Today's news LIVE! EC key participant in 'vote chori' conspiracy: Rahul Gandhi

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday (January 24) announced an increase in the pension sum for noon meal organisers, Anganwadi workers and panchayat secretaries to Rs 3,400 from Rs 2,000 per month.

Also, their retirement benefits will be doubled to Rs 2 lakh from the present Rs 1 lakh, he said.

Winding up the debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor's address to the Assembly, the CM said the family pension for noon meal organisers and Anganwadi workers has been increased to Rs 1,200 and Rs 1,100, respectively.

Further, the pension for mini Anganwadi workers and forest frontline staff will be enhanced to Rs 3,200 from Rs 2,000 and their retirement benefits will be doubled to Rs 2 lakh. The pension for Anganwadi assistants, cooks, cooking assistants, and sweepers will be hiked to Rs 3,000 from Rs 2,000, and their retirement benefits will be increased from Rs 50,000 to Rs one lakh, he said.

The Chief Minister's announcement comes in the wake of the recent strike by noon meal organisers and Anganwadi workers demanding enhanced pay and other benefits.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday (January 24) alleged that what is being done in Gujarat in the name of SIR is a "well-planned, organised, and strategic vote chori", with the Election Commission becoming a key participant in the "conspiracy of vote theft".

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has been transformed into a weapon to destroy the constitutional right of "one person, one vote", so that the BJP, not the people, decides who will be in power.

"Wherever there's SIR, there's vote theft. What is being done in Gujarat in the name of SIR is not any kind of administrative process, it is a well-planned, organised, and strategic vote chori," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.

His remarks came over Gujarat Congress' social media post in which it alleged that after Rahul Gandhi exposed vote manipulation, the BJP has adopted a next-level model of election rigging.

Delhi on Saturday (January 24) witnessed a sharp drop in temperatures and a slight improvement in air quality after the spell of rain a day ago.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Safdarjung station recorded a minimum temperature of 7.6 degrees Celsius, 0.1 degrees above the season's normal, marking a sharp fall from Friday's low of 13.7 degrees Celsius, which was the highest as compared to 13.8 degrees Celsius in 2022.

After a brief spell of rain on the previous day, Delhi saw improvement in the air quality on Saturday, with the average Air Quality Index (AQI) settling at 192 in the 'moderate' category as per the Sameer app. The air quality was 'moderate' at 30 stations, while it was ' poor' at seven stations. Dwarka, which recorded an AQI of 98 in the 'satisfactory' category, is the lowest amongst all the stations.

A fire broke out at a banquet hall in northwest Delhi's Adarsh Nagar area on Saturday (January 24) afternoon, leaving at least four people with injuries, police said. The condition of one injured person is stated to be serious, they said.

A PCR call regarding the blaze was received at around 12.50 pm, following which local police teams rushed to the spot and found that three fire tenders had already reached there, they said, adding that the fire was doused by then.

Police suspect that the fire may have broken out during cooking or food preparation arrangements for the religious feast, though the exact cause is yet to be ascertained.

The family of Assam singer Zubeen Garg on Saturday (January 24) wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting a special court for expedited trial and appropriate diplomatic-legal action in Singapore in connection with his death last September.

They also sought that bail should not be granted to any of the accused in the case till the judicial process is over.

The memorandum, signed by Garg's wife Garima, sister Palmee Borthakur and uncle Manoj Kumar Borthakur, has been sent via email to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Posting the memorandum on Facebook, the family said the singer-composer's death has left behind not merely a grieving family, but also millions of people seeking clarity and lawful action in the matter.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the state police's CID is probing the case and had submitted its charge-sheet on December 12. Out of the seven arrested in the case so far, the SIT has accused four of murder and one of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The other two have been charged with criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust by misappropriating funds or property entrusted to them.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday (January 24) launched 128 projects worth around Rs 152 crore in Vaishali district during his ‘Samridhi Yatra’.

The chief minister also reviewed ongoing development works in the district, including the desilting of the Baya River to improve drainage and reduce flood risks across eight blocks.

According to a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), Kumar inaugurated 103 schemes worth Rs 98 crore, and laid foundation stones for 25 projects to the tune of Rs 54 crore, during a programme held at the Panapur Baba Bateshwar Nath Dham complex.

During a review meeting, Kumar said the ‘Saat Nischay-3’ programmes are being implemented with the objective of placing Bihar among the most developed states in the country.

A pressure group formed in Manipur after a Meitei man was killed in Kuki-majority Churachandpur district on Saturday (January 24) said that the family of the deceased would not accept his body till their demands, including transferring the case to the NIA, were met.

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) also claimed that it did not know that the slain man, 29-year-old Mayanglambam Rishikanta Singh, was married. It was being reported since his death that his wife is a Kuki.

Singh was abducted from his home in the Tuibong area and shot dead by suspected Kuki militants in the vicinity of Natjang village earlier this week. His body is now at the morgue of the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) here.

AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday (January 24) accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of turning Governors into "puppets" to harass the Congress-ruled and other non-BJP state governments.

Calling on people to vote against the BJP in all upcoming elections, he warned that failure to do so could lead to authoritarian rule.

The leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha criticised the Union government for "repealing" the MGNREGA Act and said the Congress government enacted "right-based" laws, but the Modi government was bringing laws that curtailed people's rights.

Alleging interference by the Centre, Kharge said the PM's office and the Union Home Ministry were issuing instructions to Governors.

"The central government, through the PM office, Home Minister office, directly gives instructions to the Governor not to read the speeches prepared by the Siddaramaiah or Congress government (during joint session of the state legislature). This is not the fate only in Karnataka, the same thing happened in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, wherever the Congress or non BJP governments are in power, the Governors are creating trouble," Kharge said.

Addressing a public gathering, he claimed that the Governors privately admit to receiving instructions from the "top".

"They (BJP-led central govt) have made Governors puppets in their hands. For any good work or Bills the Governors don't give their sign of approval and send them back. In this way this government (at centre) is taking things on a wrong track," he added.