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Congress spreading 'lies' about VB-G RAM G: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Thursday slammed Congress for spreading "lies" about Centre's VB-G RAM G that guarantees rural employment.

He said there is no basis behind the allegation that guaranteed jobs in the villages will be snatched and claimed there was "rampant corruption" in the erstwhile UPA-era job guarantee programme.

Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act was recently passed by the Parliament replacing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA).

Congress has alleged that the new scheme will destroy jobs in rural India and will have a devastating effect on economically weaker section in the villages.

Joshi on Thursday sought to debunk the charge.

"The Congress is lying that the VB- G RAM G will snatch the rural employment. This is a centrally sponsored scheme. VB-G RAM G is a legislation, an Act passed by the Parliament. Hence, there is no basis to say that it will take away employment. We are going to give 120 days' jobs," Joshi, who holds consumer affairs, food and public distribution portfolio, told reporters in Bengaluru.

Mamata took away key evidence during raids against I-PAC official: ED

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee entered the residence of I-PAC director Pratik Jain in Kolkata during a raid in a money laundering case linked to alleged coal smuggling, and took away “key” evidence, including physical documents and electronic devices.

In a statement, the federal probe agency also accused Banerjee of subsequently proceeding to the I-PAC office in Salt Lake, from where she, her aides, and the state police “forcibly removed physical documents and electronic evidence”.

The ED said raids were being carried out on 10 premises, six in West Bengal and four in Delhi, as part of a 2020 case registered by the CBI against a coal smuggling syndicate led by Anup Majhi alias ‘Lala’, who allegedly stole and illegally excavated coal from the Eastern Coalfield leasehold areas in and around Asansol in Bengal’s Paschim Bardhaman district.

A hawala operator linked to coal smuggling facilitated transactions of tens of crores of rupees to the Indian PAC Consulting Pvt Ltd, the registered company of political consultancy firm I-PAC.

“IPAC is also one of the entities linked to Hawala money,” the ED alleged. The proceedings were being conducted peacefully and professionally till the time Mamata Banerjee arrived with a large number of police officers, the ED statement said.

She entered the residential premises of Pratik Jain, the co-founder of I-PAC and head of the IT cell of the Trinamool Congress, the ruling party in West Bengal, and took away key evidence, including physical documents and electronic devices, the ED alleged.

The agency said the actions of Banerjee and the Kolkata Police commissioner resulted in “obstructions” in the ongoing investigation and proceedings being undertaken as per the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

“It is clarified that the search is evidence-based and not targeted at any political establishment. No party office has been searched.

“The search is not linked to any elections, and is part of a regular crackdown on money laundering. It is conducted strictly in accordance with the established legal safeguards,” the ED said.

ED's response on I-PAC raid

Hawala operator linked to coal smuggling in Bengal facilitated transactions of tens of crores of rupees to I-PAC, says ED after raids at I-PAC office in Kolkata.

I-PAC raid: CM Mamata hits out at BJP

People will give a befitting reply to the BJP for this ED raid, says West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, while leaving the I-PAC office in Kolkata after the arrival of one of the directors of the company, Pratik Jain. 

Eight-time Duddhi MLA Vijay Singh Gond is dead

Samajwadi party MLA from Uttar Pradesh's Duddhi Assembly constituency and senior tribal leader Vijay Singh Gond died in a Lucknow hospital on Thursday following prolonged illness, family sources said. He was 71.

Gond was undergoing treatment at the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) in Lucknow for kidney-related issues.

“Vijay Singh Gond was unwell for a long time and was under treatment in Lucknow. His demise is an irreparable loss to the region and the tribal community,” Samajwadi Party Duddhi Assembly constituency president Avadh Narayan Yadav said.

Beginning his political career in 1980, Gond was first elected as a Congress MLA from Duddhi. He went on to win from the constituency in 1985 on a Congress ticket, as an Independent in 1989, and later represented the Janata Dal in 1991 and 1993. He secured victories on the Samajwadi Party ticket in 1996 and 2002.

During the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led government, he held the status of a minister of state.

Most Indian professionals plan to switch jobs in 2026, many feel unprepared: LinkedIn

A significant percentage of Indian professionals are looking for a new role in 2026, but many feel lost in an AI-driven hiring process amid rising competition, uncertainty about role fit and skills gaps, according to a LinkedIn report.

As per the new research from LinkedIn, 84 per cent of professionals feel unprepared to find a new job, amid the rise of AI in the hiring process, rapidly shifting skill requirements for today’s jobs, and an increasingly competitive, but selective, job market.

US claims it will control Venezuela oil exports 'indefinitely'

The Donald Trump administration plans to control future sales of Venezuelan oil and hold the proceeds in US accounts, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said. This makes what appears to be the clearest statement yet on American strategy to bring Venezuela's crude to market and control its most valuable resource.

Wright, who spoke at a Goldman Sachs Group Inc. conference in Miami yesterday, said initially the barrels would come from crude Venezuela is holding in storage. 

Air India takes delivery of first Dreamliner after privatisation

Tata Group-owned Air India has taken delivery of the first Boeing 787-9 aircraft after the airline was privatised nearly four years ago. This is also the first line fit or custom-made Dreamliner for the airline. Generally, line fit refers to an aircraft specifically made for a particular airline.

An official on Thursday said Air India completed the title transfer of the Dreamliner at the Boeing's Everett factory in Seattle on January 7.

Cold wave sweeps Odisha, zero degree Celsius in Similipal

 The mercury level dropped to zero degree Celsius in Similipal National Park in Mayurbhanj district even as the IMD warned of cold wave conditions in several districts of Odisha on Thursday.

The minimum temperature in Bhubaneswar was recorded at 9.4 degree Celsius, which matched the nighttime lowest temperature recorded on January 3, 1952, repeating a 74-year-old record, senior IMD scientist US Das said in a post on X.

According to Das, Bhubaneswar had recorded the coldest January night of 8.6 degree Celsius on January 5, 1992, followed by 9 degree Celsius on January 17, 2003 and 9.3 degree Celsius on January 15, 2012. "The Odisha capital witnessed a drop of 9.2 degree Celsius in just four days," Das said, adding that the minimum temperature in the city was recorded at 18.6 degree Celsius on January 4, 2026.

Cold wave continues in Rajasthan; Sikar shivers at 2.5 degrees C

Cold wave conditions continue in several parts of Rajasthan, with the Sikar district being the coldest at 2.5 degrees Celsius, the meteorological department said on Thursday.

According to the department, the temperature on Wednesday night in Jaisalmer was recorded at 3.3 degrees Celsius, with Mount Abu, 4.6, Jhunjhunu, 4.7, Sirohi, 4.9, Churu, 5.2, Fatehpur (Sikar), 5.5, and Ganganagar, 5.6. In Jaipur, the maximum and minimum temperatures were recorded at 17.6 degrees Celsius and 4.4 degrees Celsius, respectively.

With the possibility of a further drop in minimum temperatures, severe cold day conditions are likely at isolated places in eastern Rajasthan. According to the department, dense to very dense fog was reported at several places across the state during the past 24 hours and cold wave and severe cold day conditions continued to prevail in many regions.

The weather is likely to remain dry across the state for the next week, it said. Dense to very dense fog and cold day conditions may persist in some areas during morning hours over the next few days.