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Sunday,16-August-2026
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2.15cr families in TN to receive Pongal gift hampers

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MK-Stalin

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has ordered Pongal gift hampers for families having ration cards that are eligible to get rice, and also to Sri Lankans living in refugee camps in the state.

In a statement issued here on Wednesday, the government said gift hampers containing rice, jaggery, cashew, ghee and 16 items to celebrate the festival will be provided to about 2.15 crore families in the state.

The government said the total outlay for this will be about Rs 1,088 crore.

Pongal is a Hindu harvest festival celebrated on the first of Tamil month Thai which normally falls on January 14 every year.

Pongal festivities take place over four days, the first day being Bhogi when people burn their old clothes, mats and other items. Homes are painted afresh.

The second day is the main Pongal festival celebrated on the first day of the Tamil month Thai.

The third day is the Mattu Pongal when bulls and cows are bathed and their horns painted and worshipped as they play an important role in farms.

Women feed the birds with coloured rice and pray for the welfare of their brothers.

In some parts of the state, jallikattu – a bull-taming sport – is held.

The fourth day is the Kannum Pongal – the day to go out and meet relatives and friends, and go site seeing.

Crime

MCD sanitation worker stabbed to death in Delhi Kalyanpuri; accused at large

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New Delhi, Aug 16: A sanitation worker employed by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was stabbed to death while on duty in Delhi’s Kalyanpuri area on Sunday morning.

CCTV footage reportedly shows the accused attacking the sanitation worker with a knife. A Delhi Police team is currently examining the footage and other evidence to trace the assailant.

The deceased has been identified as 24-year-old Anil Kumar, an MCD sanitation worker. According to preliminary information, Anil was performing his duties in Kalyanpuri around 7 a.m. on Sunday when he was attacked with a knife, officials said.

The accused fled the scene after the incident.

Upon receiving the information, the police arrived at the scene and initiated an investigation. Officials said that multiple teams have been formed to apprehend the accused using the CCTV footage.

Following the incident, BJP Trilokpuri MLA Ravi Kant visited the site and condoled the death of the worker.

Speaking to media , he described it as a “deeply tragic” event. “While the rest of Delhi sleeps, it is these workers who perform the task of waking the city up. We stand in solidarity with the victim’s family,” he said.

The BJP MLA stated that the perpetrator has been identified and that strict action will be taken against him.

Kant further said, “I have seen the CCTV footage. Anil was doing his job when the accused suddenly approached and attacked him.”

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Kondli MLA Kuldeep Kumar spoke to media, stating, “A sanitation worker was brazenly murdered in Kalyanpuri. Has Kalyanpuri become the crime capital? Murders are taking place all over Delhi.”

“Think about the plight of the family of a sanitation worker who performs his job. When he collects garbage, it is not because he enjoys the work; due to financial circumstances and the inability to find other employment, he is compelled to collect garbage. He has been murdered,” Kumar said.

He further demanded a police encounter of the accused to “set a precedent and ensure no one else commits such a crime”.

The AAP MLA also demanded that the victim’s family be provided with compensation and that a family member be given a job.

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National News

Congress’ Vande Mataram conduct reflects ‘dimagi naxal’ mindset: BJP, demands apology

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New Delhi, Aug 16: Amid a row over the conduct of senior Congress leaders during the rendition of the national song Vande Mataram, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the former, saying that their behaviour reflected a “dimagi naxal mindset”.

This comes a day after a video from the Independence Day event at Indira Bhawan, showed Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Sonia Gandhi gesturing and speaking among themselves. Both the senior leaders then called a party worker and apparently instructed him something. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was also seen looking towards the senior leaders.

Addressing a press conference, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said: “Opposition to Vande Mataram can only be done by people with the mindset of a ‘dimagi Naxal’ ecosystem. This very mindset of the ‘dimagi Naxal’ ecosystem was seen by us yesterday. The opposition of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi towards Vande Mataram on the day of Independence, points towards a ‘dimagi Naxal’ ecosystem mindset.”

Holding printouts of screenshots from the Congress event, he said some of the party’s leaders have attempted to issue a clarification following the incident.

Bhandari was referring to Congress MP Jairam Ramesh’s defence, “There was no attempt to stop it (the song), because the Congress President had been standing for a long time, Sonia Gandhi was saying, ‘Bring a chair for him and place it there’.”

“The Congress didn’t only insult the freedom fighters but also insulted the sovereignty, integrity, and 140 citizens of the country by opposing the rendition of the national song. When Vande Mataram was being rendered at the Congress headquarters, Sonia Gandhi was not only agitated but was behaving in a way as if some crime had been committed,” he said.

Referring to the recent Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Act, 2026, that makes any obstruction to the rendition of the national song a criminal offence, Bhandari accused the Congress leaders of violating the Act and “standing alongside fringe forces”.

Further, the BJP leader asked Congress to apologise within 24 hours for insulting the sentiments of crores of people, if they have “even an iota of patriotism”.

“But they will not apologise because the ringleader and political patron of this entire ‘dimagi Naxal’ ecosystem is Rahul Gandhi. Also, since the Congress government in Kerala has skipped singing Vande Mataram from official events, does this not make it clear that all allegations against the Congress party — that they lack even an iota of nationalism and patriotism — stand proven true?” Pradeep Bhandari remarked.

He added: “This also proves that whatever Jairam Ramesh stated was a blatant, outright lie.”

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National News

UGC NET June 2026 answer key released; candidates can raise objections till August 18

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New Delhi, Aug 16: The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Sunday released the provisional answer key for the UGC NET June 2026 examination.

Candidates who appeared for the examination can now access their recorded responses and question papers online through the official UGC NET website at ugcnet.nta.nic.in.

The release of the provisional answer key allows candidates to match their responses with the answers provided by the NTA, estimate their probable scores and raise objections if they find any discrepancies or incorrect answers in the key.

Candidates have been given time until August 18 to submit challenges against the provisional answer key.

Candidates raising objections will be required to pay a processing fee of Rs 200 for every question challenged.

The objections submitted within the prescribed deadline will be examined by the concerned authorities before the final answer key is prepared and released.

According to the official notice issued by the NTA, provisional answer keys have been uploaded for 84 subjects, and candidates can now check their responses and question papers along with the answer key. However, the provisional answer keys for three subjects — English, Commerce and Sociology — will be released separately.

The NTA stated in its official notice, “In respect of the three remaining subjects, namely English, Commerce and Sociology, a committee was constituted to look into the complaints received regarding various types of errors in the question papers. Based on the recommendations of this committee, a public notice with regard to these 3 subjects is being issued separately, later today.”

Candidates who appeared for the UGC NET June 2026 examination can access the provisional answer key by visiting the official UGC NET website. On the homepage, they need to click on the link related to the UGC NET June 2026 Answer Key to proceed with the login process.

After clicking on the relevant link, candidates will be required to enter their application number along with their password or date of birth, depending on the login option available.

Once the credentials are successfully submitted, candidates will be able to view their provisional answer key, recorded response sheet and question paper online.

Candidates are advised to carefully compare the answers marked in their recorded response sheet with those mentioned in the provisional answer key.

They can use the information to calculate their expected or probable scores before the declaration of the final results.

If candidates believe that an answer provided in the provisional key is incorrect or notice any discrepancy, they can submit an objection through the designated online process within the given deadline. The challenge fee of Rs 200 per question will have to be paid while submitting each objection.

After reviewing the challenges raised by candidates, the NTA will take the necessary action and prepare the final answer key.

Candidates are advised to download and save copies of their provisional answer key, recorded response sheet and question paper for future reference and for calculating their probable scores before the final results are announced.

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