Nepal seeks 'transformative' ties, says no grudge against India

. A Delhi court on Saturday convicted Raju Kumar Singh, BJP MLA from Sahebganj in Muzaffarpur, in an eight-year-old New Year party firing case that led to the death of a woman, Dr Archana Gupta. Singh was held guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under the IPC and under the Arms Act. Special judge Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue court ordered him to be taken into custody. His wife, Renu Singh and two others, Rana Rajesh Singh and Ramendra Singh, who were accused of destruction of evidence, were acquitted. The court will hear arguments on the sentence on June 9.The case relates to celebratory firing during a party on Dec 31, 2018, at a farmhouse in Fatehpur Beri in Delhi. Gupta was hit by a bullet in the head and died in the hospital on Jan 3, 2019.‘Government cannot wash its hands of responsibility’: MLA on deathsDuring the period, the state government paid Rs 5.1 crore in compensation. However, the payouts varied sharply across districts, highlighting gaps between reported deaths and cleared claims. Bikaner received Rs 92 lakh in compensation, Churu Rs 72 lakh, Jodhpur Rs 58 lakh and Hanumangarh Rs 48 lakh. Sriganganagar received Rs 18 lakh. Jhalawar, despite reporting 42 deaths, also received only Rs 18 lakh. Deeg reported eight deaths but no compensation, while Kota reported 11 deaths and received Rs 2 lakh.Officials attributed disparities to claim verification and approval processes. The agriculture department records did not specify the exact cause of each death. The data covered fatalities linked to pesticide use during agricultural work. It included only cases reported and verified by authorities.“If hundreds of farmers are dying while carrying out routine agricultural work, the government cannot wash its hands of responsibility by merely paying compensation. We need accountability, stricter regulation of pesticides, and a comprehensive safety programme for farmers across Rajasthan,” Kishanpole MLA Amin Kagzi said.The death count surfaced alongside another set of numbers from the assembly: 189 pesticide samples failed quality tests over the same two-year period. Of 5,570 pesticide samples collected across Rajasthan, 5,521 were analysed. While 5,332 met the prescribed standards, 189 were found substandard.Authorities issued 282 notices, filed 14 court cases, suspended 14 licences and cancelled 22 licences following quality checks. Sriganganagar and Hanumangarh topped the list of substandard pesticide samples at 17 each, followed by Bikaner (13), Kota (10) and Bhilwara (9). Sriganganagar also recorded the highest number of notices at 34, followed by Bikaner (20), Hanumangarh (19) and Churu (17). Legal action was launched in 14 cases, including five in Bikaner and three in Sriganganagar.The figures paint a stark picture of pesticide risks in India. Heavy dependence on chemical pesticides has long been a pillar of high-yield farming, but experts have repeatedly warned that inadequate protective gear, unsafe handling practices, excessive spraying and poor-quality agrochemicals can turn fields into toxic workplaces.Beyond human health risks, pesticide overuse has been linked to soil degradation, water contamination, biodiversity loss and declining populations of pollinators and beneficial insects. State agriculture minister Kirori Lal Meena sought to play down the figures, saying data compiled from police stations by the home department would be reviewed.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos‘Untrue’: Sourav Ganguly Denies Asking Yusuf Pathan To Resign On Behalf Of Mamata Banerjee‘TMC Fooled Muslims, Suvendu Is Secular’: Ajmal Siddiqui Resigns From Post, Slams Abhishek BanerjeeAbhishek Banerjee’s Role Reworked As Mamata Banerjee Reshuffles TMC LeadershipTamil Nadu BJP Faces Resignation Wave as Annamalai’s New Movement Draws VolunteersSix Detained As CJP’s Jantar Mantar Protest Over NEET Leak Concludes Without Major ClashesAshwini Vaishnaw Unveils Bengal Bullet Train Plan, Targets Faster Northeast Connectivity‘Khan Sir Won’t Surrender In Patna Court, To File Anticipatory Bail Plea On 8 June’: LawyerPM Modi Chairs Economic Advisory Council Meet Amid West Asia CrisisStudents, Senior Citizens, Parents Join CJP Protest Against NEET Paper Leak Controversy | WatchBengal STF Recovers Arms Cache From TMC Leader’s Pond In Sandeshkhali, CM Suvendu Adhikari Reacts123PhotostoriesGopika Gopi to Aneesh: Here’s a look at the commoner contestants of Bigg Boss Malayalam5 silent signs your body may be missing key nutrients, according to a neurologistWhy you should ‘marry for money’, according to a top divorce lawyerPrincess Diana’s most iconic fashion moments: 5 designers behind her legendary style12 must-follow emergency rules for modern apartments and gated real estate communities5 effective money habits that protect you from going brokeHow to respond to difficult people without getting triggered: 10 practical waysFrom Kedarnath to Kamakhya: 5 iconic hill temples in India to visit at least once in lifetimeInside Sunil Grover’s stunning two-storey dream home: A massive living room, artistic interiors and moreCan Jamun help control blood sugar? Expert explains its benefits for people with diabetes123Hot PicksSuryakumar YadavYusuf PathanKerala Student HospitalisedIran AttackKhan SirAnnamalaiKaru Nagarajan ResignRoger GoodellAIADMKTop TrendingCJP ProtestKarnataka Constable RecruitmentTS Inter Supplementary ResultsIndia vs Afghanistan ScoreAnnamalai BJP exitE85 FuelDelhi hotel fireKhan sir coaching fireDelhi Plice HCM Result 2026Pawan Kalyan

Vamsikrishna53 seconds ago 0

. NEW DELHI: Ahead of the INDIA bloc meeting on Monday, CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby, in a sharply worded letter to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, has raised the allegations by Rahul Gandhi and other senior leaders during the Kerala polls that CPI(M) and the BJP had struck a deal and their call for ED action against then CM Pinarayi Vijayan. The Left party has asked the Congress to “clear the air regarding such disruptive moves.”According to sources, in the letter to Kharge, Baby has alleged that there was a “systematic campaign” by the Congress leadership during the Kerala elections, wherein it was alleged that Vijayan had also struck a deal with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a question was posed ‘Otherwise, why is it that he has not been interrogated or arrested by the Enforcement Directorate’?Baby makes it clear that “unless these matters are clarified, the very purpose of the INDIA bloc would be in question”. “As the President of the Congress, it is up to you and the Congress leadership to clear the air regarding such disruptive moves,” Baby is learnt to have said in the letter, putting the ball in Kharge’s court.The CPM general secretary has said that these were not stray remarks made in the heat of an election campaign, but were “the centrepiece of the Congress party-led UDF’s political campaign. “Every national leader, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and yourself, made such allegations repeatedly,” Baby has said in the letter.In this backdrop, Monday’s INDIA bloc meeting is likely to see some straight talk and fireworks. The two-term CPI(M) led LDF lost to the Congress-led UDF in the recent assembly polls. Despite the sharp tenor of the letter, it is expected that CPM is not going to boycott the meeting, though the party leadership will take a final call on Sunday, senior leaders said.While highlighting in his letter that the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, repeatedly called for ED action against the then Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, the CPM general secretary asks Kharge that “can this be termed as an anti-BJP stance or is it a case of inviting the Modi govt to take illegal punitive action against a fellow opposition leader?”Baby recalls that the INDIA bloc was constituted as a broad platform to politically fight the BJP, and CPI(M) has worked sincerely to see such a united platform emerge.Noting that strangely, now, the CPI(M) was being accused of having a deal with the BJP, Baby has said in the letter that this is a canard they cannot take lightly, as “this strikes at the very basis of the unity forged against the BJP.”However, Baby has assured that CPI(M) will fully cooperate in Parliament with the INDIA bloc and other opposition parties to put up a united fight against the authoritarian, communal, and anti-people policies of the Modi govt.The INDIA bloc meeting, happening after a long gap, is taking place amid changing dynamics within the Alliance, with DMK already saying it will not attend in the backdrop of the Congress severing ties with it to support TVK to form the government in Tamil Nadu. On Thursday, DMK spokesperson TKS Ekangovan told ANI that DMK is no longer part of the INDIA bloc.In Monday’s meeting, where the future strategy of the INDIA bloc is proposed to be chalked out, former West Bengal CM and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee will be there to present the TMC’s views and rally support amid the current developments in the state. The TMC, which has all along positioned itself as a dominant regional player within the INDIA bloc, is set to lose the clout the party enjoyed in the backdrop of the recent developments – the defeat in Bengal and the recent split in the party.According to sources, at the INDIA bloc meeting, TMC leaders, among various issues, propose to share their views on the role of the Election Commission, the developments on the counting day and the reasons for defeat.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos‘Untrue’: Sourav Ganguly Denies Asking Yusuf Pathan To Resign On Behalf Of Mamata Banerjee‘TMC Fooled Muslims, Suvendu Is Secular’: Ajmal Siddiqui Resigns From Post, Slams Abhishek BanerjeeAbhishek Banerjee’s Role Reworked As Mamata Banerjee Reshuffles TMC LeadershipTamil Nadu BJP Faces Resignation Wave as Annamalai’s New Movement Draws VolunteersSix Detained As CJP’s Jantar Mantar Protest Over NEET Leak Concludes Without Major ClashesAshwini Vaishnaw Unveils Bengal Bullet Train Plan, Targets Faster Northeast Connectivity‘Khan Sir Won’t Surrender In Patna Court, To File Anticipatory Bail Plea On 8 June’: LawyerPM Modi Chairs Economic Advisory Council Meet Amid West Asia CrisisStudents, Senior Citizens, Parents Join CJP Protest Against NEET Paper Leak Controversy | WatchBengal STF Recovers Arms Cache From TMC Leader’s Pond In Sandeshkhali, CM Suvendu Adhikari Reacts123PhotostoriesGopika Gopi to Aneesh: Here’s a look at the commoner contestants of Bigg Boss Malayalam5 silent signs your body may be missing key nutrients, according to a neurologistWhy you should ‘marry for money’, according to a top divorce lawyerPrincess Diana’s most iconic fashion moments: 5 designers behind her legendary style12 must-follow emergency rules for modern apartments and gated real estate communities5 effective money habits that protect you from going brokeHow to respond to difficult people without getting triggered: 10 practical waysFrom Kedarnath to Kamakhya: 5 iconic hill temples in India to visit at least once in lifetimeInside Sunil Grover’s stunning two-storey dream home: A massive living room, artistic interiors and moreCan Jamun help control blood sugar? Expert explains its benefits for people with diabetes123Hot PicksSuryakumar YadavYusuf PathanKerala Student HospitalisedIran AttackKhan SirAnnamalaiKaru Nagarajan ResignRoger GoodellAIADMKTop TrendingCJP ProtestKarnataka Constable RecruitmentTS Inter Supplementary ResultsIndia vs Afghanistan ScoreAnnamalai BJP exitE85 FuelDelhi hotel fireKhan sir coaching fireDelhi Plice HCM Result 2026Pawan Kalyan

Vamsikrishna2 hours ago 0

Ladakh back on tourism surge: Thailand, Vietnam & US lead foreign tourist arrivals | India News

Vamsikrishna2 hours ago 0

5 cops suspended for Pocso case manipulation in Samba | India News

Vamsikrishna3 hours ago 0