleashed his Antoine Doinel, applauds Sreehari Nair.
It has noted that melting glaciers due to any impact of climate change will not only severely affect the flow in Himalayan river system but will also give rise to natural disasters.
Another instance of bridge collapse came to the fore in Bihar on Thursday, making it the 10th such incident to have been reported from the state in just over a fortnight, an official said.
The statement of the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's office comes on the heels of India issuing a notice to Pakistan seeking a review and modification of the IWT in view of Islamabad's "intransigence" in complying with the dispute redressal mechanism of the pact that was inked over six decades ago for sharing of waters of cross-border rivers.
Among a sea of humanity that took the holy dip in the Sangam in their quest for 'moksha' on Monday was a large number of overseas visitors, soaking in the spiritual fervour at the world's largest gathering of humans.
