Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the new airport in Rajasthan’s Kota is an example of a committed government and will work as a catalyst for the state’s economic and industrial growth.. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the new airport in Rajasthan’s Kota is an example of a committed government (@NarendraModi). Virtually laying the foundation stone of the Kota Greenfield Airport through a video message, the PM said, “This airport shows how a committed government can work. Rajasthan is progressing at an unprecedented pace, with the new airport set to become a catalyst for economic and industrial growth. It will create several new opportunities for the people of the Hadoti region.”. “Today is a day of new hope for Kota, Bundi, Baran, and Jhalawar as the modern airport, that is being built at a cost of approximately ₹1,500 crore. This modern airport is going to give new momentum to the development of the entire region in the coming times as it will connect Kota with the entire world along with its excellent road and railway networks,” he said.. Recalling his visit in November 2023, the Prime Minister expressed satisfaction that the promise made to the people regarding the airport is now being fulfilled. “When this airport starts, travel will be easy and trade will grow rapidly in the entire area including Kota. People from the Hadoti region will not have to visit Jaipur or Jodhpur to take flights, which take up a lot of their time,” he added.. Modi also described Kota as a unique center of both education and energy, producing electricity from nuclear, coal, gas, and water sources. He praised the global identity of Kota Doria sarees, Kota stone, and local agricultural produce like Bundi’s Basmati rice.. Discussing the region’s potential for tourism, the PM mentioned the spiritual significance of Shri Mathuradhish Ji and Garadia Mahadev alongside wildlife hubs like Mukundara Hills. “The enhanced air connectivity would now bring more global tourists to the region, and its direct benefit will be available to the youth, traders, and the local economy here,” he emphasised.. The Prime Minister also touched upon the broader connectivity revolution in Kota, including the modernization of railway stations under the Amrit Bharat scheme and the impact of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.. During the event, civil aviation minister KR Naidu, Lok Sabha speaker and Kota-Bundi MP Om Birla, and chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma were also present on the stage.. “It’s our PM who turned the civil aviation sector into civilian aviation in the last few years. When he came to power in 2014, there were only 74 airports in the country, which has now risen to 160. Is there any other PM in the world who was able to achieve this goal?” said Naidu.. He also assured that the ministry had discussions with the Rajasthan government and identified many other places in the state with the potential to build airports to make 

 India’s major public-sector company Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) has assured customers of fuel availability amid social media panic over shortages, while the US-Iran conflict engulfs West Asia.. BPCL’s clarification comes when the union government is trying to contain panic amid the public as the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which began a week ago, have plunged the West Asian region into a war. (Bloomberg/ Representative). In a message sent to many customers as SMS alerts in both English and Hindi, BPCL said the social media claims of a fuel shortage were “misleading and baseless”.. “Dear Valued Customer, claims of shortage in fuel supply circulating on social media are misleading and baseless. There is adequate availability of fuel in the country. Citizens are assured that there is no need for any concern. Using fuel wisely always helps,” the state-run oil giant said in the message.. BPCL’s clarification comes when the union government is trying to contain panic amid the public as the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which began a week ago, have plunged the West Asian region into a war. Iran has retaliated by targeting US bases in the region, along with missile and drone strikes aimed at Israel.. Iranian strikes have also hit oil and natural gas infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Iraq and other countries.. The Strait of Hormuz, the route for one-fifth of the world’s oil supply, is effectively closed, which is causing further distress.. Amid rising uncertainty about energy availability, union minister for petroleum and natural gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, on Friday sought to allay public concerns. He stated that there is “no shortage of energy in India” and that there is no reason for consumers to worry amid ongoing geopolitical tensions in West Asia.. “In my regular interaction with members of the fourth estate today, we discussed various aspects of India’s uninterrupted energy imports despite geopolitical challenges. Our priority is to ensure the availability of affordable and sustainable fuel for our citizens, and we are doing it comfortably. There is no shortage of energy in India and there is no cause of worry for our energy consumers,” he said in a post on X.. Government sources cited by ANI described India’s oil, petroleum products, and LPG supplies as in a “very comfortable position”.. Officials highlighted that India has significantly diversified its crude import basket over the past few years.. Since 2022, imports from Russia have risen sharply. In February, around 20 per cent of India’s total crude imports — roughly 1.04 million barrels per day — came from Moscow.. State-run Indian Oil Corporation dismissed social media posts alleging fuel shortages as “baseless”, asserting that stocks are sufficient and distribution networks are functioning normally. The company urged citizens not to panic or crowd fuel stations and to rely on official sources for accurate information.. The source 

 Union home minister Amit Shah said on Saturday that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will once again form its government in Uttarakhand for the third consecutive time in 2027.. Union home minister Amit Shah receives a warm welcome from Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday. (@pushkardhami X). Addressing a gathering in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar to mark four years of the BJP government in the state, he said, “In 2024, Narendra Modi became Prime Minister for the third consecutive time, a feat that had not occurred in six decades. In 2024, a BJP Chief Minister was elected in Odisha. A hat-trick in Haryana, a hat-trick in Maharashtra. In 2025, the AAP party was wiped out in Delhi. A government was formed in Bihar with a two-thirds majority. The BJP flag is flying high in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. In 2026, BJP and NDA governments will be formed in Bengal and Tamil Nadu. But the people of Devbhoomi will have to inaugurate 2027. A BJP government will be formed in Uttarakhand once again,” he said.. Criticising the opposition, he said, “Congress is the party associated with corruption and disorder. It is the same party that once opposed the creation of Uttarakhand. On the other hand, the BJP has deep faith in the Char Dham and has worked to increase the number of Char Dham pilgrims threefold. The BJP has connected every town in Uttarakhand with roads, provided jobs to youth without ‘kharchi’ or ‘parchi’, implemented the Uniform Civil Code, and is taking action to identify and remove infiltrators. Uttarakhand has to choose between these two parties.”. “Under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, Congress has completely fragmented. The party cannot ensure the development of Devbhoomi. The state will go to polls again in 2027. Over the past nine years, our two chief ministers have served Uttarakhand with full dedication. Give the BJP a third opportunity, and we will work to make Uttarakhand the number one among smaller states,” he added.. He said that the Modi government allocated multiple times more funds to Uttarakhand between 2014 and 2024 than what the Congress government provided during its tenure from 2004 to 2014. “The ₹12,000-crore, 900-km Char Dham project was taken up, along with the ₹8,000-crore Delhi–Dehradun economic corridor. Development is reflected in a state’s budget: between 2009 and 2014, Uttarakhand’s average budget was about ₹18,700 crore, and it has now increased several times over, showing how far the state has progressed. Railway projects worth ₹26,000 crore have been approved, several helipads have been built, and the Dehradun airport has been modernised. Significant work has also been done in agriculture and fisheries. In 2014, Uttarakhand’s per capita income was ₹1.25 lakh, and it has risen to ₹2.60 lakh in nine years.”. People from the state had fought for statehood, and Congress and Samajwadi parties carried out such repression against the youth of Uttarakhand that it was 

 A political slugfest continues between the opposition Congress and the ruling BJP after the United States said it had “allowed” India to purchase Russian oil already at sea in a move aimed at easing supply concerns around the world amid the conflict in the Middle East.. A Hindustan Petroleum Corp. oil refinery in Mumbai, India, (Bloomberg). While the Congress termed this an “insult” that India would require such a permission at all, the BJP on Saturday claimed that the United States reached out to India for “help” to ease pressure on global refineries and bring stability to oil prices. The ruling party cited a statement by US energy secretary Chris Wright to make its point.. ALSO READ | ‘We want war to end’, Iranian traders in Tripura. BJP on Russian oil row. In a post on X, the BJP’s official handle shared a video of Wright in which he said during an interview that the US “reached out to friends in India” and asked New Delhi to “buy that oil and bring it into your refineries”.. Speaking to ABC News, the US energy secretary said the step was not a policy shift towards Russia but only a temporary move. “We reached out to our friends in India and said, ‘Buy that oil and bring it into your refineries,’” he said in the interview.. The BJP used the video to reject accusations by the opposition over the United States saying it had given “permission” to India to buy Russian oil.. “Shutting down the Opposition propaganda and outpour, US energy secretary Chris Wright puts it on record that the United States reached out to India for help in easing global refinery pressure and stabilising oil prices. A clear acknowledgment of India’s growing role in global energy stability,” the BJP said.. ALSO READ | ‘Buy that oil, bring it to your refineries’: Trump’s Energy Secretary on why US gave 30-day Russian oil waiver to India. Congress reacts, slams government. Responding to the BJP’s post on X, Congress national secretary Ruchira Chaturvedi shared a video of US treasury secretary Scott Bessent in which he said during an interview that the US had given India “permission” to buy Russian oil.. “The world is very well supplied in oil. Yesterday, the Treasury (Department) agreed to let our allies in India start buying Russian oil that was already on the water,” secretary Bessent said in an interview to Fox Business on Friday.. “The Indians had been very good actors. We had asked them to stop buying sanctioned Russian oil this fall. They did. They were going to substitute it with US oil. But to ease the temporary gap of oil around the world, we have given them permission to accept the Russian oil,” he said.. Chaturvedi slammed the BJP-led Centre over India “needing US’ permission” and accused the party of “defending American attack on our sovereignty”.. “Why does India need US’ permission? Instead of asking this to the US, you are defending US’ attack on our sovereignty! Tum kitne mein bike ho (How muc 

 Global warming has accelerated in the past ten years with a new study concluding it with 98% certainty. While scientists had started noting signs of rapid acceleration of warming in recent years, this is the first study to say it with scientific confidence.. This recent rate is higher than in any previous decade since the beginning of instrumental records in 1880. (Bloomberg photo). After accounting for known natural influences like El Niño events, volcanic eruptions and solar variations on global temperature, the research team detected a statistically significant acceleration of the warming trend.. Over the past ten years, the estimated warming rate has been around 0.35°C per decade, depending on the dataset, compared with just under 0.2°C per decade on average from 1970 to 2015, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) said on Friday evening.. This recent rate is higher than in any previous decade since the beginning of instrumental records in 1880, the authors emphasised.. HT reported on January 15 that global temperatures over the past three years (2023-25) averaged more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (C) above pre-industrial levels, marking the first three year period which has exceeded the threshold, Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said.. Berkeley Earth, which focuses on land temperature data analysis has warned that the warming spike in 2023 to 2025 appears to have deviated significantly from the previous largely linear trend. The warming spike in 2023 to 2025 appears to have deviated significantly from the previous trend. If we were to assume that global warming was continuing at the same rate as during the 50-year period 1970-2019, then the 2023 to 2025 excursion would be by far the largest deviation from that trend, Berkeley Earth said.. “We can now demonstrate a strong and statistically significant acceleration of global warming since around 2015,” said Grant Foster, a US statistics expert and co-author of the study, which was published in Geophysical Research Letters.. Also Read: Global temperatures breach 1.5°C threshold for 1st time in 3 years in a row. Most importantly, the study has also concluded that if the warming rate of the past 10. years continues, the Paris Agreement 1.5°C warming limit will be breached by 2030.. “Stopping this trend is in our hands: studies show that global warming will stop around the time humanity reaches zero CO2 emissions, but it can hardly be reversed. In the current political climate, however, it is quite possible that warming may continue its fast pace or even accelerate further. This much is clear: if the warming rate of the past 10 years continues, the Paris Agreement 1.5°C warming limit will be breached by 2030,” the study states.. Short-term natural fluctuations in global temperature caused by El Niño, volcanic eruptions, and solar cycles can mask changes in the long-term rate of warming. In their data analysis, which is based on measurement data, the two research