India

New Delhi, Jan 29 (PTI) A Delhi court Tuesday summoned scribe Priya Ramani as an accused in a defamation case filed by former Union minister M J Akbar after she levelled allegations of sexual misconduct against him in the #MeToo campaign.

The court directed Ramani to appear before it on February 25 after noting that the allegations made against Akbar were "prima facie defamatory" and he had denied all the accusations as "false and imaginary".

Gonda (UP), Jan 30 (PTI) A man was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly raping a 10-year old girl in a village in Umri Begumganj area here, police said.

The accused was identified as Vinit Singh, they said.

The incident took place on Tuesday when the minor was returning home from school and Singh took her to a secluded place and raped her, the police said.

Later, the girl narrated her ordeal to her family when she reached home, following which her kin lodged an FIR, they said.

New Delhi, Jan 30 (PTI) The BJP on Wednesday accused Congress MP Shashi Tharoor of insulting Hinduism by "ridiculing" the ongoing 'Kumbh' with "tactical support" of Rahul Gandhi.

BJP leader and Union minister Smriti Irani attacked the opposition party after Tharoor tweeted a photograph of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his cabinet colleagues taking a dip at 'Sangam' in Kumbh and apparently took a dig at them.

Jaipur, Jan 30 (PTI) Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday said if the minimum income guarantee, as announced by Congress president Rahul Gandhi earlier this week, is implemented, it will bring a revolution in the country.

On Monday, Gandhi had said his party would ensure minimum income guarantee for every poor in the country if it returns to power after the Lok Sabha polls due in April-May.

"The government should give the guarantee of minimum income. If this is done, it will be a revolution," Gehlot told reporters here.

Bhopal, Jan 30 (PTI) The Madhya Pradesh government will set up 1,000 'gaushalas' or cow shelters in the state in the next four months to accommodate around one lakh stray cows and their progeny, an official said Wednesday.

Setting up 'gaushalas' in every village panchayat was a key promise made by the Congress in its manifesto for the 2018 assembly elections.

With this announcement, the government expects to not only tackle stray cattle menace but also create 40 lakh man-days employment.

Panaji, Jan 30 (PTI) With the intention of making tourist hot-spots nuisance-free, the Goa government introduced a bill Wednesday which bans drinking and cooking in open spaces including on the beaches.

Tourism minister Manohar Ajgaonkar introduced the legislation in the Legislative Assembly.

The bill provides for a fine of Rs 2,000 for an individual and Rs 10,000 for a group of persons for violation of the law.

New Jan 30 (PTI) The government Wednesday approved the construction of nearly four lakh affordable houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), taking the total number to about 72.5 lakh, an official said Wednesday.

Union Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra said the mission is well on its way of achieving the target of one crore homes for urban areas in the country.

The PMAY(U), launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2015, aims to ensure "Housing for all by 2022"

Amaravati, Jan 30 (PTI) A seven-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a 28-year-old man at a village in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, police said Wednesday.

The incident came to light Wednesday morning after the girl complained of illness.

The accused was taken into custody immediately, police said.

The girl has been admitted to a government hospital.

KANPUR: Ample seating arrangements were made for Amit Shah’s rally on Railway Ground at Nirala Nagar on Wednesday, but the BJP office-bearers looked disheartened with the vacant seats. Thousands of the red chairs were empty until noon.

The BJP leaders who were present on the dais kept on telling the crowd of the reason behind the delay in the arrival of the party president Amit Shah and Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath. It was reported that they arrived two hours late.

New Delhi, Jan 30 (PTI) Opposition parties are likely to meet on Friday to discuss their future course of action on the EVM tampering issue.

Sources said the Congress has asked opposition leaders to meet on Friday to discuss a joint strategy on the issue of EVMs, as some parties have questioned the efficacy of EVMs and demanded that the Election Commission revert to the old system of ballot paper.