Highlights: Core sectors' output grows by 4.6% in January, shows govt data

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8:31 PM

PM Modi to address post-budget webinar on agricultural, rural prosperity

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a post-budget webinar on "Agriculture and Rural Prosperity" via video-conferencing on Saturday.

The webinar aims to bring together key stake-holders for a focused discussion on strategising the effective implementation of this year's budget announcements, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement on Friday.

"With a strong emphasis on agricultural growth and rural prosperity, the session will foster collaboration to translate the budget's vision into actionable outcomes," the PMO said.

7:25 PM

Govt committed to accelerating domestic coal production, says Coal Minister

Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy on Friday reiterated the Government's commitment to accelerate domestic coal production, reducing import dependence, and ensuring sustainable mining practices.
 

The Government also announced that the upcoming 12th round of auctions which is going to start very soon will include underground mines, offering additional financial incentives.

6:50 PM

We will not rest until all promises made to Delhi people in BJP's Sankalp Patra fulfilled: CM Rekha Gupta

We will not rest until all promises made to Delhi people in BJP's Sankalp Patra fulfilled: CM Rekha Gupta in Assembly. She added that they will work resolutely for Delhiites despite empty coffers left by previous AAP government.

6:27 PM

Growth in personal loans slows down to 14.2 pc in Jan: RBI data

Personal loan growth slowed down to 14.2 per cent in the fortnight to January 24, 2025, mainly due to subdued credit offtake of vehicle loans and credit card outstanding, according to the Reserve Bank data.
 

The RBI on Friday released data on sectoral deployment of bank credit for January 2025 collected from 41 select commercial banks, accounting for about 95 per cent of the total non-food credit deployed.

5:58 PM

Naina Lal Kidwai joins Lightspeed as venture advisor

Veteran banker Naina Lal Kidwai has joined investment firm Lightspeed as a venture advisor, the firm said on Friday.
 

Multi-stage venture capital firm Lightspeed has assets under management of USD 25 billion and it has invested in several Indian start-ups such as Epic Games, Physics Wallah, Rubrik, Sharechat, Snap, OYO and Zepto.

5:41 PM

Bengaluru court takes fresh cognisance of chargesheet against Yediyurappa, issues summons

A special court here on Friday issued summons to veteran BJP leader BS Yediyurappa and three other accused in connection with a POCSO Act case to appear before it on March 15. The court which handles cases booked under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act took fresh cognisance of a charge sheet filed by the Karnataka Criminal Investigation Department (CID) against 82-year-old Yediyurappa, a former chief minister.

5:21 PM

Key infra sectors growth picks up to 4.6% in January

The output of eight key infrastructure sectors rose by 4.6 per cent in January against a 4.2 per cent expansion in the same month of last year, according to official data released on Friday. The key infrastructure sectors' output had expanded by 4.8 per cent in December 2024. In January this year, the production of crude oil and natural gas declined compared to the year-ago period.

4:22 PM

India's April-January fiscal deficit at 74.5% of full-year target

India's fiscal deficit for April-January was Rs 11.7 trillion or 74.5% of the estimate for the financial year ending in March, government data showed on Friday.

3:41 PM

57 labourers trapped under avalanche in Uttarakhand, 16 rescued

Forty-one BRO labourers working to clear snow near the high altitude border village of Mana in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district were trapped under an avalanche on Friday. The snowslide had initially buried 57 men but 16 were pulled out safely.

 

3:13 PM

Introduction of 3 new criminal laws a watershed moment for country in justice delivery system: President Murmu

People associated with justice delivery system can be successful in controlling crime only by being smarter than criminals, says President Droupadi Murmu.

2:52 PM

Pope reaches 2-week mark at hospital with pneumonia, doctors suggest he's overcome worst

Pope Francis reached the two-week mark recovery from pneumonia Friday as doctors suggested he had overcome the most critical phase of the infection while holding out on declaring him out of danger entirely. The Vatican's early Friday update also suggested a level of normalcy and routine as the 88-year-old pope continues recovering at Rome's Gemelli Hospital. “As in past days, the night was tranquil and the pope now is resting.” In their Thursday evening bulletin, doctors said Francis' clinical condition had confirmed that he was improving.

2:19 PM

India all set to eliminate TB by 2025: Union Health Minister JP Nadda

Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Friday said that India will meet the target of eliminating tuberculosis (TB) from the country by the end of this year, five years ahead of the global target.Nadda said this while inaugurating the 9th National Summit on Good and Replicable Practices and Innovations in Public Healthcare System in Puri. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has organised the two-day-long conference.

 

2:18 PM

Application of science and technology remained slow in initial days of independent India: Rajnath Singh

War is increasingly moving from hardware oriented to software, says Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Hyderabad.

12:50 PM

Snowfall affects rail, air, road travel in Kashmir

Overnight snowfall affected rail, air and road connectivity on Friday as most parts of Kashmir were draped in a layer of white, officials said. Landslides, mudslides and shooting stones were reported along the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, they said. While the plains were lashed with rains, the higher reaches of the valley, including the tourist resorts of Gulmarg, Sonamarg, and Pahalgam, received moderate to heavy snowfall. Srinagar, meanwhile, saw light snowfall.

12:50 PM

Cong slams govt for 'low consumption expenditure', inequality

Flagging issues of low consumption expenditure and inequality, the Congress on Friday said the way out of this quagmire is to shift the focus of policymaking from cronyism to bottom-up empowerment and that it must begin with kickstarting rural incomes. In a statement, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh cited the Indus Valley Annual Report 2025, an examination of India's economic landscape and start-up ecosystem by the noted VC firm Blume Ventures, to attack the government.

12:22 PM

Ranveer Allahbadia row: Chanchlani records statement with Guwahati police

YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani appeared before the Guwahati Crime Branch, where his statement was recorded, according to officials. Joint Police Commissioner Ankur Jain said that notices had been served to several individuals named in the FIR, including Ranveer Allahabadia, Samay Raina, Apoorva Mukhija, and Jaspreet Singh.

12:01 PM

Drugs worth Rs 24 crore caught in Tripura

Security forces have seized drugs worth Rs 24 crore from Khowai and Dhalia districts of Tripura, officials said on Friday. Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of Assam Rifles and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence intercepted a truck carrying cement bags at Teliamura in Khowai district on Thursday and seized 90,000 Yaba tablets (methamphetamine) worth Rs 9 crore, they said. One person was arrested in this connection.

11:42 AM

At meeting with Trump, Zelenskiy to seek security assurances against future Russian aggression

Ukraine's leader will meet with President Donald Trump in Washington on Friday at a pivotal moment for his country, one that hinges on whether he can persuade Trump to provide some form of US backing for Ukraine's security against any future Russian aggression. During his trip to Washington, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's delegation is expected to sign a landmark economic agreement with the US aimed at financing the reconstruction of war-damaged Ukraine.

Industry has been functioning without any (major) incentive: Girish Tanti

11:18 AM

It is time to take EU-India Strategic Partnership to next level: Von der Leyen

This is not time to place limits on India-EU cooperation; it is time to be pragmatic, ambitious, says European Commission President Von der Leyen.

11:04 AM

EU and India have potential to be one of the defining partnerships of this century: EU chief

World fraught with danger, but this great power competition is opportunity for Europe and India to reimagine ties, says European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

10:43 AM

Andhra Pradesh Government presents Rs 3.22 trillion budget for 2025-26

Andhra Pradesh Budget proposes Rs 19,264 cr for Health, Medical & Family Welfare Department for 2025-26.

9:53 AM

Home Minister Amit Shah to chair high-level meeting on Delhi law and order situation today

Senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Delhi Police, and other law enforcement agencies will be present to discuss recent developments, security challenges, and measures to ensure public safety.

9:37 AM

Boris Spassky, Soviet chess champion who lost famed Cold War-era match to Fischer, dies at 88

Boris Spassky, a Soviet-era world chess champion who lost his title to American Bobby Fischer in a legendary 1972 match that became a proxy for Cold War rivalries, died Thursday in Moscow. He was 88. The death of the one-time chess prodigy was announced by the International Chess Federation, the game's governing body. No cause was given. Spassky was "one of the greatest players of all time," the group said on the social platform X.