Category: INDIA

New Delhi: The Congress should understand that blaming Electronic Voting Machines will not help as its allies are now speaking about it, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Monday, seizing on Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s rejection of doubts on EVMs.

In an exclusive interview with PTI, the National Conference leader dismissed the objections to EVMs, saying it cannot be that the Congress celebrates its win in polls held through the machines and then raises questions on their reliability when it loses.

Abdullah had said, “When you get hundred-plus members of Parliament using the same EVMs and you celebrate that as sort of a victory for your party, you can’t then a few months later turn around and say… we don’t like these EVMs because now the election results aren’t going the way we would like them to.”

Asked about Abdullah’s remarks, Joshi said, “The Congress should understand when INDI alliance members are saying it… Mamata ji, Sharad Pawar ji, Akhilesh ji are also saying this… you cannot only blame EVM.”

“The Congress should realise their mistake because we also want a constructive opposition. We don’t want the opposition to be weak… The Congress should introspect and improve themselves,” Joshi told reporters outside Parliament.

Dinesh Sharma of the BJP said Abdullah “spoke the truth”.

“Some day he will also speak the truth on Article 370, how BJP has done a favour to the nation by abrogating it,” he said.

“The Congress’ allies also know that elections through EVMs are fair. They are happy when they win and complain when they lose. Their drama has been exposed,” he told reporters outside Parliament.

JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha said, “We are from Bihar. We have seen how booths were captured and the weaker sections were not allowed to vote. Since the EVMs came, the poor could also vote. The Congress goes around carrying a copy of the Constitution and is demolishing all Constitutional institutions.

However, INDIA bloc constituent the Samajwadi Party’s MP Anand Bhadauria said his party has always been against EVMs. “The SP and Akhilesh (Yadav) ji have said we will win 80 seats (from Uttar Pradesh) and remove EVMs. The SP has always been against the EVMs and will continue to oppose it.”

The Congress’ Lok Sabha MP from Barabanki Tanuj Punia said the party has always maintained that it is against EVMs.

“We are consistent… Even when we win, we have always said EVMs should be done away with. We won more seats in Uttar Pradesh, but we still said it should be done away with,” he said. “Several developed nations have rejected EVMs because there is a possibility of manipulation.”

“Even if we come to power on EVMs, we will still remove EVMS. It is a threat to democracy,” Imran Masood of the Congress said.

Pune woke up to its coldest December morning since 2018, as temperatures dropped significantly across the city and surrounding areas. On Monday, Shivajinagar recorded a low of 7.8°C, marking the season’s lowest temperature to date. Other areas like NDA reported 6.1°C, and Baramati registered 7.3°C, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The temperature variations across Pune district were wide, with several areas experiencing cooler conditions. Lonavala recorded the highest temperature of 16.0°C, followed by Narayangaon at 10.0°C, Khed at 15.9°C, and Indapur at 9.7°C. Other notable temperatures included Magarpatta at 15.5°C, Purandar at 9.3°C, and Lonawala at 15.1°C.

On Sunday, temperatures across various weather stations in the district ranged from 6.2°C in Shirur to 16.8°C in Lonavala, with places like Dhamdhere and Wadgaon Sheri experiencing 10.6°C and 15.7°C, respectively. Ambegaon and Chinchwad saw temperatures of 10.0°C and 15.1°C, while Rajgurunagar recorded 9.9°C.

Over the past few days, temperatures have steadily dropped from 19°C to 16°C and 12°C, and now to below 10°C. On December 14, Pune recorded a minimum temperature of 10.1°C, signaling a continued cooling trend. The cold weather is expected to persist, with temperatures likely remaining in the lower ranges until at least December 18.

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh has seen a decline in wheat crop production in the past five years from 371.98 lakh tons in FY 2019-20 to 328.96 lakh tons in FY 2023-24, the assembly was told on Monday.

This was stated in a written reply submitted by Agriculture Minister Aidal Singh Kansana to a question asked by the leader of the opposition, Umang Singhar, in the assembly.

Wheat is one of the most important crops in Madhya Pradesh. Sharbati wheat is a regional variety of wheat, derived from the wheat grown in Ashoknagar and some other districts.

Singhar asked about data on the production of wheat and soybean from the financial year 2019-20 to the financial year 2023-24.

The minister stated that MP saw the production of 371.98 lakh tons of wheat in 2019-20 which declined to 328.96 lakh tons in 2023-24.

The production of wheat in 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 was 356.89 lakh ton, 349.23 lakh ton, and 349.77 lakh ton, respectively, the reply stated.

During the same period, soybean production has increased.

Madhya Pradesh’s soybean production rose to 68.36 lakh metric tons in 2023-24 from 38.56 lakh tons in 2019-20.

In 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23, the soybean production was 33.70 lakh, 53.92 lakh tons and 63.32 lakh tons, respectively, the reply stated. 

(Note: Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ’s editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh’s winter assembly session began on Monday and was adjourned for the day within an hour following protest of the Congress party over issues related to farmers inside the assembly.

Congress MLAs walked out of the assembly as their demand to hold a discussion over the fertiliser issue was not fulfilled on the first day of the winter session.

The Congress MLAs, including Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar reached the assembly with empty sacks of fertilizers as a mark of their protest. The Congress MLAs also raised slogans in front of Gandhi statue located on the premises of the state assembly.

“We want to discuss the problems of farmers in the assembly but the state government is running away from the discussion. If they don’t want to do it then they do so but provide fertilizers to the farmers. Even though the government is not able to do that. That is why we had to protest and walk out of the House. If enough fertilizers were being provided then we would not have protested with empty sacks,” Singhar told media persons after walking out of the assembly.

Besides, in a post on X, Singhar wrote, “Today, we marked our protest along with the MLAs by carrying DAP sacks to wake up the state government regarding the problems of the farmers in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly. The first day of the winter session of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly is dedicated to the farmers.” Earlier, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed pleasure that after successfully completing one year of the government in the state.

“The Winter assembly session is starting from today and I am happy that after successfully completing one year of public welfare works, we have entered the second year of our term. There is an assembly session at the beginning of the second year. One good thing is that we are organising the Jan Kalyan Parv Pakhawada (fortnight) and continuous development work is being dedicated to the public,” the CM said.

The five-day winter assembly session will conclude on December 20.

Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ’s editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.

Two teams still in the playoff race played out a thrilling encounter as UP Yoddhas edged out U Mumba 30-27 in Match 114 of the ongoing Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) 11 at the Badminton Hall, Balewadi Sports Complex, on Sunday.

According to a release from PKL, the raiding duo of Gagan Gowda and Bhavani Rajput delivered a stellar performance, ensuring a Sunday evening blockbuster and propelling UP Yoddhas to third place on the points table. The match began with U Mumba’s Manjeet making a strong start, successfully evading Ashu Singh and Mahender Singh to give his team a 2-0 lead.

The momentum swung back and forth between U Mumba and UP Yoddhas, with Bhavani Rajput executing a decisive do-or-die raid, dragging Lokesh Ghosliya to the midline.

Manjeet further showcased his raiding skills with a running hand touch on Ashu Singh in another do-or-die raid. Meanwhile, Ajit Chouhan underlined his status as the season’s best NYP with multiple successful raids.

For UP Yoddhas, Gagan Gowda’s raids were briefly neutralised by Rinku, while Hitesh and Bharat delivered crucial defensive contributions. The game remained tightly contested, with both teams exchanging points in quick succession.

Moments of individual brilliance, including Ajit Chouhan’s escape from Sumit’s block and a deft toe touch on Bharat, kept the match intense. At half-time, UP Yoddhas held a narrow 13-12 lead. The second half began with Ajit Chouhan capitalising on a defensive error by Mahender Singh to push through to the midline.

Bhavani Rajput and Gagan Gowda kept UP Yoddhas in contention, eventually taking the lead in the 10th minute when Amirmohammad Zafardanesh stepped into the lobby, causing confusion that allowed Bhavani to touch Sunil Kumar and inflict the game’s first all-out on U Mumba.

Rohit Raghav emerged as a key player in the latter stages, executing a powerful two-point raid that benched Ashu Singh and Mahender Singh. Another crucial moment came when Keshav Kumar’s bonus and Rinku’s tackle resulted in another all-out.

As the match neared its conclusion, substitute Sahul Kumar’s decisive tackle on Rohit Raghav sealed the all-important lead, securing a narrow two-point victory for UP Yoddhas over U Mumba. 

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) confidence is soaring high, while it’s the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which has been floundering and tottering in the run-up to the Delhi Assembly elections, said former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday.

Senior party leader Sisodia, speaking to IANS said that the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP is marching ahead with full confidence and is ready to pin down its rivals in the upcoming polls because people are happy with its good governance in the past ten years and ready to give it another chance.

“We have an excellent team of leaders, led by grassroots leader Arvind Kejriwal. In the past ten years, we have improved the city’s parameters in education, health and many other sectors.

“However, the BJP has neither any leadership nor any issues and agenda for the city. It’s only agenda is to keep complaining against our government and hence the rudderless BJP will offer no challenge to us,” Sisodia stated.

Notably, Delhi Assembly elections are likely to be held in February next year.

Political parties have already stepped up their campaign, with the AAP announcing fresh poll pledges of free electricity, water and more, while the BJP is firing volleys accusing the CM Atishi government of befooling and misleading Delhiites with ‘fake’ promises.

The AAP has already announced its candidates for all 70 seats, though it changed the constituency of Manish Sisodia from Patparganj to Jangpura.

This prompted the BJP to claim that the ‘flustered’ AAP was picking a safe seat for its tainted ex-Deputy CM.

The Kejriwal-led AAP, probably facing its biggest electoral challenge this time, is seeking re-election for the fourth time.

The row over alleged liquorgate, slapgate, sheesh mahal and more, is believed to have done much harm to the party’s promise of honest politics and the party has made a renewed push to win the mandate, to prove that these are nothing but ‘witch-hunts’ employed by the BJP-led Centre to remove it from power and stop the good work done over the past decade.

Around 280 companies have visited and hired from BITS Pilani Goa campus, which is a 4 percent increase over last year, said Balasubramanian.

New Delhi: Amid a global market downturn, a student from the BITS Pilani K K Birla Goa campus grabbed an impressive annual salary package of Rs 60.8 lakh during the placement season. According to institute officials, this package marks a 35 percent increase compared to last year’s highest domestic offer, showcasing a significant rise in placement success.

Computer science engineering student Ruturaj Godse has been offered the package by multinational investment management firm, D E Shaw.

This year, BITS Pilani K K Birla Goa campus witnessed over 90 percent of its 926 students who registered for placements being offered jobs this year.

G Balasubramanian, chief placement officer, India and Dubai, BITS Pilani said, “Of the students who registered, more than 79 have received salaries of over Rs 40 lakh per annum, making this number the highest ever for the campus. The number of students receiving salaries of Rs 40 lakh per annum is more than double of the previous years.”

The officer further informed that while the highest domestic salary has grown by 35%, the average salary has also seen a nearly 9.4% rise, going from Rs 19.2 lakh to Rs 20.9 lakh per annum, he said.

Around 280 companies have visited and hired from BITS Pilani Goa campus, which is a 4% increase over last year, said Balasubramanian.

“The hiring season at the Goa campus began well during the summer internship pre-placement offers. Over 60% of the interns received a full-time offer, with companies expressing strong satisfaction with the talent. These came from companies such as Google, Microsoft, Uber, D E Shaw, Texas Instruments, Nvidia, and Exxon Mobil, among several others,” said Goa campus placement head R B Mouli.

A large number of offers came from global tech giants, with Amazon offering jobs to 32 students, Uber to 16, Microsoft to 17, Nutanix to 13 and Google to 7, he said.

Actress Sara Ali Khan is filming in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand, for her upcoming project Sky Force, which stars Akshay Kumar and her ex-boyfriend Veer Pahariya. While she has not officially announced the film, a behind-the-scenes (BTS) video from the sets of Sky Force is doing the rounds on social media. The clip shows Sara and Veer dancing to a Garhwali song together, captivating fans with their infectious energy and rekindling curiosity about their on-screen chemistry.

In the video, Sara looked elegant in a white saree paired with a sleeveless blouse Veer, on the other hand, sported a moustache and was seen wearing a black blazer and white trousers as they shot in front of the Tibetan Buddhist Temple.

Check out the video:

While another videos showed Sara and Veer shooting at a cafe.

According to a report in Mid-Day, Sky Force directors Abhishek Anil Kapur and Sandeep Kewlani added a special song as a promotional strategy.

Who is Veer Pahariya?

Veer is is the grandson of former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Sushil Kumar Shinde and son of Mumbai-based businessman Sanjay Pahariya.

He also has a brother Shikhar Pahariya, who is currently in a relationship with actress Janhvi Kapoor.

Earlier, during the episode, Karan Johar teased Sara and Janhvi Kapoor, hinting they once dated “two brothers,” though he refrained from mentioning names.

“I am tracking back to before the pandemic. I don’t know the level of your friendship today, but I don’t remember there being any. I remember that you both have dated siblings before,” said Johar.

He added, “I mean it was the past. You both dated two brothers. And the commonality between the three of us is that they both used to live in my building.”