The chief minister announced opening of the office of block development officer in Surani, division of Jal Shakti department in Jawalamukhi and subdivision in Majheen, besides announcing the upgrade of Majheen and Lagdu sub-tehsils. He also announced the opening of sub-tehsil in Bhadoli and opening of Patwar circles in Luthan and Hiran.

Chief minister (CM) Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday presided over the ‘Sarkar Gaon Ke Dwar’ programme at Amb-Pathiyar under Jawalamukhi assembly constituency and interacted with the people to know their grievances.

Tamil Nadu’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Minister T.M. Anbarasan on Wednesday launched ‘Smart Cards’ for startups.

According to details provided by Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Mission (StartupTN), the Smart Card offers a comprehensive selection of products and services at subsidised rates, specially tailored to meet the needs of startups in their early stages. Startups can significantly enhance and expedite their business growth by making use of the products and services at an affordable cost.

StartupTN has collaborated with various partners to provide a diverse range of products and services to equip startups with essential resources and support at a reduced cost. The products and services have been broadly classified into six different categories: legal and compliance, marketing / business consulting, finance and insurance, human resource and smart workspace, software and IT/ITES.

India was declared the winner of the SAFF U19 Women’s football final over Bangladesh with a coin toss after the game was tied 11-11 on penalties. The match officials later announced both sides as the joint winners of the tournament.

India took the lead early on in the 8th minute of the match and was ahead at half-time. Bangladesh pulled one back in stoppage time right before the full-time whistle and the game went on to penalties.

Interestingly, all the 11 players of both sides, including the goalkeepers, converted their penalty kicks.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi House on Thursday passed a budget of Rs 16,683 crore for 2024-25 financial year without a vote amid accusations of corruption against the mayor.

The MCD passed the budget estimates for 2023-24 and 2024-25.

AAP councillors stood guards at Delhi mayor Shelly Oberoi's podium as she announced the budget, with their BJP and Congress counterparts surrounding it. The house could function for no more than five minutes as Oberoi read the budget above shouts of accusations and hurried out.

Union Minister for Tourim, Culture and Development of Northeast Region, G. Kishan Reddy, announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the upcoming fourth terminal at Cherlapally towards month end or first week of March.

He also stated that the MMTS Phase-II suburban railway services will be completed in all aspects in the next few days with the last remaining section between Sanathnagar and Moula Ali to be ready soon by the month end. But, he was non-committal of either starting new MMTS services or about seeking new train sets in view of the extended services. He addressed a press conference held at Secunderabad railway station on Wednesday.

Despite the State Government not coming forward to pay its share of cost, few sections were opened last year up to Falaknuma and Medchal, he claimed. Mr. Kishan Reddy also stated that the extension of MMTS line from Ghatkesar and Yadadri will also be taken up with survey works underway and tenders will be called. “We will take up the issue with the State Government seeking their cooperation,” he said. Incidentally, the Minister is on record vowing to build and run MMTS services with or without State’s financial assistance.

Renowned Kashmiri poet and broadcaster Farooq Nazki passed away on Tuesday at a hospital in Katra on Tuesday. He was 83.

According to media reports, he was battling several health issues, including lung and kidney complications over the past four years.

Nazki was awarded the Sahitya Akademi award in Kashmir for his poetry book ‘Naar Hyutun Kanzal Wanas’ (fire in the eyelashes).

He was also Director of Doordarshan and All India Radio, Srinagar from 1986-97. He retired from his job in 2000.

Tehran on Tuesday, February 6, 2024 announced the initiation of a 15-day visa-free policy for Indian tourists visiting the country, the Iran Embassy said in a statement here.Under the new order, Indian citizens would be allowed to enter Iran with ordinary passports once every six months and with a maximum stay of 15 days which will not be extended.

The visa abolition only applies to individuals entering the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran for tourism purposes, it said."If Indian nationals wish to stay for a longer period or make multiple entries within a six-month period require other types of visas, they must obtain the necessary visas through the respective representations of the Islamic Republic of Iran in India," the statement said

The Uttarakhand State Legislative Assembly on Wednesday passed the Uniform Civil Code, Uttarakhand, 2024 Bill.

With this, Uttarakhand became the first State in the country to pass a law on Uniform Civil Code.

The bill was tabled before the Assembly today two days after the Uttarakhand Cabinet approved the final draft of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

Earlier, in 2022, a committee was formed by the Pushkar Singh Dhami-led State Government to prepare the draft of the UCC. The committee consisted of a five-member panel headed by retired judge of the Supreme Court Ranjana Prakash Desai.

In a bid to enhance voter awareness and promote greater participation in the electoral process, the Chief Electoral Officer of Himachal Pradesh, Maneesh Garg, announced the signing of two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) on Tuesday.

According to a press release and with the order of the Chief Electoral Officer, Himachal Pradesh, the first MoU was inked between the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department and the Election Department, aimed at disseminating voter awareness among the masses across the state.

Under this collaboration, Special Voter's Enrollment and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) committees will be established at the Gram Panchayat level, comprising Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Yuvak Mandals (YMs), Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), Mahila Mandals, and other user groups.

Ministers of State for Health Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar and Prof. S.P Singh Baghel launched 'Kilkari' programme on Wednesday, a mobile health initiative for beneficiaries, in local content, in Gujarat and Maharashtra as part of Digital Health India Programme. Kilkari is a centralized interactive voice response (IVR) based mobile health service which delivers free, weekly, time appropriate AV messages about pregnancy, childbirth, childcare to the mobile phones of beneficiaries. It is operational in 18 States and UTs.

Mobile Academy, a free audio training course designed to expand and refresh the knowledge of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) and improve their communication skills via their mobile phones was also launched on the occasion.