The state has gone all in to oversee what it now refers to as a “Punjabi cultural festival,” deploying surveillance drones, enforcing QR-coded kite lines, registering rooftops, and applying stiff penalties. Centuries ago, on Basant Panchami, when grief silenced a Hazrat Nizamuddin, his disciple chose the colours, rhythms, and beauty of a Hindu festival to heal him. Basant does not need Islamic validation. And Punjabi culture does not need historical amnesia to survive. But you cannot cut the string that ties Basant to its Indian, Hindu, civilisational roots, no matter how many times the story is rewritten.

The fund was registered as a Public Charitable Trust and its trust deed has been registered under the Registration Act, 1908, at New Delhi on March 27, 2020. The Congress on Monday criticised the government for allegedly interfering in the functioning of the legislature. This comes after The Indian Express reported on February 9 (Monday) that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), in a letter dated January 30, told the Lok Sabha Secretariat that questions and matters related to the three funds — PM CARES, the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) and the National Defence Fund (NDF) — are not permissible under Rule 41(2) (viii) and 41(2) (xvii) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha. Congress MP and party general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said it was “deeply concerning” how the PMO was “dictating the business” of the Lok Sabha, “which should operate independently so that the government is held accountable by the people’s representatives”.

लेखक के बारे में रिजवान रिजवान, नवभारत टाइम्स ऑनलाइन में चीफ सीनियर डिजिटल कंटेंट प्रोड्यूसर हैं। पत्रकारिता में उनका करीब 10 वर्षों का अनुभव है। वह इंटरेशनल अफेयर्स (वर्ल्ड सेक्शन) कवर कर रहे हैं। अमर उजाला के साथ डिजिटल पारी की शुरुआत की और फिर वन इंडिया हिंदी, राजस्थान पत्रिका से होते हुए नवभारत टाइम्स में है। उन्‍होंने चौधरी चरण सिंह विश्वविद्यालय और भारतीय जनसंचार संस्थान से पढ़ाई की है।... और पढ़ें

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India’s exporters are riding a wave of optimism following the India-US framework agreement, as restored orders signal a new phase of growth. While growth flattened by December, Jain said, “enquiry flow has already started,” dismissing tariff re-imposition fears as an unpredictable variable. Leather goods exporters, who were offering 20-30 per cent discounts to retain American buyers, can now breathe easy, said Israr Ahmed, a Chennai-based leather goods exporter. The 18 per cent tariff allows for healthier pricing and restoration of margins. With the new 18 per cent rate, these exporters can finally restore profitability,” said Pankaj Chadha, Chairman, EEPC India.

KOLKATA: The ruling TMC on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court’s order on the SIR of electoral rolls, saying it delivered a "stinging rebuke" to the Election Commission's 'arbitrary approach'. Noting that West Bengal has provided a list of 8,505 Group B officers to the poll panel for the SIR exercise, the apex court said from the list, the EC, after scrutinising their bio-data and work experience, may also shortlist the officials equivalent to the strength of micro-observers already engaged. The SC's order "delivered a stinging blow to ECISVEEP's arbitrary overreach," the TMC said in a post on its official X handle, claiming "In unequivocal terms, the court has ordered that micro-observers can only assist EROs/AEROs and that final authority rests solely with EROs." "Further, the court has directed that 8,505 Bengal officials be tagged to EROs to support the SIR process. This blows apart the EC's unilateral move to parachute micro-observers exclusively into Bengal, to influence, intimidate and manipulate the process," the TMC said.

As a result, Mr. Modi said that he made Malaysia his first destination abroad in the new year. His talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who had visited India in 2024, resulted in MoUs, with plans to strengthen ties. It is, therefore, significant that Mr. Modi set aside these concerns, and that the joint statement said India and Malaysia condemned terrorism unequivocally “... including cross-border terrorism”. Mr. Modi’s decision to skip the ASEAN summit despite accepting the invitation had also dealt a blow to negotiations on reviewing the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA). Mr. Ibrahim will be invited as Malaysia is a BRICS partner country, while Indonesia has become a member.

Venugopal, at its meeting on Monday (February 9, 2026) castigated the government for what it described as a “caste system” in the Indian Railways, providing better sanitation facilities for premium trains while neglecting regular passenger trains. The panel was reviewing the Comptroller and Auditor General of India’s report on “Cleanliness and Sanitation in Long-Distance Trains in Indian Railways” for the year ending March 2023. The Indian Railways was represented by Satish Kumar, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Railway Board. A BJP member pointed out that there appears to be a “caste system” in trains, with premium services such as the Vande Bharat offering superior linen and cleaner coaches compared to regular passenger trains. Indian Railways operates 12,541 passenger trains, carrying more than 17.52 million passengers daily across over 7,364 stations.

Rajasthan Food Safety: राजस्थान की राजधानी जयपुर में खाद्य सुरक्षा विभाग द्वारा बड़ी कार्रवाई करते हुए दो रेस्तरां पर कार्रवाई की है. जहां अनुपयोगी बेहद घटिया, स्वास्थ्य के लिए हानिकारक खाद्य तेल में फ्रेंच फ्राइज तैयार की जा रही थी. जिस तेल में नॉन वेज फ्राई किया जा रहा था उस का TPC 28 एवं जिसमें वेज खाद्य तेल जा रहे थे उसका TPC 31 पाया गया जो कि स्वास्थ्य के लिए अत्यंत हानिकारक है. TPC एक मापदंड है जो खाद्य तेल की क्वालिटी को बताता है. एक अन्य रेस्तरां चाट का चस्का में पाई गई दूषित खाद्य सामग्री लगभग 25 किलो को नष्ट करवाया गया एवं खाद्य तेल का एक नमूना लिया गया.

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2 फरवरी को ट्रेड डील का ऐलान हुआ, और 3 फरवरी को भारतीय शेयर बाजार में जोरदार तेजी देखने को मिली थी. क्योंकि डील को लेकर तथ्य बाहर नहीं आए थे, किस सेक्टर्स पर सहमति हुई है, किस सेक्टर को डील से बाहर रखा गया है. असली जश्न के कारणजिसके बाद ये अनुमान लगाया जा रहा था कि सोमवार को बाजार में असली जश्न मनेगा, क्योंकि डील को लेकर अब लगभग तस्वीरें साफ हो चुकी हैं. किस सेक्टर को सबसे ज्यादा फायदा मिलने वाला है, उस सेक्टर के कंपनियों के शेयरों में सोमवार को अच्छी खासी तेजी देखने को मिली. बाजार में तेजी का दूसरा कारणइस बीच देश के सबसे बड़े सरकारी बैंक SBI ने दमदार नतीजे पेश किए, जिससे सोमवार को SBI के शेयर में करीब 7.5% तक उछाल आया, इस तेजी के साथ SBI ने मार्केट कैप ICICI बैंक को पीछे छोड़.

Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi is set to request his Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to withdraw the boycott of their T20 World Cup match against India after being requested to do so by his Bangladesh counterpart, a PCB source has revealed. Naqvi is set to brief Sharif on the latest developments on the issue later on Monday. Bangladesh Cricket Board President, Amin ul Islam was in Lahore for the talks Naqvi had with Imran Khawaja, vice chairman and independent director of the ICC, on Sunday. However, the final decision rests with Sharif and the PCB would abide by it. Bangladesh were ousted from the World Cup after refusing to play in India citing security concerns.

Bangladesh's Election Commission has issued a directive, prohibiting mobile phones within 400 yards of polling centres on the election day, sparking protests from right-wing political parties who threatened to lay siege to its office if the decision is not withdrawn. ADVERTISEMENT"No individual will be allowed to enter a polling centre or remain within a 400-yard radius of it with a mobile phone. The restriction will apply to voters, polling agents, and all others present on election duty, with limited exceptions,” said the directive issued on Sunday. "If the decision is not withdrawn by this evening, the EC will be besieged tomorrow (Tuesday),” NCP convenor Nahid Islam said. Meanwhile, the election campaign entered its final day, with the national capital witnessing rallies by senior leaders of major political parties.

This time, however, the focus has shifted to wildlife articles. The proposal allowed legal owners of wildlife articles to surrender them to the department. However, according to the Forest Department, most people, due to ignorance, submit their applications after the legal deadline. A plain reading of the Act makes it clear that only legally owned or legally inherited wildlife articles are eligible for declaration and certification. Wildlife trophies obtained unlawfully constitute a punishable offence under the Act.

AdvertisementFollowing the meeting, sources said the Opposition would consider moving a no-confidence motion against the Speaker “if these concerns were not addressed”. If they are bringing a motion against Birla, then why did K C Venugopal go and meet the Speaker?” asked the TMC leader. AdvertisementThe MP was referring to the meeting between the Congress general secretary for organisation and Birla to end the stand-off. Congress keeps up attacksEarlier in the day, Venugopal targeted the Speaker, saying Parliament had become one-sided because Birla was “taking sides”. The government wants the budget to be passed without any debate,” Congress whip Manickam Tagore told Express.