NEWS

In an attempt to keep the Lakhimpur Kheri violence and killings politically alive, a high-level delegation of Congress leaders on Wednesday met President Ram Nath Kovind and urged him to dismiss Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni, whose son Ashish Mishra was arrested, and to direct setting up of an independent judicial investigation by a commission comprising two sitting judges of the Supreme Court of India or a high court.

Senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, A K Antony, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra told the President that the “unforgivable and merciless murder of farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri” has “scarred the soul of India”.

On Tuesday, Union Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi said that the coal shortage was caused due to rains which in turn led to a rise in international prices.

"Due to rains, there was coal shortage, causing an increase in international prices- from Rs 60 per ton to Rs 190 per ton. Subsequently, imported coal power plants are either shut for 15-20 days or producing very less. This put pressure on domestic coal," said Joshi.

"Yesterday we supplied 1.94 million tons, the highest ever supply of domestic coal. As far as states are concerned, this year till June we requested them to increase stock, some of them went on to say that 'please do a favour, don't send coal now'," he added.

India on Wednesday angrily rejected China’s objection to a visit to Arunachal Pradesh by vice president M Venkaiah Naidu. 

Naidu made a two-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh over the weekend as part of a tour of the northeast, and addressed a special session of the state assembly in Itanagar on Saturday. 

China opposed the Vice President’s visit and said Beijing doesn’t recognise Arunachal Pradesh and is firmly opposed to visits to the region by Indian leaders. Hours later, external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi rejected China’s objection to the visit. “Indian leaders routinely travel to the state of Arunachal Pradesh as they do to any other state of India. Objecting to the visit of Indian leaders to a state of India does not stand to reason and understanding of Indian people,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday approved the proposal of affiliating Sainik Schools under Sainik Schools Society, the Ministry of Defence (MoD). These schools will function as an exclusive vertical which will be distinct and different from existing Sainik Schools of MoD. In the first phase, 100 affiliate partners are proposed to be drawn from states/NGOs/ private partners.

Benefits of affiliating Sainik Schools under Sainik Schools Society, the Ministry of Defence

Provide cost-effective ways of reaching out to larger populations across all regions in the country

Meeting the growing demand for Sainik Schools