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Grand Sehra rally with tusker on Hazrat Ali’s b’day

Hyderabad: Hazrat Ali’s birth anniversary celebrations took centre stage on Friday, featuring a grand Sehra procession led by an elephant. The day falls on 13 Rajjab as per the Islamic calendar, and festivities continue throughout the week.

On Friday, 16 Rajjab, devotees gathered at Ashoorkhana in Imlibun, where an elephant carrying the “Sandal” and “Sehra” led a procession that passed through Darulshifa and Noorkhan Bazaar. Thousands of participants thronged the streets to witness the event.

According to Syed Hamid Hussain Jafri, president of the TS Shia Youth Conference, prominent figures attended a religious meeting on the occasion, including Srinagar MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi.

On Thursday, the ‘Juloos-e-Sehra Mubarak’, was taken out after prayers at the Ashoorkhana Baitul Sharaf Sarkar Rizayul Millat and was led by Moulana Syed Waheed Uddin Hyder Jaffery Qibla Akhbari. The procession began in the afternoon, traversing Darulshifa, Purani Haveli, Mandi Mir Alam, and Etebar Chowk, eventually concluding at Panjesha Vilayat.

Earlier, on Tuesday, a separate procession left Bargha Sakina, Alijahkotla, and reached Moula Ali via Mir Alam Mandi, Darulshifa, Chaderghat, Barkatpura, Nallakunta, Tarnaka, and Lalapet.

Organiser Ali Raza said that the occasion marked the 1,467th birth anniversary (Viladath) of Imam Ali Ibne Abu Talib (a.s.), who holds the distinction of being born inside the Holy Kaaba in Macca, Saudi Arabia.

Bijapur Encounter: Maoists’ Strongest Armed Squad Hit Hard as Forces Kill 12 Naxals

Rocket launcher, BGL among weapons recovered

CM Revanth Lauds Paralympian Deepti Jeevanji for Arjuna Award

�Hyderabad:�Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Friday congratulated Paralympian athlete Deepti Jeevanji for receiving the Arjuna award from President Droupadi Murmu at the National Sports Awards ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday.

Jeevanji, a native of Kalleda in Warangal district, won the bronze medal at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris in the 400 metres T20 event. She set a world record of 55.06s in the event at the 2024 World Championships.

Her parents, Jeevanji Yadhagiri and Dhanalaxmi, used to work as daily wage agricultural labourers. She was spotted by her school physical education teacher.

The Chief Minister reminded that the Congress government was moving forward with a better sports policy so that more athletes from Telangana can excel in national and international competitions.

New EVs Mark Day One of 5-Day Auto Expo

�Pune: It was an EV wave on the first day of the five-day Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 in New Delhi, the largest mobility expo in India, with major automakers launching and showcasing their electric prowess.

In fact, a total of over 40 new product launches, including electric vehicles, are lined up to woo buyers.

German luxury car maker BMW India on Friday launched its first locally-produced electric vehicle the BMW X1 Long Wheelbase priced at Rs 49 lakh at pan India showroom.

“It is the perfect premium SUV for the rising aspirations of new Bharat. As the first 'Make in India' EV from BMW, the X1 Long Wheelbase beacons a new era of innovation and excellence,” said Vikram Pawah, President at BMW Group India.

Rival Mercedes-Benz also launched the electric luxury EQS Maybach SUV 680 'Night Series' priced at Rs 2.63 crore at pan India showroom.

It also introduced a new variant of the Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 Night series, priced at Rs 3.71 crore onwards, bolstering its top-end vehicles portfolio. It also showcased the Concept CLA Class, the forerunner for an entirely new electric segment from Mercedes-Benz developed from scratch.

With the launch of Maybach SUV 680 'Night Series', Mercedes-Benz expects this to further strengthen its BEV offering for the discerning Indian customer.

“Like every Maybach, the vehicle stands for sophisticated luxury in all its facets. With Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV 'Night Series', we continue to enrich our BEV portfolio in India, offering a highly exclusive and handcrafted BEV for our discerning customers,” said Santosh Iyer, MD and CEO at Mercedes-Benz India.

Hyundai Motor launched Creta Electric priced at Rs 17.99 lakh. The company plans to set up 600 public fast charging stations to bolster EV adoption.

JSW MG Motor India also announced its foray into the 'accessible luxury' electric car segment with the unveiling of two new models - MG Cyberster, India's first all-electric Roadster and the MG M9, the first electric three-row limousine, slated to be launched this year.

Accessible luxury is usually referred to high-quality products that are priced lower than traditional luxury goods.

Tata Motors also showcased the all-new Tata Sierra, the Harrier.ev, the most powerful and technologically advanced SUV, the Avinya X concept, the future of luxury mobility.

Lexus India showcased the next-generation BEV concept car. Its LF-ZC (Lexus Future Zero-emission Catalyst) concept forms the catalyst for new experiences in the electric age, including elevated driving dynamics, design, and new exclusive services.

Centre-Hurriyat Dialogue Likely; Backchannel Contacts Helping in Breaking Ice

Srinagar: As the backchannel contacts between the two sides have led to some melting of the ice, there is every likelihood of the Centre’s resuming peace dialogue with the Kashmiri separatists, the engagement which was being weighed down by anxiety about outcomes given the BJP’s pro-active strategies vis-à-vis Jammu and Kashmir.

But now the Centre is reportedly willing to “enlarge the constituency of peace” by reengaging the Hurriyat Conference led by Kashmir’s key religious and political leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in a sustained and meaningful dialogue, reliable sources said.

The Narendra Modi government has decided to slightly retreat from its hardline posture owing to the “change of heart” in the influential Kashmiri separatist leadership and its “realising the futility of confrontation and disagreement”, the sources said. The Centre’s strategy appears to have underscored the urgency of a review also in view of the changed post-assembly poll political ambiances in J&K.

A BJP leader who spoke to this newspaper on condition of anonymity said the Centre may provide political space to a few separatist leaders and hold open talks with the Mirwaiz-led Hurriyat Conference “because of a positive shift in their mindset”. He referred to a recent viral video of the Hurriyat Conference executive member and former chairman Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat in which he categorically states that the political movement spearheaded by the Kashmiri separatists was “directionless” and that it had only harmed the interests of the people of J&K.

The BJP leader also saw the probable engagement as a mechanism to “contain the divisive forces and achieve bigger goals.” He, however, refused to spell out these “bigger goals” or identify the “divisive forces” that can be fought against by engaging the Hurriyat Conference in dialogue.

A Hurriyat Conference leader while responding to a query on the reported behind-the-scenes engagement with the Centre said that back-channel negotiations are commonplace in peace negotiations and serve as crucial mechanisms for reaching agreements. He also said that the Hurriyat Conference was never against addressing the issues through dialogue.

He said that the Mirwaiz-led Hurriyat Conference had wholeheartedly participated in the two-way dialogue initiated by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the spirit of his mantra of '‘Insaniyat, Jamhooriyat and Kashmiriyat’ (humanity, democracy and Kashmiriyat- the ethno-national and social consciousness and cultural values of the Kashmiri people)”.

The talks, however, could not be taken to their logical conclusion as the BJP lost the 2009 Lok Sabha elections and the Congress which came into power could not take that process forward, he said. “Some of the national and state Congress leaders had then publicly stated that the new government will follow a similar approach and facilitate and help initiate a sustained and meaningful dialogue with all internal stakeholders including the Hurriyat Conference, but it repudiated from the promise and after one or two initial meetings between our leadership and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh no further positive steps were taken,” he said.

The Mirwaiz had, some time ago, told this newspaper in an interview that the Manmohan Singh government had had many opportunities to engage and to talk. “The last meeting we had with the Prime Minister was way back in 2007 at which we gave some suggestions and proposals to the Government of India. But nothing has moved. Not a single suggestion or the proposal the Hurriyat gave was accepted or worked upon,” he had said.

“(Prime Minister) Manmohan Singh had, at least, six years of power where he could have consolidated that process, he could have engaged with the Kashmiris and Pakistan to take the process forward,” he had said, adding, “One must say that the credit has to be given where it is due. When Mr. Vajpayee was the Prime Minister, he talked about shedding the beaten track. He talked about the ambit of humanity. Those were the words which gave a large meaning to India's policy regarding Kashmir”.

The local political watches say that though Mr. Modi after taking over as the Prime Minister in 2014 publicly spoke about reverting to the Vajpayee initiative but the essence of his message of 'Insaniyat, Jamhooriyat and Kashmiriyat’ remained missing.

“The ground situation particularly the unrest triggered by the killing of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani played a spoilsport and led to New Delhi’s hardening its attitude. The Centre’s August 5, 2019 moves completely changed J&K’s political scenario,” said analyst Vajeh Ahmed. He added, “We must admit there were missed opportunities from the other (separatists) side also prior to August 2019.”

Maruti Suzuki Unveils First Electric SUV E-Vitara, India to Be Export Hub

�Pune: Maruti Suzuki, India’s biggest car maker, on Friday said it aims to be the largest producer of electric vehicles in the country and make India the export hub over the next one year.

The Japanese giant will take on EV market leader Tata Motors, Mahindra and MG Motor in the electric car game in the country.

To realize its goals Maruti Suzuki, which unveiled its first electric SUV e-Vitara at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 in New Delhi on Friday, will introduce a range of six electric vehicle models by 2030.

Suzuki Motor Corporation representative Director and President Toshihiro Suzuki said the made-in-India for the world e-Vitara would be exported to more than 100 countries, including Europe and Japan.

Suzuki Motor Corporation, which has around 58 per cent stake in Maruti Suzuki India, plans to make India a global production hub for the model, he said.

“We plan to begin production of the e-Vitara in the coming few months” at Maruti Suzuki's Gujarat plant, Suzuki said.

He disclosed that the e-Vitara is Suzuki's first global strategic battery electric vehicle, which has been long-awaited in India and many parts of the world.

Suzuki noted that the company has been studying customer requirements for BEV in detail all over the world, particularly in its key business regions - India, Japan and Europe.

He said the company had chosen India as the global manufacturing base due to its quality products and scale merit.

Maruti Suzuki India Managing Director and CEO Hisashi Takeuchi said the company had “invested more than Rs 2,100 crore for manufacturing e-Vitara in India, which includes a dedicated EV production line.

“We are aiming to become number one EV manufacturer in India within one year,” Takeuchi told reporters.

Maruti Suzuki Head of Marketing and Sales Partho Banerjee said e-Vitara sales will start this calendar year, and added that the booking date and price will be announced very soon.

The company is looking to create electric eco solutions for the customers through the “e for me” initiative, he explained.

Maruti Suzuki will offer smart home chargers, along with installation support, ensuring convenience for its customers, Suzuki said.

“We will leverage our vast network to provide fast charging support to our customers in the top 100 cities in the first phase and then expand further. The idea is that, within these cities, every 5 to 10 kilometers a customer finds a charging point by Maruti Suzuki,” he noted.

He said the company was preparing over 1,500 EV-enabled service workshops covering over 1,000 cities. “These workshops will have specially trained manpower and special equipment to provide all EV-related support, including charging,” Suzuki said.

The e-Vitara will feature two battery options -- 49kWh and 61kWh, with a driving range of around 500 kms on a single charge.

Union Cabinet Approves Rs 11,440 Cr Package for RINL Revival

New Delhi: Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said that Union cabinet on Thursday has approved Rs 11,440 crore — a ‘huge package’ of this kind — for the revival of debt-stricken and loss-making state-owned steelmaker of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL). The package will involve equity infusion to the tune of 90 per cent, working capital addition and issue of preference shares that are redeemable after a 10-year-period.

RBI has not issued any guidelines specifying the ink colour to be used in writing cheques

A post (here, here, and here) going viral on social media platforms, claims that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has changed the guidelines for filling out cheques. The post reads: “According to the new guidelines, cheques written in black ink will no longer be accepted from 01 January 2025, and cheques must be written in blue or green ink to be considered valid. The RBI has taken this step to prevent tampering and alteration of cheques.” The post further alleges that this information was sourced from a report published in The Times of India on 14 January 2025.

The archived version of this post can be found here.

Claim: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has revised the guidelines for filling out cheques, prohibiting the use of black ink. Cheques must now be written exclusively in blue or green ink.

Fact: No, the RBI has not issued any such guidelines prohibiting the use of black ink for writing cheques. According to information available on the RBI website, the RBI has not prescribed any specific ink colours for writing cheques. The Government of India’s official fact-checking unit, PIB Fact Check, also clarified that viral post if fake and that the RBI has not issued any such guidelines. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.

We conducted a relevant keyword search to verify the viral claim’s veracity. However, we did not find any credible reports indicating that the RBI has prohibited the use of black ink for filling out cheques. If the RBI had indeed issued such guidelines, it would have garnered significant media attention and been widely reported by numerous media outlets.

During our search, we also found no report from The Times of India supporting the viral claim. We then visited The Times of India website and reviewed its 14 January 2025 news edition, as mentioned in the claim. However, no such report was found there either (here).

We then visited the RBI website and reviewed its press releases, circulars, and publications. However, we did not find any information about any such guidelines.

Next, we conducted a keyword search on the RBI website, which led us to a report (archived link) published on 31 October 2022 titled ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ on the Cheque Truncation System. In this report, it is mentioned that: “The RBI has not prescribed specific ink colours to be used for writing cheques.” However, one should not use different coloured inks to fill out a cheque, as this may render the cheque invalid.

Responding to viral posts, on 17 January 2025, the Government of India’s official fact-checking unit, PIB Fact Check, clarified (archived link) on their official X (formerly Twitter) handle that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has not issued any new rules prohibiting the use of black ink on cheques. It also stated that the RBI has not prescribed specific ink colours for writing cheques.

To sum it up, the RBI has not issued any guidelines specifying the ink colours to be used for filling out cheques.

(This article was first posted by Factly and re-shared by Deccan Chronicle as part of the Shakti Collective Fact Check initiative.)

Sustainability Takes Center Stage at Maha Kumbh 2025

The Coca-Cola India and its foundation, Anandana, has collaborated with the PHD Rural Development Foundation (PHDRDF) and Prayagraj Mela Authority (PMA) to spearhead sustainability initiatives at Maha Kumbh 2025. This collaboration focuses on creating a social and environmental impact by championing innovative solutions for waste management and recycling.

Disney+ Hotstar to Stream Coldplay Live in Ahmedabad on January 26 2025

Disney+ Hotstar sets a new benchmark in Live streaming entertainment experiences by joining forces with Coldplay to present their iconic Music of the Spheres World Tour concert live to audiences across India. As the band prepares for their largest-ever stadium performance in Ahmedabad on Republic Day, the platform redefines the future of entertainment by democratizing access to high-quality experiences, enabling fans to experience this monumental event on every screen across the country.

Kerala Guv Highlights Financial Strain in Assembly Address

�Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar addressed the state's financial issues during his inaugural policy speech at the 13th session of the 15th Kerala Legislative Assembly on Friday.

He noted that Kerala is experiencing financial stress due to the lack of GST compensation and decreased grants from the Central Government.

In his address, Arlekar stated,"Kerala has been facing financial stress due to tapering of revenue deficit grants and the cessation of GST compensation. In a detailed memorandum presented to the 16th Finance Commission during its visit to the state in December 2024, the challenges faced by Kerala were highlighted and ameliorative measures were requested. We hope for the best."

Sworn in as Kerala's 23rd governor on January 2, Arlekar assured that the state is committed to rehabilitating families displaced by the devastating landslides in Wayanad last year, with plans to complete the construction of a township within a year.

He also emphasized that Kerala has dealt with significant natural disasters over the past decade, and a project will be developed with assistance from the central government to tackle climate change.

The governor reiterated the government's dedication to realizing the vision of "Nava Keralam," which aims to enhance physical infrastructure, promote a knowledge-based economy, and make advancements in education and healthcare. The main objectives include making the right to secure housing a reality, eliminating landlessness, eradicating extreme poverty, ensuring sustainable solid waste management, and identifying individuals in need of palliative care.

The 13th session of the assembly will last for 27 days, from January 17 to March 28. Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal is scheduled to present the 2025-26 budget on February 7, with discussions planned for February 10, 11, and 12.

Industrialist Naveen Jindal Meets Odisha CM Majhi, Discusses Project Progress

�Bhubaneswar: Naveen Jindal, the third-time Member of Parliament for Kurukshetra and chairman of Jindal Steel and Power (JSP), met with Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday to discuss the progress of JSP’s ongoing projects in the state.

The meeting, held at the Lok Seva Bhawan, highlighted the company’s significant investments and capacity expansion plans, particularly at the Angul Steel Plant.

During the meeting, Jindal provided an update on JSP’s key initiatives in Odisha, emphasising the ambitious expansion at the Angul Steel Plant, which is poised to bolster the state’s industrial growth. The project is a critical part of JSP’s broader strategy to enhance its presence in the region while contributing to local employment and economic development.

In addition to his discussion with Chief Minister Majhi, Jindal also met with Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Odisha’s law, works, and excise minister Prithviraj Harichandan. The meetings underscored JSP’s ongoing collaboration with the state government to accelerate industrial growth and infrastructure development.

Accompanying Jindal were JSP’s Executive Director in charge of the Angul project, Pankaj Malhan, and other senior officials from the company.

Chakali Ilamma varsity included in TG Universities Act

Hyderabad:�The state government has amended the Telangana Universities Act of 1991 to include Veeranari Chakali Ilamma Women’s University, following Governor Jishnu Dev Varma’s assent.

Saif Ali Khan out of ICU

Actor Saif Ali Khan is recovering well after being stabbed at his Mumbai home; no arrest made yet in the case