LIVE: Raised issues of principles before Cong leadership, says Sachin Pilot

The south-west monsoon is expected to become active again over Mumbai and other parts of coastal Maharashtra from today. Follow the latest news of the day here

9:01 PM

Landslide death toll in Kerala's Idukki district nears 50; four die in rain-related incidents

The death toll in the Idukki landslide neared 50 on Monday with six more bodies being recovered, while four people died in rain-related incidents elsewhere, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the flood situation in the country in a meeting with six chief ministers, according to an ANI report.

 

As Bihar and Uttar Pradesh battled floods, several parts of the country received rains, but most places in the national capital remained dry despite a weather department's forecast of moderate to heavy rains in the city.

 

However, light to moderate rainfall was expected by night in Delhi. Three rain-related deaths occurred in Gujarat and one in Uttarakhand.

8:58 PM

Sachin Pilot conveys grievances to Rahul, Congress to form three-member committee to address issues

The crisis faced by the Congress government in Rajasthan appears to have ended with the party starting on Monday that former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot had "committed to working in the interest of the Congress party and the Congress government in Rajasthan" and "a three-member committee" will be formed to address the issues raised by Pilot and "the aggrieved" MLAs.

 

Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal said in a statement that Pilot, whose differences with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot led to the crisis, had " frank, open and conclusive" discussion with Rahul Gandhi over his grievances.

 

He said Pilot has met with former Congress President Rahul Gandhi and expressed his "grievances in detail".

 

"They have had a frank, open and conclusive discussion. Sachin Pilot has committed to working in the interest of the Congress party and the Congress government in Rajasthan," the statement said.

8:51 PM

BCCI invites tender for IPL sponsorship for 4-month period; highest bid not guaranteed winner

The new IPL title sponsor to replace Chinese mobile phone company Vivo will hold the rights for only a four-and-a-half-month period and the highest bid may not necessarily end up being the winning one, the BCCI stated on Monday.

 

Vivo, which had a Rs 440 crore per year deal for five seasons, has suspended its partnership with the Board due to the Sino-India border stand-off. BCCI floated the tender invite for a new sponsor on Monday, according to a PTI report.

 

Secretary Jay Shah announced a 13-point clause for submission of the bids from interested "third parties" and the winner will be announced on August 18. The last date for submission of bids is August 14.

 

"The Rights are available for the period from August 18, 2020 to December 31, 2020," the BCCI press release stated.

8:34 PM

AGR: SC asks govt to chalk up plan to recover dues from bankrupt telcos

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the government to prepare a plan to recover adjusted gross revenue (AGR)-related dues from bankrupt telcos. The top court adjourned hearing in the matter to August 14.

 

The SC observed that the Centre may be unable to recover AGR dues from firms undergoing insolvency proceedings which include Reliance Communications, Aircel and Videocon Communications. A bench comprising of Justices Arun Mishra, S Abdul Nazeer and MR Shah heard the case.

 

In the last hearing, dated July 20, the SC had asked the department of telecommunications (DoT) to submit insolvency proceeding details of bankrupt telcos that together owe an estimated Rs 38,964 crore. READ MORE...

8:21 PM

109 Air India Express flight crash victims in hospital: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said that there are 109 passengers of the Air India Express flight that crashed at Kozhikode airport on Friday under treatment in hospitals at Malappuram and Kozhikode, news agency IANS reported. Eighteen people were killed in the accident, which included the pilot and the co-pilot.

 

"82 are under treatment in hospitals in Kozhikode, while 27 are in Malappuram. The condition of 23 is serious of which two are on ventilator support, while 81 of them are getting better. The rest have been discharged," said Vijayan.

 

Vijayan had gone to the accident site and visited the injured at the Kozhikode Medical College hospital on Saturday. He also announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 10 lakhs to the families of the deceased.

8:09 PM

Air India Express plane, which overshot runway, was insured for $50 million

The Air India Express Boeing 737, which overshot the Kozhikode table-top runway on landing at 7.41 pm on Friday, was insured for $50 million. Globally, airlines buy insurance policies to cover asset damage, customer liability, and third-party claims.

 

Air India’s fleet is insured for around $10 billion and the airline has a liability cover of $750 million. The policy is underwritten by four public sector insurance companies. This covers all 170 planes of Air India, Air India Express, and Alliance Air. The policy was renewed in April, with an annual premium of $30 million, said sources.

 

“The claim settlement will depend on the hull value and the liability. The prices will harden in the international market. At the same time, carriers are facing liquidity crises. The reinsurer’s price, too, will move up. The insurers may also have to push up rates, as prices are driven by reinsurers,” said an executive of a public sector insurer. READ MORE...

7:55 PM

Palghar mob-lynching case: No charge sheet filed, 28 accused get bail

A local court on Monday granted default bail to 28 accused in the April 16 Palghar mob- lynching case in which two sadhus and their driver were killed as no charge sheet was filed against them in the specified 90 days, according to a PTI report.

 

Dahanu Judicial Magistrate First Class MV Jawle ordered their release on bail, said counsel Amrut Adhikari. The 28 were arrested as part of the first two FIRs relating to murder and attempt to murder filed in the case, Adhikari said.

However, of this group, 18 will be taken into custody again as their names figure in the third charge sheet relating to obstructing police, rioting and attempt to murder filed against 47 accused on Friday. A total of 154 people were arrested in the mob lynching case which took place late night on April 16 in Gadchinchale village in Kasa area of the district.

7:30 PM

WHO sends $1.7 million worth protective equipment to Lebanon

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has sent to Lebanon USD 1.7 million worth of protective equipment to help fight COVID-19, as well as humanitarian aid after the deadly explosion in Beirut, the body's Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday.

 

"From our strategic stockpile in Dubai, WHO immediately sent surgical and major trauma supplies. We released funds from the contingency fund for emergencies. Our staff are on the ground supporting the assessment of the impact on the health sector with Lebanese and other UN partners. We are shipping USD 1.7 million worth of PPE (personal protective equipment) items to support COVID and humanitarian supplies that were destroyed by the blast," Ghebreyesus said during a press briefing.

7:19 PM

Congress Interim President Sonia Gandhi spoke to Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot earlier today: ANI

7:15 PM

Karnataka govt seeks Rs 4,000 crore special assistance from Centre

The Karnataka government on Monday said it has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide an additional special assistance of Rs 4,000 crore to handle the flood situation in the state.

 

"As per the initial assessment Rs 4,000 crore loss has occurred. It is a preliminary estimate because rains are continuing. A proper survey has to be done," Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said.

 

Speaking to reporters after attending the virtual meeting chaired by the PM with Chief Ministers of six states to review the flood situation in the country, he said Karnataka had suffered huge damage in the 2019 floods, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the current flood situation, the government has requested the Centre to provide additional special assistance of Rs 4,000 crore, other than NDRF norms, he said.

6:56 PM

Uttar Pradesh floods: 303 villages in 19 districts marooned; over 100,000 families affected

The flood situation in Uttar Pradesh improved slightly on Monday, but 19 districts are still affected and their 303 villages cut off from the other parts of the state, officials said.

 

The 19 affected districts are: Ambedkar Nagar, Ayodhya, Azamgarh, Bahraich, Ballia, Balrampur, Barabanki, Basti, Deoria, Gonda, Gorakhpur, Kheri, Kushinagar, Maharajganj, Mau, Sant Kabir Nagar, Pilibhit, Siddharth Nagar and Sitapur, they said.

 

Relief Commissioner Sanjay Goyal said a total of 582 villages in the 19 districts are affected and 303 of these villages have got marooned. On Sunday, a total of 20 districts in the state were affected by the flood. Pratapgarh has been dropped from the Monday list of affected districts. Also, on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with chief ministers of six affected states, including Uttar Pradesh, to discuss the flood situation.

6:35 PM

Woman stands for 7 hours in the rain to warn people about open manhole in Mumbai

6:20 PM

PM for better coordination between agencies to have permanent flood-forecasting system

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday underlined the need to have a better coordination between all the central and state agencies to have a permanent system for forecasting of floods. He also stressed on extensive use of innovative technologies for improving the forecast and warning system.

 

The prime minister made these remarks at a virtual meeting with the chief ministers of six states to review the flood situation in various parts of the country.

 

The states that attended the meeting, which was convened to review their preparedness to deal with the southwest monsoon and the current flood situation in the country, were Assam, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala.

6:08 PM

India plans Rs 10,000 crore transshipment port at Great Nicobar Island: PM Modi

India is considering investing Rs 10,000 crore for building a transshipment port at Great Nicobar Island in the Bay of Bengal to provide shippers an alternative to similar ports in the region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday as he inaugurated the first undersea optical fibre project to provide high-speed internet to Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

 

The 2,312-kilometer-long submarine optical fibre cable from Chennai to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, laid at a cost of Rs 1,224 crore, will provide "better and cheaper connectivity", he said.

 

"There is a proposal to build a transshipment port at Great Nicobar at an estimated expenditure of about Rs 10,000 crore. Large ships can dock once this port is ready," he said at the inauguration ceremony held through video link.

5:40 PM

Sachin Pilot met Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Delhi, earlier today