LIVE: Media notices my T-shirt but ignores poor farmers, says Rahul

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the purpose of party's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' is to remove fear from the people's minds and highlight issues like price rise and unemployment. Amid raging talks about his wearing T-shirt in the winter during the yatra, Gandhi said the media is highlighting his attire but "taking no notice of the poor farmers and labourers walking along with him in torn clothes". Addressing a 'nukkad sabha' (street corner meeting) at Baraut on Baghpat-Shamli border during the yatra, Gandhi said despite covering a distance of more than 3,000 kms on foot in 110 days, he is neither feeling tired nor sizzling in the cold in T-shirt. Taking potshots at the media, he said, "I call them 'mitra' (friend) but they are not performing the duty of a friend as they do not raise the real issues out of fear of their bosses."

The Union Cabinet has given ex-post facto approval for naming of Greenfield International Airport at Goa's Mopa as Manohar International Airport, after former defence minister and Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar. The airport at Mopa, Goa was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December, 2022. The airport has been named after late Manohar Parrikar in recognition of his contribution in building up modern Goa, the statement said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday demanded that the Centre accord national status for the annual Gangasagar Mela which will be held here next week in the state's South 24 Parganas district. Banerjee also said that the Centre has not paid any heed to her repeated requests to build a bridge over the Muri Ganga river to help pilgrims reach Sagar Island easily. The central government has been providing huge funds to the Kumbh Mela. But it is not providing anything to Gangasagar Mela. That is the reason that I will request them to declare it as a national fair so that we can get some funds, she said.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India have made all the necessary arrangements to shift India wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant to Mumbai. Rishabh, who is currently receiving treatment for his injuries at Max Hospital, Dehradun following a car accident on 30th December, will be brought to Mumbai in an air ambulance. He will be admitted to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute and will be under the direct supervision of Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, Head of the Centre for Sports Medicine, and Director of Arthroscopy & Shoulder Service at the hospital.

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi was admitted to Ganga Ram Hospital here on Wednesday for routine check-up, sources said. Her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accompanied her to the hospital, they said. According to them, Sonia Gandhi has been suffering from a respiratory infection. Sources added that Sonia Gandhi has been unwell since Tuesday which is why Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had returned to Delhi after walking seven kilometres in the Bharat Jodo Yatra that entered Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday evening.
 

India recorded 175 new Covid infections in a day while active caseload declined to 2,570, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday. The tally of Covid cases in India is at 4.46 crore while the death toll is 5,30,707, data updated at 8 am stated. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.09 per cent while the weekly positivity was 0.12 per cent. Active caseload declined by 12 in a day and now comprises 0.01 per cent of the total infections.

 

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said India has the potential to become a world leader in the footwear and leather sector. Addressing the gathering at the Council for Leather Exports National Export Excellence Awards here, Goyal asked the organisers to explore the possibility of encouraging new companies, entrepreneurs, startups and those who come up with innovative ideas and enter into uncharted territory with newer markets and products, by recognizing them through these awards. The Minister said the industry hopes to achieve higher exports than last year - both in goods and services.

8:34 PM

RBI lifts curbs on Mahindra unit's use of third party for loan recovery

RBI lifts curbs on Mahindra unit's use of third party for loan recovery

8:30 PM

CBI chargesheets CG Power and Industrial Solutions, Gautam Thapar in Rs 2435-cr bank fraud case

The CBI has filed a charge sheet against CG Power and Industrial Solutions and its former promoter Gautam Thapar in an alleged Rs 2435-crore bank fraud case that affected 12 banks, officials said.

 

This comes after the agency conducted a probe for nearly 19 months into the allegations of diversion of bank funds, and manipulation of account books among other charges against the company, Thapar and other senior executives, they said.

 

Thapar is already facing multiple probes into his alleged links with Yes Bank co-founder Rana Kapoor who was booked by the CBI under corruption and fraud charges.

8:27 PM

Govt approves Rs 28.11 cr to extend interest-free loan to Andhra tobacco farmers

The government on Wednesday said it has approved Rs 28.11 crore to extend the interest-free loan to tobacco farmers of Andhra Pradesh.

 

This measure will help the FCV (Flue Cured Virginia) tobacco farmers overcome the damage caused by Mandous Cyclonic rains, the commerce ministry said in a statement.

 

The interest-free loan to the eligible farmers will be administered by the Tobacco Board, it added.

8:21 PM

Karnataka govt gets court notice on 'one nation, one digital platform'

The High Court of Karnataka has issued notice to the State government on a public interest litigation (PIL) petition, challenging the non-implementation of the national e-vidhan application (NeVA) scheme.

 

The State government went ahead with its own e-vidhan scheme instead.

 

The NeVA aims at promoting digitalisation to provide a platform for the functioning of both Houses of Parliament, Assemblies and councils. The Centre shares 60 per cent of the cost of the platform for the State which has a total outlay of Rs. 673.94 crore

 

Karnataka decided to implement its own scheme at a cost of Rs 253 crore based on a report submitted by KEONICS.

 

The PIL says the State government is unnecessarily spending Rs.253 crore, when it could have availed itself of by merging the scheme with the Centre's.

8:12 PM

Karnataka HC stays 5% cap on service fee for online autorickshaw-hailing

The High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday stayed the Transport Department notification, fixing a cap of 5 per cent on service charge collected by online aggregators for autorickshaw-hailing.

 

The notification issued on November 25, 2022 was challenged by the aggregators Ola and Uber. The earlier notification derecognising such service was challenged too.

8:05 PM

West Bengal Governor provided Z+ VIP security cover by Centre

West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose has been accorded Z-plus category VIP security cover of armed central paramilitary commandos by the Union home ministry, officials said on Wednesday.

 

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has been entrusted with the task, they said.

 

A contingent of about 25-30 armed personnel will provide the security cover to Bose in shifts whenever he travels to any part of the country.

7:57 PM

Global macro headwinds may moderate growth for Indian IT services industry in mid-term: ICRA

The evolving global macroeconomic headwinds could moderate growth for Indian IT services industry over the medium term, ICRA said on Wednesday.

 

Rating agency ICRA, in its recent research report, has cited that given the Indian IT services industry generates about 60-65 per cent of revenues from the US market and 20-25 per cent from the European market, it remains susceptible to macroeconomic uncertainties and adverse regulatory changes in these key operating markets.

7:54 PM

Delhiites adopting new tech, EV contributes to 16.7% of vehicles sold in Dec: Kailash Gahlot

Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot on Wednesday said 16.7 per cent of the vehicles sold in December last year were electric ones, and the figures showed that the residents of the capital were quite forthcoming in adopting the new technology.

 

Addressing a press conference, Gahlot said 7,046 electric vehicles were sold in December and also claimed that Delhi had the highest share of EVs in vehicle sales in that month among all states and Union Territories.

7:43 PM

Treat tobacco crop like any other agricultural produce: FAIFA to FM

Tobacco crop needs to be treated like any other agricultural produce and tax burden on legally manufactured tobacco products in India is adversely impacting its growers, Federation of All India Farmer Associations said on Wednesday.

In its pre-Budget demand, Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA), which claims to represent farmers and farm workers of commercial crops across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Gujarat, asked for extension of benefit under RoDTEP (Refund of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products) to the tobacco sector.

7:31 PM

98.7% decline in Kala-azar cases since 2007 in India, says Health Ministry

There has been a 98.7 per cent decline in cases of Kala-azar from 44,533 in 2007 to 834 in 2022 in India, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

 

India is committed to eliminating Kalaa-azar from the country by 2023, it said.

 

Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who chaired a high-level meeting to review the status of Kala-azar disease in the four endemic states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal, said 632 (99.8 per cent) endemic blocks have already achieved elimination status (less than one case per 10,000).

7:20 PM

Coal India, trade unions ink pact for 19% minimum guaranteed benefit

State-owned Coal India Limited (CIL) and trade unions have agreed to a 19 per cent minimum guaranteed benefit of the monthly emolument, benefitting 2.38 lakh non-executive workers, an official statement said on Wednesday.

 

In this regard, "CIL and the four central trade unions BMS, HMS, AITUC and CITU have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), recommending 19 per cent Minimum Guaranteed Benefit (MGB) for 2.38 lakh non-executive employees as part of the ongoing National Coal Wage Agreement XI (NCWA-XI)," Ministry of Coal said in a statement.

7:14 PM

Govt to provide DD free set-top box to over 8-lakh families in remote, border areas

Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the proposal of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting regarding the Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development (BIND) scheme at a cost of Rs 2,539.61 crore.

Through the scheme, the government intends to distribute over eight lakh DD Free set-top boxes to people living in remote, tribal and border areas.

6:58 PM

Cabinet okays Rs 2,614 crore investment in Himachal's Sunni dam project

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday approved the investment of Rs 2,614.51 crore for the 382 MW Sunni dam hydro-electric project in Himachal Pradesh by SJVN Ltd.

 

The amount also includes Rs 13.80 crore as budgetary support from the Centre for enabling infrastructure.

 

Ex-post facto approval is given for cumulative expenditure incurred amounting to Rs 246 crore till January 2022.

6:54 PM

India's GDP nearing to $20 trillion, per capital income at $10k by 2047, says Bibek Debroy

India's GDP will be close to USD 20 trillion by 2047 and per capita income may reach USD 10,000 (at current value of USD), Bibek Debroy, chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, said on Wednesday.

 

Virtually addressing the inaugural session at the 57th Annual Conference of the Indian Econometric Society (TIES) held at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) here, he said though the COVID-19 pandemic may have passed, still there is a lot of uncertainty around the world on what is happening in China, about the Russia-Ukraine conflict, growth prospects in Europe and the USA.

 

In 2047, India will have a per capita income of the value of today's dollars of 10,000 US Dollars. The average size of the GDP will be approaching close to 20 trillion US Dollars too. India, therefore, will be a transformed society, a press release from the varsity quoting Debroy said.

6:29 PM

Microsoft to invest in autonomous trucking startup Gatik: Report

Microsoft Corp is in advanced talks to invest in Gatik, a California-based autonomous driving startup, as part of its cloud partnership with the company, two people familiar with the discussions told Reuters.

 

Microsoft plans to invest over $10 million in a financing round that values Gatik at more than $700 million, the sources added. As part of the deal, Gatik will use Microsoft's cloud and edge computing platform Azure in developing autonomous delivery technology for trucks.