Latest news LIVE: Rs 110 crore scam in PM-Kisan Nidhi scheme busted in TN

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3:21 AM

American Airlines OKs Black Lives Matter pins for employees

American Airlines will let employees wear Black Lives Matter pins on their uniforms, calling it a matter of equality and not politics.
 

With the move, American joins Starbucks, Delta Air Lines and other major companies that let employees wear items supporting the movement that protests police violence against Blacks.
 

An American Airlines spokeswoman said Tuesday that Black employees saw workers at other airlines wearing a Black Lives Matter pin and asked if they could too.
 

"Fundamentally, we believe Black Lives Matter is an expression of equality, not a political statement," said the spokeswoman, Sarah Jantz.

"It doesn't mean other lives don't matter, rather that in our society Black lives should matter and be valued the same as others." American is working with Black employees to design the pin. The airline allows other pins including ones supporting Christians, veterans and LGBTQ people.
 

Starbucks reportedly banned employees from wearing Black Lives Matter shirts, then created one for workers to wear in June.
 

American's decision drew mixed reviews on Twitter.
 

Some people praised the airline, while others called Black Lives Matter a domestic terrorist group, a label used by Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump's personal lawyer.
 

9:43 PM

Rift in Cong-led UDF wide open: Ramesh Chennithala slams KC-M Jose K Mani faction

The rift in the Congress-led United Democratic Front became more evident on Tuesday when the Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly Ramesh Chennithala lashed out at the Jose K Mani faction of the Kerala Congress (M) alleging that it betrayedand backstabbed the Front.
 

However, Jose K Mani saidthose who wish to destroy the KC(M) have expressed their interestopenly.
 

"We have kept them (Jose K Mani faction) away from the UDF meeting because they failed to honour a seat-sharing agreement.But the faction betrayed and took an independent decision against the Front during the Assembly session.
 

However, we didn't take any action.Even during the no-confidence motion in the Assembly, their MLAs, who won as part of the UDF, left the Assembly betraying the Front.
 

We feel that If K M Mani was alive, he would not have allowed such moves which amount to backstabbing the Front," Chennithala said.
 

Responding to the UDF meeting and the allegations, Jose K Mani told reporters at Kottayam thaty the KC(M) was part of the UDF for over four decades and not once it had betrayed theFront.
 

"That's not part of our culture.However, the UDF has politically betrayed the party of Mani sir. We didn't leave the Front, we were ousted.
 

However, the UDF is not talking about the betrayal of the Joseph faction (of KC-M) which acted detrimental to the Front during the Pala bypoll," he alleged.
 

Two members of the UDF ally, Kerala Congress Jose K Mani faction, abstained from the voting process onthe no-confidence motion moved by the UDF against the left government on August 24.

9:40 PM

Crunch Brexit talks begin amid row over divorce agreement

Crunch Brexit talks to thrash out a trade agreement between the UK and European Union (EU) got underway on Tuesday amid a brewing row over the so-called divorce deal struck earlier this year, ahead of Britain's formal exit from the economic bloc on January 31. The current transition period after that exit ends at the end of December before which both sides must agree the terms of their future relationship or end up with a no-deal Brexit.
 

The EU's Chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, arrived here to kick-start what is expected to be a crucial round of talks to strike an agreement with Britain's negotiator, David Frost.
 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has set an October 15 timeframe to reach a mutually agreed plan for the future of UK-EU relations. However, the talks have been overshadowed by a brewing row over Johnson's plan to override parts of the Withdrawal Agreement, or divorce bill, signed on January 24.
 

The government plans to table proposals in Parliament on Wednesday to give UK ministers unilateral legal powers to oversee elements of the Northern Ireland Protocol, the UK territory which shares a border with the EU member-state of Ireland.
 

Amid anger from Brussels and Dublin, Downing Street insists that the measures are “limited and reasonable” and would remain compliant with the Northern Ireland Protocol.

9:24 PM

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar lands in Moscow

9:12 PM

States' borrowings soar 51% to Rs 2.97 trn so far this fiscal

The coronavirus pandemic-stricken states have borrowed a whopping Rs 2.97 trillion so far this financial year, which is as much as 51 per cent more than the corresponding period a year ago.

 

But, the massive spike is led by just three states -- Karnataka, which borrowed Rs 23,000 crore, a 475 per cent more than last year's Rs 4,000 crore; Maharashtra borrowed 200 per cent more at Rs 37,500 crore as against Rs 12,500 crore last year; and Tamil Nadu borrowed Rs 46,000 crore or 117 per cent over Rs 21,190 crore of last year.

 

This means that these three states contributed as much as 38 per cent of the total incremental borrowing by the states so far this fiscal, according to domestic rating agency CARE.

9:02 PM

Northern India's energy systems can be totally moved to clean power by 2050: Report

Northern India's energy systems can be entirely switched to clean power by 2050, which in turn can create as many as 5 million new jobs, according to a report.

 

As per the study by Finland's Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT) and Delhi-based Climate Trends released on Tuesday, northern India's energy systems can be switched to 100 per cent clean energy by 2050.

 

The study found that north India's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions can be reduced from 825 MtCO2eq (Metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent) in 2020 to zero by 2050 across all energy sectors and create 5 million new jobs.

 

Presented at the World Solar Technology Summit organised by International Solar Alliance, the study is a first of its kind that uses geospatial and hourly demand analysis to design a cost-optimal energy system of the future.

8:53 PM

Fire at Vadodara's Sir Sayajirao General Hospital under control

8:48 PM

Rs 110 crore scam in PM-Kisan Nidhi scheme busted in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu Agriculture Secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi on Tuesday said that some 500,000 fake beneficiaries have got Rs 110 crore from the PM-Kisan Nidhi scheme. The Department has recovered around Rs 32 crore so far and the rest will be recovered soon.

 

Speaking to reporters he said, 34 government officials have been suspended and 80 computer operators and other private staff dismissed. As per the probe conducted by the department ineligible persons in 13 districts have availed the cash assistance providing false information. Read more

8:41 PM

Rating firms rework their India FY21 GDP forecasts with sharper contraction

Global and domestic rating agencies have sharply cut their forecast for India’s economic growth this fiscal, after official data suggested a sharper-than-expected contraction in gross domestic product in the quarter ending June (Q1), and a sluggish recovery in economic indicators thereafter.

 

New York-headquartered ratings agency Fitch expects the country’s GDP to contract 10.5 per cent in FY21 versus its earlier estimate of 5 per cent. India Ratings, the Indian subsidiary of Fitch, predicts a sharper fall of 11.8 per cent in India’s real GDP. Read more

8:33 PM

Happiest Minds Technologies IPO subscribed 8.4 times on 2nd day

The initial public offer of IT services firm Happiest Minds Technologies was subscribed 8.40 times on the second day of bidding on Tuesday. The Rs 702-crore IPO, received bids for 19,53,36,630 shares against a total issue size of 2,32,59,550 shares, according to data available with the NSE.

 

The category meant for Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs) was subscribed 47 per cent, while non-institutional investors portion received 3.96 times subscription and retail individual investors 38.85 times.

 

The price band for the offer, that will close on Wednesday, has been fixed at Rs 165 to Rs 166 per equity share.

8:21 PM

Kangana Ranaut to face 'drug link' probe; Mumbai home under BMC lens

Already under fire over her remarks on Mumbai, trouble mounted for actress Kangana Ranaut as the Maharashtra government on Tuesday said the police will probe allegations that she took drugs, while alterations made at her bungalow here came under the civic scanner. Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said the Mumbai police will probe allegations by actor Adhyayan Suman that Ranaut took drugs. Read on

8:14 PM

Kisan Rail ferrying 350 tn of goods, up from 94 tn during inaugural run: Piyush Goyal

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said the Kisan Rail service was ferrying 350 tonnes of goods from the 94 tonnes it carried on its inaugural run last month. The rail service, which was announced in the 2020 Union budget, aims at transporting agricultural produce, especially perishable commodities, at cheaper rates, and aid farmers in getting right price for their crops.

 

The first such service was started on August 7 from Deolali in Maharashtra's Nashik to Danapur in Bihar.

 

Barely a month after we started Kisan Rail, the same train which was carrying 94 tonnes goods is now carrying more than 350 tonnes. This means that if the facility is provided, people are going to use the service, the minister said at an event - RailConnect-- organised by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).

8:05 PM

Chinese troops carried rods, spears, clubs in towards Indian post: Govt sources

Chinese troops carried rods, spears, clubs and sharp weapons in trying to close in on an Indian position in Mukhpari area of Rezang-La ridgeline in eastern Ladakh on Monday evening, government sources said on Tuesday.

 

As tension escalated at the Line of Actual Control(LAC), the sources said around 50-60 soldiers of Chinese People's Liberation Army(PLA) approached the Indian post in the southern bank of Pangon lake area at around 6 PM but the Indian Army personnel posted there strongly confronted them, forcing their retreat.

 

It may be recalled that the Chinese troops had mounted a savage attack on Indian soldiers with stones, nail-studded sticks, iron rods and clubs during the Galwan Valley clashes in eastern Ladakh on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed. On Monday evening too, the Chinese troops were carrying rods, spears, clubs and sharp weapons, the sources said.

7:55 PM

India to have 220 GW renewable energy capacity by 2022: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday exuded confidence that India will increase its existing clean energy capacity of 134 GW to 220 GW by 2022 and stressed on reducing tariffs further through technological advancements.

 

The Prime Minister was earlier expected to deliver the inaugural address at the World Solar Technology Summit organised by the International Solar Alliance (ISA), but could not do so due to some other engagements.

 

New and Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh read out Modi's message at the virtual summit.

 

"We have scaled up our non-fossil fuel based generation to 134 GW, which is about 35 per cent of our total power generation. We are confident of increasing it to 220 GW by 2022," Singh said, reading out the Prime Minister's message.

7:46 PM

EPFO settles 9.4 million claims worth Rs 35,445 cr during April-August

Retirement fund body EPFO has settled 9.44 million claims totalling Rs 35,445 crore during April-August despite Covid-19 related restrictions, an official statement said on Tuesday.

 

During this period, the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has settled around 32 per cent more claims as compared to the corresponding period of last year (April-August 2019), while the amount disbursed increased by around 13 per cent.

 

"Despite the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, EPFO has been able to settle a staggering 9.44 million claims thereby disbursing about Rs 35,445 crore to its members during the period of April-August, 2020," the labour ministry statement said. Read on

7:33 PM

Govt plans to sell 15-20% stake in IRCTC via OFS in at least 3 tranches

The government plans to sell about 15-20 per cent stake in IRCTC via offer for sale (OFS) and would like to complete the transaction in minimum number of tranches.

 

Last month, the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) had invited bids from merchant bankers by September 10 for managing the sale in Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corp (IRCTC). However, it did not disclose the quantum of stake on offer in the Request for Proposal (RFP).

7:22 PM

Rhea Chakraborty sent for medical check-up after arrest: Deputy DG, NCB

7:13 PM

India, Angola decide to boost ties in diverse sectors

India and Angola have resolved to expand their bilateral cooperation in a range of areas including energy, telecommunication, information technology and agriculture.

 

The two sides reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations at a meeting of the India-Angola Joint Commission which was co-chaired by the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Angolan counterpart Tete Antonio.

 

A joint press communique on Monday's virtual meeting said both governments shared the view that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is a global scourge and resolved to combat it through coordinated regional and global efforts, including at the UN.

 

"The two ministers reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations in the areas of political, economic, trade and investment, defence and security and development cooperation," it said.

7:02 PM

IAF to formally induct Rafale jets on Sept 10; French defence min to attend

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, his French counterpart Florence Parly and India's top military brass will attend a ceremony in Ambala airbase on Thursday to formally induct five Rafale fighter jets into the Indian Air Force, officials said.

 

Parly and Singh will hold talks in Ambala on ways to further deepen bilateral defence and security cooperation after the ceremony, they said.

6:48 PM

Life insurers record 15% growth in new business premiums in August

Life insurers, 24 in all, have recorded a 15 per cent growth in new business premiums in August. This is the second consecutive month of positive growth in new business premiums (NBP) for life insurers after a contraction for four straight months.

 

In August, life insurers earned NBP to the tune of Rs 27,039.79 crore, compared to Rs 23,554.94 crore in the same period last year. Private life insurers' NBP grew 13.74 per cent to Rs 7,325.59 crore in August 2020, as opposed to Rs 6,440.62 crore in August 2019. State-owned insurance behemoth Life Insurance Corporation, on the other hand, recorded 15.19 per cent jump in NBP to Rs 19,714.21 crore compared to Rs 17,114.32 crore. Read more

6:36 PM

Bengal CM rejects rumours on Durga Pujo, says, no decisions taken

6:22 PM

Delhi CM Kejriwal launches online system to file consumer complaints

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday launched an online system for filing complaints in consumer courts and said it will prove to be a milestone especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

He said consumers will now be able to file complaints from their homes any time and make payments online.

 

"It will prove to be an important step in the times of Covid-19... We have already been asking people to stay home," the chief minister said.

6:14 PM

Ashok Leyland's Chairman Emeritus RJ Shahaney passes away after illness

Ashok Leyland's Chairman Emeritus, R J Shahaney passed away on Tuesday after a brief illness. Shahaney was Ashok Leyland’s first Indian managing director and served in that capacity from 1978 till 1998. He subsequently served as the company's chairman until 2010.

 

Shahaney laid the strong foundation in manufacturing, engineering and technology for the company. In an era when Ashok Leyland, being a foreign company, faced challenges for growth, he had the courage to embark on an expansion plan led to the company's growth. The plants at Hosur, Alwar and Bhandara came up during his tenure. Read more

6:13 PM

Policy on PPP model needed for intelligent traffic system, says Gadkari

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said there is a need for a policy on public private partnership (PPP) model for an intelligent traffic system to reduce road accidents.

 

A reputed private consultant will be appointed to come out with the model, the Road Transport, Highways and MSME Minister said while asserting that post implementation of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, road accidents and related deaths have come down.

 

India, on an average, witnesses about 5 lakh road accidents per annum in which about 1.5 lakh people die and about 3 lakh are crippled.

5:57 PM

NIA arrests 3 from Pune in Bhima Koregaon case

The NIA has arrested three persons including a woman, all members of the outlawed CPI(Maoist)'s frontal organisation, in connection with the Bhima Koregaon Elgar Parishad case, an official said.

 

Sagar Tatyaram Gorkhe, 32, and Ramesh Murlidhar Gaichor, 36, were arrested on Monday while Jyoti Raghoba Jagtap, 33, was arrested on Tuesday, an NIA spokesperson said. They all are residents of Pune.

 

The accused are members of Kabir Kala Manch, a frontal organisation of the banned terrorist organisation CPI(Maoist), the official said.

5:46 PM

Opening places of worship with guidelines not practical: Maharashtra govt

The Maharashtra government has told the Bombay High Court that opening of religious places, even with guidelines, was not a "practical" solution and it had decided against it till the COid-19 situation improved.

 

The state government was responding to a public interest Litigation filed by a local NGO seeking direction that temples in the state be opened for worshippers.

 

The petitioner's counsel Dipesh Siroya had urged the court to direct the state to reopen temples albeit with restrictions such as limiting the number of worshippers at a time.

5:31 PM

Jaishankar holds talks with Iranian counterpart Zarif in Tehran

On his way to Russia, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday made a stopover in Tehran and held talks with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif, covering various aspects of bilateral relations and regional developments.

 

"A productive meeting with FM @JZarif during a stopover in Tehran. Discussed strengthening our bilateral cooperation and reviewed regional developments. Thank him for his gracious hospitality," he tweeted.

 

The Iranian foreign ministry, in a tweet, said the two sides emphasised on their will to further expand bilateral ties in "all aspects". It is learnt that the Chabahar port project as well as the situation in the Gulf region figured in the talks.

5:12 PM

Tanker fire off Sri Lankan coast reduced considerably: Indian Coast Guard

5:04 PM

Mumbai airport rolls out contactless check-in system for passengers

Mumbai airport has put in place a QR code-enabled contactless check-in mechanism for the passengers, which allows them the use of their mobile phones to remotely operate check-in and self-bag drop kiosks for printing boarding passes and bag tags.

 

Passengers at Mumbai airport just need to scan the QR code shown on the kiosks to access a remote keyboard and mouse on their mobile device, without touching the kiosks, Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) said in a release.

 

Deployed by global airlines IT services solution major SITA, the touchless technology solution is a vital step in reducing passenger contact with kiosk surfaces and is in full compliance with the civil aviation ministry's passenger processing guidelines, it added.

4:49 PM

Telemedicine market in India to reach $5.5 bn by 2025: Study

The Indian healthcare industry needs to shift from traditional in-person doctor-patient interaction to digitally-enabled remote consultations, according to an EY-IPA study which said the domestic telemedicine market will reach $5.5 billion by 2025.

 

"15-20 per cent of the healthcare ecosystem is expected to shift to virtual care, across triaging, consults, remote monitoring, home health, etc, the study, 'healthcare goes mobile: Evolution of teleconsultation and e-pharmacy in new Normal', said.

 

However, the rapid growth driven by increased digitisation will raise challenges related to patient's data privacy and prescription substitution. Thus, there is an immediate need for a strong regulatory framework in the interest of patients and consumers, it added.

 

"The telemedicine market in India is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 31 per cent for the period 2020-25 and reach $5.5 billion", the study said.