LIVE: Will bring law to recover damages from protesters, says Khattar

FM Sitharaman today said Budget 2021 has set pace for India to become Aatmanirbhar. Meanwhile, polling is underway in as many as 2,786 panchayats in Andhra Pradesh. Stay tuned for Latest LIVE news

11:50 PM

Dinesh Trivedi likely to join BJP, says Rajib Banerjee

Newly-inducted Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former minister in Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal Government, Rajib Banerjee on Saturday said former railway minister Dinesh Trivedi who resigned as Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP from the Rajya Sabha yesterday is likely to join the BJP, according to ANI.

"People who want to do something for the betterment of Bengal cannot continue in the TMC. I believe the same thing happened with Dinesh Trivedi what had happened with me. I have heard from some sources that he is going to join the BJP," Rajib told ANI.

 

 

11:00 PM

Karnataka CM says Tesla to set up electric car manufacturing unit: Report

Karnataka CM B S Yediyurappa said Tesla Inc will set up an electric car manufacturing unit in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, according to a Reuters report that cited CNBC TV18.
 

Last month the company incorporated Tesla Motors India and Energy Private Limited with its registered office in the southern city of Bengaluru, a hub for several global technology companies.

10:24 PM

PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate slew of projects in Kochi on Sunday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation Bharat Petroleum's Propylene Derivatives Petrochemical Complex at Kochi Refinery and Inland Waterways Authority's Roll-on/Roll-off vessels, at Willingdon Island on Sunday, according to PTI.

 

He would also inaugurate Cochin Port Trust's International Cruise Terminal and Cochin Shipyard's Vigyana Sagar, campus for Marine Engineering Training Institute, an official press release said.

 

Modi will also lay the foundation stone of Cochin Port Trust's South Coal Berth.

9:28 PM

No tsunami alert for Japan earthquake

A strong earthquake hit off the coast of northeastern Japan late Saturday, shaking Fukushima, Miyagi and other areas, but there was no threat of a tsunami, officials said.

 

The Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, which had meltdowns following a massive quake and tsunami 10 years ago, was checking to see whether there were any problems following the magnitude 7.1 quake.

 

There were no immediate reports of irregularities from other nuclear plants in the area, such as Onagawa or Fukushima Dai-ni, government spokesperson Katsunobu Kato told reporters.

8:46 PM

7.0 magnitude earthquake hits Japan

An earthquake of magnitude 7.0 hit 90 km east-northeast of Namie, Japan: United States Geological Survey

8:27 PM

Khattar meets Amit Shah, says will bring a law for recovery of damages from protesters

8:11 PM

High-level judicial inquiry should be ordered into Jan 26 violence, famrers' cases: Unions

Protesting farmer unions on Saturday demanded a high-level judicial inquiry into the violence during the tractor rally in Delhi on January 26 and the alleged 'false" cases slapped on the peasants, according to PTI. Addressing a press conference at the Singhu border, Samyukta Kisan Morcha leaders asked farmers who are getting police notices not to appear before the force directly and instead approach the legal cell constituted by the unions for any assistance, as per PTI copy. Kuldeep Singh, a member of SKM's legal cell, said that a retired judge of the Supreme Court or high court should probe the incidents to unravel the "conspiracy" behind the January 26 violence and the alleged "false cases" against the farmers.
 

PTI quoting SKM leaders said, 16 farmers who had participated in the tractor parade are still untraceable. In the Republic Day violence, over 500 police personnel had been injured, while a protestor had died. On January 26, thousands of protesting farmers who reached ITO from the Ghazipur border clashed with the police. Driving tractors, many of them reached the Red Fort and entered the monument, where a religious flag was hoisted.

At the press conference, another leader Ravinder Singh said that 122 farmers had so far been arrested by Delhi Police in connection with 14 of the 44 FIRs, adding that SKM will provide legal and financial aid to all the arrested farmers. The Morcha leaders claimed that "false" cases were being slapped on farmers charging them with serious offences like dacoity and attempt to murder to "harass" them. "Ten farmers have been granted bail so far and five bail applications have been filed. Priority is being given to those farmers who are not booked under Section 307 of the IPC or other serious offences," the SKM said in a statement later, PTI reported.

7:49 PM

Expectations of GDP growth in Q3, Q4 becoming strong: PHDCCI

Expectations that the country's GDP would record growth in the third and fourth quarters of 2020-21 are getting stronger on account of various reforms undertaken by the government in the last ten months, PHDCCI said on Saturday. It said out of the 10 indicators of QET (Quick Economic Trends) of economic and business activity tracked by PHDCCI, nine have performed positive.

 

The Indian economy shrunk by a record 23.9 per cent in June quarter and saw a contraction of 7.5 per cent in second quarter. "On the back of various reforms undertaken by the government in last 10 months along with a demand boosting and investment inducing Budget, the expectations of a positive GDP growth in Q3 and in Q4 FY 2020-21 are becoming strong," it added. Read more

7:23 PM

Vodafone Idea third quarter net loss narrows to Rs 4,532 crore

Vodafone Idea narrowed its net loss to Rs 4,532 crore in the third quarter of FY2021 on the back of gains from the sale of its stake in Indus Towers. In the same quarter last year, the company had posted a net loss of Rs 6,438 crore.

 

Gross revenue declined 1.7 per cent on a year on year basis to Rs 10,894 crore in the reported quarter as the company continues to lose subscribers.

 

During the third quarter, Vodafone Idea undertook limited tariff hike in a few of its family pack plans in select circles like Uttar Pradesh but that did not translate into revenue growth. Sequentially, the company’s revenue grew by 0.9 per cent. Read more

7:16 PM

First phase of Budget Session has been highly productive: Om Birla

The first part of the Budget Session, 2021 which concluded today has been highly productive. As many as 117 Members took part in the General Discussion on Union Budget 2021-2022 which lasted for 14 hours and 40 minutes: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, according to ANI


During the first part of Union Budget, Lok Sabha sat for 49 hours &17 minutes against the stipulated time of 50 hours with participation of 117 Members including 49 women MPs. House lost an effective time of 43 minutes due to disruptions, as per ANI.

7:01 PM

AIMPLB moves SC opposing plea seeking "uniform grounds of divorce" for all citizens

AIMPLB moves Supreme Court opposing plea seeking "uniform grounds of divorce" for all citizens, according to PTI

6:42 PM

PM brought farm laws to handover agri sectors to top industrialist: Rahul

Continuing his attack on the BJP-led central government, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said the government brought the three agriculture laws to handover the business of 40 per cent of India's population in the hands of few biggest industrialists of the country, according to ANI. Addressing the public in Rajasthan's Nagaur district on the second day of his two-day visit to the state, Gandhi said the purpose of his visit to the state is to inform the people about how the Centre's farm laws are going to affect their lives.

"People often think that in India the biggest businesses are that of automobile manufacturing, airlines and telecom, but that is not true. The biggest business in the country is that of farming. And not just India, agriculture is the biggest business in the world," said the Congress leader as quoted by ANI.

He said unlike most sectors that are controlled by a few private players, "Agriculture sector is not controlled by one person. This is probably the only business that is controlled by the 40 per cent population in the country. It is controlled by farmers, labourers, small businessmen, the loaders in the Mandis, the MSMEs that process the produce and vendors among other people."

6:20 PM

Uttarakhand disaster: Drilling work being conducted inside the Tapovan tunnel

6:20 PM

Schools to reopen for Classes 6 to 8 in Gujarat from Feb 18

The Gujarat government on Saturday announced reopening of schools for students of Classes 6 to 8 from February 18, according to PTI. Attendance will not be compulsory for students, though, and online classes will continue.

Physical classes for these students across schools of all boards will resume with strict adherence to the Centre's COVID-19 norms and guidelines issued by the state government, education secretary Vinod Rao said. The decision was taken keeping in mind long-term interest of students as coronavirus cases in the state have declined, he added.

District education officers and primary education officers shall ensure that schools comply with the standard operating procedure to avoid coronavius infections, he said.

5:20 PM

Uttarakhand disaster: 38 bodies recovered so far; relief and rescue ops underway

38 bodies recovered so far; relief and rescue operation underway, say Chamoli Police, Uttarakhand on glacier burst incident, according to ANI

5:00 PM

ITBP personnel looking for missing persons on the banks of Dhauli Ganga

4:16 PM

Uttarakhand disaster: ITBP continue to distribute ration to cut off vilagges

4:13 PM

Govt pursuing reforms to make India one of world's top economies: FM

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said that the government, undeterred by the Covid-19 pandemic, has been pursuing reforms for achieving sustained long-term growth in a bid to make India one of the top economies of the world in the coming decades, according to PTI. Replying to debate on Budget 2021-22 in Lok Sabha, she said, the Prime Minister did not lose any opportunity to continue with the reforms and this Budget has set the pace for India to become self-reliant or Aatmanirbhar.

Earlier this month, the Finance Minister presented a Rs 34.5 lakh crore Budget for 2021-22, in the backdrop of the pandemic. The Budget has laid emphasis on increasing capital expenditure, raising allocation for healthcare capacity building and development of agriculture infrastructure, among others, which are expected to have a multiplier effect on the economy.

She said her Budget for 2021-22, has provided the highest capex growth of 34.4 per cent by providing more money to railways, roads and defence, as per PTI. Referring to a series of measures taken to stimulate the economy hit by the pandemic, she said, COVID-19 did not deter the government from taking up reforms, which are going to be necessary for sustaining long-term goals for this country.

3:31 PM

Lok Sabha passes Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2021

Lok Sabha passes The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2021, according to ANI

3:30 PM

No date fixed for resumption of all passenger trains operations: Railways

3:05 PM

Not even our enemies can say there was fraud during DDC polls in J&K: Shah

2:58 PM

J&K Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill has nothing to do with statehood of Kashmir: Amit Shah

I have no objection, I will give an account for everything. But those who were given the opportunity to govern for generations should look within if they are even fit to demand an account. We were asked what did we do about promises made during abrogation of Article 370. It has been 17 months since the abrogation & you are demanding an account for it. Did you bring the account of what you did for 70 yrs? Had you worked properly, you need not have asked us. Many MPs said that bringing Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 means J&K won't get statehood. I am piloting the Bill, I brought it. I have clarified the intentions. Nowhere it's written that J&K won't get statehood. Where are you drawing conclusion from?. I have said in this House & I say it again that this Bill has got nothing to do with the statehood of Jammu & Kashmi. Statehood would be given to Jammu & Kashmir at an appropriate time: Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Lok Sabha, according to ANI

2:35 PM

Rs 30,000 crore via agri cess will go to states to improve APMC infra: FM

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday clarified that the Union Budget proposal of collecting Rs 30,000 crore through Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess will go to states so that mandi infrastructure can be improved.

 

Amid ongoing protests by farmers and the Opposition to repeal controversial farm laws, Sitharaman said that not even one Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) has been shut in any state, and instead the Budget makes provision to strengthen such market places for farmers. She was replying to a general debate on the Budget for 2021-22 in the Lok Sabha.

 

Taking a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Sitharaman said that the United Progressive Alliance government can take credit for MGNREGA, but at the same time should own up to mismanagement in the rural employment scheme. Read more

2:35 PM

Those demanding repeal of farm laws including Rahul Gandhi know nothing about them: Tomar

Hitting out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has said those who are asking to repeal the new farm laws including the Congress leader, do not even know about them, according to PTI. "People from political parties have nothing to do with these laws, those who are demanding the withdrawal of the laws from Rahul Gandhi to the rest, know nothing about them," Tomar told reporters in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain late Friday on the sidelines of a two-day training program organised for BJP MLAs.

"I want to tell Rahul Gandhi that those who do dynasty politics do not have the right to comment on others," he added. The Minister further stated that even the Congress party does not take Rahul Gandhi's statements seriously. "What worries me is the three-fold pace with which the Congress is tumbling under his leadership which is weakening the opposition. A weak opposition is not good for democracy," Tomar said, as per PTI.

"As far as the farmers' movement is concerned, the government is holding discussions with the farmers, we have given them the best proposal. When they convey their opinion, then we will carry forward the discussion," he further added.

1:23 PM

Car bomb explodes near Somali presidential palace in Mogadishu

Car bomb explodes near Somali presidential palace in Mogadishu

1:13 PM

World Radio Day: I personally experience the positive impact of radio thanks to MannKi Baat, says PM Modi

12:34 PM

PM Modi to visit poll-bound Kerala, Tamil Nadu tomorrow

PM Modi to visit poll-bound Kerala, Tamil Nadu tomorrow.

11:58 AM

The dreams that you had shown after the abrogation of Article 370 have not been fulfilled: Congress

The dreams that you had shown after the abrogation of Article 370 have not been fulfilled. J&K has not returned to normalcy. More than Rs 90,000 cr of local business has finished. We want you to tell us how will you improve things in J&K: AR Chowdhury, Leader of Congress in LS

11:17 AM

Sitharaman counters Rahul Gandhi's 'Hum do, Hamare do' with MNREGA data

Giving back to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'Hum do, Hamare do' which Gandhi had raised in the Lok Sabha to attack the government over farm laws. “Years ago there was a family planning slogan — hum do, hamare do (We two and ours two), but just like Corona has returned in another form, this slogan too has made a comeback. Today, four people run the country — hum do, hamare do,” Gandhi had said, without taking any name.

Nirmala Sitharaman used the same slogan and said though Congress comes up with "very good schemes", it lacks the will of using those schemes properly as those schemes turn into devices to only favour "cronies" and "hum do hamare do".

"Take the credit of giving birth to MNREGA. But also take credit for mismanaging it, for giving money to ghost workers," Sitharaman said.

 

Addressing Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, Sitharaman said, "Kerala invited one crony to develop a port — no bidding, just invitation. Because Kerala has no damad, Damad is here. Damads get land in states which are governed by some parties - Rajasthan, Haryana once upon a time"

 

"The budget combines stimulus with reforms and has an element to provide impetus to make India one of the top economies of the world in the coming decades. The budget took a courageous approach," the finance minister said.

 

Attacking the tradition of India's post-Independence 'licence quota raj' Sitharaman said, "This budget draws on the experience of Prime Minister when he was the chief minister of Gujarat. He saw how licence raj constricted India's economy."

 

Since Jan Sangh days, respecting India's entrepreneur skill and India's taxpayers has been followed, Nirmala Sitharaman said amid resistance from opposition leaders that the reference to Jan Sangh was irrelevant. "It is relevant as it was the precursor of the BJP," Sitharaman said.

11:08 AM

FM Sitharaman slams Congress over farm issues

Congress failed to fulfill promises to the farmers, says Nirmala Sitharaman