HIGHLIGHTS

Following are the top stories at 9 PM: NATION DEL89 LD ALL PREZ MURMU My election proof that poor can fulfil dreams too: India’s 15th president Droupadi Murmu New Delhi: Her election is proof the poor can dream and fulfil them too, India’s 15th president and its first tribal head of state Droupadi Murmu said after taking oath of office on Monday, a landmark day that melded tradition with the aspirations of a modern nation.

DEL93 LDALL SUSPENSION 4 Cong MPs suspended from LS for remaining session for disrupting proceedings; Cong terms it 'blot on democracy' New Delhi: Four Congress Lok Sabha members were suspended on Monday for the rest of the Monsoon session after Speaker Om Birla took a stern view of the continuous disruptions by them, evoking a sharp reaction from the party, which termed the action against its MPs a ''blot on democracy''.

CAL28 WB-LD MAMATA 'Won't spare anyone, even if he's a minister': Mamata demands time-bound probe in SSC scam Kolkata: If anyone is found guilty of wrongdoing, he must be punished, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday, days after her cabinet colleague Partha Chatterjee was arrested in the SSC scam by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

DEL80 LSQ-DEF-RECRUITMENT Recruitment process in three services severely affected due to Covid: Rajnath Singh New Delhi: The three services could recruit a total of 37,301 personnel in the last two years as against an average annual vacancy of 60,000 with the induction process hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to details provided by the government on Monday.

DEL86 LSQ-MOE-LD VACANCIES Over 12K teaching posts vacant in Kendriya Vidyalayas, 3K in Navodaya schools: Edu Ministry New Delhi: Over 12,000 teaching positions are vacant in Kendriya Vidyalayas across the country while over 9,000 teachers have been engaged on contractual basis, according to the education ministry.

DEL71 RSQ-AVI-LD SPICEJET-SAFETY DGCA conducts spot checks on 48 SpiceJet aircraft; finds no major safety violation: Govt New Delhi: Aviation regulator DGCA conducted 53 spot checks on 48 SpiceJet aircraft between July 9 and July 13 and it did not find any major safety violations, Minister of State for Civil Aviation V K Singh said Monday.

DEL97 LSQ-DEF-BORDER-ROADS 15,477 crore spent to construct 2,088 kms road along border with China in last 5 yrs: Govt New Delhi: The government constructed 2,088 kms of roads in areas bordering China in the last five years with an expenditure of Rs 15,477 crore, the government said on Monday.

DEL77 LSQ-ED-CASES ED registered maximum money laundering, FEMA cases during 2021-22 fiscal: Govt data New Delhi: In the last 10 years, the Enforcement Directorate registered the highest number of money laundering and foreign exchange violation cases in the 2021-22 financial year -- at 1,180 and 5,313 complaints respectively, according to government data provided to Parliament on Monday.

BOM21 GJ-HC-FLOGGING-BAIL 2016 Gujarat dalit men flogging case: Four main accused get bail after six years Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Monday granted regular bail to four main accused in the July 2016 case of flogging Dalit men by purported cow vigilantes in Una in Gir Somnath district.

DEL72 KOVIND-LD EMOULMENTS Rs 2.5 lakh pension, Lutyens' bungalow among retirement benefits for Kovind New Delhi: Ram Nath Kovind, who demitted office on Monday after serving as President, moved into a bungalow in Lutyens' Delhi, which will be his home for the rest of his life. He will receive a monthly pension of Rs 2.5 lakh.

DEL90 UP-PM-LD OPPN Opposition obstructs development works, gives political interests preference over nation: PM Kanpur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused the Opposition of obstructing development works merely on the ground that they could not accomplish these during their tenure while alleging that they keep their political interests above that of society and the country.

DEL84 CONG-LS-2NDLD SUSPENSION Congress calls suspension of MPs 'blot on democracy', slams govt New Delhi: The Congress Monday described as a ''blot on democracy'' the suspension of its four MPs for the rest of the Monsoon session for disrupting proceedings in Lok Sabha, alleging the government was trying to ''intimidate'' the party but it would not be cowed down.

BUSINESS DEL81 BIZ-PM-GIFT CITY Modi to launch international bullion exchange on July 29 New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the country's first international bullion exchange at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) on Friday.

LEGAL LGD14 DL-HC-FORCED CONVERSION Can't direct govt to frame law on forced religious conversion: HC New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to direct the Centre and the Delhi government to frame a law to stop forced religious conversions, saying they were free to make such enactment even without a judicial recommendation.

FOREIGN FGN38 LANKA-PRESIDENTIAL-LD SECRETARIAT Sri Lanka's Presidential Secretariat resumes operations after 107 days Colombo: Sri Lanka's Presidential Secretariat, which was stormed by a sea of anti-government protesters in early July, resumed operation from Monday amidst tight security, 107 days after the building's entry gate was blocked, officials said.

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