Latest News LIVE: People of Bengal 'angry' with Mamata Banerjee, says Shah

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11:29 PM

Need for relook at differential rates structure to help MSME: Experts

Experts have underlined the need for a relook at the differential rates structure with a view to helping the COVID-19-hit MSME sector entities and small corporates which often fail to obtain loan at better and competitive interest rates from banks and lending institutions.

 

Lower interest rates, the experts said, will make the MSMEs more competitive and help tide over the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Under the differential rates structure, the companies with high credit rate get loans from lending institutions at low rates, while those not having good ratings have to pay higher rates. The differential, according to experts, should be low at this juncture to enable the companies to come out of the crisis situation.

11:12 PM

Centre has right to summon officers: Amit Shah

Slamming West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the recent attack on BJP chief J P Nadda's convoy, Union Home Minister Shah on Sunday asserted the Centre has the right to summon state IPS officers responsible for providing him security for central deputation, and asked the TMC to go through the rules before pointing fingers at the union government.

 

He also said that rules for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act are yet to be framed because of the pandemic situation and the matter will be considered once the COVID-19 vaccination starts and the corona chain breaks.

 

Addressing a press conference here, Shah claimed that Banerjee and the Trinamool Congress raked up the "outsider- insider" issue to divert public attention from the failures of the state government and said that a "son of the soil" would lead the state if the BJP is voted to power.

10:46 PM

Direct your quest for brilliance towards making country proud: Punjab FM to youth

Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal on Sunday called on the youngsters to direct their quest for individual brilliance towards making the country proud.

 

Bringing down the curtains on the fourth Military Literature Festival (MLF) through a virtual ceremony, he underlined the role played by it in reigniting the craze for the defence forces amongst the Punjabi youth.

 

Elaborating on the reasons for coming up with the MLF in 2016, Badal expressed his gratitude towards Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for his guidance and direction, according to a government release.

10:18 PM

Triumphant Shah marches through Bolpur denouncing Mamata's "fiefdom" politics

Having dented Mamata Banerjee's citadel a day before, a triumphant Amit Shah drove through the Bolpur city centre on Sunday like a victor amid showers of marigold petals and chants of "Jai Shri Ram".

 

The architect of BJP's resurgence in the state once considered a Left bastion and then Mamata Banerjee's fiefdom, asserted the saffron party will form the next government with over 200 seats. West Bengal has a 294-member state assembly.

 

He repeatedly attacked the Banerjee government over "corruption, extortion, and Bangladeshi infiltration" patronised by "bhatija", a reference to TMC MP and Mamata's nephew Abhishek Banerjee. And the crowds roared in approval.

10:06 PM

EU-UK trade talks floundering over fish as cutoff day nears

Deep into a crucial weekend of negotiations, a breakthrough on fishing rights remained elusive for the European Union and Britain, leaving both without a trade agreement that would dull the edge of a chaotic, costly economic break on New Years Day.

 

With hundreds of thousands of jobs at stake throughout the economy, the tiny sector of fisheries continued to drive a wedge between the 27-nation bloc and the U.K., highlighting the animosity that drove them to a Brexit divorce over the past four years. Britain left the bloc in January, but a 11-month economic transition period ends on Dec. 31.

 

We continue to work hard," EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said in a statement as light faded over EU headquarters on Sunday.

9:41 PM

Pak's allegations on attacks by Indian troops on UN vehicle found false following probe: India

India on Sunday said Pakistan's allegations that Indian troops deliberately targeted a vehicle of the United Nations along the Line of Control were investigated in detail and found to be factually "incorrect and false".

 

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said Pakistan should responsibly investigate its "lapses" instead of repeating "baseless and fabricated" allegations against India to cover up its own "failure" in ensuring the safety and security of UN personnel in territory under its control.

 

Pakistan on Friday alleged that Indian troops targeted a vehicle of United Nations Military Observers (UNMO) in the Chirikot sector along the LoC. Indian government sources rejected the allegations that day itself.

8:48 PM

No more ‘Ma, Mati, Manush’, TMC is a family party now, says Amit Shah

In the concluding leg of his two-day tour of West Bengal, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) ‘Ma, Mati aur Manush’ slogan is non-existent now and it is limited to being a family party today.
 

“Instead of being concerned about the 10 crore people of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee is concerned about making her nephew (Abhishek Banerjee) the chief minister of West Bengal,” he added.

8:30 PM

North India reels under cold wave, Delhi sees season’s lowest at 3.4 deg C

Cold wave conditions continued across north India on Sunday, with most places in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh experiencing sub-zero temperatures and Delhi recording the season’s lowest temperature so far.
 

The national capital recorded the coldest morning of the season so far at 3.4 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
 

On Saturday, the minimum temperature at the Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for the city, had settled at 3.9 degrees Celsius.

7:21 PM

Amit Shah blasts Mamata govt over attack on Nadda's convoy

Home Minister Amit Shah slammed the Mamata Banerjee government over the recent attack on BJP chief JP Nadda's convoy, and asserted the Centre had the right to summon state IPS officers responsible for providing him security for central deputation.

He alleged Banerjee had failed to control the law and order situation in the state, which was rapidly falling on all development indices.

Shah, while addressing a press conference here, said Banerjee and the ruling TMC were raking up the "outsider- insider" issue to divert public attention from the failures of the state government.

 

5:54 PM

People of West Bengal are ‘angry’ with Mamata Banerjee, says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that the turnout of a sizeable number of people in his roadshow at Birbhum indicated that people of West Bengal are “angry” with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and want a change.
 

Accompanying Shah at the roadshow here was state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh and other party leaders.

5:29 PM

Amit Shah pays homage to Rabindranath Tagore at Bengal's Vishva-Bharati

Union Minister Amit Shah paid homage to Rabindranath Tagore during a visit to the Vishva-Bharati on Sunday, crediting the Nobel laureate for turning Shantiniketan into a centre for cultural exchanges.

He said that as the Vishva-Bharati nears its centenary year, Tagore's teachings should spread across the world, helping Indian knowledge and culture achieve international acclaim through his works.

"Tagore has not only enriched the philosophy and literature of India, but also made Shantiniketan a base for connecting Indian culture with that of many other countries," Shah told reporters at the end of his two-hour-long visit to the central university.

4:53 PM

People of Bengal want to get rid of ‘Bangladeshi infiltration’: Shah

People of West Bengal are yearning for change as they want to get rid of political violence, corruption, extortion and Bangladeshi infiltration, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday, attacking the Mamata Banerjee government.
 

Addressing people during a roadshow in this town associated with Bengali cultural and literary icon Rabindranath Tagore, Shah vowed to restore the state to its old glory when it was called “sonar Bangla” (Bengal of gold) if the BJP is voted to power.

4:28 PM

Raghav Chadha named co-incharge of Aam Aadmi Party’s Punjab unit

Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday congratulated Raghav Chadha on being appointed as co-incharge of party’s Punjab unit.
 

Earlier in the day, party’s Punjab unit tweeted, “AAP MLA from Rajinder Nagar and vice-chairman of Delhi Jal Board Raghav Chadha has been appointed as co-incharge of Aam Aadmi Party, Punjab.

4:04 PM

Defections will not have any impact on TMC's poll prospects: Bengal minister

The TMC on Sunday said there was no need to raise a hue and cry over the recent defections from the party, as "traitors and backstabbers have existed since time immemorial".
 

Addressing a press meet here, state panchayat minister and TMC MLA Subrata Mukherjee said his party is neither shocked nor crestfallen, as such desertions "wouldn't have any impact" on assembly polls, likely to be held in April-May.
 

The TMC does not attach much importance to such developments, he said, and pooh-poohed BJP's "absurd claims" of winning 250 of 294 assembly seats.

3:45 PM

BJP focusing on social, religious bodies to breach Mamata’s Bengal bastion

With Assembly elections just a few months away in West Bengal, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is now focussing on 10,000 social and religious organisations in the state to breach Mamata Banerjee’s bastion.

The organisations are believed to have great influence among Hindu voters in Bengal.
 

The BJP has started PR campaigns across the state to woo these social and religious groups. It has formed committees to make a connect with these organisations in every district, working under the directions of BJP National Secretary Anupam Hazra.

3:17 PM

IMA moves SC on allowing Ayurvedic doctors to perform surgeries

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has moved the Supreme Court against a Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) order to authorise postgraduate practitioners in specified streams of Ayurveda system of medicine to be trained to perform general surgical procedures.
 

The central government had allowed PG students of Ayurveda to perform various kinds of general surgery and medical procedures, including orthopaedic, ophthalmology, ENT and dental, by notifying an amendment in a gazette notification the CCIM issued in November.
 

Thee move has drawn a lot of criticism from doctors of modern medicine, leading to a series of protests by IMA members across the country this month.

2:46 PM

Pradhan dedicates Bengal's first oil and gas reserve to nation

West Bengal found a place in the oil map of India as Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday dedicated an oil and gas producing field in North 24 Parganas district to the nation.
 

He said production from the petroleum reserve here, about 47 km from Kolkata, has started with the extracted oil being sent to Haldia refinery of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).
 

"With the commencement of production from the Ashoknagar oil and gas reserve, West Bengal finds a place in the oil map," he said after inaugurating the project.

1:28 PM

Nine killed in Kabul explosion

At least nine people killed and 15 others injured after an explosion rocked Kabul on Sunday, police in the Afghan capital confirmed. The explosion took place in the city's Spin Kalay square in Police District 5 (PD5), reports Khaama Press. Ferdaws Faramarz, deputy spokesman of the Interior Ministry, said three vehicles caught fire at the location of the blast, but the cause remains unclear. The explosion targeted the vehicle of Haji Khan Mohammad Wardak, a member of parliament from Kabul. Wardak survived the attack.

1:22 PM

Gold imports dip 40% in April-November to $12.3 billion as demand falls

Gold imports, which have a bearing on the current account deficit, fell 40 per cent to $12.3 billion during April-November due to fall in demand in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data from the commerce ministry. Imports of the yellow metal stood at USD 20.6 billion in the corresponding period of 2019-20. The imports, however, recorded a year-on-year growth of 2.65 per cent in November to $3 billion.

1:15 PM

Fugitive Nirav Modi's brother charged in $2.6mn fraud in New York

Nehal Modi, the brother of fugitive jewellery merchant Nirav Modi, has been charged by a New York prosecutor in an alleged $2.6 million fraud carried out through a multilayered scheme to cheat one of the world's biggest diamond companies. Announcing the charges against Nehal Modi on Friday, the prosecutor, Cy Vance, said, "While diamonds maybe forever, this flawed scheme was not, and now Mr Modi will face the clarity of a New York Supreme Court indictment."

 

1:08 PM

Stricter curbs reintroduced in Sydney due to Covid-19 cluster

Australia's biggest city of Sydney reintroduced stricter restrictions on Sunday as confirmed cases related to newly-discovered coronavirus cluster has increased to 68. The state of New South Wales (NSW) recorded 30 more locally acquired coronavirus cases on Saturday night, and an additional six cases in hotel quarantine, making the total number of cases related to the cluster in Northern Beaches to 68, Xinhua news agency reported

12:52 PM

WhatsApp Pay now live ln India

The Instant Messaging application WhatsApp has finally rolled out WhatsApp's Payments (commonly known as WhatsApp Pay) feature to users across India for up to 20 million users. The feature has been launched with support from banking partners State Bank of India, HDFC, ICICI, and Axis Bank. According to Mashable, WhatsApp designed its payments feature on National Payments Corporation of India's (NPCI) Unified Payment Interface (UPI) system and was granted approvals to go live recently in November 2020 on a peer to peer (P2P) basis. It has enabled people to transfer money securely and easily, just like sending a message through WhatsApp.

 

12:36 PM

Amit Shah in Birbhum

12:32 PM

India gets eighth production basin

12:28 PM

Parl session cancelled to avoid debate on farmers' stir: Raut

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday claimed the winter session of Parliament was cancelled to avoid a debate on the ongoing farmers' protest against the Centre's new farm laws. In his weekly column 'Rokhthok' in the Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', Raut also questioned the need for spending "Rs 1,000 crore" on the Central Vista project when the Narendra Modi government was not interested in holding debates and Parliament session. Thousands of farmers have been protesting at Delhi borders since November 26 against the Centre's new agri laws. They have been demanding a repeal of the legislations.

 

 

12:22 PM

Covid-19-battered auto sector drives into 2021 with cautious optimism

Having endured and managed to recover from the disruptions induced by a once-in-a-century event, the Indian auto sector is cautiously looking forward to 2021 with hopes of putting up a better show in the post-COVID-19 world, although a lot will hinge on how the economy grows. Already battered by an unprecedented slowdown before the coronavirus pandemic, the resilience of the Indian auto industry was tested severely when the nationwide lockdown was announced towards March-end.

12:02 PM

Air India privatisation to spill into FY21-22, unlikely this fiscal

Privatisation of Air India may spill into next fiscal year as the divestment process is unlikely to conclude in the remaining a little over three months of 2020-21, an official said. Salt-to-software conglomerate Tata Group and US-based fund Interups Inc were among "multiple" entities that put in preliminary bids last week for buying loss-making carrier Air India. A group of over 200 Air India employees also submitted an expression of interest (EoI) for the carrier in partnership with Interups at the close of the deadline on December 14.

11:44 AM

Fuel prices steady across metros for 13th day, petrol at Rs 83.71 per litre

Petrol and diesel prices were unchanged for the 13th consecutive day on Sunday across the four metro cities. In the national capital, petrol was priced at Rs 83.71 per litre. In the other key cities of Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, the fuel was sold for Rs 90.34, Rs 86.51 and Rs 85.19 a litre respectively. Oil market companies (OMC) have gone on a wait-and-watch mode at a time when news of successful coronavirus vaccine and expectations of big pick-up in demand have kept crude on the boil with prices breaching $52 a barrel mark.

 

11:30 AM

Cold waves grip north India

11:19 AM

Nepal PM reaches President's Office to dissolve the Parliament

At an emergency meeting called by PM KP Sharma Oli, the council of ministers recommends to dissolve the Parliament. "It (recommendation) has been sent to the President," says Energy Miniter Barsaman Pun.  

 

The decision has been made in haste as all the ministers weren’t present in the cabinet meeting this morning. This is against the democratic norms & would take the nation backwards. It can’t be implemented: Narayankaji Shrestha, Spokesperson of ruling Nepal Communist Party