Delhi

New Delhi, Jan 25 (PTI) Amid a row over Rahul Gandhi's Kailash Mansarovar visit last year after the Congress chief on Friday said he had also met Chinese ministers during his trip, the Beijing's envoy here said all Indian pilgrims were welcome to the country.

"The Chinese government, the Chinese side will welcome all pilgrims from India," Chinese envoy Luo Zhaohui said in response to a question on Gandhi's meeting with his country's ministers.

New Delhi, Jan 26 (PTI) Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu Saturday greeted people on the 70th Republic Day and urged citizens to renew their solemn pledge to build a strong, confident, peaceful and economically prosperous nation.

In his message, Naidu asked fellow countrymen to do their best to contribute in building a peaceful, prosperous and compassionate world and realise the ideal of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (the world is one family).

New Delhi, Jan 25 (PTI) The Supreme Court Friday decided to examine the Centre's decision to grant 10 percent reservation in jobs and education to poor candidates belonging to general category.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna issued notice to the central government on various petitions challenging the validity of the Constitution (103 Amendment) Act, 2019, which paved the way for grant of quota to poor belonging to general category.

New Delhi, Jan 24 (PTI) The Supreme Court Thursday refused to stay the proposed amendments to the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act which restored the no anticipatory bail provision for the accused.

A bench headed by Justice A K Sikri said the pending review petition filed by the Centre against the apex court's March 20, 2018 verdict and the pleas challenging the new amendments made in the SC/ST verdict will be taken up together.

The bench referred the matter to the Chief Justice for reconstitution of a bench which Justice U U Lalit was a part of.

New Delhi, Jan 24 (PTI) Amid renewed demands against the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs), Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora on Thursday asserted that the Election Commission is not going back to ballot papers.

EVMs are being used as a "football" due to a "motivated slugfest", he said.

"I would like to make it very, very clear one more time that we are not going back to the era of ballot papers," Arora said, addressing a gathering ahead of National Voters Day.

New Delhi, Jan 24 (PTI) A fresh plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking court-monitored investigation into the murder of former Gujarat minister Haren Pandya.

Pandya, a former minister of state for home in the then Narendra Modi government in Gujarat, was shot dead on March 26, 2003, in Ahmedabad near Law Garden area of the city during his morning walk.

The petition, filed by NGO CPIL, said that there was a need for the fresh probe in the case as some "startling information" has recently come to light which needs to be looked into.

New Delhi, Jan 24 (PTI) The meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led selection committee to decide on the next CBI chief remained inconclusive, officials said Thursday.

They said no decision on the CBI director's post was taken at the meeting.

"A list of eligible officers along with their dossiers was shared with the panel members. But no decision has been taken so far," an official said requesting anonymity.

He said another meeting of the panel will be held soon to finalise the name.

New Delhi, Jan 24 (PTI) Students, farmers and veterans along with several other groups will launch a nine-day protest meet here against the government, starting January 30.

The groups, led by Left-backed All India Kisan Sabha, said the protest meet will be held at Jantar Mantar from January 30 to February 7.

New Delhi, Jan 23; PTI: The move of granting 10 per cent quota to general category poor will "backfire" on the BJP as the "bahujans" (majority) are feeling duped, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has said.

The Modi government met a key demand of those castes, which had so far not been covered under reservation benefits, earlier this month as it got a Constitution amendment bill passed in Parliament to give 10 per cent quota in education and jobs for the general category poor.

Panaji, Jan 23 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address BJP's booth-level workers from North Goa parliamentary constituency through video conference on January 27, a senior party leader said Wednesday.

The booth-level workers will assemble in Panaji where they would be able to interact with Modi through a screen, BJP's Goa unit Chief Vinay Tendulkar told reporters here.

This would be the prime minister's second interaction with the BJP workers from Goa.