134th episode of Mann Ki Baat (Image credit: ANI).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Many topics were discussed during the 134th episode on Sunday mind matterInspiring stories of social service, water conservation, sports achievements, summer health precautions and India’s love for mango were highlighted.The Prime Minister used the monthly radio program to encourage citizen participation, celebrate grassroots initiatives and recognize achievements in various fields.‘Recognize them‘I am doing good work for the society’Calling on people to learn from individuals who are making a positive impact, PM Modi said citizens should appreciate and support social causes.“Recognize those people who are doing good work for the society, appreciate them, learn from them and if possible, be a part of some good work yourself.”The Prime Minister said that stories of selfless service can inspire others to contribute to society and nation building.Prime Minister’s tribute to India’s mango growersWith summer in full swing, PM Modi also talked about India’s diverse mango varieties and praised the farmers involved in mango cultivation.“As soon as summer comes, another discussion starts in every house – that is about mango… Maharashtra and Konkan have Hapus, Alphonso, Gujarat’s Kesar is the soul of mangoes. UP has Dussehri and my Kashi has Langra… Mango’s journey is now reaching the global market from villages…”Praising mango growers, he said, “I would like to praise my farmer friends involved in mango cultivation. For the agricultural economy of the country, you are not an ordinary farmer but a special farmer…”Prime Minister urges caution amid heat waveAddressing the ongoing heat wave situation affecting several parts of the country, PM Modi urged citizens to exercise caution and follow official advisories.“At present, most parts of the country are in the grip of extreme heat… It is very important to take care of yourself in this season – keep drinking water, be careful while going out in the sun. Don’t forget the guidelines issued by various departments of the government…”The Prime Minister stressed the importance of staying hydrated and protecting oneself from extreme temperatures.Traditional summer drinks reflect India’s diversityPM Modi also highlighted traditional summer beverages from different regions of the country and described them as symbols of India’s cultural diversity.“You are also familiar with the traditional drink. In Northern India, you will find Aam Panna… In Punjab and Haryana, Lassi is found in large glasses, in Rajasthan and Gujarat, buttermilk becomes a part of every meal and in Bihar and Jharkhand and Eastern UP, Sattu Sharbat is unmatched as it fills the stomach and also gives energy. Kokum Sharbat, Sol Kadhi are consumed in Konkan and Goa, in Southern India you find Panakam, Neer Mor and Sambharam and Bella Panna will be found in Odisha...”“They also reflect the spirit of ‘One India, Best India’… You too will enjoy such traditional drinks in summers…”Water conservation efforts appreciatedThe Prime Minister also appreciated the efforts to restore rivers, ponds and wells across the country.“Saving and reviving a river, pond or well that holds childhood memories brings a special joy and sense of satisfaction.”He said community-led conservation efforts are helping conserve water resources while strengthening local participation.spotlight on india emerging athletesPM Modi recently congratulated athletes who set new national records and highlighted India’s growing sporting achievements.“A few days ago, the National Senior Athletics Federation competition was held in Ranchi, Jharkhand… During this, 4 national records were broken in 4 different events. Gurinderveer Singh, Vishal TK, Tejaswin Shankar, Dev Meena and Kuldeep Kumar created new records in different categories. I congratulate him wholeheartedly…”He also praised sprinters Gurindervir Singh and Animesh Kujur for their performance in the 100 meters race.Through stories ranging from community service and environmental conservation to agriculture and sports, the Prime Minister’s address focused on celebrating ordinary Indians who have made extraordinary contributions.The episode highlighted the themes of public participation, social responsibility, cultural pride and collective efforts towards nation building.

Magistrate’s court in Mumbai (file photo)

Mumbai: A city magistrate court has held that a man repeatedly stealing money from his daughter-in-law’s purse to buy liquor amounts to economic domestic violence. The comments came after a 40-year-old Lalbagh man was directed to pay Rs 21.5 lakh as rent and maintenance dues to his estranged wife and minor daughter after the court found him and his family liable for financial manipulation and continuous domestic abuse including sexual harassment.Judicial Magistrate First Class JR Mullani also addressed the allegations against the woman’s brother-in-law, saying he had “boldly told” her in the presence of her father-in-law about the harassment, including attempts to force her to have physical relations, which the court called “gross and serious acts of domestic violence”.The magistrate concluded that the woman faced repeated mental and financial harassment from her husband and in-laws. The husband’s regular drinking, threats and verbal abuse, attempts to force her to leave her job, and mortgaging her gold jewellery, leaving her with a debt of Rs 2 lakh, were considered as domestic violence.The court further observed that theft by the father-in-law for liquor, mental torture by the mother-in-law, demand of the woman’s earnings and pressurizing her to buy a refrigerator, clearly amount to economic and mental domestic violence.The court ordered the husband to pay monthly maintenance of Rs 7,000 to the woman and Rs 5,000 to their minor daughter and house rent of Rs 5,000. These amounts were calculated retrospectively from February 24, 2016. The man was also directed to pay Rs 50,000 in legal costs, and the court issued a protection order barring the family from committing further acts of domestic violence.The couple met in 2007 at their workplace, a credit card company, and got married in 2012. According to the woman, the problems started soon after marriage when her husband pressured her to quit her job, started drinking heavily and abused her. When she became pregnant, he reportedly sought an abortion, claiming he could not manage the expenses. She refused and their daughter was born in 2013.The abuse escalated when her brother-in-law attempted to have physical relations with her late at night, when he was drunk and her father-in-law was sleeping nearby.In March 2014, she left the matrimonial home and started living with her brother. Her husband later filed for divorce. She filed her domestic violence application on February 24, 2016. Although interim maintenance was granted in 2017, the husband allegedly failed to make the payments regularly, and she filed an NC complaint for criminal intimidation in 2018.The husband denied the allegations in writing, but the respondents did not appear to cross-examine him or present evidence. The court proceeded without his evidence on August 2, 2025, finding that his sworn testimony was not challenged and there was no reason to disbelieve it.

General Dwivedi (file photo)

New Delhi: Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Saturday said future conflicts will move beyond conventional battlefields and be fought across multiple domains, including cyber, space and cognitive warfare, and also said the armed forces are fully prepared for ‘Operation Sindoor 2.0’ if needed.Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the NDA passing-out parade in Pune, General Dwivedi said, “As far as Operation Sindoor is concerned, first of all, it is still going on. There is a temporary cessation of hostilities. So the Indian Army and all the three services are preparing well for Operation Sindoor 2.0, if it happens.” He said future warfare will not be limited to just land, sea and air, but will increasingly be influenced by emerging domains such as space, cyber and cognitive warfare.General Dwivedi said, modern battlefields have become highly transparent and military planners must remain vigilant about deployment and force protection measures.Explaining the need for AI-powered systems, the Army key technologies help optimize resource utilization and improve operational efficiency on the battlefield. To explain this he said, “In today’s environment, we also have a lot of drones coming. Now, you need counter-drone equipment, and you need to deploy your drones. So, the resources available on the battlefield are huge. To handle such resources, you need some kind of automation, and artificial intelligence plays a very important role.“On information war, the General said, “Victory is always in the mind. It is not on the ground. Therefore, information war is successful only when the entire country comes together and trusts the people providing information.” If that happens, I can assure you that the nation that trusts each other and all these stakeholders will always win the war.The General said that the Indian Army is fully conscious of modernization changes. “We are transforming ourselves into a future-ready force under the ‘Decade of Transformation’ in which the younger generation will play a vital role,” he said.

New Delhi: A video is reportedly being shown Mamata Banerjee The case of clash with officials at Belle View Hospital in Kolkata has gone viral on social media. The incident reportedly took place in the presence of his nephew and TMC MP. Abhishek Banerjee Was undergoing treatment after the mob attack.In the video, Banerjee is seen talking sharply to the hospital officials and targeting Belle Vue Hospital CEO Pradeep Tandon. According to the viral clip, he can be heard saying, “You are running a hospital, you are arrogant.”The footage shows Abhishek Banerjee lying on a stretcher and being attended to by medical staff.Sharing the video on Twitter, BJP commentator Sudhanidhi Bandyopadhyay wrote: “Last night Mamata Banerjee was shouting against the hospital authorities of Belle Vue and especially Mr. Pradeep Tandon (CEO), his ego is also not going away.”The BJP West Bengal chief spokesperson also shared the video on Twitter and accused the TMC supremo of pressurizing hospital authorities even though medical assessment indicated that Abhishek did not suffer any major injuries.He wrote, “Mamata Banerjee should be ashamed for allegedly threatening Belle Vue Hospital CEO Pradeep Tandon and pressurizing hospital authorities to admit Abhishek Banerjee despite medical reports indicating no significant injuries.” He further wrote, “This represents a disturbing attempt to misuse medical institutions for political narratives. Hospitals exist to serve patients based on medical necessity, not political convenience. Any attempt to intimidate doctors, administrators or health care institutions undermines public trust and violates basic principles of democracy and governance.” The video surfaced amid the political storm over the alleged attack on Abhishek Banerjee during his visit to Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas district on Saturday.According to West Bengal Police, five people have been arrested in connection with the attack, ANI reported. “There are no serious physical signs of injury other than bruising on the chest. The patient is talking and fully conscious and oriented. Therefore, the patient does not require any admission,” Belle Vue Hospital said in a statement. Read this also ‘Rahul Gandhi called me’: Mamata says LoP offered to take Abhishek Banerjee to Hyderabad for treatmentAbhishek had gone to meet families affected by the post-poll violence when stones, eggs and shoes were allegedly thrown at him by protesters. Visuals from the scene show his shirt torn during the scuffle as security personnel take him away.After the incident, Mamata Banerjee alleged that pressure was being put on hospitals and doctors regarding the treatment of Abhishek Banerjee. Addressing reporters, he claimed that hospital authorities had received threatening calls and were allegedly being discouraged from admitting the TMC MP despite medical advice.“Those in power are threatening all hospitals and maximum authorities not to admit Abhishek Banerjee because they do not want him to be treated,” Banerjee alleged.“When I was sitting with the hospital administrator, he told me that he was getting threat calls from the police. The doctors are sad, but they are under pressure,” she said.The allegations triggered a new political controversy, with Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi expressing support for Abhishek Banerjee and condemning the attack. According to Mamata Banerjee, Rahul personally called her and offered assistance, including helping arrange for the TMC leader’s treatment outside West Bengal if needed.The BJP has denied any involvement in the attack, while several opposition leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, have condemned the incident and demanded action against those responsible.

Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee and Rahul Gandhi (Images/Agencies)

New Delhi: Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee Claimed that the opposition leader and Congress MP in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi Had personally contacted TMC national general secretary and MP after the alleged attack on him Abhishek Banerjee In West Bengal.Addressing reporters late on Saturday night, Mamata said Rahul Gandhi had offered assistance for the treatment of her nephew Abhishek Banerjee and assured support if needed.Mamata said, “Rahul Gandhi called me and said that if anything is needed, I can tell him and he can take Abhishek Banerjee to Hyderabad or somewhere else for treatment.”The comments come after Abhishek Banerjee was allegedly attacked during his visit to Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas district, where he had gone to meet families affected by post-poll violence. Videos from the scene showed stones, eggs and shoes being thrown as protesters raised slogans against the TMC leader. The visuals also show that Banerjee’s shirt was torn during the scuffle, after which the security personnel were taking her away.Mamata Banerjee further alleged that after the incident, there was pressure on hospitals and doctors regarding the treatment of Abhishek Banerjee.“Those in power are threatening all hospitals and maximum authorities not to admit Abhishek Banerjee because they do not want him to be treated,” he alleged.“When I was sitting with the hospital administrator, he told me that he was getting threat calls from the police. The doctors are sad, but they are under pressure,” she said.Rahul Gandhi had strongly condemned this attack and called it an attack on democracy.In a post on Twitter, Rahul wrote: “The attack on MP Abhishek Banerjee in Sonarpur is completely condemnable. An attack on a Member of Parliament is not just an attack on an individual – it is an attack on the people who elected them, and an attack on the democracy that is our shared heritage. This is the ugly face of BJPPolitics of revenge. Political differences can never justify violence.”He further wrote, “Both the Central Government and the West Bengal Government should take immediate action against the culprits, and ensure that no public representative, irrespective of party, has to worry about their safety. Abhishek ji, my thoughts are with you and your family. Wishing you a speedy recovery.” The attack has sparked a political storm, with many opposition leaders uniting in support of Abhishek Banerjee. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge condemned the incident and questioned the alleged lack of adequate security, while Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav termed it a ‘big conspiracy’ and accused the BJP of promoting violent politics.TMC has alleged that BJP supporters are behind this attack. In a statement, the party claimed that Abhishek Banerjee continued her visit despite ‘vicious attacks by BJP-backed miscreants’ while meeting the families of party workers allegedly targeted in the post-poll violence.However, BJP leaders have denied any involvement. West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya condemned the incident but said the party had no role in it, suggesting that local anger against TMC may have led to the confrontation. Union Minister Sukant Majumdar also condemned the violence and appealed for peace, while urging people not to take law and order into their own hands.After the attack, Abhishek Banerjee alleged that the incident was pre-planned and questioned the absence of adequate police deployment at the site. He had said, “Look what they have done to me. It was pre-planned. There is no police in the area. They want to kill me.”

The proportion of infants exclusively breastfed for the first six months has declined from 64% in 2019-21 to about 56% in 2023-24, reversing the rising trend of the decade and even earlier. This fact, revealed by the National Family Health Survey-6, has alarmed public health and nutrition experts, who state that exclusive breastfeeding for at least six months is the most cost-effective nutrition intervention with lifelong benefits for mothers and infants.Breastfeeding rates have declined in almost all states except a few states like Kerala, Gujarat and West Bengal.However, interestingly, the proportion of infants under three years of age who were breastfed within the first hour of birth has increased from about 42% in 2015-16 (NFHS-4) and 2019-21 (NFHS-5) to 50% in the latest survey. While most states have shown significant improvement on this parameter, some states like Punjab and West Bengal have recorded a decline.Some of the states with the highest birth rates have seen steep declines in the proportion of infants exclusively breastfed in the first six months. For example, in Uttar Pradesh the proportion fell from nearly 60% in 2019-21 to only 35% in 2023-24.Over the same period, it fell from 74% to 56% in Madhya Pradesh, from over 70% to 54% in Rajasthan, and from 64% to 54% in Assam. The sharpest decline was seen in Haryana, from about 70% to 41%. Uttarakhand also recorded a decline from about 53% to 41%.In many states where breastfeeding within the first hour of birth was very low, such as Jharkhand, Bihar and Chhattisgarh, this proportion has increased – from 22% to 46.8% in Jharkhand, from 31% to 52% in Bihar and from 32% to almost 52% in Chhattisgarh in 2019-21.In Kerala, the proportion of infants breastfed within the first hour has exceeded 82%, followed by Andhra Pradesh at 67%. The proportion of infants exclusively breastfed for the first six months is highest in Kerala, at about 73%, second only to Chhattisgarh (76%).

New Delhi (Friday, May 29) On the same day the Supreme Court laid out mandatory guidelines for high courts to pronounce judgment within three months of reserving the verdict, a bench of the Supreme Court pronounced its verdict in a 42-year-old Delhi double murder case after reserving it for 15 months.In July 1984, two bodies were found within three days of each other in Civil Lines and Alipore, identified as those of a truck driver and a helper. Within a fortnight of the body being found, Delhi Police arrested the suspects and charged them with murdering the driver and helper to steal the truck.The two cases, registered at Civil Lines and Alipore police stations, were tried together in 2008 and the sessions court convicted the accused of murder in 2009 and sentenced them to life imprisonment. His appeals were rejected by the Delhi High Court in 2013. One of the convicts, Gopi Chand alias Pappu, had appealed against the conviction and life imprisonment before the Supreme Court in 2013.A bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Manoj Mishra heard the final arguments in the case on February 27 last year and reserved its verdict.This decision remained pending with Justice Mishra for 15 months.Delivering the verdict on Friday after 15 months of safekeeping, Justice Manoj Mishra said the prosecution had succeeded in establishing that the five men had conspired to first steal the truck on hire and then murder the driver and the helper. “We, therefore, uphold the conviction of the appellant for the offenses for which he has been convicted by the trial court and the High Court,” the bench said.However, it commuted the life sentence to the 18 years of jail term already served by the convict.On April 12, TOI had reported how Justice Mishra had delivered the verdict in the two cases after reserving judgment for 17 and 11 months.In another case, he pronounced the verdict in February this year after reserving it for 14 months.On Friday, a bench led by CJI Surya Kant, while setting a deadline for expeditious declaration of reserved judgments by the HC, had said, “The right to life and personal liberty guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution is not limited to the speedy conduct of a trial.”

New Delhi: Women may be living longer than men, but they are also spending more years battling pain, depression, anxiety and other disabling conditions, according to a major global study published in The Lancet Public Health.The analysis, based on data from 204 countries and territories, found that women bear a disproportionately high burden of many chronic and non-fatal conditions that affect quality of life, while men are more likely to die prematurely from fatal diseases and injuries.Researchers have identified lower back pain as the number one condition affecting women worldwide. Women were also more likely to experience depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, headache disorders, musculoskeletal conditions and dementia.

The findings challenge the common belief that longer life automatically translates into better health. Dr Rommel Tikku, Director of Internal Medicine, Max Hospital, Saket, said that longevity alone is not an indicator of good health. “Women are living longer, but many women spend a large portion of their lives dealing with chronic pain, mental health disorders and non-fatal diseases,” she said.The study found that health differences between women and men begin early in life and increase with age. Mental health disorders and musculoskeletal conditions emerge as major factors of poor health in girls and women during adolescence and continue into adulthood.Tikku said the causes are likely multi-factorial, including biological and hormonal influences, greater susceptibility to autoimmune and musculoskeletal disorders, and social and caregiving responsibilities that can impact physical and mental well-being.The researchers said the findings highlight a major gap in health care systems that largely focus on reproductive and maternal health while often ignoring chronic conditions that make up a large portion of women’s overall disease burden.In contrast, men faced a greater burden from conditions such as COVID-19, ischemic heart disease, road injuries and chronic respiratory diseases, which put them at greater risk of premature death.