Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar

Pune: NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said a decision on the potential entry of any leader in his party will be a collective one, refusing to confirm whether Ajit Pawar will be accommodated if he chooses to come back.

Sharad Pawar spoke on multiple issues during his interaction with reporters in Pune when he was asked whether his estranged nephew and current Deputy Chief Minister in the Mahayuti government will be welcomed back into the party.

Responding to a query, the Pawar senior said everyone has a place in the “house”.

When reporters specifically asked if Ajit Pawar has a place in the NCP (SP), Sharad Pawar said, “Such decisions cannot be taken at the personal level. My colleagues who stood by me during the crisis will be asked first”.

Ajit Pawar split the NCP, founded by Sharad Pawar, in July 2023 when he led some MLAs loyal to him to join the Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government, also comprising the Shiv Sena and BJP.

Ajit also secured the party name and poll symbol- the watch- from the Election Commission.

Speculations about unrest in the Ajit Pawar camp started doing rounds after the NCP led by him lost three of the four seats it contested in recent Lok Sabha elections.

The NCP (SP) led by Sharad Pawar scored an impressive victory by winning 8 out of 10 constituencies it contested in alliance with Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT).

The Pawar senior recently admitted that some MLAs from the breakaway NCP led by Ajit Pawar had met his party’s senior leader Jayant Patil.

New Delhi: The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted extremely heavy rainfall over south interior and coastal Karnataka on July 18.

According to the IMD release, Konkan & Goa and coastal Karnataka are expected to witness isolated extremely heavy rainfall on July 18, followed by isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall over the subsequent three days. Isolated heavy rainfall is also very likely over north interior Karnataka during this period.

The IMD further predicts isolated extremely heavy rainfall over south interior Karnataka, Saurashtra, and Kutch on July 17 and 18.

The release further read, a fresh low-pressure area is likely to form over the west-central and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal around July 19. A cyclonic circulation currently lies over Saurashtra and Kutch in the lower tropospheric levels.

Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Mullai Muhilan

Mangaluru: Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Mullai Muhilan on Wednesday issued orders declaring rain holiday for schools and PU colleges of few taluks of the district on July 18.

According to the order, all Anganwadi centers, government, aided and private primary, high school and pre-university colleges falling under Puttur, Bantwal, Belthangady, Sullia, Kadaba taluks will remain closed on Thursday July 18.

Nasheman news

Sri M established the first-ever largest place of worship dedicated to Sri Guruji Adinath ‘Mahavtar’ Babaji, which is open to people of all faiths.

The Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the temple was done by Sri M, himself, in the presence of Honorable Minister of Road, Transport and Highways, Sri Nitin Gadkari at the Madanapalle Ashram in Andhra Pradesh.

Grand Opening of Sri Guru Mahavtar Babaji Temple at Sri M’s Ashram  Welcomes All Faiths 

~The grand inauguration was graced by the Honorable Minister of Road, Transport and Highways,  Sri Nitin Gadkari~ 

~ At 4,000 square feet, the temple built by Sri M is the first-of-its kind, largest place of worship  dedicated to Sri Guru Babaji anywhere in the world~ 

A beautiful, elegantly designed, spacious pillared temple dedicated to Adinath  Sri Guru Babaji was sanctified by Spiritual Master Sri M today within the precincts of his  Madanapalle Ashram, set deep within the verdant grasslands of rural Andhra Pradesh. 

Formally inaugurated by Honorable Minister of Road, Transport and Highways, Sri Nitin Gadkari, the  temple was declared open to the public after Sri M conducted a moving Prana Pratishtha ceremony  of the serene image of Babaji sitting within a rough-hewn rock cave in deep contemplation. 

Sri Guru Babaji, also known as Mahavatar Babaji, is considered a manifestation of the Supreme Being  by the Nath Sampradaya, whose chief disciple, Sri Maheshwarnath Babaji, was Sri M’s Guru. He is  revered by many across faiths as a great Yogi who has taught Kriya Yoga as one of the paths to attain  Moksha or liberation in these difficult times. 

Padma Bhushan Sri M, himself a realized Yogi, travels and teaches across the globe, also imparting  Kriya Yoga to aspirants. At 4,000 square feet, the temple built by Sri M is the first-of-its kind, largest  place of worship dedicated to Sri Guru Babaji anywhere in the world. 

Speaking on the occasion, Sri M said, “This Babajis temple is open to all irrespective of caste creed or  religion, Babaji who is in your heart, is the same whose Prana Prathishta is done here today. Hari Om  Tat Sat.” 

Amidst melodious chants of the Lalita Trishati and the Sama Veda, the Prana Pratishtha of both a Sri  Yantra and Babaji’s image concluded with the blowing of conches, nadaswaram, and the damru. Fireworks lit the sky in rejoicing as the temple welcomed people from all denominations to move  ahead on the spiritual path with deep introspection and quiet contemplation. 

The ceremony was attended by over 2,000 devotees from across India and abroad participated in the  event, including the distinguished presence of Justice (retd) Sunil Shukre, the local MLA, the District  Collector, and the Additional District Collector. The ceremony concluded with a community lunch  (Annadanam) and the distribution of Prasad. 

The temple at Sri M’s Ashram is now open to visitors of all faiths, offering a sacred space for  meditation, contemplation, and spiritual enrichment.

About Sri M 

At the age of nineteen, irresistibly drawn to the snow-clad Himalayas, Sri M embarked on his journey  to seek a true Master. Maheshwarnath Babaji, a senior disciple of Sri Guru Babaji, took Sri M under  his tutelage and initiated him into the Nath tradition. For three and half years, Sri M lived and  travelled extensively through the Himalayas with him. What he learnt from Maheshwarnath Babaji  transformed his consciousness. 

As instructed by his Guru, Sri M returned to the plains and led a quiet, working family life while  preparing to teach all that he had learnt and experienced. A few years after his Master’s passing, Sri  M received the signal to commence his teaching mission. 

Sri M established The Satsang Foundation over twenty years ago, as a meeting point for spiritual  seekers of all persuasions. Conversant with the teachings of most major religions, Sri M’s teachings  seek to transcend the outer-shell of all religions by exploring the core and nurturing the innate  goodness in every human being. In his words: “Go to the core. Theories are of no use.” 

About Satsang Foundation 

The Satsang Foundation—established by Sri M, is a meeting point for spiritual seekers of all  persuasions. The Foundation actively conceptualizes, organises and executes activities and initiatives  that bring true reformation and change in human minds for a better, more inclusive and truly united  world. 

Mangaluru: Taranath Gatti Kapikad, President of the Tulu Sahitya Academy, has urged MLAs from Coastal Karnataka to advocate for the recognition of the Tulu language as an official language of the state during the current assembly session.

In a letter addressed to the region’s legislators, Kapikad emphasized the importance of fulfilling the longstanding demand of Tulu speakers for official language status. He noted that in a previous session, the government acknowledged this demand and promised to make a decision after reviewing the implementation of multiple official languages in other states.

“The state government has now received the necessary information from various states,” Kapikad stated in his letter. “In this regard, all the legislators should propose the demand before the assembly.”

Kapikad’s appeal highlights the cultural significance of the Tulu language and its widespread use in the coastal regions of Karnataka. By recognizing Tulu as an official language, he argues, the government would affirm the linguistic and cultural diversity of the state.

Bijapur (Chhattisgarh): Two personnel of the Special Task Force (STF) were killed and four others injured after Naxalites denoted an improvised explosive device (IED) in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, police said on Thursday.

The incident took place on Wednesday night in Tarrem area when a joint team of security personnel was returning after an anti-Naxalite operation in forests on the tri-junction of Bijapur-Sukma-Dantewada districts, a police official here said.

Personnel belonging to the STF, District Reserve Guard – both units of state police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and its elite unit CoBRA were involved in the operation launched on Tuesday based on inputs about the presence of Naxalites belonging to its Darbha and west Bastar divisions and military company no. 2, he said.

“Two STF constables — Bharat Sahu, resident of Raipur, and Satyer Singh Kange, of Narayanpur district — were killed in the blast triggered by Naxalites while four other personnel sustained injuries,” he said.

Reinforcement was rushed to the area after the incident and the injured personnel were evacuated for treatment, he added.

New Delhi: The CBI has questioned three students from AIIMS Patna in connection with the NEET-UG paper leak case, officials said Thursday.

Further details on the students being quizzed were not immediately known.

The agency on Tuesday had arrested Pankaj Kumar alias Aditya, a 2017-batch civil engineer from the National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur, who allegedly stole the NEET-UG paper from the NTA trunk in Hazaribagh, the officials said.

Kumar, a resident of Bokaro, was arrested from Patna, they said.

The CBI had also arrested one Raju Singh who allegedly helped Kumar in stealing the paper, they said, adding that Singh was arrested from Hazaribagh.

The CBI, which is probing the alleged irregularities in the medical-entrance exam, has lodged six FIRs. The FIR from Bihar pertains to paper leak while the remaining ones from Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra are regarding impersonation of candidates and cheating.

The agency’s own FIR on a reference from the Union education ministry pertains to a “comprehensive investigation” into the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024.

The NEET-UG is conducted by the NTA for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions. This year, the exam was conducted on May 5 at 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 abroad. More than 23 lakh candidates had appeared for the test.

Police have detained Manorama Khedkar, mother of controversial IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, in a case of allegedly threatening some persons by brandishing a gun over a land dispute, officials said on Wednesday.

She was apprehended from Mahad in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, a Pune police official said.

Police had launched a search for Manorama and her husband Dilip Khedkar after a video surfaced showing her allegedly threatening some persons with a gun over a land dispute at Dhadwali village in Pune’s Mulshi tehsil.

The Paud police in Pune rural have booked the Khedkar couple and five others under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) sections, including 323 (dishonest or fraudulent removal or concealment of property), and relevant provisions of the Arms act.

“Manorama Khedkar has been detained from Mahad in Raigad district and she is being brought to Pune where, after the completion of formalities, she will be placed under arrest,” Superintendent of Police, Pune Rural, Pankaj Deshmukh, said.

Multiple teams had been formed to trace Manorama, her husband and five others accused in the case.