India News
Mehbooba Mufti warns Centre to return Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, says look at Afghanistan
Asking the Centre to learn a lesson from the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief said that if the people of Jammu and Kashmir lose patience, the government will not remain and will be disappeared.

Referring to Afghanistan, where Taliban seized power forcing the powerful US forces to leave the country, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday sounded a warning to the Central government to hold dialogue with Jammu and Kashmir and return its special status which was revoked in 2019.
Asking the Centre to learn a lesson from the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief said that if the people of Jammu and Kashmir lose patience, the government will not remain and will be disappeared.
Citing the example of what happened in Afghanistan, the PDP chief warned the Central govt and said do not test the patience of the people of Kashmir.
Referring to US flee from Afghanistan, Mufti said such a big power — America — had to pack its bags and return to their home. The Centre still have the opportunity to restart the peace process now as Atal Bihari Vajpayee had done with respect to the Constitution. Restore Article 370 and return whatever the govt took away from the people of Kashmir, the PDP chief said.
Mufti was addressing a rally in the valley’s Kulgam district on Saturday. It was a rare public outreach by mainstream political leaders in the Valley since the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and downgrading of the state into two Union Territories in August 2019.
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The PDP chief also accused the BJP-led Central govt of misusing central agencies such as the NIA, CBI and the Enforcement Directorate to crush dissent and political opponents. Warning of communal polarisation, she said that if the BJP doesn’t mend its ways, India would break into many parts on communal and religious lines.
On the Afghanistan situation, Mufti urged the Taliban to not commit any act of violence against Afghan people that forces the world to go against them.
In other India News, Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh breathed his last on August 21 in Lucknow.
India News
Bank holidays February 2023: Banks to remain shut for 10 days, check dates here
Apart from festivals, banks will also remain shut on the second and fourth Saturdays.

Every month banks across the country remain shut due to festivals and other public and private holidays. In February 2023, both private and public banks will not function for 10 days. However, the holidays differ from state to state.
Festivals like Guru Ravidas Jayanti, Hazrat Ali Jayanti, Maha Shivaratri, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and others will be celebrated in February which might affect the functioning of banks in several states.
Full list of bank holidays in February 2023
DATE | DAY | HOLIDAY | STATES |
5 February 2023 | Sunday | Hazrat Ali Jayanti | Uttar Pradesh |
5 February 2023 | Sunday | Guru Ravidas Jayanti | Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana & Punjab |
15 February 2023 | Wednesday | Lui-Ngai-Ni | Manipur |
18 February 2023 | Saturday | Maha Shivaratri | Several states of India |
19 February 2023 | Sunday | Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti | Maharashtra |
20 February 2023 | Monday | State Day | Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram |
21 February 2023 | Tuesday | Losar | Sikkim |
Apart from this, banks will also remain shut on the second and fourth Saturdays.
DATE | DAY | HOLIDAY | STATES |
12 February 2023 | Saturday | Second Saturday | All States |
15 February 2023 | Tuesday | Lui-Ngai-Ni | Manipur |
19 February 2023 | Sunday | Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti | Maharashtra |
25 February 2023 | Saturday | Fourth Saturday | All States |
For those unversed, the Reserve Bank of India categorises holidays into three categories-Holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act and Real-Time Gross Settlement Holidays, Holidays under the Negotiable Instruments Act, and Banks’ Closing of Accounts.
In January 2023, banks across the country will remain shut for 14 days.
Date | Day | Holiday | State |
---|---|---|---|
January 1, 2023 | Sunday | New Year Bank Holiday & Weekend Bank Holiday | All over India |
January 2, 2023 | Monday | New Year Bank Celebration | Mizoram |
January 5, 2023 | Thursday | Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti | Haryana and Rajasthan |
January 8, 2023 | Sunday | Weekend Bank Holiday | All over India |
January 11, 2023 | Wednesday | Missionary Day | Mizoram |
January 14, 2023 | Saturday | Second Saturday Bank Holiday | All over India |
January 15, 2023 | Sunday | Weekend Bank Holiday | All over India |
January 22, 2023 | Sunday | Weekend Bank Holiday | All over India |
January 23, 2023 | Monday | Netaji Subash Chandra Bose Jayanti | Tripura and West Bangal |
January 25, 2023 | Wednesday | State Day | Himachal Pradesh |
January 26, 2023 | Thursday | Republic Day | All over India |
January 28, 2023 | Sunday | Fourth Saturday Bank Holiday | All over India |
January 29, 2023 | Sunday | Weekend Bank Holiday | All over India |
January 31, 2023 | Monday | Me-Dam-Me-Phi | Assam |
IMD predicts more rainfall as mercury dips across Delhi-NCR
India News
Bottle hurled at Kailash Kher during Hampi Utsav concert for not singing Kannada song, two held | WATCH

Two men have been arrested after bottles were hurled at veteran Bollywood singer Kailash Kher during a concert, Sunday in Karnataka’s Hampi.
According to reports, Kher, who was performing during the closing ceremony of the Hampi Utsav, was singing only Hindi songs which made the crowd angry who wanted him to sing some Kannada songs.
Police said a bottle was hurled at the singer from the crowd which barely missed Kher as he continued performing. Unfazed, Kher continued to perform as an official is seen picking up the bottle from the stage.
They said that the two youth, 22-year-old Pradeep and 21-year-old Surah, have been arrested in connection with the incident and further investigation is ongoing.
Later, Kher, who was unhurt in the incident, was whisked away through the backstage area, a senior official said.
The three-day Hampi Utsav, which began on January 27, is the first time that a cultural festival is being held since the formation of the new Vijayanagara district.
Renowned Bollywood and Sandalwood artistes performed at the event that included a sound and light show.
Prominent Sandalwood playback singers Arjun Jannya, Vijaya Prakash, Raghu Dikshit and Anannya Bhath and Bollywood playback singers Arman Mallik and Kailash Kher were among those invited to perform.
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India News
IMD predicts more rainfall as mercury dips across Delhi-NCR
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast more rainfall in Delhi-NCR over the next 12 hours even as mercury dipped to five degrees below season’s normal as cold winds and rain lashed the national capital and its adjoining regions over the past 24 hours.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast more rainfall in Delhi-NCR over the next 12 hours even as mercury dipped to five degrees below season’s normal as cold winds and rain lashed the national capital and its adjoining regions over the past 24 hours.
Maximum temperature dipped to 17.2 degrees Celsius on Sunday while a minimum of 6.4 degrees Celsius was recorded, at least three degrees below season’s normal due to rain fall and cold winds.
The IMD has predicted light-moderate spells of rainfall in the next 12 hours across Delhi-NCR
In a tweet IndiaMetSky revealed that moisture is hitting the mountain tops of Aravali and is instantly being lifted up. This chain expands from South Rajasthan-Delhi, it said, adding that this chain is being boosted by moisture incursion from both seas, convergence and interesting topology.
The Met has predicted light to moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorms across the national capital, some areas likely to be affected are listed below.
Delhi: Narela, Bawana, Alipur, Kanjhawala, Budha Jayanti Park, Jafarpur, Nazafgarh, Delhi Cantt, India Gate, Akshardham, Palam, Safdarjung, Lodi Road, Nehru Stadium, IGI Airport, Vasant Vihar, R K Puram, Defence Colony, Lajpat Nagar, Vasant Kunj, Hauzkhas, Malviyanagar, Kalkaji, Mahrauli, Tughlakabad, Chhattarpur, IGNOU, Ayanagar, and Deramandi.
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NCR: Loni Dehat, Hindon AF Station, Bahadurgarh, Indirapuram, Noida, Gurugram, and Manesar.
Haryana: Jind, Gohana, Hansi, Rohtak, Charkhi Dadri, Mattanhail, Jhajjar, Loharu, Farukhnagar, Kosali, Mahendargarh, Narnaul.
Around 3.3 mm of rain was recorded in Delhi on Sunday afternoon. This was the season’s first rainfall in Delhi which usually records around 17mm of rain in winter.
The IMD in a statement said that a western disturbance is likely to cause “light/moderate rainfall/snowfall at most places with isolated heavy falls over western Himalayan region during the next two days; light/moderate rainfall at some/many places over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan during the same period. Isolated very light rainfall/drizzle would also occur over Delhi on Sunday and Monday morning”.
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