Delhi

New Delhi, Oct 8 (PTI) President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday said the ongoing process of modernisation with induction of Rafale, Apache and Chinook will transform the Indian Air Force into an even more formidable strategic force.

On the occasion of Air Force Day, he said the nation remains indebted to the contribution of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in securing our skies and assisting civil authorities in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

New Delhi, Oct 7 (PTI) The government believes in press freedom but showing "provocative news" for the sake of TRP is not journalism and it must stop, Union minister Prakash Javadekar said on Wednesday.

Speaking at an event organised by RSS newsletter Panchajanya, he said after paid news and fake news, this is the era of "TRP journalism".

"There used to be paid news, fake news and now there is TRP journalism. The unnecessary burden of TRP must be stopped by the media. Someday they will have to improve themselves," the minister said.

New Delhi, Oct 7 (PTI) The government on Wednesday appointed RBI's senior-most executive director M Rajeshwar Rao as the deputy governor of the central bank.

Rao was appointed to the post vacated by N S Vishwanathan, who stepped down three months ahead of his extended tenure on health grounds.

"The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of M Rajeshwar Rao, Executive Director, Reserve Bank of India to the post of Deputy Governor Reserve Bank of India," a notification by the Department of Personnel and Training said.

New Delhi, Oct 6 (PTI) Terming as "horrible" the Hathras incident, the Supreme Court Tuesday directed the Uttar Pradesh government to inform it by October 8 about the steps taken to protect witnesses in the case in which a Dalit girl was allegedly brutally raped and died due to injuries.

The apex court directed the Yogi Adityanath government to file an affidavit in this regard and also ascertain whether the victim's family has chosen a lawyer.

Raipur, Oct 6 (PTI) Women commandos of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) on Tuesday recovered a powerful 10-kg improvised explosive device (IED), planted by Maoists, in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district and later defused it, a police official said.

The explosive, packed in a pressure cooker, was unearthed from a dirt track between Surnaar and Tetam villages under Katekalyan police station limits by a team of Danteshwari fighters during an operation, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pallava told PTI.

New Delhi, Oct 7 (PTI) The national capital's air quality was recorded in the poor category for a brief period Wednesday morning, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.

New Delhi, Oct 5 (PTI) Criminal cases against sitting and former lawmakers have increased over the last two years and strict monitoring at the micro level is needed by high courts to ensure expeditious disposal of cases against them, the Supreme Court was informed on Monday.

The total number of cases against sitting and former lawmakers are 4,859 as per a new report, while it was 4,442 in March 2020, the top court was apprised in a report filed before it.

New Delhi, Oct 6 (PTI) Former Union minister Dilip Ray was on Tuesday convicted by a special court here in a coal scam case pertaining to irregularities in the allocation of a Jharkhand coal block in 1999.

Special Judge Bharat Parashar convicted Ray, former minister of state (coal) in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, for criminal conspiracy and other offences.

New Delhi, Oct 5 (PTI) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday launched a mega anti-air pollution campaign, saying polluted air can be life threatening in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the campaign "Yudh Pradushan ke Virudh", separate plans have been prepared for each of the 13 pollution hotspots in the city, Kejriwal said during a digital press conference.

"Polluted air can be life threatening in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. Both affect lungs," he said.

New Delhi, Oct 4 (PTI) India's COVID-19 caseload went past 65 lakh, while the number of people who have recuperated from the disease crossed 55 lakh, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday.

The recovery rate stands at 84.13 per cent.