The Vande Bharat sleeper trains will retain their original design with three toilets per coach and no pantry car, resolving a delay in the Rs 55,000 crore project, according to railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Manufacturing will proceed without cost revision. Additionally, procurement issues with Japan for bullet trains on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor have been resolved.
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Indian Oil Chairman Arvinder Singh Sahney states that US sanctions on Russia will have limited impact on India's energy supplies, citing multiple global sources. He forecasts crude prices to remain within a USD 75-80 per barrel range, leaning towards USD 75. IOC plans no new acquisitions and anticipates Panipat's green hydrogen plant commissioning within 2 years.
The BJP is fielding Chandrabhan Paswan in the Milkipur byelection scheduled for February 5. This byelection is significant as the seat was vacated by Awadhesh Prasad, who won the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat from BJP's Lallu Singh. SP has fielded Awadhesh Prasad's son Ajit Prasad for this reserved constituency with diverse population groups.
To accommodate high passenger demand on Mauni Amavasya, Indian Railways will run special trains every four minutes from Prayagraj stations. Nearly 48.7 lakh passengers have arrived since January 13, with the peak on Makar Sankranti. On this significant bathing day, an estimated 10% of around 10 crore pilgrims will be travelling by train.
Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee announced that the party will focus on the central government's alleged deprivation of West Bengal's funds as the main campaign theme for the upcoming assembly elections. He emphasized the establishment of micro-level committees to address electoral fraud concerns.
Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer, was convicted by a Kolkata court for the rape and murder of an on-duty doctor at RG Kar Medical College, stirring strong political reactions across West Bengal. While BJP called for further investigation into conspiracy allegations, the ruling TMC demanded the death penalty for Roy to serve as a deterrent.
Harish Rawat, former Uttarakhand chief minister, faced a setback as he found his name missing from the voters list during Dehradun's municipal elections. Despite being a resident since 2009, Rawat was unable to vote, alleging BJP's involvement in altering the list. Voting is underway for multiple municipal positions across Uttarakhand.
Calls for posthumously awarding Bharat Ratna to late former PM Manmohan Singh rose during his final journey. Punjab Congress' Partap Singh Bajwa emphasized Singh’s vital role in India’s economic reforms, the Indo-US nuclear deal, and significant social programs, urging recognition of Singh's contributions with the nation's highest civilian honour.
Isro has successfully undocked two satellites after their first docking as part of the SpaDex mission, laying the groundwork for multiple future docking attempts. This critical advancement will help Isro conduct repeated and reliable docking operations, crucial for missions like Chandrayaan-4.
Union minister Amit Shah challenged Arvind Kejriwal to take his promised dip in the Yamuna, criticizing the AAP government for failing to clean the river. Shah and BJP candidate Parvesh Verma both accused Kejriwal of not fulfilling his pledge, applying pressure ahead of the Delhi polls.
Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh criticized AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, comparing him to RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and accusing him of corruption. Singh also dismissed Lalu's recent comments and criticized his governance in Bihar, highlighting the progress made under Nitish Kumar.