Pakistan Train Hijack Updates: Former Pakistani MP claims 150 soldiers killed in BLA clashes over train hostages

The Transport Minister announced the suspension of four MSRTC officials, including the depot manager of Swargate bus stand, in connection with a rape case in Pune.

In the past 15 days, more than 52 illegal madrasas have been sealed across Uttarakhand. This includes 12 madrasas in Vikasnagar, Dehradun, and 9 in Khatima. Previously, action had been taken against 31 madrasas in various districts.

The National Security Act (NSA) has been invoked against two individuals in Madhya Pradesh's Mhow district for their involvement in violence following the Indian cricket team's victory in the Champions Trophy final, according to an official statement.

Congress MLAs in Odisha staged a protest on the Assembly premises, condemning the alleged increase in crimes against women in the state.

Addressing the Indian diaspora, PM Modi reflected on his announcement of India's Sagar vision a decade ago, emphasizing that Mauritius remains central to this vision. He reiterated India’s unwavering support for Mauritius and noted that it was the first African Union nation to sign the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with India in 2021. Modi also highlighted significant Indian investments in Mauritius and the collaborative efforts between the two nations to safeguard the Indian Ocean region.

The Finance Minister revealed that the Rs 5.5 lakh crore requested through supplementary grants will be allocated for debt repayment. The government is also focusing on active debt management to lower the borrowing costs for both the central and state governments.

The Finance Minister stated that the supply of prasad in temples will be fully exempt from GST. Additionally, services related to charitable activities and temple operations will also be completely exempt from the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

The Finance Minister revealed that Manipur previously lacked a contingency fund. To address this, the central government is allocating a Rs 500 crore corpus to the state to establish its contingency fund.

Paraphrase: Abdul Qadir Baloch, former Pakistani parliamentarian, told to CNN-News18 that 150 Pakistani army personnel were killed during an intense battle with Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) militants as part of efforts to rescue 182 hostages from the Jaffar Express train in Balochistan.

The Finance Minister revealed that the second supplementary demand for grants seeks an additional Rs 6.79 lakh crore. Additionally, Rs 7,000 crore has been allocated for the UPS, set to begin in the 2025-26 fiscal year. The FM also highlighted the significant fiscal restoration in Jammu and Kashmir, with the fiscal deficit being reduced from over 12% of GSDP to 3% in the past four years. The government reaffirmed its continuous support for J&K, enabling the state to focus on developmental activities.

In his address to the Indian diaspora, PM Modi expressed that the bond between India and Mauritius has grown even sweeter. He extended his greetings to the people of Mauritius on their National Day and thanked the Mauritius Prime Minister for announcing that he would be conferred with the country’s highest civilian award. Modi accepted the honor with humility, attributing it to the historic ties between India and Mauritius

While addressing a community programme in Port Louis, PM Modi hailed Maha Kumbh and noted that many people from Mauritus visited India for Maha Kumbh. He also mentioned that he brought the holy Sangam water for those who could not attend. PM Modi earlier today gifted Mauritius President Dharam Gokhool Gangajal from Maha Kumbh

Addressing a community event in Port Louis, Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam praised India for its leadership in emerging sectors. Ramgoolam said, "India is among the leaders in various emerging sectors, driving progress in the fields of Artificial Intelligence. This afternoon, PM Modi was telling me how he is using AI to communicate with the people of India. We already see that AI needs to be controlled and used in a positive way so we look forward to further cooperation with India."

Addressing the Indian diaspora in Mauritius, PM Modi recalled his visit to the island 10 years ago. PM Modi says, "I came to Mauritius 10 years ago on this date. It was a week after Holi, and I brought the joy of 'Fagwa' with me. This time, I will take the colours of Holi with me to India..." Whenever I come to Mauritius, it feels like I am among my own, says PM

The Prime Minister of Mauritius has announced that PM Modi will be awarded the Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean, the country's highest honor. This makes PM Modi the first Indian to receive this prestigious award, which marks his 21st international accolade from a foreign nation.

The task of cleaning the Yamuna is not going to stop now. The huge team working on it will do the work on a daily basis. We are not wasting even a second in cleaning the Yamuna River. Soon, the people of Delhi will sit on the banks of the Yamuna and witness the grand Yamuna Aarti like the Ganga Aarti of Banaras, says Delhi CM Rekha Gupta

Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) expressed confidence that the government would withdraw the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 after public discussions. He said, We believe that whatever we have said publicly, in front of the government, in front of the JPC, in front of the opposition parties and also in front of the ruling party. We believe that good sense will prevail and the government will withdraw this amendment. But if the amendment is not withdrawn and it is passed, then we will hold campaign against it across the country. Our campaign will be completely democratic, peaceful

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Delhi's Rouse Avenue court directs Delhi Police to register FIR against AAP National Convenor and former CM of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal and others in a matter related to alleged defacement of public property. The court has directed Delhi Police to file a compliance report on March 18.

Nityanand Rai, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, updated the Lok Sabha on the 'Assistance to States & UTs for Modernization of Police (ASUMP)' scheme. Central Government has approved a scheme of 'Assistance to States & UTs for Modernization of Police (ASUMP)' [erstwhile scheme of Modernization of State Police Forces (MPF)] with an overall outlay of Rs. 4846 crore for five years during the period from 2021-22 to 2025-26.The objective of the scheme is to equip the State/UT police forces adequately through development of relevant infrastructure. The focus of the scheme is to strengthen police infrastructure at cutting edge level by equipping the police stations with the required modern technology, weaponry, communication equipment etc. along with construction of police stations in all the States/UTs", said MoS Home Nityanand Rai in a written reply to Lok Sabha

Baramulla MP Rashid Engineer has filed an appeal in the Delhi High Court challenging a trial court's decision that denied him custody parole. He had requested parole to attend a Parliament session, but his plea was rejected by the Special NIA court. Engineer is an accused in a terror case investigated by the NIA.

YouTuber and social media influencer Ashish Chanchlani has arrived at the National Commission for Women’s office in Delhi regarding the 'India's Got Latent' case.

The Joint Parliamentary Committee on 'One Nation, One Poll' has commenced its meeting in the Parliament House complex. Today, committee members will engage with legal and constitutional experts.

The Kerala government today denied in Assembly the allegations of Congress-led UDF that state was delaying the rehabilitation of the Wayanad landslides victims, following which the opposition staged a walkout from the House.

State Revenue Minister K Rajan said it was the Centre which did not provide any financial assistance for the rehabilitation and only in February they provided a long-term loan of around Rs 530 crore.

The minister further said that it was the Centre which delayed designating the landslides as a disaster of severe nature, while the state government right from the start has taken various measures, including waiving loans given by Kerala Bank, to ease the suffering of the victims.

The Border Security Force (BSF) has been maintaining round-the-clock vigilance along the Indo-Bangladesh border to curb trans-border smuggling, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai informed.

According to the minister, the total value of contraband items seized along the border over the past ten years amounts to Rs 28,061.67 crore. The seizures include narcotics, cattle, gold, and other illegal goods smuggled across the international boundary.

Baghel also lashed out at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) today, alleging that the agency’s repeated raids are aimed at harassing and intimidating him rather than conducting a fair investigation.

"The first ED raid happened in 2020 after the conclusion of the Jharkhand elections, and since then, multiple raids have been carried out. It has been five years now. Their motive is to bother me, scare me, and break me. Otherwise, why would an investigation drag on for so long?" Baghel said.

Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel today hit out at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after the agency conducted a raid at his residence in connection with an alleged money laundering case.

Speaking to reporters, Baghel questioned the timing and intent behind the raid, stating, "On one hand, they came without the permission of the Election Commission of India (ECI), and on the other, they brought a counting machine just to create hype. They recovered only Rs 33 lakh. This is nothing but an attempt to defame me."

Dismissing allegations against him, the senior Congress leader asserted that he had not received any summons from the agency. "I am not running away. Whenever I travel outside the state, they conduct a raid. It has been four years, and they still haven’t been able to complete their probe properly. They know they cannot win in court," he added.

Russia’s military announced this morning that it had intercepted and destroyed 337 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions in what it described as a large-scale aerial attack, according to the Associated Press.

Delhi Assembly Leader of Opposition and AAP leader Atishi today accused the BJP of failing to deliver on key promises made before the elections.

Addressing a press conference, Atishi said, “BJP had promised to deposit Rs 2,500 in the bank accounts of women in Delhi. March 8 has passed, but nothing has happened. Another promise was to provide a free LPG cylinder on Holi. Today is March 11, and only three days are left. The women of Delhi are still waiting for BJP to fulfill its promises.”

PM Modi received a grand welcome in Mauritius with a performance of Geet Gawai, a traditional Bhojpuri musical ensemble.

Geet Gawai is an age-old Bhojpuri musical tradition brought to Mauritius by women from the Bhojpuri belt of India. It continues to be an integral part of the island nation's cultural heritage.

The Sports Ministry has revoked the suspension on the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), paving the way for the national governing body to resume its operations.

The decision comes after months of administrative uncertainty following allegations of mismanagement within the federation.

The ministry had earlier suspended the WFI over governance issues and concerns raised by athletes.

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by police at Manila’s international airport today following an order from the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Philippine government confirmed.

Duterte was taken into custody upon his arrival from Hong Kong, as authorities acted on the ICC’s warrant in connection with an ongoing investigation into alleged crimes against humanity linked to his controversial war on drugs, which led to thousands of deaths.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s office issued a statement confirming the arrest but did not provide further details on the next steps in Duterte’s legal proceedings.

Mauritius is pushing for amendments to its trade agreements with India, including the Double Taxation Avoidance Convention (DTAC), to regain its status as a preferred investment conduit, Foreign and Trade Minister Dhananjay Ramful said.

In an interview with PTI in Port Louis, Ramful stressed the need to revisit the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA), noting that foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows from Mauritius to India have declined sharply since the DTAC was revised in 2016.

"Amendment in DTAC is still under discussion. Two issues, I think, need to be sorted out. From what I’ve been told, once this is sorted out, then they will sign the protocol," the minister stated, without elaborating on the pending issues.

Ramful also confirmed that a second session of the joint committee will be convened soon to review both the CECPA and DTAC, aiming to address trade imbalances and taxation concerns.

PM Modi took to microblogging site X, expressing his gratitude to his Mauritian counterpart for the warm welcome to the island nation.

"Landed in Mauritius. I am grateful to my friend, PM Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam, for the special gesture of welcoming me at the airport. This visit is a wonderful opportunity to engage with a valued friend and explore new avenues for collaboration in various sectors," he wrote on X.

"Today, I will be meeting President Dharam Gokhool, PM Navinchandra Ramgoolam and addressing a community programme in the evening", he further noted.

As part of his engagements, PM Modi will meet with the President of Mauritius, hold discussions with PM Ramgoolam, and interact with senior dignitaries and leaders of political parties.

He will also connect with members of the Indian diaspora and inaugurate two key projects – the Civil Service College and an Area Health Centre, both built with Indian grant assistance.