Raipur: Chhattisgarh has secured the first position among bigger states in the February 2026 national ranking under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, marking a significant milestone in the field of women’s health, nutrition and empowerment, officials said on Wednesday.. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai. (PTI). Chhattisgarh recorded 93.37 per cent enrollment, an approval rate of 83.87 per cent, and 93.95 per cent timely grievance redressal, reflecting the state’s efficient implementation of the scheme, an official release stated.. The proportion of cases pending for more than 30 days remained limited to 7.07 per cent, while the pending grievance rate stood at only 4.96 per cent, indicating effective monitoring and transparent service delivery, it said.. Notably, the state improved its position by six ranks compared to the previous month, emerging as the top-performing state in the country, it added.. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said the honour reflects the state’s sustained commitment to strengthening maternal welfare programmes.. Sai congratulated officials, employees, Anganwadi workers and field-level staff of the Women and Child Development Department, stressing that maternal and child health are the top priorities for the government.. He noted that the PMMVY plays a key role in promoting safe motherhood by providing financial assistance to pregnant women.. Women and Child Development Minister Laxmi Rajwade described the achievement as a proud moment for Chhattisgarh.. She said that under the guidance of the chief minister, Chhattisgarh has effectively implemented women’s welfare programmes among the leading states, attributing the success to the coordinated efforts, commitment, and timely work of departmental officials, staff, and Anganwadi workers.. Rajwade informed that in the financial year 2025-26 to date, a total of 1,86,586 pregnant women have been enrolled under the PMMVY in Chhattisgarh, and an amount of ₹72,24,89,000 has been directly transferred to the bank accounts of eligible beneficiaries.. The effective implementation of the PMMVY has strengthened maternal and child healthcare services in the state, with Chhattisgarh increasingly emerging as a model for other states across the country.. Under the scheme, a cash incentive of ₹5,000 in three instalments is paid directly to pregnant women and lactating mothers for the first living child of the family, subject to them fulfilling specific conditions, officials said. 

 A self-styled godman was arrested on Friday for allegedly raping a 23-year-old woman on the pretext of giving her medicine to conceive a son, officials here said.. The victim was later rescued by her family members from the spot, following which they approached the police. (PTI/representative image). The accused, Bhagwandin, a resident of Balrampur village, had reportedly been practising occultism and providing traditional medicines for the last four to five years.. Circle Officer Puranpur Pratik Dahiya told reporters that an FIR was registered against the accused under relevant sections, including rape, based on a complaint filed by the victim’s husband.. According to the police complaint, the victim’s husband and mother-in-law had taken her to Bhagwandin’s house. The accused allegedly lured them with the promise of a son through rituals and medicine.. “On March 11, after performing some rituals, the accused took the woman to a relative’s house in Bilandpur Ashok village under the guise of administering the medicine. He reportedly asked the family members to stay outside and then sexually assaulted the woman inside a room,” a police official said.. The victim was later rescued by her family members from the spot, following which they approached the police.. A forensic field unit has visited the crime scene to collect evidence. The accused is currently being interrogated, and further legal proceedings are underway, police added. 

 Amid heightened tensions in West Asia, Iran’s ambassador to India said Tehran would ensure safe passage for Indian interests in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, even as the conflict in the region entered its 14th day on Friday.. The Callisto tanker sits anchored in Port Sultan Qaboos as the traffic is down in the Strait of Hormuz, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Muscat, Oman, March 12, 2026. (REUTERS). Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Mohammad Fathali said India remains a trusted partner for Iran and that the country’s vessels would not face difficulties in the vital shipping lane. Track US-Israel and Iran war live updates. “… Yes, because India is our friend. You will see it within two or three hours. We believe that Iran and India share common interests in the region,” news agency ANI quoted him as saying at 6:35 pm IST.. The remarks come as concerns grow over shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a large portion of the world’s oil shipments pass.. Strait still open, says Iran’s representative. Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi, representative of Iran’s Supreme leader in India has meanwhile claimed that the waterway has not been formally closed, though the ongoing conflict has created operational difficulties for commercial vessels.. Also Read | Iran ‘about to surrender’: Trump told G7 ahead of Mojtaba Khamenei’s 1st remarks, says report. “Iran has not closed the Strait. It remains open; however, due to current conditions and circumstances, ships are unable to pass through the Hormuz. Otherwise, Iran never wanted the Strait to be closed or blocked. Some (ships) are still passing through,” he told reporters in Delhi.. He also urged global leaders to intervene and push for an end to the conflict.. “Those who initiated this war are the very ones who must stop it… Many people across the world are suffering due to this war. World leaders must unite and exert pressure on the President of the United States, urging him to put an immediate stop to this unjust war,” ANI quoted Ilahi as saying.. He further insisted that Iran had not started the conflict and said Tehran had been pursuing diplomatic engagement with Washington before the escalation.. “Iran did not initiate this war. Iran was engaged in negotiations with the United States and was also pursuing diplomatic efforts… Suddenly, the United States, along with the Zionist regime, attacked Iran, and they targeted a lot of civilians in Iran. We will win in this war, and we are prepared to sacrifice everything we possess for the sake of our dignity and our land,” Ilahi told reporters in Delhi.. US says ‘dealing with’ escalations in Hormuz. The United States has dismissed concerns about the blockade threat in the waterway. Speaking at a Pentagon briefing, US war secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington was prepared to maintain freedom of navigation in the Strait.. “As the world is seeing, they are exercising sheer desperation in the Strait of Hormuz – something w 

 In the time that you read these words, the internet will have consumed about a petabyte of data. That’s a thousand terabytes, or a million gigabytes, or a billion megabytes.. The internet set information free and the smartphone gave citizens a window-seat view of this flight. But the ride has only grown more turbulent. For decades, journalism was guided by a basic tenet – Comment is free, facts are sacred. In the century since the phrase was coined, comment is still free, but facts are now alternative. In the post-truth era, where somebody’s six can be another’s nine, there are no gatekeepers and few guard-rails. Add a dash of AI, and it’s a toxic cocktail. But in this swarm of misinformation and disinformation, Hindustan Times has focussed on scientific, factual, nuanced and honest reportage.. Today, HT pushes this envelope with a new version of its mobile app.. The refreshed app fuses the quality and tactility of print with the speed and agility of digital. Its expansive news coverage condenses the local, national and global, with equal heft and rigour. Its smart processes pick up on your preferences, curating news stacks, stories and alerts to suit your day and your needs. An upcoming, polished AI assistant will step in when you need to cut through complex ideas and add value to the conversation.. Video, fluid visuals and interactive stories breathe life into the user experience.. HT’s signature offerings, including HT Wknd, HT Brunch, Number Theory, and Pick of The Day find their unique spaces on the app, tailored and touched up for the mobile screen.. But at its heart is a balance – a century of trust, with a dab of the future. A venerable journalistic legacy meets the promise and possibilities of the AI age. An experienced newsroom shakes hands with the sophistication of the modern digital audience.. To thank you, our valuable reader, the app will begin with unfettered access to premium stories and the ePaper for some time, before it adds app-exclusive content going forward. Tune into the first voice. Stay for the last word. 

 Slots under the National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) scheme for Scheduled Caste (SC) students will double from 125 to 250 from 2026–27, while those for Scheduled Tribe (ST) students will increase from 20 to 50, the Union ministries of social justice and empowerment and tribal affairs informed the Parliamentary standing committee.. SC overseas scholarship slots to rise to 250 and ST quota to 50 from 2026–27; parliamentary panel questions funding for expanded NOS scheme. (Representative photo). However, the 31-member committee on social justice and empowerment, chaired by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker P. C. Mohan, raised concerns over the funding and utilisation of the amount allocated to the NOS scheme in its demands for grants report for the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA).. Under the NOS scheme, meritorious SC and ST students receive government grants to pursue higher education in the top 1,000 ranked universities abroad.. The MoTA spent ₹21.95 crore on 68 ST students under the NOS scheme between 2021–22 and 2024–25. The scheme has been allocated ₹20 crore for Financial Year (FY) 2026–27.. The panel, however, expressed dissatisfaction that only ₹8,757.04 crore of the revised estimate of ₹10,824.18 crore for 2025–26 had been utilised by February 23, 2026 — roughly 19% less than the allocation for MoTA. The committee also noted that the ministry has been allocated ₹15,421.97 crore for 2026–27 against a proposed demand of ₹17,223.47 crore — about 10.5% less than sought.. According to the committee report tabled on Wednesday, the annual maintenance allowance for ST students will increase from $15,400 to $19,250 in the upcoming Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) cycle for 2026–27 to 2030–31.. The MoTA also informed the panel that it will consider raising the family income ceiling for ST students from ₹6 lakh to ₹8 lakh, bringing it in line with the eligibility criteria for SC students.. However, the committee flagged funding concerns in the NOS scheme for SC students. The budget estimate for the NOS scheme for SC students in 2026–27 is ₹125 crore, down from ₹130 crore in 2025–26, despite the proposal to double the number of slots. “The Committee is unable to understand how the Department will provide scholarships for 250 slots within the budget meant for 125 slots,” the report said. Currently, SC students receive $15,400 per year as a maintenance allowance for studies in the US and other countries, and £9,900 in the United Kingdom.. The panel also pointed out issues with the Post-Matric Scholarship (PMS) scheme for SC students, implemented by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment under MoSJE through states and Union Territories.. The number of beneficiaries fell to 36.07 lakh in 2025–26 against a target of 76.55 lakh — an achievement of less than 50%. The scheme covered 47.38 lakh students in 2023–24 and 48.04