Warrant against Jarange in 2013 cheating case

Jarange has launched a fresh indefinite hunger strike over the quota demand since July 20 at his village in Jalna district. 

He had appeared before the court on May 31 after an NBW was issued against him. 

The court then cancelled the NBW but imposed a penalty of Rs 500 on him. 

"A hearing was scheduled today before the judicial magistrate here in the case, but as Jaranage is currently on hunger strike, he could not be present," said advocate Harshad Nimbalkar, his lawyer. 

"We will have him appear before the court and get the NBW cancelled," Nimbalkar added. 

A case under Indian Penal Code Section 420 (cheating) and 406 (criminal breach of trust) was registered against Jarange and two others in 2013. Jarange and co-accused had in 2012 approached the complainant, who stages plays on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, for six shows of "Shambhuraje" in Jalna district and offered him Rs 30 lakh. -- PTI

Justice MG Uma noted that the original theft case involving the two, who had been charged with stealing the two-wheeler used by the shooters in the murder, was resolved years ago. 

Moreover, only 10 out of 138 witnesses have been examined in the ongoing trial. 

The Court observed that the prosecution could not provide a definite timeline for the trial's conclusion. 

"Apart from the theft charges, there is no prima facie evidence indicating their involvement in the murder case." 

Kalburgi was fatally shot by two assailants in Dharwad on August 30, 2015, who then escaped on a motorcycle. -- PTI

No immediate reaction was available from Netflix on the matter. In a letter to Netflix officials on Tuesday, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights said "unrestricted accessibility of explicit content" on Netflix to minors constitutes a violation of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act-2012. 

 The NCPCR said it had written to Netflix earlier in June on the same matter but no response was received. 

"Now, therefore, the commission in pursuance of the functions and powers (under) order Section 14 of CPCR Act 2005 requires you to appear in person physically before the commission along with the details of the action taken in this matter at 1500 hours on July 29, 2024," the letter said. -- PTI

The DRDO also completed the required range preparation for the missile test at the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, a defence source said in Balasore on Tuesday. 

The test will be conducted from launch pad number 3 of the ITR. 

Meanwhile, the Balasore district administration has made arrangements to temporarily evacuate 10,581 people belonging to 10 villages residing within 3.5 km radius of the launch pad prior to the test launch of the missile, said a revenue officer. 

"As a safety measure these arrangements are being made with adequate compensation to affected people," the official said. 

A preparatory meeting was held in Balasore on Tuesday by the district administration in the presence of the collector, Ashis Thakare and superintendent of police, Sagarika Nath for the smooth shifting of residents falling in this zone to nearby temporary shelter centers, said the revenue officer. 

Through the public address system the district administration has alerted people in these villages to leave their house by 4 am of Wednesday and remain in the camp till an announcement is made to return to their houses after the launch is over. -- PTI

Ajay Thorat, the minister's personal secretary, filed a complaint in this regard with the director general of police. 

A voice message recorded by an unidentified man, who claims to be a taxi driver, was circulating on WhatsApp, said the complaint. 

The man, speaking in Konkani, asked the general public as well as taxi drivers to cause grievous injury and kill the minister, it said. 

The message also contained defamatory and scandalous statements about the minister, the complaint said. -- PTI

The warship is currently resting on one side in the Naval Dockyard after the fire on board on Sunday night. 

Indian Navy chief Admiral Dinesh Tripathi has given strict instructions to the officials concerned to be very careful in handling of vital national assets during his visit to Mumbai to review the cause of the accident, defence sources told ANI. 

The Navy chief was briefed about the incident by Western Command officials and the steps being taken by the force, they said. 

The rear admiral (equivalent to a major general in the army) heading the board of inquiry has been asked to work in a time-bound matter to find out the exact reasons for the accident, they said. 

The Navy Chief yesterday briefed the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh about the accident. 

A fire had broken out onboard INS Brahmaputra while she was undergoing refit. The ship experienced severe listing to one side but despite all efforts, the ship could not be brought to an upright position. 

The ship continued to list further and is currently resting on one side. 

A sailor who went missing during the incident has also not yet been found but the search operations for him are continuing, Navy officials said.

The actor will join Rana Daggubati, who is set to reprise his role in the new season. 

The first season of Rana Naidu released in 2023 featuring Priya Banerjee, Daggubati Venkatesh, Surveen Chawla and Flora Saini. Helmed by Suparn Verma and Karan Anshuman, the series consisted of 10 episodes based on the American crime drama television series Ray Donovan (2013) which had Liev Schreiber in the lead. 

Streaming platform Netflix announced the actor's addition to the project and also shared a teaser of BTS videos of filming the series which features glimpses of Rampal, 51, Venkatesh, 63 and Daggubati, 39 in it on Instagram. "Rana Naidu Season 2 is now filming," they captioned the BTS images.

Rampal was last seen in action film Crakk which released in February. It was produced by and featured Vidyut Jammwal in lead role.

This comes amid ongoing probes by lawmakers and an internal government watchdog into how the agency handled Trump's safety and how a gunman nearly killed the Republican presidential candidate for Pennsylvania during a rally this month. 

Demands for her resignation were also raised by members of Congress from both parties, and Republicans had been continuously pressing for her impeachment since Trump was shot at the Pennsylvania rally on July 13. 

After her Monday public hearing before the House Oversight Committee, where she refused to respond to several of the committee's questions, lawmakers were especially enraged, according to CNN. 

Even though Cheatle said there were "significant" and "colossal" issues with the rally's security during her testimony before the House Oversight Committee, she had previously refused to step down. -- ANI

In a post on X, Biden said he would speak on what lies ahead, and "how I will finish the job for the American people."

Facing rebellion by a section of party leaders, Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday dissolved its core committee, the outfit's highest decision-making body.

Several senior party leaders, including some from the core committee, had last month demanded that Badal step down as the party chief following its debacle in the recently held Lok Sabha elections in Punjab.

The leaders who had raised the banner of rvolt included former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra, former SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur, former MLA Gurpartap Singh Wadala and former ministers Parminder Singh Dhindsa and Surjit Singh Rakhra.

Chandumajra, Maluka, Wadala and Rakhra were among the members of the core committee. SAD senior leader Daljit Singh Cheema on Tuesday said the core committee of the SAD has been dissolved.

He said that the working committee of the party has authorised Badal to reorganise the party organisation.

'In this regard the party President discussed in detail with his senior colleagues in a meeting held at Chandigarh today. It was decided to dissolve the core committee of the party. It will be reorganised shortly...,' said Cheema in a post on X.

Among those present in the meeting were Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Harjinder Singh Dhami, senior leaders Balwinder Singh Bhundar, Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal, Paramjit Singh Sarna, Iqbal Singh Jhoonda and Harcharan Bains. 

The SAD had reconstituted the core committee in November 2022. Rebel Akali leaders on July 15 launched a platform called 'Shiromani Akali Dal Sudhar Lehar' to 'strengthen and uplift' the 103-year-old outfit.

On July 1, the rebel SAD leaders appeared before the Akal Takhta Jathedar and apologised for the 'mistakes' that were committed when their party was in power in the state.

The leaders had sought forgiveness for the 'four mistakes' during the former SAD regime between 2007 and 2017, including the failure to punish those responsible for the 2015 sacrilege incidents and pardoning Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the 2007 blasphemy case.

They had recently claimed that Sukhbir Badal allegedly used influence in pardoning the Dera Sacha Sauda chief in the blasphemy case.  -- PTI

His partner and producer of the film, Vardhan Hari of Vriddhi Creation, said they ran into a financial bottleneck, as the film exceeded the originally planned number of shooting days by almost double.

"Ashoka Blade is a social drama set in the 1970s. It is written by T K Dayanand and it stars Sathish Ninasam. It was Dhondalay's dream project and we started the shooting in May 2023. Originally, we planned for 45 days, but we shot for 87 days.  

"Our original budget was around Rs 1.5 crore, but we went over it by many times. Now, we needed to reshoot a few scenes as well as a song and a fight sequence. All this required more money," Hari said.  

Ninasam, who also partly produces the film under the banner Sathish Picture House, said he did not expect such a turn of events.  

"The film is 90% complete. We recently had a discussion and we decided to shoot the remaining bits next month. It would have taken us another 20 to 25 days. It is such a pity. Dhondalay was a gem of a man," Ninasam said.

According to Hari, who said he had dropped him home on July 19 night after a meeting with another producer who was willing to pitch in, when he left Dhondalay looked relieved.

"He was worried because we had already spent a lot of money and the film looked very promising. Lack of money to take the movie further was weighing on him a lot. But we had found a solution and there was someone who was willing to help us finish the remaining shooting. I did not expect to hear the news of his death the very next morning," said Hari, who has worked with Dhondalay for more than 22 years, producing many TV serials.

Dhondalay is known for his TV serials Karimani and Shantam Papam.

Chandra Layout police station inspector M M Bharath said Dhondalay's wife Geetha informed them of the death, and a case of unnatural death has been registered. Further investigations are being conducted, he said.

According to the FIR (based on the statement by Dhondalay's wife), he had been depressed for some time as he had taken an OD (overdraft) loan of almost Rs 3 crore from Karnataka Bank for the production of Ashoka Blade, the inspector said.  

He also said Dhondalay had left behind a two-page suicide note, where he had asked for the forgiveness of his wife and children.  

Dhondalay is survived by his wife Geetha, two sons and a daughter. His eldest son just completed his Class X exams and scored 99% marks, and his youngest daughter is only eight years old, his friend and producer Hari said. 

In line with India's 'neighbourhood first' policy, Bhutan was on Tuesday allocated the largest share of Rs 2,068 crore as development aid in the Union Budget for 2024-25 while the outlay for the Maldives saw a sharp decline to Rs 400 crore from last year's Rs 770 crore.

The cut in allocation to the Maldives came amid strain in ties between the two countries since Mohamed Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, became president of the island nation in November last year.

In the budget, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was allocated a total of Rs 22,154 crore for the fiscal 2024-25 as against last year's revised outlay of 29,121 crore.

The same allocation was made to the MEA in the interim budget that was presented to the Parliament in February.

In the interim budget, the development assistance to the Maldives was pegged at Rs 600 crore.

According to the budget papers, the allocation now stands at Rs 400 crore.     

The outlay for Bhutan has been pegged at Rs 2,068 crore for 2024-25 as against Rs 2,398 crore in the revised estimate of 2023-24.

After Bhutan, Nepal was allocated the second largest outlay of Rs 700 crore. 

An amount of Rs 245 crore has been set aside for Sri Lanka in 2024-25 as against last year's Rs 60 crore.

The allocation for Chabahar Port has also been maintained at Rs 100 crore, underlining India's focus on connectivity projects with Iran.

In continuation with India's special relationship with the people of Afghanistan, a budgetary aid of Rs 200 crore has been set aside for that country. The outlay for Afghanistan in 2023-24 was Rs 220 crore.

An amount of Rs 120 crore will be provided to Bangladesh under development aid while Myanmar will get Rs 250 crore in 2024-25 as against last fiscal's Rs 320 crore.

According to the budget documents, Mauritius will receive Rs 370 crore while the amount for African countries has been pegged at Rs 200 crore.     

The total development assistance to various countries and regions such as Latin America and Eurasia will be Rs 4,883 crore.

Separately, an amount of Rs 989 crore has been kept under the head 'advances to foreign governments'.   -- PTI

"Alert troops foiled an infiltration bid by effectively engaging infiltrating terrorists ... in the Battal sector at 0300 hours," White Knight Corps said on X. "During the exchange of heavy fire, one braveheart has been injured. Operations are continuing," the Corps said. 

According to sources, troops picked up the movement of the group of terrorists in the Battal forward area of the Krishnagati belt and forced the terrorists to retreat. 

Lance Naik Subash Kumar was injured in the intense gunfight and later succumbed, they said, adding terrorists too suffered "loss". 

The post-mortem has been conducted and the soldier's body handed over to the Army, a police officer said. 

A search operation has been launched in the area, the officials said. 

There has been a spurt in terror activities in the Jammu in recent months, raising fears about the revival of militancy in the region.

A court in  New Delhi on Tuesday granted bail to Delhi minister Atishi in a defamation case filed by a Bharatiya Janata Party leader over her claim that several Aam Aadmi Party MLAs were approached by the saffron party with offers of cash to bring down the Arvind Kejriwal government.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Tanya Bamniyal granted bail to Atishi in the case filed by BJP leader Praveen Shankar Kapoor after she appeared before the court pursuant to summons.

The judge granted the relief to the senior AAP leader on a bail bond of Rs 20,000 and one surety of the like amount.

Atishi was reported to have claimed 21 AAP MLAs were contacted by the BJP, which offered Rs 25 lakh to each of them, to switch over to the saffron camp.

The judge will further take up the matter on August 8 for scrutiny of documents and arguments on framing of notice (charges).

The judge had on May 28 refused to summon Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the defamation case.

Accusing Atishi of making false claims about poaching attempts on AAP MLAs, Kapoor, a BJP spokesperson, had moved the court with a criminal defamation complaint.

He had said the AAP leader had failed to furnish evidence to support her claim.  -- PTI

"The vessel is presently 13 nautical miles west of New Mangalore and heading towards open sea," the ICG stated in a release.

MV Maersk Frankfurt, carrying 1,154 containers, including some with dangerous cargo like benzene and sodium cyanate, had caught fire some 102 nautical miles off the coast of Goa while on its way from Mundra in Gujarat to Colombo in Sri Lanka. One crew member died in the blaze, a Coast Guard official had said on Sunday.

The ICG said it has facilitated the embarkation of an initial team, comprising four members -- one Indian and three Filipino.

"Due to sustained efforts by ICG ships as first responders, the major fire has been doused and white smoke is visible with recurrent minor fires due to the content inside containers," the maritime security agency said.         

ICGS Samudra Prahari, a specialised pollution control vessel, and ICGS Sachet, an advanced offshore patrol vessel are combating small fires on the ship.

"Considering the grave threat posed to Indian coastline, all endeavours are being made to maintain the vessel away and well clear from the coast into deeper seas," the Coast Guard added. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday appointed Pradeep Bhandari, a journalist who runs psephology firm 'Jan Ki Baat', as a national spokesperson of the party.

Bhandari has worked as a journalist for different channels and has regularly done surveys during the assembly and general elections.

In a statement, the BJP said its national president, J P Nadda, has appointed Bhandari as a national spokesperson with immediate effect.

The BJP's website lists a total of 30 national spokespersons, excluding Bhandari, headed by Lok Sabha MP Anil Baluni.   -- PTI

 A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra heard submissions from a battery of lawyers, including Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA), and senior advocates Narender Hooda, Sanjay Hegde and Mathews Nedumapra for around four days. The bench dictated the operative part of the judgement keeping in mind the future of over two million students and said a detailed judgement will follow. 

 "There is absence of material to conclude that result of NEET-UG 2024 exam is vitiated or there is systemic breach," the CJI said. The bench, however, said the fact that the question paper leak took place in Hazaribagh and Patna was not in dispute. 

 The NTA and the Union education ministry have been at the centre of a massive political row and protests by students over alleged large-scale malpractices ranging from question paper leaks to impersonation in the test held on May 5. 

 The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) is conducted by the NTA for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country. The NEET-UG 2024 was taken by 23.33 lakh students at 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including in 14 overseas, on May 5. PTI

 Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has "virtually adopted" the ideas underlying his party's proposals on Employment-linked Incentive (ELI) scheme, apprenticeship scheme with an allowance to the apprentice, and on the abolition of Angel Tax. 

 "I wish she had adopted many more ideas from the Congress' manifesto (for the Lok Sabha polls)," the former Union finance minister said at a press conference at the AICC headquarters on the Union Budget. Unemployment is the "biggest challenge facing country" and the response of the government is "too little and will have only little impact on the grave situation", he said. Chidambaram also said that nothing in the Budget Speech "gives us the confidence that the government will seriously tackle the issue of inflation".

 The government, he alleged, also seems to be "blissfully ignorant" of its own statistics that wages have stagnated in the last six years.

 Demanding the scrapping of the short-term military recruitment scheme Agnipath, he said several political parties, including the Congress, have demanded that the scheme be scrapped forthwith. However, these is no response from the government, Chidambaram said. PTI

This is the gist of the order:

"Fact that leak in NEET-UG 2024 took place at Hazaribagh and Patna is not in dispute. There is absence of material to conclude that result of NEET-UG 2024 exam is vitiated or there is systemic breach," the SC says. 

The SC rules out cancellation and retest of controversy-ridden NEET-UG 24. The SC says data on record does not indicate systemic leak of question paper of NEET-UG 24.

SC says ordering cancellation of entire NEET-UG exam is not justified on application of settled principles propounded by it.

"I have continuously spoken for this (special status), I told them as well (NDA). I told them to give us either a special status or a special package. As a follow-up, they have announced aid for a lot of things. We were speaking of special status and a lot of people said that the provision for special status has been done away with much earlier. So, instead of that, aid should be given to help Bihar. They have now started it," Nitish said.

 Speaking on the announcements, JDU MP and Union Minister, Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh said that after the implementation of these schemes, Bihar's growth rate will go up. 

 "We had demanded special status or special package for Bihar. Today's Budget has an abundance of packages for Bihar. Whatever sector you look at - be it strengthening infrastructure or developing tourism or irrigation - schemes are abundant in every sector. After the implementation of these schemes, Bihar's growth rate will go up," he said. 

 Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made major announcements for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, including a boost in infrastructure and special financial support.

Recovering most of its intra-day losses of over 1,200 points, the 30-share BSE Sensex settled lower by 73.04 points or 0.09 per cent 80,429.04. 

 The index gyrated between highs and lows during the day as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced budget proposals for 2024-25. The barometer tanked 1,277.76 points or 1.58 per cent to hit a low of 79,224.32 as the minister announced a hike in STT on F&O trade and an increase in long-term capital gains tax on equities. 

However, tax exemptions and customs duty cuts helped boost consumer durables and FMCG shares, aiding stocks to recover from the day's lows. The NSE Nifty dipped 30.20 points or 0.12 per cent to 24,479.05. Intra-day, it dropped 435.05 points or 1.77 per cent to 24,074.20. 

Among the Sensex pack, Titan jumped over 6 per cent, followed by ITC which surged more than 5 per cent. Adani Ports, NTPC, Infosys, Hindustan Unilever, HCL Technologies and Sun Pharma were among the other big gainers. However, Larsen & Toubro, Bajaj Finance, State Bank of India, Axis Bank and HDFC Bank were among the major laggards.

Khedkar is accused of misusing power and privileges by demanding perks and facilities she was not entitled for during her training in Pune district collectorate in Maharashtra recently. 

She was also accused of bullying everyone around and of placing a red-blue beacon (indicating high-ranking official) atop a private Audi (a luxury sedan) car used by her that also had 'Maharashtra Government' written on it during her stint. 

A criminal case has been registered against her in Delhi last week for "misrepresenting and falsifying facts". 

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has also issued a show-cause notice regarding the cancellation of her candidature for the 2022 examination and is considering barring her from future exams.

 Talking to PTI, a senior official of the Pune police confirmed that the central government has asked them to apprise it of whether the parents of Puja Khedkar - mother Manorama and father Dilip - were divorced. 

 "We have been asked to find out and inform to the central government about whether Puja Khedkar's parents were divorced. In a nutshell, it has asked us to verify the actual status of their marriage/divorce," the official said. The UPSC last week took a series of actions, including registration of a police case, against Puja Khedkar for fraudulently availing attempts in the civil services examination by faking her identity. 

The commission has also issued a show cause notice for cancellation of her candidature of the civil services examination-2022 and debarment from future examinations and selections. Khedkar, a 2023 batch probationary Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, is accused of misusing power and privileges, by demanding perks and facilities she was not entitled for, during her training in Pune district collectorate. Her probation period was put on hold and she was recalled to Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Uttarakhand's Mussoorie. In order to avail of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) non-creamy layer quota in the UPSC, Khedkar had reportedly claimed that her parents were separated and she was living with her mother. In a video of her mock interview, Khedkar was asked why her family income has been shown as 'zero' when her father was a civil servant, she is seen saying that her parents were separated and she is not in contact with her father. As per the rules, only those whose parents' income is under Rs 8 lakh per annum fall in the category of OBC non-creamy layer. Khedkar's mother Manorama is currently in jail in a case pertaining to criminal intimidation as she was arrested by Pune rural police for threatening a person with a gun in 2023 over a land dispute case. Her father Dilip, a retired government officer, is also an accused in the case and received an interim protection from the court in Pune till July 25. PTI

In a statement, Naidu praised the budget for its focus on crucial projects and areas in Andhra Pradesh.

"On behalf of the people of Andhra Pradesh, I thank the Hon'ble Prime Minister, @narendramodi Ji and Hon'ble Union Finance Minister, @nsitharaman Ji, for recognising the needs of our State and focusing on a Capital, Polavaram, industrial nodes and development of backward areas in AP in the union budget of FY 24-25.

"This support from the Centre will go a long way towards rebuilding Andhra Pradesh. I congratulate you on the presentation of this progressive and confidence-boosting budget," said TDP National President Chandrababu Naidu, hailing the Union Budget 2024-25.

 Hospitality sector, however, expressed disappointment with the Budget for 2024-25 saying "There is nothing spectacular in the Budget to bring structural changes to address the fundamental challenges it faces in a competitive world order and to accelerate the growth of the sector to be a USD 3 trillion economy by 2047". 

 "The Budget shows Modi 3.0 is all about continuing the path to fiscal consolidation with the fiscal deficit target of 4.9 per cent this year and 4.5 per cent the next while maintaining the capex figure at 3.6 per cent. The focus on the agri sector and housing infrastructure - affordable and urban - is substantive and augurs well," Hinduja Group of Companies (India) Chairman, Ashok Hinduja said. 

 He further said, "Overall, a good Budget for the macro Indian investment climate but could have been better for Indian Investors." RPG Enterprises Chairman, Harsh Goenka in a post on X said, "After a World Cup win by the men in blue, a match-winning Budget by FM Sitharaman for Team India - focusing on common man's interests. Meticulous, detailed and well researched, ingraining the pulse of the country, under an experienced Captain's leadership." 

 Retailers Association of India (RAI) CEO Kumar Rajagopalan said, "The government has tried to strike a balance between populist and policy measures...Initiatives such as monetary support for farmers, higher exemption limits in personal income tax, and increased standard deductions will provide higher disposable income, leading to increased spending."

 Industry body CII Director General, Chandrajit Banerjee said the Budget "provides continuity to India's successful holistic economic strategy to drive growth with inclusion" and it "takes forward the government's successful economic strategy of the previous two terms, led by investments and reforms and focused on inclusion and empowerment". 

 "The announcement on collaboration with states to take forward the next gen reforms with the twin objectives of employment generation and growth is a welcome step," he added. However, Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) Pradeep Shetty expressed disappointment at the lack of any specific measures for the hospitality sector.

The Prime Minister said that the budget would empower all sections of society.

 The Ladakh UT, which was carved out of Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, has received Rs 2,035.49 crore for establishment expenditure of the Centre to meet its secretariat-related expenses and establishment of other departments and offices. 

 The Budget, announced by by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has allocated to Ladakh Rs 3,922.51 crore for other Central sector expenditure, including agriculture and allied schemes, water supply and sanitation, rural development, power, forestry and wildlife, medical and public health, and education among other departments. PTI

The former Congress chief also claimed that the budget was "copy and paste" job of the Congress manifesto for 2024 polls and previous budgets. 

 Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget for 2024-25, her seventh straight presentation, surpassing the record of former prime minister Morarji Desai. 

This is the first budget in Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's third term in office. In a post on X, Gandhi said, " 'Kursi Bachao' Budget. Appease Allies: Hollow promises to them at the cost of other states. Appease Cronies: Benefits to AA with no relief for the common Indian. Copy and Paste: Congress manifesto and previous budgets."

 The Congress also slammed the Union Budget as being "more focused on posturing than action" and claimed that the "copy-paste government" has borrowed heavily from the party's manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls. The opposition party in its post claimed that the government had "tacitly" admitted that "mass unemployment is a national crisis", and said the budget has "political compulsions written all over it". PTI

 After the Union Budget was presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said it is unique in many ways and by clearly outlining the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government's nine key priorities for all-round and inclusive development, it has successfully elevated India's growth trajectory. 

 "This Budget will go a long way in making India a five trillion dollar economy by 2027," Singh said in a post on X. "Congratulations to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for presenting an excellent and outstanding full year Budget for FY 2024-25 which will help in moving towards making a prosperous and self-reliant 'Viksit Bharat'," he added. 

 Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of inclusive and fast-paced development, this budget will accelerate India's economic transformation, the defence minister said. 

 "Numerous policies and programmes to support India's farmers, youth, women and other weaker sections of the society have also been announced. Sectors like infrastructure, agriculture, banking, energy, industry, R&D, MSMEs and defence have been given special care and attention," he said.

 The budget will boost demand, create new opportunities for youngsters and propel the country's economy onto the global stage, Singh said. "I thank PM and FM for giving a monumental push to India's economic and social development," he added.

Atishi said Delhi had demanded a budgetary allocation for the MCD but it did not get even a single rupee from the Centre. "Delhi is the growth engine of the country. It pays more than Rs 2 lakh crore in income tax to the Centre and Rs 25,000 crore as central GST. Despite paying Rs 2.32 lakh crore in taxes to the Centre, Delhi was asking for just Rs 20,000 crore, which is just 0.4 per cent of the Union Budget. But no money was given as its share in central taxes or to the MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi)," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said. She challenged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to "show even one thing done for Delhi in the last 11 budgets presented by its government at the Centre".

Kerala: State Finance Minister K N Balagopal on Tuesday slammed the Union Budget for the financial year 2024-25 by calling it a "political exercise" aimed at saving the life of the NDA coalition at the Centre. Balagopal said the budget was anti-people and anti-nation which did not take into account the needs of various states, including the legitimate requirements of Kerala. The Minister said the budget indicates that the Modi government is not fit to talk about cooperative federalism. 

 "Once BJP opened its account in Kerala, they closed the account of the state," he said, expressing extreme dissatisfaction and disappointment with the Union budget.

Maharashtra: The NCP (SP) on Tuesday said the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was not for India but for the NDA allies of Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. In a post on 'X', NCP (SP) spokesperson Clyde Crasto said Maharashtra was neglected in the Budget, and people of the state will give the BJP a befitting reply in the assembly polls later this year. 

 "Did Mrs @nsitharaman just present the #Budget for #Bihar and #AndhraPradesh? This is a hold on to 'Crutches #Budget2024'. @BJP4India-led #NDA government knows that if the Budget is not favourable for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, their government will fall. Mrs #NirmalaSitaraman presented a budget to benefit the NDA, not #India." "P.S: Neglected people of #Maharashtra will give a befitting reply to #BJP in the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha elections. Jai Hind Jai Maharashtra," Crasto wrote.

 State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, who formerly held the finance portfolio, expressed hope that the budgetary outlay of Rs 26,000 crore would speed up growth "in all sectors". 

 "Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union finance minister deserve commendation for understanding and addressing Bihar's concerns in the budget," Chaudhary told reporters on the Vidhan Sabha premises. "We had been seeking special status for the state. We had also suggested that if practical difficulties came in the way, the state be given special help in some other form. The budget lives up to the expectation," the JD (U) leader said. 

 He also lashed out at the opposition RJD-Congress-Left combine for creating a ruckus inside the House over the demand for special status "forgetting that the UPA, of which they were a part, had rejected our demand while it was ruling the Centre". 

 However, senior RJD leader and former minister Kumar Sarvajeet was not impressed with the budget. "We should have got special status. Only then can we bring about real development, by ensuring that the poorest of the poor have access to facilities like good education, roads and jobs," the RJD leader told PTI Video. 

 He also scoffed at budgetary promises like the construction of an industrial node at Gaya and development of Nalanda as a tourist centre.

 Tharoor welcomed the budget proposal to abolish the angel tax and claimed that he recommended the same to former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley five years ago. 

 "It is an underwhelming budget. I didn't hear anything about the key issues facing the common man. There is no mention of MNREGA, and insufficient mention of steps taken to improve the income of a common person," Tharoor told ANI on Tuesday. 

 He said that "far too little" was seen in addressing income disparity and added that a "token gesture" was made on job creation. "I welcome only one provision, which is abolishing of tax on angel investors. I had recommended it to Arun Jaitley more than 5 years ago," the Congress MP said.

The budget not only exemplifies the country's newfound sense of purpose, hope and optimism under Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government but also fortifies them, Shah said.

"Harnessing the power of Bharat's youth, Nari Shakti and farmers, the budget fuels the nation's pace on the path of emerging as a developed nation by ushering in a new era of employment and opportunities," he wrote on 'X' with the hashtag #BudgetForViksitBharat.

 The home minister expressed heartfelt gratitude to the prime minister and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for the "pro-people and pro-development visionary budget". PTI

Speaking to ANI, Rabdi Devi said, "The flood situation displaced so many people, many lost their homes and precious belongings in the floodwaters after the rain. Murders and thefts are happening in the state. Labourers are not getting their wages. Youth are not getting employment and farmer issues persist." 

 "Farmers' fertilisers and seeds should be made cheaper, and inflation should be stopped. The costs of petrol and diesel are high and farmers don't even get electricity. Rs 26,000 crore allotted to Bihar is a 'jhunjhuna," said the RJD leader. This comes after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made major announcements for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, including a boost in infrastructure and special financial support.

 She said salaried employees in the new tax regime could save up to Rs 17,500 in income tax annually following the changes announced in the Budget. 

 The standard deduction for salaried employees is proposed to be increased from Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000 annually. Similarly, deduction on family pension for pensioners is proposed to be enhanced from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000. "This will provide relief to about four crore salaried individuals and pensioners," Sitharaman said in her Budget speech. In the last fiscal, more than two-thirds individual taxpayers have availed the new personal income tax regime. Over 8.61 crore I-T returns were filed in 2023-24 fiscal. The new tax slabs under the new income tax regime will be effective from April 1, 2024. (Assessment Year 2025-26). Sitharaman said income of up to Rs 3 lakh will continue to be exempted from income tax under the new regime. As per the proposal, a 5 per cent tax will be levied on income between Rs 3-7 lakh, 10 per cent between Rs 7-10 lakh, 15 per cent for Rs 10-12 lakh. However, 20 per cent tax will continue to be levied on income between Rs 12-15 lakh and 30 per cent for income above Rs 15 lakh. Under the existing new I-T regime, a 5 per cent tax is levied on income between Rs 3-6 lakh, 10 per cent for income between Rs 6-9 lakh.

 On the BSE, the stock of Senco Gold zoomed 6.16 per cent to trade at Rs 1,000.80 apiece, Rajesh Exports surged 5.49 per cent to Rs 313.90 and PC Jeweller jumped 5 per cent to trade at Rs 74.16 -- also its upper circuit limit. 

 In addition, shares of Titan Company climbed 3.66 per cent to Rs 3,371.65 per piece, Tribhovandas Bhimhji Zaveri rose 2.79 per cent to Rs 140.20, and Kalyan Jewellers India gained 1.54 per cent to Rs 537.05 apiece on the bourse. 

 Meanwhile, the 30-share BSE Sensex benchmark dropped 996.53 points or 1.24 per cent to trade at 79,505.55. The finance minister also provided for basic custom duty reduction on platinum to 6.4 per cent. Sitharaman also proposed the removal of basic customs duty on ferro nickel and blister copper. The reduction in basic customs duty on gold, silver and platinum has been a long pending demand of the gems and jewellery industry. PTI

 "You will get to know all things slowly, and slowly (sab kuchh dhire dhire jaan jaaiyega)," the longest-serving CM of the state said, in reply to a volley of questions he faced from journalists at the Bihar Assembly. Flashing his trademark smile of ambiguity, the veteran leader rushed inside the House, waving at the posse of journalists that stood trying to read his impregnable mind. Notably, after the Lok Sabha polls in which the BJP fell short of majority, becoming heavily dependent on allies, the JD (U) had held a national executive meeting where a resolution was passed raising a fresh demand for special status.

 Leaders of the JD (U), which has two ministers in the Union government, insist that the resolution also spoke of "special package and other types of help" and that Bihar could still get a lot from Narendra Modi government. 

 However, opposition leaders in the state think Bihar has been taken for a ride. Kumar's arch-rival Lalu Prasad, the RJD president, feels that the JD (U) supremo should resign. Incidentally, Kumar had junked the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan, the Bihar prototype of INDIA bloc that he had helped form, in January this year to return to the BJP-led NDA. PTI

The opposition party's assertion came after Sitharaman in her budget speech announced that the government will launch three employment-linked schemes. 

 These schemes will be based on enrolment in the Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO), Sitharaman said in the Lok Sabha. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "After ten years of denial -- where neither the non-biological PM nor his party's Lok Sabha Elections Manifesto would even mention jobs -- the Union Government seems to have finally come around to tacitly admitting that mass unemployment is a national crisis that requires urgent attention."

 "It's far too late, and as it turns out, far too little - the Budget speech is more focused on posturing than action," he said in a post on X. Ramesh further claimed that Sitharaman has taken a leaf out of its 2024 Lok Sabha polls manifesto by announcing an internship programme but "in their trademark style", the scheme has been designed to "grab headlines with arbitrary targets" rather than a programmatic guarantee. 

 In the Union Budget of 2024-25, Sitharaman announced that the government will launch a scheme to provide internship opportunities to 1 crore youth in 500 top companies over five years.

 The R&D funding announced in the interim budget will be made available for this sector also, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said during her Budget speech.

 "Nuclear energy is expected to form a very significant part of the energy mix of Viksit Bharat. Towards that pursuit, our government will partner with private firms for setting up of Bharat Small Reactors, conduct research and development on Bharat Small Modular Reactor and newer technologies for nuclear energy," she said. PTI

 The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped as soon as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman began presenting the Budget for 2024-25. But, within minutes it slipped in the red and later traded flat, down 38.17 points at 80,457.02 at 11:41 hrs. 

 The NSE Nifty also ticked higher as the finance minister began presentation of her 7th Union Budget in the Lok Sabha. However, volatile trends soon came in and the benchmark traded 18.25 points lower at 24,491. 

 The BSE benchmark had climbed 264.33 points to 80,766.41 in early trade. The Nifty went up 73.3 points to 24,582.55. This is the first Budget during Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's third term in office. India's economic growth continues to shine while the global economy is still in the grip of policy uncertainty, Sitharaman said. 

 The country's inflation continues to be stable and is moving towards 4 per cent, and core inflation stands at 3.1 per cent. Among the Sensex pack, Power Grid, Reliance Industries, Bajaj Finance, JSW Steel, Bharti Airtel and Bajaj Finserv were the major laggards. ITC, Hindustan Unilever, Adani Ports and UltraTech Cement were among biggest gainers.

 A while ago, before heading to the parliament to present her seventh consecutive Union Budget, Sitharaman posed for photo-ops with the traditional 'bahi khata,' a tablet wrapped in a red-coloured cloth embossed with the gold-coloured national emblem. 

 The elegant saree is adorned with a beautiful golden and purple border. Notably, the off-white colour of her saree is associated with purity, harmony, and new beginnings in Indian culture. 

The addition of purple colour elevated the handloom saree. Sitharaman has stuck to Indian textiles and craftsmanship as seen in her sartorial choices while presenting the union budgets since 2019. 

 Ranging from silk to beautiful handloom, the range of textiles reinforces her staunch support for Indian textiles and has become a rather unusual aspect of the budget that some people look forward to every year.

 For the previous six budget presentations as well, the Finance Minister donned traditional sarees, highlighting her appreciation for Indian textiles and crafts.

In her intial comments, Sithamraman said India's economic growth will be a shining exception.

 "Though court may have power to grant stay on bail, it must be done only in exceptional circumstances," the bench said. The top court had earlier said courts should refrain from staying bail orders in a mechanical manner and without giving any reason. The top court's judgement came on a plea filed by Parvinder Singh Khurana, an accused in a money laundering case, who challenged the Delhi High Court's order of temporarily staying a bail order passed by the trial court.

 Khurana was granted bail by the trial court in a PMLA case on June 17 last year but the HC stayed the order. The apex court on June 7 stayed the HC order and restored Khurana's bail. PTI

 Sitharaman, the first full-time woman finance minister of the country, has presented five full budgets since July 2019 and an interim budget on February 1, 2024. This is the first budget of the BJP-led NDA government in its third term in office. PTI

Her momentum towards the nomination has been bolstered by widespread support from key factions within the Democratic Party, eager to see her challenge former President Donald Trump.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's first budget of the third term in office is widely expected to reinforce post-pandemic fiscal consolidation efforts while pursuing the long-term objectives of Vikshit Bharat.

 Setting the tone for the third term of the Modi government, its focus areas may be boosting consumption by giving tax benefits to the middle class. Other priority areas may include agriculture, capex and infra spending and manufacturing push.

 With India emerging as the biggest sweet spot in global growth, the budget is expected to address three major trends: global offshoring, digitalization, and energy transition. In the past decade, the Modi government has poured thousands of crores of rupees into building infrastructure, cut taxes for big corporations and launched subsidy schemes to incentivise exports-focused manufacturing.

 This helped stabilise macro economy and led to stock markets soaring. But job creation, income inequality and rural distress need to be addressed. Sitharaman, who will turn 65 next month, was in 2019 appointed as India's first full-time woman finance minister when Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a decisive second term. Since then, she has presented six straight budgets, including an interim one in February this year.

Sitharaman tabled the Economic Survey 2023-24 along with the statistical appendix on Monday.

Sitharaman will lay on the table a statement (in English and Hindi) of the estimated receipts and expenditures of the government for the year 2024-25 in the Rajya Sabha.

She will table the budget one hour after the conclusion of the presentation of the Union Budget 2024-25 in the Lok Sabha

"This budget is based on PM Modi's mantra of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas," MoS Chaudhary said.Chaudhary was among the first from FM Nirmala Sitharaman's team to reach the North Block offices of the Finance Ministry ahead of the Budget Presentation. Vivek Joshi, Secretary, of the Department of Financial Services and Chief Economic Advisor V. Anantha Nageswaran have also reached the ministry ahead of FM Sitharaman.

India gained 2,66,000 hectares of forest area annually from 2010 to 2020, securing the third spot among the top 10 countries with the most significant forest area gains during this period, according to a new report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

 

The report, released on Monday, said that China led the world with the maximum forest area gain of 1,937,000 hectares, followed by Australia with 4,46,000 hectares, and then India. Other countries in the top 10 include Chile, Vietnam, Turkey, the United States, France, Italy and Romania.

The UN agency praised India for its efforts in restoring degraded lands and expanding agroforestry through innovative approaches. This includes the development of a new national policy aimed at better supporting agroforestry in the country.

The report highlighted a significant reduction in deforestation in some countries. For example, Indonesia saw an 8.4 per cent decline in deforestation from 2021 to 2022, while Brazil's Amazon experienced a 50 per cent reduction in deforestation in 2023.

The FAO report also said that the rate of gross global mangrove loss decreased by 23 per cent during the periods from 2000 to 2010 and 2010 to 2020.

However, the FAO stressed that climate change is increasing the vulnerability of forests to various stressors, including wildfires and pests.

"Wildfire intensity and frequency are rising. Boreal forests accounted for nearly one-quarter of carbon dioxide emissions due to wildfires in 2021. In 2023, wildfires emitted an estimated 6,687 megatonnes of carbon dioxide globally, more than double the carbon dioxide emissions from the European Union due to fossil fuel burning that year," the report read.

In the United States, 25 million hectares of forestlands are projected to experience losses exceeding 20 per cent of host tree basal area due to insects and disease by 2027, according to the report. -- PTI 

A soldier was injured as the Army thwarted an infiltration bid along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district early Tuesday, officials said.

 

"Alert troops foiled an infiltration bid by effectively engaging infiltrating terrorists with effective fire in the Battal sector at 0300 hours," White Knight Corps said on X.

"During the exchange of heavy fire, one braveheart has been injured. Operations are continuing," the Corps said.

According to sources, a group of armed terrorists tried to enter into Battal forward area of the Krishnagati belt but alert troops picked up their movement and immediately took action.

In the intense firefight, troops forced the terrorists to retreat but a soldier was injured and has been hospitalised, they said, adding there was a loss caused to the terrorists.

A search operation has been launched in the area, they said. -- PTI  

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will on Tuesday present her 7th straight Budget that would lay a roadmap for Viksit Bharat (developed India) by 2047, while giving a glimpse of 10 years' performance.

   

All eyes will be on whether Sitharaman provides the much-expected tax relief for the middle class, leaving more money in their hands, as there is tax buoyancy. Besides, the market also expects staying on the fiscal glide path to lower the fiscal deficit to 4.5 per cent of GDP by 2025-26.

Sitharaman, who would be presenting her seventh straight budget, had in her first Budget in 2019 replaced the leather briefcase -- which had been in use for decades for carrying Budget documents -- with a traditional 'bahi-khata' wrapped in red cloth. This year's Budget would be in paperless form, as done in the last three years.

Sanjay Shantilal Shah, who was reportedly under stress due to monetary losses, told his family he was going for a morning walk and then jumped into the sea on Sunday morning, the Colaba police station official said. 

"After coming down from his building, he booked a taxi and went to Bandra Worli Sea Link. After taking three to four rounds there, he asked the taxi driver to take him to Gateway of India. He jumped into the sea near Taj Hotel. After being alerted, police and fire brigade personnel reached the site. He was taken out of the water and rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival," the official said. 

"We will soon record statements of his family. Shah lived in a building on Bhulabhai Desai Road near Mahalaxmi Temple. He was in the business of buying and selling diamonds. For the past two to three years, he had been suffering significant losses in his business, leading to financial difficulties," he said. 

An accidental death case has been registered and further probe is underway, the Colaba police station official said. -- PTI

On Sunday evening, Abdulla Abdul Latif Mithaiwala, who has an outlet at Belasis Road in Nagpada, received multiple One Time Password on his mobile phone, after which he contacted his bank on their toll free number to check his account, the official said. 

"At the time, the bank executive told him his accounts were safe. However, in the evening he got a message saying Rs 5.33 lakh had been deducted from his two accounts. After not getting a response from the toll free number, he called police cyber helpline 1930. Based on his complaint, a case under various sections of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and Information Act was registered," the official added. -- PTI

The Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana was announced by deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who also holds the finance portfolio in the Eknath Shinde government, in his budget speech in the assembly last month. 

These posters came up during Pawar's tour of Parner, Ahmednagar, Shrigonda and Karjat-Jamkhed assembly segments in Ahmednagar district on Monday to mark the deputy CM's birthday. 

In programmes held in the four places, which were decorated with pink posters and where Pawar spoke to women, the scheme was mentioned as 'Majhi Ladki Bahin;' with no mention of mukhyamantri. 

Incidentally, Pawar too had mentioned it as 'Ladki Bahin Yojana' in a video message earlier this month. 

"There is no need to look for any controversy. The name of the scheme is Majhi Ladki Bahin and that is how it is mentioned on the banners. There is no politics nor any disrespect," NCP spokesperson and youth wing president Suraj Chavan said. -- PTI

Barua, 84, left his home in the Latasil area in Guwahati in the morning for a nearby temple and did not return till late evening, following which his family informed the police. 

The police said they were searching for him. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he was deeply concerned about the sudden disappearance of Baruah. 

"His absence worries his family, friends, and countless admirers. I have asked Commissioner of @GuwahatiPol Sri Diganta Bora to mobilize all resources and take swift action to locate him," Sarma posted on X A radio artiste of fame, Barua has composed music for several Assamese films, including Dr Bezbarua, Baruar Sanger, Mukuta, Lalita, Kokadeuta and Nati Aru Hati. -- PTI