BENGALURU: The Karnataka govt is considering rejecting the Centre’s Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Grameen), or G-RAM-G, which has replaced MGNREGA, and is exploring the possibility of rolling out its own rural employment guarantee scheme.“The Cabinet on Friday condemned G-RAM-G, which has snatched the right to work from the people of this country and is a big blow to the federal structure of the nation,” law and parliamentary affairs minister H K Patil said. He said the Cabinet was united in opposing the new law, which seeks to centralise all projects.Noting that G-RAM-G falls under the Concurrent List, Patil said the state may consider alternative options, the details of which will be outlined by chief minister Siddaramaiah at a press briefing on Saturday.Under G-RAM-G, states are required to fund 40% of project costs. “This act is nothing but an attempt to help Central govt contractors by providing them with labour while reducing their own burden,” he said.The name change is a small issue, the bigger problem is centralisation and the snatching of work from people in need,” Patil reasoned.He added that the new law would hurt gram panchayats the most and adversely affect local development.Sources said opting for a state-run scheme would mean forgoing 60% of Central funding under the new act.In 2024-25, Karnataka had received Rs 5,580 crore from the Centre under the erstwhile MGNREGA, providing work to 21.2 lakh households. Under G-RAM-G, this would effectively drop to Rs 3,720 crore.“If we are to save the jobs of our rural households, such an action may be necessary,” a Cabinet minister said. Other state govt officials said Karnataka may also lobby the Centre to relax norms on permissible works and increase its share of funding.

GHAZIABAD: Police have identified one of their own, a constable posted in Kaushambi district, and an old name from juvenile crime registers as killers of a former Indian Air Force officer, who was shot near his house here the day after Christmas.Police said the two are hitmen, who were hired by victim Yogesh Kumar’s sons. A bitter dispute over money and the house had been festering within the family.Naveen Kumar, the constable, and Kumar’s two sons Nitesh and Guddu who gave the ‘supari’ are absconding. His partner in the crime, a 32-year-old man from Bulandshahr, has been arrested, police said on Thursday.The Bulandshahr man was convicted as a juvenile for wiping out his uncle’s family in one of the most shocking crimes to have happened in the state, the 2008 Barari massacre. Among the seven victims were his pregnant aunt and a two-year-old cousin. Just 15 then, he was sent to a correction home. His father, the main accused, was sentenced to death in 2016 by a court.For several years now, he has been living in Ghaziabad. Kumar was his neighbour at Ashok Vihar in Loni. Police said Nitesh and Guddu gave him Rs 5 lakh to kill Kumar. He needed little convincing because he had his own run-ins with Kumar, including over feeding stray dogs in the area, and nursed a grudge.Kumar had retired on July 31 last year as assistant warrant officer from the air force. According to police, the sons wanted a share of his “hefty savings” and were worried he would spend it. The latest flashpoint was Kumar’s decision to sell the house. “Kumar had asked both his sons to vacate the house. As their neighbour, the accused knew this. Kumar’s wife had told him this herself. Besides, Kumar and the accused had a spat over dogs in the locality. Kumar targeted the strays that the accused fed milk and bread to,” Loni ACP Siddharth Gautam said.Police identified the accused through CCTV footage of the Hero Xtreme bike that he and Naveen rode the day of the crime, their faces masked. The bike’s number plate had been removed but police tracked down its owner after questioning people in the vicinity. The owner told police the accused had borrowed his bike “to go shopping”. The accused was arrested from his house. Unlike Nitesh, Guddu and Naveen, he had not escaped to avoid suspicion falling on him. His wife, eight-year-old son and a younger daughter live with him.“Nitesh and Guddu planned the murder with the accused on the terrace of Kumar’s house. The accused knew Naveen, who is a constable with UP Police but has been on leave since Aug 2025. On the day of the murder, the accused hit Kumar with an iron rod. When Kumar fell to the ground, Naveen shot him in the head first. The accused fired a second bullet,” the ACP said. Kumar was ambushed by them just 50m from his house. A senior police officer said Naveen had taken a few days’ leave in Aug but never reported back to work.An FIR has been filed at Loni police invoking murder charges and sections of the Arms Act.

Former India cricketer Yograj Singh has criticized the decision to leave Shubman Gill out of the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 in February-March. The former all-rounder stated that a short run of poor scores should not outweigh a player’s standing, leadership role, or long-term importance to the team.

Gill’s omission from India’s T20 World Cup squad caught many by surprise. He was named vice-captain during the Asia Cup after returning to the T20I setup. India reshuffled their top order and split the opening pair of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma. However, the change did not pay off for the Men in Blue.

Yograj Singh Opens Up On Shubman Gill’s Omission From T20 World Cup 2026

Yograj Singh said that the selectors excluded Gill despite his vice-captaincy, adding that many players in the past were given long runs despite repeated failures. He used Abhishek Sharma as an example, questioning whether youngsters would also be dropped after just a few poor outings.

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“Shubman Gill is a vice-captain. What is the reason behind dropping him? Just because he failed in 4-5 innings? Indian cricketers have had so many players who have barely managed to perform in 10 matches out of 100 opportunities,” Yograj told Ravi Bisht on a YouTube show.

“They still played; you already know the reason why. Young Abhishek Sharma arrived a couple of years ago. If he fails four innings will you drop him as well?” he added.

Let Me Give You An Example Of The ‘Great’ Kapil Dev – Yograj Singh

Yograj Singh referred to past selection decisions involving Kapil Dev. He recalled an instance from an overseas tour when Kapil continued to be backed despite repeated failures. Yograj added that then-captain Bishan Singh Bedi still showed faith in Kapil by picking him for the next tour.

“Let me give you an example of the ‘great’ Kapil Dev. When we toured Pakistan with Bishan Singh Bedi as captain, Kapil Dev continued to play matches despite failing with bat and ball. But Bishan Singh Bedi still took him on the subsequent tour of England,” Yograj stated.

Shubman Gill’s T20I Struggles Ahead of T20 World Cup 2026

Shubman Gill struggled in T20Is after returning to the national side. He scored 291 runs in 15 T20I matches at an average of 24.25 and a strike rate of 137.26. He did not score a single half-century, which raised concerns about his impact in the shortest format.

As Gill failed to find consistency, India kept changing their T20I combination. Sanju Samson was first pushed down the batting order and later dropped from the team as selectors searched for the right balance.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar revealed that the decision was based on team combination needs and not because Gill lacked quality. India then brought back Ishan Kishan, rewarding him for his strong domestic form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Kishan replaced Gill in the T20 World Cup squad.

Despite this setback in T20Is, Gill remains a key figure for India. He continues as captain in ODIs and Tests, will play two Vijay Hazare Trophy matches for Punjab in Jaipur, and is set to lead India in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand starting on January 11.

Also read: Shubman Gill set to play for Punjab after his T20 World Cup 2026 snub

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NEW DELHI: Bike-borne shooters unleashed a hail of gunfire on a businessman’s car and house in Rohini in a brazen extortion attempt on Friday evening. The men fired over two dozen rounds, leaving the vehicle riddled with bullets.The shooting occurred days after the businessman of cardboard and real estate got an extortion call that demanded Rs 3 crore.Investigators believe the daring strike marks the resurgence of gangster Himanshu Bhau, signalling that his syndicate had returned to business following a brief hiatus. Bhau is believed to be in the US.Police are also probing if a local gang was trying to misuse Bhau’s name to extract money from the businessman. Sources, however, said that the modus operandi, marked by excessive use of bullets, was indicative of Bhau’s involvement.The incident – reported to police in a PCR call at 5.23 pm – left the blue Toyota Innova with a shattered front windscreen. The businessman escaped without any injury. Around 25 bullet marks were found at the spot.The groundwork for the attack seems to have been laid between Dec 26 and 29 last year when the complainant received multiple WhatsApp calls and voice messages from an international number. “A caller, identifying as a major gangster, demanded a substantial sum of money and issued threats,” a senior police officer said. The victim initially did not report the threats to the authorities, mistaking it for a prank.In the wake of the incident, the cops at the local Begumpur police station registered an FIR on charges of extortion and attempted murder. “Crime and forensic science laboratory (FSL) teams were dispatched to the scene to collect the empty cartridges and other evidence to identify the calibre of the weapons that were used,” a cop added.Bhau and his close aide, Sahil Ritolia, were declared absconders by a court, and a red notice was issued by Interpol against them. A request for their trial in absentia was also moved before the court, allowing the trial to proceed even in the absence of the accused.The cops tried to bring back Bhau and Ritolia for over two years. Bhau was briefly held in the US last year on a request by Indian agencies but was let off for lack of proven charges, sources said.Last Oct, 10 members of this gang were booked under MCOCA by the crime branch. Originally from Haryana’s Rohtak, Bhau was active in Delhi since 2022. He got a passport made on forged documents in 2022 and fled to Dubai, then to Portugal and now to the US.

MI Emirates will be up against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in qualifier two of the International League T20. This article provides details about Abu Dhabi Knight Riders’ Playing 11 vs MI Emirates for the match in question.

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders XI vs MI Emirates- ILT20 2025-26, Qualifier 2:

Openers: Philip Salt (wk), Michael Pepper

The Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, led by Jason Holder, would eye a spot in the final of the ILT20 season four courtesy of a win against the MI Emirates in the second qualifier.

ADKR would hope for the players to replicate the same performance that they delivered in the Eliminator against the Dubai Capitals.

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For that to happen, the team would bank on its openers to get them off to a good start in the first six overs so as to lay a platform for the middle order batters to capatalize on and put on a strong performance to get the opposition bowlers under pressure.

In addition to that, ADKR would also wish for Philip Saly and Michael Pepper to score runs individually as well in order to be in good rhythm for the final against the in-form Desert Vipers.

If the opening duo is able to do what is required of it, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders will have a good chance of posting an above-par total on the board while batting first.

Middle-order batsmen and all-rounders: Alishan Sharafu, Alex Hales, Liam Livingstone, Brandon McMullen, Andre Russell, Jason Holder (c),

Liam Livingstone, Alex Hales, and Andre Russel are the names that make up ADKR’s middle order, a force to reckon with against a strong bowling lineup that MI Emirates possesses.

The above mentioned abtters will be assisted by Alishan Sharfu and Brandon McMullan, along with captain Jason Holder, who will play a vital role with the bat lower down the order and with the ball.

The responsibility will be on the top five batters to shoulder the weight of run scoring and get the majority of the team’s runs.

Every ADKR batter will have to put his hand up and make a decisive contribution whenever he comes to bat, and help the team post a challenging total or chase whatever target is set by the opposition.

Bowlers: Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla, Ajay Kumar

As far as ADKR’s bowling is concerned, it comprises of expierenced bowlers like Sunil Narine, Pyush Chawla, captain Jason Holder, and Andre Russell.

The quartet of bowlers will be supported by Ajay Kumar, who has impressed everyone with his bowling and will look to bowl a match-winning spell in the next game to get his team over the line and with that a place inthe final of the six-team competition.

The spin duo of Pyush Chawla and Sunil Narine would wish to get dry conditions to bowl as both bowlers will play a vital role in the game, given the rich vein of expierence that they carry.

Other than Ajay Kumar, Jason Holder, and Andre Russell will take care of the team’s fast bowling department, with Holder expected to partner with Ajay in the powerplay.