LIVE: Pak troops clash with 'hundreds' of local Taliban near Afghan border

India on Wednesday said it has brought food safety net programs to the forefront even more effectively under its G20 Presidency and that the agriculture working group has come up with a "historic consensus" on two aspects including millets.

A top official of the Union Agriculture Ministry said it is historic because ever since agriculture working group was formed, food security and nutrition has always been a key priority agenda, but never ever agriculture ministers have come up with a standalone kind of declaration over and above the ministerial communique.

"This is really a historic moment where agriculture ministers have come up together to deliberate on the issue of food security and nutrition.

Home Minister Amit Shah and Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal would meet former president and head of the panel on simultaneous polls Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday afternoon, PTI reported citing sources.

On Saturday, the government had notified a high-level committee under Kovind to look into and make recommendations on the issue of holding synchronised polls to the Lok Sabha, state assemblies and local bodies.

While Shah is a member of the committee, Meghwal is a special invitee.

On Sunday, top law ministry officials had briefed Kovind and had sought to know how he would like to go about the mandate of the committee.

Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Wednesday urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognizance of the "shallow politics" being done on 'Bharat' and 'INDIA' and ban all political bodies carrying the country's name.

Addressing a press conference here, Mayawati said, "Supreme Court should take suo motu cognizance of the shallow politics being done on 'Bharat' and 'INDIA' and ban all organisations, parties, and alliances formed in the name of the country."

The leader made the remark without clarifying whether she wanted ban on bodies formed with 'India' or 'Bharat' in their names.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday advised all the ministers to download the G20 India mobile app ahead of the G20 summit to be held in New Delhi this week.

The advice came during PM Modi's interaction with the Council of Ministers meeting ahead of the significant G20 summit in New Delhi. The Prime Minister said that the app would help the ministers to interact with foreign delegates seamlessly.

The Ministry of External Affairs in India has launched the mobile application titled 'G20 India', marking a significant digital milestone ahead of the G20 Leaders' Summit to be held in New Delhi. The app offers users a comprehensive, interactive guide to event-related information. Features of the platform include a calendar for the G20 India 2023 event, resources, media, and insightful details about the G20.

Delhi Metro services will start from 4 am from terminal stations on all lines of the network on September 8, 9 and 10 in view of the G20 Summit, officials said on Wednesday.

Besides, parking facilities at Supreme Court, Patel Chowk and RK Ashram Marg metro stations will be closed from 4 am on September 8 till noon of September 11, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said. Read More

Police have booked seven persons in connection with an attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party's 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra' in Madhya Pradesh's Neemuch district, state Home Minister Narottam Mishra said on Wednesday.

Mishra also claimed the attackers were associated with the Congress.

The yatra was attacked in Neemuch district on Tuesday evening and vehicles which were part of the march were vandalised by Congress supporters, Madhya Pradesh BJP president V D Sharma earlier alleged.

The Mumbai police have registered a first information report (FIR) against the editor-in-chief of a regional news channel and a media person for allegedly transmitting sexually explicit content in connection with the Kirit Somaiya purported video case, an official said on Wednesday.

Acting on a complaint by BJP leader and former MP Somaiya, the police on Tuesday registered the FIR against Kamlesh Sutar, editor-in-chief of Lokshahi news channel, and media person Anil Thatte, the official said.

Sutar said he has cooperated with the police and will continue to do so but the work of raising questions will go on.

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted interim protection from arrest for four weeks to former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar in connection with an alleged scam in the purchase of body bags for COVID-19 victims.

A single bench of Justice N J Jamadar while granting relief to Pednekar noted the case probe was on and at this stage custodial interrogation was not warranted.

"The issue of custodial interrogation can be considered during the final hearing of the matter. I am inclined to protect the liberty of the applicant (Pednekar) for a period of four weeks," the judge said.

Deputy Chief Ministers of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday met with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Pawar and Fadnavis were spotted leaving Chief Minister Shinde's residence early this morning.

The meeting was held amid the current protests in the state over the demand of reservation for the Maratha community in education and jobs.

The first meeting of the Coordination Committee of the INDIA alliance will be held on September 13, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said on Wednesday.

Raut, while speaking to media persons here confirmed that the meeting will be held at Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar's residence in the national capital.

"The first meeting of the Coordination Committee of the INDIA alliance will be held on September 13 at Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar's residence in New Delhi," Raut said.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear during the day a plea by the Editors Guild of India seeking protection from coercive action in two FIRs lodged in Manipur against some of its members.

The matter was mentioned for urgent listing before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud.

"We will take it up after admission (matters) are over," the CJI told senior advocate Shyam Divan, who mentioned the matter for the Guild.

Director of the Special Protection Group (SPG), Arun Kumar Sinha, passed away at a hospital in Gurugram early Wednesday, an official said.

He was 61 and had been unwell for the past few months.

Sinha was a 1987 batch Kerala cadre IPS Officer and serving as SPG Director since 2016.

At least seven people were killed and 12 injured in a road accident in Assam's Tinsukia last night, police said on Wednesday.

The incident took place late Tuesday night in the Kakopathar area where a speedy truck hit a Tata Magic vehicle where the deceased and injured persons were travelling.

Bibhas Das, Additional Superintendent of Police of Tinsukia district told ANI over the phone that, seven persons had died in the incident.

"A total of 12 persons were injured in the incident and they were rushed to hospital. We have detained the truck driver," Bibhas Das said.