LIVE: Target of blending 20% ethanol in petrol advanced to 2025, says PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday interacted with India Inc for information sharing and brainstorming on Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes. Stay tuned for Latest LIVE news

8:47 PM

Farmers' protest: Rahul Gandhi says farm laws have to be repealed

As the farmers' protest entered its hundredth day, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Friday the three agri laws have to be repealed by the government.

 

Gandhi said that farmers, who wait patiently for the harvest after sowing seeds, are not afraid of months-long wait or bad weather.

 

The Congress leader has been supporting the farmers' protest against the three central farm laws, and has attacked the government over the legislations on several occasions.

8:45 PM

IIM-Udaipur placements: 322 students get offer from over 100 companies

Over a hundred companies have given placement offers to 322 students of the 2020-22 batch of the Indian Institute of Management-Udaipur.

 

"The Institute's 10th batch has received offers from more than a hundred firms, with 60 recruiters partnering with the Institute for the first time," IIM-Udaipur Director Janat Shah said.

 

Of the total strength of 325 students of the 2020-22 batch, three opted out and 322 sought the placement.

 

Profiles offered to the students spanned across the domains of analytics, finance, human resource, operations, and sales and marketing, with the highest number of offers made in sales and marketing, he said.

8:11 PM

Gender inequality has cost world $70 trillion since 1990: Report

With many reports confirming women and other socially-disadvantaged sections have suffered the most during the pandemic, economists at BofA Securities have tabulated the cost of lack of gender diversity and inclusion, saying it will take 257 years to close the gap at the current rate, and not doing this has cost the world a whopping $70 trillion since 1990.

 

The report also notes that full gender equality globally can increase the world GDP by up to $28 trillion by 2025 and the loss of human capital wealth due to gender inequality alone is estimated at $160.2 trillion.

 

Not closing the gender inequality gap and a lack of diversity and inclusion has an economic price tag. Not doing the right thing on this count has cost us $70 trillion since 1990It will take us 257 years to close the gender economic gap at today's rate, says the report, adding the pandemic alone, when women suffered the most, has cost women $1 trillion in income.

7:58 PM

US trade deficit rises 1.9 per cent in January

The US trade deficit rose 1.9 per cent in January as the coronavirus pandemic continued to disrupt global commerce.

 

The gap between the goods and services the United States sold and what it bought abroad rose to $68.2 billion from $67 billion in December, the Commerce Department reported Friday. Exports rose 1 per cent to $191.9 billion, while imports increased 1.2 per cent to $260.2 billion.

 

The politically sensitive trade gap with China fell 3.2 per cent to $27.2 billion. The trade deficit with Mexico rose $1.6 billion to $11.9 billion in January.

7:51 PM

Nepal government, Maoist rebels formally sign peace agreement

Nepal's radical Maoist group leader Netra Bikram Chand, who made his first public appearance in two years, on Friday said that he was committed to the peace agreement reached between his banned outfit and the government aimed at ending violent attacks, extortion and bombings by the rebels.

 

Rebel leader Chand, known by his guerrilla name Biplav, emerged out of hiding after the government lifted a ban on his Nepal Communist Party group, CPN-Biplav, so it could take part in the public signing of the peace agreement.

 

I would like to assure everyone that we will abide by the agreement signed with the government, said Chand, while addressing the agreement signing ceremony here, which was attended by Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, who led the talks team from the government side.

7:43 PM

India on track to achieving climate goals: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the country is on track to achieving its climate goals before the target date as it switches over to energy-efficient mediums and uses waste to generate energy.

 

Speaking after accepting the 2021 CERAWeek Global Energy & Environment Leadership Award for his commitment to energy sustainability and the environment, Modi said climate change and calamity are major challenges facing the world.

 

Both are interlinked, and one way to fight them is through policies, laws, rules and orders, and the other is bringing behavioural change, he said, listing measures taken by his government for sustainable energy usage.

7:30 PM

India's forest cover has grown significantly in past 7 years: Modi

It would make you all happy that over the last seven years, India's forest cover has grown significantly. The population of lions, tigers, leopards and water fowls has grown. These are great indicators of positive behavioural changes: PM Prime Minister Modi at the CERAWeek 2021.

7:23 PM

Target of blending 20 per cent ethanol in petrol advanced to 2025 from 2030 earlier: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been conferred with CERAWeek Global Energy and Environment Leadership Award for commitment to energy sustainability, environment. 

 

Share of non-fossil sources of energy have grown by 38 pc, says Prime Minister Modi at CERAWeek. The message is clear, let us fix ourselves and world will be a better place, Modi said on climate change challenge. 

 

Over 38 million tonnes of carbon dioxide reduced with switch over to LED bulbs, he said

 

5,000 compressed bio-gas plants to be set up by 2024 to convert waste to wealth, Modi said. T

 

Target of blending 20 per cent ethanol in petrol advanced to 2025 from 2030 earlier, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

7:15 PM

We expect China to work towards disengagement in remaining areas: India on Ladakh standoff

India on Friday said it expects China to work with it through existing bilateral consultation mechanisms between their diplomats and military commanders to ensure early completion of the disengagement process in the remaining areas in eastern Ladakh to allow both sides to consider de-escalation of forces.

 

The statement comes days after the armies of the two countries concluded withdrawal of troops and weapons from the north and south banks of the Pangong lake.

 

At a weekly media briefing here, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had a detailed discussion with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi last week and agreed to set up a hotline, details of which would be worked out through diplomatic channels.

 

7:11 PM

IT sector sales up 5.2 pc in Q3: RBI data

Information technology (IT) sector remained in the positive terrain throughout the Covid-19 pandemic period and its sales increased by 5.2 per cent year-on-year in the third quarter of 2020-21, according to the RBI data on performance of private sector corporate released on Friday.

 

The data is drawn from abridged quarterly financial results of 2,692 listed non-government non-financial (NGNF) companies.

 

With gradual easing of restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic and rebound in demand conditions, sales of 1,685 manufacturing companies expanded by 7.4 per cent (Y-o-Y) in October-December quarter of 2020-21 after recording contraction during the preceding six quarters.

7:08 PM

I dedicate this award to people of India: PM Modi on receiving environment leadership award

7:02 PM

LIVE: Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal, minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in first list of BJP candidates for polls

Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal, minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in first list of BJP candidates for state assembly polls. BJP will fight Assam polls in alliance with Asom Gana Parishad and United People's Party Liberal, says BJP general secretary Arun Singh.

6:56 PM

Government treating farmers as enemies: Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday said the arrogance of power has made the government sitting in New Delhi "blind and deaf" to the suffering of millions of farmers in the country and it is treating them as "enemies".

 

The government doesn't realise that these humble farmers also have the power to oust arrogant rulers, he said.

 

Yadav was addressing a 'Kisan Mahapanchayat' organised by his party at Tappal here in support of the ongoing farmers' agitation against the Centre's three new agricultural laws.

 

The arrogance of power has made the government sitting in New Delhi "blind and deaf" to the suffering of millions of farmers in the country, the SP leader told the gathering.

6:55 PM

NHAI introduces AI-based face recognition system for attendance monitoring

In line with its commitment to adopt technology to enhance transparency and accountability, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has deployed artificial intelligence (AI)-based face recognition system for attendance monitoring of the field staff.

 

The technology also comes with real time location capturing feature to track the presence of the personnel at the project site, NHAI said in a statement.

 

Applicable to all key personnel/engineers deployed by authority engineers/independent engineers and consultants, the technology will assist NHAI officers to easily view the presence of the staff at the project site along with their attendance.

6:48 PM

LIVE: We are going strong, say Farmer leaders as protest enters 100th day

As the farmer agitation against the Centre's three farm laws enters its hundredth day on Saturday, union leaders have asserted that their movement is far from over and they are "going strong".

 

The marathon movement has sent out a message of unity, made "farmers visible once again" and brought them back on the political landscape of the country, they said on Friday.

 

For over three months, the three Delhi border points at Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur have transformed into townships occupied by thousands of farmers from different parts of the country, mainly Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh.

 

Rakesh Tikait of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) said they are prepared to continue the protest as long as it is required.

6:47 PM

China to build important passageway to South Asia through Tibet: report

China has included building of an important passageway connecting Tibet with South Asia in the 14th Five Year plan which is due to commence from this year, the official media reported on Friday.

 

China will support Tibet in building the passageway to South Asia, state-run Xinhua news agency reported, quoting the 14th Plan document which was submitted to the National People's Congress, (NPC), China's Parliament.

 

The annual session of the NPC began here on Friday.

 

China's Tibet Autonomous Region will be supported to build an important passageway opening to South Asia, state-run Xinhua news agency reported briefly.

6:42 PM

MTAR Tech IPO subscribed over 200 times on final day on strong investors support

The Rs 597-crore initial public offering of MTAR Technologies was subscribed more than 200 times on Friday, the final day of the bidding process on overwhelming support from investors.

 

The IPO has received bids for 145.79 crore equity shares against an offer size of 72.6 lakh equity stocks, translating into a subscription of 200.79 times, data available on the exchanges showed.

 

The portion reserved for retail investors was subscribed 28.4 times, qualified institutional buyers category was subscribed 165 times and non-institutional category received 650.79 times subscription.

6:36 PM

ED summons former Jammu and Kashmir CM Mehbooba Mufti in money laundering case on March 15

6:33 PM

AIADMK first off the blocks with list of nominees for TN polls

The ruling AIADMK on Friday released its first list of six candidates for the April 6 Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu ahead of arch-rival DMK and pending conclusion of seat-sharing with allies, including the BJP.

 

The party's star candidates,Chief Minister K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam will contest from their respective home constituencies of Edappadi in Salem and Bodinayakanur in Theni districts.

 

The AIADMK allotted 23 seats to ally PMK days ago, before DMK finalised seat-sharing with Indian Union Muslim League, Manithaneya Makkal Katchi and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi.

 

The ruling party, however, is yet to conclude the seat- sharing exercise with BJP and others. The IUML and MMK were allotted three and two seats respectively by the DMK and it gave six segments to the VCK.

6:08 PM

Saudi asks India to use cheap oil it bought last year to cool prices

International oil prices rose after OPEC and its allies ignored India's plea to ease production control, with Saudi Arabia asking New Delhi to instead use oil it bought at rock bottom rates last year.

Brent crude, the most widely used benchmark, on Friday rose nearly 1 per cent to USD 67.44 a barrel after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, a group known as OPEC+, agreed not to increase supplies in April awaiting more substantial recovery in demand.

India's Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had in the run-up to Thursday's OPEC meeting urged the producers' group to ease production curbs to fulfil their promise of stable oil prices.

5:59 PM

Have full faith in Dy-EC in-charge of WB: Election Commission after TMC's allegation of bias

Rejecting allegations of the Trinamool Congress that Deputy Election Commissioner in-charge of West Bengal Sudeep Jain is biased,

 

the Election Commission on Friday said it has "full faith in the integrity and fairness" of the senior official.

 

The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal had on Thursday demanded the removal of Jain, accusing him of being biased against it and breaking norms of the federal structure.

 

In a statement, the poll panel said that all its deputy election commissioners and other officials posted in the commission's headquarters or working in the field are "discharging their duties strictly as per the Constitution of India and the various extant rules regarding the conduct of elections".

5:46 PM

Latest LIVE: India's forex reserves increase by $689 mn to $584.55 bn

India's forex reserves increased for the second consecutive week, touching $584.554 billion as of February 26, up by $689 million, the Reserve Bank said on Friday.

 

The overall reserves had increased by $169 million to $583.865 billion in the previous reporting week. The reserves, which have been steadily increasing over the last few months, had touched an all-time high at $590.185 billion for the week ended January 29 this year.

 

For the week ended February 26, the core currency assets the largest component of the overall reserves - rose by USD 509 million to USD 542.615 billion, the RBI said.

5:16 PM

Latest News: Pope Francis arrives in first visit to Iraq

Pope Francis has arrived in Iraq on a visit to rally the country's dwindling Christian community after decades of war.

 

The pontiff's landmark visit has been months in the making and is the first papal visit to Iraq, one that eluded his predecessors.

 

He brings a message of peace and coexistence to comfort the country's deep-rooted Christian minority, many of whom fled the country in the successive conflicts that followed the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

 

His trip will begin in Baghdad, where he is due to deliver speeches and celebrate Mass in the capital's churches, and cover the holy city of Najaf, the plains of Ur in Nassiryah province, as well as Mosul and Irbil in the north.

5:10 PM

I-T raids on Taapsee, Anurag Kashyap: FM says they were raided in 2013 as well

In comments seen as defending income tax raids on Bollywood actor Taapsee Pannu and filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said the same persons were raided in 2013 as well, but no issue was made out then as it is being done now.

 

Refusing to comment on individual cases, she said it is in the national interest to know if some evasion is happening.

 

"First of all, I am not commenting on any A or B individual. (But) since the names were taken, (I want to say) the very same names were raided in 2013," she said in an interaction with journalists at IWPC (Indian Women's Press Corps).

 

It "wasn't an issue (in 2013). It's an issue now," she said.

 

She, however, did not talk about the outcome of the 2013 raids and if any follow-up action was taken in the last seven years.

4:44 PM

SBI Payments, NPCI launch solution to enable contactless transactions

SBI Payments and National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) have joined hands to launch RuPay SoftPoS that will enable merchants to make contactless transactions of up to Rs 5,000 through their smart phones.

 

The solution has the capability to transform NFC (near field communication) enabled smartphones into merchant Point-of-Sale (PoS) terminals for retailers, SBI and NPCI said in a joint release on Friday.

 

Merchants will now be able to accept contactless payments of up to Rs 5,000 through a simple tap and pay mechanism on their smart phones.

 

RuPay SoftPoS will provide cost-effective acceptance infrastructure to retailers at nominal cost, it said, adding this will be able to proliferate digital payment acceptance among millions of underserved Indian MSMEs.

4:09 PM

Latest News: $1.4 bn Cairn award: FM says its her duty to appeal

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday indicated the government's intent to appeal against an arbitration panel asking India to return $1.4 billion to UK's Cairn Energy Plc, saying it is her "duty" to appeal in cases where the nation's sovereign authority to tax is questioned.

 

Last year, the government lost two high-profile arbitrations over the levy of taxes on British firms, using legislation that gave it the power to levy taxes with retrospective effect.

4:07 PM

Latest News: Biden looks forward to engaging with Quad partners in Indo-Pacific

US President Joe Biden looks forward to engaging with his counterparts in Australia, India and Japan in the Indo-Pacific region as soon as possible, according to a senior administration official.

 

Quad comprises Japan, India, Australia and the United States. The four countries had in 2017 given shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the "Quad" or the Quadrilateral coalition to counter China's aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific region.

 

President Biden has had warm and productive early conversations with his counterparts in Australia, India, and Japan, and looks forward to engaging even more directly with our partners in the Indo-Pacific as soon as possible, a senior administration official told PTI.

3:59 PM

OCI cardholders require special permit if they want to undertake missionary, 'Tabligh' activities: MHA

All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders are required to take a special permission from the central government if they want to be involved in any missionary, 'Tabligh' or journalistic activities in the country.

 

The OCI cardholders have parity with Indian nationals in the matter of tariffs in air fares in domestic sectors, entry fees for visiting national parks, national monuments and museums in India.

 

An official from the Union Home Ministry said these rules were part of the 'brochure' published by it in 2019 and were recently consolidated and notified.

 

The ministry, in its notification issued on Thursday, said the OCI cardholders are entitled to get multiple entry lifelong visa for visiting India for any purpose but "required to obtain a special permission or a special permit from the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer or the Indian Mission to undertake research and to undertake any missionary or Tabligh or mountaineering or journalistic activities".

3:48 PM

Latest LIVE: Express solidarity over violent attack in Sweden: Modi at virtual summit with Swedish PM

3:41 PM

Latest News: Xiaomi to bring smart TVs in India under Redmi brand

Chinese tech major Xiaomi will soon introduce smart TVs under the 'Redmi' brand in India as it looks to further expand its position in the burgeoning smart TV segment in the country.

 

Speaking to PTI, Xiaomi India Category Lead (Smart TV) Eshwar Nilakantan said when the company had introduced its smart TVs in 2018, its aim was to increase the smart TV penetration in the country and "democratise" the segment.

 

"In 2018, the penetration was 18 per cent, less than one-fifth of the TVs sold were smart and we wanted to democratise the segment like we had done for smartphones. Since then, the 18 per cent has grown to a little over 55 per cent. We have grown with the market and sold over 5 million smart TVs," he said.