Highlights of the day: PM Modi prays for best health for Mamata Banerjee

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday evening suffered a major injury on her forehead, the Trinamool Congress said. The TMC supremo underwent a few stitches and medical tests in a government-run hospital before doctors found her stable to be discharged. She was then taken back home. PM Modi took to social media platfom x to wish Mamata Banerjee and wrote,"I pray for a quick recovery and the best health for Mamata Didi." 

In compliance of Supreme Court's directions, the State Bank of India (SBI) had provided the data pertaining to the electoral bonds to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on March 12, 2024. The Election Commission of India has today uploaded the data on electoral bonds on its website as received from SBI on “as is where is basis”.

Engineer-turned-philanthropist Sudha Murty on Thursday took oath as Rajya Sabha MP in the presence of her husband N R Narayana Murthy. Murty took the oath in Kannada. Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar administered the oath in his chamber in Parliament House. He also congratulated Murty and her husband after the oath-taking function. Leader of the House Piyush Goyal was also present on the occasion.

The National Payments Corporation of India on Thursday said it granted India's digital payments firm Paytm a third-party application provider licence. The licence will allow Paytm's customers to continue using its app for payments through India's popular unified payment interface, after its banking arm Paytm Payments Bank, ceases operations by March 15, following regulatory action due to non-compliance with certain norms.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said that the Citizenship Amendment Act was unconstitutional, against human rights, and poses a challenge to the idea of India. Vijayan, at a press conference here, alleged that the contentious legislation grants legal validity to religious discrimination. The CM also accused the Congress of withdrawing from a united front against the CAA. The CAA was passed in December 2019 and subsequently got the President's assent, but there were protests in several parts of the country against it, with many opposition parties speaking out against the law, calling it "discriminatory". This act grants citizenship to undocumented migrants of all religions -- except Muslims -- from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who arrived in India before December 31, 2014.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that CAA won't take away citizenship of anyone living in India. Earlier, Singh had stated that the notification of the CAA rules paves way for granting citizenship to persecuted minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. He also praised Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the "humane" decision.

Nitish Kumar has been declared elected unopposed to Bihar Legislative Council, PTI reported today.

The PM Modi-led Selection Commitee has appointed Sukhbir Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar as election commissioners, Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury told reporters this afternoon.

The wholesale price index (WPI)-based inflation eased in January to 0.2 per cent from 0.27 per cent in the preceding month. The WPI inflation was in the negative zone from April to October and had turned positive in November at 0.26 per cent.

"The annual rate of inflation based on all India Wholesale Price Index (WPI) number is 0.20 per cent (provisional) for the month of February, 2024 (over February, 2023)," the commerce and industry ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Global ratings agency Fitch Ratings has raised India's FY25 GDP growth forecast to 7 percent from 6.5 percent earlier as it expects the economy to continue its strong expansion. Fitch said in its report that prospects for emerging markets have brightened, particularly in India, where it anticipates growth to reach 7.8 percent in the fiscal year ending March 2024 (FY24) and 7 percent in FY25, both significant upward revisions.

The high-level committee on simultaneous polls, headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind, submitted an eight-volume report on 'one nation, one election' to President Droupadi Murmu today. Home Minister Amit Shah, former leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Finance Commission Chairman NK Singh, former Lok Sabha Secretary General Subhash Kashyap and senior advocate Harish Salve are also a part of the panel which was set up in September last month. 

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has moved a sessions court here challenging the summons issued to him by a lower court on two complaints filed by the probe agency Enforcement Directorate (ED) for evading its summons in a money laundering case related to the alleged excise scam. The summons were issued to Kejriwal by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Divya Malhotra, who has directed Kejriwal to appear before the court on March 16.

Agitating farmers will march into Delhi today to press their demands that include a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP)  on all crops. The Delhi Police has given permission to the farmers to hold a 'Kisan Mazdoor Mahapanchayat' at Delhi's Ramlila Ground today.

12:00 AM

Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee sustains 'major injury', PM Modi wishes her speedy recovery

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday evening suffered a major injury on her forehead, the Trinamool Congress said. The TMC supremo underwent a few stitches and medical tests in a government-run hospital before doctors found her stable to be discharged. She was then taken back home. PM Modi took to social media platfom x to wish Mamata Banerjee and wrote,"I pray for a quick recovery and the best health for Mamata Didi." 

8:07 PM

Electoral bonds data received from SBI uploaded on website, says Election Commission of India

In compliance of Supreme Court's directions, the State Bank of India (SBI) had provided the data pertaining to the electoral bonds to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on March 12, 2024. The Election Commission of India has today uploaded the data on electoral bonds on its website as received from SBI on “as is where is basis”.

8:03 PM

Sudha Murty takes oath as Rajya Sabha MP

Engineer-turned-philanthropist Sudha Murty on Thursday took oath as Rajya Sabha MP in the presence of her husband N R Narayana Murthy.

 

Murty took the oath in Kannada.

 

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar administered the oath in his chamber in Parliament House. He also congratulated Murty and her husband after the oath-taking function.

 

Leader of the House Piyush Goyal was also present on the occasion.

6:56 PM

Paytm gets third-party app licence from payments authority

The National Payments Corporation of India on Thursday said it granted India's digital payments firm Paytm a third-party application provider licence. The licence will allow Paytm's customers to continue using its app for payments through India's popular unified payment interface, after its banking arm Paytm Payments Bank, ceases operations by March 15, following regulatory action due to non-compliance with certain norms.

6:43 PM

Amit Shah kickstarts Rs 3,012 crore development projects in Ahmedabad and Sabarmati Riverfront

Union Home Minister Amit Shah (virtually) and Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel participate in the inauguration & foundation stone laying ceremony of Development Projects of the Ahmedabad municipal corporation and Sabarmati Riverfront worth Rs 3,012 crore at River Front Event Centre, in Paldi, Ahmedabad.

6:23 PM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declares, 'Citizenship Act (CAA) will not be enforced in Kerala'

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said that the Citizenship Amendment Act was unconstitutional, against human rights, and poses a challenge to the idea of India.

 

Vijayan, at a press conference here, alleged that the contentious legislation grants legal validity to religious discrimination.

 

The CM also accused the Congress of withdrawing from a united front against the CAA.

 

The CAA was passed in December 2019 and subsequently got the President's assent, but there were protests in several parts of the country against it, with many opposition parties speaking out against the law, calling it "discriminatory".

 

This act grants citizenship to undocumented migrants of all religions -- except Muslims -- from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who arrived in India before December 31, 2014.

4:54 PM

ED attaches properties of former Punjab minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot

Operating under the provisions of the anti-money laundering law, probe agency Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached properties to the tune of Rs 4.58 crore of Punjab Congress leader and former minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot and his sons.

4:52 PM

Hindenburg attack was to politically defame India's governance practices: Gautam Adani

Gautam Adani, chairman of Adani Group, on Thursday stated that US short-seller Hindenburg Research's report against the Adani group was not just to destabilise the conglomerate but to also politically defame India's governance practices. In January last year, Hindenburg came out with a report alleging the Adani Group was involved in cooking books of accounts, over-invoicing of import costs and round-tripping its own money to push up share prices. Adani Group denied all allegations and won relief from the Supreme Court this year when judges ruled that it does not need to face additional investigation.

4:48 PM

CAA won't take away citizenship of anyone: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that CAA won't take away citizenship of anyone living in India and that people are being misled over the law. "I believe NDA will win over 400 seats in Lok Sabha polls," Singh asserted.

4:03 PM

Nitish Kumar declared elected unopposed to Bihar Legislative Council, reports PTI

3:03 PM

'One nation, no election': Cong's jab at Centre after Kovind panel report on 'One Nation, One Election'

The Congress today attacked the government after a high-level committee recommended simultaneous pollsfor Lok Sabha and state assemblies, claiming  that the saffron party wants to annihilate the Constitution with the objective of 'one nation, no election'.

2:02 PM

CJI should have been part of selection panel of election commissioners: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

1:57 PM

Procedure followed is not arbitrary but has some lacunae: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

"They (govt) have the majority (in the committee who appoints election commissioner). Earlier, they had given me 212 names, but 10 minutes before the appointment they again gave me just six names. I know that the CJI isn't there, govt has made such a law that the CJI doesn't interfere and the Central govt can choose a favourable name. I am not saying that it's arbitrary but the procedure that is being followed has some lacunae," Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who was a member of the PM Modi-led panel, told reporters after the meeting of the selection committee.

1:39 PM

Sukhbir Sandhu, Gyanesh Kumar appointed ECs by PM Modi-led panel

1:12 PM

Spending taxpayers' money on minorities from other countries not acceptable: Kejriwal on CAA

Claiming that an unimaginable number of people will come to India with the doors opening for minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal criticised the central government  today over the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).  Kejriwal also slammed the BJP, saying it wants to bring in poor people hailing from minority communities in neighbouring countries, including Pakistan, and settle them here by giving them jobs and houses that rightfully belong to locals.