Highlights of the day: On Fb live, Shiv Sena UBT leader's son shot dead

Latest LIVE: From elections in Pakistan to BJP govt's decision to present a white paper on state of economy during UPA 's ten year rule, catch all the latest updates from around the world here

10:07 PM

Shoot-at-sight orders after violence during Uttarakhand madrasa demolition

More than 50 policemen were injured in a clash with a mob in Uttarakhand's Haldwani when they went to raze a madrasa that the authorities declared illegal. Resisting the demolition, the mob at Vanbhulpura threw stones at them. All of them are undergoing treatment at a local hospital. Shoot-at-sight orders have been issued in the area and security has been strengthened.
 

Besides the police, a team of administration and civic officials had gone to the madrasa, which has an adjoining mosque. Sources said when the JCB machine started running, a crowd of "unruly elements' took on the officials, throwing stones at them from a distance. Besides policemen, several administration officials and journalists were injured. As the police retaliated with tear gas, the violence intensified. Vehicles parked outside the police station were set on fire.

 

The District Magistrate informed the Chief Minister that prohibitory orders banning large gatherings has been imposed in the area and to maintain normalcy, orders have been given to shoot rioters at sight.

10:06 PM

Curfew imposed in Haldwani after violence over demolition of madrasa: Uttarakhand CM

10:05 PM

Max temperature in Delhi settles at 20.2 degrees Celsius

Delhi on Thursday recorded a maximum temperature of 20.2 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season's average, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). While the air quality remained in the "moderate" category, the humidity level oscillated between 89 per cent and 33 per cent during the day.

9:53 PM

On Facebook live, team Thackeray leader's son shot dead in Mumbai

Abhishek Ghosalkar, the son of a Shiv Sena UBT  leader, was shot by a man with while doing a Facebook live with him. The attacker then turned the gun on himself. The shooting was caught on camera during the Facebook live. Ghosalkar and his attacker are both dead. Ghosalkar was the son of Vinod Ghosalkar, a former councillor of the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena.

9:43 PM

Sebi orders action against 15 guest experts of Zee Business channel for unlawful trading

Sebi orders action against 15 guest experts of Zee Business channel for unlawful trading. 

8:53 PM

Xi and Putin accuse US of 'interference' in call

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin accused the United States of "interfering" in their countries' affairs during a telephone call on Thursday, the Kremlin said. The West has viewed Moscow and Beijing, both of whom are seeking to expand their global influence, with increased anxiety over the past two years as they ramp up ties in trade and defence.

8:52 PM

US Supreme Court begins arguments over Trump ballot disqualification

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday began hearing arguments in former President Donald Trump's fight to prevent being kicked off state presidential ballots for his actions involving the 2021 Capitol attack in a case with major implications for the November election.

8:52 PM

Shiv Sena leader shot in Dahisar, Mumbai; hospitalised

"Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Abhishek Ghosalkar shot in a firing in Dahisar area of Mumbai. He has been admitted to a hospital. Police present at the spot," said Mumbai Police.

8:28 PM

Cabinet approves 6 rail multi-tracking projects

Cabinet approves 6 multi tracking projects across Indian Railways: To facilitate ease of travelling, minimize logistics cost, reduce oil imports and lower CO2 emissions

7:04 PM

Parliament approves interim Budget for 2024-25

7:01 PM

Parliament passes bills to amend SC, ST lists in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha

Parliament gave its nod to two bills which seek to modify the list of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, with Lok Sabha on Thursday passing it with voice vote.

 

The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2024 were both passed by Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

 

The first bill seeks to modify the list of Scheduled Tribes in Andhra Pradesh while the second one seeks to modify the list of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Odisha.

 

Replying to the debate on the bills, Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Bharti P Pawar said the Modi government has done a lot for the upliftment of tribal people including its effort to make aspirational district to inspirational one.

6:14 PM

India to begin LNG supplies to Sri Lanka in 2025

Petronet LNG Ltd, India's biggest liquefied natural gas company, will in 2025 start supplying LNG to Sri Lanka, initially in containers loaded on ships and later going on to build an import terminal, its chief executive said. Sri Lanka is seeking supply of gas in liquid form to meet requirements for generating electricity and other industries. It was in discussions with Petronet and other suppliers for years and it is only now that it has finally agreed to buy the fuel from the Indian firm.

5:53 PM

Voting concludes across Pakistan in election marred by sporadic violence

Voting concluded across Pakistan on Thursday in an election marred by sporadic violence and connectivity issues after the government suspended mobile and internet services to foil terror attacks.

 

The polling started at 8.00 AM and continued without any break till 5.00 PM. A countrywide public holiday was declared to enable a total of 128,585,760 registered voters to cast their ballots.

 

The time for voting ended but the people present inside the premises of the polling stations were allowed to cast their votes.

 

There were reports of voting process facing delays at certain polling stations across the country and at least one terror attack on security forces performing election duties that killed four policemen.

5:49 PM

India strongly rejects charges of interference in Canadian elections

India on Thursday strongly rejected as "baseless" allegations of its interference in Canadian elections and asserted that the core issue has been Ottawa's meddling in New Delhi's internal affairs.

 

According to Canadian media reports, Canada's federal commission of inquiry into foreign interference is looking to examine allegations of meddling by India in the last two general elections.

 

"We have seen media reports about the Canadian commission enquiring into ...We strongly reject all such baseless allegations of Indian interference in Canadian elections," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

 

The Canadian federal commission's terms of reference is primarily to examine the possible interference by China, Russia and other foreign states or non-state actors in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, the CTV News reported.

 

5:41 PM

FM Sitharaman moves Finance Bill 2024 in Rajya Sabha

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday moved the Finance Bill 2024 for consideration in the Rajya Sabha.

 

The Finance Bill 2024 will be considered for returning to the Lok Sabha which passed the bill on Wednesday.

 

The finance minister also moved a bill related to Jammu and Kashmir budget bill and appropriation Bill authorising the government to meet expenses for four months in the next financial year.

 

"I move that the bill to continue the existing rates of income tax for the financial year 2024-25 and to provide for certain relief to taxpayers and to make amendments in certain enactments as passed by Lok sabha be taken into consideration," Sitharaman said while introducing the Finance Bill 2024-25.

5:40 PM

Govt to conduct pan-India livestock census in Sept-Dec

The government on Thursday said it is making preparations for the 21st livestock census to be conducted between September and December this year across the country.

 

The Union Animal Husbandry and Dairying Ministry will conduct the livestock census using mobile technology as it will help in further transmitting the data online, it said.

 

The ministry on Thursday held a sensitization meeting, under the chairmanship of Animal Husbandry and Dairying Secretary Alka Upadhyaya, with senior officers of the states and union territories and members of technical committee.

 

"The 21st Livestock Census is due in 2024 and will be conducted in participation of states/ union territories during the period of September-December 2024," the ministry issued a statement after the meeting.

5:31 PM

Economy in fragile state in 2014, economic mismanagement...it was crisis situation: FM in White Paper

"Economy in fragile state in 2014, economic mismanagement...it was crisis situation", Finance Ministry in White Paper tabled in Lok Sabha.

5:28 PM

'Below-the-line financing is now being transparently disclosed'

"Moving away from the past practice, below-the-line financing is now being transparently disclosed. So far, this government has expended about Rs 1.93 trillion in the last ten years towards repayment of principal and interest for special bonds issued to Oil Marketing Companies, Fertiliser Companies and Food Corporation of India in lieu of cash payout of subsidy prior to 2014. This government will further defray Rs 1.02 trillion towards the balance outstanding liabilities and interest thereon during 2025-2027," reads the 'White Paper'.

5:23 PM

'White Paper on the Indian Economy', laid by FM Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha on banking crisis

'White Paper on the Indian Economy', laid by FM Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha reads - The banking crisis was one of the most important and infamous legacies of the UPA government. When the Vajpayee-led NDA government took office, the Gross Non-Performing Assets (GNPA) ratio in Public Sector banks was 16.0 per cent, and when they left office, it was 7.8 per cent. In September 2013, this ratio, including restructured loans, had climbed to 12.3 per cent largely because of political interference by the UPA government in the commercial lending decisions of public sector banks. Worse, even that high percentage of bad debts was an underestimate

5:23 PM

It is our Kartavya Kaal: White paper

The Amrit Kaal has just begun and our destination is "India a developed nation by 2047". 

5:16 PM

'White paper' on telecom sector

Since 2014, our government has taken several steps to correct the situation in the telecom market and to effectively handle the failures that resulted from the lack ofclarity in policy in the sector. It brought transparent methods of spectrum auction, trading and sharing that further enabled the optimal utilisation of spectrum: White Paper.

5:15 PM

The economy appears to be in a resilient mode in terms of growth, inflation: White paper

'White Paper on the Indian Economy', laid by FM Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha reads - The UPA Government inherited a healthy economy ready for more reforms, but made it non-performing in its ten years. In 2004, when the UPA government began its term, the economy was growing at 8 per cent (with industry and services sector growth above 7 per cent each and a resuscitating agriculture sector growth above 9 per cent in FY04) amidst a benign world economic environment. The Economic Survey of 2003-04 noted, "The economy appears to be in a resilient mode in terms of growth, inflation, and balance of payments, a combination that offers large scope for consolidation of the growth momentum with continued macroeconomic stability"

5:14 PM

Achievements of NDA govt that is highlighted in 'White paper'

Since the time our government assumed power in 2014, the Indian economy has undergone many structural reforms that have strengthened the macroeconomic

fundamentals of the economy the government has undertaken diverse reforms to restore and enhance the potential of the economy by creating a business-friendly environment, improving ease of living, and strengthening the governance systems and processes. This led to a substantial decline in policy uncertainty in India, which had peaked under the UPA Government.
 

In the past ten years, the government has revitalised the stagnant financial sector and overhauled the credit ecosystem within the economy, bringing about significant improvements
 

Our government's vision of "Nation First" has transformed the quality of India's infrastructure and logistics ecosystem, which will be key for the country to attract investments and expand its presence in global value chains.
 

The reform measures undertaken by our government have significantly elevated the medium-term investment prospects of the economy. Both domestic and foreign investors express high optimism regarding India's growth potential, anticipating lucrative opportunities as the Indian economy expands.

5:13 PM

'UPA govt's decade marked by scams'

"The UPA government's decade of governance (or its absence) was marked by police misadventures and scams such as non-transparent auction of public resources (coal andtelecom spectrum), the spectre of retrospective taxation, unsustainable demand stimulus and ill-targeted subsidies and reckless lending by the banking sector with undertones offavouritism, etc," said the White Paper.

5:12 PM

The economic mismanagement choked the growth potential: Govt in White paper

"The economic mismanagement choked the growth potential and India became a "fragile" economy. Time and again, there was a crisis of leadership in the UPA government. It came out in full public glare in the shameful public tearing up of an ordinance issued by the government," the govetnment said in the White paper.

5:11 PM

Need to revamp, Modi govt says in White Paper

"As soon as our government took over in 2014, we recognized the urgent need to revamp and overhaul systems and processes, to help India advance on the path of developmentwhile also bolstering its macroeconomic foundations," said White Paper.

5:04 PM

White Paper on inflation

Inflation raged between 2009 and 2014 and the common man bore the brunt.

5:04 PM

White Paper on Forex

Under the UPA government, foreign exchange reserves had declined from around USD 294 billion in July 2011 to around USD 256 billion in August 2013.

5:02 PM

Govt tables Whitepaper detailing economy's performance under NDA 1, 2

2:59 PM

Satya Nadella announces expansion of 'Code Without Barrier' programme, to train 75K women

Microsoft Chief Satya Nadella on Thursday announced the expansion of Microsoft's 'Code Without Barriers' programme to India, aiming to train 75,000 women developers by 2024.