India

Coimbatore, July 2 (PTI) A fuel tank fell off from a Tejas aircraft, which was on a sortie, into an agricultural field in the city's outskirts early Tuesday, police said.

Defence sources in Chennai confirmed that a fuel tank from Tejas aircraft fell and said "all (was) safe", indicating that there were no injuries.

Agriculture labourers in Irugur village were shocked to see the 1200-litre petrol tank fall from the sky. It caused a three-foot deep crater and a minor fire, the police added.

Mumbai, Jul 2 (PTI) As many as 52 flights were cancelled and another 55 diverted to nearby airports due to the inclement weather and skidding of a SpiceJet aircraft at Mumbai airport Monday night, an official said Tuesday.

Efforts are underway to remove the Boeing 737 aircraft from the runway and restore operations as early as possible, the official said.

Jaipur, Jul 2 (PTI) A seven-year-old girl was allegedly abducted and raped by an unknown person in Shastri nagar area here, police said on Tuesday.

The girl was found near the her house on Monday night and was taken to a local hospital where the doctors referred her to J K Lone hospital. Her condition is stated to be stable, they said.

"The girl was abducted by a motorcycle-borne man and taken to a nearby place where she was raped," police said.

Malda(WB), Jul 1 (PTI) A man who was allegedly beaten by locals for stealing a bike has died, triggering a protest when his body reached here from a Kolkata hospital on Sunday.

Two persons have been arrested in connection with the lynching of 20-year-old Sanaul Sheikh, Malda Superintendent of Police Aloke Rajoria said.

Sheikh was assaulted allegedly by some locals at Baishnabnagar Bazar on Wednesday, after he was allegedly found stealing the bike, the SP said.

New Delhi, Jul 1 (PTI) All private and special category schools are mandated to admit in Class 1 or below at least 25 per cent students belonging to weaker sections and disadvantaged groups, Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' said in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

Pokhriyal said the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act came into effect from April 1, 2010 and the Act makes elementary education a fundamental right of all children in the age group of 6-14 years.

Mumbai, Jul 1 (PTI) A demand for a separate law to punish those involved in mob lynching was raised Monday in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

Raising the issue, Congress MLA Mohammed Arif Naseem Khan cited recent incidents of violence against Dalits and Muslims in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh over various issues.

"Maharashtra is a progressive state and such incidents shouldn't be allowed to happen here. Hence, a separate law to curb this menace must be enacted," Khan said.

New Delhi, Jul 1 (PTI) India and Pakistan Monday exchanged lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen in their respective custody as per provision of a 2008 agreement.

The lists of prisoners were exchanged through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad, the External Affairs Ministry said.

"India handed over lists of 256 Pakistan civilian prisoners and 99 fishermen in India's custody to Pakistan. Pakistan has shared lists of 209 fishermen and 52 prisoners in its custody, who are Indians or believed-to-be Indians," the MEA said.

Guwahati, Jul 1 (PTI) Twenty-one people have died due to Japanese Encephalitis outbreak in Assam, which has reported 69 cases of the disease, a senior official of the Union Health ministry said Monday after a central team reviewed the situation here.

"There are two crucial months to come -- July and August. The challenge would be to contain the outbreak to the minimum in the next two months," Additional Secretary Sanjeev Kumar, who led the four-member central team, said.

Kolkata, Jul 1 (PTI) West Bengal has exceeded the Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection target of 14 per cent in the month of March 2019, the assembly was informed Monday.

"Our record in terms of GST collection has been one of the best in the country. The state has exceeded the GST collection target of 14 per cent in the month of March 2019," Finance Minister Amit Mitra Monday said.

While lauding the performance of the state government, Mitra said the government has also increased the expenditure on state development schemes from Rs 57,779 crore to Rs 71,113 crore.

Patna, Jul 1 (PTI) The spectre of a "terrible drought" is looming large on Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said in the assembly on Monday, urging members of both houses of the legislature to discuss means to combat the impending crisis.

Kumar made the grim prediction while intervening in a debate on an adjournment motion on the outbreak of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES), which has claimed the lives of more than 150 children across the state.