India

New Delhi, Sep 30 (PTI) The BJP on Wednesday appointed former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis as its in-charge for the Bihar assembly elections, the party said in a statement.

The announcement came on a day party president J P Nadda is holding talks with state BJP leaders here to discuss the three-phase polls to the 243-member state assembly, including seat-sharing arrangements with allies like the JD(U) and the LJP.

The LJP has been blowing hot and cold over the issue as it is said to be unhappy over the offer being made to it by the BJP.

Mumbai, Sep 30 (PTI) The NCP on Wednesday said it was not surprised over the special court's verdict acquitting all accused in the Babri masjid demolition case.

The CBI court in Lucknow has acquitted all the 32 accused, including BJP veterans L K Advani and MM Joshi, for want of conclusive proof against them.

"The court has given verdict in the case today. It was expected, and hence, we are not surprised," Maharashtra minister and NCP national spokesperson Nawab Malik said in a video message.

New Delhi, Sep 30 (PTI) Contracting for the sixth consecutive month, the output of eight core infrastructure sectors dropped by 8.5 per cent in August, mainly due to decline in production of steel, refinery products and cement.

The production of eight core sectors had contracted 0.2 per cent in August 2019, showed data released by the Commerce and Industry Ministry on Wednesday.

Barring coal and fertiliser, all sectors -- crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, steel, cement and electricity -- recorded negative growth in August.

Jharsuguda, Sep 29 (PTI) The deputy collector of Odisha's Boudh district was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly torturing and assaulting his wife, a senior police officer said.

Sarat Bag, an Odisha Administrative Service (OAS), was arrested on the basis of a complaint lodged by his wife on September 26, said Suchismita Mohanty, the inspector in-charge of BTM police station in Jharsuguda.

Bags wife has accused him of torturing and physically assaulting her. Based on her complaint, police registered a case and launched a hunt for Bag, she said.

New Delhi, Sep 29 (PTI) The Congress on Wednesday will hold internal discussions on the seat-sharing arrangements with like-minded parties for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections.

According to sources, the party has called its Bihar unit chief Madan Mohan Jha and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Sadanand Singh to the national capital on Wednesday.

The Congress is contesting the Bihar assembly polls as part of the 'Mahagathbandhan' with the RJD, Left parties and some smaller state parties.

New Delhi, Sep 29 (PTI) Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday tested positive for COVID-19 but is in good health, the Vice President Secretariat said.

Naidu, 71, who is asymptomatic, has been advised home quarantine.

In the evening, Naidu had addressed a virtual event on post-COVID healthcare where he urged the private sector to pitch in to improve healthcare system in rural India.

Raigarh, Sep 29 (PTI) A woman has told police she was raped and impregnated by her employer last year when she was suffering from mental illness, Raigarh police in Chhattisgarh said on Tuesday.

The Gharghoda resident worked as a domestic help at the house of the accused identified as Raja Ram Rathia last year when she was a teen, said Superintendent of Police Santosh Singh.

New Delhi, Sep 29 (PTI) The amended Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, which makes it mandatory for office-bearers of NGOs to furnish their Aadhaar numbers for registration, came into force on Tuesday, according to a Home Ministry notification.

The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Act, 2020, was passed by Parliament during the recently concluded Monsoon Session.

Kanpur: The district administration is serious to provide ample quantity of oxygen cylinders to the covid hospitals.

With the increase in the number of oxygen cylinders, a proposal to purchase as many as 300 cylinders has been prepared on the directives of the district magistrate Alok Tiwari.

Meanwhile, Dr Dinesh Sachan, CMS, Kanshiram Hospital, said: The DM has issued a directive to purchase as many as 320 oxygen cylinders in view of the rising requirement. He has extended budget to buy the cylinders from the Covid Fund. It would take one month in delivery.

Lucknow Sep 30 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday constituted a three-member SIT to probe the Hathras gang-rape incident which has sparked outrage.

A senior government official said the chief minister has also asked for conducting the trial of the case in a fast track court.

A 19-year-old woman was brutally gang-raped in a village in Hathras district two weeks ago. She died of her grievous injuries at a Delhi hospital on Tuesday, prompting outrage, protests and calls for justice.