Category: NATIONAL NEWS

Parliament on Tuesday gave its approval to Modi-2.0 government’s maiden budget with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman saying tax proposals aim at redistribution of funds to bring more equitable development.The Appropriation (No 2) Bill, 2019 and the Finance (No 2) Bill, 2019 — cleared by Lok Sabha last week — were returned by the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday after voice vote.This completed the three stage Parliamentary approval process, which also included a debate on the general budget and working of some of the ministries.Replying in a four-hour debate on the two…

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The mortal remains of former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit were consigned to flames on Sunday, with colleagues, Congress workers and admirers braving heavy rains and gusty winds to bid her final farewell.  The 81-year-old Congress veteran, who died on Saturday due to cardiac arrest, was cremated with full state honours at the Nigambodh Ghat.Top Congress leaders, including UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were present at the funeral. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia and Home Minister Satyendar Jain were…

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The NDA government has been working towards making the country powerful in various sectors and several changes will come in the next five years, Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said here Saturday.The NDA government has been making efforts in this direction, Reddy said at the 79th Foundation Day of Keshav Memorial Educational Society here.”I assure you all that many changes will come in the coming five years. We are hoping to become a powerful nation economically. In all sectors, power production or in ‘Make in India’,…

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In its effort to weed out archaic and dead statutes, the Union Cabinet Wednesday approved a bill to scrap 58 laws which have lost their relevance.The NDA government in its two terms has sent to the chopping block 1824 old laws which had become redundant.After the Repealing and Amendment Bill, 2019 gets parliamentary nod, 137 laws, which according to the government, have lost their relevance will be scrapped in the next lot.The list of the 58 laws which will be repealed was not immediately available, but sources in the government…

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In its effort to weed out archaic and dead statutes, the Union Cabinet Wednesday approved a bill to scrap 58 laws which have lost their relevance.The NDA government in its two terms has sent to the chopping block 1824 old laws which had become redundant.After the Repealing and Amendment Bill, 2019 gets parliamentary nod, 137 laws, which according to the government, have lost their relevance will be scrapped in the next lot.The list of the 58 laws which will be repealed was not immediately available, but sources in the government…

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Demands to raise royalty on coal, roll back of steep hike in airfares between Kerala and Gulf region and government intervention to help release fishermen captured by Pakistan were among issues raised during the Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha on Monday.Amar Patnaik (BJD) said the rate of royalty paid to state governments on coal produced in states was last changed in April 2012 and as per rule was due to be revised in April 2015 but was not done.The issue was placed before the GST Council but is yet to…

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Refuting opposition’s claims of “misuse” of the NIA law, Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday asserted that the Modi government will never abuse it to target anyone but will ensure that terrorism is finished off irrespective of the religion of the accused.In an intervention during a discussion in Lok Sabha on the National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Bill, 2019, Shah also targeted the Congress-led UPA government for repealing the anti-terror act POTA, saying it was not done because of its alleged misuse but to “save its vote bank”.He said terror attacks…

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Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, who has been at loggerheads with Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and was stripped off key portfolios in the cabinet reshuffle in June, has resigned from the state cabinet.The 55-year-old Sidhu took to Twitter on Sunday, making public his resignation letter, which was sent just four days after his portfolio was changed.The resignation letter dated June 10 was addressed to Congress President Rahul Gandhi. “I hereby resign as Minister from the Punjab Cabinet,” Sidhu said in the letter to the Congress chief, which he posted…

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The BJP will press Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to seek trust vote in the Assembly on Monday, state BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa said Saturday.The former chief minister asserted that the Congress-JD(S)coalition government has lost majority and its collapse was imminent.In a surprise move amid the existential crisis faced by his government, Kumaraswamy had on Friday announced in the state Assembly that he had voluntarily decided to seek a trust vote to end the “confusion” caused by resignations of rebel MLAs and requested the Speaker to fix time…

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In a breather for the beleaguered JD(S)-Congress government in Karnataka, the Assembly Speaker was restrained by the Supreme Court till Tuesday from deciding on both the resignation and disqualification of rebel MLAs, as Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy in a surprise move Friday announced he would seek a trust voteAs Karnataka headed for a prolonged political uncertainty, BJP sources said the party too has decided to move its MLAs to a resort near Bengaluru amid fears of reverse poaching by the ruling combine after Kumaraswamy’s announcement. The JD(S) MLAs have…

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