Patna, Sep 2: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said he was deeply pained by the hurling of abuses at his mother during Congress’ recently concluded ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar, and asserted that although he may forgive RJD and the grand old party but people of the eastern state would never pardon them.

In the PM’s first reaction to the controversy over hurling of abuses at his deceased mother during the yatra in Darbhanga recently, he took a dig at the opposition parties, stating that using expletives against his mother was nothing for those who insult ‘Mother India’, and that they should be punished.

“My late mother had nothing to do with politics, so what was her fault; why was she abused?” he questioned.

The PM was addressing a gathering in Delhi while virtually inaugurating a new cooperative for the women associated with self-help groups in Bihar.

“Bihar is the land of Maa Janki… it has always given respect to women. This is the land where Chhath Puja is celebrated. My mother was abused from the dais of RJD and Congress… I had never imagined such a thing would happen… it was an insult to the mothers and daughters of Bihar… people of the state will never forgive them,” Modi said.

“I am my mother’s son… I am sharing my pain with you,” he said.

“I have been working tirelessly for the welfare of the women in the country… the mother who gave birth to me asked me to serve the motherland, which I am doing. She had never brought a saree for herself and saved the money for us. I must say that the position of a mother is more than that of God,” the PM said.

Modi said that those who hurl abuses at mothers and sisters consider women weak.

“Their mindset makes them treat women as objects of exploitation and oppression. Whenever people with an anti-women mentality came to power, mothers, daughters and sisters had to endure suffering the most… this happened during the ‘mafia raaj’ of RJD,” he said.

“During the RJD era, crime was rampant in Bihar and the state witnessed cases of murder, extortion and rape every day. The RJD government gave protection to murderers and rapists. Women had to bear the brunt… so it was them who ousted the RJD from power and now the regional party wants to take revenge on women for that,” the PM alleged.

The Congress had never been able to tolerate any person from the backward community rising to a position of power and that is why they are unleashing a barrage of abuses, Modi claimed.

“I may forgive them, but the people of Bihar will never pardon them for insulting my mother. People of the state must say that they will punish the leaders of these parties in the coming days,” he said.

“People of Bihar must demand answers from RJD and Congress leaders… in every street and neighbourhood, only one voice should be heard – ‘we won’t tolerate insult to a mother, we will not tolerate RJD’s tyranny and Congress’ attacks,” he said.

Assembly elections in Bihar are due later this year.

Srinagar, Sept 02: The Supreme Court has ruled that passing the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) is mandatory for all school teachers, including those appointed before the TET requirement was introduced. The ruling affects both continued employment and eligibility for promotion.

The judgment was delivered by a bench comprising Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Manmohan in a series of civil appeals, including Anjuman Ishat-E-Talim Trust vs State of Maharashtra & Others. The case centered on whether teachers hired before July 29, 2011—the date when the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) made TET mandatory for teaching classes 1 to 8—must also clear the exam to remain in service.

According to the reports,the bench also clarified that for retirement benefits, teachers must fulfill the required period of qualifying service. If there is any shortfall, the concerned department will take a decision on the matter as per rules.

Guidelines Issued by the Court

The Court laid out specific directions for serving teachers:

Teachers with less than five years until retirement
May continue in service without passing the TET, but will not be eligible for promotion unless they clear the test.

Teachers with more than five years until retirement
Must pass the TET within two years. Failure to do so will result in compulsory retirement or termination, with retirement benefits paid as applicable.

Srinagar, Sept 02: A 41-year-old software engineer in Bengaluru died after being bitten by a venomous snake that had hidden inside his footwear. The victim, identified as Manju Prakash, was a TCS employee and resident of Ranganatha Layout.

According to police and family accounts, Prakash had left his Crocs slippers outside his front door before stepping out briefly to buy juice. Upon returning, he unknowingly slipped his feet into the slippers, unaware that a snake had crawled inside during his absence.

Prakash did not feel the bite. He removed his slippers and went to his room to rest, unaware of the danger. When Mr Prakash’s mother went to check on him, she found him lying on the bed unresponsive, with foam around his mouth and a bleeding leg. The family immediately rushed him to a nearby private hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

A family worker later discovered the snake still inside the slipper and alerted Prakash’s father. The snake, reportedly dead by then—possibly from suffocation—was carefully removed from the footwear.

Experts have since urged residents to exercise caution, advising them to check footwear and dark corners of homes for snakes, especially in areas close to greenery or during rainy weather.

New Delhi, Sep 02: In a significant feat for the country to become a global semiconductor hub, Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday presented the first made-in-India processor, along with test chips from four approved projects, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi here.

The first fully indigenous 32-bit microprocessor, called ‘Vikram,’ has been developed by ISRO’s Semi-conductor Laboratory (SCL).

It is designed to withstand the harsh environmental conditions of space launch vehicles, marking a milestone in India’s efforts to reduce dependency on imported chips.

Vaishnaw highlighted the rapid progress of India’s semiconductor infrastructure at the ‘Semicon India 2025’ event.

“Just a few years ago, we met for the first time to make a new beginning driven by our Prime Minister’s farsighted vision, we launched the India Semiconductor Mission. In a short span of 3.5 years, we have the world looking at India with confidence,” said the minister.

“Today, the construction of five semiconductor units is going on at a rapid pace. We just presented the first ‘Made-in-India’ chip to PM Modi,” he told the gathering.

India’s semiconductor journey has gained momentum under the Semicon India Programme.

The government has already approved 10 projects in critical areas such as high-volume fabrication units (Fabs), 3D heterogeneous packaging, compound semiconductors, and outsourced semiconductor assembly and testing (OSATs).

In addition, design-focused initiatives have supported more than 280 academic institutions and 72 start-ups with advanced tools, while 23 start-ups have been approved under the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) scheme.

Over three days, the flagship event will feature keynote addresses, panel discussions, fireside chats, paper presentations, and six international roundtables.

A dedicated ‘Workforce Development Pavilion’ will also highlight career opportunities in microelectronics to attract new talent.

With top companies like Applied Materials, ASML, IBM, Infineon, Lam Research, Micron, Tata Electronics, SK Hynix, and Tokyo Electron participating, SEMICON India 2025 is expected to drive India’s next wave of semiconductor innovation and strengthen its position in the global value chain.