DH Evening Brief: October 2, 2021

Here are the top headlines this evening.

Chhattisgarh can never become Punjab, says CM Baghel on change of guard buzz

Amid speculation about a possible change of guard in the Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Saturday asserted that his state can never become Punjab, and said the two states bear only one similarity - that of having numbers in their names. Read more

'Intellectual dishonesty', 'political deceit': PM Modi slams Opposition over farm reforms criticism

Accusing the opposition of "intellectual dishonesty" and "political deceit" over its criticism of his government's three farm laws, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says tough and big decisions need to be taken to bring benefits to citizens who should have received them decades ago. Read more

Petrol, diesel rates rise to new record highs

Petrol and diesel prices soared to new record highs across the country on Saturday after rates were hiked again by 25 paise and 30 paise a litre, respectively. Read more

Pseudo secularism will destroy India, says Bishop of Pala diocese

Amid the ongoing controversy over his recent "narcotic and love jihad" remarks, Joseph Kallarangatt, Bishop of Pala diocese of Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, said on Saturday while "pseudo secularism will destroy India", there is a need to safeguard the values of true secularism. Read more

Largest khadi national flag unfurled in Ladakh

A 1,000 kg handwoven khadi tricolour, the largest in the country, was unfurled atop a high mountain overlooking the Leh valley on Saturday to commemorate Gandhi Jayanti and the 75th anniversary of India's Independence, a defence spokesman said. Read more

India crosses landmark 90 crore Covid-19 vaccinations

The cumulative Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 90 crore, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Saturday. Read more

In Pics | Gandhi Jayanti: Political bigwigs pay homage to 'Bapu'

President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other political leaders from Rahul Gandhi to Arvind Kejriwal paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi on his 152nd birth anniversary. Here's a look at some of the pictures from Rajghat and Parliament House. See pics

'Amarinder may float his own party, tie up with BJP'

Miffed with the Congress leadership,former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh is reportedly gearing up tolaunch his own political party, according to a report. Read more

Trapped in Bengaluru's towering flame

Crammed, congested and unplanned, Bengaluru could not have looked anywhere but vertical to contain the unrelenting pressure on living spaces. But in this decisive switch to high-rises, did the critical ‘fire safety’ get the attention it fully deserved? Not, if the recurring fire accidents are an indication. Read more

Watch: Monkey sits by the bar counter at Delhi's IGI airport

Travellers in the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi found themselves in the company of an unusual "travel buddy" at the VIP lounge recently. In a viral video, a monkey was spotted sitting at a bar counter at the airport where a lot of travellers were seated. Watch video

Tata Group willing to acquire 15% of Air India's debt: Report

The Tata Groupmay be willing to acquire around 15 per cent of Air India's total debt as a part of its financial bids to acquire the government's 100 per cent stake in the national carrier, according to reports. Read more

PM Modi launches Jal Jeevan Mission app, hails it as 'village, women-driven movement'

Since the launch of the Jal Jeevan Mission in 2019, five crore households have got water connection and now tap water is reaching every household in about 1.25 lakh villages, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday, asserting that today's India has done more work in just two years than what was done in seven decades. Read more