CATEGORIES

Hindu prayers offered at Gyanvapi after court nod

Two Hindu priests offered prayers to idols of deities, including Lord Shiva in the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi Masjid shortly after midnight on Thursday, hours after the Varanasi district court ordered the chamber be opened after three decades in what was a huge victory for Hindu petitioners in the decades-old dispute.

House did half-hearted' job in amending act: SC

The Parliament did a \"half-hearted\" job in amending the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Act in 1981, the Supreme Court remarked on Thursday, pointing out though the amendments sought to include the Muslim voice in the administration of the institution, it fell short of conferring the \"complete minority character\" on AMU.

Judge who delivered death sentence to 15 PFI men gets threats

BJP LEADER'S MURDER CASE

SC to hear Soren's plea against arrest

The Supreme Court agreed to hear on Friday a plea filed by Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Hemant Soren, challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on money laundering allegations minutes after he resigned as chief minister of the state on Wednesday.

Soren illegally acquired 12 land parcels in Ranchi, ED tells court

Former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren had illegally acquired and possessed 12 adjacent land parcels in Ranchi measuring 8.5 acres, obtained by \"a very large syndicate\" involved in grabbing properties, the Enforcement Directorate claimed on Thursday, a day after the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief was arrested on money laundering charges in connection with an alleged land dead.

Gangster shot 30 times, SIT formed

The Faridabad Police on Thursday formed a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the murder of Delhi-based gangster Surajbhan alias Ballu Pehalwan, 42, two days after he was shot dead, officers aware of the matter said.

Showers, wind clear air; city breathes cleanest since Oct 19

Delhi breathed its cleanest air in more than a hundred days on Thursday as two days of rain and strong winds helped wash out pollutants that have clotted the city's atmosphere for several weeks.

Delhi fulfils its Feb rain quota, more on the cards

The first day of February in Delhi was wetter than it was in all of January, with intermittent showers throughout Thursday alone exceeding the Capital's rain quota for all of the month. However, the showers also pushed Delhi's minimum temperature to its highest in 59 days, in a 5°C jump from Wednesday.

FDI to GDP: Sitharaman lends jargon a twist

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman peppered her shortest ever Budget speech on Thursday morning with a familiar dose of acronyms, catchphrases, alliteration and wordplays, in a bid to unravel complex financial and economic jargon and hook the electorate ahead of the general elections this summer.

Defence spending at ₹6.21L-cr as govt outlines new deep tech plan

India on Thursday set aside ₹6.21 lakh crore for defence spending in the interim budget for 2024-25, with the defence ministry saying that the critical sector continues to receive the highest allocation among all ministries.

'No appeasement; no denial; budget a pillar of growth'

In an interview with Doordarshan, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman talks about the budget's attempts to present people with uniform opportunities with a focus on welfare. Edited excerpts

Health staff to be covered under govt scheme ambit

Health cover under the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna - the government's flagship public health insurance scheme-will be extended to all ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers and helpers, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced on Thursday.

Solar panel scheme upgrade to help 10mn houses save 300 units

The government boosted a scheme to encourage people to install solar panels on their rooftops, showed details of the interim budget announced by Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who also said the Centre will offer viability gap funding for certain wind energy projects, introduce mandatory blending of compressed biogas in natural gas products and strengthen the electric vehicle ecosystem in steps to towards India's commitments to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2070.

Boost for infra, amenities at islands as ₹2,449cr allocated for tourism

Tourism infrastructure and amenities will be taken up in the country's islands, including Lakshadweep, to meet the \"emerging fervour\" for domestic tourism, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday.

In agri, value addition set to be in focus

India will launch new plans and ramp up existing ones to build food parks and post-harvest facilities to boost farm incomes, and formulate strategies to cut the country's reliance on cooking oil imports, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday as she presented the Union interim budget for 2024-25 ahead of the general elections this summer.

A little more for all labharathis? Focus on 'core of core' schemes

The interim budget on Tuesday raised allocations to the government's six so-called \"core of core schemes\" to ₹1.12 lakh crore for 2024-25 from revised estimates (2023-24) of ₹1.08 lakh crore, an increase of 3%. When compared with the budget estimates (2023-24) of ₹86,144 crore, the outlay for the next fiscal year for these programmes represents a 30% jump.

3 new rly corridors to reduce congestion

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday announced the government will set up three major economic railway corridors to reduce congestion and logistics costs in India.

5-yr extension to PMAY(G); 20mn houses to be built

The Narendra Modi government has extended the housing scheme for rural poor or the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (Gramin), one of the most important welfare programmes to fight multi-dimensional poverty, for another five years to construct an additional 20 million houses, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced on Thursday.

Govt plans new housing scheme for middle class

The government will bring in a new housing scheme for the middle class to buy or build homes, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday while presenting the Union interim budget for the 2024-25 financial year, without disclosing specifics.

Capex raised to 3.4% of GDP despite fiscal consolidation

The central government's capital spending in 2024-25, according to the interim budget, will be ₹11,11,111 crore, a number which is more like an auspicious figure than a hardheaded budgetary allocation. Beyond this, perhaps numerologically significant allocation, the message is clear as far as the Narendra Modi government's fiscal priorities are concerned.

Amnesty for small disputes relief to income-tax payers

{LINGERING DEFAULTS} CONFIDENCE-BUILDING MEASURE

Govt stays the course on fiscal consolidation path

Centre revises fiscal deficit estimate for FY24 to 5.8% of GDP from 5.9% estimated in last year's budget; vows to bring it below 4.5% by 2025-26

In poll year, the interim budget's four poles

Women, youth, farmers, and the poor.

WILL THE BUDGET...

Roshan Kishore analyses the impact of the Narendra Modi government's interim budget ahead of the Lok Sabha elections

MQ-9B drone deal gets first-level clearance as State Dept notifies US Congress of sale to India

{DEFENCE TIES} DEEPENING RELATIONSHIP

Hindu prayers held at Gyanvapi cellar, Muslim side goes to court

THE MOSQUE COMMITTEE WAS NOT ABLE TO SECURE AN URGENT HEARING FROM THE SUPREME COURT

SC to hear Soren's plea, Champai to be next CM

Jharkhand governor CP Radhakrishnan on Thursday invited Champai Soren, the leader of the state's ruling coalition, to take oath as the next chief minister in a late-night development that resolved the instability convulsing the state after former CM Hemant Soren's arrest.

Budget reflects our govt's confidence in continuity: Modi

The interim budget carries the continuity of confidence and will empower all four pillars of developed India while building a future for the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday as he hailed the measures announced by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman for young people, the poor, women, and farmers.

Space To Economy, Prez Hails India's Growth Areas

The Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, the abrogation of Article 370, and the law against triple talaq, all long-standing demands of the majority of Indians, were achieved in the past decade, President Droupadi Murmu said on Wednesday, prefacing the last parliamentary session of the second Narendra Modi government with an opening address to a joint sitting of Parliament.

Salman Khan's production house cautions against fake casting calls

Actor Salman Khan and his production company Salman Khan Films (SKF) have issued a statement on social media cautioning fans, followers and budding actors against false casting calls under their name.