LIVE: Param Bir Singh moves SC, demands CBI probe against Anil Deshmukh

Param Bir Singh also sought CBI probe into alleged corrupt malpractices of Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. Stay tuned for Latest LIVE news

11:44 PM

Saudi Arabia offers cease-fire plan to Yemen rebels

Saudi Arabia on Monday offered a cease-fire proposal to Yemen's Houthi rebels that includes reopening their country's main airport, the kingdom's latest attempt to halt years of fighting in a war that has sparked the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
 

The move comes after the rebels stepped up a campaign of drone and missile attacks on the kingdom's oil sites, briefly shaking global energy prices amid the coronavirus pandemic. It also comes as Riyadh tries to rehabilitate its image with the US under President Joe Biden. Saudi Arabia has drawn internationally criticism for airstrikes killing civilians and embargoes exacerbating hunger in a nation on the brink of famine.
 

Whether the plan will take hold remains another question. A unilaterally declared Saudi cease-fire collapsed last year. Fighting rages around the crucial city of Marib and the Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes as recently as Sunday targeting Yemen's capital of Sanaa.
 

11:43 PM

ECI full bench reviews poll preparedness in Assam

The full bench of the Election Commission of India, led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora, on Monday reviewed poll preparedness for the upcoming three-phased Assam assembly polls beginning from March 27, officials said.
 

The CEC along with Election Commissioners Sushil Chandra and Rajiv Kumar held two review meetings at Tezpur and Guwahati with deputy commissioners, superintendents of police and other senior officers of all districts going to polls in the first and second phase of elections.
 

A specific review of Covid arrangements was done with Chief Secretary Jishnu Barua and security related issues with the state Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, officials said.
 

Senior Deputy Election Commissioner and in-charge of Assam Dharmendra Sharma, Deputy Election Commissioner Sudeep Jain along with Special General Observer S Srinivasan, Special Police Observer Ashok Kumar and Special Expenditure Observer Neena Nigam interacted with the officers of the state.
 

The CEC directed all officials to ensure that elections are conducted in a peaceful, free and fair manner with high voter turnout.
 

11:42 PM

Lowering legal drinking age in Delhi will turn it into 'capital of intoxicants', says opposition

The Opposition on Monday hit out at the AAP government for lowering the legal drinking age in Delhi from 25 to 21 years, claiming the new excise policy will make the city the "capital of intoxicants".
 

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has stressed that the excise reforms announced by his government will act as a major blow to liquor mafia, who will do everything to obstruct these steps.
 

Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta said he and his party leaders will meet Lt Governor Anil Baijal on Tuesday in protest the new excise policy.
 

"The new policy will not only lead to (sale of) spurious liquor and promote crime but will also spoil youngsters as the legal age for drinking has been lowered from 25 to 21 years.
 

"The right thing would have been for the government to tighten liquor policy to make Delhi safe for women and keep youngsters away from the liquor," Gupta said in a statement.
 

He claimed the move would also lead to increase in domestic violence.
 

11:41 PM

Police gives Guard of Honour to U'khand BJP chief; official says happened due to 'misunderstanding'

Uttarakhand BJP president Madan Kaushik was given a Guard of Honour on Monday by the state police in Bageshwar in violation of protocol, with a senior official saying it happened due to a "misunderstanding".
 

Pictures of the state BJP chief being given the Guard of Honour on his arrival at Bageshwar were shared on social media.
 

Kaushik, who was a member of former chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat's cabinet, was recently appointed president of the state BJP.
 

Admitting that the Guard of Honour given to the state party president was wrong, Deputy Inspector General (Law and Order) Neelesh Anand Bharne said it was due to a "misunderstanding".
 

"The official responsible for it had just returned from leave and was not aware of the recent changes in government in the state," he said.
 

11:41 PM

PSI recruitment: Gujarat refutes social media message on SC quota

The Gujarat government on Monday refuted a message circulating on social media claiming that reservations for Scheduled Caste (SC) communities had been done away with in the recruitment of 372 police personnel.
 

The state Social Justice and Empowerment department, in a statement, said the rules governing the recruitment are as per the law and all reservation norms were being followed.
 

The social media message said only three out of 372 sub inspectors posts, comprising 300 in regular police units and 72 in State Reserve Police, for which recruitment will be done were reserved for SC candidates.
 

The state government said it was following all Supreme Court directives, adding that, in case of the recruitment of PSIs, the recruitment board took into account surplus and deficit of posts in each category and announced the vacancies to be filled.
 

Thus, the department's statement said, of 300 vacancies, 158 went to general category, one to SCs, 46 to STs, 65 to SEBCs, and 30 to EWS.
 

Similarly, for the set of 72 SRP PSI vacancies, two went to SCs, 37 to general category, six to STs, 20 to SEBCs and seven to EWS.
 

11:39 PM

No tuition fee for girl PG students in Haryana govt colleges with family income less than Rs 1.8 L

Girl students with annual family income less than Rs 1.80 lakh and pursuing post-graduation in government colleges and government-aided facilities of Haryana will not be charged tuition fee, according to an official statement on Monday.
 

The Director-General of Higher Education Department, Haryana, has forwarded a letter in this regard to principals of all government and government-aided colleges in the state.
 

Meanwhile, Chairman, Haryana Board of School Education, Bhiwani, Jagbir Singh said examination of classes nine and 11 will be conducted from 10 am to 12:30 pm in place of the earlier scheduled time of 8:30 am to 11 am.
 

He said the examination of class 11 students be held from March 26 to April 23, and for Class nine it will be from March 30 to April 17.  In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, all candidates should ensure social distancing and wear mask at the examination centre according to government guidelines, the official said.
 

11:37 PM

UP panchayat polls: Only five people will be allowed during door-to-door campaigning, says SEC

In view of the coronavirus situation in Uttar Pradesh, the State Election Commission (SEC) on Monday said not more than five people will be allowed to accompany a candidate during door-to-door campaigning for the panchayat elections.
 

A letter in this regard has been sent to all the district magistrates.
 

Additional Election Commissioner Ved Prakash Verma said a three-member team will be formed under the additional district magistrates to ensure the directives issued by the SEC are being followed.
 

At the district-level, the chief medical officers have been made nodal officers and stress has been laid on Covid-19 prevention.
 

The SEC has emphasised on provision of sanitiser, soaps and water for the candidates while they come to file their nomination papers.
 

It has also been decided that only one candidate will be allowed to enter the room of the election officer.
 

Similarly, during polling, the voters will have to put up a mask and maintain social distancing. Instructions have also been issued to make circles at a distance of six-feet at the polling centres.
 

Verma said Covid-19 norms will also be followed during counting of votes and added that PPE kits will also be arranged as per requirement.
 

The Allahabad High Court had recently asked the state government to complete the panchayat election process by May 25.
 

9:51 PM

BJP MP takes swipe at Kejriwal over bill on L-G powers

Underlining that Delhi is the seat of the central government, BJP MP Brijendra Singh on Monday took a swipe at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and said according full statehood to the national capital during the rule of an anarchist would have resulted in a civil war.
 

Speaking on the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) (Amendment) Bill in Lok Sabha, Singh said Delhi was made a union territory not because of dispute between two states like Chandigarh, or colonial legacy like Puducherry or its strategic importance like Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
 

Delhi was made a UT as it was the national capital and belongs to the entire country and being capital its primary responsibility lies with the Centre.
 

The bill seeks to make it clear that the "government" in the national capital means the "Lieutenant Governor" (L-G). Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has vehemently opposed the bill.
 

Supporting the bill, Singh, a bureaucrat-turned-politician, said it ends the ambiguity in distribution of powers between the L-G and the government.
 

“Since Lieutenant Governor already has the power to withhold the approval of any legislation, then it will be better if permission is sought from him before bringing any legislation,” Singh said.
 

Taking a swipe at Kejriwal, he said Congress leader Sheila Dikshit was chief minister during the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre and similarly the BJP was in power in Delhi during the Congress rule at the Centre, but such a situation of constitutional breakdown did not arise then.
 

9:50 PM

Arvind Kejriwal calls passage of GNCTD Bill 'insult' to people of Delhi

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday termed the passage of a Bill in Lok Sabha seeking to make it clear that the "government" in Delhi means the "Lieutenant Governor" an "insult" to the people of the national capital.
 

The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021, was passed by Lok Sabha on Monday amidst strong opposition from the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party which said that the legislation is "unconstitutional".
 

The Bill also makes it mandatory for the Delhi government to take the opinion of the L-G before any executive action.
 

Kejriwal said the Bill effectively takes away power from those who were voted by people and gives powers to run Delhi to those who were defeated.
 

"The passage of the GNCTD (Amendment) Bill in Lok Sabha today is an insult to the people of Delhi. The Bill effectively takes away powers from those who were voted by people and gives powers to run Delhi to those who were defeated. BJP has cheated the people," Kejriwal tweeted.
 

9:50 PM

Legal drinking age lowered to 21 from 25 years in Delhi, govt not to sell liquor: New excise policy

Lowering legal drinking age to 21 from 25 years and the government withdrawing from running liquor vends in Delhi are among the main features of an excise policy approved by the AAP dispensation on Monday, with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia saying the measure is expected to lead to an annual revenue growth of 20 per cent.
 

The government decided to shut all its shops in the national capital as they were generating less earnings in comparison to private liquor stores.

Currently, 40 per cent of around 850 establishments in the national capital are privately run.
 

According to the government, state-run vends were indulging in "brand pushing" and there were also instances of revenue leakage.
 

Addressing a press conference, Sisodia said the new measure will put an end to the liquor buying experience from a "jail-like setup" at state-run shops.

Private liquor shops being allowed should have a minimum area of 500 square feet.
 

The government announced that no new liquor shops will be opened and 60 per cent share of government shops in the current retail liquor business will be replaced by private players.
 

Sisodia said it is not the government's job to sell liquor and hoped that the excise revenue will increase by Rs 1,500-2000 crore annually after the implementation of the new policy. Currently, the government gets around Rs 6,000 crore from the excise revenue.
 

Lowering drinking age will also help the government discourage young people from going to pubs and hotels in Noida and neighbouring cities, a move that will also increase the excise revenue as such establishments in Delhi will not have to face hefty penalty for serving alcohol to the customers of the age group.
 

7:55 PM

Rajya Sabha passes Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill

Rajya Sabha passes Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill to club 7 castes in poll-bound Tamil Nadu under one nomenclature

7:31 PM

Parliament passes bill to allow private players in mining activities

Parliament on Monday passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill which will help create employment opportunities and allow the private sector with enhanced technology in mining activities.

 

Union Minister for Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi said the bill will not curb the powers of states, as claimed by some opposition parties. The bill was passed by Rajya Sabha through a voice vote amid the opposition's demand that it be sent to a select committee for scrutiny.

 

Lok Sabha passed the bill on March 19. The bill, which amends the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, seeks to create employment opportunities and allow participation of private players in mining activities.

6:57 PM

Parliament passes Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2021

Parliament passes Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2021

6:53 PM

The Marine Aids to Navigation Bill, 2021 passed by Lok Sabha

The Marine Aids to Navigation Bill, 2021 passed by Lok Sabha

6:05 PM

HC stays order restraining Future Retail to go ahead with Reliance deal

The Delhi High Court on Monday stayed a single judge's order restraining Future Retail Ltd from going ahead with its Rs 24,713 crore deal with Reliance Retail to sell its business, which was objected to by US-based e-commerce giant Amazon.

 

A division bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jasmeet Singh also issued notice to Amazon on Future Group's appeal challenging the single judge's March 18 judgment on the deal.

 

The bench listed the matter for further hearing on April 30. It also stayed the single judge order asking for attachment of assets of Future Group's Kishore Biyani and others and directing them to appear in the court on April 28. READ ON...