Agnipath Scheme: There will be no rollback of the Agnipath scheme and the intake of 'Agniveers' will go up to 1.25 lakhs in the near future, said Lt. General Anil Puri, Additional Secretary, Department of Military Affairs in a presser on Sunday. The reform was long pending in the defence recruitment process but vandalism and protesters have no place in the Army, Lt. General Puri said. He along with Indian Army’s Adjutant General Lt Gen Bansi Ponappa, Indian Navy’s Chief of Personnel Vice Admiral Dinesh Tripathi and Indian Air Force’s Personnel in-charge Air Marshal Suraj Jha addressed the concerns of the youth, who are preparing to serve in the Indian armed forces, and explained point-by-point the new recruitment scheme, amid violent protests in the country.

Agnipath Scheme: The Ministry of Defense (Army, Navy, and Air Force) on Sunday jointly addressed the media, to talk about the recruitment of soldiers under Centre's Agnipath scheme. Lt General Anil Puri emphasized on the Indian Army's values of discipline, and said that all the aspirants will have to provide a certificate proving they were not part of any protests or vandalism. He said that the Centre will start with the recruitment of 46,000 Army aspirants to 'analyse' the scheme. He also said that there will be no rollback of the scheme introduced by the Centre.

Agnipath scheme news: BSP chief Mayawati on Sunday (June 19) said the Centre's new military recruitment scheme 'Agnipath' has made the youth of the country feel "disappointed" and "desperate".

PM Modi picks up litter: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday picked up litter at the newly launched ITPO tunnel built under Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor in Delhi. A staunch advocate of the Swachh Bharat campaign, he was seen picking up empty water bottle and other pieces of trash as he walked along.

Patna airport news updates: The Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport, reckoned among the 20 busiest ones across the country, has hit the headlines once again. A SpiceJet aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing at the Bihta Airforce Station in Patna after the flight's left wing caught fire Sunday afternoon. 

Agnipath Protests: The Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday shared a video of party leader and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann holding a roadshow in Punjab. What was peculiar however, was that Mann stopped midway during the roadshow, after a youth demanded to talk to him.

Back in 2000, as many as 60 people were killed after an Alliance Air Flight 7412 nose-dived and crashed into a residential area near Patna airport. The plane crash was one of the worst air accidents in the history of India, resulting from a 'pilot error'. 

Patna Spicejet flight: A Delhi-bound SpiceJet flight on Sunday returned to Patna airport after reporting a technical glitch which prompted a fire in the aircraft. The fire was reported in the plane's engine immediately after it took off. The plane made an emergency landing after hovering for several minutes in the air. The Spicejet aircraft took off at around 12.10 pm, and according to residents of localities adjacent to the airport, who claimed to have witnessed the spectacle, it caught fire immediately.

Delhi weather news updates: The minimum temperature in the national capital on Sunday (June 19) settled at around 24.5 degrees Celsius, three notches below the average, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Agnipath scheme: The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Sunday released the details of the Agnipath recruitment scheme amid the ongoing agitation and widespread protests against the scheme across several states. The IAF document lists the eligibility, educational qualification, medical standards, assessment, leave, remuneration, life insurance cover, etc., among many other factors. The process for recruitment will begin from June 24. 

Pakistan fuel price hike news updates: Due to the increase in the petroleum prices, the inflation rate measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI) in Pakistan increased by 3.38 per cent in comparison to the previous week. The data was released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). 

COVID-19 India News Updates: India recorded 12,899 new cases of the novel coronavirus, along with 15 deaths due to the infection in the past 24 hours. According to the data shared by the Union Health Ministry on Sunday (June 19), the country saw a total of 8,518 discharges in the last 24 hours, taking the total recovery rate at around 98.62 per cent and total recoveries data reached to 4,26,99,363.

Mumbai fire: 11 people were safely rescued after a fire broke out in the premises of a 16-floor residential building in north Mumbai on Sunday. The fire control room got a call around 12.25 am about the blaze in 'Dheeraj Savera' building located in Borivli suburb.

Haryana: Voting for 18 municipal councils and 28 municipalities began on Sunday in the state, with the counting of ballots scheduled for June 22, officials said. The main contest is the between the state's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) alliance and the Congress, while the Aam Adam Party, in its maiden contest in the civic body poll, is testing the waters ahead of the 2024 Assembly polls in Haryana.

Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor project -- Delhi's first 1.6-km-long tunnel | PICS

Nupur Sharma on Prophet Muhammad news: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday (June 18) demanded the arrest of suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma for the alleged objectionable remark against Prophet Muhammad and said that the action should be taken against her according to the law of India.

Congress MPs and leaders sat on a Satyagraha at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi today in solidarity with the youths protesting against the Agnipath scheme for recruitment in the armed forces. Youths across the country have taken to the streets against the contentious scheme, and incidents of violence have been reported from several cities and towns. Congress MPs, its working committee members, and All India Congress Committee office-bearers took part in the Satyagraha that began at 10 AM at Jantar the Mantar on Sunday morning.

Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor Project: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the main tunnel and five underpasses of the Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor Project in New Delhi. 

At least 63 have died while 31 lakh people across 32 districts of Assam are affected by the Assam flood. eight people have died in the state on Saturday alone.  

Olympic Champion Neeraj Chopra was at his best as he beat the reigning world champion, Anderson Peters of Grenada, for the second time in four days to win gold at the Kuortane Games in Finland.

Agniveer protests: Violent protests continued across the country on the fourth straight day over the Central government's 'Agnipath' scheme on Saturday.  The Centre had on Tuesday unveiled the ambitious Agnipath scheme for the recruitment of youths aged between 17 and a half and 21 in the Army, Navy and the Air Force, largely on a four-year short-term contractual basis.

Delhi on Saturday recorded 1,534 fresh Covid cases while the positivity rate stood at 7.71 per cent, the health department said. The city recorded three more deaths. 

President of the United States Joe Biden fell on Saturday when he tried to get off his bike at the end of a ride Saturday at Cape Henlopen State Park near his beach home in Delaware. He said that he was unhurt in the incident.

Delhi weather update: After several weeks of an intense heatwave, Delhi-NCR saw a respite with rains this week. On Saturday, the national capital had witnessed yet another pleasant day as the maximum temperature settled seven notches below normal at 32.7 degrees Celsius, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Agnipath Protest: More than 60 coaches and than 10 engines were damaged by fire during the sit-in protests over the last three days. Apart from this, railway properties like signaling system, operational equipment and passenger amenities were also damaged in many stations. Railways is presently assessing and evaluating the estimate of the damage. 

Maharashtra saw a dip in the daily tally of Covid-19 cases on Sunday, with the state recording 3,883 new infections and two deaths. The active cases tally however rose to 22,832. 

The fuel crisis in Sri Lanka hit a new high, with the country's government announcing a shut-down of public sector offices from next week, beginning Monday. The island nation has been reeling its worst economic crisis for the past several weeks. 

Agnipath protests: As Bihar burns over protests in connection to the newly introduced military recruitment scheme, nearly a dozen MLAs from the state were assigned Y-level security cover from the government. BJP MLAs Sanjay Saraogi and Haribhushan Thakur have already confirmed that they have received the security cover. CRPF personnel have already reached the homes and offices of these MLAs.

Agnipath protests: Train services will be halted in Bihar from 8 pm on Saturday to 4 am Sunday amid violent protests over the Central government's Agnipath scheme. 

Assam Floods: As many as 19 lakh people remained affected by the deluge in 28 districts. A total of 55 people have died due to floods and landslides in the state this year. A boat carrying flood-affected people has capsized in Hojai district, leaving three children missing while 21 others have been rescued. 

UP Board 12th result: The Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (UPMSP) has declared the exam results for class 12 today, June 18, 2022 at 4 pm. Class 10 was declared at 2 pm. 

President Election: National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Saturday withdrew his name for consideration as the joint opposition candidate for the presidential polls, saying he would like to contribute to navigating Jammu and Kashmir which is "passing through a critical juncture".

Agnipath protest: Congress leader Sonia Gandhi asked citizens to remain calm and "maintain peace" as protests rage on over the government's newly introduced military-recruitment scheme. 

Agnipath row: The Ministry of Defense on Saturday said that 10 per cent of all vacancies in the Ministry of Defence will be reserved for the armed forces recruits who have completed four years of service under the 'Agnipath' scheme. The new offer from the Central government comes within hours of the Home Ministry's announcement to reserve 10% vacancies for recruitment in CAPFs and Assam Rifles, for Agniveers.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Bhopal, Pragya Thakur has claimed to have received assassination threat over a phone call from unidentified caller posing as an aide of Dawood Ibrahim's brother - Iqbal Kaskar. In the viral audio clip in which Thakur talked with the unidentified caller (as claimed) for one-and-half minutes, she kept asking him why she would be assassinated. "Ok, you want to kill me, but let me know why you want to kill me?" Thakur is heard saying in the audio. Thakur repeated yet again: "Tell me why you want to kill me, I want to know." The caller replied: "We won't leave you. When our man kills, he will tell you why."

Moose Wala case: Santosh Jadhav has told police he was in a hotel near Mundra Port in Gujarat on May 29 and not in Punjab on the day Sidhu Moosewala was gunned down. Jadhav is a suspect in thekilling of renowned Punjabi singer Moosewala. When queried on this information, Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Abhinav Deshmukh said Jadhav's "version" of being in Gujarat and not in Punjab at the time of the killing was being verified. "That is his (Jadhav's) version. We have sent a team to Gujarat to verify that claim," the SP said.

Curfew was relaxed for 12 hours from 7 am in Jammu and Kashmir's Bhaderwah on Saturday as the overall situation in the town, which witnessed communal tension days ago, remained peaceful. Announcing the curfew relaxation from 7 am to 7 pm, the officials said all educational institutions will remain closed for the 10th day on Saturday as a precautionary measure and are likely to reopen on Monday. 

Agnipath protests news: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday (June 18) said that just as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had to withdraw the farm laws, he will have to accept the demand of the youth and rollback the Agnipath defence recruitment scheme.

Amid complaints of tourists facing hardships in getting accommodation in high-altitude areas due to a heavy rush, authorities in Ladakh have advised holidaymakers not to plan a stay in the Pangong Lake area without a prior booking.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has written to all states and Union Territories (UTs) that it is deeply concerned about crimes against weaker sections of society. Citing suggestions taken in the twenty-sixth national review meeting conducted last month, MHA's Women Safety Division issued a written advisory to the Chief Secretaries of all states and administrators of all UTs on Friday for the effective implementation of the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

Satyendar Jain money laundering case: A special CBI court on Saturday dismissed the bail application of Delhi minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyendar Jain in an alleged money laundering case. The development came a day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at multiple locations in Delhi in connection with the case. At least 10 residential and business locations are being covered by the officials of the federal probe agency as part of the searches. The premises linked to the promoters of a prominent school-running business group are also understood to have been covered.

Stressing that the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) should develop a World-class state-of-art laboratory with the help of IITs and global institutions in the world, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has proposed setting up of Innovation Bank for new ideas, research findings and technologies to focus on 'Quality' in infrastructure development. 

Karnataka 2nd PUC Result 2022: The Department of Pre-University Education (DPUE) declared the exam results of the Karnataka Pre-university course (PUC) II or class 12 board exam result today (June 18). 

Agnipath protests news: Congress to hold a 'satyagraha' on Sunday (June 19) at Jantar Mantar in the national capital in solidarity with the youth protesting against Central Government's Agnipath Recruitment Scheme.

UP Board 10th, 12th Result 2022: The Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (UPMSP) has declared the exam results for class 10 today. The UP Class 10th Result 2022 was declared at 2 pm and UP Class 12th Result 2022 will be declared at 4 pm. 

Kabul blast: Several blasts and gunfire hit a Gurdwara in Afghanistan's capital Kabul on Saturday morning. The blasts occurred in the Karta Parwan area of Kabul. Gunfire was also reported from the area. Karte Parwan Gurdwara is located in the area. India's official Spokesperson, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi tweeted "We are deeply concerned at the reports emanating from Kabul about an attack on a sacred Gurudwara in that city." "We are closely monitoring the situation and waiting for further details on the unfolding developments," he added.  

COVID-19 India News Updates: India recorded 13,216 new cases of the novel coronavirus, along with 23 deaths due to the infection in the past 24 hours. According to the data shared by the Union Health Ministry on Saturday (June 18), the country saw a total of 8,148 discharges in the last 24 hours, taking the total recovery rate at around 98.64 per cent and total recoveries data reached to 4,26,90,845.

Agnipath protests: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Saturday announced that it has decided to reserve 10% vacancies for recruitment in CAPFs and Assam Rifles, for Agniveers. The development comes amid protests against the Agnipath scheme, done by Defense aspirants across parts of India.