UPDATES: Net direct tax collection grows 16% to Rs 16.90 trn during April 1-January 12

Latest news updates: Catch all the major news updates from around the world

10:57 PM

Sri Lankan President leaves for four-day visit to China

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Monday left for a four-day visit to China at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, his second overseas visit – the first being to India – since assuming office in September last year.The visit will take place from January 14 to January 17.

10:36 PM

Rahul Gandhi trying to save Congress, my fight to save country, says Kejriwal

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was trying to save his party while he was fighting to save the country. The former Delhi chief minister's comments came shortly after Gandhi launched an attack on the AAP leader at a poll rally here in Seelampur.

10:07 PM

PM Modi attends Sankranti, Lohri celebrations

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday joined Sankranti and Pongal celebrations at the residence of his Cabinet colleague and Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy and later participated in Lohri festivities at Naraina. Telugu filmstar Chiranjeevi, ace badminton player PV Sindhu and several Union ministers joined the programme at Reddy's residence where Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla was also present.

9:56 PM

Army chief justifies decision to replace 1971 war painting with new artwork at his lounge

Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Monday justified replacing an iconic painting of Pakistan's surrender in the 1971 war at his office in Raisina Hills with a new artwork titled "Karam Kshetra". The painting on the 1971 war was removed from the Army chief's lounge in December and it was subsequently installed at the Manekshaw convention centre.

9:28 PM

Rupee among most stable currencies globally, says BJP, slams Cong for painting 'grim picture'

The BJP on Monday said the rupee is among the "most stable" currencies in the world and slammed the Congress for painting a "grim picture" of the fall in its value against the US dollar. India's improved external position, reduced current-account deficit and strong foreign exchange reserves have made the rupee one of the most stable currencies globally, BJP's IT cell head Amit Malviya said in a post on X.

9:19 PM

Country's 'true independence' was established during consecration of Ram temple: Bhagwat

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Monday said the date of consecration of Ram Temple in Ayodhya should be celebrated as "Pratishtha Dwadashi" as the "true independence" of Bharat, which faced "parachakra" (enemy attack) for several centuries, was established on this day. An idol of Ram Lalla was consecrated at the Ayodhya temple on January 22, 2024, in a landmark event led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

9:04 PM

UGC-NET scheduled for Jan15 postponed on account of festivals including Makar Sakranti, Pongal

The UGC-National Eligibility Test (NET) scheduled for January 15 has been postponed on account of festivals, including Makar Sakranti and Pongal, the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced on Monday. The new date will be announced later.

8:25 PM

People should ask Kejriwal if he wants reservation for the backward, caste census: Rahul Gandhi

Addressing a poll rally Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that people should ask Kejriwal if he wants reservation for the backwarda and caste census. He further said that we want equality, 'bhaagidaari' for poor, minorities.

8:23 PM

Modi, Kejriwal don't want backward, minorities to get their due: Rahul Gandhi

Addressing a poll rally, Congress leader rahul Gandhi said that backward people are not getting their due and there's unequal distribution of resources. He further said that they're silent on caste census.

8:21 PM

PM Modi, Arvind Kejriwal promised to reduce inflation, but failed to do so: Rahul Gandhi

Addressing a poll rally, Congress leader rahul Gandhi said that PM Modi and Arvind Kejriwal promised to reduce inflation, but failed to do so. He further said that poor are becoming poorer and rich richer in India.

8:00 PM

Labour minister Mansukh Mandaviya to attend conference on future of jobs

Union Minister of Labour & Employment Mansukh Mandaviya will attend a one-day conference on the Future of Jobs on Wednesday here, according to a Labour Ministry statement. The conference is being organised by the Ministry of Labour & Employment in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), it added. According to the statement, the theme of the conference is "Shaping Tomorrow's Workforce: Driving Growth in a Dynamic World".

7:48 PM

Sarpanch murder case accused must not go unpunished: Fadnavis to Beed SP, SIT chief

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed Beed Superintendent of Police Navneet Kanwat and the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the murder of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh to ensure the guilty do not go unpunished. Deshmukh was abducted, tortured and murdered on December 9 for attempting to stop an extortion bid on an energy firm helming a windmill project in Beed district

7:35 PM

Iran's president to visit Russia this week, sign partnership pact with Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin will host his Iranian counterpart this week for the signing of a broad partnership pact between Moscow and Tehran, the Kremlin said Monday. The agreement on comprehensive strategic partnership between the countries will be signed during Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's visit to Moscow on Friday, the Kremlin said.

7:15 PM

15 million people take dip on first day of Maha Kumbh Mela

The fog was thick, the cold intense and the waters freezing as the Maha Kumbh, the world's largest gathering, began on Monday with 1.5 crore people taking a dip in the Sangam in their quest for moksha' and the belief it will cleanse their sins.

7:01 PM

Soldiers at Siachen glacier now have high-speed internet

Soldiers posted at Siachen glacier, the highest battlefield in the world, can now enjoy high-speed internet services, the Army said on Monday. "Connectivity at the highest battlefield of the world. Fire and Fury Corps, in collaboration with Jio Telecom, successfully installed the first-ever 5G mobile tower on the Siachen glacier," the Army's Fire & Fury Corps said in a post on X.

6:53 PM

Centre extends soybean procurement deadline in Maharashtra, Raj to Jan 31

The Centre has extended the soybean procurement deadline in Maharashtra to January 31, and in Rajasthan to February 4, following requests from state governments, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Monday. The previous deadlines were January 12 for Maharashtra and January 15 for Rajasthan.

6:18 PM

Cong selling lies about UGC hiring norms, practice of governors appointing VCs very old: Pradhan

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Monday attacked the Congress, accusing it of "selling lies" about the draft recruitment norms rolled out by the UGC and said the practice of governors appointing university vice-chancellors has been going on even before Independence.

5:48 PM

Have to fight unitedly, say farmer leaders after KKM, SKM(Non-political), SKM meeting

Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) leaders Monday held a meeting with the two farmer bodies leading the protest at the borders of Punjab and Haryana for a joint agitation to press the Centre into accepting their demands and said public support is crucial to win the fight. Emphasizing unity among the farmer bodies, the leaders of three organisations decided to hold another meeting on January 18.

5:25 PM

GST officers must explain 'grounds of arrest' to offenders: CBIC

Modifying the guidelines for arrest and bail in relation to offences punishable under the GST Act, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) said: "The grounds of arrest must be explained to the arrested person and also furnished to him in writing as an Annexure to the Arrest Memo. Acknowledgement of the same should be taken from the arrested person at the time of service of the Arrest Memo."

5:08 PM

J&J to buy drugmaker Intra-Cellular Therapies for $14.6 billion

Johnson & Johnson said on Monday it would buy drugmaker Intra-Cellular Therapies for $14.6 billion, boosting its presence in the market for neurological disorder treatments.

4:44 PM

BJP hits out at AAP chief Kejriwal over CAG reports

BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said the constitutional scheme requires a government to table reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), which scrutinises its revenue and expenses, but the AAP dispensation has not done it.

 

4:32 PM

News update: EC assured us that Awadh Ojha will be able to cast his vote from Patparganj, say Kejriwal

4:24 PM

Retail inflation falls to 4-month low of 5.22% in Dec

Retail inflation slowed to a four-month low of 5.22 per cent in December compared to 5.48 pc in November, mainly due to easing of prices in food basket. The inflation based on Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 5.48 per cent in November and 5.69 per cent in December 2023, according to government data released on Monday.

4:12 PM

BJP settling Bangladeshis, Rohingyas across India; Centre responsible for border security: AAP

A day after AAP MLA Mohinder Goyal received notices over alleged connection with a syndicate of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Monday charged the BJP with settling "Bangladeshis and Rohingyas" across the country. "For the last 10 and a half years, the prime minister, home minister and foreign minister -- all of the BJP -- they have settled the Bangladeshis and Rohingyas in the nation. They have cheated the country just for election benefits," Singh alleged.

3:56 PM

Following protest, police temporarily halt exhuming body of Kerala man who attained 'samadhi'

Dramatic scenes unfolded on Monday in Neyyattinkara here, when family members and some local residents opposed the police's attempt to exhume the body of a 69-year-old man, whose family claimed that he had attained 'samadhi'. Following the protest, the police temporarily halted their attempt to exhume the body to investigate the mystery surrounding Gopan Swami's death and the authorities decided to initiate discussions with the family to resolve the issue.

3:32 PM

AAP Satyendra Jain defamation plea politically motivated: BJP's Swaraj to court

BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj on Monday said the defamation complaint filed against her by AAP's Satyendra Jain in a Delhi court was "politically motivated". "The timing in this case is important as the person is contesting an election. The petition is politically motivated and it has been filed to gain political advantage," Swaraj's counsel said.

3:19 PM

CLAT UG 2025: SC to hear Consortium of NLUs' pleas over case transfer from HCs

The Supreme Court would on January 15 hear pleas of the Consortium of National Law Universities seeking transfer of pleas against the results of the common law admission test 2025, from various high courts to the apex court. According to the SC website, a bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar listed two separate petitions of the Consortium of National Law Universities (CNLUs), relating to the results of the common law admission test (CLAT), 2025, for an authoritative pronouncement and avoiding any multiplicity of litigations filed by candidates in various high courts.

3:03 PM

Seven Special trains from Odisha to operate for Maha Kumbh: East Coast Railway CPRO

In preparation for the Maha Kumbh 2025, the Indian Railways has rolled out an extensive plan to facilitate the movement of millions of devotees to Prayagraj. According to East Coast Railway CPRO Ashok Kumar, over 13,000 trains will operate during the event, including 10,000 regular mail express trains and 3,000 additional special services specifically planned for January and February.

2:37 PM

Jairam Ramesh's plea challenging tweaking of Election rules to come up for hearing

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh's writ petition in the Supreme Court challenging the recent amendments to the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, will come up for hearing in the Supreme court on Wednesday. The matter will come up for hearing before the bench headed by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on January 15.

2:23 PM

Kashmir valley will soon be connected by train, there is enthusiasm among people about it: PM Modi

There's atmosphere of peace in J-K and we have seen its effect on tourism; today Kashmir is writing new saga of development,  PM Modi stated today.