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The official said as per data till October 7, 1692 incidents were reported by satellite imagery, but during field visits by PPCB officials no stubble burning was observed in 763 cases.
 "LIVE: Punjab govt imposes Rs 12.25 lakh fine in 460 stubble burning cases")
2 min read Last Updated : Oct 09 2020 | 8:58 PM IST
8:58 PM
Wall Street's main indexes opened higher on Friday, setting up the S&P 500 and the Dow for their second straight weekly gain on hopes of more federal fiscal aid and growing expectations of a Democratic victory in next month's presidential election.
Eight of the 11 major S&P indexes were up in early trading, led by materials and information technology. Energy stocks dipped, but were still set for their biggest weekly percentage increase since June.
The S&P airlines subindex edged up 0.1% as U.S. President Donald Trump called for a "skinny" relief bill that would include elements such as direct payments and a bailout to the struggling airline sector.
8:43 PM
Paddy procurement at minimum support price (MSP) in Punjab, the food bowl of India, rose nine times to 15.99 lakh tonnes in the first 13 days of the ongoing kharif marketing season from 1.76 lakh tonne in the year-ago period, according to the Union Food Ministry.
Paddy procurement commenced in Punjab and Haryana from September 26 due to early arrival of the crop, while in other states from October 1.
More than 80 per cent of the country's paddy crop is grown in the kharif season. The government through Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state agencies undertakes procurement of paddy at MSP.
8:19 PM
Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal said Friday that his party would take the lead to form a "national pro-farmer front" of regional parties against the three pieces of farm legislation passed by Parliament, asserting the laws won't benefit the farmers.
Badal, whose SAD quit the NDA over the laws, said he would personally be involved in the initiative and soon begin meeting representatives of other regional parties in Delhi. He also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold direct talks with the farmer organisations who are against the laws and address their grievances with a solution "acceptable to all".
8:09 PM
Union minister Jitendra Singh Friday said the new farm-related reforms effected by the Centre will benefit young agricultural entrepreneurs and encourage them to opt for a career in farming.
During an interaction with farmers, sarpanches and activists from Jammu and Kashmir's Doda and Kisthwar districts, he said, the reforms have huge futuristic vision and are aimed at enabling the young educated farmer of today to exercise his options in promoting his entrepreneurship and putting his technical knowledge to the best utility.
As the benefits of these reforms begin to be realised with each passing day, several youths from non-agricultural families will also start looking for a career as start-ups in the field of agriculture, the Minister of State for Personnel said.
7:39 PM
The national capital's cumulative Covid-19 infection count rose to 3.03 lakh with the authorities reporting 2,860 new cases on Friday, while 39 fatalities took the number of deaths to 5,692.
This is the eighth day on the trot that the city reported less than 3,000 new cases. The figure stood at 2,726 on Thursday and2,871 on Wednesday.
Delhi reported 39 deaths on Friday. The fatality count was 37 on Thursday and 35 on Wednesday.
7:29 PM
The Delhi High Court on Friday adjourned to November 27 the hearing on a petition moved by the Delhi government challenging the stay order passed by a single judge bench on its order directing private hospitals in the national capital to reserve 80 per cent of ICU beds for Covid-19 patients.
A division bench of the high court comprising Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan adjourned the matter for further hearing to November 27.
On the previous date of hearing, the court, while issuing notice over the petition moved by the Delhi government, had refused to vacate at this stage the stay imposed by the single judge.
While the hearing in the matter was underway before the division bench, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Sanjay Jain had submitted that the government has directed only 2 per cent of the private hospitals to reserve the ICU beds. "We are in the mid of one of the worst pandemics," Jain said.
7:18 PM
The CBI has booked HDIL promoters Rakesh Wadhawan and Sarang Wadhawan, along with other directors and auditors in the firm, in an alleged Rs 200-crore loan fraud in Yes Bank involving Mack Star, officials said Friday.
After registering the case, the CBI searched the residence of Rakesh Wadhawan and his son Sarang in Mumbai, they said.
The agency also carried out searches at nine other premises in Mumbai, including two offices of HDIL, they said.
7:12 PM
Bankers and financial experts on Friday hailed RBI's policy, saying the decision to keep the key repo rate unchanged is an accommodative approach to manage inflation while keeping growth as target, amid the current economic conditions.
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) evaluated domestic and global macroeconomic and financial conditions and voted unanimously to leave the repo rate unchanged at 4 per cent, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said in his policy statement for the bi-monthly monetary policy review.
It also decided to continue with the accommodative stance of monetary policy as long as necessary at least during the current financial year and into the next year to revive growth on a durable basis and mitigate the impact of COVID-19, while ensuring that inflation remains within the target going forward.
6:53 PM
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has demonstrated the low incidence of inflight Covid-19 transmission with an updated tally of published cases.
Since the start of 2020 there have been 44 cases of Covid-19 reported, in which transmission is thought to have been associated with a flight journey (inclusive of confirmed, probable and potential cases), it said. Over the same period some 1.2 billion passengers have travelled.
"The risk of a passenger contracting Covid-19 while onboard appears very low. With only 44 identified potential cases of flight-related transmission among 1.2 billion travelers, that is one case for every 27 million travellers," said Dr David Powell, IATA's Medical Advisor.
6:36 PM
The country's foreign exchange reserves rose by $3.618 billion to reach a life-time high of $545.638 billion in the week ended October 2, 2020, the RBI data showed.
In the previous week ended September 25, the reserves had declined by $3.017 billion to $542.021 billion.
During the reporting week, the increase in forex kitty was on account of rise in foreign currency assets (FCA), a major component of the overall reserves. FCA increased by $3.104 billion to $503.046 billion in the week ended October 2, the data showed.
6:19 PM
Rate-sensitive bank and financial stocks gained on Friday after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) left benchmark interest rate unchanged at 4 per cent but retained an accommodative stance.
ICICI Bank was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising 3.64 per cent.
Other bank counters also witnessed buying with Axis Bank, RBL Bank, SBI, HDFC Bank, Bandhan Bank and Federal Bank gaining up to 3.64 per cent.
The BSE Bank index rose by 2.64 per cent at close of trade following gains in its components.
5:46 PM
The rupee strengthened by 8 paise to close at 73.16 against the US dollar on Friday after the Reserve Bank of India decided to keep benchmark interest rate unchanged.
The RBI kept repo rate unchanged at 4 per cent but maintained an accommodative stance, implying more rate cuts in the future if the need arises to support the economy hit by the Covid-19 crisis.
At the interbank forex market, the rupee opened at 73.21 against the American currency and rose to a day's high of 73.02. The unit finally settled at 73.16 against the US dollar, up 8 paise from its previous close of 73.24.
In light of the RBI monetary policy and also the usual Friday G-Sec auction, trading hours were extended for both forex as well as bond markets.
5:18 PM
The AAP government is taking the lead in fight against air pollution in Delhi-NCR, but the neighbouring states are still "not serious" about the issue despite it becoming "more dangerous" due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has said.
He said the AAP government wants cooperation not confrontation with other states on the issue of air pollution. The land has been divided into states but the sky is one.
He said the Pusa bio-decomposer initiative as a solution to stubble burning will benefit Haryana and Punjab more, and Delhi's benefit is that it will get rid of the smoke from farm fires that make the city a gas chamber every year.
Stubble burning, which contributes significantly to the rise in pollution levels in Delhi and the National Capital Region, has started in Haryana and Punjab.
5:04 PM
Equity benchmark index Sensex rallied 327 points on Friday, extending gains for the seventh straight session on the back of financial stocks after the RBI left benchmark rate unchanged but decided to maintain an accommodative stance.
RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das' comments on expectation of GDP turning positive in the January-March quarter of the current financial year also fuelled the market rally, traders said.
The 30-share BSE index ended 326.82 points or 0.81 per cent higher at 40,509.49 while the broader NSE Nifty rose by 79.60 points or 0.67 per cent to 11,914.20.
ICICI Bank was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising around 3 per cent, followed by Axis Bank, HDFC twins, SBI, L&T, ONGC and Infosys.
4:51 PM
The head of the UN World Food Programme, David Beasley, has told The Associated Press that he was left speechless by the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to his organisation.
I think this is the first time in my life I've been without words. I was just so shocked and surprised," Beasley said, speaking from Niger on Friday, after the AP gave him the news.
The World Food Programme on Friday won the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to combat hunger and food insecurity around the globe.
4:34 PM
Punjab Pollution Control Board has imposed a total fine of Rs 12.25 lakh in 460 paddy stubble burning cases in the state, with a senior official on Friday saying that by end of this month one would be able to make a fair comparison whether farm fires have gone up or come down in comparison to previous years.
In 460 cases, we have imposed a fine (environmental compensation) of Rs 12.25 lakh (between September 21-October 7), out of which we have recovered Rs 70,000, PPCB Member Secretary, Krunesh Garg told PTI.
When asked that 1,692 cases of burning of paddy straw were reported in the state between September 21 and October 7 this year, indicating an increase by nearly five times over previous year, Garg said, it is not a fair comparison to make, it is still early stage of the season
4:15 PM
Orange and Proximus have picked Nokia to help build 5G networks in Belgium as they drop Huawei amid U.S. pressure to exclude the Chinese firm from supplying key telecoms equipment.
The moves are among the first by commercial operators in Europe to drop Huawei from next-generation networks and come after months of diplomatic pressure from Washington, which alleges Huawei equipment could be used by Beijing for spying.
The Belgian capital Brussels is home to the European Union's executive body and parliament, making it a matter of particular concern for U.S. intelligence agencies.
4:00 PM
President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid their last tributes to Union minister and LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan at his residence here on Friday.
"Paid respects to late Shri Ram Vilas Paswan Ji. His unwavering commitment to social justice will always be remembered," the Prime Minister tweeted.
BJP leaders including Amit Shah, JP Nadda, Giriraj Singh, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Rajnath Singh, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Smriti Irani and Dharmendra Pradhan also paid their tributes to the departed leader.
3:44 PM
Instagram has emerged as the most preferred social media platform among the Indian youth while YouTube garnered most attention amid pandemic, with 98 per cent of those surveyed installed it in their phones followed by Netflix and Amazon Prime, a new report said on Friday.
Although the survey size was small (1154 respondents), the report by Youth Online Learning Organization (YOLO) said that nearly 80 per cent of the respondents were consuming social media when online.
While 70 per cent opted for Instagram, 20 per cent reported Facebook as their first choice.
3:30 PM
Former Prime MInister Manmohan Singh on Friday condoled the death of Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan saying he was an efficient administrator who worked closely with him and was a mass leader with a wide popularity.
In his condolence letter to Ram Vilas Paswan's son, Chirag Paswan, who is an MP from Jamui in Bihar and is the current president of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), the former Prime Minister said, "I have learnt with profound sorrow about the passing away of your beloved father. He was an important Dalit leader face in the Central government of many parties."
Recalling his stint with Ram Vilas Paswan from 2004 to 2014 during the United Progressive Alliance 1 and 2 governments at the Centre, Manmohan Singh said, "I have very warm recollections of my association with him as a member of the UPA government which I led in 2004. The veteran socialist leader was also a very efficient administrator who worked very closely with me as a Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers, and also served as Minister in various ministries."
3:21 PM
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took to Twitter to congratulate DRDO and other stakeholders for the test's success.
"The New Generation Anti-Radiation Missile (Rudram-1) which is India's first indigenous anti-radiation missile developed by DRDO for Indian Air Force was tested successfully today at ITR, Balasore. Congratulations to DRDO & other stakeholders for this remarkable achievement," the Defence Minister tweeted.
3:10 PM
The World Food Programme on Friday won the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to combat hunger and food insecurity around the globe.
The announcement was made in Oslo by Berit Reiss-Andersen, the chair of the Nobel Committee.
The Nobel Committee said that the coronavirus pandemic has added to the hunger faced by millions of people around the world and called on governments to ensure that WFP and other aid organizations receive the financial support necessary to feed them.
2:56 PM
The Reserve Bank of India on Friday announced discontinuing the system-based automatic caution-listing of exporters, a move aimed at providing flexibility to exporters in terms of realisation of export proceeds.
Exports have been adversely impacted by the pandemic-related contraction in external demand, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said during a virtual press conference after the meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee.
"In this environment, it is crucial to provide flexibility to exporters in the realisation of export proceeds and to empower them to negotiate better terms with overseas buyers," he said.
2:34 PM
Financial sector participants on Friday said RBI's decision to keep the key repo rate unchanged is an accommodative approach to manage inflation while keeping growth as target, amid the current economic conditions.
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) evaluated domestic and global macroeconomic and financial conditions and voted unanimously to leave the policy repo rate unchanged at 4 per cent, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said in his policy statement for the bi-monthly monetary policy review.
"It also decided to continue with the accommodative stance of monetary policy as long as necessary at least during the current financial year and into the next year to revive growth on a durable basis and mitigate the impact of Covid-19, while ensuring that inflation remains within the target going forward," Das said.
2:15 PM
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extend the 'co-origination' model of lending to all non-banking financial companies (NBFC), including housing finance companies (HFC), to make all priority sector loans eligible for the scheme and give greater operational flexibility to the lending institutions.
RBI had, in 2018, put in place a framework for co-origination of loans by banks and a category of NBFCs for lending to the priority sector subject to certain conditions. The arrangement entailed joint contribution of credit at the facility level, by both the lenders as also sharing of risks and rewards between them for ensuring appropriate alignment of respective business objectives.
2:06 PM
Extending intra-day gains, equity benchmark Sensex surged over 300 points in the afternoon session on Friday after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) left benchmark rate unchanged but decided to maintain an accommodative stance.
The central bank's Monetary Policy Commitee's decision implies rate cuts are possible in the future if the need arises to support the economy hit by the Covid-19 crisis.
After announcement of the monetary policy review, the 30-share BSE index sustained and added to early gains to trade 303.63 points or 0.76 per cent higher at 40,486.30, and the NSE Nifty rose 77.35 points or 0.65 per cent to 11,911.95 in the afternoon session.
1:47 PM
1:30 PM
1:21 PM
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday condoled the death of Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan and said the Dalit leader's enduring legacy will continue to inspire people dedicated to public service. In his condolence message to Paswan's son and Lok Janshakti Party President Chirag Paswan, Rahul Gandhi said: "I am deeply saddened by the sudden demise of your father. We have lost a veteran leader, who left a lasting imprint on politics and public service in both Bihar and our nation."
1:17 PM
Topics :Today Newstop news of the dayRBI monetary policyRBI Governor
First Published: Oct 09 2020 | 6:54 AM IST
