National News
Coal scam of Rs 6,000 Cr in last 14 years in Gujarat: Cong
The Congress on Wednesday alleged that coal meant for Small and Medium Industries was sold to industries of other states and a scam of Rs 6,000 crore has come to light in Gujarat.
The party demanded a time-bound investigation.
It raised questions, whether it was coincidence that three chief ministers — Narendra Modi (CM of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014) was also holding the charge of Industry, Mines and Minerals Department from December 2007 to December 2012), Vijay Rupani (August 2016 to September 2021) and Bhupendra Patel (September 2021 till date) — kept the Industry, Mines and Minerals Department with them.
Addressing a press conference here, Congress spokesperson Gaurav Vallabh said, “Coal extracted from mines of Coal India did not reach the industries for which it was extracted.”
“In the last 14 years, 60 lakh tonnes of coal have been sent from the mines of Coal India in the name of traders and small industries of Gujarat. It’s average price is Rs 1,800 crore at Rs 3,000 per tonne, but instead of selling it to traders and industries, it has been sold in other states at a price of Rs 8,000 to 10,000/tonne.”
The Congress said that the UPA government had formulated a policy in 2007 to provide good quality coal at affordable rates to the small industries across the country. Under this policy, coal was extracted every month from the West Coal Field and South-East Coal Field of Coal India for Small and Medium Industries of Gujarat.
Vallabh said, “The Gujarat government had to send all the information, including the list of beneficiary industries of coal, the quantity of coal required, from which agency the coal will be sent to Coal India. Along with this, the Gujarat government also has to send a list of State Nominated Agency (SNA). SNA means the agency declared by the state government, which is authorised to take coal from Coal India to the state’s beneficiaries, small scale industries, small traders.
“The information sent to Coal India by the Gujarat government turned out to be false. The industries in the name of which coal was extracted from Coal India in the documents did not reach those industries.
“Agencies buy coal from Coal India every year in the name of beneficiary industries of Gujarat, but agencies instead of giving it to the beneficiaries earn crores of rupees by selling coal at high prices in the open market. It is possible that the agencies have created fake bills for this game and evaded Income Tax, Sales Tax and GST,” said the Congress spokesperson.
National News
‘34 massacres took place in between 1990-2005’: HM Amit Shah lambasts RJD

Patna, Nov 1: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday lambasted the RJD leadership for the alleged “jungle raj”, accusing them of 34 bloody massacres between 1990 and 2005 during their tenure.
Addressing a virtual rally for NDA candidates in Gopalganj, Shah cited 34 massacres that took place during that period, including Bara, Senari, Bathani Tola, Laxmanpur-Bathe, Shankar Bigha and Miapur.
“This is not an election to elect an MLA or minister, but an election to choose between good governance under Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar, or the Jungle Raj of the Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan),” Shah said.
The Home Minister said that this election will decide who will control Bihar, those who oversaw years of jungle raj, or the PM Modi-Nitish Kumar combine that has put Bihar on the path of development.
Shah was scheduled to attend the rally in person but said he was unable to fly due to bad weather and addressed the virtual rally from Patna.
“I apologise to the people of Gopalganj who turned out in large numbers. We did not get permission to take off due to weather conditions,” he said, adding that Gopalganj has never elected an RJD MP or MLA since 2002 and expressing confidence that the district would maintain this record.
Shah also highlighted the NDA manifesto and repeated two promises targeting women and farmers.
He said the government had already transferred Rs 10,000 to each of 1.41 crore Jeevika Didis and promised that after government formation, they would be given an additional Rs 2 lakh each.
For farmers, he claimed that the annual PM-Kisan support would be increased from Rs 6,000 to Rs 9,000.
Calling these not small commitments, Shah said, “Rs 9,000 a year to 87 lakh farmers and Rs 2.10 lakh each to 1.41 crore Jeevika Didis – this is not a small thing.”
He further claimed the Narendra Modi government had decided to reopen all sugar mills of Bihar, saying several had already restarted, including three in Gopalganj and one rice mill, while Riga Sugar Mill in Sitamarhi was functioning.
Shah also announced new infrastructure commitments, including an expressway from Dumariaghat (Gopalganj) to Patna and the redevelopment of Thave railway station.
National News
‘Onboard LTTE-ISI Operatives’: IndiGo Flight From Jeddah To Hyderabad Diverted To Mumbai After Receiving ‘Human Bomb’ Threat

Mumbai: An IndiGo flight 6E 68 traveling from Jeddah to Hyderabad was diverted to Mumbai on November 1, following ‘human bomb’ threat email. The Rajiv Gandhi International (RGIA) Airport in Hyderabad received a threat email early morning which claimed that there was a “human bomb” onboard the flight. However, the plane was diverted and safely landed in Mumbai.
According to the police, the threat mail stated, “…onboard LTTE-ISI operatives have planned a major 1984 Madras Airport Modus operandi style blast,” as quoted by news agency media.
On the incident, IndiGo spokesperson also released a statement and said, “A security threat was received for IndiGo flight 6E 68 operating from Jeddah to Hyderabad on November 1 and the aircraft was diverted to Mumbai.” After the information was received, following the established protocols, the relevant authorities were immediately informed. All the necessary security checks along with the relevant authorities were carried out before the aircraft was cleared for further operations.
In addition to this, the IndiGo Spokesperson also added, “We made all efforts to minimise inconvenience to our customers including offering them refreshments and sharing regular updates,” as quoted by media.
Mumbai has witnessed several instances of bomb threats targeting schools, hospitals, airports, temples, the Bombay High Court, and other public places
On October 9, a threatening email was received at the Bandra Family Court in BKC. Following the email, the BKC police station and the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) were informed. In the email, the sender claimed that a bomb had been planted in the BKC Family Court.
In September, an IndiGo flight from Mumbai to Delhi received a bomb threat. The flight 6E 762 had around 200 people on board and the security agencies found the threat to be non-specific, the source told media.
On September 28, Mumbai’s Shivaji Park Police Station received a bomb threat where caller claimed that a bomb had been planted at Dadar Railway Station. Prior to that, the Bombay High Court had received a threatening email claiming that a bomb had been planted on its premises.
National News
Gujarat: Applications for selection of State Haj Inspectors for Haj 2026 open till Nov 3

Gandhinagar, Nov 1: The Gujarat State Haj Committee under the General Administration Department has invited applications from eligible state government employees interested in serving as State Haj Inspectors for Haj–2026, government officials said on Saturday.
The online application process, which began on October 15, 2025, will remain open for only two more days — until November 3, 2025, while offline submission of applications will be accepted until November 5, 2025.
The role of the State Haj Inspector is crucial in assisting pilgrims during their sacred journey.
Selected officials will be deputed to Saudi Arabia for nearly two months under the supervision of the Consulate General of India in Jeddah through the Haj Committee of India.
The deputation period will be treated as official duty, and regular salary and allowances will be paid by the respective departments.
To be eligible for selection as a State Haj Inspector for Haj–2026, applicants must be Muslim officers or employees currently serving under the Gujarat government, its public sector undertakings, autonomous institutions, or commissions, and must possess a graduate degree from a recognised university.
However, officers belonging to Class I or equivalent cadres, as well as contractual employees or those engaged through outsourcing arrangements, are not eligible to apply.
The applicant’s age must also be below 50 years as of October 15, 2025, ensuring that only physically fit and capable individuals are considered for the demanding nature of the assignment.
Each candidate must also hold a valid Indian passport, with an expiry date extending beyond December 31, 2026, to cover the entire duration of the Haj deputation period and related travel requirements.
Applicants, who have previously served as State Haj Inspectors or Khadim-ul-Hujjaj on three or more occasions will not be considered, as preference will be given to new candidates or those with fewer prior deputations to encourage wider participation among eligible government employees.
In addition, every applicant must upload a No Objection Certificate (NOC) issued by their respective department, organisation, or competent authority at the time of online submission.
In cases where the NOC is not available at the time of applying, candidates are required to upload a written undertaking or declaration, committing to submit the NOC during the interview stage.
This ensures administrative clearance and accountability for deputation from the parent department.
Interested applicants must first submit their application on the Haj Committee of India website (http://hajcommittee.gov.in) by November 3, 2025.
Later, they must fill out the State Haj Committee online form on https://haj.gujarat.gov.in and upload the required details and documents.
A hard copy of the completed application, forwarded through the head of the respective department or public enterprise, must reach: Secretary, Gujarat State Haj Committee, Block No. 8, 8th Floor, Secretariat, Gandhinagar, by November 5, 2025, during office hours.
Applications that are incomplete, lack required documents, or are received after the deadline will not be considered for the selection process.
As per the guidelines of the Haj Committee of India and the Ministry of Minority Affairs, candidates will be selected through a computer-based test followed by an interview.
For Haj–2026, one State Haj Inspector will be appointed for every 150 pilgrims.
Selected candidates will be required to obtain approval from their parent department or competent authority and bear 50 per cent of the deputation cost (Rs 2,10,000).
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