Indian Sub-continent

Shimla, Aug 31 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh is facing a debt burden of Rs 49,096 crore, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur informed the state Assembly on Saturday.

Replying to questions by Jagat Singh Negi, Rajinder Rana and Ramesh Chand Dhawala, the CM stated that the state's debt burden was Rs 46, 385 crore in 2017.

Srinagar, Aug 31 (PTI) Restrictions were lifted from most parts of Kashmir on Saturday, a day after strict curbs on the movement of people were imposed in view of Friday congregational prayers, officials said.

Restrictions have been lifted from most areas of the valley on Saturday morning, the officials said.

They said barricades have been removed from the roads in most areas of the city and elsewhere in the valley to allow the movement of people.

Bhadohi (UP), Aug 31 (PTI) A 15-year-old girl was forcibly married three months ago and kept captive allegedly by her cousins in Uttar Pradesh's Bhadohi district, police said on Saturday.

The incident appear to be a fallout of a property dispute between the girl's father, who works in Mumbai, and cousin Ramesh Dubey, a resident of Suriyawa town. The dispute is pending in a court, police said.

Korba, Aug 31 (PTI) A 40-year-old man has been booked for allegedly raping his 17-year-old daughter at their residence in Chhattisgarh's Korba district since the last three years, police said on Saturday.

The accused, booked on alleged charges of rape and criminal intimidation, and under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on Friday, is yet to be arrested, said Kartala Station House Officer (SHO) Sunil Kurre.

The complainant stated that her father, who had married another woman after death of his first wife in 2011, had been raping her since 2016.

Thane, Aug 30 (PTI) A Thane resident was arrested for allegedly raping a seven-year-old girl after luring her home with chocolates, an official said on Friday.

The child's parents had gone to work and she was playing near her house on Thursday afternoon when Santosh Shinde (43) took her to his place on the pretext of giving chocolates and raped her, Senior Inspector Jitendra Rathod said.

"When her parents returned home in the evening, they found the child frightened. When asked, she narrated the ordeal," he said.

Kolkata, Aug 30 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of colluding with Left parties and said the country should move on its inbuilt principle of inclusiveness and not on the path of Duryodhana and Dushashana.

Maintaining that no one is above the law and a criminal should be punished, Banerjee wondered why the CBI is yet to summon a single CPI(M) leader in corruption or chit fund cases.

Kochi, Aug 31 (PTI) Sarah Jacob Cohen, the oldest member of Kerala's tiny jewish community, passed away at her residence at Mattancherry jew town here.

She died on Friday.

Cohen was 96, her caretaker said.

She would be laid to rest on Sunday at the cemetery attached to ancient synagogue in Mattancherry.

Akola, Aug 31 (PTI) While the festival of 'Pola' is dedicated to bulls in Maharashtra, people from certain communities in Akola district worship donkeys on that day.

Farmers in Maharashtra worship bulls and oxen on the occasion of 'Pola', also called as 'Bail Pola', as a mark of gratitude for their year-long hard work for farming. The festival was celebrated on August 30 this year.

Similarly, people from the Bhoi and Kumbhar (potter) communities worship donkeys as a mark of gratitude and respect, said community member Vishnu Chore.

Bhopal, Aug 31 (PTI) It is said marriages are made in heaven but they need commitment to make them work on earth.

However, in Madhya Pradesh, a coaching class owner's 'obsession' with competitive examinations seems to have not only nipped his relationship with his newly-wed wife in bud but has also become the cause for a divorce petition!

Guwahati, Aug 31 (PTI) The updated final NRC, which validates bonafide Indian citizens of Assam, was out on Saturday, with over 19 lakh applicants who failed to make it to the list staring at an uncertain future.

A total of 3,30,27,661 people had applied to be included in the NRC. Of them, 3,11,21,004 have been included in the document and 19,06,657 excluded, a statement from the NRC State Coordinator's office said here.