NEWS

New Delhi: The total forest and tree cover in the country has seen an increase of over 8,000 square kilometre, which is one percent increase from 2015. 

Environment Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Monday released the India State of Forest Report 2017 in New Delhi, according to which the present forest and tree cover is over eight lakh square kilometre. 

Releasing the report Dr Harsh Vardhan said, India is among the top 10 countries of the world, both in terms of total forest area and the growth in the forest area. 

New Delhi: Samajwadi Party MP NareshAgarwal has courted controversy by making casteist comments against Prime Minister NarendraModi at the All India VaishyaMahasammelan.

Members of the audience strongly objected to Agarwal's remarks against the prime minister while he was still speaking at the dais. They caused a commotion, demanding the SP lawmaker to apologise for uttering the slur.

When he refused to take back the remarks, some members of the audience created an uproar, making it difficult for Agarwal to continue with his speech. The event organisers stepped in to restore peace but it proved ineffectual.

New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhihas launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister NarendraModiby asking him to stop giving speeches on the past and start working as he did not have much time before completing his term.

"You will have to tell the country during the elections what you did in the last five years. It is going to be five years and you have not even opened your account," he told Modi, making him the focal point of his attack in a series of roadside and public meetings. 

On the second day of his ongoing "JanashirvadaYatra" in northern parts of the poll-bound Karnataka, he said Modi was delving into the past to attack the Congress rather than accounting for his own performance.

New Delhi: BJP has released its 28-page 'Vision Document', assuring employment opportunities for every household, free education for women up to the graduate level, a college in every constituency and, in a push to its Digital India initiative, free smartphones for youths.

"The manifesto reflects Prime Minister NarendraModi'sdevelopment agenda," Union finance minister ArunJaitley said, releasing the document. 

Besides promising brick housing for those who don't have homes, free health insurance for all BPL households and drinking water for everyone, the party said it would implement the 7th Central Pay Commission for state government employees, regularize all contractual government employees, and provide minimum social security pension of Rs 2,000 and minimum wages of Rs 340.