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10:48 PM

Over 1,600 fee-related complaints received against pvt schools: Punjab govt

The Punjab government Monday said it has received over 1,600 complaints against private schools for allegedly charging exorbitant amounts as fees and other funds.

The complaints came two days after Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains announced the launch of a task force in each district to investigate any complaint against private schools

10:06 PM

I-T dept seized assets worth over Rs 4,800 crore in last 4 fiscals: Govt

Assets worth more than Rs 4,800 crore were seized during searches conducted by the Income Tax department against 2,841 groups in the last four financial years, the government informed Lok Sabha on Monday.

 

Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said these searches are undertaken to find "suspected or identified large-scale tax evasion"

9:48 PM

Noida DM reviews Covid situation as active cases near 150

Amid the rise in Covid-19 cases, Gautam Buddh Nagar District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma on Monday reviewed the pandemic situation and directed officials to ensure adequate arrangement for oxygen and hospital beds to meet any eventuality.

 

During the review at the auditorium of Integrated Control Centre at HCL's facility in Sector 60, Verma directed the administration officials to strengthen mutual coordination in order to prevent the spread of infection, officials said in a statement.

9:33 PM

China backs Putin's new foreign policy: Says ready to boost ties with Russia, India

China responded positively on Monday to Russia's new foreign policy concept, saying Beijing, Moscow and New Delhi are emerging "major powers" with "notable influence" and it was ready to boost ties with them and send a "positive signal" to the world in view of the complex changes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the new Foreign Policy Concept Friday last, which said strengthening and deepening relations with China and India is a diplomatic priority for Russia.

8:46 PM

Maha logs 248 new Covid-19 cases, one death; active tally at 3,532

Maharashtra on Monday reported 248 new cases of coronavirus and a single casualty that raised the tally of infections to 81,45,590, which includes 1,48,445 fatalities, an official from the state health department said.

The daily count of infections has dropped by 50 per cent, as the state had recorded 562 cases on Sunday, he said.

8:06 PM

28 wanted gangsters hiding in 14 countries: Sources

The Centre has prepared a list of 28 most wanted gangsters operating from 14 foreign countries, with nine of them hiding in Canada and five in the United States, sources said on Monday.

Cases of murder, extortion and kidnapping have been slapped against these gangsters, including Satinderjit Singh alias Goldy Brar and Lawrence Bishnoi, suspected of being the mastermind behind the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala last year.

7:56 PM

Mayoral poll likely to be held late April, Shelly Oberoi to hold charge till new mayor elected: Sources

The fresh mayoral poll in Delhi is likely to be held late April, and incumbent Shelly Oberoi will continue to hold charge of the top post till a new mayor is elected, official sources said on Monday.

Oberoi, an AAP councillor, was elected as the mayor of Delhi on February 22.

7:30 PM

CBI brand of truth, officers should act against corrupt, however powerful, without hesitation: PM

There is today no dearth of political will to act against corruption and officers should take action against the corrupt, however powerful, without any hesitation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday.

Addressing a gathering at the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the prime minister said the agency has developed as a brand of "truth and justice" over the last 60 years. Terming corruption the biggest roadblock to democracy and justice, he said the agency's key responsibility is to free India from it.

6:39 PM

SII seeks inclusion of Covovax on CoWIN as heterologous dose for adults

Amid rising coronavirus cases, the Serum Institute of India has written a letter to the Union health ministry seeking the inclusion of its COVID-19 vaccine Covovax on the CoWIN portal as a heterologous booster dose for adults, official sources said on Monday.

 

The letter was written by Prakash Kumar Singh, Director, Serum Institute of India (SII) on March 27, they said.

5:55 PM

Replace 50% firewood used in crematoriums with cow dung cakes: Adityanath to officials

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday directed officials to replace 50 per cent of firewood used in crematoriums with cow dung cakes and utilise the income generated through this for the management of cow shelters.

The chief minister was addressing a meeting to review the management of stray cattle shelters and the current status of milk production in the state, according to an official statement

5:21 PM

Restore railway fare concession for senior citizens: Kejriwal to PM Modi

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to restore the railway fare concession for senior citizens, saying no society and country can progress without the blessings of its elderly.

In a letter to the prime minister, he said the Centre has a budget of Rs 45 lakh crore and would incur a cost of Rs 1600 crore, which was just a "drop in the ocean", if it extends the concession to senior citizens.

4:55 PM

CM Nitish Kumar has lost his will to govern Bihar: BJP

The BJP on Monday slammed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for communal violence in the state, saying he seems to have lost his will to govern and asked him to "stop dreaming about becoming prime minister and instead take care of the state".

While former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad questioned Kumar's willingness to handle the situation, former Bihar deputy CM and MP Sushil Kumar Modi hit out at the state's ruling alliance leaders for blaming the BJP and right wing organisations for violence wondering as to why the government has then not then exposed such a conspiracy.

4:44 PM

CJI approves fresh guidelines on engaging services of law clerks in SC

Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud has approved fresh guidelines for engaging the services of law interns for assisting Supreme Court judges in legal research after which they will be paid a consolidated remuneration of Rs 80,000 per month.

 

The top court has come up with a fresh Scheme for Engaging Law Clerk-cum-Research Associates on Short-Term Contractual Assignment in the Supreme Court of India.

4:23 PM

Yediyurappa says son Vijayendra to contest from Shikaripura and not Varuna

Former Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa on Monday said his son B Y Vijayendra will contest the May 10 Assembly elections from Shikaripura in this district, which he represented in the Lower House six times.

The BJP strongman, who had already announced his retirement from electoral politics, again ruled out the possibility of his son being fielded from Varuna in Mysuru against Congress stalwart Siddaramaiah.

4:06 PM

Axis Bank launches business management solution for merchants

Axis Bank in partnership with Visa on Monday launched an app that will empower merchants to accept payments through various digital modes and also enable them to manage their day-to-day business digitally.

The app 'Digital Dukaan' has been specifically designed to address business requirements such as accepting digital payments, inventory management and billing, among others, Axis Bank said in a statement.

3:56 PM

Cong leaders claim party workers heading to Surat to support Rahul Gandhi stopped by Gujarat Police

Senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra minister Balasaheb Thorat on Monday claimed vehicles of party workers, who were on way to Surat to extend support to Rahul Gandhi, were stopped by Gujarat Police.

 

Gandhi filed an appeal at a sessions in Surat against his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remarks.

3:46 PM

Mamata greets Rahul in morning & attacks him in evening: Patra

Accusing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of doublespeak, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra on Monday said the TMC chairperson greets Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the morning and attacks him in the evening.

Patra was addressing a press meet at the new state BJP office in Salt Lake.

3:33 PM

Pakistan's debt sustainability indicators worsen, public debt rose significantly in past 6 months

Pakistan is in the middle of a deep economic crisis amid steep currency devaluation and interest rates hikes with its major debt sustainability indicators witnessing marked deterioration during the first half of this fiscal year, according to semi-annual debt bulletin of the finance ministry, reported The Express Tribune.

The July-December 2022 report showed that the share of external public debt rose in the past six months, while the average time of maturity and period of resetting the interest rates have further shortened, the report said.

3:21 PM

SC junks plea seeking enquiry into financial frauds in working of Kisan Credit Card system

The Supreme Court has rejected a plea for a pan India enquiry into alleged financial frauds in the working of the Kisan Credit Card system for farmers with the connivance of bank officials, saying such a probe was not possible on the basis of "general allegations" levelled by the petitioner.

A bench of Justices SK Kaul and Aravind Kumar, however, granted liberty to the petitioner to approach the Reserve Bank of India with his grievances.

1:15 PM

PM Modi takes dig at Congress govt in his address at CBI's Diamond Jubilee celebrations

1:07 PM

We need innovation, tech-savvy youth to counter cybercrime: PM Modi

PM Modi said joint and multi-disciplinary investigation need of the hour today.

 

Explaining how the CBI has evolved in past years the PM  expressed his trust in CBI's 'chintan shivir' and said, it shall catapult us into new directions.

12:57 PM

No lack of political will to counter corruption in country today: PM Modi

We have nabbed not only corrupt people but also corrupt organisations. We established GEM within government departments and they do transactions using this, thus minimising corruption in governance., the PM said. 

 

Taking a dig at the UPA government, PM Modi said that some people committed fraud of more than Rs 20,000 crores from Indian Banks. We brought special laws for such fugitive economic offenders. 

 

UPI, Jan Dhan, and Adhaar has pushed out more than 8 crore fraud beneficiaries from government schemes beneficiary list, the PM Added.  

 

12:48 PM

CBI's primary responsibility is to get rid of Corruption, says PM Modi

CBI's primary responsibilty is to get rid of Corruption. Corruption in governance hinders democracy. The youth can never prosper in an atmostphere of corruption. It is the stem of nepotism and an enemy of talent, says PM Modi.

 

We got the legacy of corruption from Britishers. But unfortunately, subsequent governments strengthened the system of corruption. 

12:44 PM

CBI has emerged as multi-dimensional organisation in past 60 years: PM Modi

From opening new CBI offices in new cities to inaugrating Twitter handle, all these steps shall help make the CBI stronger. People across sections trust CBI and thus even demand CBI enquiry into cases at Panchayat level, says PM Modi.

 

My hearty congratulations to those who served CBI in past 60 years, he added. 

 

 

12:37 PM

PM Modi launches CBI's twitter handle on Diamond Jubilee Celebrations

PM Narendra Modi launched CBI's Twitter handle on Diamond Jubilee Celebrations at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. This marks CBI's debut on microblogging website. 

12:08 PM

5 Naxals dead in Chatra encounter, operation still on: Jharkhand police

10:37 AM

Manish Tewari moves adjournment notice again on issue of disqualification of Rahul Gandhi

Congress MP Manish Tewari has moved the adjournment notice again on the issue of disqualification of leader Rahul Gandhi from the Lok Sabha.

The Parliament will resume on Monday, but the stalemate will also continue as opposition MPs will carry on with their demand for a JPC on the Adani issue. Opposition MPs have already moved suspension of business notice in the Upper House and an adjournment notice in the Lower House, IANS reported.

 

10:32 AM

Indore municipality demolishes illegal structure at temple where 36 people died in stepwell collapse

Indore municipality deploys bulldozer and demolishes illegal structure at Indore temple where 36 people died after the stepwell collapse there last week.

 

 

9:14 AM

S Korea, US, Japan hold maritime drills amid growing N Korean threat

South Korea, the US and Japan kicked off a trilateral naval exercise, involving an American aircraft carrier, in waters south of the Korean Peninsula on Monday, amid joint efforts to reinforce deterrence against growing North Korean threats, Seoul's Defence Ministry said.

 

The two-day anti-submarine and search-and-rescue exercise, featuring the USS Nimitz carrier, got under way in the international waters south of the southern island of Jeju, Yonhap News Agency reported.