Cabinet Okays 8 New Rail Line Projects Covering 14 Districts In 7 states

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved eight railway projects with total estimated cost of Rs 24,657 crore, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Friday.

The new line proposals will provide direct connectivity and improve mobility, providing enhanced efficiency and service reliability for the Indian Railways, Mr Vaishnaw said in a press briefing.

A government press release, providing details of these projects, said the eight projects covering 14 districts in seven states such as Odisha, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Telangana and West Bengal will increase the existing network of the Indian Railways by 900 kms.

"With these projects 64 New Stations will be constructed, providing enhancing connectivity to Six (6) Aspirational Districts (East Singhbum, Bhadadri Kothagudem, Malkangiri, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Rayagada), approx. 510 villages and about 40 lakh population," the release said.

"Ajanta Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage site will be connected to Indian Railway Network facilitating large number of tourists," the release added.

According to the government, these are essential routes for transportation of commodities such as agriculture products, fertilizer, coal, iron ore, steel, cement, bauxite, limestone, aluminium powder, granite, ballast, containers etc.

Highlighting the benefits to freight operations, the release said, "The capacity augmentation works will result in additional freight traffic of magnitude 143 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum)." "The Railways being environment friendly and energy efficient mode of transportation, will help both in achieving climate goals and minimizing logistics cost of the country, reduce oil import (32.20 Crore Litres) and lower CO2 emissions (0.87 Million Tonnes) which is equivalent to plantation of 3.5 crore trees," it added.

Four out of these eight railway lines, Gunupur-Therubali (New Line), Junagarh-Nabrangpur, Badampahar - Kandujhargarh and Bangriposi - Gorumahisani are in Odisha while one, ie, Malkangiri - Pandurangapuram (via Bhadrachalam) spreads in three states Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

The Railway line between Buramara and Chakulia covers Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha.

Two other new lines Jalna - Jalgaon and Bikramshila - Katareah are in Maharashtra and Bihar, respectively.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"Have Become Face Of Awami League By Default": Sheikh Hasina's Son To NDTV

Days after his mother's ouster, former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina's son and former adviser Sajeeb Wazed has told NDTV that he would consider returning to the country and leading the Awami League if the party's workers wanted him to.

In an exclusive interview on Friday, Mr Wazed said that his mother does not want to live in exile and would like to go back to Bangladesh. He also insisted that Ms Hasina wanted to retire for the last two terms as prime minister, but did not rule out her return to active politics.  

"I spoke with her (Ms Hasina) last night. She has no plans as of yet. She's staying put. All the rumours about her applying for visas or asylum... none of those are true. What she really wants is to eventually go back to Bangladesh. Whether that's to be in politics or to retire, it doesn't matter. It's her home. She has grown up there. This was going to be her last term anyway, she's 76 years old. She wants to retire in her village home in Tungipara (in south Bangladesh). That has been her dream. She does not want to live in exile outside Bangladesh," Mr Wazed said. 

When he was asked whether this would mean that Ms Hasina could return to active politics, Mr Wazed, who is an IT entrepreneur and lives in the US, said she would be the best person to answer but she was never in public life for herself. 

"She was in politics for her country, not because she wanted to be in power. She has been wanting to retire for the last two terms. In fact, she has been pushing me before every election to come and join politics. No one in our family has ever had ambition for power or politics," he claimed.

So if he didn't take her up on the offer at the time, would he do so now, considering that workers in his mother's party, the Awami League, would be looking for leadership at this critical juncture? When this question was posed to Mr Wazed, he said that he has become the face of the party by default for now. 

"I guess by default I am, you know, I have become the face right now. I never wanted this. I have no political ambition, but as soon as I learned that our party leaders were being attacked, their homes burned down, I said I cannot just abandon them. So I am in touch with many of our party leaders. Almost all our ministers' homes have been burned down, our ancestral home has been burned down... So in this situation, I will do whatever it takes. The Awami League still has tens of millions of followers, it is not going to disappear overnight," he asserted. 

'Workers Will Decide'

Stating that the Awami League could win the elections, as and when they are held, because of Ms Hasina's record of development, the entrepreneur said that the party is a democratic one and the workers and leaders will decide who will be at the helm. 

"If the Awami League activists...they all demand that I come, I will think about it. It depends on the members of the party... If the party demands that she (Ms Hasina) be the leader, then she will be the leader. As I said, we are a democratic party. It is totally up to the members of the party to decide who their leader is going to be," he said.

'Government Without Mandate'

On the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, Mr Wazed said it has no mandate and the constitution provides for elections to be held within 90 days.

"The interim government has made no attempt to communicate with us. Today's statement from  one of the advisers... it is unfortunate they they have taken the exact same playbook that has failed before. They have been placed in power by a tiny minority and perhaps with foreign support. They don't have the mandate of the people of Bangladesh at all, and they think they will reform the country without a popular mandate... This is an unconstitutional, hand-picked government and it is in their interest to hold elections as soon as possible," he alleged.

Asked whether his mother would be willing to return to Bangladesh to face charges, he said she had nothing to be afraid of. 

"During the last military takeover, they arrested my mother. They put her on trial and she was acquitted on all charges. My mother is not afraid of that. They want to play that game. We can play it again. What will happen if they try to put Sheikh Hasina on trial? Well, they can find out. My mother has done nothing illegal. She has done nothing wrong. If there are people in our government that have acted outside the law, those are the people that need to be tried. You cannot blame my mother," he stressed. 

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Pak's ISI Fuelling Unrest In Bangladesh, Claims Sheikh Hasina's Son

Sheikh Hasina, who quit as prime minister and fled Bangladesh, will be back in the country as soon as democracy is restored, his son Sajeeb Wazed Joy said on Thursday and blamed Pakistan's intelligence agency, ISI, for fuelling the ongoing unrest in the country.

In an interview with PTI, Mr Joy said that although 76-year-old Sheikh Hasina would return to Bangladesh, it has not yet been decided whether she will be back as a "retired or active" politician.

He also asserted that the members of the Sheikh Mujib (Sheikh Mujibur Rahman) family will neither abandon its people nor leave the beleaguered Awami League in the lurch.

He expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government for protecting his mother and appealed to India to help build international opinion and exert pressure to restore democracy in Bangladesh.

"Yes, it is true that I had said she wouldn't return to Bangladesh. But a lot has changed in the last two days following continuous attacks on our leaders and party workers across the country. Now we are going to do whatever it takes to keep our people safe; we are not going to leave them alone." 

"Awami League is the largest and oldest political party in Bangladesh, so we cannot just walk away from our people. She will definitely return to Bangladesh once democracy is restored," he told PTI over the phone.

Terming Awami League an "all-weather ally of India", he said India must ensure the security of Awami League leaders in Bangladesh by building international pressure.

Mr Joy also urged the interim government, headed by Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus, to restore law and order, noting that "the country is turning into a state of anarchy and becoming a second Afghanistan in the region." He said he also expects the interim government to create a level playing field whenever democracy is restored and fresh elections are held.

"You cannot exclude the Awami League and have a representative democracy in Bangladesh ever. Whatever his (Mohammed Yunus) personal views are, he has said that he wants a government of unity and wants to move forward and not let the mistakes of the past cloud over the future. I hope he stays true to his word," he asserted.

Prof Yunus took oath as the head of Bangladesh's interim government on Thursday and was administered the oath of office by President Mohammed Shahabuddin at a ceremony in Dhaka.

Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country following violent protests against her government over a controversial quota system in jobs. She flew to the Hindon air base, near Delhi, in a Bangladesh military aircraft on Monday.

Mr Joy mentioned that once democracy is restored, either the Awami League or BNP will come to power, and the "Mujib family and Sheikh Hasina will be around." "She has been in touch with all our party leaders for the last two days. My mother was going to retire anytime soon, so we thought now that she is gone, they (rioters) would leave our party people alone, but that did not happen. Instead, they started attacking," he said.

Declining to comment directly on whether he and his sister Saima Wazed, who is currently the South East Asian regional director for the World Health Organization, would enter politics, Joy said he would do whatever it takes to protect Bangladesh from total anarchy.

"I can't give a definite reply to this question. But I will do whatever it takes to save Bangladesh and protect the Awami League. The Mujib family would not leave them in a lurch," said Joy, the former Information and Communication Technology Advisor to Hasina.

Blaming Pakistan for fueling the unrest in Bangladesh, Joy said there is circumstantial evidence suggesting foreign interference and alleged involvement of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency.

"I am quite certain given the circumstantial evidence; I suspect Pakistan ISI's involvement. The attacks and protests were very coordinated, meticulously planned, and intentional efforts to keep inflaming the situation through social media. No matter what the government did to control the situation, they kept trying to worsen it," he said.

He also pointed out that the rioters attacked police with guns which could only be provided by terror outfits and foreign powers.

On reports of involvement of a US intelligence agency like the CIA, Joy said he had no evidence but added, "maybe, they are". He dismissed any Chinese involvement when asked about it.

Dismissing reports of Hasina seeking asylum in the UK or any other country as "rumours", Joy said the reports of her US Visa being revoked are also untrue.

"Nothing of this sort has been planned (seeking asylum). Sooner or later, there has to be a restoration of democracy in Bangladesh and hopefully, that will be between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Awami League. Then Sheikh Hasina will be back." "At this point, she wants to go back to Bangladesh. It's a question of when rather than if," he said, hinting that the ousted Bangladesh PM will be staying at an undisclosed location in India for now.

Joy, who spent much of his childhood studying in India, appealed to the Indian government to ensure the quick restoration of democracy for stability in the region.

"I want to thank the Indian government for protecting my mother. I owe my heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister Modi. If India wants stability in its eastern backyard, then they have to pressure the international community and take the lead to ensure the quick restoration of democracy," he said.

Speaking on the 'INDIA-out' campaign in Bangladesh, he said, "the anti-India forces are already very active, and with Awami League out of power, the ISI is now free to supply as many weapons as it wants to the anti-India forces." Joy said India must act fast before anti-India forces gain more ground.

Refuting claims that Ms Hasina ran away to save her own life, he said the family insisted on stopping the bloodshed.

"She was not willing to leave the country. The Prime Minister's security was ready to protect her till the end. But that would have led to hundreds of deaths of protestors who were marching towards the PM's residence. We convinced her for the sake of Bangladesh, we cannot let her get killed," he said.

"Our government was not weak, but my mother did not want to harm the students. Even after her leaving the country, the bloodshed has not stopped. The people will now understand the difference with and without Sheikh Hasina," he said.

The death toll in the anti-government protests in Bangladesh climbed to 440 on Wednesday, with the recovery of 29 more bodies of Hasina's Awami League party members across the country through Tuesday, taking the overall death toll to 469 in nearly three weeks since the protests began in July"Asatya Not J: When Amit Shah Helped Out Kiren Rijiju In Parliament

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"Dari Hui Hai": Distressed Antim Leaves Paris Amid Olympic Controversy

"Please leave me alone, I want to go back home," said a distressed Antim Panghal as she and her team boarded an Air India flight to New Delhi on Thursday evening, concluding a controversial Olympic campaign in which she was ousted in the opening round before facing the prospect of a three-year ban for alleged indiscipline. Having lost to Turkey's Yetgil Zeynep in her opening bout, the 53kg category wrestler, who made an Olympic debut here, grabbed headlines on Wednesday after a "disciplinary breach" involving her entourage, including younger sister Nisha.

Sporting her Team India jersey, she along with four members of her team quietly did the check in at the Terminal 2C of the Charles de Gaulle Airport before boarding the Air India 142 flight.

The estimated time of arrival in New Delhi is 09.29am on Friday.

When asked to clarify on the controversy, she refused to speak and hurried pass the security check points.

One of her coaches intervened: "Woh dari hui hai baat nahin karegi (She's scared and won't talk)." Following her 0-10 loss, Panghal allegedly gave her accreditation card to her sister and sent her to the Games Village to collect her belongings. However, she was stopped by the Village security.

By late Wednesday evening, both Panghal and her sister found themselves at the police station within the Village.

Meanwhile, Panghal's support team, consisting of coaches Bhagat Singh and Vikas, also became involved in a separate police matter.

They allegedly refused to pay the cab fare and behaved inappropriately with the driver before quickly retreating inside. The cab driver later reported the incident to the police.

"The Indian Olympic Association has decided to fly wrestler Panghal and her support staff back after a disciplinary breach was brought to IOA's notice by the French authorities," an IOA statement had said.

Panghal is likely to be banned for three years by the IOA, a source told PTI on Thursday.

Panghal had crashed out of the Olympics after losing her opening bout in the women's 53kg category on Wednesday.

"IOA (Indian Olympic Association) officials discussed the issue that caused embarrassment to all. It is considering a three-year ban on everyone involved, including the coaches," a source in the Indian contingent told PTI.

"First, we need to ensure that she reaches home. The decision will be announced only after she reaches India," the source added.

The body, however, asserted that the ban has not yet been imposed.

"A ban has not been imposed as yet," said an IOA official.

In widely-shared video, Panghal admitted that she had to go to the police station but only for the verification of her accreditation card.

"It was not a good day for me. I lost. A lot is being spread about me, that's not true. I had high fever, and had taken permission from my coach to go to the hotel with my sister.

"I needed some some of my belongings which were in the Games Village. My sister took my card and asked the officials there if she could take my belongings. They took her to the Police Station for accreditation verification." She also denied that her coaches were drunk and got into an altercation with a taxi driver over fare.

"My coaches had stayed back at the venue and when they wanted to come back, we booked a cab for them. My coaches did not have enough cash and due to the language issues, led to an argument with the taxi driver.

"Since they came to collect some Euros from the hotel room, it took some time and led to the situation. I already have had a bad time, please don't spread rumours. Please support me," she said.

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Neeraj Chopra LIVE Streaming, Men's Javelin Throw Final Olympics 2024

Neeraj Chopra, Men's Javelin Throw Final, Paris Olympics 2024 Live Streaming: India's gold medal hopes at Paris Olympics 2024 lie once again on the shoulders of Neeraj Chopra, as he competes in the Men's Javelin Throw Final on Thursday night. The Olympic gold medalist from Tokyo 2020, Chopra will aim to become the first Indian athlete to win two individual gold medals at the Olympics. Despite concerns of an adductor niggle, Chopra finished top of the qualifying round, with a stunning throw of 89.34m - nearly 2m more than his gold-winning throw from three years ago.

Germany's Julian Weber, Grenada's Anderson Peters, Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, Kenya's Julius Yego and Tokyo 2020 silver medalist Jakub Vadlejch from Czech Republic will make sure Chopra does not have it easy.

When will the Neeraj Chopra, Men's Javelin Throw Final, Olympics 2024 take place?

Neeraj Chopra, Men's Javelin Throw Final, Olympics 2024 will take place on Thursday, August 8 (IST).

Where will the Neeraj Chopra, Men's Javelin Throw Final, Olympics 2024 be held?

Neeraj Chopra, Men's Javelin Throw Final, Olympics 2024 will be held at Stade de France in Paris.

What time will the Neeraj Chopra, Men's Javelin Throw Final, Olympics 2024 start?

Neeraj Chopra, Men's Javelin Throw Final, Olympics 2024 will start at 11:55 PM.

Which TV channels will live telecast the Neeraj Chopra, Men's Javelin Throw Final, Olympics 2024?

Neeraj Chopra, Men's Javelin Throw Final, Olympics 2024 will be telecast live on the Sports18 network.

Where to follow the live streaming of the Neeraj Chopra, Men's Javelin Throw Final, Olympics 2024?

Neeraj Chopra, Men's Javelin Throw Final, Olympics 2024 will be live streamed on the JioCinema app.

(All details are as per information provided by the broadcaster)

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Watch: Bengaluru Cop's Daring Act To Catch Thief On Motorcycle

In what seemed like a scene straight out of a Bollywood thriller, a Bengaluru policeman risked his life by diving before a two-wheeler to catch a thief. The Tuesday incident was captured on CCTV.

Constable Dodda Lingayya, dressed in civil clothes, approached a two-wheeler on a busy road and jumped before it, showed a video. Manjesh, who has 75 police cases pending against him, stopped the bike. Seconds later, he went full throttle and dragged the cop for around 20 metres as he held on to his collar.

The collar slipped off the cop's grip after a while, but he did not give up. Refusing to let him go, he was seen clinging on to the thief's leg as he kept riding. This made Manjesh lose control.

Two traffic cops standing nearby were soon alerted of the incident and rushed to his help. The thief overpowered one of them, but was tackled down by another.

By then, several commuters had gathered. They caught him and thrashed him, bringing the traffic to a standstill.

The police later said Manjesh had fled to Bengaluru from Tumakuru district and was on the police's radar for some time.

He has been arrested. The police have recovered Rs 10,000 cash and 130 grams gold jewellery from his possession.

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600 Bangladeshis Try To Enter Bengal, Stopped By Border Force

Even as the political turmoil and violence continues in Bangladesh, a group of nearly 600 people from the country were stopped from entering India at a border point in West Bengal by the Border Security Force, which has been on high alert since prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted and fled the country on Monday. 

Many members of the group - which tried to enter India on Wednesday, the eve of an interim government taking over in Bangladesh - pleaded with BSF personnel to be allowed in, claiming that they feared for their lives.

Officials said that the group tried to cross the border into India at the Dakshin Berubari village in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district.

"They appealed to us and asked to be let into the country, saying that they were afraid of being attacked and also feared for their lives. It was explained to them that it is not possible to let them enter in this fashion," said an official. 

While some people in the group dispersed, many were still at the border point late on Wednesday evening, hoping that they would eventually be allowed to cross over. 

A local resident told news agency PTI that the people gathered across the barbed wire were pleading to be allowed in. 

"But we are helpless. They recounted their horrific experiences," the resident said.

Trouble had been brewing in Bangladesh since before the January 7 elections, which was won by Sheikh Hasina's Awami League in a landslide, but the electoral exercise was widely seen as being far from free and fair.

Student protests began in June after a Bangladeshi high court reinstated 30 per cent reservation in government jobs for family members of freedom fighters and veterans from Bangladesh's 1971 War of Independence. The quota was later scaled back by the country's supreme court but Ms Hasina's handling of the situation and labelling of the protesters infuriated students. 

Protests continued with students demanding Ms Hasina step down and clashes between agitators and the police left over 100 dead and dozens injured across the country on Sunday.

Monday saw lakhs of students flooding the streets and heading towards the prime minister's official residence, Ganabhaban, forcing Ms Hasina to resign and flee. 

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus will take oath on Thursday as the head of an interim government, Bangladesh's Army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman has announced. 

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