NEWS

New Delhi:  Minority works ministry of the BJP-led central government is expanding the reach of a scheme to improve socio-economic infrastructure for minorities in education, health and skill development from 196 to 308 districts of the country. From 27 states and UTs, the programme, which was last year allocated Rs 3,972 crore to be spent over three years, will now be implemented in districts across 32 states and UTs.

“Between 33% and 40% of resources under the PMJVK (PradhanMantri Jan VikasKaryakram) would be specifically allocated for women-centric projects,” said the ministry of minority affairs, adding, “It is an attempt to reduce the gap between the national average and minority communities on backwardness parameters”. Put together, the additions represent a 57% increase in the coverage area.

New Delhi: A young couple travelling on the Kolkata Metro were reportedly harassed and thrashed by some of their co-passengers for being allegedly too vulgar by getting too close to each other at public place. They boarded a train late on Monday night.

It all began after some elderly co-passengers objected to their "intimacy in public", leading to a heated argument. The young couple was reportedly bombarded with embarrassing questions followed by punches, kicks and slaps inside a station once they deboarded the train.

"Unfortunately, no complaint has been lodged as yet and this makes it very difficult to conduct an inquiry," Kolkata Metro Railway CPRO Indrani Banerjee said, adding that the Metro was "against moral policing".

New Delhi: A group of youngsters pelted stones at a vehicle injuring seven tourists. These people were injured when stone-pelters targeted passing vehicles in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Monday evening. The vehicles were carrying both local residents and tourists at Ashmuqam area of Pahalgam around 8 pm. The injured were part of a group of 47 tourists travelling in four vans.

“There was a big gathering near Ashmuqam, and some fair was going on. That was when the youngsters began pelting stones at passing vehicles. I think they were angry about something that happened yesterday. They were shouting slogans,” said Shinil, a resident of Kerala.

He said the windowpanes of the vans shattered due to the stone-pelting, injuring seven fellow-tourists. “We stopped our vehicles just a few hundred metres away. Some local residents saw that we were injured, and took us to the hospital in their own vehicles. They waited until 11 that night, and left only after all the injured people were taken care of.”

New Delhi: Mother of DeraSachaSauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim NaseebKaur has emerged from the shadow and become the guiding force of this once-flourishing institution. Naseeb comes to the dera headquarters from Ram Rahim’s ancestral home at GursarModia village in Rajasthan’s Ganganagar district to meet devotees at least once a week. Gurmeet Ram Rahim is behind bars for almost six months now.

Sources said that the mother, who is in her 70s, is mostly seen on Sundays when dera followers gather at Sirsa for what is known as ‘NaamCharcha’ or religious discourse. These gatherings would attract thousands of followers earlier, but they are a comparatively smaller affair now and are conducted by placing Gurmeet’s picture on the pedestal.