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Sawan month has begun and it is considered to be the most auspicious month of the year for the Hindu community. During this holy month, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati are widely worshiped across temples in the country. Amid this sacred time, the Vaishnava Ekadashi fast during the Ekadashi of Krishna Paksha of the Hindu calendar is also observed. As per the Hindu calendar, Vaishnava Kamika Ekadashi this year will be observed on 24 July (Sunday). One this special day, devotees in large numbers worship Lord Vishnu. They believe that their wishes get fulfilled by worshipping him on Vaishnava Ekadashi. Devotees also believe that a person who fasts on this day receives Lord Vishnu's gift of forgiveness. Details on Shubh Muhurat: On 23 July, the Kanima Ekadashi will begin at 11:27 am and end on 24 July at 1:45 pm. According to Udayatithi , the Kamika Ekadashi fast is supposed to be kept on 24 July. Puja Vidhi to follow: The Kamika Ekadashi vrat is a three-day long fast. During these

The nation marks Income Tax Day on 24 July every year. This year marks the 162nd anniversary of the occasion, also called Aaykar Diwas. Every year, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) organises several activities to spread awareness about the importance of taxation for nation building. The department also promotes payment of taxes and highlights how paying the due taxes on time is the duty of all citizens. Why is Income Tax Day celebrated on 24 July? It was on 24 July 1860 that Income Tax was introduced in India by Sir James Wilson. The system came into force to compensate for the losses incurred by the British regime during the Revolt of 1857. In 2010, the Finance Ministry decided to mark the existence of this levy by establishing Income Tax Day on 24 July. "Since income tax was first levied as a duty in the year 1860 and the authority to levy that duty came into force on July 24 of that year, it is proposed to celebrate this day as the Income Tax Investiture Day,"

The other day, I asked an Ambedkarite Buddhist from Maharashtra, who isn’t favourably disposed to the BJP, which way she would have voted if the presidential polls were to be direct elections with universal adult franchise. Pat came the answer: Droupadi Murmu would be her choice and not Yashwant Sinha. While many feel that the BJP has trounced political parties that relied on a Bahujan vote through the symbolism of offering plum posts to public figures belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes — thereby rendering the politics of social justice that held sway since the 1990s toothless — what the party has done amounts to a tweaking of the category Bahujan by adding the upper castes to it and pushing the delete button where it comes to Muslim representation. The idea of Bahujan became much-talked-about with the rise of Kanshi Ram, the founder of the BSP. His organisation BAMCEF — Backward and Minority Communities’ Employees Federation — sought to s

National Broadcasting Day is celebrated every year in India on 23 July to mark the first-ever radio broadcast in India that went on air from the Bombay Station under the Indian Broadcasting Company in 1927. To celebrate the event, All India Radio (AIR) organised a symposium on Creation of New India and Broadcasting Medium in New Delhi. Radio broadcasting services started in India during the British rule in 1923 under the initiative of the Radio Club of Bombay. History Radio broadcasting started in India under British rule in 1922 which consisted of programmes by the Bombay Presidency Radio Club. Later in 1927, the Indian Broadcasting Company (IBC) was declared a private entity and was granted permission to operate two radio stations. IBC dissolved its operations on 1 March 1930 after which the government took over the broadcasting operations and started the Indian State Broadcasting Service (ISBS) on 1 April 1930 on an experimental basis for two years. Eventually in June 1936, it be

The nation remembers Chandrashekhar Azad on his birth anniversary today. He played a significant role in the country's struggle for independence and remains an inspiration till date. Azad was born on 23 July, 1906 in Madhya Pradesh's Bhabha village as Chandra Shekhar Tiwari. He began his journey as a revolutionary in 1920 after participating in Mahatma Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Movement. Azad was moved by the Jallianwala Bagh massacre that took place on 13 April, 1919 and was inspired by the clarion call for India's independence. After the suspension of the Non-cooperation Movement, Azad joined the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) formed by writer and revolutionary leader Ram Prasad Bismil. Later, he grew to become the chief strategist of the association. On his 116th birth anniversary here are few inspiring quotes and interesting facts about the fearless revolutionary: Motivating Quotes: Don’t see others doing better than you, beat your own records every day

Bal Gangadhar Tilak was a freedom fighter and a teacher. He was one of the initiators of the Indian Independence movement, which is why his name stands synonymous with the struggle for freedom. He always raised the issue of Purna Swaraj meaning full independence and the need for a nationwide movement. Born on 23 July, 1856 in Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra (then Bombay Presidency), Tilak was the man who helped shape the country’s journey to independence in many ways. He was commonly called Lokmanya while the Father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, considered him to be the 'The Maker of Modern India'. Who was Bal Gangadhar Tilak? Tilak was an ardent advocate of Swaraj or self-rule. He had a long political career and in the course of which he stressed on the need for Indian autonomy and complete independence from British colonial rule. Due to his strong ideas, he was considered as a radical nationalist. As the country celebrates his 166th birth anniversary today, here are a

Baramulla: The terrifying images of a 12-year-old girl being mercilessly mauled to death by a leopard in the steep wooded forests of Batangi Boniyar still give the residents of this small and helpless village shivers. Rutba Manzoor had gone to graze the livestock with her mother in a nearby woodland on the morning of 14 June but had returned home dead. Rutba's village experienced a cloud of sorrow as soon as word of her death spread. A leopard pounced on Rutba and dragged her off toward bushes. Rutba's mother Haleema and her younger daughter made an effort to pursue the leopard. The animal, however, vanished into the thick woodland. Locals worked hard to find the girl, who was later discovered dead. "In the morning she took a bath and combed her hair like a bride but I was not aware my little bride is going forever," said Haleema with tears rolling down her cheeks. "My daughter was very dear to me. I have lost the diamond that used to give shine to my whole

Droupadi Murmu scripted history on Thursday when she became India's first tribal woman to be elected to the country's top post as its 15th President. She trumped the Opposition's candidate, Yashwant Sinha, by securing 64.03 per cent of the total votes polled. Droupdi Murmu is the 15th President of India. A first tribal woman to hold this place! May she protect the constitution and not be reduced to a stooge of the establishment. — Mini Nair (@minicnair) July 21, 2022 On 25 July, the 64-year-old will be administered the Presidential oath of office by Chief Justice of India N V Ramana at a ceremony in the Central Hall of Parliament. **** India's only tribal President, Droupadi Murmu boasts of many firsts Stay at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Rs 5 lakh salary, hefty pension: The many perks Droupadi Murmu will enjoy as president How Droupadi Murmu’s presidency will be in sync with ethos of New India **** As soon as the results were announced, her village of Uparbeda

The Opposition received a double jolt on Thursday when Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) announced that it would be abstaining from the upcoming vice presidential election , scheduled for 6 August. The news came as the Opposition’s joint pick of Yashwant Sinha for the Presidential race lost out to the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) candidate, Droupadi Murmu , by huge margins — she received 64 per cent of all votes. The Opposition had announced on 17 July that they had decided to field former Rajasthan governor Margaret Alva as their joint candidate for the poll against the NDA’s pick of former West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar. With this move, the TMC has laid bare the cracks in the Opposition’s unity and her party’s decision to abstain from the vice presidential vote will dent not only Margaret Alva’s chances, but also the Opposition’s coordinated fight against the ruling regime. Following the news, National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah compared th

As Bharat celebrates 75 years of Independence from British colonial rule, it is also an opportune moment to delve deeper into the systemic destruction and demonisation of  Bharatiya  social institutions by the British. This truth is exposed by the writings of Dharampal, a Gandhian philosopher and historian. Like Sita Ram Goel, Ram Swarup and many other nationalists, Dharampal’s writings haven’t got their due recognition yet. For those who aren’t aware about Dharampal and his works, he did pioneering work by going through the British and Indian archives of 18 th  and 19 th  century and proved that the picture of Indian society of that era was painted wrong. Dharampal’s overall work is enormous in terms of depth as well as volume as far as rediscovering Bharat’s past is concerned. However, for the beginners, reading  Rediscovering India  could be the first step if you decide to undertake this journey to discover India’s true past. Rediscovering India  is a collection of prominent ess

The king of summer fruits is the delectable and juicy mango. The fruit is a great source of vitamins A, C, and D which is why it is consumed widely all over the globe. In India alone, mangoes come in more than a hundred different varieties with unique colours, shapes and sizes. Some of the most popular varieties include Alphonso, Mallika, Malda, Balia, Amrapali, Himsagar, Fazia, Gelchia, Nigarin Kheria, Ruchika, Chorasya, Dhaman, Dhoon and Shamasi. Hence, National Mango Day is observed on 22 July every year to honour this much-loved fruit and to keep mangoes as the focus of the day. History and Significance: Mangoes were first grown in India almost 5,000 years ago. With time, the word mango (which was derived from the Malayalam word manna) began to be used by English and Spanish-speaking nations. When the Portuguese arrived in Kerala in 1498, they heard the word  as 'Manga' and slowly began using the term mango. The mango tree was not introduced into the Western Hemisphere

There are few animals cuter in the world than a baby elephant. Several videos of the antics of these little jumbos have melted hearts. The latest to join the list is the clip of some elephant calves playing at night. The video was shared by Indian Administrative Officer Supriya Sahu. The short video shows two baby jumbos playfully tussling in the middle of a road. While the adult elephants are foraging, these two calves wander out to the middle of the road and start playing with each other. One of the calves places its head on the road while the other pushes it away. “While their mighty parents are busy foraging, two kutty (baby) elephants have sneaked out to play #elephants vc – a forward,” wrote Sahu while sharing the clip. Watch: While their mighty parents are busy foraging, two kutty (baby) elephants have sneaked out to play ❤️ #elephants vc - a forward pic.twitter.com/KANRlbcDoQ — Supriya Sahu IAS (@supriyasahuias) July 18, 2022 The video has already garnered over 38,000

New Delhi : Ahead of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's questioning by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), party MPs on Thursday protested in Parliament against the Central government. Attacking the Congress party, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said that "they think they are above the law". "Everybody is equal before the law or not? Is the Congress president (Sonia Gandhi) a super human being? They (Congress) think they are above the law...": Pralhad Joshi said in Lok Sabha. The House was later adjourned till 11:30 am. "Everybody is equal before the law or not? Is the Congress president (Sonia Gandhi) a super human being? They (Congress) think they are above the law...": Union minister Pralhad Joshi in Lok Sabha House adjourned till 1130 hours amid sloganeering by Opposition MPs pic.twitter.com/I3tAmGzEQU — ANI (@ANI) July 21, 2022 Earlier, the party alleged that the Delhi Police is preventing the media from entering the AICC headquarters here and sa

There’s some good news for wildlife enthusiasts. India is one step closer to bringing cheetahs , the world’s fastest animal, back home after they went extinct in the country since 1952. On Wednesday, the Narendra Modi government inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Namibia to bring cheetahs to the country, with the first batch of eight wild cats set to arrive by 15 August. The plan to bring African cheetahs to India has been decades in the making, and Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav called the pact “historic”. We take a closer look at the plan of reintroducing the big cat in India after decades and also examine the reason why the cheetah had gone extinct from the country. The cheetah plan On Wednesday, Minister of Environment Forests and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav and the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Namibia, Netumbo Nandi Ndaitwah inked a deal that will see four male and as many female African cheetahs being flown in from Namibia next

11:23 (IST) Presidential elections 2022 results PM Modi expected to visit Droupadi Murmu Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Murmu’s residence at Uma Shankar Dixit Marg in Delhi at about 2.30 pm, sources told News18.   11:00 (IST) Presidential elections 2022 results Counting of votes begin The counting of votes has started to elect India's new president 10:48 (IST) Presidential elections 2022 results From poverty to personal tragedies, the difficult life of Droupadi Murmu Droupadi Murmu has experienced not only extreme poverty but also immense personal tragedies.     10:18 (IST) Presidential elections 2022 results Countdown for counting of votes begins   Hectic preparations are on in the Parliament so that the counting of votes for the presidential election happens smoothly.  Delhi | Counting of votes for the Presidential election to begin at 11am today, preparations underway at Parliament pic.twitter.com/Zr0yCCqnbk — ANI (@ANI) July 21, 2022

New Delhi: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was admitted to a private hospital in Delhi late on Wednesday after complaining of stomach pain. According to reports, he is undergoing treatment at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in Delhi's Sarita Vihar and has been diagnosed with a stomach infection. Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann admitted to hospital in Delhi Read @ANI Story | https://t.co/VSMw7uQJJM #BhagwantMann #PunjabCM pic.twitter.com/FEloBfBkmJ — ANI Digital (@ani_digital) July 21, 2022 Earlier on Wednesday, the Punjab CM had congratulated the state police and the anti-gangster task force for successfully executing an operation against two gangsters in the state. Gangsters Jagroop Singh Roopa and Manpreet Singh, alias Mannu Kusa, were killed in an encounter with the Punjab Police at Amritsar's Bhakna village, police said. In a statement issued from Chief Minister's Office (CMO) here, the Chief Minister said that the state government has launched a decisive war aga

New Delhi: The Centre has fixed 30 September this year as the deadline to award all pending works under the Har Ghar Jal scheme and is also launching a special campaign, Har Ghar Jal Utsav, from July 25 to “certify" 1.54 lakh villages in the country that have reported 100 per cent coverage under the scheme. The government has the ambitious target of covering every rural household in the country with tap drinking water supply by 2024. The coverage as of date stands at about 51 per cent, against just 17 percent when the campaign started in August 2019. Officials told News18 that the 30 September cut-off date has been fixed for approval of all pending works, their detailed project report (DPR) preparation, tendering and award of works for the time-bound completion of the Har Ghar Jal programme by 2024. The Centre is enthused by the fact that despite the ensuing monsoon and severe floods in many states, 38.75 lakh tap water connections were provided in the first quarter of 2022-23