LIVE: India summons British envoy, opposes farm law debate in UK Parliament

Latest News LIVE: US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad met Pakistan's army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and discussed Afghan peace process

10:33 PM

Congress asks Haryana MLAs to be present on March 10 to support no-confidence motion

Haryana: Bharat Bhushan Batra, chief whip of the Congress Legislature Party issues whip to party MLAs to be present in the House on 10th March to "support No-Confidence Motion against the Government", according to ANI

10:25 PM

Modi to participate in the first QUAD Leaders summit held virtually on 12th March: MEA

PM Modi will be participating, along with Australian PM, Japanese PM and the US President in the first Leaders’ Summit of the Quadrilateral Framework, being held virtually on 12th March. The QUAD leaders will discuss regional and global issues of shared interest, and exchange views on practical areas of cooperation towards maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. The QUAD Leaders will discuss ongoing efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic and explore opportunities for collaboration in ensuring safe, equitable and affordable vaccines in the Indo-Pacific region: Ministry of External Affairs, according to ANI

9:37 PM

Election Commission transfers West Bengal DGP Virendra ahead of polls

8:58 PM

CPI in Kerala announces list of candidates

The CPI, a majorally in the ruling Left Democratic Front in Kerala, on Tuesday announced its list of candidates for the April 6 Assembly elections.

 

CPI will becontesting in 25 of the 140 seats in the state,party state chief Kanam Rajendran told the media here, while announcing candidates for 21 seats.

 

Rajendran said candidates for the constituenciesof Chadayamangalam, Haripad, Paravur and Nattika will be announced in the coming days.

8:31 PM

BJP's victory margin in Assam will exceed poll, TV surveys: Union minister Jitendra Singh

Union minister Jitendra Singh Tuesday said the BJP will return to power in Assam with a decisive mandate and the victory margin will exceed the poll and TV survey projections.

 

Speaking to reporters after a public rally following the filing of nomination papers by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal from here, Singh said it is a matter of great satisfaction that the BJP was approaching the polls with pro-incumbency factor, often not the case with ruling parties in the state.

 

Majuli goes to the polls in the first phase on March 27.

8:29 PM

Some people trying to target credibility of constitutional bodies due to political interests: PM

Taking a swipe at the opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday said some people always try to target the prestige and credibility of India's constitutional bodies due to their "political interests", and asserted that they do not represent the country's mainstream.

 

Speaking at an event to release manuscript with commentaries by 21 scholars on 'shlokas' of the Gita here, he said the freedom of action and thoughts advocated by the epic distinguishes Indian democracy which, he added, also gives people equal rights.

 

People draw this freedom from democratic institutions which protect the Constitution, and that is why it is necessary to keep in mind our duties while speaking of our rights, Modi said before targeting the opposition without naming it.

8:28 PM

Delhi govt to introduce virtual model of education; CM says dream project'

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday announced the government's plans to introduce a first-of-its-kind virtual model of education.

 

The initiative is an outcome of education going online over the last year in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Sisodia, who presented the budget for the year, said the unique experiment would make education accessible to students in any part of the country, or even globe.

 

The Delhi government has decided to introduce a new category of schools in Delhi, the Virtual Delhi Model School, that is, a school that will not have four walls or a building, but there would be children, teachers, learning, examinations and assessments, and studies shall be completed.

7:57 PM

CPSE assets sale to bring about paradigm shift in infra: FM

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said monetisation of CPSE assets is based on the principle of value creation for the government and investors and would bring about a paradigm shift in infrastructure augmentation and maintenance.

 

Chairing the National Workshop with the states/UTs on Asset Monetisation organised by Niti Aayog, the minister sought the collaboration of states for the holistic development of infrastructure.

 

She said India can become a USD 5 trillion economy, while striking the right balance between fiscal imperatives and socio-economic welfare, through active collaboration between the public and private sector.

7:44 PM

Illiquid stock options: Five entities settle cases with Sebi

Markets regulator Sebi on Tuesday disposed of adjudication proceedings against five entities after they settled cases related to alleged fraudulent trading in the illiquid stock options segment of BSE on payment of Rs 86 lakh towards settlement charges.

 

Those who have settled the cases are Vineet Gupta, Vinod Commodities, VN Shah, Vipul Commodity and Vimal Finstock, according to five settlement orders passed by Sebi.

 

In its order, Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) said it observed a large scale reversal of trades in the stock options segment of BSE, leading to the creation of artificial volume.

7:36 PM

Over 5,000 undertrials lodged in jails for over five years: Govt

As many as 5,011 undertrials were lodged for more than five years in prisons across the country, with 42.74 per cent of them just in Uttar Pradesh, the government informed Parliament on Tuesday.

 

The statistics presented by Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy in Lok Sabha were based on a compilation of data by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) updated till December 31, 2019.

 

A total of 5,011 undertrials were lodged in prisons for over five years, the minister said in a written reply to a query by CPI MP K Subbarayan.

7:30 PM

Vivo India revenue grows over 45% to Rs 25,060 cr in FY20

Chinese smartphone company Vivo saw its revenue in India growing over 45 per cent to about Rs 25,060 crore in FY20 even as its losses widened significantly over the previous fiscal, according to regulatory filings.

 

Vivo Mobile India's revenue from operations were at Rs 17,201.7 crore for the year ended March 31, 2019, according to Registrar of Companies filing - shared by market intelligence firm Tofler.

 

The company, which competes with players like Xiaomi and Samsung in the Indian market, saw its losses widen to Rs 348.94 crore in FY20 from Rs 18.94 crore in FY19.

7:12 PM

$1.9 trillion Biden relief package a bet government can help cure US

President Joe Biden wants America to know that he's from the government and he's here to help.

 

That sentiment became a well-worn punchline under Ronald Reagan and shaped the politics of both parties for four decades. Democrat Bill Clinton declared the era of big government over in the 1990s, Barack Obama largely kept his party in the same lane and Republican Donald Trump campaigned on the premise that Washington was full of morons, outplayed by the Chinese and others.

6:34 PM

LIVE: AINRC seals alliance with AIADMK and BJP, to contest 16 seats

AINRC seals alliance with AIADMK and BJP, to contest 16 seats; chief ministerial face for the front will be decided post-election

6:20 PM

DRDO achieves important milestone in developing air independent propulsion system for submarines

The govt-run DRDO has achieved an important milestone in the development of air independent propulsion (AIP) system for diesel submarines by proving the efficacy of its land-based prototype, a statement by the Defence ministry said on Tuesday.

 

The AIP's prototype was operated in endurance mode and max power mode as per the user requirements on March 8, the statement said.

 

The AIP has a force multiplier effect on lethality of a diesel electric submarine as it enhances the submerged endurance of the boat several folds. Fuel cell-based AIP has merits in performance compared to other technologies, the ministry noted.

6:19 PM

Amid disruptions, TRAI suspends norms for commercial text messages for one week

Telecom regulator TRAI on Tuesday suspended the newly-implemented norms for commercial text messages for one week, following disruptions in SMS and OTP deliveries for banking, payment, and other transactions.

 

The norms with respect to content template for text messages came into effect on Monday.

 

The move to suspend the norms would enable the principal entities to register the template of SMS so that no inconvenience is faced by the customers, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said in a statement.

 

"In order to protect the interest of consumers, it has been decided that scrubbing of SMS by telecom service providers shall be suspended temporarily for seven days...," it said.

5:58 PM

Bank of Baroda to seek investor in credit card business, says CEO

 Indian lender Bank of Baroda will look for an investor in its credit card business while it also considers a potential listing for its insurance joint venture in the next 18 to 24 months, its chief executive told Reuters.

 

The moves flagged by Sanjiv Chadha late on Monday are part of efforts by the state-owned bank to strengthen its position in a post-pandemic world, with global consultancy firm McKinsey & Co hired to help it to execute broad transformation plans.

 

"We may look at getting an investor into the cards business in the next 12 months," Chadha said of its BoB Financial Solutions operation.

5:58 PM

GST fraud of Rs 20,124 cr detected during Nov 9-Jan 31: FM

The government has detected GST fraud of Rs 20,124 crore between November 9, 2020, and January 31, 2021, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday.

 

A nationwide special drive against unscrupulous entities for availing and passing on Input Tax Credit (ITC) fraudulently on the strength of fake/bogus invoices is being carried out, she said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

 

Giving details of detection/recovery from November 9, 2020 (Date of initiation of special drive) to January 31, the minister said 2,692 cases were booked by the officers involving GST/ITC fraud of Rs 20,124.19 crore.

5:41 PM

Strategic sale to be primary mode for disinvestment: Thakur

The scope for sale of minority stakes in public sector companies has reduced and strategic disinvestment would be the primary mode for disinvestment receipts going forward, Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur said on Tuesday.

 

In a written reply to Rajya Sabha, Thakur said the government has realised Rs 20,627 crore as disinvestment receipts till March 3, which is around 64 per cent of Revised Estimate (RE) in 2020-21.

 

Disinvestment of the government's equity in CPSEs depends largely on market sentiment, investor interest, and market valuation of CPSE stocks.

5:15 PM

LIVE: Kamal Haasan-led Makkal Needhi Maiam finalises seat-sharing pact

Kamal Haasan-led Makkal Needhi Maiam finalises seat-sharing pact, to contest from 154 constituencies; 2 allies to contest from 40 seats each. 

5:12 PM

Maharashtra govt announces SIT probe in MP Mohan Delkar's death

Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday announced that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) will probe the alleged suicide of Dadra Nagar Haveli MP Mohan Delkar in Mumbai last month.

 

The statement came amid the opposition BJP's demand of arrest of police officer Sachin Vaze in the case related to the death of Mansukh Hiran who was in possession of the SUV with explosives found outside Mukesh Ambani's house.

 

The unrelated but mysterious deaths of Delkar and Hiran rocked the house during the day, leading to several adjournments.

5:03 PM

Coronavirus: CEC Arora, fellow commissioners get vaccinated

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and Election Commissioners Sushil Chandra and Rajiv Kumar took their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine on Tuesday, a spokesperson said.

 

The Covid-19 vaccination drive had stated at Nirvachan Sadan, the EC headquarters here, on March 4 for its officers and staff. Former chief election commissioner M S Gill was the first one to take the shot.

 

Arora had recently announced that all staff on poll duty for the upcoming assembly elections have been declared as 'frontline workers' and will be vaccinated before assuming their election duties.

4:39 PM

Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat submits resignation to governor

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Tuesday announced his resignation to Governor Baby Rani Maurya. The move comes amid speculations in the state political circles about an imminent change of guard.

 

On Monday evening, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP chief J.P. Nadda, National General Secretary (Organisation) B.L. Santosh discussed the political development in the hill state.

4:25 PM

Lok Sabha fails to transact legislative business for second consecutive day

Lok Sabha proceedings were repeatedly adjourned Tuesday amid din created by opposition over rising fuel prices and the House failed to transact any legislative business for the second consecutive day.

 

The second part of the Budget session commenced on Monday.

 

After two adjournments due to disruptions caused by opposition members, mainly from the Congress who were protesting rise in fuel prices, the House was adjourned for the day a little after 2.00 pm.

 

During Question Hour around 11.00 am, Speaker Om Birla had to adjourn the House till 12 noon following protests over the rising fuel prices.

4:25 PM

LIVE: Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat arrives at Raj Bhawan to meet Governor Baby Rani Maurya

Dehradun: Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat arrives at Raj Bhawan to meet Governor Baby Rani Maurya amid reports of CM replacement

4:20 PM

No adverse impact due to rescheduling of polio immunisation drive: Govt

There was no adverse impact due to rescheduling of the National Immunisation Day (NID), which was successfully conducted within two weeks and more than 15.8 crore children were vaccinated, Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

 

India conducts one nationwide NID, commonly known as the pulse polio immunisation programme, and two sub-national immunization days every year to maintain population immunity against the wild poliovirus and to sustain its polio-free status.

 

The National Polio Immunisation programme was rescheduled from January 17 since the massive countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out the previous day, Choubey said in a written reply to a question.

4:16 PM

LIVE: Those calling me outsider in Nandigram are outsiders themselves, says Mamata

LIVE: Those calling me outsider in Nandigram are outsiders themselves, says Mamata

4:11 PM

Bengal polls LIVE: Divisive politics won't work in Nandigram, says Mamata

Bengal polls LIVE: Divisive politics won't work in Nandigram, Mamata tells TMC booth level workers in the constituency

4:03 PM

LIVE: I have decided to fight from Nandigram due to people's response: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

I have decided to fight from Nandigram due to people's response, says West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

3:34 PM

Delhi govt budget: Rs 16,377 crore allocated for education

The Delhi government on Tuesday allotted Rs 16,377 crore for education for the financial year 2021-22.

 

Presenting the budget in the Delhi assembly, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said like the previous six years, education this time too will comprise 25 per cent of the Rs 69,000-crore budget.

 

Keeping in line with the theme of patriotism for the new budget, Sisodia said the Delhi schools will introduce a deshbhakti pathyakram (patriotic syllabus) to instill a sense of nationalism among the students.

3:30 PM

Global shares trade mixed on recovery hopes, yield worries

Global shares were mixed Tuesday, cheered by the expected passage of the US stimulus package, although that optimism was tempered by worries about inflation and the coronavirus pandemic.

 

France's CAC 40 was little changed, inching up less than 0.1 per cent in early trading to 5,903.07. Germany's DAX slipped 0.3 per cent to 14,341.07, while Britain's FTSE 100 rose nearly 0.1 per cent to 6,713.26. US shares were set for gains, with the future for the Dow industrials up 0.5 per cent at 31,939.0. The S&P 500 future rose 0.8 per cent to 3,851.00.

 

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 added nearly 1.0 per cent to 29,027.94. South Korea's Kospi slipped 0.7 per cent to 2,976.12. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.5 per cent to 6,771.20. Hong Kong's Hang Seng edged up 0.8% to 28,773.23, while the Shanghai Composite slipped 1.8 per cent to 3,359.29.