Highlights of the day: Repair work on Munak Canal likely to complete by Friday night, says Atishi

From Amit Shah's announcement of Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas to Supreme Court hearing Arvind Kejriwal's plea; stay with us for all the news updates from across the globe

11:16 PM

Andhra police book ex-CM Jagan, 2 IPS officers in 'attempt to murder' case

Andhra Pradesh police registered an "attempt to murder" case against former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, two senior IPS officers and two retired officials, following a complaint lodged by a TDP MLA, an official said on Friday.

The complaint was lodged by the ruling party's Undi MLA K Raghurama Krishna Raju, who was a YSRCP Lok Sabha MP between 2019 and 2024 but had a fallout with Reddy at an early stage.

10:52 PM

Mamata Banerjee meets with Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Friday met with Nationalist Congress Party (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai. Banerjee had arrived in the city to attend the wedding of Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani's son Anant Ambani with Radhika Merchant.

10:37 PM

Haryana approves ordinance to amend rule related to village common land

The state cabinet on Friday gave its nod to an ordinance seeking amendment to the rule related to use of village common land. The ordinance seeks amendment to the Haryana Village Common Lands (Regulation) Act 1961 with regard to the ownership of land in 'shamlat deh'-- the village land reserved and used for common purposes.

 

10:08 PM

Kejriwal hasn't been acquitted: Kiren Rijiju on SC granting bail to Delhi CM

Hours after the Supreme Court granted bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi Excise Policy case, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday, stated that the Aam Aadmi Party national convenor has not yet been acquitted and remains in judicial custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He further said that the apex court had neither given a clean chit to Kejriwal nor had it termed his arrest as "illegal."

9:40 PM

Repair work on Munak Canal likely to be completed by Friday night: Delhi govt

Delhi Water Minister Atishi has said the ongoing repair work on the Munak Canal is likely to be completed by Friday night. A breach in one of the sub-branches of the Munak Canal, which supplies water from Haryana to Delhi, late Wednesday led to knee-deep waterlogging in several parts of the Bawana area. It also affected the water supply in different parts of the city.

8:26 PM

India can become world's 2nd largest economy by 2031: RBI deputy guv

India can become the second largest economy by 2031 and the largest in the world by 2060, given the innate strengths of the country, said Reserve Bank deputy governor Michael D Patra. India, however, will have to overcome various challenges with regard to labour productivity, infrastructure, contribution of manufacturing sector in GDP, and greening of the economy for sustainable development, he said in his address to the officials of the Indian Administrative Service at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie.

8:00 PM

Goods train derails near Patna

A goods train derailed near Patna on Friday, affecting rail traffic on the Fatuha-Islampur section, officials said. The incident happened near Daniyawan station, about 40 km from Patna town, they said.

7:33 PM

Adani Group to invest Rs 20,000 cr in Vizhinjam port's remaining phases

The Adani Group is planning to invest Rs 20,000 crore more to complete the remaining three phases of the Vizhinjam International Seaport, the first transshipment port in the country, Managing Director of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) Karan Adani said here on Friday. Talking to PTI after the official reception ceremony for 'San Fernando', the first mothership to dock at Vizhinjam, Adani said the port will be a game changer for Indian manufacturers as it reduces logistics cost by 30 to 40 per cent.

7:10 PM

Fourteen products of Patanjali, Divya Pharmacy banned in Noida

The sale of 14 Ayurvedic medicines manufactured by Divya Pharmacy and Patanjali Ayurveda Limited has been banned by the Gautam Buddh Nagar administration. The Supreme Court on July 9 directed Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, founded by yoga guru Ramdev, to file an affidavit stating whether advertisements of its 14 products, whose manufacturing licences were initially suspended but later restored, have been withdrawn.

6:24 PM

India's rise in next 5 years will be like a gravitational force defying rocket: VP Dhankhar

India's rise in the next five years will be like a rocket that defies gravitational force, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Friday as he attributed exponential growth in the country's economy to a transparent, accountable mechanism that is in place now. Calling India's rise incremental and unstoppable, he asserted that the world's fifth largest economy has reached a stage in the last one decade where global institutions are now seeking its advice instead of giving it one.

6:07 PM

HCLTech Q1results: Net profit rises 20% to Rs 4,257 cr

HCLTech's Q1 net profit rises 20 per cent to Rs 4,257 crore; firm declares Rs 12 dividend.

 

5:51 PM

Retail inflation rises to 5.08% in July: Govt data

Retail inflation increased to 5.08 per cent in June as kitchen items became dearer, according to government data released on Friday. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) based retail inflation was 4.8 per cent in May 2024 and 4.87 per cent in June 2023 (previous low).

5:49 PM

Industrial output grows 5.9% in May

India's industrial production grew 5.9 per cent in May this year, mainly due to good show by mining and power sectors, according to official data released on Friday. The factory output measured in terms of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) witnessed a growth of 5.7 per cent in May 2023.

5:46 PM

Rain with thunderstorms may continue in parts of Rajasthan

Rain with thunderstorms are likely to continue in the northern and eastern parts of Rajasthan on Friday, while rainfall activities are expected to decrease in the southern and western parts, the Jaipur Meteorological Centre said. In the last 24 hours, the highest rainfall was recorded in Parbatsar (Nagaur) at 89 mm followed by Sepau (Dholpur) at 65 mm, the weather office said.

5:34 PM

NABARD arm launches Rs 750-cr agri fund to finance startups, rural enterprises

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) on Friday said its arm has launched a Rs 750-crore agri fund for startups and rural enterprises. The fund called 'Agri-SURE' is announced by NABVENTURES, a subsidiary of NABARD, with an initial corpus of Rs 750 crore with Rs 250 crore each from NABARD and the Ministry of Agriculture, and Rs 250 crore from other institutions.

5:03 PM

Another headline grabbing exercise: Cong on govt declaring Jun 25 as Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas

The Congress on Friday slammed the government's move to declare June 25 as 'Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas', terming it yet another "headline grabbing exercise in hypocrisy" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Congress' reaction came after Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the government has decided to observe June 25, the day the Emergency was declared in 1975, as 'Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas' to commemorate the "massive contributions" of those who endured inhuman pains during the period.

5:02 PM

India, Qatar agree to expeditiously address bilateral trade issues, facilitate trade promotion

India and Qatar have agreed to expeditiously address all impending bilateral trade issues and have identified several areas of focus for enhancing both bilateral trade as well as mutually beneficial cooperation sectors. Representatives from both nations reviewed recent developments in a Joint Working Group meeting in Doha this week, the Commerce Ministry said on Friday. Both sides undertook a detailed review of recent developments in bilateral trade and economic cooperation and noted that the relationship has a huge potential to be scaled up even further, the Commerce Ministry stated.

4:57 PM

Centre launches 321 fisheries projects worth over Rs 114 crore in Tamil Nadu

Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh virtually inaugurated 321 projects at the Fisheries Summer Meet held in Madurai, Tamil Nadu on Friday. These initiatives, approved under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), represent a total investment of Rs 114 crore, an official statement said. The projects covering 19 states and Union Territories include fish retail kiosks, shrimp hatcheries, brood banks, ornamental fish units, biofloc units, fish feed mills, and fish value-added enterprises.

4:43 PM

My role as DoNER minister is to translate aspirations of states into reality: Scindia

Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia on Friday said his role would primarily be that of a facilitator, ensuring that aspirations of the states in the region are realised. He emphasised the importance of showcasing the North Eastern region's rich cultural heritage, traditions, and natural resources to the world. Talking to reporters at the airport here on his first visit to the North East since assuming charge, Scindia said he will work towards realising the government's vision of making the region the "gateway of India's progress". "Work to achieve it has already been on track for the last 10 years," he added.

4:40 PM

Declaring Emergency was brazen display of dictatorial mindset: Amit Shah

Making the announcement of 'Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas' -- to be observed on June 25 -- Union Home Minister Amit Shah said, "By imposing Emergency, lakhs of people were put in jails for no fault of their own, voice of media was silenced." Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi remembered Emergency as a 'dark phase in Indian history'.

4:22 PM

Water level in India's main reservoirs rise to 26% of total live storage capacity: CWC

Amid heavy rains in different parts of the country, water levels in 150 main reservoirs of the country have increased to 26 per cent of the total live storage capacity, still lower than in the same period last year, according to official data. Last week, the water level was at 22 per cent. The current live storage stands at 46.311 billion cubic meters (BCM), which is 26 per cent of the total live storage capacity of these reservoirs. This is a significant drop compared to the same period last year, when the live storage was 58.864 BCM, according to Central Water Commission's (CWC's) Friday bulletin.

4:12 PM

U'khand govt releases expert panel's report on Uniform Civil Code; CM says 'people will get justice easily'

Shatrugan Singh, the Chairman of the Rules and Implementation, released the report of the Expert Committee on the Uniform Civil Code of Uttarakhand on Friday. The report was released at the Circuit House Annexe, Dehradun. While speaking to the media, Singh said, "The details of the UCC are given on the website http://ucc.uk.gov.in . You can read the report of the Expert Committee on the website." Uttarakhand CM, Pushkar Singh Dhami, said, "The UCC is a very big thing for our state. The people of the state had elected us for the same reason. I congratulate all the people of Uttarakhand on the implementation of the UCC. After the implementation, several complexities would be made easier."

3:57 PM

Comprehensive India-UK trade pact to deliver win-win result for both economies: Experts

With the new government taking charge in Britain, the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the UK will get a renewed push and a comprehensive pact would deliver a win-win result for both economies, said experts. They said that promoting export of services seem to be a priority for the UK's Labour government and it will seek to negotiate standalone sector deals, such as digital, or mutual recognition agreements, to promote services exports.

3:47 PM

Sensex jumps 622 points to settle at an all-time high of 80,519.34; Nifty rallies to 24,502.15

Benchmark stock market indices hit fresh record highs on Friday, with the S&P BSE Sensex rising over 900 points and the NSE Nifty50 jumping nearly 250 points. The Sensex hit a lifetime high of 80,893 during intraday trade and the 50-share Nifty hit a new record high of 24,592.20.

3:34 PM

Bail order should be stayed only in rare and exceptional cases: SC

Courts should refrain from staying bail orders in a mechanical manner and without giving any reason, the Supreme Court said Friday, underlining that the relief should be denied to an accused only in rare and exceptional cases. A bench of Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Augustine George Masih said courts cannot curtail the liberty of an accused in a casual manner. "The courts should stay bail order only in rare and exceptional cases like somebody is involved in terrorist cases, where order is perverse or provisions of law have been bypassed. You cannot restrict liberty like this. This will be disastrous. If we grant stay like this, this will be disaster. Where will Article 21 go," the bench observed.

3:30 PM

Establishing 'Gram Nyayalayas' would provide access to affordable justice, reduce pendency: SC

The Supreme Court on Friday said establishing 'Gram Nyayalayas' would help in providing affordable and speedy justice to the citizens at their doorsteps and also reduce the huge pendency of cases in trial courts. An Act passed by Parliament in 2008 provided for the setting up of Gram Nyayalayas at the grassroots level for providing access to justice to citizens and to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to anyone by reason of social, economic or other disabilities.

3:25 PM

Budget must address fundamental questions, why is private investment very sluggish: Congress

The Congress on Friday said the forthcoming budget must address fundamental questions such as why private investment is "very sluggish" and private consumption is not picking up as the party dismissed claims that economic growth is accelerating sharply and large numbers of jobs being created. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is scheduled to present the Budget for 2024-25 in the Lok Sabha on July 23. Congress general secretary, in-charge communications, Jairam Ramesh said, "The non-biological PM's cheerleaders and drumbeaters claim that economic growth is accelerating sharply and that jobs are being created in large numbers."

3:23 PM

SC stays Karnataka HC's interim order restraining Kannada news channel Power TV from broadcasting

The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Karnataka High Court interim order restraining Kannada news channel Power TV from broadcasting and issued notice on its plea challenging the Karnataka HC order. The top court remarked that this was a "political vendetta." A bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud issued notice to Centre on Power Smart Media Pvt Ltd plea and stayed the HC order till further hearing, which is listed on July 15. The top court also remarked that they are inclined to protect freedom of speech and expression. It looks like a case of political vendetta, the court observed, saying that the court will be failing in its duty if it does not protect freedom of speech and expression.

3:17 PM

SC to consider listing PIL for court-monitored SIT probe into electoral bond scheme

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to consider listing a public interest litigation that urged a court-monitored investigation into the electoral bonds scheme. The PIL, filed by NGOs Common Cause and the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), alleges an "apparent quid pro quo" between political parties, corporations, and investigative agencies. A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra took note of the submissions of lawyer Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the NGOs, that despite his several visits to the apex court registry in the last few months, the pleas are yet to be listed.

3:07 PM

Adani Wilmar to acquire 67% stake in Omkar Chemicals Industries at Rs 56 cr enterprise value

Edible oil major Adani Wilmar Ltd will acquire a 67 per cent stake in Omkar Chemicals Industries at an enterprise value of Rs 56 crore. Adani Wilmar, a joint venture between Adani Group and Singapore's Wilmar Group, is one of the largest consumer food FMCG companies in India. The company has a diversified product portfolio offering most of the primary kitchen essentials, including edible oil, wheat flour, rice, pulses, chickpea flour (besan) and sugar. It is also a leading player in oleochemicals.