LIVE: ED attaches Rs 14 crore assets of Choksi, Gitanjali Gems in PNB case

Mehul Choksi has fled India and is stated by probe agencies to be based in Antigua and Barbuda. Stay tuned for Latest LIVE news

Latest News LIVE updates: The Enforcement Directorate has attached assets worth over Rs 14 crore belonging to the Gitanjali Group and its promoter and jeweller Mehul Choksi, one of the prime accused in the alleged over Rs 13,000 crore PNB loan fraud case.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the 'Chauri Chaura' centenary celebrations at Chauri Chaura in Uttar Pradesh via video conferencing. The day marks the beginning of the 100th year of the 'Chauri Chaura' incident, a landmark event in the country's fight for Independence.

India hosted the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) Defence Ministers' Conclavetoday on the margins of Aero India 2021, Asia's largest Aero show being held at Bengaluru from February 3 to 5. The broad theme of the conclave will be 'Enhanced Peace, Security and Cooperation in the Indian Ocean', Defence Ministry said in a release.

India’s biggest public sector bank (PSB) State Bank of India (SBI) on Thursday reported a 6.9 per cent year-on-year (YoY) drop in standalone net profit at Rs 5,196.22 crore for December quarter of the current fiscal year (Q3FY21).
 

Stay tuned for the latest news of the day.

2:19 AM

Navalny urges Russians from jail to overcome their fear

In a note from jail, opposition leader Alexei Navalny urged Russians Thursday to overcome their fear and “free” the country from a “bunch of thieves,” while the Kremlin cast the arrests of thousands of protesters as a due response to the unsanctioned rallies.
 

Navalny, who was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison earlier this week, said in a statement posted on his Instagram account that “iron doors slammed behind my back with a deafening sound, but I feel like a free man. Because I feel confident I'm right. Thanks to your support. Thanks to my family's support." Navalny, 44, an anti-corruption campaigner who is Russian President Vladimir Putin's most determined political foe, was arrested Jan. 17 upon returning from his five-month convalescence in Germany from a nerve agent poisoning, which he has blamed on the Kremlin. Russian authorities deny any involvement and claim they have no proof that he was poisoned despite tests by several European labs.
 

A Moscow court on Tuesday sent Navalny to prison, finding that he violated the terms of his probation while recuperating in Germany. The sentence stems from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that Navalny has rejected as fabricated and the European Court of Human Rights has ruled unlawful.
 

He said his imprisonment was “Putin's personal revenge" for surviving and exposing the assassination plot.
 

9:28 PM

Uttarakhand govt issues SOPs as classes 6-11 resume from 8th Feb

9:26 PM

Lok Sabha adjourned till tomorrow as uproar over farm laws continued

8:52 PM

India's market crosses Rs 200 trn m-cap, is seventh most valuable globally

India’s market capitalisation—sum of market value of all listed companies—crossed Rs 200 trillion for the first time on Thursday. The feat comes a day after the Sensex closed above the coveted 50,000-mark. In US dollar terms, India’s market cap is $2.75 trillion—seventh most globally. However, India’s market cap-to-GDP ratio is now more than 100 per cent.
 

India’s nominal GDP at current prices is around Rs 195 trillion. India’s market cap had topped the Rs 100 trillion-mark in December 2014. Back then the market cap-to-GDP ratio was at 80 per cent. In September 2007, when market cap first crossed Rs 50 trillion, the mcap-to-GDP ratio was similar to current levels. At the peak of coronavirus-induced selloff in March 2020, India’s market cap had plunged to Rs 102 trillion. READ ON...

8:31 PM

All supercritical railway projects to be completed by March 2022: Goyal

The Indian Railways aims to complete all super critical projects by March 2022 according to Rail Minister Piyush Goyal.

 

“Of the current 513 ongoing projects being implemented, Railways has identified supercritical, critical projects on capacity enhancement projects on highly utilised networks routes, multi tracking projects, connectivity projects and national projects. Fund allocation and targets have been planned for next 4 years. All supercritical projects will be completed by March 2022 and others will be completed by March 2024,” a Rail Ministry statement said. READ ON...

8:09 PM

SC to hear Sonu Sood's plea against HC order on illegal construction notice on Friday

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Friday the petition filed by actorSonu Sood challenging the Bombay HC order which dismissed his appeal against a civic body notice over alleged illegal construction at his residential building in Mumbai's Juhu area, PTI reported.

 

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian is likely to take up the appeal filed bySood, who was in the spotlight for helping migrants reach their homes during the lockdown last year.

 

The actor has stated in his plea that his application for conversion has been approved by the Municipal Commissioner subject to Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) permission.

7:47 PM

ED attaches over Rs 14 cr assets of Choksi, Gitanjali Gems in PNB fraud case

The Enforcement Directorate has attached assets worth over Rs 14 crore belonging to the Gitanjali Group and its promoter and jeweller Mehul Choksi, one of the prime accused in the alleged over Rs 13,000 crore PNB loan fraud case. The properties attached, under the anti-money laundering law, include a flat measuring 1,460 sq feet located at O2 Tower in Goregaon area of Mumbai, gold and platinum jewellery, diamond stones, necklaces made of silver and pearls, watches and a Mercedes Benz car, the ED said in a statement, according to PTI.

 

A provisional order for attachment has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for the assets worth a total Rs 14.45 crore that are in the name of Gitanjali Group of companies and its director Mehul Choksi, it said.

 

Choksi, 61, is the maternal uncle of Nirav Modi who is the other prime accused in the alleged over USD 2 billion (more than Rs 13,000 crore) Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case. Choksi has fled India and is stated by probe agencies to be based in Antigua and Barbuda.

7:03 PM

BSE m-cap crosses historic Rs 200-trillion mark

The market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies on Thursday crossed the historic Rs 200 lakh crore mark for the first time, driven by a continuous rally in the broader market. Riding high on the bullish investor sentiment, the market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies reached a record Rs 2,00,47,191.31 crore at close of trade.

 

The 30-share BSE index closed the day with a gain of 358.54 points or 0.71 per cent at its lifetime peak of 50,614.29. This is the fourth consecutive day of gains for the markets.

 

"It is a matter of immense pride that, since 1875, BSE has acted as a catalyst to help create immense wealth to the tune of Rs 200 lakh crore amounting to USD 2.75 trillion.

6:37 PM

Myanmar blocks Facebook amid growing resistance to military coup

Myanmar's new military government blocked access to Facebook as resistance to Monday's coup surged amid calls for civil disobedience to protest the ousting of the elected government and its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.

 

Facebook is especially popular in Myanmar and is how most people access the internet. The military seized power shortly before a new session of Parliament was to convene on Monday and detained Suu Kyi and other top politicians.

 

It said it acted because the government had refused to address its complaints that last November's general election, in which Suu Kyi's party won a landslide victory, was marred by widespread voting irregularities. The state Election Commission has refuted the allegations. READ ON...

4:56 PM

PM Modi to chair Niti Aayog's Governing Council meeting on Feb 20

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair Niti Aayog's Governing Council meeting on February 20 where issues related to health, economy and labour reforms will be discussed, official sources said on Thursday.

 

The council, the apex body of Niti Aayog, includes all chief ministers, lieutenant governors of Union Territories, several union ministers and senior government officials.

 

Prime Minister Modi is the Chairman of Niti Aayog. The council will deliberate on issues related to health, including COVID-19 vaccination programme, labour reforms and state of the economy. The Governing Council will also review action taken on the agenda items of the previous meetings and deliberate upon the future developmental priorities. READ ON...

4:21 PM

Chinese actions seriously disturbed peace, tranquillity along LAC: Govt

The Chinese military's attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh have seriously disturbed peace and tranquillity in the region, the government said in Rajya Sabha on Thursday. Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said the attempts have been responded to "appropriately" by the Indian armed forces and it has been made clear to the Chinese side that such unilateral attempts are "unacceptable".

 

In a written response to a question on the overall boundary issue with China, the minister said the two sides have agreed to seek a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution through dialogue and negotiations.

 

He said the two sides also agreed that pending final settlement of the boundary question, maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas is an essential basis for the overall development of the bilateral relationship.

3:57 PM

Rajya Sabha bypolls in Gujarat, Assam on March 1: Election Commission

Rajya Sabha bypolls to three seats in Gujarat and Assam, including the one which fell vacant due to the death of senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, will be held on March 1, the Election Commission said on Thursday. Two Rajya Sabha seats in Gujarat fell vacant late last year, following the deaths of Ahmed Patel and Abhay Bhardwaj (BJP). While Patel died on November 25 last year, Bhardwaj passed away on December 1 last year.

 

The Rajya Sabha terms of Patel and Bhardwaj were to end in August 2023 and June 2026, respectively.

 

One Rajya Sabha seat in Assam fell vacant after lone Bodo People's Front MP Biswajit Daimary resigned from the upper house in November last year. His term was to end in April, 2026. The notification for the bypolls will be issued on February 11 and the election would be held on March 1. The counting of votes will take place on March 1 evening. As per procedure, counting for Rajya Sabha elections is held on the day polls take place.

3:33 PM

China teaches school children 'do as President Xi tells you'

China’s schoolchildren are next in line for intensifying study of President Xi Jinping’s teachings ahead of the ruling Communist Party’s centennial celebration in July.

The party’s Central Committee issued new guidelines on Wednesday to boost ideological education among the Chinese Young Pioneers, a national youth organization with which it is affiliated.

The guidelines said that all children in primary school and the first two years of secondary school should have one class per week to carry out Young Pioneers activities, and the core training materials for the teaching staff should be Xi thought.

 

Members of the Young Pioneers should be taught to “firmly bear in mind” the teachings of Xi, and “do what Xi has instructed,” the guidelines said. READ MORE...

2:38 PM

SBI Q3 results: Net profit slips 7% YoY to Rs 5,169 cr on higher provisions

India’s biggest public sector bank (PSB) State Bank of India (SBI) on Thursday reported a 6.9 per cent year-on-year (YoY) drop in standalone net profit at Rs 5,196.22 crore for December quarter of the current fiscal year (Q3FY21). The fall was largely driven by marginal increase in provisions against bad loans.
 

In the year-ago period, the lender had clocked a net profit of Rs 5,583.4 crore. On a quarterly basis, the PAT grew 13.6 per cent from Rs 4,574.2 crore reported in the September quarter of FY21 (Q2FY21).
 

The bottom-line earning beat Street estimates which factored-in an up to 58 per cent YoY drop in PAT. The lowest PAT estimate was by HDFC Securities, at Rs 2,360 crore, while global brokerage Nomura remained an exception and pegged PAT at Rs 6,406.3 crore. READ ON...

 

2:12 PM

No annual report from Lokpal laid in Parliament: Govt tells Rajya Sabha

Anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal, which came into being in 2019, is required to present to president and Parliament an annual report on the work done by it but no such report has been laid in the two Houses, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.

 

On March 23, 2019, President Ram Nath Kovind administered the oath of office to Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose as chairperson of Lokpal, the top body to inquire and investigate allegations of corruption against public functionaries.

 

Lokpal is an independent statutory body established under Section 3 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013. In terms of Section 48 of the said Act, the Lokpal is required to present annually to the President a report on the work done by it, which is caused to be laid in both the Houses of the Parliament, Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said in a written reply. READ MORE...