
Hamirpur MP flags off extended train service from Amb-Andaura to Haridwar
2
Shimla: Former Union minister and Hamirpur MP
Anurag Thakur
on Saturday flagged off a newly extended train service from Amb-Andaura railway station in Una district to Haridwar. Until now, the train operated only up to Una railway station.
"It is a matter of joy that the service of MEMU (Mainline Electric Multiple Unit) train number 64511/64512, which previously ran from Una to Haridwar, has now been extended to start from Amb-Andaura," said Thakur, adding that this long-standing demand has finally been fulfilled. Passengers from Amb-Andaura can now travel to Haridwar for just Rs 75. Thakur expressed heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for approving the extension of the route.
The train will pass through Nangal Dam, Anandpur Sahib, Ropar, Ambala Cantt, Yamunanagar, Saharanpur, Roorkee, and conclude its journey at Haridwar, offering a convenient and affordable travel option to pilgrims and daily commuters alike.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


India Today
6 minutes ago
- India Today
When Shinde Sena MLA spewed a ‘South' slur
(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated July 28, 2025)Anti-South Indian politics was the very first drum roll with which the Shiv Sena arrived on the stage of modern Indian politics. It clearly still has some juice left, judging by the curious way it made a fresh entry into the headlines—as an afterthought to a thoughtless act tailor-made for endless TV. The protagonist was Sanjay Gaikwad, an Eknath Shinde Sena MLA whose nature, by all accounts, resembles a typical Mumbai weather report: torrential, always with chances of strong thunder. This particular downpour started after a video surfaced of Gaikwad, clad in a vest and a towel around his waist, punching a hapless staffer at the MLA hostel at Nariman HEADACHE FOR SHINDEIf anything, the issue has ended up becoming a blow to an already beleaguered Shinde, who finds himself increasingly cornered in the ruling Mahayuti alliance. The BJP is being adequately caustic about the deputy CM's inability to control his men, reviving the frequent characterisation of his Sena as a loose coalition of MLAs rather than a political party with a structure of command and internal checks and balances. The episode was shambolic enough to merit such a broad-brush taint. In the video, Gaikwad, a second-term MLA from Buldhana in Vidarbha, is seen forcing a hostel employee to sniff dal in a carrybag, before punching him. The staffer at the Akashwani MLA hostel, right opposite Mantralaya in south Mumbai, falls. Gaikwad claims his fists of fury were goaded by poor quality dal and stale food, alleging that the canteen management is a repeat offender. The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) later inspected the canteen and suspended its licence. Under fire for his lack of restraint, Gaikwad went on to burnish that point with a verbal volley on 'the attitude of people from the South'. The said community, he said, 'operated dance bars and ladies bars in Maharashtra' and 'ruined its culture and youth'. His pique apparently originates with the canteen contractor, said to be a Shetty from Karnataka. The recourse to nativist vocabulary was a transparent attempt to deflect focus from his own misdemeanour, and its effect is minimised by the fact that the speaker has earned some renown as an equal opportunity earlier, he had made disparaging remarks about Chhatrapati Sambhaji, for which he had to apologise. In May, Gaikwad lashed out at the Maharashtra police, calling it 'the most inefficient police department in India and the world', with a compulsive penchant for 'hafta (extortion)' to boot. That had made even CM Devendra Fadnavis see red. Last September, Gaikwad offered Rs 11 lakh to anyone who would 'chop off the tongue' of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. He also claimed to have killed a tiger and worn its tooth as a pendant. When AIMIM MP Imtiaz Jaleel criticised Gaikwad for his canteen exploits, he threatened to assault Jaleel is said to have upbraided Gaikwad. After three days of Opposition protests, Fadnavis stepped in and a suo moto non-cognisable case was filed by the Marine Drive police. But the man remains defiant for to India Today Magazine- EndsMust Watch
&w=3840&q=100)

Business Standard
6 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Govt may consider market study before ex-ante regulations for Big Tech
The government may undertake a market study to establish a solid foundation for ex-ante regulations under draft Digital Competition Bill, said Harsh Malhotra, Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Ruchika Chitravanshi New Delhi The government feels the need to conduct a market study to build a strong foundation for bringing in ex-ante regulations under the draft Digital Competition Bill, Harsh Malhotra, Minister of State for Corporate Affairs, told Parliament on Monday. 'Based on the suggestions, comments, and inputs received, it is felt that an evidence-based foundation through market studies is required to consider all relevant aspects for ex-ante regulation, considering it is in the nascent implementation stages globally,' the minister said in response to a question on the current status of the Draft Digital Competition Bill. The Committee submitted its report in February 2024 along with a draft Digital Competition Bill. The ministry has received responses from more than 100 stakeholders, ranging from legal professionals, industry associations, civil society organisations, and domestic and foreign digital enterprises providing digital services in India. Malhotra told the Lok Sabha that the comments from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on the Bill were awaited. He also mentioned that MeitY had organised stakeholder discussions between 18 June 2024 and 20 June 2024 on this matter. A Parliamentary Panel looking into the role of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in an evolving economy, particularly the digital landscape, has sought the views of the MCA on suggestions made by some Indian online players regarding the draft Bill. Speaking at a CCI event in March this year, Malhotra had said the government was not in a hurry to bring the Digital Competition Bill (DCB) and wanted to follow due process with more deliberations on the proposed legislation before introducing it. He stated that strict interventions would be required to enforce the law, and self-regulation and compliance also needed to be promoted. The draft DCB provisions set quantitative and qualitative criteria for Systemically Significant Digital Enterprises (SSDEs), such as turnover in India of not less than Rs 4,000 crore or a global turnover of not less than USD 30 billion. Other criteria include a gross merchandise value in India of not less than Rs 16,000 crore or global market capitalisation of not less than USD 75 billion. It also states that if the core digital service provided by the enterprise has at least one crore end users or 10,000 business users, it would be considered an SSDE. These SSDEs, according to the draft Bill, would be covered by the ex-ante regulations.


Economic Times
9 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Debt-ridden Pakistan is about to face a PKR 6,552,700,000,000 bomb in a few months
Pak in Debt: Pakistan is facing a $23 billion external debt repayment bill this fiscal year, the highest in its history. Nearly half of the federal budget is now going to debt servicing. Even as Islamabad seeks bailouts and rollovers from allies like Saudi Arabia and China, the government continues to spend billions on defence deals. With no guaranteed relief and increasing pressure from lenders, Pakistan's financial future is hanging by a thread. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Lifeline or liability? $12 billion in temporary deposits $5 billion from Saudi Arabia $4 billion from China $2 billion from the UAE $1 billion from Qatar Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads $11 billion still to pay regardless $1.7 billion in international bond repayments $2.3 billion in commercial loan payments $2.8 billion to multilateral creditors including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank $1.8 billion in bilateral loan repayments Debt now consumes nearly half of federal budget Military spending continues despite fiscal strain Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads A crisis years in the making Pakistan has kicked off its new fiscal year with a massive repayment bill of over $23 billion in external debt, The News reported, citing the Pakistan Economic Survey 2024–25. The government must settle these payments during 2025–26, and failure to do so could place the country on the edge of the end of March 2025, the country's total public debt stood at Rs 76.01 trillion. That includes Rs 51.52 trillion in domestic borrowing (roughly $180 billion) and Rs 24.49 trillion (around $87.4 billion) in external loans. The external debt is made up of two parts: money borrowed by the government and funds drawn from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).This debt has built up over years of economic mismanagement, stop-gap funding, and repeated bailouts. But this year's repayment demand has exposed just how little room the government has left to the $23 billion Pakistan must repay this year, $12 billion comes in the form of temporary deposits from four so-called friendly nations, as reported by PTI. These are:These funds are not permanent and are only useful if rolled over. If any of these countries decide to pull out, Pakistan will be forced to pay them back in full this News cautioned, 'The situation can worsen if friendly countries refuse to grant rollovers on their deposits, which would make it compulsory for the government to make payments.'This leaves the government heavily dependent on diplomatic goodwill, not financial strength. And there are signs that even goodwill is wearing if all the temporary deposits are extended, Pakistan must still cough up around $11 billion in repayments to external creditors this year, as reported by PTI. This includes:This pressure comes at a time when Pakistan's foreign reserves are already under stress. The country has limited sources of fresh income and is still waiting for a new extended programme from the has earmarked Rs 8.2 trillion for domestic and external debt servicing in its 2025–26 budget. That figure makes up 46.7 per cent of the total federal budget of Rs 17.573 simply, nearly half the money Islamabad plans to spend this year is going towards repaying old is now less left for development, public services, or even basic maintenance of existing infrastructure. Education, health, and social welfare continue to take a backseat while interest payments dominate national this bleak financial outlook, Pakistan's defence expenditure has not slowed. While seeking bailouts and rollovers, the government has pressed ahead with large arms has finalised a strategic partnership with Turkey, which includes a $900 million drone deal and more than 700 loitering munitions. The partnership also covers intelligence sharing and broader security alliance has been described as one meant to 'do jihad against India' by military sources cited in reports. There are also ambitious trade goals of $5 billion tied into the Pakistan is reportedly acquiring 40 J-35A stealth fighter jets from China, supposedly at a discounted deals reflect the enduring priority given to military parity, particularly with India, even as the country's own economy remains current position is the result of decades of reckless borrowing, lack of fiscal discipline, and a powerful military establishment unwilling to scale military, which has long seen itself as the guardian of national stability, has also been a major recipient of foreign aid and loans. Much of that money, critics say, has gone not into productive assets or economic upliftment but into defence and result is a hollow economy, propped up by emergency funding, foreign deposits, and repeated IMF Pakistan hopes for another round of diplomatic backing, there's no guarantee this time. Saudi Arabia has already begun demanding more reform and transparency before offering further help. China, facing its own economic headwinds, is also proceeding more even one major depositor refuses to roll over its funds, Islamabad will have no choice but to pay. And with limited reserves and few avenues for quick capital, that could lead to further economic distress or forced now, Pakistan is racing the clock. The first repayments are due in a matter of months. And there's little sign of a long-term fix in sight.(With inputs from PTI, IMF)