Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Virendra Kumar is slated to inaugurate several facilities in the field of disability rehabilitation and special education on Wednesday.

One of the flagship projects set for inauguration is the Composite Regional Centre at Davangere in Karnataka.

Operating under the umbrella of the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (NIEPID) in Secunderabad, this centre is designed to cater to individuals with disabilities comprehensively.

It aims to provide a full spectrum of services across all 21 types of disabilities within a barrier-free environment, symbolising hope and progress for those in need, the social justice and empowerment ministry said in a statement.

All six candidates from Maharashtra in the fray for Rajya Sabha elections, including Congress turncoat Ashok Chavan, were on Tuesday declared elected unopposed.

Among the six, the BJP had fielded three nominees including Chavan, and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and NCP one each. The opposition Congress had fielded one nominee. The BJP nominees declared elected unopposed include Chavan, former MLA Medha Kulkarni, and RSS worker Ajit Gopchade.

The nominees of Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party are ex-Congress MP Milind Deora and Praful Patel, respectively.

The Congress had nominated Dalit leader Chandrakant Handore, the lone candidate from the opposition. 

Delhi Police has arrested three people, who allegedly used to change the IMEI numbers of stolen mobile phones, and later sold them to earn profits, officials on Tuesday said.

The police have recovered 79 snatched, robbed and stolen mobile phones and one high-tech laptop loaded with IMEI changing software from the possession of the accused, they said.

"Small percentage of snatched, robbed or stolen mobile phones are recovered. Where do these mobile phones go? Why is it so difficult to track them even though they have a unique identifier like IMEI?" Deputy Commissioner of Police (west) Vichitra Veer said.

The officer said that teams were formed to investigate the case properly and nab the accused.

"A team of the Hari Nagar Police Station on Saturday apprehended one person named Narabjeet Singh (26) and recovered one stolen mobile phone from him," the DCP said.

Sonia Gandhi, BJP's JP Nadda elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha

Manoj Jarange Patil, the activist who led the movement to provide caste-based reservations to Marathas and is on a hunger strike, welcomed the reservation bill introduced and passed in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, but contended that the reservation which has been proposed was not as per the community's demand. 

The Centre on Tuesday gave its clearance to a proposal made by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to start a direct train between Amritsar and Kathgodam. Dhami was informed about this decision through a letter by the Ministry of Railways, an official release here said.

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Tuesday said it doesn't matter if the Maharashtra government grants 10 per cent or 20 per cent reservation to the community, the quota must be under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category and not separate. Speaking to reporters at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district, the activist said he would wait and see if the state government converts its draft notification on 'blood relatives' of Kunbi Marathas into law and then decide on the course of his agitation.

India saw a single-day rise of 105 COVID-19 cases, while the number of active cases of the infection was recorded at 875, the Union health ministry said on Tuesday. A new death due to the viral disease was reported from Punjab in a span of 24 hours, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am. The number of daily Covid cases was in double digits till December 5, 2023, but it began to rise after the emergence of a new variant of the virus and cold weather conditions.

The Maharashtra legislative assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill providing 10 per cent reservation for the Maratha community in education and government jobs. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde tabled the Maharashtra State Socially and Educationally Backward Bill 2024 in the House during the day-long special session of the legislature on Maratha quota. The bill also proposed that once the reservation comes into effect, its review could be taken after 10 years. Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange, who is sitting on a hunger strike since February 10, had demanded that a special session be called over the issue.

Congress MLA Ravi Ganiga has filed a complaint with cops alleging that BJP and JDs combined are attempting to poach the support of MLAs ahead of Rajya Sabha polls after they fielded the second candidate Kupendra Reddy.

In the complaint, they have claimed that MLAs have been contacted through various means and being offered cores of rupees and even being threatened with consequences if they don't follow suit.

AAP leaders on Tuesday protested inside Assembly premises, urging Delhi LG VK Saxena to take action against Delhi Jal Board officials who are allegedly obstructing the Kejriwal  government's plans to bring a one-time settlement scheme for unpaid water bills.

"In December 2013, when I had participated in BJP's Lalkar rally here, I raised the question of why educational institutions like IIT and IIM cannot be built in Jammu. We fulfilled those promises and today there is IIT and IIM in Jammu. That is why people say 'Modi ki guarantee yani guarantee pura hone ki guarantee'..."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a public event in Jammu after inaugurating several development projects on Tuesday.

He said, "I have full faith in you and we will make 'Viksit Jammu and Kashmir.' Your dreams of 70 years will be fulfilled by Modi in the coming years. Earlier, only disappointing news of bombs, kidnappings and separation used to come from Jammu and Kashmir, but now Jammu and Kashmir is developing and moving forward..."

PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday flagged off the first electric train in the valley and also the train service between Sangaldan station & Baramulla station.

PM Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth over Rs 32,000 crore in Jammu. 

The projects relate to several sectors including health, education, rail, road, aviation, petroleum, civic infrastructure, among others.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has been granted bail in 2018 defamation case for making remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Following this, Advocate Santosh Pandey said, "He (Rahul Gandhi) surrendered in the court today. He surrendered and the court took him into custody for 30-45 minutes. After that, his bail application was submitted and was accepted (by the court)... The further date has not been given yet. His lawyer said that he is innocent and he has not made any defamatory statement..."
 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday extended his greetings to the people of Arunachal Pradesh on its statehood day and wished that the state will touch new heights in development under the leadership of Chief Minister Pema Khandu. Shah also conveyed his greetings to the people of Mizoram on its statehood day.

Ten legislators from the opposition Congress were suspended from the Gujarat Assembly for a day on Tuesday following chaos and sloganeering over the issue of a "fake" government office unearthed in Chhota Udepur district last year and siphoning off funds meant for irrigation projects. While the Congress' strength in the House is 15, five of its MLAs were absent at the time of chaos in the House. During question hour of the ongoing budget session, Congress MLA Tushar Chaudhary sought to know what action the government had taken against those who had opened a "fake" government office in Chhota Udepur district and siphoned off government funds meant to carry out various irrigation projects in tribal areas.

Tamil Nadu Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, MRK Panneerselvam on Tuesday presented the agriculture budget for 2024-25 in the Assembly and announced new initiatives, including those aimed at improving soil fertility. In his budget speech, the Minister said the indiscriminate use of chemical fertilisers, herbicides, and pesticides, has led to a decline in overall soil fertility.

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde arrived at the State Assembly on Tuesday. Maharashtra government will hold a special Vidhan Sabha session today to discuss the Maratha reservation issue.

The Supreme Court will examine the ballot papers of Chandigarh mayoral polls and video recording of the counting process on Tuesday after raising deep concerns over horse trading and dismissing fresh polls. The apex court said it may consider the declaration of results based on votes already cast. 

Ahead of PM Narendra Modi's arrival in Jammu and Kashmir today, Feb 20, the traffic police on Monday issued an advisory for the public intending to participate in the rally which will be held in the Moulana Aazad Stadium Jammu. The Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple projects worth Rs 32,000 crore for different sectors including education, road, health, and civic infrastructure.

12 days after clashes broke out in Haldwani which left people dead, the Nainital District Magistrate on Tuesday issued an order to end the curfew in the Banbhoolpura area from today.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is likely to appear before a local court in UP Sultanpur in connection with a defamation case on Tuesday. He is likely to appear before the court at around 10am.The matter pertains to Gandhi allegedly calling Union Minister Amit Shah a murderer in his speech in 2018.

A head constable was injured after being assaulted by two prisoners in Ajmer jail while one of the two attackers died after he received injuries in the scuffle, police said on Monday. Shrawan and Fardeen attacked head constable Rahesh with an iron rod and blade, injuring him critically. Other security staffers rushed to the ward and separated them. During this, Shrawan was also injured, a police official said.

The Maharashtra government will hold a special Vidhan Sabha session for one day on Tuesday to hold discussion on the Maratha reservation issue. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stressed on Friday that reservation to Marathas will be given according to the terms of the law after presenting the report in during the special assembly session called for February 20. 

An earthquake of magnitude 3.7 on the Richter scale hits Jammu & Kashmir’s Kishtwar on Tuesday.