Latest News LIVE: People of Bengal 'angry' with Mamata Banerjee, says Shah

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11:29 PM

Need for relook at differential rates structure to help MSME: Experts

Experts have underlined the need for a relook at the differential rates structure with a view to helping the COVID-19-hit MSME sector entities and small corporates which often fail to obtain loan at better and competitive interest rates from banks and lending institutions.

 

Lower interest rates, the experts said, will make the MSMEs more competitive and help tide over the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Under the differential rates structure, the companies with high credit rate get loans from lending institutions at low rates, while those not having good ratings have to pay higher rates. The differential, according to experts, should be low at this juncture to enable the companies to come out of the crisis situation.

11:12 PM

Centre has right to summon officers: Amit Shah

Slamming West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the recent attack on BJP chief J P Nadda's convoy, Union Home Minister Shah on Sunday asserted the Centre has the right to summon state IPS officers responsible for providing him security for central deputation, and asked the TMC to go through the rules before pointing fingers at the union government.

 

He also said that rules for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act are yet to be framed because of the pandemic situation and the matter will be considered once the COVID-19 vaccination starts and the corona chain breaks.

 

Addressing a press conference here, Shah claimed that Banerjee and the Trinamool Congress raked up the "outsider- insider" issue to divert public attention from the failures of the state government and said that a "son of the soil" would lead the state if the BJP is voted to power.

10:46 PM

Direct your quest for brilliance towards making country proud: Punjab FM to youth

Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal on Sunday called on the youngsters to direct their quest for individual brilliance towards making the country proud.

 

Bringing down the curtains on the fourth Military Literature Festival (MLF) through a virtual ceremony, he underlined the role played by it in reigniting the craze for the defence forces amongst the Punjabi youth.

 

Elaborating on the reasons for coming up with the MLF in 2016, Badal expressed his gratitude towards Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for his guidance and direction, according to a government release.

10:18 PM

Triumphant Shah marches through Bolpur denouncing Mamata's "fiefdom" politics

Having dented Mamata Banerjee's citadel a day before, a triumphant Amit Shah drove through the Bolpur city centre on Sunday like a victor amid showers of marigold petals and chants of "Jai Shri Ram".

 

The architect of BJP's resurgence in the state once considered a Left bastion and then Mamata Banerjee's fiefdom, asserted the saffron party will form the next government with over 200 seats. West Bengal has a 294-member state assembly.

 

He repeatedly attacked the Banerjee government over "corruption, extortion, and Bangladeshi infiltration" patronised by "bhatija", a reference to TMC MP and Mamata's nephew Abhishek Banerjee. And the crowds roared in approval.

10:06 PM

EU-UK trade talks floundering over fish as cutoff day nears

Deep into a crucial weekend of negotiations, a breakthrough on fishing rights remained elusive for the European Union and Britain, leaving both without a trade agreement that would dull the edge of a chaotic, costly economic break on New Years Day.

 

With hundreds of thousands of jobs at stake throughout the economy, the tiny sector of fisheries continued to drive a wedge between the 27-nation bloc and the U.K., highlighting the animosity that drove them to a Brexit divorce over the past four years. Britain left the bloc in January, but a 11-month economic transition period ends on Dec. 31.

 

We continue to work hard," EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said in a statement as light faded over EU headquarters on Sunday.

9:41 PM

Pak's allegations on attacks by Indian troops on UN vehicle found false following probe: India

India on Sunday said Pakistan's allegations that Indian troops deliberately targeted a vehicle of the United Nations along the Line of Control were investigated in detail and found to be factually "incorrect and false".

 

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said Pakistan should responsibly investigate its "lapses" instead of repeating "baseless and fabricated" allegations against India to cover up its own "failure" in ensuring the safety and security of UN personnel in territory under its control.

 

Pakistan on Friday alleged that Indian troops targeted a vehicle of United Nations Military Observers (UNMO) in the Chirikot sector along the LoC. Indian government sources rejected the allegations that day itself.

8:48 PM

No more ‘Ma, Mati, Manush’, TMC is a family party now, says Amit Shah

In the concluding leg of his two-day tour of West Bengal, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) ‘Ma, Mati aur Manush’ slogan is non-existent now and it is limited to being a family party today.
 

“Instead of being concerned about the 10 crore people of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee is concerned about making her nephew (Abhishek Banerjee) the chief minister of West Bengal,” he added.

8:30 PM

North India reels under cold wave, Delhi sees season’s lowest at 3.4 deg C

Cold wave conditions continued across north India on Sunday, with most places in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh experiencing sub-zero temperatures and Delhi recording the season’s lowest temperature so far.
 

The national capital recorded the coldest morning of the season so far at 3.4 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
 

On Saturday, the minimum temperature at the Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for the city, had settled at 3.9 degrees Celsius.

7:21 PM

Amit Shah blasts Mamata govt over attack on Nadda's convoy

Home Minister Amit Shah slammed the Mamata Banerjee government over the recent attack on BJP chief JP Nadda's convoy, and asserted the Centre had the right to summon state IPS officers responsible for providing him security for central deputation.

He alleged Banerjee had failed to control the law and order situation in the state, which was rapidly falling on all development indices.

Shah, while addressing a press conference here, said Banerjee and the ruling TMC were raking up the "outsider- insider" issue to divert public attention from the failures of the state government.

 

5:54 PM

People of West Bengal are ‘angry’ with Mamata Banerjee, says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that the turnout of a sizeable number of people in his roadshow at Birbhum indicated that people of West Bengal are “angry” with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and want a change.
 

Accompanying Shah at the roadshow here was state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh and other party leaders.