Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], September 7 (ANI): Aiming to promote sports culture in the valley, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated the Ellahi Bagh Indoor Sports Stadium in Srinagar on Wednesday.

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], December 26 (ANI): Odisha's ruling Biju Janata Dal has decided to give at least 40 per cent tickets to OBC candidates in the upcoming Panchayat and Urban local body election in Odisha.

New Delhi Dec 24 PTI The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on Friday launched a revised protocol of rating garbage-free cities The revised protocol -- Azadi75 Star Rating Protocol of Garbage Free Cities-Toolkit 2022 -- is aligned with priorities of the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 20 with higher weightage being allotted to door-to-door collection of garbage source segregation waste processing and dumpsite remediation The ministry said in a statement that after seeing the impact star rating certification has made to improve on-ground waste management scenario of the cities the release of funds has been made conditional subject to an urban local body ULB achieving at least 1-star certification To ensure every ULB participates in the star rating exercise to get GFC Garbage Free Cities certified and get central funds it was felt necessary to revamp the existing GFC protocol and make the assessment process simpler while retaining its robustness so that every ULB is motivated to apply for the GFC certification the ministry saidUnder the revised protocols the earlier 25 componentsindicators have now been reduced to 24 of which only 16 indicators are mandatory for 1-star and 3-star levels The remaining eight indicators are aspirational in nature and will be relevant for 5-star and 7-star aspirants The multi-step calculation of the previous GFC protocol has now been changed to a single step marking which will help ULB to easily self-assess themselves for applying it said The entire process of applying for certification and subsequent assessment have been simplified and made completely digital paperless and new components pertaining to IEC capacity building revenue from sale of waste by-products have been added to encourage cities to build an ecosystem to strengthen the waste management system the statement said PTI MAH SMN

Agartala (Tripura) [India], December 8 (ANI): Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Wednesday claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would again form the government after the 2023 state assembly elections with a thumping majority.

Guwahati Sep 29 PTI A total of 12 cadres of the newly formed insurgent group United Liberation of Bodoland ULB on Wednesday surrendered with a cache of arms in Assam a senior police officer said The insurgents surrendered near the India-Bhutan border in Udalguri district and were brought to Dimakuchi police station for completing necessary formalities Special Director General of Police-cum-IGP BTAD L R Bishnoi told PTI Among them self-styled Kokrajhar district commander-in-chief of ULB Pinjit is there The cadres also deposited some arms he said With this development all members of the ULB have surrendered Bishnoi said The police had earlier arrested 12 cadres of the outfit and two ULB insurgents had died in an encounter Bishnoi added Meanwhile Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted Continuing our outreach to bring home youths from path of militancy all the cadres of newly formed group United Liberation of Bodoland ULB have returned home today We welcome them to join our effort to build a beautiful and prosperous Assam Sarma added Bodoland Territorial Council BTC chief Pramod Boro appreciated the decision of the ULB cadres to shun violence and return to the mainstream PTI TR MM MM

Kokrajhar (Assam) [India], September 18 (ANI): Kokrajhar Police busted a camp of the newly formed terror group United Liberation of Bodoland (ULB) in the Ultapani area of Assam on Saturday, as per GP Singh, the Special Director General of Police, Assam Police.