India

Hyderabad, Apr 19 (PTI) The Centre is following "regressive" agriculture policies and they are "dampening" farm sector growth in the country, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao alleged on Tuesday.

The Centre's improper policies would reduce output instead of giving a push to it, he claimed.

Rao made the comments during a meeting with state Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy and officials on the preparedness for the coming rainy season crops, according to an official release.

Guwahati, Apr 19 (PTI) A special court here Tuesday framed charges against 67 accused persons, inclduing former APSC chairman Rakesh Kumar Paul in the 'cash for job' scam in Assam Public Service Commission (APSC).

Of the accused 60 are candidates who had appeared in the APSC exam and remaining seven are APSC members and staff.

Two of the accused - Sudeep Das and Rajib Paul were declared as absconders by the court.

Mumbai, Apr 19 (PTI) BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar on Tuesday said his party will not form an alliance with the Shiv Sena -- its former ally -- in future.

Speaking during his party's `Poll Khol' campaign against the Shiv Sena which controls the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), he said the BJP will now expose the Sena's "corruption" in the civic body.

BJP will not forge any alliance in future with Shiv Sena to attain power. We are here now to expose Sena's corrupt practices in BMC," Mungantiwar said.

New Delhi, Apr 20 (PTI) Malika Bibi's hopes to secure a better future for her children shattered when her fruits and vegetables shop, the sole source of her income, was razed by civic authorities at violence-hit Jahangirpuri in northwest Delhi on Wednesday.

A similar tale of woe was narrated by Nazma, whose sister Rahima "lost everything" as her tea shop near the C-Block mosque at Jahangirpuri was razed to the ground by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) during an anti-encroachment drive.

Washington, Apr 19 (PTI) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday met IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva and discussed a range of issues, including impact of geopolitical situation on global growth.

During the meeting held on the sidelines of the ongoing annual spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the IMF chief highlighted India's well-targeted policy mix that has helped the country's economy remain resilient even with a limited fiscal space.

Lucknow, Apr 19 (PTI) Amid incidents of violence during festivals in some states, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed that no religious procession should be taken out without permission and that usage of loudspeakers should not inconvenience others.

With Eid festival and Akshaya Tritiya likely to fall on the same day next month and many other festivals lined up in the coming days, Adityanath said the police needs to be extra cautious.

Bulandshahr (UP), Apr 18 (PTI) A man was arrested for allegedly raping his three-year-old niece in a village under Anoopshahr Police Station in the district, police said on Monday.

In a complaint, the girl's mother claimed that upon returning home on Sunday, she caught her brother-in-law in the act of raping her minor daughter who was alone at home.

When she raised an alarm, the accused thrashed her. The girl's father then caught hold of the accused but he threatened him and fled, according to the FIR.

New Delhi, Apr 18 (PTI) PDP president and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi at the latter's residence here on Monday.

Mufti spent some time with Gandhi and is learnt to have discussed the current political situation in the country with the Congress president.

New Delhi, Apr 18 (PTI) Lt Gen Manoj Pande will take the reins as the 29th Chief of the Army Staff after incumbent Gen MM Naravane's tenure ends on April 30.

Lt Gen Pande, currently serving as the vice chief, will become the first commander from the Corps of Engineers to take charge of the 1.3-million-strong force as the position has been held so far by officers from infantry, artillery and armoured regiments.

Patna, Apr 18 (PTI) A woman who was facing marital problems allegedly consumed some poisonous substance outside the venue where Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar holds his weekly public interaction programme on Monday, a police officer said.

She was taken to a hospital and is now out of danger.

The incident took place in the evening and by the time, the Janata Ke Darbaar Mein Mukhyamantri programme was over, Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manavjit Singh Dhillon said.