Bengal polls LIVE: TMC govt did nothing for farmers, Adivasis, says Nadda

'TMC supremo has started reciting Sanskrit slokas to assert her Hindu identity, alleged the BJP President. Stay tuned for the Latest LIVE news

10:36 PM

30 coys of Railway Protection Special Force to be deployed for Bengal polls

10:22 PM

Congress releases a list of 14 candidates for Puducherry polls 2021

10:02 PM

Congress releases a list of 4 candidates for Tamil Nadu polls

8:55 PM

Fire at oil manufacturing unit in Navi Mumbai; no casualties

A fire erupted at an oil manufacturing company at Rabale MIDC of Navi Mumbai on Tuesday. No casualties were reported in the blaze, an official from the fire brigade said. The blaze erupted at around 5.30 pm, in which the oil manufacturing unit was completely gutted, the official said.

 

Four fire engines, two each from Rabale and Airoli, were pressed into service and the fire was put out after about two hours, he said. While no casualties were reported, two companies situated next to the oil unit were partially affected in the fire, he said. The cooling operations are underway and the cause of the fire will be probed, the official added.

8:43 PM

Haryana relaxes tax on agriculture land in urban areas

The Haryana government on Tuesday said it would not levy property tax on the land used for agriculture in urban areas. With this, Haryana has become the first state in the country to exclude land used for agriculture only from the purview of tax by making amendments in the property tax laws.

 

On Monday, the government passed a Bill in the Assembly this regard.

 

An official spokesperson said under the provisions mentioned in serial number 49 of List-II (State List) of the seventh schedule of the Constitution, state governments have the right to levy property tax on lands and buildings, and do so. With the amendment, a provision has been made to levy property tax only on the basis of the value of the property and to set a minimum rate for it. However, municipalities will also have the right to levy property tax at a higher rate.

8:26 PM

Mamata Banerjee responsible for everything happening in West Bengal: Prakash Javadekar

8:25 PM

No proposal for scrutiny of GST assessment in faceless mode: Anurag Thakur

There is no proposal of faceless scrutiny assessment of GST returns as the Goods and Services Tax rule already provide for electronic filing and assessment, Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur said on Tuesday.

 

Income tax assessments are being done in a faceless manner except in certain conditions and till March 10, a total of 82,072 assessment cases have been completed in a faceless manner, he added. READ MORE...

7:53 PM

Rajya Sabha passes National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Bill

Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed a bill which seeks to provide for regulation and maintenance of standards of education and services by allied and healthcare professionals. The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Bill, 2020, was passed by Rajya Sabha through a voice vote.

 

Replying to a debate on the bill, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said that of the 110 recommendations made by a parliamentary committee on it, the government accepted 102 while six recommendations were accepted with slight modifications. Only two recommendations were not accepted.

 

The bill provides for regulation and maintenance of standards of education and services by allied and healthcare professionals, assessment of institutions, maintenance of a central register and state register and creation of a system to improve research and development and adoption of latest scientific advancement.

7:46 PM

BJP's Sindhu Kanu Samman Yatra bus in West Bengal was vandalised earlier today: J P Nadda

7:34 PM

Not all banks will be privatised, interest of workers to be protected: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

In a strong counter to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's criticism of the government's privatisation policy, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday that the previous UPA regime was the epitome of corruption, which privatised taxpayers' money besides nationalising corruption.

 

Rahul Gandhi had alleged in a tweet on Tuesday that selling public sector banks to cronies will compromise the country's financial security. "Government of India (GOI) is privatising profit and nationalising loss. Selling PSBs to Modi cronies gravely compromises India's financial security," Gandhi tweeted. READ ON...

6:52 PM

Mamata govt has not done anything for farmers, Adivasis: J P Nadda at poll rally

Alleging that the Mamata Banerjee dispensation has not done anything for the welfare of farmers and Adivasis in West Bengal, BJP president J P Nadda on Tuesday claimed that after practising politics of appeasement for years, the TMC supremo has started reciting Sanskrit slokas to assert her Hindu identity.

 

She left several Hindu OBC castes such as Mahishya and Teli out of the reserved category because of her "politics of appeasement", and the BJP, if voted to power, will take steps to include them, Nadda said while addressing a rally at Kotulpur in Bankura district.

 

Banerjee had won elections in the name of 'Ma, Mati, Manush' (Mother, Land and People), Nadda said and alleged that during the last decade, her party has engaged in "torturing women, killing BJP workers, dictatorship, extortion and politics of appeasement".

6:13 PM

India's long jumper Murali Sreeshankar qualifies for Tokyo Olympics

6:11 PM

BJP CEC to meet tomorrow to finalise candidates names for fifth and sixth phase of West Bengal polls

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Central Election Committee (CEC) to meet tomorrow to finalise candidates names for the fifth and sixth phase of West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021.

6:02 PM

Mamata Banerjee called Batla House encounter fake; she should apologise: J P Nadda

5:49 PM

Mamata Banerjee is now doing Chandi Path: BJP president J P Nadda at Bankura

After practising politics of appeasement for years, Mamata Banerjee is now doing Chandi Path: BJP president J P Nadda at Bankura

5:48 PM

Finland and India believe in a rules-based, transparent, humanitarian and democratic global order: PM Modi

Both Finland and India believe in a rules-based, transparent, humanitarian and democratic global order. We have strong cooperation in areas like technology, innovation, clean energy, environment, education: Prime Minister Narendra Modi at India-Finland Virtual Summit.

5:37 PM

Lately, about 70 countries received more than 58 million doses of made in India vaccines: PM Narendra Modi

5:35 PM

LIVE: PM Modi speaking at the India-Finland Virtual Summit

5:25 PM

Rajnath Singh slams Mamata Banerjee over law & order, says BJP will pay 'khela' of peace and development

Slamming the Mamata Banerjee government over alleged slide in the law and order situation, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday the "khela" (game) that will be played in West Bengal after the BJP's victory in the assembly election will be that of development and peace. He asserted the BJP will form its government in the state winning more than 200 of the 294 seats.

 

Joining the campaign blitzkrieg that the BJP has launched, with several top party leaders holding meetings and rallies regularly to snatch Bengal from the TMC, Singh, who was once considered a friend of Mamata Banerjee in the saffron camp, asked what the two-time chief minister has done for the people of the state except for bringing disaster to them.

 

Questioning what the Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee means by "khela hobe" (the game will happen), Singh told a public meeting here in West Midnapore district that "the game of development and peace will be played in Bengal".

5:04 PM

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressed public rally in West Bengal today

4:44 PM

No information on leak of WhatsApp chat related to confidential and sensitive information: Govt to Lok Sabha

4:31 PM

Why held press conference over TRP scam? HC asks Mumbai police

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday asked what had prompted the Mumbai police to hold a press conference last year over the alleged Television Rating Points (TRP) scam.

 

"Does the police have an obligation to interact with the press? Why did the commissioner (of police) have to speak to the press?" a bench of Justices SS Shinde and Manish Pitale asked.

 

The court was hearing pleas filed by ARG Outlier Media Pvt Ltd, the company that owns Republic TV channels, and by journalist Arnab Goswami, seeking, among other reliefs, that the Mumbai police's probe into the TRP scam be transferred to the CBI or any other independent agency. The bench was responding to the arguments made by the ARG Outlier Media's counsel, senior advocate Ashok Mundargi.

4:20 PM

LIVE: Union Cabinet approves Bill to set up DFI

The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved a bill to set up a Development Finance Institution (DFI) to generate funds for investment in the infrastructure sector. The proposed legislation will give effect to the Budget announcement made by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1. The government has proposed Rs 20,000 crore to capitalise the institution.

 

"The Cabinet has cleared this bill, through which we will have an institution and institutional arrangement, which will help in increasing long term funds," she said after the meeting of the Cabinet.

 

The proposed DFI will have 50 per cent non-official directors, Sitharaman added. In her Budget 2019-20 speech, Sitharaman had proposed a study for setting up DFIs for promoting infrastructure funding. About 7,000 projects have been identified under the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) with a projected investment of a whopping Rs 111 lakh crore during 2020-25.

4:16 PM

Cabinet Decisions LIVE: Expect to raise up to Rs 3 trillion from DFI in next few years, says FM

Expect to raise up to Rs 3 trillion from DFI in the next few years: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said while addressing the media on Cabinet Decisions today.

4:14 PM

Development Finance Institution (DFI) will also have some tax benefits: FM

The Development Finance Institution (DFI) will also have some tax benefits, being given for a 10-year long period. The Indian Stamp Act too is being amended. With this, we hope to be able to attract big pension funds and sovereign funds: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said while addressing the media on Cabinet Decisions today.

4:13 PM

Cabinet approves MoU between India and Maldives on cooperation in sports and youth affairs

Cabinet approves MoU between India and Maldives on cooperation in sports and youth affairs

4:11 PM

Interests of workers of to-be-privatized banks will absolutely be protected: FM

Interests of workers of banks which are likely to be privatized will absolutely be protected, whether their salaries or scale or pension, all will be taken care of: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

4:09 PM

Each one of the units perfoms for the economy: FM on privatization/disinvestment

Even when we talk about privatization or disinvestment we recognize that each one of the units perfoms for the economy; these units need investment. It is our duty to ensure the workers' interests are protected and that the institution functions further: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said while addressing the media on Cabinet Decisions today.

4:03 PM

LIVE: Interests of the staff will be protected after privatisation of banks, says FM Sitharaman

Even for those banks which are likely to be privatized, the privatized institutions too will continue to function after privatization; the interests of the staff will be protected: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said while addressing the media on Cabinet Decisions today.

4:02 PM

Cabinet Decisions LIVE: Union Cabinet cleared setting up of a Development Finance Institution (DFI), says FM