India

New Delhi, May 29 (PTI) A meeting of opposition parties, which was scheduled for Friday and meant to deliberate over their reasons for defeat, has been cancelled due to non-availability of some leaders, sources said Thursday.

After facing a drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress had convened a meeting of opposition parties in Parliament on May 31 to discuss the possible reasons for their defeat.

They were also expected to discuss their strategy for the Parliament session which is likely to begin from June 6.

New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday described his new council of ministers as a blend of youthful energy and administrative experience.

Soon after President Ram Nath Kovind administered oath to Modi and the council of ministers, the PM in a tweet said the team is a "blend of youthful energy and administrative experience."

He said it has people who have excelled as parliamentarians and those who have had distinguished professional careers.

"Together, we will work for India's progress," he said.

Mumbai, May 30 (PTI) NCP president Sharad Pawar didn't attend the oath-taking ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his new team of ministers as the veteran politician was not allotted seat at the event "as per protocol", the party said Thursday.

NCP chief spokesperson Nawab Malik expressed disappointment over the alleged episode, saying, "It was not right" given that Pawar is a senior national leader who had served as a Union minister and also Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) One-third of the total ministers in the Modi's 2.0 Cabinet are the first-timers, which includes BJP president Amit Shah and former foreign secretary S Jaishankar.

Two former chief ministers -- Ramesh Pokhriyal (Uttarakhand) and Arjun Munda (Jharkhand) -- have taken oath as Union ministers for the first time.

This will be the first innings as Union ministers for six Cabinet ministers and 13 Ministers of State in the Modi government.

Most prominent among them are Shah and Jaishankar, who are likely to get high profile ministries.

Shahjahanpur (UP), May 31 (PTI) A 28-year-old woman was raped by two youth, who also posted a video of the crime on social media, police said Friday.

SP, Rural, Subhash Chandra Shakya, said the husband of the victim has lodged a complaint that the two youth identified as Neelesh and Shyamu Pal allegedly raped his wife while she was sleeping inside the house on April 10.

New Delhi, May 31 (PTI) Following is the list of portfolios allocated to Ministers of State;

1. Faggan Singh Kulaste: Minister of State in the Ministry of Steel.

2. Ashwini Kumar Choubey: Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

3. Arjun Ram Meghwal: Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.

4. General (Retd) V K Singh: Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

New Delhi, May 31 (PTI) Amit Shah will be the new Home minister, Rajnath Singh the new Defence minister and Nirmala Sitharaman the new Finance minister, the Rashtrapati Bhavan announced on Friday.

Former foreign secretary turned minister S Jaishankar has got the External Affairs ministry while Smriti Irani will be the new Women and Child Development Minister along with retaining the Textile Ministry, according to a communique issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Agra: Commemorating the birth anniversary of Hindu Mahasabha leader Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha on Tuesday distributed knives to students from class X and XII.

New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) The Congress has decided not to send spokespersons for television debates for a month. The move comes after the party's debacle in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls.

The Congress has often accused the media of being "biased" towards the Modi dispensation.

"@INCIndia has decided to not send spokespersons on television debates for a month," Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted.

"All media channels/editors are requested to not place Congress representatives on their shows," he said.

New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) The Ganga River water is absolutely unfit for "direct drinking" and only seven spots from where it passes can be consumed after disinfection, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has said.

According to the latest data with the CPCB, most of the Ganga River water in the Uttar Pradesh-West Bengal stretch is unfit for drinking and bathing.

A map released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) shows high level of coliform bacteria in the river.