Latest News LIVE: Social activist Swami Agnivesh dies in Delhi at 80

India and China have agreed on a five-point plan for resolving the prolonged border face-off in eastern Ladakh. Stay tuned for Latest LIVE news

9:46 PM

Sonia Gandhi reconstitutes Congress Working Committee

9:21 PM

Congress drops Gulam Nabi Azad, Ambika Soni, Mallikarjun Khadge from list of general secretaries

9:02 PM

SEBI announces changes to constitution of multi-cap funds

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Friday announced changes to the constitution of multi-cap funds, wherein the regulator has directed such funds to have a minimum corpus of 75 per cent invested in equities.

So far, the minimum mandated investment in equity and equity-related instruments stood at 65 per cent of total assets, with no guidelines on how they were allocated across segments.

8:52 PM

Maharashtra govt releases guidelines for hotels to resume operations

The Maharashtra government released a standard operating procedure and guidelines for hotels, lodges and resorts, which have been permitted to resume operations at 100 per cent capacity amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Barring containment zones, hotels, resorts, homestays, farm stays etc in rest of the state will be allowed to operate.

 

As per the guidelines, which have been circulated to all stakeholders, all travellers will be screened at entry point using thermal guns to record their body temperature and check for symptoms of cough and cold. Only asymptomatic tourists will be permitted to stay, it was stated.

8:43 PM

Gujarat ranked best state in providing strong ecosystem for startups: DPIIT

Gujarat has again emerged as the best performer in developing startup ecosystem for budding entrepreneurs, according to the ranking of states and union territories (UTs) done by the department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT).

 

Gujarat was categorised as the best performer among all states and Delhi, barring north-eastern states and other UTs. Read more

8:34 PM

Govt extends deadline for merchant bankers to bid for IRCTC till Sept 14

The government has extended the deadline for merchant bankers to bid for managing IRCTC stake sale by 4 days till September 14.

 

The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) has initiated the process to sell 15-20 per cent stake in Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corp (IRCTC) via offer for sale (OFS) and had last month invited bids from merchant bankers by September 10. Read on

8:24 PM

State Ranking Framework 2020 for startups underway: DPIIT

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has started working on State Ranking Framework 2020 for startups and it will take into account the feedback of the participating states and UTs, according to a report.

 

The ranking based on the 2019 framework was released by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday in which Gujarat bagged the top position.

 

The DPIIT's report said the next framework delves deeper into policies and incentives and builds on comprehensive accounts of states in the process of the ranking exercise of 2019.

8:15 PM

Social activist Swami Agnivesh passes away at 80

7:56 PM

Govt working on database of migrant labourers: Minister

Union Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar on Friday said the government is working on creating a database of migrant labourers so that they get direct benefit of various welfare schemes.

 

Speaking at an event after inauguration of a new building of the Labour Bureau Bhawan here, the Minister of State (Independent charge) for Labour and Employment said an accurate database is crucial for formulation of any policy. Read more

7:45 PM

Railway to soon link all Northeast state capitals, Bangladesh: Goyal

The Indian Railways are working on connecting capitals of all eight northeastern states and also executing a project to link up with Bangladesh's railway networks to facilitate communication with other parts of India via the neighbouring country, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday.

 

With the Centre's focus on all-round development of the region through better linkages, the Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR) had already connected Assam's main city of Guwahati (adjoining capital Dispur), Tripura's capital Agartala and Arunachal Pradesh's Itanagar. Read more

7:32 PM

'Prison-like atmosphere': Tagore's family writes to Mamata against Visva-Bharati authorities

Several luminaries, including members of Rabindranath Tagore's family, have written to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee against the Visva- Bharati authorities, urging her government to take possession of a century-old heritage road as they fear that access to it might be blocked.

 

Considering the spree of building high boundary walls in several parts of Shantiniketan and creating a "prison-like atmosphere", there are apprehensions that the 3-km road connecting Visva-Bharati with Tagore's dream village Sriniketan will also be blocked for public soon and a new road come up in its place, said the letter written by 40 eminent persons, including a member of painter Nandalal Bose's family.

 

"An 8-9 feet high wall is nearing completion on a portion of this old road which is dotted with residences of luminaries like Amartya Sen, Khsitimohan Sen and Nandalal Bose," the letter written in Bengali said.

7:24 PM

Rajnath Singh holds high-level meeting on situation in eastern Ladakh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and top military brass on Friday deliberated on the five-point agreement reached between India and China on de-escalating tension along LAC in eastern Ladakh, government sources said.

 

The deliberation was attended by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria and Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh among others, they said.

 

The meeting also carried out a comprehensive review of the security scenario in eastern Ladakh in view of fresh confrontation by two sides in the southern bank of Pangong lake earlier this week, the sources said.

 

"The meeting discussed the agreement reached between the two countries," said a source.

7:13 PM

Pondicherry University reschedules end semester examinations

Pondicherry University rescheduled all the end semester examinations of affiliated colleges and said students wouldbe given the option to take tests online or offline. The examinations were scheduled to be held from September 14 to 19.

 

With the guidelines of the University Grants Commission (UGC) coming into force, the end semeseter examinations would begin from September 21, a release from the Controller of Examinations of the university said.

7:04 PM

Govt constitutes EGoM to oversee process of corporatisation of OFB

6:53 PM

Major among two army officers injured in mine blast along LoC in J&K

Two army men, including a Major, were injured in a land mine blast along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, sources said on Friday.

 

The blast at an anti-personnel mine took place in Khori Dhaba area on Thursday night during a routine patrolling of the forward areas along the Line of Control, they said.

 

A Major-rank officer and a Subedar were injured in the incident, the sources added.

6:42 PM

Kochi Metro to increase frequency of trains

The Kochi Metro is set to increase the frequency of trains from September 14 onwards, to help the office goers avoid the rush amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to an official release, from morning 8:30 am to 11:30 am the frequency of trains will be every seven minutes. The seven minutes headway will be maintained during the evening from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm also.

6:31 PM

Indian, Chinese Army hold Brigade Commander level talks in Chushul

Indian Army and Chinese Army held Brigade Commander level talks in Chushul, Ladakh on Friday, a day after the meeting between Foreign Ministers of the two countries. Indian Army sources said the meeting started at 11am and ended around 3pm.

 

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar held a detailed discussion with the State Councillor and Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi in Moscow on Thursday on the current tensions in the India-China border areas. The meeting lasted two-and-a-half hours.

 

According to government sources, Jaishankar said that as the recent incidents in eastern Ladakh have inevitably impacted the development of the bilateral relationship, an urgent resolution of the current situation was in the interest of both the nations.

6:22 PM

Startups doing excellent work in roadways, waterways, railways: Goyal

6:13 PM

Puri launches framework for cities to inculcate climate-sensitive approach to urban planning

Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday launched a framework which provides a roadmap for cities to inculcate a climate-sensitive approach to urban planning and development.

 

The Union housing and urban affairs minister also launched'Streets for People Challenge', which aims to inspire cities to create walking-friendly and vibrant streets through quick, innovative, and low-cost measures in response to Covid-19.

 

At a virtual event, after launching 'Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework 2.0', Puri said, "It is estimated that climate change will impact the Indian GDP by 2-6 per cent on an annual basis. "This means that our future development goals and investments will also be severely affected if we do not address climate risks now."

 

Elaborating about the 'Streets for People Challenge', he said itaims to inspire Indian cities to create walking-friendly streets through quick, innovative and low-cost measures in response to Covid-19 in collaboration with their citizens and assistance from experts.

6:04 PM

Moody's projects Indian economy to contract 11.5% this fiscal

Moody's Investors Service on Friday slashed India's growth projection for the current fiscal to (-) 11.5 per cent, from (-) 4 per cent estimated earlier. It said India's credit profile is increasingly constrained by low growth, high debt burden and weak financial system. These risks have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.

 

"Mutually reinforcing risks from deeper stresses in the economy and financial system could lead to a more severe and prolonged erosion in fiscal strength, exerting further pressure on the credit profile," Moody's said while projecting an 11.5 per cent contraction in Indian economy this fiscal.

 

For 2021-22, it projected the economy to clock a growth of 10.6 per cent.

5:54 PM

1,308 domestic flight arrivals on Sept 10: Hardeep Puri

The airports in India handled 2,64,450 footfalls due to domestic air operations on Thursday in 2,616 flight movements including departures and arrivals.

 

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said in a tweet that there have been 1,308 departures and 1,308 arrivals.

 

"Soaring Higher! Domestic Operations on 10th September 2020, Day 110 till 2359 hrs. Departures 1308 1,32,293 passengers handled. Arrivals 1308 1,32,157 passengers handled. Total movements 2,616 Footfalls at airports 2,64,450 Total number of flyers 1,32,293," he said.

5:44 PM

Irdai allows insurers to issue e-policies; calls it 'the new norm'

The insurance sector regulator has allowed general and health insurers to issue policies in electronic form and this e-policy will become a norm in the future, a senior Irdai official said on Friday.

 

Speaking at an industry event, T L Alamelu, Member (Non-Life) Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India (Irdai), however, said a lot more needs to be done in the insurance sector for both policyholders and other stakeholders.

 

"As far as regulator is concerned, there is still lot more to be done. We are continually tracking what needs to be done, not only for the policyholders but for all the stakeholders. Some of the things which we have done are relevant to the health insurance industry," she said.

5:32 PM

Odisha CM announces Rs 300 cr package for farmers affected by floods

5:23 PM

ED fines Standard Chartered Rs 100 cr for FEMA breach, penalizes two others

The Special Director of Enforcement, Chennai has imposed penalties of Rs 100 crore on Standard Chartered Bank, of Rs 17 crore on Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Limited (TMBL) and Rs 35 crore on M G M Maran, then Chairman and Director of TMBL.

 

According to the ED, an investigation under FEMA was taken up based on a reference received from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to check on advance remittances received by certain entities for purchase of TMBL shares through escrow mechanism maintained with Standard Chartered Bank, Mumbai (SCB). Read more

5:14 PM

Heavy rains, flood caused Rs 9,500 crore loss in MP: Chouhan

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday said extremely heavy rains and floods in the last week of August resulted in Rs 9,500 crore loss to the state. He told this to a central team, which is in the state to assess the damage caused by the rains.

 

"Extremely heavy rainfall and flooding caused Rs 9,500 crore loss as crops, houses, livestock and roads suffered damages," Chouhan told reporters at his residence after meeting the team.

5:05 PM

Govt lists 23 new bills for Monsoon session

The government has listed 23 new bills, including 11 which seek to replace ordinances, for introduction in Parliament's Monsoon session beginning Monday.

One of the ordinances the government plans to pass as a bill during the 18-day-long session relates to providing preventive measures against violence on heathcare personnel.

Another ordinance to be replaced by a bill relates to reduction in the salary of MPs by 30 per cent for a period of one year beginning April 1, 2020. The amount will be utilised in the fight against coronavirus.

Other bills include:

Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020
Factoring Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020 
Jammu and Kashmir Official Language Bill, 2020
Multi State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2020 
Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2020

4:56 PM

Fire on IOC charter vessel doused, major environmental disaster averted

In a massive effort, Indian and Sri Lankan agencies have put out a fire on an oil tanker off Sri Lanka's coast without spilling any of the two million barrels of cargo it was carrying, averting a major environmental disaster.

 

"This is a story of great coordination and superb multi-disciplinary efforts. Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy alongside Sri Lankan Navy have successfully put out the fire on New Diamond vessel," said Shrikant Madhav Vaidya, Chairman of Indian Oil Corp (IOC).

 

The very large crude carrier (VLCC), which was chartered by IOC to ferry oil from Kuwait to its Paradip refinery in Odisha, caught fire on September 3, about 65 kilometers off the east coast of Sri Lanka.

 

Vaidya said the fire was extinguished two days back, without any impact on the oil that the ship was carrying.

4:48 PM

Govt plans to construct over 50,000 km 4 and 6 lanes highways

Terming InvIT as an attractive vehicle for mobilising funds for road infrastructure, the government on Friday said it is planning to construct over 50,000 km of highways.

 

"Addressing a meeting of leading and large investor groups in New Delhi last evening, Secretary - Road Transport and Highways Giridhar Aramane said the ministry has plans for construction of over 50,000 kilometres of highways, a majority of those will be 4 and 6 lanes wide," the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said in a statement.

4:37 PM

Bengaluru airport opens 10,000 sq ft warehouse

As part of its vision to make Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB/ BLR Airport) a cargo hub, Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) has opened a 10,000 square feet warehouse.

 

Operated by Cargo Service Center (CSC), the on-airport public bonded warehouse would be under the jurisdiction of theCity Commissionerate, Bengaluru Customs. "The facility will reduce supply chain costs and facilitate trade at India's IT hub and surrounding regions", BIAL, which operates the airport, said a statement on Friday.

 

The warehouse will help re-export of goods, long-term storage of bonded cargo, assist in partial clearances and allow value-added services such as labelling, packing and repacking services.

4:30 PM

PM to launch, inaugurate projects worth Rs 16,000 cr in Bihar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch and inaugurate development works worth over Rs 16,000 crore in the next 10 days in poll-bound Bihar, sources said on Friday. These multiple projects will improve infrastructure and ease of living for the people of Bihar, they said.

The sources said that the projects pertain to a number of sectors, including LPG pipeline, LPG bottling plant, sewage treatment plant under Namami Gange, water supply schemes, riverfront development project, new railway line, railway bridge, electrification of various sections, and construction of highways and bridges.