Vikram Misri to brief Shashi Tharoor-led parliamentary panel over India-Pakistan tensions on May 19
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will brief the Shashi Tharoor-led parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs regarding the current situation with Pakistan on May 19, PTI reported.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor told PTI that the Foreign Secretary will inform the committee about the current developments after the India and Pakistan agreed to halt military actions following Operation Sindoor.
Misri has often briefed the parliamentary panel on several foreign affairs issues, such as developments in India's neighbourhood and its ties with Canada.
(This is a developing story. Check back for updates)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
18 minutes ago
- Indian Express
26th foundation function of NCP: Ajit Pawar asks party workers to gear up for civic polls
Refraining from any direct criticism or remark on Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), NCP chief Ajit Pawar on Tuesday urged party workers to put in all efforts to ensure victory in the upcoming civic elections. 'Many of our leaders are founder members of the NCP. It has grown since its formation in 1999. However, the party has not got a majority in elections to form a government. Alliances had to be formed and the NCP joined the NDA,' said Pawar at the 26th foundation function of the NCP. He said the NCP joined hands with the Shiv Sena in 2019 and it indicates adjustment has to be made at times to be in power. 'Though we have joined the NDA we have not given up our ideology of secularism. There are many political parties who believe in secularism and have been part of the NDA,' Pawar said. Earlier, the NCP passed two resolutions over the success of Operation Sindoor and congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his impressive performance in the last 11 years by leading the NDA-led Centre. The NCP chief did not say anything on speculations over merger of the two NCPs nor criticised the opposition NCP (SP). 'We want to resolve public issues. The country is developing, and the state is also developing. I want to assure that there will be no compromise on the secular fabric of the party. Our ideology of secularism and creating progressive society continues. We have been against extremism and will continue to do so,' he said, justifying the party's joining the NDA on development agenda. The NCP received a setback in the Lok Sabha elections but later worked hard for the Assembly elections resulting in the 'ladki bahin' scheme, said Pawar, adding, 'I will not let the scheme to be closed.' The NCP chief said the civic polls are only a few months away. 'The BMC election will be wardwise while other municipal corporations will likely have a four-ward electoral panel system for civic polls. We should be fully prepared for it. NCP ministers will be asked to hold election rallies per week in municipal corporations to activate party workers. The pre-poll alliance for civic elections will be as per the stand of local party units,' he said. 'Real political fight coming now with elections to 28 municipal corporations, 25 zila parishad or municipal councils and 285 panchayat samiti. So work hard for civic polls,' said Pawar, urging party workers to set a target of enrolling one crore new members for the party. Ajay Jadhav is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, Pune. He writes on Infrastructure, Politics, Civic issues, Sustainable Development and related stuff. He is a trekker and a sports enthusiast. Ajay has written research articles on the Conservancy staff that created a nationwide impact in framing policy to improve the condition of workers handling waste. Ajay has been consistently writing on politics and infrastructure. He brought to light the lack of basic infrastructure of school and hospital in the hometown of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde even as two private helipads were developed by the leader who mostly commutes from Mumbai to Satara in helicopter. Ajay has been reporting on sustainable development initiatives that protects the environment while ensuring infrastructure development. ... Read More
Indian Express
18 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘Infiltration, violence, obstructed Central schemes': Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav slams Bengal government ahead of 2026 Assembly elections
Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav, addressing a press conference in a Kolkata hotel, launched a scathing attack on the West Bengal government, accusing it of perpetuating 'unchecked infiltration, pervasive violence, and obstruction of Central welfare schemes'. With the 2026 Assembly elections in mind, Yadav said a 'befitting reply' would come from the people of Bengal in a BJP victory. The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change was part of the press conference in Kolkata on the completion of 11 years of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government. He claimed that the Bengal government is responsible for 'helping infiltrators settle in the state' and 'opposing the Centre's steps to stop infiltration', while urging it to help Central forces identify and deport 'illegal' foreign nationals. 'The biggest impact of infiltration falls on the law and order of a state,' he said. Upon being asked about their strategies to tackle post-poll violence in the state, Yadav dismissed the idea that it was confined to the post-election period. 'It happens in Bengal throughout,' he stated, invoking incidents in Murshidabad and Sandeshkhali. 'The biggest sadness is violence has become part of Bengal,' he said, questioning the state's ability to function amidst 'community-based violence' fueled by 'appeasement' politics. 'It is sad that people under their own government are forced to flee their homes,' said Yadav. 'By talking about post-poll violence, we would restrict violence to two months, whereas on the ground, it is happening round the clock. People of Bengal are not ready to forgive this government. We are fighting post-poll violence democratically.' Yadav also criticised the state government's 'resistance' to Central schemes, claiming it opposed the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Ayushman Bharat Yojana and the Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma Yojana. He said, 'A large section of OBC workers are here; what is her scientific logic behind including and excluding people?' 'The Sandeshkhali and Murshidabad incidents are the poster of Mamata Banerjee's bad governance… while the Centre has proved that India will not tolerate terrorism…I don't take it in a good way that they are talking ill of Operation Sindoor. On Operation Sindoor, all political parties have been a representative of an international delegation,' Yadav said. Yadav alleged that 'not a single month passes without reports of attacks on women' in Bengal, claiming that the state did not take action during the violence in Murshidabad, which broke out on April 8. 'Instead, the responsibility of maintaining peace and security in the state was left to the Centre,' he claimed. Regarding the deployment of forces during the elections, he stated, 'The Election Commission is discussing it with all political parties and it will decide on the deployment of the forces.' Meanwhile, on the subject of climate action, Yadav highlighted Central initiatives. 'There is a beautiful name of a plan which is Project Mishti' he said, also mentioning 'Mission Life,' which focuses on seven key areas: saving water, saving food, saving energy, solid waste management, e-waste disposal, and a complete ban on single-use plastic. He stressed the importance of 'individual responsibility', stating, 'People must think about it.' Sweety Kumari reports from West Bengal for The Indian Express. She is a journalist with over a decade of experience in the media industry. Covers Crime, Defence, Health , Politics etc and writes on trending topics. With a keen eye for investigative and human-interest stories. She has honed her craft across diverse beats including aviation, health, incidents etc. Sweety delivers impactful journalism that informs and engages audiences. Sweety Kumari is a graduate of Calcutta University with an Honors degree in Journalism from Jaipuria College and a PG in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University. Originally from Bihar, she is brought up in Kolkata and completed her education from Kendriya Vidyalaya SaltLake. Multilingual, Sweety is fluent in English, Hindi, Bengali, and Maithili. She started her career as an Entertainment and lifestyle journalist with a newsportal in Kolkata. She is working with The Indian Express for 8 years now. ... Read More
The Hindu
25 minutes ago
- The Hindu
KCR to depose today before panel probing Kaleshwaram row
Hyderabad As the inquiry into the 'collapsed' Medigadda barrage deepens with claims and contradictions by both the ruling Congress and BRS, former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will depose before the P.C. Ghose Commission on Wednesday. Amidst the confusion over the project's idea, shifting of location and discrepancies in permission dates and actual grounding of project, the spotlight is on KCR as he is the 'man behind the Kaleshwaram project'. The Congress government claims that contradicting statements made by former ministers Eatala Rajender, Tummala Nageswara Rao and T. Harish Rao on how the Medigadda barrage was conceived, approved, and executed, throw light on the deeper issues. Hornet's nest Finance Minister under BRS government and now BJP MP Mr. Rajender's claim that construction of the Medigadda barrage was taken up as per the decision of a Cabinet Sub-Committee has stirred up a hornet's nest. He apparently also claimed that the KLIP was approved by the Cabinet. But these claims were rebutted by current Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, who was part of the same sub-committee. He categorically denied that the panel had any role in approving the Medigadda barrage, and said that the GO granting administrative sanction for its construction was issued before the panel was even formed. Records reveal that on March 1, 2016, the GO was issued for the construction of Medigadda, and the Cabinet Sub-Committee was constituted two weeks later, on March 15, 2016, to study the re-engineering of irrigation projects. Mr. Nageswara Rao released these documents to support his claim that sanction was given much before the sub-committee was formed. Meanwhile, former Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao, who also deposed before the Commission, claimed that the Medigadda barrage was built on the recommendations of the Central Water Design (CWD) body and consultancy firm WAPCOS. However, Government sources reveal that on April 2, 2015, the Chief Engineer of the Irrigation Department wrote to the Principal Secretary requesting the preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Medigadda. Subsequently, on April 13, 2015, the government issued a GO officially assigning WAPCOS the task of preparing the DPR for Medigadda. Pointing this out, the government now claims that the project appears to have been pre-decided at the highest level rather than driven by a consultancy recommendation. Now, KCR's deposition will be critical in determining the mismatch in the conflicting claims of Mr. Rajender, Mr. Nageswar Rao and Mr. Harish Rao. Some of the questions likely to be posed to him are: Why was the project site shifted from Tummidihatti to Medigadda?, Was there any Cabinet approval for the project?, Were there design or execution flaws flagged during construction?, Why were bills cleared before the performance tests, and what steps were taken after NDSA and Vigilance raised quality and structural concerns?
