LIVE updates: Banks going to be catalysts for economic revival, says FM

Chinese troops carried rods, spears, clubs and pole weapons in aggressively trying to close in on an Indian position in Mukhpari area in eastern Ladakh, reports PTI. Stay tuned for Latest LIVE news

8:15 PM

Air India not to go ahead with recruitment exercise of trainee pilots

Air India has decided not to go ahead with the recruitment exercise of trainee pilots due to the bleak scenario in the aviation industry and the critical financial condition of the company.

 

Responding to queries from IANS, Air India said in a statement that it had issued an advertisement in September, 2017 inviting applications from the open market to recruit pilots - both Senior Trainee Pilots (With Endorsement) and Trainee Pilots (CPL Holders). Read more

8:04 PM

If BMC is acting as per rules, then it is right: Sharad Pawar on Kangana Ranaut

7:52 PM

Develop Badrinath as a smart spiritual city, says PM; reviews Kedarnath project

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday asked the Uttarakhand government to develop Badrinath Dham as a smart city, retaining its spiritual and mythological characteristics.

 

Modi viewed through a video conference a state government presentation on its masterplan for the beautification of the Himalayan temple and its surroundings, a project which will cost Rs 424 crore and take about five years.

 

The prime minister also reviewed the ongoing development work at Kedarnath Dham and emphasized the need to create pilgrim- and environment-friendly facilities there. Kedarnath and Badrinath are two of the four dhams that draw lakhs of pilgrims every year to Uttarakhand.

7:42 PM

Happiest Minds IPO subscribed 151 times, sees bids worth Rs 58,000 cr

Happiest Minds Technologies’ maiden initial public offering (IPO) saw a subscription of nearly 151 times, generating bids worth more than Rs 58,000 crore—making it one of the most subscribed IPO in recent times.
 

The retail investor portion of the issue garnered 71 times the subscription, with over 2 million applications. The wealthy investor portion saw over 351 times the demand for shares on offer, while the institutional portion saw 77 times subscription. Read more

7:31 PM

Jammu and Kashmir: Pakistan violated ceasefire along LoC in Degwar & Malti Sectors of Poonch

7:25 PM

IISc to conduct test for masters programmes on Feb 15

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) would conduct the Joint Admission Test for Masters (JAM) 2021 on February 14, director of IISc Govindan Rangarajan said on Wednesday

 

The portal for applying for the test would be open to aspiring candidates from September 10 to October 15, 2020, a statement from IISc said here.

 

JAM is a qualifying examination for candidates seeking admission to various masters programmes.

7:16 PM

Pawar, Fadnavis, Nirupam slam BMC for partly razing Kangana's office

The Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation's action in partly demolishing Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut's office received flak from various quarters, including ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners Nationalist Congress Party, Congress, and the opposition BJP on Wednesday.

 

Frowning at the BMC action, Pawar said that though he had learnt about the incident related to Kangana's office he would not comment without knowing the full details, while pointing out that there are "many illegal structures in Mumbai".

 

"But in the current situation, such actions raise doubts in the people's minds. By taking the action, she has got the opportunity to speak out. It needs to be checked why the action was taken by the BMC now," Pawar said.

7:07 PM

Rhea Chakraborty claims being coerced into confession

Actress Rhea Chakraborty has claimed in her bail application that she was coerced into making self-incriminatory confessions during custody.

 

A day after Rhea's arrest by the Narcotics Central Bureau (NCB), it has been revealed that a special court here will hear the bail applications of the actress and her brother Showik on September 10.

6:55 PM

France describes India as foremost Asian strategic partner

France on Wednesday described India as its "foremost" Asian strategic partner and said the upcoming visit of its Defence Minister Florence Parly to the country is aimed at further strengthening the "forward-looking" defence cooperation with New Delhi. Parly will visit India on Thursday to attend a ceremony in Ambala to induct the first batch of five Rafale jets into the Indian Air Force (IAF).

 

The French defence minister will hold talks with her Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. A defence ministry spokesperson said Parly will be given a ceremonial Guard of Honour on her arrival in Delhi.

6:40 PM

Kolkata Metro Railway issues set of do's & don'ts for passengers

The Metro Railway issued a set of do's and don'ts for passengers when they travel by its trains after the services are resumed, for maintaining Covid-19 safety norms.

 

The passengers will have to wear masks covering face and nose and will have to sanitise their hands from sanitiser dispensers placed at each platform before boarding a train, a Metro Railway official said here.

 

Metro Railway general manager Manoj Joshi, who inspected several stations of the city's rapid transit system on Tuesday, had earlier said that the final date for resumption of the services will be fixed shortly.

6:29 PM

Watch: DMK leader Durai Murugan gets emotional as MK Stalin talks about him

6:18 PM

TRAI chief advocates robust broadband, open systems, local manufacturing

Robust broadband connectivity and indigenously-built inclusive, open platforms are key milestones for the country in coming years, TRAI Chairman R S Sharma said on Wednesday urging India to also seize the domestic manufacturing opportunity by playing on strength of its market and investor-friendly policies.

 

Sharma exuded confidence that "right environment and incentives" can propel domestic manufacturing in India, and while China (a production hub) had built an ecosystem over the last 20 years, the "ecosystem can easily shift now very quickly to India".

6:04 PM

TikTok emerges world's most downloaded non-gaming app in August: Report

Despite facing several challenges, China-based short video-sharing platform TikTok emerged as the most downloaded non-gaming app worldwide for August with more than 63.3 million installs, a 1.6 per cent increase from August 2019.

 

The countries with the most installs of the app during this period were Indonesia at 11 per cent of its total downloads and Brazil at 9 per cent, according to a report by data analytics firm Sensor Tower. Read more

5:42 PM

RBI constructing e-payment index to assess extent of digitisation: Official

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is in the process of constructing a digital payment index to assess the extent of digitisation in the country and innovation in existing modes and channels to bridge digital divide, a senior official of the apex bank said on Wednesday.

 

Observing that digital payments in India have been growing rapidly, RBI Executive Director T Rabi Sankar said there is still a lot of catching up to do as per-capita penetration is still quite low. Read more

5:33 PM

CBDT issues refunds of over Rs 1 trn to 2.75 mn taxpayers

CBDT issues refunds of over Rs 1,01,308 Cr to more than 2.75 million taxpayers between 1st April, 2020 to 8th Sept 2020. Income tax refunds of Rs. 30,768 Cr issued in 25,83,507 cases & corporate tax refunds of Rs.70,540 crore have been issued in 1,71,155 cases: Income Tax Dept