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The Delhi government will finance its highest-ever budget, tabled by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday, through its own revenue pegged at Rs 74,000 crore and Rs 16,700 crore market borrowing through the RBI. The Budget Estimates in 2026-27 of Rs 1,03,700 crore is Rs 3,700 crore higher than the Rs 1,00,000 crore BE in 2025-26, an increase of 3.7 per cent. It will be the first time that the Delhi government will source budget funds through market borrowing. In January this year, the Delhi government signed an MoU with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), under which the central bank serves as the banker, debt manager and financial agent of the government. The agreement enables market borrowing through state development loans, automatic investment of surplus cash, professional cash management and access to low-cost liquidity facilities within the framework prescribed by the Centre and the RBI Act. Gupta had said that funds raised through market borrowings would be utilised exclusivel
The government is unlikely to immediately bring a bill to increase Lok Sabha seats to 816 so that 273 of them could be reserved for women in the ongoing Parliament session, which may be adjourned early but will not be prorogued to keep open the option of reconvening after the upcoming round of assembly elections, according to sources. The sources indicated that there is very little chance of the government tabling the constitution amendment bill that will tweak the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, commonly known as the women's reservation law, in Parliament in the next few days. It is learnt that there was no proposal till Tuesday evening to bring the draft bill before the Union Cabinet, which is scheduled to meet on Wednesday. "There are requirements of seeking further deliberations with all political parties before finalising a schedule for amending the women's reservation law," a source privy to the development said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had on Monday discussed the matter
The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed a bill to amend a law on protection and rights of transgender persons, which seeks to exclude social orientations from the ambit of the statute and provides for graded punishment based on the gravity of harm inflicted on such people. Responding to the debate on the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Virendra Kumar said the proposed legislation aims to provide protection to only those who face boycott due to biological issues. He asserted that the amendment will ensure that transgender persons continue to get legal recognition and protection. Kumar said while the 2019 law had a provision for a maximum of two years of imprisonment, the amendment bill provides for a maximum of 14 years in jail with a penalty. Before the passage of the bill, the House also rejected amendments moved by opposition members by a voice vote. While the government said the objective is to provide protection
Pakistan is the most polluted country in the world, followed by Bangladesh and Tajikistan while India is at the sixth spot, according to the 8th World Air Quality report. The 2025 edition of the report published by IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company, is based on analysis of data from monitoring stations across 9,446 cities in 143 countries, regions and territories. The data has been sourced from more than 40,000 regulatory monitoring stations and low-cost sensors managed by a wide array of contributors, including government agencies, universities, non-profit organisations, private enterprises and engaged citizen scientists around the world. While China is at the 20th position amongst the most polluted countries in the world, the USA is at the 120th spot and the UK is at the 110th spot. According to the report, only 13 countries or territories -- French Polynesia, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Barbados, New Caledonia, Iceland, Bermuda, Reunion, Andorra, Australia, Grena
The government on Tuesday said India has adequate stocks of petrol, diesel and LPG, and that all refineries are operating at high capacity despite disruptions linked to the Strait of Hormuz situation. In an update on fuel availability, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said petrol pumps across the country remain fully functional, though panic buying triggered by rumours led to unusually high sales in some areas. She urged citizens not to engage in hoarding and to rely on official information. Sharma said domestic LPG production has been stepped up, with no reported dry-outs at distributorships, even as supply remains under pressure due to the prevailing geopolitical situation. Deliveries continue as normal, she added. Natural gas supplies to priority segments such as domestic PNG and CNG transport remain fully protected, while supplies to industrial and commercial users are being maintained at about 80 per cent of average consumption. The
The construction cost of real estate projects is likely to rise 3-5 per cent this calendar year on higher prices of inputs, including labour, according to JLL India. Real estate consultant JLL on Tuesday released 'Construction Cost Guide, India - 2026', which estimated that the construction costs are projected to rise 3-5 per cent across all asset classes in 2026. In 2025, material costs presented a mixed picture with divergent trends across categories. "Cement, steel and diesel prices showed a mild decrease of 1-2 per cent, 3-4 per cent and 5-6 per cent, while aluminium and copper costs experienced more significant increases of 8-9 per cent and 9-10 per cent respectively, driven by global demand pressures and supply chain dynamics," JLL said. Labour costs increased 5-6 per cent across all categories, driven by skilled labour shortages and infrastructure demand. The consultant noted that the government's GST 2.0 initiative delivered a critical 10 per cent tax relief on cement, ...
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on Tuesday signed four loan projects, including a project for promoting sustainable horticulture in Punjab and Mumbai Metro Line, aggregating to Rs 16,420 crore. The loan agreement was signed with the Government of India to provide Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan for four key projects, JICA said in a statement. The loan agreement was signed in New Delhi between Alok Tiwari , Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and Takeuchi Takuro, Chief Representative of JICA India Office. The four projects include a project for strengthening the tertiary Healthcare Delivery, Medical Education System and Nursing Education System in Maharashtra (62,294 million Japanese Yen); a Project for Promoting Sustainable Horticulture in Punjab (18,684 million Japanese Yen), Bengaluru Metro Rail Project (Phase 3) (I) (102,480 million) and the Mumbai Metro Line 11 Project (I) (92,400 million Japanese Yen). The projects aim
American bank JP Morgan has appointed HSBC Group veteran Rahul Badhwar as its senior country officer for India. Sjoerd Leenart, J P Morgan's chief executive for Asia Pacific, made the announcement about Badhwar's appointment. Badhwar replaces Kaustubh Kulkarni, the senior country officer who quit in September to join rival Citigroup. "India is a critical market for our Asia Pacific franchise, and Rahul will play a central role in driving and executing our growth strategy across the country," the internal memo reviewed by PTI said. Badhwar's responsibilities will include getting the firm's entire set of offerings to clients, strengthening governance and controls, and supporting the talent base and community, as per the memo. He will join the firm in July and be based out of Mumbai, it said, adding that Badhwar will report to Leenart and also be a part of the Asia Pacific Management Committee. Badhwar has spent three decades in sales and trading roles at HSBC, and was last based in
Quick commerce platform Zepto on Tuesday introduced a suite of new in-app features, including a 'Pay Later' facility and real-time images of fresh produce, as it shifts its strategic focus from delivery speed to "behaviour-led commerce." The company stated that the quick commerce sector is moving beyond the "race to the fastest 10 minutes" to focus on reducing everyday shopping friction and serving customers more intelligently. The newly rolled-out 'Pay Later' feature offers a 15-day, interest-free repayment cycle embedded directly within the app. Designed for high-frequency, low-value orders, the facility allows for a one-tap checkout without One-Time Passwords (OTPs) or third-party redirects. According to the product interface shared by the company, the service provides instant credit of up to Rs 10,000. "Meet Zepto Pay Later, a BNPL experience built completely inside the Zepto app. Shopping is now going to be smoother than ever. It's already live for a small percentage, and we p
The Trump administration has banned imports of new, foreign-made routers, citing supply chain vulnerability and cybersecurity risks. The newest addition to the US "covered list" targets consumer-grade routers, the boxes that connect home computers, phones and smart devices to the internet. The list is a catalogue of communications equipment and services considered "to pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the US or the safety and security of Americans," the Federal Communications Commission said. "Malicious actors have exploited security gaps in foreign-made routers to attack American households, disrupt networks, enable espionage, and facilitate intellectual property theft," the FCC said this week, citing several examples of foreign-made routers that were involved in cyberattacks targeting US infrastructure. Although some routers are sold by US hardware companies such as Netgear and eero, their production is almost exclusively handled overseas. It is unclear if any
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was on Tuesday elected JD (U) president unopposed with no other candidate filing nomination for the party's top post. This is the fourth time Kumar, 75, has become the party chief. Already helming the party since Lalan Singh resigned from the post ahead of Lok Sabha polls in December 2023, Kumar was recently elected to Rajya Sabha. Returning officer Aneel Prasad Hegde, a former Rajya Sabha member, announced the name of Kumar, who was not present as he was participating in the ongoing Samriddhi Yatra in Bihar. "I declare Nitish Kumar as the party's national president since no other nomination has been filed," Hegde announced and handed over the certificate of his election to JD(U) working president Sanjay Kumar Jha and Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh at the party's central office here. Asked about Kumar's absence, Jha said he is participating in the ongoing Samriddhi Yatra. "We have come here to receive the election certificate
Ahead of the West Bengal Assembly polls, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday resigned from 23 offices and positions she held across departments and affiliated bodies, according to an official communication. In a letter from the state's home department, its counterparts in the state government were directed to initiate necessary steps for the acceptance of her resignation from the posts, as well as from any other positions that may not have been explicitly listed in her communique. Banerjee is fighting the Assembly polls from the Bhabanipur seat in south Kolkata against the state's Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari.. "I am directed to forward a copy of the communication which would reveal that Mamata Banerjee has, with immediate effect, resigned from the offices/posts as mentioned in the enclosed list," the letter stated. The incumbent CM resigned as head of state health mission, and as chairperson of the state wildlife board, ecotourism advisory board, committee for the .
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday announced free refrigerators for all rice ration cardholders if his party is voted to power in the 2026 Assembly election. Also, he assured to provide one kilo dal and one litre of cooking oil for free to rice category ration cardholders in Tamil Nadu. His announcements toe the line of the party leader and late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, who had announced the populist scheme to provide free fans, mixies, and grinders as part of the AIADMK election manifesto ahead of the 2011 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. After coming to power, she launched the distribution of these freebies on September 15, 2011, coinciding with former Chief Minister C N Annadurai's birth anniversary. Releasing the party's poll manifesto for the April 23 election, at the AIADMK state headquarters here, Palaniswami said, "The free fridge is meant to reduce the household workload of homemakers.