Govt should help build houses, will pressure it for relief: Rahul in Kerala

Congress leaders are going to pressurise the Government so that Kerala people get their compensation as soon as possible and citizens face minimum discomfort, said party president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday evening while addressing people at a relief camp in North Paravur.

"The Government owes you compensation and Government has to help you build your houses. We are in opposition and it is our job to make them do their duties. Every single Congress leader is going to pressurize the Government so that your compensation is paid as soon as possible and you face minimum discomfort," he said.

Gandhi also reminded people, as the Congress party is not in power both in Delhi and Kerala, they can't do 'big things'. However, he added that the Congress party is raising money to help people rebuild their houses.

Rail Board wants to mark Gandhi Jayanti with no non-veg served on trains

The Indian Railway Board proposed to mark the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti as a 'Vegetarian Day', suggesting that it will not include non-vegetarian items in the meals served on that day.

The Railway Board has planned that no non-vegetarian food will be served to passengers on railway premises on October 2 in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

The proposal also included a 'Swachhta Express' for Sabarmati and adjoining stations.

The board has also proposed for Mahatma Gandhi watermarked tickets.

The board has approached the Ministry of Culture, headed by Bharatiya Janata party's Mahesh Sharma for approval of the said proposals.

Railway Board chairman Ashwani Lohani had initiated a similar exercise in July 2017, when he was the Chairman and Managing Director of Air India, wherein it was announced that coach passengers on its domestic flights would only be offered vegetarian meals.

From 'Shalom Bollywood' to seeing the Taj: Netanyahu to land in India today

Six months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic visit to Israel, first ever by any Indian prime minister to the Jewish nation, his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu is arriving in India today for a six-day state visit.

The Israeli Prime Minister, who is the second Prime Minister from his country after Ariel Sharon to visit India in the last 25 years of a diplomatic relationship, will be accompanied by a 130-member delegation from various sectors including cyber, agriculture and defence.

Later in the day, he will call on External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj.

The visiting dignitary, on Monday, will be given a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan which will be followed by the wreath laying at the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi.

Netanyahu will also meet his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and hold delegation level talks.

The two sides will sign agreements and also issue a joint press statement. The Israeli Prime Minister will call on President Ram Nath Kovind later in the day.

On Tuesday, Netanyahu, accompanied by his wife Sara, will leave for Agra to see Taj Mahal. On the same day, he will visit Delhi and participate in the Raisina Dialogue, where he is scheduled to deliver an inaugural speech.
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BJP on Manish Tewari's Modi tweet: Congress has lost its mental balance

Congress leader Manish Tewari on Sunday triggered a row with a twitter post using abusive language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, evoking sharp reactions from the BJP and the twitterati with both demanding an apology from Sonia Gandhi.

Tewari is the second Congress leader after party general secretary Digvijaya Singh to come under fire for using foul language against Modi. Singh had recently retweeted a post which contained expletives against the prime minister.

In his post, Tewari used abusive words and wrote in Hindi, using the Roman script, about how Modi "befooled" people and that "Even Mahatma cannot teach MODI Deshbhakti (patriotism)".

He was responding to a remark made by a person on the micro-blogging website that patriotism is in the DNA of Modi and even Mahatma Gandhi cannot teach him that. It was made in response to a short video clip put out by Tewari about a gaffe purportedly committed by Modi abroad when he had started walking even as the national anthem was being played.
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Centre bars JNU, Delhi University, IIT-D from receiving foreign funds

Prominent academic institutions like JNU, Delhi University, IIT Delhi, ICAR besides Supreme Court Bar Association are among several hundred organisations barred by the Centre from receiving foreign funds.

The registration of these institutions under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010 (FCRA) has been cancelled by the Union Home Ministry as these have failed to file their annual returns for five consecutive years.

No organisation is allowed to receive funds from abroad unless it is registered under the FCRA. It is mandatory under the law for such organisations to submit income and expenditure statement to the government annually else their registration is cancelled.

Among the institutions whose FCRA licence have been cancelled include Jawaharlal Nehru University, University Of Delhi, Indira Gandhi National Open University, Indian Institute Of Technology, Delhi, Panjab University, Indian Council Of Agricultural Research, Gargi College, Delhi and Lady Irwin College, Delhi, according to the documents accessed by PTI.
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Amazon withdraws flip-flops bearing Mahatma Gandhi's picture

Latest News - After Amazon withdrew a Tri-coloured doormat offensive to Indian sensitivities from its Canadian platform in the face of warnings by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, the e-commerce major has now also pulled out flip-flops bearing the picture of Mahatma Gandhi, a senior official said on Thursday.

"We have been in touch with Amazon both in Washington as well as in Delhi and we have had constructive conversations," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said in his media briefing here.

"I am happy to report that the offending item has since been pulled by Amazon and we hope that our engagement will continue to be fruitful," he added.

Earlier this month, Amazon Canada kicked off a row by putting up (Read More)