Diwali

3,500 special trains operated for 60 mn travellers during Diwali, Chhath

Six crore passengers travelled during the festive season of Diwali and Chhath Puja and 3,500 special trains were operated to manage the rush, the Northern Railway said. Over 3 crore passengers travelled only on November 4, which is more than the combined population of Australia and New Zealand, Northern Railway (NR) said in a press statement. "Northern Railway has successfully navigated the unprecedented festive rush of Diwali and Chhath Puja, setting a new record by facilitating a staggering 6 crore passengers during this period," the NR said. It added, To cater to the surge in demand, Northern Railway operated a record 3,500 special trains, ensuring seamless connectivity for millions of travellers. This achievement is part of the larger Indian Railways' effort, which saw the operation of 7,724 special trains nationwide, enabling the facilitation of 20 crore passengers. Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, Chief Public Relations Officer, NR, said, "We are proud to have successfully handled

Wedding season to generate Rs 4.25 tn in expenditure in Nov-Dec: Report

According to CAIT survey, the period from November to mid-December is likely to witness 3.5 million weddings in India

Indian multiplex chains see best festive weekend post Covid in Diwali 2024

This Diwali weekend, two major Hindi-language sequels were released-Anees Bazmee's horror-comedy Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and Rohit Shetty's cop universe movie Singham Again

Why investors are pulling money from Indian stocks in favour of China

Even after the recent selloff, MSCI India trades at 22 times forward earnings, more than 1.5 standard deviations higher the its two-decade average, Chinese stocks are a lot cheaper, by comparison

India’s festive shopping hits record high of Rs 1 trillion

Brief relief fades as Delhi's AQI climbs to 'hazardous' levels post-Diwali

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data shows that certain areas of Delhi are grappling with hazardous pollution levels

At 38.7 mn bottles, pre-Diwali liquor sales set new high in Delhi

Liquor sales in the national capital in the fortnight leading to Diwali set a record with over 3.87 crore bottles sold, mopping up a revenue of Rs 447.62 crore for the excise department of Delhi government, officials said on Saturday. From October 15 to October 30, a whopping 3.87 crore bottles were sold from the liquor stores run by four corporations of Delhi government, including 2.98 crore bottles of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and 89.48 lakh beer bottles, official figures showed. Diwali celebrated on October 31 was a 'dry day', meaning all liquor stores were closed across the city on that day. On Diwali eve on October 30, a total of 33.80 lakh bottles were sold, yielding a revenue of Rs 61.56 crore, according to the data. As compared to last year, 1.18 crore more bottles were sold in the fortnight leading to Diwali this year, from 2.69 crore in 2023 to 3.87 crore this time. Emerging from the shadows of the disruptions caused due to the withdrawal of the 2021-22 liquor ..

Amid Diwali celebration, Delhi reports more than 700 fire incidents

According to Delhi Fire Services, they received 320 calls on October 31 and 400 calls on November 1

Blinken quotes Tagore at Diwali reception, hails South Asian contributions

Blinken emphasised the significance of South Asian culture in the United States, highlighting that the country derives strength from its diversity

No 'severe' AQI cities in India for third consecutive year post-Diwali

Historically, the post-Diwali haze has lingered, especially with winter weather compounding the pollution from firecrackers

Diwali sees strong delivery orders as dine-in slows in major cities

From favourite food items to last minute preparations, delivery portals come through for consumers

Auto shares lead rise in stock market in 'muhurat' trading session

The NSE Nifty 50 rose 0.41% to 24,304.35, while the BSE Sensex gained 0.42% to 79,724.12, both snapping a two-day losing streak

66% spike seen in noise pollution in Ranchi's silence zone on Diwali night

Sound pollution in Ranchi's silence zone touched 74.65 dB (decibels) on Diwali night on Thursday against a permissible limit of 45 dB, a spike of 65.88 per cent, an official said. It was, however, a 5.27 per cent increase if compared to pre-Diwali levels recorded on October 24, the official said on Friday. Ranchi's Old High Court in Doranda locality, classified as a silence zone, registered an average sound pollution of 74.65 dB between 6pm and midnight, according to a data released by the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB). On October 24, the area registered a noise level of 70.91dB. In the commercial area of Albert Ekka Chowk, noise levels rose by 21.71 per cent against the average permissible limit of 60 dB. The area recorded 73.03 dB on Diwali night, compared to 68.65 dB earlier in the month. The permissible sound limits are 65 dB during the day and 55 dB at night in commercial areas. The Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) measured sound levels at four

Festivities trigger gold buying spree, but volumes lag due to high prices

In India, prices jumped to a record high of Rs 79,775 per 10 grams earlier this week, marking a nearly 33 per cent increase since last year's Diwali

Diwali 2024 bank holiday today: Check if your bank is open on Nov 1

Bank holiday today: Many states will have banks closed on November 1 for Laxmi Pujan, Kut, Kannada Rajyothsava, and Govardhan Pooja, depending on the state

Delhi records 300 fire-related incidents on Diwali, none life-threatening

Delhi Fire Services Director Atul Garg said that between midnight and 6 am, 158 fire-related incidents cases were reported and added that there was no major fire as they had increased fire force

Trump vows to protect Hindu Americans from left; strengthen ties with India

In a bid to strengthen ties with India, Trump also expressed his desire to boost partnership with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whom he referred to as a 'good friend'

Trump extends Diwali greetings, condemns attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh

Sending Diwali greetings, former president Donald Trump, who is the Republican presidential candidate, on Thursday condemned the attack on Hindus in Bangladesh, vowed to strengthen ties with India and described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his good friend. Bangladesh, he said, remains in a total state of chaos and alleged that his Democratic rival Vice President Kamala Harris and her boss President Joe Biden have ignored Hindus across the world and in America. I strongly condemn the barbaric violence against Hindus, Christians, and other minorities who are getting attacked and looted by mobs in Bangladesh, which remains in a total state of chaos, Trump said in a post on Truth Social. This is for the first time that Trump has spoken on the issue of Bangladesh. Hundreds of Hindus were killed in July-August in Bangladesh when a students' agitation turned into massive protests leading to then prime minister Sheikh Hasina to flee the country on August 5. It would have never happened

Delhi residents defy firecracker ban, light up sky with Diwali festivities

The Delhi sky lit up on Thursday as people celebrated Diwali defying a ban on firecrackers. Areas including Lajpat Nagar, Kalkaji, Chhatarpur, Jaunapur, East of Kailash, Saket, Rohini, Dwarka, Punjabi Bagh, Vikas Puri, Dilshad Garden, Burari and many other neighbourhoods of east and west Delhi saw firecrackers being burst. At 9 pm, Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 327, with Alipur, Anand Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Aaya Nagar, Bawana, Burari, Mathura Road, IGI Airport, Dwarka, Jahangirpuri, Mundka, Narela, Patparganj, Rohini, Shadipur, Sonia Vihar, Wazirpur, Mandir Marg, Nehru Nagar, Najafgarh and other weather-monitoring stations witnessing "very poor" air quality, according to the Sameer app that provides hourly updates of the National AQI published by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). With the 24-hour AQI recorded at 328 at 4 pm, Delhi experienced its worst air quality on Diwali in the last three years. Following the practice of the last four years, the city ...

India's strength lies in its armed forces, no compromise on borders: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India cannot compromise on even an "inch" of land on its borders, adding the people believe in the strength of its armed forces for defending the country. India's enemies "see the end of their sinister plans" when they see the Indian armed forces, he said at Sir Creek in Gujarat's Kutch district, as he kept up his tradition of celebrating Diwali with personnel of the armed forces. The spot is located close to the Indo-Pak border. "People of India feel their country is safe because of you; when the world sees you, it sees India's strength, when enemies see you, they see the end of their sinister plans," Modi said, addressing personnel of the Border Security Force, Army, Navy and Air Force. "Today there is a government in the country which cannot compromise even on one inch of the country's borders," the prime minister added. His government believes in the strength of the army to defend the country and does not depend on the words of the