State

Eight persons were killed after a blast at the ordnance factory in Maharashtra's Bhandara district on Friday, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said.

“As per preliminary information seven other persons were injured in the blast,” Gadkari told reporters.

A senior district official said the blast caused the roof of the unit to collapse. Search and rescue efforts were underway at the site, he said. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had earlier said that 13 to 14 workers were stuck at the site.

According to police and district authorities, the explosion occurred in the LTP section of the ordnance factory in the Jawahar Nagar area around 10.30 am.

District Collector Sanjay Kolte also said 13 to 14 people were working in the unit at the time of the incident.

The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) busted a factory manufacturing alprazolam in Anand district and arrested six persons with the banned drug, an official said on Friday.

The accused had rented a factory near Khambhat town and manufactured alprazolam, a substance used in sleeping pills.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ATS) Harsh Upadhyay said that alprazolam falls under the purview of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act because of its misuse as a psychotropic substance. Based on a tip-off, the ATS raided the factory on Thursday evening and apprehended six men with 107 kg of alprazolam worth Rs 107 crore, he said.

Upadhyay said, "The Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) issues a licence for the production of alprazolam. This drug also falls under the purview of the NDPS Act. The accused did not have any licence at the time of the raid. Five accused were operating the unit, while the sixth person was the receiver."

A preliminary probe revealed that the five accused had rented the factory to manufacture the psychotropic substance, he said, adding that investigations are underway.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has said that his government would ban the sale of liquor at 17 places of religious worship in the state.

The Chief Minister made the announcement at a function in Narsinghpur district.

Last year, the Chief Minister had said that the state government would develop places associated with Lord Ram and Lord Krishna as pilgrimage sites. "Everyone is aware of the ill effects of liquor consumption. We don't want our youths to get spoiled, as they are the future of the country. The Madhya Pradesh government will ban the sale of liquor at 17 religious places," Yadav said.

"Liquor will be banned wherever Lord Krishna and Lord Ram have set their foot in Madhya Pradesh," he said.