LIVE updates: Rajasthan govt announces 19 new districts in poll year

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The Rajasthan government today announced it will create 19 new districts and three more divisional headquarters to serve the needs of people who live far away from the divisional headquarters. The ruling Congress government's move in an election year, however, received criticism from the BJP, which alleged the real intention behind the decision by the Ashok Gehlot government is to meet "personal political ends". "Rajasthan is the biggest state in the country in terms of geographical area. In some cases, the distance to the district headquarters is more than a 100 km. People are unable to reach district headquarters easily and the administration, too, is unable to reach each and every family," Mr Gehlot, the Chief Minister, said in the Rajasthan assembly today.

Patanjali Foods says not considering another further public offering to achieve minimum public shareholding, reports Reuters.

India's foreign exchange reserves fell to $560 billion as of the week ended March 10, their lowest since early-December, the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) statistical supplement showed on Friday. The reserves stood at $562.40 billion in the week to March 3. The central bank intervenes in the spot and forwards market to prevent runaway moves in the rupee's exchange rate against the dollar. The RBI has said in the past that changes in reserves also stem from valuation gains or losses. Last week, the rupee fell 0.1% against the dollar as the banking crisis in the United States unfolded, with the currency trading in a range of 81.6150 to 82.2975. The rupee ended at 82.5525 on Friday.

The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has concluded the hearing on the HDFC-HDFC Bank merger and has kept the matter reserved for orders, reports ET. With the arguments in respect of the merger being concluded, there will be no more hearings in the matter. The tribunal typically issues an order within a fortnight of the final hearing. The HDFC-HDFC Bank merger has received in-principle approval from regulators including the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). The merger has also been cleared by the stock exchanges and the competition commission. Earlier this week, the transaction was approved by the shareholders. However, even if the NCLT issues an order in favour of the merger, the process is unlikely to be completed before June. The merger envisages the transfer of HDFC Mutual Fund’s ownership from the housing finance company to the bank. Under Sebi guidelines, the HDFC asset management company will have to seek consent from all unit-holders for the transfer of ownership. This process is expected to take several weeks.

India on Friday recorded a single-day rise of 796 coronavirus infections, while the number of active cases surpassed 5,000 after 109 days, according to Union health ministry data.

Madhya Pradesh Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang on Thursday confirmed that the first case of H3N2 infection had been reported in the state capital, Bhopal.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday chaired a review meeting of the Health department at Mumbai's Vidhan Bhavan to take stock of the state's preparedness amid reports of Covid-19 and Influenza H3N2 cases.

India, under its 'Neighbourhood First' policy, has always come forward to help debt-ridden Sri Lanka, and in the latest instance, New Delhi distributed the ration in Kalmunai, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said.

11:44 PM

Nithyananda's 'Kailasa' cons 30 US cities with "sister city" scam: Report

Self-proclaimed godman and fugitive Nithyananda's "United States of Kailasa" has signed a "cultural partnership" with over 30 American cities, a media report has said, days after the city of Newark in the US state of New Jersey said it rescinded a "sister-city" agreement with the fictional country.
 

The sister-city agreement between Newark and the fake "United States of Kailasa" was inked on January 12 this year and the signing ceremony took place at City Hall in Newark.

 

Nityananda, whose mind-bending spiritual homilies wrapped in a sheen of pseudo-science has provided much mirth on social media, claims to have set up a country called the "United States of Kailasa" in 2019.

6:20 PM

IHC suspends Imran's arrest warrants, gives him chance to go to trial court on March 18

3:01 PM

Akhilesh in Kolkata, says main target is to oust BJP in 2024

The one and only target of Samajwadi Party is to oust BJP from power in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections at any cost, the party chief and the leader of opposition in Uttar Pradesh Assembly Akhilesh Yadav said after arriving here on Friday.

 

He will first be attending a meeting of the national working committee of his party at a hotel in Kolkata. Thereafter at around 5 p.m. he will have a meeting with CM Mamata Banerjee at her residence in South Kolkata.

 

"I will be meeting with the Chief Minister of West Bengal this afternoon. It is not possible to say right now what will be the outcome of the discussion. The Union government is not ready to discuss burning issues like inflation, unemployment and farmers' plight. Instead, the Union government wants to harass the opposition parties through central agencies like Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate," Akhilesh Yadav told media persons after at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose international airport on Friday afternoon.

 

2:57 PM

Govt plans to introduce PLI 2.0 for specialty steel: Scindia

The government is planning to introduce the second edition of the PLI scheme for specialty steel to boost production of value-added steel in the country, Union Minister of Steel Jyortiraditya Scindia said on Friday.

The minister was speaking at the PLI Scheme for Specialty Steel MoU signing event in the national capital. It was attended by the companies selected to invest under the Rs 6,322-crore scheme.

"Today is an important day in the history and future of the steel industry. PLI 1.0 is not a full stop, it is the beginning of the journey. Our ministry is already looking at PLI 2.0," he informed the participants of the first edition of PLI for specialty steel.

2:50 PM

Congress gives breach of privilege notice over PM's remarks on Nehru surname

Congress leader K C Venugopal on Friday gave Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar a breach of privilege notice against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks on why former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's family did not use his surname.

The prime minister's remarks were made during his reply to the motion of thanks on the president's address in the Rajya Sabha on February 9 during the first part of the budget session.

"I hereby give a notice of question of privilege against the prime minister of India under Rule 188 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Council of States (Rajya Sabha) for having cast reflections upon members of Parliament during his reply to the motion of thanks on the president's address on February 9, 2023," Venugopal said in his notice.

2:36 PM

Gurugram health department collects samples of 30 influenza suspects

The health department has sent the samples of 30 patients suspected of suffering from H1N1, H3N2 for examination, an official said on Friday.

While issuing advisories regarding the seasonal influenza, the health department has been asked to make all arrangements in the hospitals as well as inform the patients about the required precautions.

"If any patient is suffering from fever, cough, respiratory problems or a symptom associated with the influenza virus, we first take all of his samples and after getting the report, we provide immediate treatment," Civil surgeon Dr. Virender Yadav said.

2:35 PM

'Can't bulldoze govt authority by judicial orders', SC on land allotment for lawyers' chambers

The Supreme Court on Friday observed that a signal must not go to the government that the court can bulldoze its authority by passing judicial orders, while hearing a plea moved by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) to convert a land measuring 1.33 acres allotted to the top court for the construction of lawyers' chambers.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and comprising Justices S.K. Kaul and P.S. Narasimha, said it would take up the land allotment issue for lawyers' chambers with the government.

The bench queried senior advocate and SCBA president Vikas Singh, how could the court pass an order to take over the land for allotment of chambers? Lawyers are part of us, but can we use our own judicial powers to safeguard our own people?

2:25 PM

No proposal to reduce subsidy on fertilisers: Govt

The government on Friday said that there is no proposal to reduce subsidies on fertilisers in the country.

Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Bhagwanth Khuba, in his written reply to the Lok Sabha, said, "No such study to understand the impact of reducing fertiliser subsidy on farmers has been conducted so far."

In a separate reply, the minister said the government at present has no plan to control the rates of P&K fertilisers under the Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) scheme.

The government provides subsidy on both urea and non-urea fertilisers to ensure farmers get the soil nutrients at affordable rates.

2:04 PM

Cong must smell poliatical coffee after BJP's poll results in northeast: Union minister Smriti Irani

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's comments in the UK did not come due to his concern over India but for his political legacy, Union minister Smriti Irani said on Friday, stressing that the opposition party should take a hint from the recent poll results in the northeast and "smell the political coffee".

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retained power on its own in Tripura and with its senior ally, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), in Nagaland.

1:36 PM

Mamata to visit Odisha this month, meeting with Naveen Patnaik likely

West Bengal Chief Minister and All India Trinamool Congress' National President Mamata Banerjee will be on a two-day visit to Odisha this month when she is likely to call on her counterpart and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President Naveen Patnaik.

Trinamool Congress sources said that the chief minister will reach Odisha- capital of Bhubaneswar on March 21 evening and make a night-stay there.

1:21 PM

Students performing well due to Delhi govt's focus on education: LG Saxena

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Friday said the city government's focus on improving the education sector had ensured that students are performing well now.

 

During his maiden address in Delhi Assembly on the first day of the budget session, Saxena said the government is upgrading the education and health infrastructure in the national capital.

1:03 PM

No decision on recruiting civic volunteers in schools : WB edu min

West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu has said that the department has not taken any decision on recruiting civic volunteers in schools in Bankura amid controversy over the reported move by the district police to induct them as primary school teachers.

The government has sought a report from Bankura district administration and police about what prompted them to take the move, Basu told reporters on Thursday.

12:49 PM

Jairam playing Chief Saboteur': Himanta on Ramesh's prompt to Rahul

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi being apparently prompted by party colleague Jairam Ramesh during a press conference, by terming the economist-turned politician, Congress's "Chief Saboteur".

He also ridiculed those who believe that Gandhi will emerge as a challenger to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

12:37 PM

Delhi HC refuses to entertain PIL seeking compulsory voting in Parliament, Assembly polls

The Delhi High Court on Friday refused to hear a PIL moved by BJP leader and practicing lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay seeking compulsory voting in Parliament and Assembly elections.

Upadhyay had moved the plea on Wednesday.

12:21 PM

India's smart home security camera market grows 44%

India's smart home security camera market shipments experienced 44 per cent (on-year) growth in 2022, a report has said.

Xiaomi led the market in 2022 with a 33 per cent share. Tapo registered 88 per cent growth and maintained its second position in 2022 with a 17 per cent share, according to Counterpoint Research.