Latest news with #TheNewIndianExpress
Scroll.in
a day ago
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Six suspected Maoists killed in gunfight with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur
At least six suspected Maoists were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district on Friday, The New Indian Express reported. One of those killed was allegedly a Maoist platoon commander and had a reward of Rs 8 lakh on his head, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma told ANI. According to a police statement, The gunfight in the Abujhmarh forest area began in the afternoon during a search operation launched by the security forces after receiving intelligence inputs about suspected Maoist activity in the area. Sharma said the operation had been launched on Thursday evening and had continued 'despite the heavy rain'. 'They [security forces] walked on foot for 24 hours continuously, and after that, they achieved this,' he told ANI. The security personnel recovered weapons such as an AK-47 rifle and a self-loading rifle from the site of the gunfight, Bastar Range Inspector General of Police Sundarraj P told The Indian Express. Further details cannot be shared as the operation was still on, he added. More than 400 suspected Maoists have been killed in the Bastar region in 2024-'25, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai had said in June. Deputy Chief Minister Sharma said on Saturday that more than 1,500 suspected Maoists have been rehabilitated in 2025, while around 1,400 have been arrested. 'For the first time, the number of rehabilitation is more than the number of arrests,' he said. In 2024, 217 suspected Maoists were killed by security forces in Chhattisgarh. Malini Subramaniam has reported for Scroll that while many of those killed in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region in 2024 were declared by the police to be reward-carrying Maoists, several families dispute the claim. The families claim that the persons killed were civilians. The Union government has repeatedly vowed to end Maoism by March 31, 2026.
Mint
a day ago
- Politics
- Mint
BJP's new national head to break 45-year spell? New report claims announcement after....
Even after over a year's wait, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is yet to appoint its new national president after JP Nadda's tenure as party chief ended last year. Nadda was appointed the BJP's national president in January 2020. His three-year term as the party chief was set to conclude on January 20, 2023. However, the party extended his tenure until June 2024. The BJP is now in search of a new president. The buzz over the BJP's new president grew recently after reports suggested that a candidate for the post may be announced after August 15, 2025 -- when India celebrates it 77th Independence Day. A source in the party told The New Indian Express on Thursday evening, 'Now, it seems almost sure that the name of the party's new national president would be announced after August 15." However, this decision is likely to be taken after the completion of organisational elections in some states. Dr K Laxman, who is the national election in-charge for the election of the new BJP president, reportedly said that organisational elections in 10 states, including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and others, are being completed. He also claimed that no deadline has been fixed yet for announcing the name of the candidate. 'But soon the election to the party's national president would be completed after a massive voting exercise conducted at over 10 lakh booths,' Laxman was quoted by the media outlet as saying. Amid speculations over the new BJP president, it is being reported that the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have not yet reached a consensus on any name. The RSS reportedly advised reaching a consensus on a candidate with organisational experience and a neutral stance within the party. Sources told The New Indian Express that the BJP has zeroed in on four potential candidates, all of whom have organisational experience. If reports are to be believed, the four frontrunners for the BJP's national president's post are: 1. Bhupendra Yadav, the Union Cabinet Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change 2. Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Minister of Education 3. Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister of Agriculture and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister 4. Senior BJP leader BD Sharma As names for the frontrunners came forward, rumours are also rife that a new BJP president could be a leader from Rajasthan. Rajasthan's local media outlet Patrika reported that there have been discussions in political circles that this time the new BJP national president can be from Rajasthan. The report noted that no BJP president has been elected from Rajasthan in the 45-year history of the party. There are four leaders from Rajasthan whose names can be considered, Patrika reported. These leaders are Arjun Ram Meghwal, Bhupendra Yadav, Sunil Bansal and Vasundhara Raje.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'Premalu 2' delayed indefinitely; Dileesh Pothan clears the air - not made on a 3-crore budget
(Picture Courtesy: Facebook) 'Premalu', the youthful romantic comedy that hit theatres in early 2024, was a game-changer for Malayalam cinema. What started as a quiet release turned into one of the year's biggest surprise hits. Audiences loved the fresh storytelling and the charming chemistry between Reenu and Sachin. The film quickly gained traction in other language markets as well, especially Tamil and Telugu. Fans began eagerly anticipating the already-announced sequel. 'Premalu was not a 3-crore film' - Dileesh Pothan sets the record straight In a recent interview with The New Indian Express, actor-producer Dileesh Pothan addressed some lingering confusion about Premalu's production budget. 'The film was definitely not made on a 3 crore budget. That's incorrect. The real cost was somewhere between 8 to 10 crores,' he clarified. His revelation comes amid multiple reports downplaying the scale of the film's production, despite its glossy visuals and strong marketing. The team's investment clearly paid off, with the movie going on to enjoy strong box office runs beyond Kerala. Sequel plans stalled for now due to 'Technical Reasons' While fans have been hoping for an update on 'Premalu 2', Dileesh Pothan admitted the wait might be longer than expected. 'It's not coming immediately,' he said, adding that the delay is due to technical reasons. Although he didn't delve into specific issues, his words hint that the sequel requires more groundwork before it can move into production. Premalu | Song - Telangana Bommalu Premalu - A film that you can relate The Mamitha Baiju starrer is surely one of those gems which any genz can relate to. One Twitter user wrote, "Premalu - Lots of humor, romance, and friendship vibes make it a fun watch. Neslan and Sangeeth shine, but Mathew's role falls a bit flat. Overall, it's entertaining and worth a watch." Another one wrote, "#Premalu is a rollercoaster ride of entertainment that you will enjoy thoroughly in a packed theater. Mamitha, Naslen, Sangeeth absolutely nails it and brings so much energy to the screen! It's in the zone of Gireesh AD's previous films, a teen rom-com drama, if you are a fan of it, GO FOR IT. "
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- New Indian Express
Illegal wildlife trade linked to pet shop busted in Mangaluru, four arrested
MANGALURU: Forest officials have busted an illegal wildlife trade in Mangaluru and arrested four persons, including the owner of a pet shop in the city, selling Indian Rock Python as 'Burmese Ball Python' exotic species. The raid was carried out on July 15 near Ashwath Katte in Kadri in Mangaluru and forest officials arrested Vihal H Shetty, aged 18 years from Badaga Ulepady village in Mangaluru. Further questioning of Vihal led to the arrest of Petzone shop owner Ibrahim Shakeel Ismail, aged 35, from Munnur village in Ullal and his assistant Mohammad Mustaf, aged 22, from Harekala village in Ullal and also a minor. Mangaluru Range Forest Officer Rajesh Baligar told The New Indian Express that Indian Rock Python is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 and the accused have links in Tamilnadu for purchase and sale of such wild animals. One of the accused had advertised the Indian Rock Python as Burmese Ball Python, an exotic species available for sale in Mangaluru on Instagram. The accused were trapped by the forest officials as buyers with the help of an informer and caught one of the accused red-handed with a live rock python. "The accused were selling it as Burmese Ball Python, one of the exotic species. They used to tell the potential buyers that they need no permission to buy or sell it. We initially met them as customers and nabbed one of the accused Vihal redhanded with a live Indian rock python. The arrested person revealed that he got it from his friend who is a minor studying in a college," RFO Rajesh said. "Further investigation revealed its link to a pet shop named Petzone shop at Statebank where he was intending to sell it. We went to the shop as potential buyers and the owner contacted the person whom we had caught. So it was all interlinked. We arrested the owner and a worker at his shop," he said.
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Odisha govt intensifies crackdown on fertiliser hoarding and black marketing
BHUBANEWAR/BARGARH : The state government had intensified enforcement activities by conducting stock verification of chemical fertilisers at dealers and retailers points to ensure smooth supply of soil nutrients at prices fixed by the government. The Agriculture department has so far conducted surprise checking at 1,993 retail points and issued show cause notice to 426 retailers and stop-sale notice to eight retailers for violation of the fertilisation control order (FCO). Similarly, 25 dealers' license have been suspended or cancelled for violation of FCO rules. The enforcement activities were stepped up following publication of a report in The New Indian Express on black marketing and hoarding of fertilisers in Bargarh district. Taking note of the report which highlighted the shortage of popular granular fertilisers like DAP, urea and single super phosphate or Gromor in Bargarh and adjoining districts, Agriculture Minister KV Singh Deo directed the department to take stringent action against dealers, retailers and private traders creating artificial shortage to jack up the prices. As some of the dealers are forcing farmers to buy nano-fertilisers, the department has instructed IFFCO authorities to refrain from any such activities. The farmers are free to make independent choice of fertilisers without any compulsion. The MARKFED officials have been instructed to take steps accordingly. 'Enforcement activities are being conducted across the state by surprise checking of fertiliser retailer and wholesaler points and verifying any type of illegal activities to protect the interest of the farmers. It is the prime objective of the government to ensure availability of proper quality fertilisers at fixed price at the right place and at the right time. To check black marketing, hoarding and sale of spurious fertilisers, enforcement squads have been formed both at district and block-level,' Singh Deo said. Asserting that there is adequate stock of fertilisers, sources in the department said the state is likely to receive 6.82 lakh tonne of fertilisers by end of July, out of which, 5 lakh tonne has been already received. The state had pre-positioned 2.94 lakh tonne before April 1, 2025, making the total availability of fertilisers at 7.94 lakh tonne. Around 3.65 lakh tonne of different grades have been sold to farmers, leaving 4.24 lakh tonne available in different districts as of date, officials said.
