Guwahati: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Monday unveiled the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) ‘Sankalp Patra’ (manifesto) for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections at an event held at Vajpayee Bhawan in Guwahati. The launch programme was attended by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, and state BJP president Dilip Saikia, along with other senior...

New Delhi: As India approaches the new fiscal year FY27, the country’s direct tax system is set for a major overhaul from April 1, 2026, with the new Income Tax Act, 2025, coming into force -- replacing the six-decade-old 1961 legislation and introducing changes in compliance, terminology and taxation. Major reform under the new framework is the...

Boinda: A wildfire that has engulfed the Kenchuanali forest under Dhandatopa forest range of Thakurgarh police limits in Angul district is showing no sign of subsiding, even as the Forest department is yet to take effective measures to douse the raging blaze. The blaze has raised fears of widespread destruction of the dense forest, which is home...

Morada: At least 14 schoolgirls fell ill after consuming food at their hostel in Mayurbhanj district, Monday. The incident occurred at the Government Upper Primary School in Bhaliadiha under Morada block. The affected students were admitted to Kisantandi Community Health Centre in Baramail for treatment. The students complained of stomach pain, vomiting and fever after consuming hostel...

Talcher: The famed annual yatra of Talcher’s presiding deity, Goddess Hingula, revered as a form of fire, will begin Tuesday, with the sacred site for the rituals already identified to the east of the temple. According to tradition, Patabari festival, also known as Nabakalebara of the goddess, will be celebrated with much devotion and gaiety. The ritual...

Deogarh: The Orissa High Court has directed the state government to reinstate Deogarh Municipality chairperson Shanti Manjari Dei, who was removed from office earlier this year. In its order, the court held that the state government had acted unlawfully in removing Dei from her post and instructed authorities to restore her to the position with immediate effect....

Bhawanipatna: Police have filed a petition in the JMFC court in Madanpur Rampur seeking an arrest warrant against Durga Prasad Mohanty, husband of BJD MLA Manorama Mohanty and chairman of Narla block in Kalahandi district, in connection with a case involving alleged death threats to local tehsildar and obstruction in government work. According to police, a case...

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Monday directed district Collectors to maintain the supply chain of essential commodities and take strict action against hoarders and black marketers creating artificial shortages in the wake of the ongoing West Asia conflict. Majhi issued the directions during a video conference with district Collectors while reviewing the situation arising out of...

Bhubaneswar: Oil India Limited (OIL) Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CSIR–Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (IMMT) to set up a Centre of Excellence for critical minerals, marking a significant step towards strengthening India’s strategic mineral ecosystem. The collaboration, formalised in Bhubaneswar, aligns with the National Critical Mineral Mission of the Ministry of Mines...

Bangkok: Asian nations are increasingly competing for Russian crude oil as an energy crisis mounts amid the month-old war by the US and Israel against Iran, which has choked off roughly a fifth of the world's oil supply. Much of the oil from the mostly shut Strait of Hormuz was headed for Asia, hit hardest by recent...