July 7, 1985, Forty Years Ago: Indo-Pak troops clash
New Gujarat CM
Amarsinh Chaudhary, a close confidante of the outgoing chief minister, Madhavsinh Solanki, was sworn in as chief minister of Gujarat. Solanki, who returned from Delhi, tendered his resignation to the governor in the morning after a cabinet meeting. He is the second Congress-I chief minister of Gujarat to have been forced out of office by an agitation. Chimanbhai Patel's ministry was dismissed in 1974 in the wake of a students' agitation.
Black box search
A new robot submarine is taking over the search for the flight recorder of a crashed Air India jet. Reports that it had been found were premature, a leader of the recovery team said. Commander Frank Digeorge, US Navy consultant to the operation, said the team now believed the minisubmarine at the scene lacked the equipment to detect the recorder's signal.
Tourism crisis
The tourism industry is facing an unprecedented crisis following sharp decline in foreign tourist traffic to India after Indira Gandhi's assassination last October. According to officials in the travel trade, the tourist traffic has dropped by 20 to 30 per cent since November 1984, resulting in the loss of crores of rupees in foreign exchange. They said that group after group cancelled their scheduled trips to India after the assassination and the subsequent violence that erupted all over the country.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
5 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Rahul Gandhi demands clean, pure voter list
NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said the Opposition is protesting for the right to vote for every Indian, and demanded a "clean and pure" voter list. He said the Election Commission is silent as the truth is before the entire nation, after his charge that over one lakh votes in an assembly constituency in Karnataka were found to be fake in a research conducted by his party. Gandhi participated in the protest march by Opposition MPs from Parliament House to the EC office, but was prevented midway by the police and detained. They (EC) cannot talk as the truth is before the entire nation," he said as he was being taken away in a bus by the police. "This fight is not political, but for saving the Constitution," he asserted.
Time of India
5 minutes ago
- Time of India
Biofuels are a pathway to rural prosperity: Sanjeev Chopra, Secy, DFPD
Biofuels are emerging as more than just a decarbonisation tool for the transport sector. They are also a pathway to rural prosperity , agricultural value creation and greater energy security , according to Sanjeev Chopra , Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution . The Indian government can take cues from global experience. Brazil's long-standing ethanol programme, which blends sugarcane-based ethanol in petrol at levels of up to 27 per cent, has reduced oil imports, strengthened rural incomes and created a thriving bioenergy industry. The United States has used corn-based ethanol, blending around 10 per cent in most petrol sold nationally, to support its farm sector while lowering transport emissions. Indonesia has taken a biodiesel route, mandating a B35 blend that uses palm oil to replace petroleum diesel, cutting imports and supporting palm oil growers, with higher blends under consideration. 'Together, we can turn surplus production into sustainable energy, rural growth into national resilience, and agricultural value into enduring prosperity,' Chopra said at the SIAM conference on biofuels. He stressed that ethanol and electric mobility should not be viewed as competing technologies but as complementary routes to achieving environmental and economic goals. 'It is not about either-or. These technologies can grow in a complementary manner, ensuring that consumer needs, producer capabilities and environmental goals are all met,' he said. Diversifying the feedstock base Chopra outlined government initiatives to ensure sustainable and diversified ethanol feedstocks. From October 2025, a pilot will reduce the permissible broken rice percentage in government procurement, freeing up 50 lakh tonnes of fortified rice in five states for ethanol production without affecting food security. 'The idea is to ensure that surplus rice, which is already fortified and stored in the system, can directly support our fuel blending needs without affecting food security,' he noted. Maize production has also been rising sharply, from 340 lakh tonnes to an expected 425 lakh tonnes in two years, with a focus on high-yield varieties and improved post-harvest management. Trials with sweet sorghum at the National Sugar Institute in Kanpur have shown it can be processed in existing sugar mills without major equipment changes, potentially supplying up to 10 per cent of India's ethanol requirement if grown alongside sugarcane. Strengthening rural economies and energy security Chopra linked the biofuel drive to broader rural and economic benefits. By creating additional markets for crops such as sugarcane, rice, maize and sorghum, ethanol production can help stabilise farm incomes, reduce surplus stockpiles and cut India's dependence on imported oil. He also underlined that this approach could protect the country from global supply chain vulnerabilities in critical materials like lithium and semiconductors, which affect electric vehicle production. 'A diverse energy strategy makes us more resilient, both economically and environmentally,' he said.
Time of India
5 minutes ago
- Time of India
DGCA Investigates Air India After Congress MP KC Venugopal's Shocking Near-Death Flight Experience
Congress leader and party general secretary KC Venugopal has narrated a chilling account of Air India flight AI 2455 from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi, which made an emergency diversion to Chennai on Sunday night. The flight, carrying several Members of Parliament, was delayed at departure before being hit by unprecedented turbulence shortly after take-off. Venugopal said a suspected technical fault forced the pilot to divert to Chennai, but what followed was even more nerve-racking, nearly two hours of circling before a failed first landing attempt. 'Another aircraft was reportedly on the same runway. The Captain's quick decision to pull up saved every life on board,' he wrote, adding that 'passenger safety cannot depend on luck.' Air India later clarified that the go-around was due to ATC instructions amid poor weather, not runway conflict. The DGCA is probing the incident as the airline faces increasing scrutiny over safety lapses following the deadly June 12 crash and other alarming episodes.#dgca #airindia #kcvenugopal #flightincident #aviationsafety #flightnews #india #breakingnews #airindiaprobe #midairscare #delhinews #thiruvananthapuram #chennailanding #atc #planeincident #breakingnews #trending #trendingnow #toi #bharat #toibharat #indianews Read More
