PM Modi launches Ayushman Bharat scheme; two politicians shot dead in Vizag; and other top stories of the day

PM Modi launches Ayushman Bharat healthcare scheme

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday rolled out the Centre’s flagship scheme — Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Abhiyaan, also known as Ayushman Bharat or the National Health Protection Mission (AB-NHPM).

Two politicians shot dead allegedly by Maoists in Visakhapatnam

In the first major strike in many years in Andhra Pradesh, the outlawed CPI (Maoists) on Sunday shot dead a sitting MLA and a former MLA, both from the ruling TDP, in Araku area in Visakhapatnam district, police said.

Hollande contradicted himself; Dassault chose Reliance on its own, says Jaitley

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday said former French President Francois Hollande contradicted his own statement with regard to the Rafale deal and that 

neither the Indian nor the French government played any role  in selection of Reliance as offset partner by Dassault.

Parrikar to stay as Goa Chief Minister: Amit Shah

Goa  Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will continue in his post, Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah said on September 23, as he announced that a reshuffle of the State’s Ministers would soon take place.

WhatsApp appoints grievance officer for India

Under pressure to clamp down on sinister messages, Whatsapp has appointed a grievance officer for India and outlined a process for users to flag concerns and complaints.

Indian Navy aircraft locates vessel of injured Commander Tomy

An Indian Navy aircraft has located the vessel of Indian Naval officer Abhilash Tomy, who was badly injured while participating in the Golden Globe Race, “rolling excessively” in the Indian Ocean, a Defence spokesman said on Sunday.

Army constable among the two arrested in Rewari gang-rape case

Army constable Pankaj and his friend Manish were arrested by the Special Investigation Team on Sunday in connection with the gang-rape of a teenager in Haryana's Rewari earlier this month. The two were on the run since September 12.

Obituary | Kalpana Lajmi, one of the earliest feminist voices

Right from her first feature film —  Ek Pal  (1986) — Kalpana Lajmi carved out a distinct space for herself in Indian cinema. Based on a short story by Maitreyi Devi, the love triangle, with Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah and Farooque Sheikh in the lead, wasn’t just seen through the perspective of the woman but also gave her agency in the relationship(s).

Despite Open Defecation Free status, rural Gujarat still needs lakhs of toilets

Months after being declared as ‘Open Defecation Free’ (ODF), Gujarat still has requirement of lakhs of toilets in rural households, according to a reply to an RTI query.

‘Manto’, ‘Varathan’, ‘Saamy Square’, and more: This weekend at the movies

Here’s a handy guide to all the movies released this weekend. Read our reviews and take your pick!