Aiming to spare general public from levy at highways, the government has announced it will scrap 125 toll plazas in the country by the end of February.

“We will cancel toll at around 125 plazas on some highways by the end of this month,” Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said.

The minister added that toll collection at some 65 road projects have already stopped.

The government has also decided to make road projects toll free where less than Rs. 50 crore investment has been made.

The electronic toll (e-toll) collection system introduced in the country will help save Rs. 88,000 crore and cut waiting time at toll plazas significantly, Gadkari said quoting a Transport Corporation of India-IIM Kolkata study.

The study said, “Rs. 60,000 crore was lost on account of various delays at check posts and electronic toll collection could save Rs. 88,000 crore.”

The Minister added that out of the 350 toll points on the Mumbai-Delhi route, 140 have been converted into E-toll points. By completion of the e-toll work in the country, this amount of Rs. 88,000 crore would be saved.

For implementing ETC across the country, a new company — Indian Highways Management Company Limited — has been constituted.

It has equity participation from NHAI (25 per cent), concessionaires (50 per cent) and financial institutions (25 per cent).

About 60 students of a government-run girls’ school have left hostel en masse after they came to know that the school’s accountant allegedly clicked their nude pictures with the help of the hostel cook at Gudiali in Ganjam district, officials said on Thursday.

The accountant of the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (BGVB) clicked the photographs when the students were on a picnic last year. At least 22 nude and semi-nude photographs were recovered from his possession, they said.

Headmistress T Arnnapurna Patra informed the DPC about it. The fact came to fore recently.

Chairperson of district Child Welfare Committee SC Das lodged an FIR against the accountant after they inquired into the matter on the direction of the district administration, they said.

The accountant and the school cook have resigned, while the warden is on long leave following the incident, said District Project Coordinator (DPC) of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Sudam Mandal.

Around 60 of the 87 hostel inmates have gone home since Tuesday, he said.

The inmates, belonging to SC, ST and OBC, study in Class VI to VIII and stay in the hostel. A woman constable has been deployed in the hostel premises for the safety of the girls, he said.

“We have registered a case against Tulu Bhuyan, the school’s accountant. He is on the run,” said Inspector In-Charge (IIC) of Kabisurya Nagar police station, DR Patnaik.

The defeat of the BJP in the Delhi Assembly Elections will not slow down the pace of economic reforms, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley asserted on Thursday.

In his first comments after the near-whitewash of his party in the Delhi polls, he said the government was determined to go ahead on the path of economic reforms.

“The fact that four (state Assembly) Elections have been won and one has not been won is absolutely no ground for believing that there will be any slowdown on the path which we have undertaken,” he said while addressing a joint press conference with US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew at the end of 5th Indo-US Economic and Financial Partnership meeting.

Jaitley’s comments assume significance against the backdrop of experts raising questions whether the government would resort to populism in the wake of electoral reverse.

The kind of reforms that the government has been undertaking, he said, would bring in investment, generate jobs, improve the quality of life of people and also help in alleviating poverty.

Jaitley is scheduled to present his first full budget for 2015-16 on February 28 which among other things will unveil government’s strategy to boost economic growth.

The BJP suffered a crushing defeat in the Delhi Assembly Election winning only three out of the 70 seats.

Ever since its spectacular victory in the May Parliamentary Elections, the BJP notched power in Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and emerged the second largest party in Jammu and Kashmir.

Since coming to power in May last, the government has taken a slew of economic reforms, especially easing of the foreign investment norms.

Gandhian Anna Hazare will address in Delhi February 24 a rally of farmers opposed to the Land Acquisition Bill introduced by the central government, an aide said on Thursday.

The rally will see the participation of representatives of around 70 organisations across India along with social activist Medha Patkar.

In his first major mass programme in over a year, Hazare is expected to speak against the land bill which is being opposed by farmers.

This will be Hazare’s first visit to Delhi after the new Aam Aadmi Party government led by Arvind Kejriwal, a former associate, takes power Saturday.

On Tuesday, after the AAP won a brute majority in the Delhi assembly, Hazare cited the land bill to launch a scathing attack on the Narendra Modi government.

Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) Coordination Committee will meet on February 15 to deliberate on Delhi Assembly Election results.

The meet assumes significance as BJP suffered a massive setback in the recently held Delhi assembly elections.

The BJP, which faced a crushing defeat in the most fascinating poll contest, could manage to win only three seats in the 70-member Delhi Assembly.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led by Arvind Kejriwal created history by bagging 67 Assembly seats. Interestingly, the Congress was completely routed and failed to open its account.

As a result of AAP’s massive victory, only three BJP legislators — Vijender Gupta, Jagdish Pradhan and Om Prakash Sharma – will now be part of opposition in the Delhi assembly.

What was more embarrassing for the BJP that its chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi, who was inducted into party at the eleventh hour with an aim to take on Kejriwal, was defeated by AAP leader SK Bagga from Krishna Nagar constituency.

The new AAP government’s chief minister-designate Arvind Kejriwal is set to take oath on February 14.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ensured “complete support in the development of Delhi” to Kejriwal, who requires Centre’s support to deliver all promises made in the AAP election manifesto.

Jammu and Kashmir’s wait for a new government is likely to get over as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are poised to join hands and form a coalition soon.

Sources said that the PDP patron and former chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed will be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a formal announcement will be made in the next few days.

Sayeed would be the chief minister of the alliance and an agreement had been reached between the two parties on a common minimum programme and contentious issues like Article 370, displaced Kashmiri Pandits and uniform civil code had been thrashed out, said sources.

The PDP has 28 and the BJP 25 seats in the state assembly. The National Conference won 15 seats and its former ally, the Congress 12. Seven seats went to Independents and smaller parties.

If the two parties agree over the nitty-gritties then this would be the first time that the BJP would be part of a government in the Valley.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was questioned for the second time on the alleged murder of his wife Sunanda Pushkar a year ago. He was reportedly questioned along with five others, including his help and driver.

Mr. Tharoor was last questioned on January 19, when he was reportedly asked over 50 questions by a team of four officers.

The Delhi Police say today’s session is linked to the questioning of Shiv Menon, the son of Sunanda Pushkar by a previous marriage, earlier this month.

“We wanted to clarify some facts after Shiv Menon’s statement,” Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi said.

Sources say the Indian Premier League may have come up during the questioning. Mr. Tharoor had to resign as union minister in 2010 after accusations of corruption linking him to the cricket franchise for his home state of Kerala. Ms. Pushkar was allegedly given stakes worth about $15 million (around Rs. 94 crore) for free.

The Tharoors’ domestic help Narain Singh and driver Bajrangi have also been questioned before.

On January 6, the police launched a murder inquiry after stating that Ms. Pushkar, who was 52, was poisoned, but did not name a suspect. Mr. Tharoor said that he was stunned to discover the police believe she was killed.

Ms. Pushkar was found dead in her bed in a hotel suite on January 17, days after she publicly accused her husband of having an affair with a Pakistani journalist.

The police have questioned some 20 people, including friends, aides and staff members of the Tharoors, who married in 2010. Politician Amar Singh and journalist Nalini Singh have also been questioned.

Sahara said on Thursday that they are working on another deal to raise funds to secure the release of their chief Subrata Roy from Tihar jail. This came after the Supreme Court was informed that the proposed transactions for a loan of around US dollar 1,050 million from abroad for raising Rs. 10,000 crore to ensure the release of Sahara Group chief Subrata Roy from jail had failed.

The issue was mentioned before a bench headed by Justice T S Thakur by senior advocate Shekhar Naphade, who is assisting the court as an amicus curiae in the matter.

Naphade orally said that there had been allegations and counter-allegations between Sahara Group and Mirach Capital Llc of the US which was supposed to provide junior loan of USD 650 million and another USD 400 million in investment to the embattled group.

After, the amicus curiae brought to the notice of the bench about the reports on the forgery allegation against the Mirach Capital, the bench said that it could not hear the matter without a proper application and affidavits filed by the parties.

It asked the Sahara Group to explain by way of affidavit the entire development which had resulted in failure of the deal.

The apex court made it clear that it could only hear the matter after a proper application was filed by the Sahara.

Out of the amount of USD 1050 million, Sahara has been allowed to raise a junior loan of USD 650 million and USD 400 million in investment from Mirage Capital Llc.

On the heels of a proposed temple to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan on Thursday offered to build a temple dedicated to Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, saying “why can’t a temple be constructed in his name?”

“I will put a proposal before ‘Netaji’ (Mulayam) for constructing a temple for him. If he gives consent, work will start for the same,” Khan said.

Justifying his demand, Khan said that Mulayam was a popular leader and has a number of followers. “Why can’t a temple be constructed in his name?” he asked.

Azam’s statement came after supporters of Modi in Rajkot in his home state Gujarat have built a temple for him. The temple, with a bust of Modi in the sanctum, stands on Kothariya road and is planned to be inaugurated on February 16.

Prime Minister Modi, however, said that he was appalled by reports of the temple being built in his name and asked people to instead put time and resources in fulfilling the dream of ‘Clean India’.

“Have seen the news about a temple being built in my name. I was appalled. This is shocking and against India’s great traditions. Building such temples is not what our culture teaches us. Personally, it made me very sad. Would urge those doing it not to do it,” Modi said.

Hours after the PM’s response, Ramesh Undhad, a former councillor who headed the project to collect funds, said he has now decided to cancel inauguration of “Modi temple”.

“We felt pained that we hurt sentiments of our ‘God’ (Modi) and after his displeasure we have covered his idol installed at the temple,” Undhad said, adding it will soon be removed.

“PM Modi remains in our heart. We will take part in Clean India movement,” added Undhah.

Another member of the ‘Om Yuva Group’, Jayesh Patel, said the temple will now be dedicated to ‘Bharat Mata’, whose idol will be installed at the shrine which has cost Rs seven lakh to build.