Top headlines: S&P keeps India's rating at BBB-; PM interacts with athletes

S&P affirms India's sovereign rating at 'BBB-', keeps outlook stable

Global rating agency Standard and Poor's affirmed India's sovereign rating at "BBB-" and maintained a stable outlook on the gradual recovery in the economy.

India's recovery will gain pace through the second half of fiscal 2022 and into the following year, helping stabilise the country's overall credit profile, S&P said in a statement. Read more here

Third Covid wave warnings treated casually like weather update: Govt

The government on Tuesday expressed concern over the "gross violations" of Covid-appropriate behaviour in several parts of the country and said this can nullify the gains made so far.

Addressing a press conference on the pandemic situation in the country, Lav Agarwal, joint secretary in the health ministry, said people talk about the third wave as a "weather update" but fail to understand that adherence to Covid-appropriate behaviour or the lack of it is what will prevent or cause any future waves. Read more here

GST officials book 8,000 cases involving fake ITC of over Rs 35k cr in FY21

In the year-long crackdown on tax evasion, the GST authorities have unearthed over Rs 35,000 crore of tax fraud committed by misuse of input tax credit provision under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime.

During the 2020-21 financial year, the CGST zones and the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) booked about 8,000 cases involving fake ITC of over Rs 35,000 crore, a statement from CBIC said. Read more here

'Reflection of new India': PM's message to athletes headed to Olympics

Back stories of struggle, sacrifices and grit dominated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's interaction with India's Olympic-bound sportspersons during which he urged them to forget expectations and focus only on giving their best in Tokyo.

Among others, the PM spoke to iconic boxer M C Mary Kom, badminton ace PV Sindhu, talented shooters Saurabh Chaudhary, Elavenil Valarivan and veteran table tennis player A Sharath Kamal during a virtual interactive session. Read more here