Latest News LIVE: WCD, AYUSH ministries sign MoU to eradicate malnutrition

Stay tuned for Latest LIVE news

4:01 AM

Reformist farm laws that dent status quo have strong basis in data

“The Indian farmer needs Marks and Spencer more than Marx and Engels,” the late farmer leader from Maharashtra, Sharad Joshi, used to say, in support of liberalising agricultural marketing in India. Nearly forty years after his clarion call for removing shackles from the hands of farmers, the Union government passed three laws that create a legal framework for deregulating the farm market to some extent.

 

While chaos ruled in the Upper house of the Parliament when the bills were passed on Sunday, the opposition of Punjab and Haryana’s protesting farmers has now been seconded by farmer groups in Maharashtra and elsewhere. Read more

3:55 AM

Most global investors cautious of equities after sharp rally: Raychaudhuri

The market rally since March 2020 lows has been led mostly by foreign institutional investors. MANISHI RAYCHAUDHURI, head of Asia Pacific equity research, BNP Paribas, tells Puneet Wadhwa the reason for India being such an FII favourite is the breadth of stocks and sectors that the market offers. Edited excerpts... Read more

3:52 AM

IPL 2020: RCB look to fix old problems against Sunrisers Hyderabad

As opening examinations go, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) couldn’t have expected anything sterner. David Warner, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain, has expressed a willingness to come flying out of the blocks, and RCB, given their abject recent record, might not be such a bad place to start. The Virat Kohli-led team finished bottom last season — although only one point separated fourth and eighth — while SRH made the playoffs, losing to Delhi Capitals in the eliminator.

 

However, the two sides look evenly matched heading into the new season. Batting is the stronger suit for both, and you can expect Warner and Kohli to bank heavily on their spinners in conditions that are likely to favour them. Though it’s worth mentioning that SRH have slightly the better bowling unit, with bowlers that can offer more variety, one of the cornerstones for success in the T20 format. Read more

12:48 AM

UN chief: No support for reimposing Iran sanctions now

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the United Nations will not support reimposing sanctions on Iran as the United States is demanding until he gets a green light from the Security Council.

 

The UN chief said in a letter to the council president obtained Sunday by The Associated Press that there would appear to be uncertainty on whether or not US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo triggered the snapback mechanism in the Security Council resolution that enshrined the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six major powers.

12:24 AM

Will move court and fight the 'draconian' farm legislations as soon as they get presidential nod: Punjab CM Amarinder Singh

12:23 AM

The farm legislations are against the interest of farmers. Today will be remembered as a 'black day for democracy': Congress

9:04 PM

EPFO records over 845,000 new enrolments in July

Net new enrolments with retirement fund body EPFO rose to 8.45 lakh in July from 482,000 in June 2020, according to its latest payroll data, providing a perspective on employment in the formal sector amid the Covid-19 crisis.

Provisional payroll data released by the EPFO last month had shown that net new enrolments stood at 6.55 lakh in June this year. The figure has now been revised down to 4,82,352.

The net enrolments with the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) had dropped to 5.72 lakh in March 2020 from 102.1 million in February, according to the payroll data released in May.

8:57 PM

UN report on presence of ISIS terrorists in Kerala, Karnataka incorrect: Govt in LS

The government on Sunday dismissed as "factually not correct" a United Nations report which suggested presence of "significant numbers" of ISIS terrorists in Kerala and Karnataka. Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy's reply came in Lok Sabha on whether the government is aware of the United Nations report, titled 'The 26th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning ISIS, Al-Qaeda and associated individuals and entities', stating that there are "significant numbers" of ISIS terrorists in Kerala and Karnataka.

The minister said the government was aware of the report.

8:44 PM

Only 'swadeshi' products available in central police canteens: Govt

The Central Police Canteens (CPC), now renamed as Kendriya Police Kalyan Bhandar (KPKB), have been selling only ''swadeshi'' products in order to promote domestic industries, the Lok Sabha was informed on Sunday.

Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai told the Lower House that 119 ''master bhandar'' and 1,871 ''subsidiary bhandar'' are functioning for the benefit of serving and retired personnel of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).

Besides, he said, 10 ''mini bhandar'' have been sanctioned for Ex-Central Armed Police Force Personnel Association, out of which, seven are functioning under the supervision of ''master bhandar''.

8:31 PM

Farmers block roads in Haryana, burn effigies in Punjab

Farmers on Sunday blocked roads in Haryana and burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in neighbouring Punjab, protesting against the farm bills passed in Parliament.

Two MLAs from the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which is part of the BJP-led ruling coalition in Haryana, also participated in the protests, reflecting a rift on the issue among their ranks on the issue.

Farmers occupied portions of roads and highways at several places in the state between 12 and 3 pm, following a call given by the Haryana unit of the Bhartiya Kisan Union against the agri-marketing bills, two of which were passed by Rajya Sabha on Sunday.

8:19 PM

Noida: Rs 3,090-cr infra projects to be ready before Dec 2021

Infrastructure projects, including key road underpasses , multi-level parking lots and an indoor stadium, costing over Rs 3,090 crore in Noida are expected to be completed by end of 2021, officials said on Sunday. Work is underway on 11 projects worth Rs 545 crore and their completion is expected by December 2020, while 14 other projects worth Rs 2,546 crore are scheduled by end of the next year, a senior Noida Authority official said.

 

The completion of four projects is expected by the end of this month. These include two multi-level parking lots, one each in sector 3 (Rs 62 crore) and sector 16A Filmcity (Rs 110 crore), besides Shaheed Bhagat Singh park (Rs 23 crore) and Biodiversity Park (Rs 35 crore), Noida Authority General Manager Rajeev Tyagi said.

8:06 PM

I am also a farmer, MSP, APMC not going to end: Rajnath

7:50 PM

21 states accept Rs 97,000 cr borrowing proposal to meet GST shortfall

The Centre has received support of 21 states and Union Territories for its offer of Rs 97,000 crore RBI window to give them compensation under the goods and services tax (GST) regime. This would help clear this proposal in the GST Council in case of voting.

 

The 21 states and UTs are Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Puducherry, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, finance ministry sources said.

7:30 PM

Haryana farmers block roads, copies of farm bills burnt in Punjab

Farmers on Sunday blocked roads in Haryana and burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in neighbouring Punjab, protesting against the farm bills passed in Parliament.

Farmers occupied portions of roads and highways at several places in Haryana between 12 and 3 pm, following a call given by the state unit of the Bhartiya Kisan Union against the agri-marketing bills, two of which were passed in Rajya Sabha on Sunday.

After 3 pm, reports said the road blockades were lifted, ending the day's protests in which BKU was also supported by several other farmer organisations.

7:12 PM

No mention of ending MSP in farm bills: Dushyant Chautala

6:56 PM

Ministries of WCD, AYUSH sign MoU for eradication of malnutrition

The Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) on Sunday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of AYUSH to join efforts to eradicate malnutrition in the country.

Speaking at the event, Minister of State for AYUSH, Shripad Naik said that integration of the AYUSH Ministry and the Ministry of WCD would go a long way in eliminating malnutrition, which was one of the main reasons for infant mortality below the age of five.

6:31 PM

Rs 4.29 trillion cost overrun reported in 432 infra projects

As many as 432 infrastructure projects, each worth at least Rs 150 crore, have reported total cost overruns of over Rs 4.29 trillion, according to data from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

 

According to the data, as of August 1, 2020, out of the 1,670 central sector infrastructure projects costing Rs 150 crore and above, 8 projects are ahead of schedule, 212 are on schedule, 505 are delayed, 432 have reported cost overrun and 202 projects reported both time and cost overrun with respect to their original project implementation schedules.

 

"Total original cost of implementation of the 1,670 projects was Rs 20.58 trillion crore and their anticipated completion cost is likely to be Rs 24.87 trillion crore, which reflects overall cost overruns of Rs 4,29,168.28 crore (20.85 per cent of original cost)," the report said.

6:16 PM

Appliances, consumer electronics industry hopeful of robust sales this festive season

The appliances and consumer electronics industry is expecting double-digit growth in sales in the upcoming festive season, which will be further supported by absence of domestic helps and people working from home, according to industry body CEAMA.

The consumer electronics and appliances sector, which has already started on a positive note with Onam in August, saw sales growth in last couple of months owing to pent-up demand, but there is another element playing a role of a key driver, i.e. consumers are looking for a substitute for domestic help amid health safety concerns due to Covid-19.

5:55 PM

J&K villages along LoC finally connected with national electricity grid after 7 decades

Shouts of ''Bijli'' from thrilled villagers lit up the face of Kupwara Deputy Commissioner Anshul Garg after efforts for over a year finally connected habitats in Keran and Machil in far north Kashmir to the national power grid, ending an over seven-decade-long wait for people living in these areas along the Line of Control.

 

"When I took over as deputy commissioner (DC) of this northernmost district of the country, I began interacting with local people living in far-flung areas, especially those in villages located near the LoC (Line of Control)," 31-year-old Garg, an IIT-Delhi graduate, said.

5:33 PM

Coronavirus, LAC tensions cast shadow on Ladakh tourism industry

The hotels are unoccupied, the taxies unhired and the markets bereft of their usual hustle bustle. Ladakh is missing its guests. As people step out of the Leh airport, Cherring Namgyal (32) waits for tourists he can ferry in his taxi to different exotic locations in Ladakh. But that's a futile wait.

A few who are coming are either locals or people on official work.

The coronavirus has hit us hard and there are barely any tourists this season. The tourist season is coming to an end. To add to it, people are apprehensive about the ongoing tensions on the border, Cherring Namgyal said.

5:18 PM

Yamaha expects India sales to be 10-year low in 2020

Two-wheeler major Yamaha Motor on Sunday said it estimates sales in the Indian market to be the lowest in a decade in 2020 because of drastic fall in consumer's buying sentiment due to Covid-19 pandemic.

The Japanese company's wholly-owned subsidiary Yamaha Motor India Sales, which has witnessed a fall of over 36 per cent in its domestic sales in January-August this year, opines that the pandemic is likely to change the practice of shared transportation as people will prioritise social distancing and personal hygiene.

"Yamaha expects demand to gradually grow, although the total sales volume for the year 2020 will remain the lowest in a decade," Yamaha Motor India Sales (YMIS) Senior Vice President Ravinder Singh told PTI in an interview.

5:07 PM

Watch: Maldives' FM speaks in Hindi to thank India

4:55 PM

Covid-19 provides opportunity to India, Japan to further strengthen ties: Report

The Covid-19 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to both India and Japan to further strengthen economic ties by enhancing cooperation in areas like software development, modern technology, infrastructure and manufacturing, according to a report.

The report, prepared by Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas and FICCI, also said that Japan has always treated India as a preferred partner in terms of economics, trade and commerce.

"Covid-19 pandemic has provided great opportunities for the two nations and its businesses to join hands and forge a new alliance in terms of harvesting the fruits of demographic dividend that India provides, and push India towards becoming a major global manufacturing hub amidst the changing economic atmosphere," it said.

4:40 PM

PSBs report frauds worth over Rs 19,964 cr in Apr-Jun, says RBI

Public sector banks (PSBs) reported frauds worth over Rs 19,964 crore in total 2,867 cases during the April-June quarter of the ongoing fiscal year, according to a reply to an RTI query. The country's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) saw the highest number of fraud cases; however, Bank of India was the worst hit in terms of value, as per a reply from the Reserve Bank on frauds reported by these lenders to RTI activist Chandra Shekhar Gaur.

Of the 12 PSBs, SBI reported the maximum 2,050 fraud cases involving Rs 2,325.88 crore during April-June 2020.

Bank of India took the biggest hit in terms of valuation at Rs 5,124.87 crore in 47 cases, followed by Canara Bank Rs 3,885.26 crore in 33 cases, Bank of Baroda Rs 2,842.94 crore in 60 cases, Indian Bank Rs 1,469.79 crore in 45 cases, Indian Overseas Bank Rs 1,207.65 crore in 37 cases and Bank of Maharashtra Rs 1,140.37 crore in 9 cases.

4:25 PM

It is a landmark day: Rajnath Singh on passage of farm bills in Rajya Sabha

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hailed the passage of two big ticket farm bills by Rajya Sabha on Sunday, calling it a "landmark day" for India's agriculture sector and farmers.

 

While major opposition parties are against the bills, the government has been maintaining that the proposed legislations will help small and marginal farmers secure competitive prices for their produce.

 

"With the passing of two landmark agriculture Bills in Rajya Sabha today, India has cemented the strong foundation for Atmanirbhar Agriculture'," the defence minister tweeted.

4:11 PM

Trump backs TikTok deal involving Oracle and Walmart

US President Donald Trump has announced a proposed deal on TikTok involving two American companies - Oracle and Walmart that would allow the US operations of the Chinese video sharing application, which was placed on a ban list due to security concerns.

The deal mandates the creation of a new American company -- incorporated in Texas -- and the prospect of 25,000 new jobs. Further, TikTok will give USD 5 billion to fund the education of American youths.

3:56 PM

A watershed moment in history: PM Modi on farm bills

3:44 PM

Ashiana Housing to invest nearly Rs 400 cr on new housing projects

Realty firm Ashiana Housing will invest around Rs 400 crore over the next four years on new housing projects that it plans to launch during this fiscal year, and is also looking for partnerships with landowners for expansion of its business, a top company official said.

 

In an interview with PTI, Delhi-based Ashiana Housing's MD Vishal Gupta said housing sales are recovering gradually post lockdown. "We will launch over 14 lakh sq ft area during this financial year. This will be new phases in existing projects as well as entirely new projects," Gupta said.

3:28 PM

Opposition members sit in protest inside RS after House adjourned

The Congress and other opposition party member sat in protest inside Rajya Sabha even after the House was adjourned for the day after the passage of two farm bills.

Members of the Congress, Trinamool Congress, DMK, Left parties and some others sat in protest inside the Rajya Sabha chamber even after it was adjourned.

The House sitting ends at 1 PM and Rajya Sabha chamber has to be sanitised by 3 PM when Lok Sabha sits for a session. Both the chambers of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are being used for each House to allow members to follow physical distancing norms.

Congress chief whip in Rajya Sabha told PTI that the opposition members will continue to sit in Rajya Sabha chamber till 3 PM to lodge their protest against the government's attitude.

3:03 PM

MHA calls meet to discuss 3 key issues of Assam; Shah, Sonowal to attend

Union Home Ministry has convened a high-level meeting here on Sunday to discuss three key issues of Assam -- the NRC, demand for granting ST status to six communities and report of a committee set up for implementation of a vital clause of the Assam Accord, officials said.
 

A team of top functionaries of the Assam government, led by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, has arrived in Delhi for the meeting. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and top officials of the home ministry will attend it.