ECI rejects Congress allegations about any irregularities in Haryana elections as baseless, misplaced, and devoid of facts. Commission writes to Congress party to refrain from baseless allegations election after election; Calls out the party for raising smoke of ‘generic’ doubts and urges Congress to take firm and concrete steps to curb such a tendency. ECI urges Congress that irresponsible allegations at sensitive junctures like polling and counting days can lead to public unrest, turbulence, and chaos. Citing 5 specific cases in last one year, ECI asks the national party with long-standing experience to exercise due diligence and refrain from habitual attacks on electoral operations, without any evidence. After a thorough reverification by Returning officers of all the 26 Assembly Constituencies under question, ECI writes to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge that each step in electoral process in Haryana was flawless and done under the watch of Congress candidates or agents. Response from ECI officials comprises 1642 pages of evidence that authorised representatives of Congress candidates were present at all stages including placing the battery at time of Commissioning and continuously for 7-8 days thereafter till counting was over. Chief Electoral Officer Haryana also rejects all the complaints by Congress party about irregularity in the assembly election.

Portfolio for PM Modi-led Union Cabinet announced

Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, Dr S Jaishankar Piyush Goyal and Ashwini Vaishnaw retain their ministries.





JP Nadda gets Health portfolio
ML Khattar gets Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry Chirag Paswan becomes Food Processing Minister.
CR Paatil gets Jal Shakti Ministry
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat becomes Tourism Minister Kiren Rijiju is the new Parliamentary Affairs Minister.
Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu gets Civil Aviation Ministry

Delhi High Court says that the material collected by the ED reveals that Mr Arvind Kejriwal conspired with others. The ED case also reveals that he was involved in his personal capacity as well as convenor of AAP. Granting pardon to approver is not under ED's domain and is a judicial process. If you cast aspersions on the process of pardon...you're casting aspersions on the judge, said the Court The contention that Kejriwal could have been questioned through VC is to be rejected. It is not for the accused to decide how the investigation is to be done. It cannot be as per the convenience of the Accused. This court won't set two sets of laws- One for the commons and the other for the public servants.

There cannot be any specific privilege for any one including the Chief Minister, said Delhi High Court

Congress Party manifesto: We will amend the election laws to combine the efficiency of the electronic voting machine (EVM) and the transparency of the ballot paper. Voting will be through the EVM but the voter will be able to hold and deposit the machine-generated voting slip into the voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) unit. The electronic vote tally will be matched against the VVPAT slip tally, says Congress

We promise not to interfere with personal choices of food and dress, to love and marry, and to travel and reside in any part of India. All laws and rules that interfere unreasonably with personal freedoms will be repealed... We promise to amend the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution and make defection (leaving the original party on which the MLA or MP was elected) an automatic disqualification of the membership in the Assembly or Parliament: Congress Congress Party manifesto: Congress says it will amend the Press Council of India Act, 1978 to empower the Council to deal with the menace of fake news and paid news.

'White Paper on the Indian Economy', laid by FM Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha reads - The UPA Government inherited a healthy economy ready for more reforms, but made it non-performing in its ten years. In 2004, when the UPA government began its term, the economy was growing at 8 per cent (with industry and services sector growth above 7 per cent each and a resuscitating agriculture sector growth above 9 per cent in FY04) amidst a benign world economic environment. The Economic Survey of 2003-04 noted, "The economy appears to be in a resilient mode in terms of growth, inflation, and balance of payments, a combination that offers large scope for consolidation of the growth momentum with continued macroeconomic stability" 'White Paper on the Indian Economy', laid by FM Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha reads - Ironically, the UPA leadership, which seldom fails to take credit for the 1991 reforms, abandoned them after coming to power in 2004. Even as the country was standing at the cusp of emerging as a powerful economy, little was done by the UPA government to build upon the strong foundation laid by the previous NDA government. In the years between 2004 and 2008, the economy grew fast, thanks to the lagged effects of the reforms of the NDA government and favourable global conditions. The UPA government took credit for the high growth but did little to consolidate it. The failure to take advantage of the years of high growth to strengthen the budget position of the government and invest in infrastructure to boost future growth prospects stood exposed.

#WATCH | Ayodhya: Champat Rai, the General Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra says, "Murli Manohar Joshi and Lal Krishna Advani will not be able to attend the ceremony due to health and age-related reasons. Both (Advani and Joshi) are elders in the family and considering their age, they have been requested not to come, which both have accepted." (18.12) Ayodhya | Champat Rai, the General Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra says, "All preparations for the consecration ceremony will be completed by January 15, 2024. The puja for Pran Pratishtha will begin on January 16, 2024, and will continue till January 22,2024. 13 Akharas including 150 sages and saints from different traditions and Shankaracharyas from six philosophy traditions will participate in this function. About four thousand saints have been invited to the program. Apart from this, invitations have also been sent to 2200 other guests. Rai said that heads of major temples like Kashi Vishwanath, and Vaishnodevi, and representatives of religious and constitutional institutions have also been invited." (18.12)

Air pollution in Delhi-NCR: Supreme Court asks Punjab government to stop the stubble burning. Supreme Court observes that there can't be a political battle all the time.

“We want it (stubble burning) stopped. We don't know how you do it, it’s your job. But it must be stopped. Something has to be done immediately,” SC to Punjab.
Air pollution in Delhi-NCR: Supreme Court says Punjab government is seeing a scenario where due to paddy crop water table declined drastically with wells going beyond redemption.

“You are promoting millets on one hand and then letting paddy ruin groundwater…,” Supreme Court to Centre.

Supreme Court says a serious look is required whether this kind of paddy should be grown in the time period in which it is grown, 15 years ago this problem did not arise because such cropping did not take place. Supreme Court says this crop has destroyed the water table of Punjab. Weather around Delhi affects it.

#WATCH | Gurugram: On air pollution, Senior Lung specialist, Medanta Hospital Dr Arvind Kumar says, "...All age groups are adversely affected by air pollution. You might wonder how an unborn child is affected because that child is not breathing. When the child's mother is breathing, the toxins go to her lungs; through the lungs, they go into the blood; and through the placenta, they reach the child, and the fetus, and cause damage... When the child is born, they start breathing the same air. Our air quality is around 450–500, which is equal to about 25–30 cigarettes in terms of damage to the body... They have all sorts of breathing problems..."
#WATCH | Gurugram: On air pollution, Senior Lung specialist, Medanta Hospital Dr Arvind Kumar says, "...From head to toe, there's no organ in the body that escapes the ill effects of air pollution. There is now evidence to say that it causes obesity, it causes asthma. When there is obesity and exposure to air pollution both present, the chances of asthma become many times higher, as was shown by us, the Lung Care Foundation. In a study of 1,100 children in Delhi, we found that one out of three children is suffering from asthma, and when obesity was also present, this number went higher."

In the Second Meeting of the India-Central Asia Secretaries, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval says, "Terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, continues to constitute one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. Any act of terrorism, regardless of its motivation or cause, is unjustifiable. Offered fully funded capacity-building programmes in a wide range of areas..."
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval says, "​Capacity building and sharing of experience are the cornerstones to strengthen cooperation in this domain. India will work closely with Central Asian countries to help them build defences against cyber threats and create a secure cyber ecosystem. India invited the Heads of the Cyber Security Agencies of all the Central Asian countries to India for a strategic cyber experience."

Employees of the Parliament will soon be seen in new uniforms for their respective departments, from the five-day special session of Parliament. The session begins on September 18: Sources





Chamber Attendants, Officers, Security personnel, Drivers and Marshals will all be seen in new uniforms for their respective departments during the five-day special session of Parliament. The session begins on September 18: Sources

G 20 in India | The Government of India presented special gift hampers to the G20, Heads of States and Leaders representing their countries.

It comprised of a curated compilation of handcrafted artefacts and products, which speak volumes about Bharat’s rich cultural traditions. Some of the products are the product of centuries of tradition & cherished across the world for their unparalleled workmanship and quality. These were meticulously created by the hands of Master Craftsmen. Some products are the result of the unique bio-diversity of our country.






G 20 in India | The Government of India presented special gift hampers to the G20, Heads of States and Leaders representing their countries including Sheeshamwood Sandook with Brass Patti.

This Sandook has been hand-crafted using Sheesham (Indian Rosewood), which is valued for its strength, durability, distinctive grain patterns and rich colour. The brass patti (strip) is delicately etched and embedded on to the wood, transforming the piece into a masterpiece of visual delight and tactile splendor.

Delhi | We received information that the body of a 25-year-old girl was found near Aurbindo College in South Delhi's Malviya Nagar. An iron rod was found near her body. According to a preliminary investigation, the girl was attacked with a rod. Further investigation is in… https://t.co/eCOeVAd1yitwitter.com/i/web/status/1…




#WATCH | Chandan Chowdhary, Deputy Commissioner of Police, South Delhi, says "The incident took place inside the park. The deceased is a college student. She had come to the park with her friend. There are injuries on the deceased's head. A rod was also found near her body. We… https://t.co/s0vZ4NQZHBtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

#WATCH | Gujarat | World's largest office complex - Surat Diamond Bourse - comes up in the Diamond City of Surat. Bigger than the Pentagon, the building complex - worth around Rs 3000 Crores, will start its functions on 21st November 2023. #WATCH | World's largest office complex, even bigger than the Pentagon - Surat Diamond Bourse, comes up in the Diamond City of Surat. The functions of the complex begin on 21st November 2023.

The building complex is sprawled across a 6.7 million square foot construction area and… https://t.co/c9IjibWoqttwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Hearing on plea challenging the Calcutta High Court's order regarding the deployment of central forces in panchayat elections underway at Supreme Court

SC remarks - what the HC may have thought is that instead of requisitioning forces from other neighbouring states it is better… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… Senior Advocate Meenakshi Arora, appearing for West Bengal State Election Commission, informs Supreme Court that the observation that WB state election commission has not done anything is not correct

Senior Advocate Arora says WB state election commission cannot requisition any… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

"Usually 'Mann Ki Baat' comes to you on the last Sunday of every month, but this time it is happening a week earlier. As you all know, I will be in America next week and the schedule there is going to be very busy, so I thought what could be better than the blessings of the… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… The strength of disaster management that India has developed over the years is becoming an example today. Cyclone Biparjoy wreaked so much havoc in Kutch, but the people of Kutch faced it with full courage and preparedness: PM Narendra Modi during the 102nd episode of #MannKiBaat

J&K | Joint security forces neutralized five highly trained foreign terrorists of JK Ghaznavi Force (JKGF) today morning. The terrorists, seasoned in guerilla warfare in Afghan-Pak theater, were trying to infiltrate into Indian territory in Jumagund area near LoC in Kupwara… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… On being intercepted, the terrorists attacked the joint ambush parties. This was retaliated by well-controlled firepower resulting in the encounter and consequent neutralization without any loss to Indian security forces.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit USA and Egypt from 20 to 25 June.

At the invitation of US President Joseph Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, PM will pay an official State visit to USA. The visit will commence in New York, where the PM will lead the celebrations of the… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… PM Modi will thereafter travel to Washington DC, where he'll receive a ceremonial welcome at the White House on June 22& meet US Pres Biden to continue their high-level dialogue. Pres Biden & First Lady Dr. Jill Biden will host a State Dinner in honour of PM the same evening: PMO

#WATCH | Indian Ambassador to US Taranjit Singh Sandhu speaks on the upcoming state visit of PM Narendra Modi to US

"This is indeed a historic and path-breaking visit. I use these terminologies by fully looking into them. You will see both on the substantive side & on the… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… There are five broad areas that will be clearly covered (during PM visit to US). One of course is defence and strategic cooperation, which will be adequately reflected. Second is healthcare partnership and different aspects of that. Third will be technology and which is… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Fire breaks out inside Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International (Kolkata) Airport. Further details awaited Fire breaks out at Kolkata Airport's 3C departure terminal building: Airport official to ANI

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested a Popular Front of India (PFI) master weapons trainer, living under an assumed identity in Karnataka, for his involvement in the Nizamabad terror conspiracy case. The case pertains to a criminal conspiracy hatched by leaders and cadres of the now-banned outfit PFI to recruit & radicalise youth and provide them with arms training to promote & carry out terrorist activities with ultimate objective of establishing Islamic rule in India: NIA

A day after attaching 17 properties of terror financier Zahoor Ahmed Shah Watali, the National Investigation Agency on Tuesday attached two more properties, belonging to another accused, in the Hurriyat terror funding case in Kashmir The properties of All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) separatist leader Mohammad Akbar Khanday include nine kanal land and a 2-storeyed house in Srinagar. These have been attached on the orders of Special NIA Court, New Delhi, under section 33(1) of Unlawful Activities… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…