11 CISF personnel from Mumbai Airport test positive for Covid-19

New Delhi, June 28: At least one person was killed and six others injured after a portion of the roof of the Delhi airport's Terminal-1 (T1) collapsed on cars amid heavy rain this morning. All departures from Terminal 1, which has only domestic flight operations, have been temporarily suspended, the civil aviation ministry said.

"Heavy rain in early morning today has resulted in the collapse of the canopy of Delhi airport Terminal 1. As a result of which, flights to and from Terminal 1 have been closed till further notice. Alternate arrangements are being made for smooth operation of the flights," the ministry said in a post on X.

Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu visited the airport and inspected Terminal 1. He said that the airport will temporarily shift operations to Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. 

Calling it a "very serious" incident, the newly-elected minister announced that a thorough inspection of the structure at the airport would be carried out. The technical reasons and other aspects of the incident would be known after the investigation, he said.

He also announced a compensation of ₹ 20 lakh for the family of the victim and ₹ 3 lakh each for those injured.

T1 has only domestic flight operations by IndiGo and SpiceJet. The airport has three terminals, T1, T2 and T3, and handles around 1,400 flight movements daily.

The officials said the roof sheet and the support beams collapsed, damaging four cars parked in the pick-up and drop area of the terminal at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world. The incident was reported to the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) around 5.30 am.

During the rescue operations, a man was seen being taken out from a car on which an iron beam had fallen.

Indigo, Spicejet Cancel Flights 

IndiGo said that its flight operations were impacted due to structural damage to Terminal 1 at Delhi Airport. In a statement, the low-cost carrier said that the incident has led to flight cancellations in Delhi as "passengers are not able to enter the terminal".

"Passengers already inside the terminal will be able to board their planned flights, but those with flights later in the day will be offered alternatives," an IndiGo spokesperson said.

"This unplanned situation has also led to operations across the network being impacted. Customers are advised to keep track of and confirm their flight status before leaving for the airport," the statement added.

Spicejet also cancelled its flights until further notice.

"Please keep a watch on our Social Media channels for further updates," the airline told its passengers.

New Delhi: The Janata Dal United (JDU) concluded its national executive meeting with a resolution demanding special state status for Bihar. The party, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, emphasized the longstanding need for Bihar to be granted special status, highlighting economic and developmental disparities.

Addressing the media after the meeting, a senior JDU leader stated, "The demand for special state status for Bihar is not new. It is a crucial step towards accelerating Bihar's growth trajectory and addressing the state's unique challenges."

The resolution also underscored the necessity of safeguarding Bihar's reservation quota, which was recently increased to 65 percent. The JDU proposed that this quota be included in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution to shield it from judicial scrutiny, ensuring its uninterrupted implementation.

Regarding recent controversies, the party expressed deep concern over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and called for a thorough investigation. "It is imperative to restore the credibility of such crucial examinations and uphold the trust of students and parents in the fairness of the process," the leader added.

New Delhi: The people of India have given a clear and stable mandate to the Modi government for a third time, President Droupadi Murmu said on Thursday as she addressed a joint sitting of Parliament.

The President also congratulated the people of Jammu and Kashmir for the high voter turnout recorded in the union territory in the recent Lok Sabha elections and lauded the Election Commission for holding the world's biggest democratic exercise.

Congratulating the new MPs in her first address to the joint sitting of Parliament after the constitution of the 18th Lok Sabha, Murmu said she hoped they would act as the medium for fulfilling the aspirations of the people of India.

"A very good outcome has emerged from Jammu and Kashmir in this election. Voting records of decades have been broken," she said.

"In the last four decades, we only saw low voter turnout in Kashmir amid strikes and shutdowns. Enemies of India used to project it as the opinion of Jammu and Kashmir on the global stage. This time, the people of Jammu and Kashmir gave a befitting reply to such forces," she said.

Murmu said the whole world is talking about the 2024 elections.

"The world can see Indians have for the third time formed a government with a stable and full mandate," she said.

"This has happened after six decades. People have shown trust in my government for the third time. People of India are confident that only my government can fulfil their aspirations," she said.

"This is a stamp of approval for the mission of service and good governance that my government has run for the last 10 years," the President said.

The President added that many historic and major economic decisions will be taken in the upcoming budget.

The budget that will be presented by the government in the next Parliament session will be a document of its futuristic vision, the President said in her first address to the joint sitting of Parliament after the constitution of the 18th Lok Sabha.

"The budget will have major economic and social decisions and many historic steps will be taken. The speed of reforms will be increased to fulfil the aspirations of people," she said.

She said her government believes there should be healthy competition between states for investment. "This is in the spirit of competitive-cooperative federalism," she added.

AAP boycotts President Murmu's address to Parliament over Arvind Kejriwal's arrest

Murmu further said, "India has become the world's fifth-largest economy. There has been an average 8 per cent growth in the last 10 years, even though these were not normal times."

"This growth rate has been achieved despite a global pandemic and conflicts in different parts of the world. This is the result of the reforms of the last 10 years. India alone is contributing 15 per cent to global growth. My government is working to make India the world's third-largest economy," she said.

Amid the NEET row, President Murmu assured during her address that the government is fully committed to investigating the recent incidents of paper leaks and ensure that the guilty are punished.

Addressing the 18th Lok Sabha for the first time, the president said her government is working to create an environment to enable youth of the country dream big and achieve them.

As she mentioned steps taken by the government on the education front, some opposition members were heard shouting "NEET".

"If due to any reason there is obstruction in examinations it is not appropriate. Sanctity, transparency are a must in government recruitments and examinations," she said.

"The government is committed to conduct fair investigation and ensure the most stringent punishment to those guilty in the recent incidents of paper leak," she said.

There were incidents of paper leaks in some states earlier as well, the president said, stressing that there is need to rise above partisan politics and take strong steps at the national level.

The president added that Parliament has also made a strong law against paper leaks.

She added that the government is working to bring reforms in the examination process.