Saraswati Pushkaralu in Telangana: Where rivers meet, faith flows
Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao visited the ghat, took a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam and performed spiritual rituals. He also visited the Shri Kaleshwara Mukteshwara Swamy temple and offered prayers to Lord Shiva.
Speaking on the occasion, he said the Telangana government was organising the Saraswati Pushkaralu with devotion and grandeur. 'I prayed for the prosperity of Telangana and the well-being of its farmers. May the state flourish with abundant crops and harmony,' he said.
He noted that this is the first Saraswati Pushkaralu being held under the leadership of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. The state government, he added, has already begun planning for the upcoming Godavari Pushkaralu, with clear directions from the CM for early execution of arrangements.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
7 days ago
- Indian Express
Atiq Ahmed case: SP sacks MLA Pooja Pal for praising Yogi for ‘reducing mafia to dust'
Hours after she heaped praises on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for 'keeping his word and reducing mafia like Atiq Ahmed to dust', Chail MLA Pooja Pal was sacked by the Samajwadi Party for 'anti-party activities and serious indiscipline'. 'You have carried out anti-party activities and, even after being warned, you did not stop these activities, due to which the party has suffered a lot. The work done by you is anti-party and a serious act of indiscipline. Hence, you are expelled from Samajwadi Party with immediate effect,' the expulsion letter, handed to Pal on the Assembly premises, read. SP sources said that while the action against her may have followed her remarks praising Adityanath, Pal had been 'sulking' for a while and even met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the Maha Kumbh Mela earlier this year. 'She is believed to have also extended support to the BJP candidate in the Phulpur Assembly bypoll last year, which the SP lost,' a source said. Another SP MLA expressed 'no surprise' at her remarks. Speaking on the floor of the Assembly, during its marathon 24-hour sitting over Wednesday and Thursday, Pal said: 'I lost my husband, who was a member of this House. The entire House knows how my husband was killed and who killed him. I want to thank the CM, who saw my silent tears, which were overlooked by others for ages. He delivered justice to me in a true manner.' In 2023, Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were shot dead while on their way to a medical check-up under police custody, outside a hospital in Prayagraj. Pal was married to Raju Pal, a former BSP MLA who was killed in a 2005 shootout in Prayagraj, in which Ahmed and Ashraf were accused. Two years later, she made her electoral debut from Allahabad West seat as a BSP candidate and won. She retained the seat five years later, but lost the 2017 election. Ahead of the 2022 polls, she joined the SP, which fielded her from the Chail seat in Kaushambi district. Reacting to her expulsion, Pal said she 'genuinely wanted to thank the CM' and claimed her only fault was to mention Ahmed's name. 'The SP needs to choose between the families of those killed in Prayagraj and those killed in encounters,' she said. 'I was married for just nine days when my husband was killed. I just wanted to thank Adityanath for ensuring justice for me 18 years later. The journey was not easy as I knew nothing about the police, FIR, etc,' she added. Saying that she got associated with the SP as she aligned with the 'anti-mafia' thought processes of its chief Akhilesh Yadav, Pal said she was disappointed by the party's 'double standards'. 'When my husband was murdered, they slammed the BSP saying law and order under its regime was poor. But now they are feeling pain when Adityanath has walked the talk on tackling the mafia.'
NDTV
01-08-2025
- NDTV
"Big Headload Fell...": Railway Minister On What Led To Delhi Station Tragedy
New Delhi: A big headload that "fell from one of the passengers" led to the tragedy at New Delhi Railway Station that killed 18 people, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said today in response to a member's query. It resulted in the "tripping of passengers on the stairs", said the minister. In response to a query by Samajwadi Party MP Ramji Lal Suman in Rajya Sabha, Mr Vaishnaw shared details from the report by a high-level inquiry committee that was constituted to examine the circumstances leading to the "unfortunate incident". Mr Suman had asked the Railway Minister about the status of the report of the committee constituted to investigate the stampede and the corrective steps taken by the government. Eighteen people were killed and 15 were injured on February 15 at the New Delhi Railway Station, which witnessed a surge of passengers waiting to board trains for Prayagraj -- where the Maha Kumbh was underway at the time. In a post on X that night, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was "distressed by the stampede". However, in the Railway Minister's statement, there was no mention of the word "stampede". On the day of the tragedy, around 49,000 general tickets were sold at the railway stations, 13,000 more than the daily average, Mr Vaishnaw had informed the Lok Sabha in March. In his response today, the minister stated that sufficient crowd management measures were in place that day to manage the high number of passengers at the station. There was a "gradual increase of passenger density on the foot over bridge (FOB) after 8.15 pm", mentioned the written reply. "Many of the passengers were carrying big headloads, affecting smooth movement on the FOB. There was a big headload falling from one of the passengers, and the pressure was passed on to the stairs of platforms 14 and 15, resulting in the tripping of passengers on the stairs. This led to an incident at 8.48 pm on FOB-3," the minister said. "Consequently, passengers fell on each other," he said. Compensation of Rs 10 lakh was given to the families of each victim, Rs 2.5 lakh to those seriously injured, and Rs 1 lakh to those with simple injuries. "A total amount of Rs 2.01 crore has been paid to 33 victims and their family members," Mr Vaishnaw said. To manage large crowds better, the railways have put new measures in place. These include permanent holding areas, access control for confirmed ticket holders at 73 stations, wider foot overbridges, CCTV cameras, and war rooms at major stations. The Maha Kumbh Mela, the 45-day event that ended in February, led to record ticket sales, emphasising the importance of solid crowd management during such events.
News18
01-08-2025
- News18
‘Passengers Fell On Each Other': Railways Says Headload, Not Stampede, Killed 18 At New Delhi Station
The February 15 incident was caused by a passenger dropping a headload, leading to a fall on the stairs, said the ministry The railway ministry on Friday told Parliament that the February 15 incident at the New Delhi station, where 18 people died, was caused by a passenger dropping a headload, leading to a fall on the stairs—not a stampede, as initially described. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said on the night of the incident that he was 'distressed by the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station". Distressed by the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured have a speedy recovery. The authorities are assisting all those who have been affected by this stampede.— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 15, 2025 Minister cites report MP Ramji Lal Suman had asked the ministry about the 'stampede which took place on the night of February 15 at New Delhi Railway Station". Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw cited the findings of a report, saying the incident happened on 'Foot Over Bridge (FOB)-3 stairs connecting Platform 14/15 at New Delhi Railway Station". 'On the day of the incident, sufficient crowd management protocols were in place to handle the overall volume of passengers at the station," he said. Explaining the events, he added that there was a gradual increase in passenger density on the FOB after 8.15 pm. 'Many of the passengers were carrying big headloads, affecting smooth movement on the FOB. There was a big headload falling from one of the passengers, and the pressure was passed on to the stairs of PF 14/15, resulting in the tripping of passengers on the stairs. This led to an incident at 8.48 pm on FOB-3, which was limited to the stairs of FOB. Consequently, passengers fell on each other," the ministry said. Rs 2.01 crore paid to 33 victims Vaishnaw said that an ex gratia amount of Rs 10 lakh was paid to the next of kin of each deceased, Rs 2.5 lakh each to the grievously injured, and Rs one lakh each to those with simple injuries. 'Accordingly, a total amount of Rs 2.01 crore has been paid to 33 victims and their family members," he added. In March, News18 reported that the ministry had said that on February 15, around 49,000 general tickets were issued at the station—13,000 more than the daily average of tickets sold during the previous six months. The rush was for the Maha Kumbh Mela, which concluded in February. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
