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In a latest political development, the Congress in the wake of the 2024 national elections on Monday announced an action plan while it kept on hold about the joining of political strategist Prashant Kishor in the party, according to NDTV report.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi

The Congress chose to announce an - 'Empowered Action Group' to address "political challenges ahead" of the 2024 national elections and a three-day conclave in Rajasthan's Udaipur next month.

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi formed the 2024 task force following a report filed by an eight-member group last week and a discussion was held on it today, party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala announced.

A Delhi court on Monday sentenced two directors of Kolkata-based Adhunik Corporation Ltd to four years' imprisonment in a coal scam case pertaining to alleged irregularities in the allocation of Patrapara coal block in Odisha to the firm during 2006.

In addition to the jail term, the Special Judge, Coal Cases, Rouse Avenue Courts, imposed a Rs 30 lakh fine on each of the directors—Nirmal Kumar Agarwal and Mahesh Kumar Agarwal.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered the case on September 11, 2014, following a preliminary inquiry launched by it on the Central Vigilance Commission's directions regarding coal blocks allocated between 2006 and 2009.

The armed forces will now have to source all their modernisation requirements indigenously, with outright import of weapons and platforms being resorted to only as an exception with the 'specific approval' of the defence minister and the Defence Acquisitions Council (DAC).

Though this and other such decisions were announced by the Rajnath Singh-chaired DAC on March 22, as was reported by TOI, the Defence Acquisition Procedure-2020 has been formally amended to further promote the drive for 'Make in India' and 'Aatmanirbharta' in arms production.

In a step towards enhancing its firepower against enemy armoured regiments, India is arming its Russian Mi-17 helicopters with the Israeli 'Non-Line of Sight (NLOS)' anti-tank guided missiles.

The ATGMs can fly low in mountainous areas and can hit ground targets from distances up to 30 kms, top government sources told India Today.

According to the sources, the missiles have already arrived in the country and are being deployed on Russian helicopters somewhere in the western sector.

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday expressed concern over the loopholes in the anti-defection law and said it should be amended to make it more effective. Speaking at an event, Venkaiah Naidu said, "I think the time has come to really amend the anti-defection law because there are certain loopholes. There has to be clarity in the law and there should be a timeline, that it [defection] should be decided for maximum six months."

Naidu called for amendments while noting that certain loopholes need to be plugged in order to curb defection of legislators from one party to another.