New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Friday passed the Pan Masala Cess Bill, aimed at funding both public health initiatives and national security projects, including the Mission Sudarshan Chakra, India’s ballistic missile defence shield. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the cess addresses a tax shortfall that will arise after the phasing out of the

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday ruled that excessive or unnecessary procedural requirements in public administration hinder good governance and must be struck down. A bench led by Justice PS Narasimha, along with Justice Atul S Chandurkar, emphasised that administrative processes should facilitate citizens’ access rather than burden them with redundant formalities. “Simplicity in

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New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s three-day visit to India highlighted deepening bilateral ties and joint efforts against terrorism, with both nations calling for an end to double standards in global counterterrorism efforts. In the Delhi Declaration, Putin and Prime Minister AB Vajpayee stressed that Pakistan must stop supporting terrorist incursions into India and implement

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New Delhi: Congress on Friday clarified that neither party chief and Rajya Sabha Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge nor Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi were invited to the state banquet in honour of visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin. Party officials said the invitation was extended to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who chairs the Parliamentary

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Thiruvananthapuram: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday extended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Kerala by one week, giving the state additional time to complete enumeration ahead of local body elections scheduled for December 9 and 11. The extension follows a request from the Kerala government, submitted after the Supreme

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New Delhi: Chaos gripped Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport for the third consecutive day on Friday, as IndiGo’s ongoing operational crisis left hundreds of passengers stranded across all three terminals. Over 300 flights were cancelled again, throwing travel plans into disarray and leaving families, elderly travellers, and children without accommodation or clear information on alternative

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New Delhi: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police has issued a formal notice to Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar as part of its ongoing investigation into the National Herald case, seeking comprehensive disclosures about his financial transactions and involvement with party-linked entities. The notice, dated November 29, directs Shivakumar, a senior

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Gurugram: New footage from the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway has cast a harrowing light on the fatal crash that claimed the lives of Lachhi Ram, 42, and his wife Kusum Lata, 38. The CCTV evidence shows the couple’s car was hit not once but twice by speeding vehicles that fled the scene, leaving the pair trapped and

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Karnataka has been plunged into a new political storm following remarks by the state’s Upalokayukta, Justice B. Veerappa, who recently stated at a public event that corruption pervades nearly two-thirds of the state’s administrative sectors. The comments, which quantified the level of corruption in the state at 63 percent, have set off a fierce exchange

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In the quiet hours of dawn, Uttam Nagar’s Prajapati Colony awakens to the rhythmic spin of potter’s wheels. Amid the soft light filtering through narrow alleyways, 30-year-old Kehar Singh molds a lump of fresh clay delivered from Faridabad into a slender vase. Beside him, his mother works with practiced hands, pressing, folding, and coaxing the

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