Rs 51 cr sanctioned to support EC exercise
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They targeted the ECI after the latter on Monday revealed that around 35 lakh of the 7.90 crore electors already enrolled in the list will be removed. Reacting over the ECI statistics, VIP founder Mukesh Sahani said, "If people's names are struck off the rolls, they will resort to violence." Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha said they are the people who don't have faith in any constitutional body in the country.
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First Post
4 minutes ago
- First Post
If not Russia, from where can India buy its oil?
India has been receiving flak from the US for buying oil from Russia. Trump has even imposed a 25 per cent tariff. If the penalties continue, India will have no option but to halt the crude oil imports from Russia. In such a case, what are its options? read more US President Donald Trump has warned that countries purchasing Russian exports could face sanctions if Russia fails to reach a peace deal with Ukraine. File image/AP India, which gets more than a third of its oil imports from Russia, is likely to turn to supplies from the West Asia and Africa and other regions if it is forced to cut Russian imports due to possible US penalties. Why is India importing Russian oil? India turned to purchasing Russian oil sold at a discount after Western countries imposed sanctions on Moscow and shunned its supplies over its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russia has become the top supplier to India, accounting for about 35 per cent of India's overall supplies, up from less than 2 per cent before the war in Ukraine. Global crude prices surged to $137 ( approx. Rs 12,000) per barrel on supply shortage fears in the wake of the Western-led sanctions before stabilising. The discounted Russian crude has reduced Indian refiners' costs. India imports more than 85% of its oil needs. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD How much Russian oil does India buy? The world's third-biggest oil importer and consumer received about 1.75 million barrels per day of Russian oil in the first half of this year, up 1 per cent from a year ago, trade data showed. A view of reservoirs of Russian state-controlled oil giant OAO Rosneft at Priobskoye oil field Near Nefteyugansk in western Siberia, Russia. File image/AP While Indian state refiners buy Russian oil from traders, private refiners Nayara Energy and Reliance Industries Ltd, operator of the world's largest refining complex, have long-term supply deals with Rosneft. Why does Trump want Indians to cut Russian oil imports? US President Donald Trump has said he would raise the tariff charged on goods imported from India substantially from 25 per cent, in view of New Delhi's continued purchases of Russian oil. He has warned that countries purchasing Russian exports could face sanctions if Russia fails to reach a peace deal with Ukraine. New Delhi has resisted the pressure, citing its longstanding ties with Russia and its economic needs. However, the country's state refiners have paused buying Russian oil. What are India's options if it can't buy Russian oil? Besides Russia, India buys oil from Iraq - its top supplier before the war in Ukraine followed by Saudi Arabia - and the United Arab Emirates. Indian refiners mostly buy oil from West Asian producers under annual deals with the flexibility to request more supply every month. Since Trump's sanctions warning, the refiners have bought crude from the United States, the West Asia, West Africa, and Azerbaijan. India has diversified its sources of supply to about 40 countries, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri says, adding that more supply is coming onto the market from Guyana, Brazil and Canada.
India Today
8 minutes ago
- India Today
Delhi Assembly's mysterious chamber really a phansi ghar for executions?
Controversy around the Delhi Assembly building is hanging like a hangman's noose, literally. For two days in a row in the ongoing monsoon session, the ruling BJP and the opposition AAP have been locked in a heated showdown. Over what? A secret tunnel and two mysterious chambers. Such heated were the exchanges that on Wednesday, former CM and AAP leader Atishi along with other MLAs had to be marshalled out. What are the mysterious chambers and the secret tunnel really? This is all about the controversy, and what archeologists and historians have to BJP government, led by Rekha Gupta, has dismissed the claim of the former AAP-era government that the underground chambers beneath the Delhi Assembly were once gallows linked to the Red Fort, asserting instead that the space merely housed a service staircase used for delivering tiffins during the British were those two chambers really gallows, and did the tunnel truly lead to the Red Fort? Does the Delhi Assembly building have a spooky past? Historians and archaeologists suggest DELHI ASSEMBLY'S 'PHANSI GHAR' CAME TO LIFE Back in 2021, during the AAP regime, the then Speaker of the Delhi Assembly, Ram Niwas Goel, claimed that the chambers beneath the Assembly once served as a phansi ghar (gallows) during British rule. According to him, the underground tunnel connected to the Red Fort and was likely used by the British to transport convicts on death row for even showed the tunnel's entrance to the media and made claims about its history and possible use."Tunnel connects Vidhan Sabha to Red Fort," Goel said in 2021. However, he added that because of modern-day construction, the tunnel's path had been blocked."The tunnel and the phansi ghar (hanging arena) will be opened for tourists by January 26, 2022, or next Independence Day," Goel had 2002, the chambers were revamped for public viewing, with images of freedom fighters displayed on the walls. The Delhi Assembly Speaker in 2021 said the mysterious tunnel connected the Vidhan Sabha to Red Fort. (Image: India Today/File) KEJRIWAL'S FALSE CLAIM, TAMPERING OF HISTORY, SAYS BJP GOVTHowever, now, the newly formed BJP government, led by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, has dismissed these claims as historically to them, the space originally housed a service staircase used to deliver tiffins, not that the Kejriwal government spent Rs 1 crore to make the chambers resemble a jail, by erecting symbolic prison bars, placing a couple of nooses, and installing murals of freedom fighters, Gupta on Wednesday called it "a gross distortion of history, an insult to martyrs, and a betrayal of public trust".advertisementAddressing the House, she ordered the structure be dismantled, a formal enquiry initiated, and an FIR registered, reported The Times of minister Kapil Mishra, according to a report in The Indian Express, accused the AAP government of "tampering with history" by projecting a false Speaker Goel, however, maintained his claims about the gallows chamber and tunnel, stating that he had written to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) thrice, requesting an examination of the structures, but received no response. CM Gupta alleged Kejriwal, in a calculated attempt to gain political mileage, misled the public by presenting old service chambers as British-era gallows. (Image: PTI) HISTORIANS, ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISMISS CLAIMS OF TUNNEL, 'PHANSI GHAR'All these accusations and counter-accusations are being made by politicians over the two chambers and tunnels. But what do those whose domain is history, archaeology, and heritage have to say?advertisementFirst, a bit about the history of the Vidhan Sabha Assembly building, located near the northern Delhi ridge, was constructed in 1912 as the Central Legislative Assembly under British colonial India's Independence in 1947, it served as the Parliament House until 1950. Later, it was repurposed for the Delhi Legislative Assembly following the creation of Delhi as a Union Territory with a legislative body in the Safvi, a Delhi-based historian who has authored several books on the capital city's mediaeval past, had, in 2021, disputed the Speaker's claims."The Delhi Vidhan Sabha building was constructed in 1912, and it seems very improbable that there would be a tunnel which connected it to the Red Fort," Safvi told India Today."The Red Fort was built between 1639 and 1648. And any construction activity that took place there, including tunnels, would have happened in the first 100–200 years of its existence. So, the tunnel that has been discovered must have been for some other use and is much shorter. It can't be connected all the way to the Red Fort," added Safvi, the author of the acclaimed 2016 book, The Forgotten Cities of and author Sohail Hashmi said it was "highly unlikely" that the Legislative Council acted as both judge and executioner, regularly carrying out executions on its own premises."I would think that the story of a phansi ghar at the present-day Delhi Assembly is nothing more than a little fanciful fable," Hashmi told The Indian Express.A Delhi Archaeology Department official told the newspaper that it has neither investigated the claims regarding the existence of a phansi ghar or a tunnel, nor has it been asked to do so by any the Kejriwal government announced the existence of a phansi ghar, but didn't provide any supportive evidence to the public, the claims remain speculative and are being questioned. A thorough examination by the Archaeological Survey of India or other Delhi State Archaeology Department is still awaited. Only then will the truth about the supposed gallows and secret tunnel be conclusively established.- EndsMust Watch
News18
14 minutes ago
- News18
Madhya Pradesh To Get Rs 1,800 Crore ‘Brahma' Rolling Stock Plant, Foundation Stone Ceremony On August 10
Last Updated: The facility is expected to be a game changer for the country's rail and defence manufacturing capabilities as it will facilitate indigenous design and testing of Vande Bharats A state-of-the-art Greenfield Rolling Stock Manufacturing Plant named 'Brahma' is coming up in Umaria, Bhojpur, in Vidisha district of Madhya Pradesh. The plant will be built by BEML Limited—a leading public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Defence. The development was officially announced by Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who highlighted the plant's strategic importance in transforming the country's mobility and defence landscape. The 'Brahma" facility—with an estimated investment of Rs 1,800 crore—is expected to be a game changer for the country's rail and defence manufacturing capabilities as it will facilitate indigenous design, production, assembly, and testing of Vande Bharat trains, modern metro coaches, and critical defence equipment. Beyond reducing reliance on imports, a modern plant like this will help in India's broader vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, or a self-reliant India, Chouhan stated. In a video message, he lauded the initiative as a 'historic step toward Aatmanirbhar Bharat"—opening doors for innovation, local enterprise, and a new era for India's manufacturing prowess. The plant will also accelerate infrastructural upgrades in the area. On August 10, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will lay the foundation stone, in the presence of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav. 'This isn't just an event; it's a celebration of nation-building, regional progress, and new opportunities. We are fully committed to taking our region to greater heights," Chouhan added. According to Chouhan, the Lok Sabha MP from Vidisha, the new plant will not only reinforce India's rail and defence sectors but will also bring transformative growth to Madhya Pradesh. 'Beyond strengthening our rail and defence sectors, the project will create local jobs and boost the regional economy by encouraging micro and small enterprises," he asserted in a social media post. Speaking to News18, a Railway Ministry official said the plant will directly generate substantial employment opportunities—from skilled technicians and engineers to local support services and will boost Vidisha's economy, leading to the growth of Madhya Pradesh and ultimately India's growth. 'Once operational, Brahma could become a hub for next-generation train and defense manufacturing in India's heartland," they added. view comments First Published: News india Madhya Pradesh To Get Rs 1,800 Crore 'Brahma' Rolling Stock Plant, Foundation Stone Ceremony On August 10 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.
