New Delhi, Nov 5: It is a testament to the boundless potential of the cooperatives, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah, congratulated daily giant Amul and Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) for occupying the first two ranks among the top 10 cooperatives in the world.

In a landmark achievement for India’s cooperative sector, two of India’s leading cooperatives, Amul and IFFCO, have secured the first and second ranks in the global ranking for cooperatives, respectively.

In a post on X social media platform, HM Shah said, “A proud moment for Bharat! Heartiest congratulations to Amul and IFFCO for occupying the first two ranks among the top ten cooperatives in the world”.

“It is an honour to the tireless dedication of millions of women associated with Amul and farmers contributing to the IFFCO. It is also a testament to the boundless potential of the cooperatives, which is being transformed into a global model of empowerment and self-reliance by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” HM Shah posted.

Meanwhile, the India’s dairy sector is the backbone of rural livelihoods and a symbol of inclusive growth. As the largest milk producer in the world, India has combined farmer-led cooperatives, women’s participation and scientific practices to achieve remarkable progress.

Notably, while safeguarding existing gains, there is continued support to the sector through subsidies, credit facilities, R&D in fodder and animal health, among others, to ensure India’s dairy sector remains resilient, inclusive, and capable of meeting future domestic and international demand.

Moreover, the National Co-operative Exports Limited (NCEL), set up by the Government in 2023, has achieved the impressive milestone of exporting Rs 5,403.01 crore worth of agricultural commodities, including rice, fresh red onion, sugar, baby food, processed food, spices and tea.

Also, NCEL has been promoted by five leading co-operatives — Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-operative Limited (IFFCO), Krishak Bharati Co-operative Limited (KRIBHCO), National Agricultural Co-operative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED), Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF–Amul) and the National Co-operative Development Corporation (NCDC).

Kolkata, Nov 5: With the Election Commission of India (ECI) having started the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal, the two main opposition parties in the state, the BJP and CPI(M), are ahead of the ruling Trinamool Congress in appointments of booth-level agents (BLAs).

As per statistics available with the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal, as of 5 p.m. on Tuesday, the total number of BLAs appointed by the BJP and CPI(M) is 24,858 and 18,706, respectively.

On the other hand, sources in the CEO’s office said that, till that period, the total number of BLAs appointed by Trinamool Congress was just 13,526. Congress is in the distant fourth position, appointing just 5,797 BLAs till that period.

As per statistics available with the ECI’s office, the total number of booth-level agents (BLAs) appointed by the recognised national and state political parties registered with the ECI, including the four already mentioned, currently stands at over 63,940. The figure includes BLA-1s and BLA-2s.

While a BLA-1 is a party representative for an assembly constituency, a BLA-2 represents the party concerned for a polling booth. The number of BLAs appointed so far by political parties registered with the ECI is quite low; therefore, the district election officers have requested the leadership of all political parties to deploy one agent per booth.

The ECI has already expressed surprise over the significantly low ratio of booth-level officers (BLOs) appointed by the commission to the booth-level agents (BLAs) nominated by political parties in West Bengal.

At an all-party meeting held on October 28, West Bengal’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Manoj Kumar Agarwal, reportedly expressed concern about the shortfall, urging party representatives to appoint BLAs in sufficient numbers to ensure a transparent and efficient revision process. He also assured that BLOs would maintain regular interactions with the BLAs of all recognised parties during the SIR.

“Now, with the BLO-to-BLA ratio in West Bengal so low, the process of regular BLO–BLA interaction will be hampered to a great extent. Hence, the commission is insisting that political parties take proactive steps to appoint an adequate number of BLAs,” the sources in the CEO’s office said.

The entire SIR process is expected to conclude by March 2026 at the latest. The last such revision in West Bengal was conducted in 2002.

Mumbai: A bus carrying pilgrims from Koparkhairane to Pandharpur met with an accident on the Thane-Belapur Road near Reliance Hospital on Wednesday morning. Several passengers sustained injuries and were immediately shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment, officials said.

Videos from the site show the bus parked on the roadside with visible damage to its front bumper, though the sides of the vehicle appeared largely intact. The exact number of injured passengers is yet to be confirmed. Police and local authorities reached the scene shortly after the crash to manage traffic and assist rescue efforts. A detailed investigation is underway to ascertain the cause of the accident.

In a separate incident on the same day, a monorail coach went off track and tilted near the Wadala-GTB Monorail Station around 9 a.m. The mishap occurred during a track-changing operation as part of ongoing testing and maintenance work.

According to monorail control in-charge Rohan Salunkhe, the incident was caused by a technical fault during testing. “No passengers were inside the train and no injuries have been reported. Monorail staff have reached the site to assess and rectify the issue,” he said.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) disaster management unit confirmed the details, stating that the incident occurred near the RTO junction in Wadala East. The Mumbai Fire Brigade and emergency response teams were also deployed to the spot as a precautionary measure.

The Mumbai Monorail service has been non-operational since it was suspended following a major technical failure during heavy rains earlier this year, which left hundreds of commuters stranded. Maintenance and repair work have been ongoing since then, and the coach involved in today’s incident was reportedly undergoing trial runs as part of the system’s reactivation process.