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4:07 PM

Centre approves nearly Rs 700 cr for NH widening project in Karnataka

The Centre has approved a sum of Rs 698.08 crore for the widening of the Belur to Hassan section of NH373, with the addition of paved shoulders, in Karnataka, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Sunday.

"This project, executed under the NH(O) Annual Plan 2022-23 (Package-II), will be carried out in the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) mode, " he tweeted.

3:49 PM

Centre notifies revised MGNREGA wage rates

The Centre has notified a hike in wage rates under the rural job guarantee programme for the 2023-24 financial year with Haryana having the highest daily wage at Rs 357 per day and Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh the lowest at Rs 221.

The Union Ministry of Rural Development issued a notification on the change in wage rates under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme on March 24.

The notification was issued under Section 6 (1) of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005, that says the Centre may, by notification, specify the wage rate for its beneficiaries. The wage hikes, which range from Rs 7 to Rs 26, will come into effect from April 1.

3:41 PM

Air India and Nepal Airlines aircraft almost collided mid-air; 2 air traffic controllers suspended

A major tragedy was averted on Friday when an Air India and a Nepal Airlines aircraft came close to collision mid-air but the warning systems alerted the pilots whose timely action prevented the disaster, authorities said here on Sunday.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has suspended two employees of the air traffic controller department for "carelessness", according to CAAN spokesperson Jagannath Niroula.

On Friday morning, a Nepal Airlines plane coming to Kathmandu from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and an Air India plane coming to Kathmandu from New Delhi almost collided.

2:43 PM

Sankalp Satyagrah: Gujarat Congress functionaries detained while protesting Rahul Gandhi's disqualification

Several Congress functionaries were detained in Gujarat on Sunday during the party's 'Sankalp Satyagrah' agitation against the disqualification of their leader Rahul Gandhi as Lok Sabha MP following his conviction in a defamation case by a Surat court.

Gandhi was sentenced to two years in jail on Thursday in a criminal defamation case over his Modi surname and thieves remark, and his disqualification notice was issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat a day later.

2:24 PM

Kharge slams BJP, asks why is ruling party pained if fugitives criticised

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday slammed the BJP over its charge that Rahul Gandhi insulted OBCs with his remark for which he has been convicted in a criminal defamation case, and said why is the ruling party pained if fugitives such as Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi are criticised.

 

Addressing a gathering at the day-long "Sankalp Satyagraha" of the Congress right outside Rajghat, Kharge also thanked all Opposition parties for standing with Rahul Gandhi and the Congress to save democracy.

2:09 PM

Martyr PM's son who walked for unity can never insult country: Priyanka

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday said a martyred prime minister's son who walked thousands of kilometres for national unity can never insult the country as the Congress held a nationwide protest against the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from the Lok Sabha.

Priyanka Gandhi was addressing a gathering at Rajghat -- the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi -- here to protest against Rahul Gandhi's conviction in a 2019 defamation case and his subsequent disqualification from the Lok Sabha.

1:53 PM

Rahul's disqualification will 'put in more steel' in Congress: Chidambaram

Former finance minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday said his party's leader Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha would strengthen the Congress party, helping its prospects in next year's general election.

Describing the political landscape as an undeclared emergency, Chidambaram in an exclusive emailed interview said the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has made the Congress its prime target wishing its elimination in order to more easily manage the regional parties.

1:34 PM

Forced landing of ALH Dhruv Mark 3 takes place in Kochi

An incident of forced landing of an ALH Dhruv Mark 3 helicopter of the Indian Coast Guard today took place in Kochi while the pilots of the force were testing the chopper. The chopper was at around 25 feet height when it had to make a forced landing. The ICG is working towards resuming the operations of the ALH Dhruv fleet: ICG officials

 

 

1:24 PM

KCR's BRS to back Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka Assembly elections

Describing the Janata Dal (Secular) a "natural ally", the Bharat Rashtra Samithi has decided to throw its weight fully behind the former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda-led party in the coming Assembly elections in Karnataka, BRS sources said on Sunday.

Telangana's governing party was earlier weighing its option of fielding its candidates in some districts bordering Telangana in Kalyana-Karnataka (earlier known as Hyderabad-Karnataka) as part of its strategy to expand nationally but that plan is no longer on the table now.

1:10 PM

Sankalp Satyagrah: Gujarat Congress functionaries detained while protesting Rahul Gandhi's disqualification

Several Congress functionaries were detained in Gujarat on Sunday during the party's 'Sankalp Satyagrah' agitation against the disqualification of their leader Rahul Gandhi as Lok Sabha MP following his conviction in a defamation case by a Surat court.

Gandhi was sentenced to two years in jail on Thursday in a criminal defamation case over his Modi surname and thieves remark, and his disqualification notice was issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat a day later.

12:58 PM

Patiala woman arrested for harbouring Khalistani sympathiser Amritpal Singh

The Punjab Police has arrested a woman from Patiala for allegedly sheltering fugitive radical preacher Amritpal Singh and his aide, officials said on Sunday.

According to a senior police official, Amritpal and his aide Papalpreet Singh had allegedly stayed at the residence of Balbir Kaur in Patiala's Hargobind Nagar on March 19.

12:48 PM

India's highways infra to match US by 2024, work underway, says Gadkari

India's highways infrastructure will match that of the US by 2024 for which work in time bound 'mission mode' is on including construction of green expressways and rail over bridges, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said.

 

He said cabinet nod to 'Bharatmala 2' is likely soon and once obtained it will meet the requirements of a robust infrastructure in the country.

 

12:33 PM

Zydus recalls over 55k bottles of generic drug in US

Drug firm Zydus Lifesciences is recalling over 55,000 bottles of generic medication in the US market due to failed impurities specifications.

As per the latest enforcement report by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), Zydus Pharmaceuticals (USA) Inc is recalling 21,936 (30 count) and 33,096 (100 count) bottles of Colchicine tablets, which are used to treat gout.

12:27 PM

Govt hikes duty on X-ray machine imports to 15% from Apr 1

The government has hiked customs duty on import of X-ray machines and non-portable X-ray generators to 15 per cent with effect from April 1.

Currently, portable X-ray machines and non-portable X-ray generators and apparatus attract 10 per cent import duty.

12:18 PM

Rlys order for supply of seats for Vande Bharat, not for coaches: Tata

The order placed by the Railways is for the supply of seats and interior panels for Vande Bharat trains and "not to manufacture its coaches", a Tata Steel official has clarified.

 

As part of the Rs 225 crore order, Tata Steel will supply light-weight seats for 23 coaches of Vande Bharat rails and fibre-reinforced polymer composites-based interior panels for 16 coaches of the high-speed train, Debashish Bhattacharjee, Vice President (VP) - Technology & New Materials Business of Tata Steel, told PTI.