Latest LIVE: Bihar Education Minister resigns three days after appointment

Stay tuned for Latest LIVE news

5:30 PM

Five dead, as many injured in explosion at plastic factory in West Bengal's Malda district: Police

5:23 PM

Supported and welcomed India's election to UNSC for term 2021-22: Luxembourg PM Xavier Bettel

5:16 PM

LIVE: We welcome Luxembourg's decision to join International Solar Alliance, says PM Modi

5:16 PM

Happy that our space agency recently launched Luxembourgh's four satellites: PM Modi at India-Luxembourg Summit

5:10 PM

LIVE: PM Narendra Modi takes part in India-Luxembourg Virtual Summit

5:09 PM

India's overall spending on health sector 'low', says Niti Aayog member

India's overall spending on the health sector is "low" and the situation must be "corrected", Niti Aayog Member (Health) V K Paul said on Thursday.

 

Emphasising that there is a need to request both the union and state governments to enhance spending on health, he said the COVID-19 experience will justify an increase in expenditure on health sector.

 

"India's overall spending on the health sector is low. It has been coming from constrained resources... many many competing priorities. It is low and must be corrected," he said while addressing a virtual event organised by industry body CII. In 2018-19, India's spending on health sector was 1.5 per cent of GDP, somewhat an improvement over the last decade, Paul said. READ ON...

4:57 PM

Pakistan court sentences Hafiz Saeed to fresh jail term in terror cases

Mumbai terror attack mastermind and Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed was on Thursday sentenced to 10 years in jail by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan in two more terror cases.

 

Saeed, a UN designated terrorist whom the US has placed a USD 10 million bounty on, was arrested on July 17 last year in the terror financing cases. He was sentenced to 11 years in jail by an anti-terrorism court in February this year in two terror financing cases. He is lodged at the Lahore's high-security Kot Lakhpat jail.

 

"The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) of Lahore on Thursday sentenced four leaders of Jamat-ud-Dawa, including its chief Hafiz Saeed, in two more cases," a court official told PTI. READ ON...

4:43 PM

Widow of CRPF jawan killed by terrorists in 2002, gets ex-gratia payment after 18 years

The widow of a CRPF jawan, who died fighting terrorists during the 2002 Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls, has received ex-gratia payment from the Election Commission after 18 years following the intervention of the top brass.

 

Anguished by the delay, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora wrote a letter to Pramila Devi, personally apologising on behalf of the administrative machinery. The Commission decided to provide her Rs 20 lakh ex-gratia as an exception, which is the present admissible amount.

 

In 2002, the admissible amount for ex-gratia was Rs 5 lakh. The amount has been transferred to her bank account.

4:30 PM

Bihar education minister resigns over corruption charges

Bihar education minister Mewa Lal Chaudhary, whose appointment to the post had triggered a controversy on account of a corruption taint, on Thursday tendered his resignation, barely three days after being sworn in as a member of the Nitish Kumar cabinet.

 

Chaudhary, who was allocated the portfolio on Tuesday, a day after taking oath, sent his resignation immediately after assuming charge at 1 P.M., informed sources said.

 

Chaudhary, who belongs to the JD(U) headed by the chief minister, had been named an accused in a five-year-old case relating to alleged irregularities in appointment of teachers and technicians at Bihar Agricultural University, Bhagalpur, where he was the Vice Chancellor.

4:19 PM

Bihar education minister Mewa Lal Chaudhary resigns barely three days after appointment

4:18 PM

Parliamentary panel grills Twitter over 'obscene' tweets by Kunal Kamra targeting SC, CJI

A parliamentary committee questioned Twitter on Thursday over the recent "obscene" tweets by stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra targeting the Supreme Court and the chief justice of India (CJI), and sought reply from the social media giant over the matter within seven days, said the panel's chairperson Meenakshi Lekhi.

 

This came close on the heels of Twitter apologising in writing to the same parliamentary panel for wrongly showing Ladakh in China and promising to correct the error by the month-end. Twitter India representatives deposed before the Joint Committee of Parliament on Data Protection Bill on Thursday.

 

"It is shameful that Twitter is allowing its platform for obscene remarks like the one by stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra against the Supreme Court and the CJI," Lekhi told reporters.

4:11 PM

Market LIVE update: Sensex plunges 580.09 points to end at 43,599.96; Nifty slumps 166.55 points to 12,771.70

4:02 PM

Pakistan's court sentences Hafiz Saeed to 10 years in jail in two more cases

Mumbai terror attack mastermind and Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed was on Thursday sentenced to 10 years in jail by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan in two more terror cases. Saeed, a UN designated terrorist whom the US has placed a USD 10 million bounty on, was arrested on July 17 last year in the terror financing cases. He was sentenced to 11 years in jail by an anti-terrorism court in February this year in two terror financing cases.

 

He is lodged at the Lahore's high-security Kot Lakhpat jail.

 

"The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) of Lahore on Thursday sentenced four leaders of Jamat-ud-Dawa, including its chief Hafiz Saeed, in two more cases," a court official told PTI.

3:57 PM

Coronavirus LIVE: High-level Central teams deputed to Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Manipur

3:56 PM

Moody's calls stimulus measures positive, revises GDP forecast upwards

Moody's Investors Service has lowered the contraction rate for India's gross domestic product to 10.6 per cent for 2020-21 from its earlier 11.5 per cent. It also revised upwards its expectation for GDP growth rate to 10.8 per cent for 2021-22 from the earlier 10.6 per cent.

 

The rating agency also said the stimulus measures announced last week by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman were aimed at increasing manufacturing competitiveness and creating jobs, while supporting infrastructure investment, credit availability to stressed sectors.

 

"As such, they present potential upside to our current forecasts, a credit positive," Moody's said in a statement. READ ON...