New Delhi: Besides leaders from BIMSTEC countries and a host of celebrities and politicians, 54 special guests would be attending the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Council of Ministers on Thursday.

The Prime Minister has specially invited family members of BJP workers who were killed in incidents of political violence in West Bengal over the past few years, a senior BJP leader said.

he BJP won 303 seats on its own in the Lok Sabha elections, and the party's performance in West Bengal was spectacular as it took its tally to 18 from two in 2014.

During the elections, Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah repeatedly highlighted the issue of political violence against their party members. Leaders from Bimstec countries as well as Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov and Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth have confirmed their participation at Thursday's event.

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Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.

The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.

As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.

"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.

"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.

Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.