Pre-poll spending spike lifts fiscal deficit to 86.5% by February
Signalling a sharp rise in spending ahead of the fiscal year-end, the Centre’s fiscal deficit soared from 64% of the revised estimates in January to 86.5% by the end of February, with capital expenditure recording a sequential bounce to ₹84,400 crore last month. In absolute value terms, the deficit hit ₹15 lakh crore in the first eleven months of 2023-24, from just ₹11 lakh crore at the end of January, and was almost 3.5% over the ₹14.5 lakh crore over the same period in the last financial year.
Jailed gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari dies
Jailed gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari ied of cardiac arrest on Thursday within hours after he was rushed to the Rani Durgawati Medical College in Banda district. “Around 8:25 p.m. convicted/undertail prisoner Mukhtar Ansari, son of Subhanullah, aged 63, was brought by jail staff to the Emergency department at the Rani Durgawati Medical College in an unconscious state. The patient was treated by a team of nine doctors and given all possible medical facilities, but despite all the attempts for recovery, the patient died due to cardiac arrest,” reads the medical bulletin. Earlier also on March 26, the late Ansari was admitted to a hospital after he complained of abdominal pain and later discharged with his family alleging of him being ‘poisoned’.
Following outrage, Manipur revokes order declaring Easter Sunday as a working day
A Manipur government order declaring the coming Easter Sunday on March 31 as a working day for all public offices in the conflict-ridden State ignited public outrage on March 28, after which the State government was forced to modify the order and clarify that both Good Friday and Easter Sunday would remain holidays.
Three killed in ceiling collapse at Sekhmet Club in Chennai
Three workers died after they were caught under the debris when a concrete ceiling at popular Sekhmet Club in Alwarpet collapsed on Thursday (March 28) evening. Police sources said the the staff of club were preparing for a grand party. At 7 p.m., police control room received a message from the staff. Immediately, senior police officers sent rescue teams and Fire and Rescue Services personnel to the spot.
IPL-17: RR vs DC | Parag’s magnificent 84 sets up Rajasthan’s 12-run win over Delhi
Young Riyan Parag showed why he is considered a precocious talent as he struck a stunning 84 not out off 45 balls to set up a 12-run win for Rajasthan Royals against Delhi Capitals in their IPL match here on Thursday. Sent in to bat, RR were reduced to 36 for 3 in the eighth over but the 22-year-old Parag single-handedly took the home side to 185 for 5 with a magnificent unbeaten knock studded with seven fours and six sixes.
The Rameshwaram Cafe blast case | NIA identifies bomber, arrests one for providing logistic support
In a major breakthrough in The Rameshwaram Café blast case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday said the bomber had been identified as Mussavir Shazeeb Hussain and the key conspirator in the case as Abdul Matheen Taha, both residents of Thirthahalli, Shivamogga district, Karnataka, in their late 20s and wanted by security agencies in multiple terror cases. The duo, still on the run, are also accused of being the masterminds of Mangaluru Cooker Blast case of November, 2022.
Modi govt. should apologise to youth for the flawed Agniveer scheme: Kharge
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday reacted to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s statement that the Narendra Modi government was open to making changes in the Agniveer scheme for the armed forces, if required. Agniveers are the new recruits under the Agnipath Scheme where 25% of the inductees would get permanent commission while others would retire after four years of service. Calling the Agnipath Scheme “flawed and discriminatory”, several Opposition parties, including the Congress, have asked the government to scrap it and revert to the old system of recruitment.
AAP seeks probe into ‘exposé’ by CM, hails his defence in ED case
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday claimed that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal laid bare in a trial court the chinks in the corruption case against him and sought an investigation into the “exposé” made by the CM. In the run-up to the hearing over his Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody in the case linked to the now-scrapped 2021-22 excise policy, Mr. Kejriwal’s wife had a day earlier claimed that the CM would make a big revelation in the court.
Ukraine hopes that India will join a peace summit hosted by Switzerland this summer and also play a role in bringing Russia to the table, said its Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, ahead of a bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday. Mr. Kuleba’s visit, the first such high-level visit from Ukraine since the Russian attacks began in February 2022, is expected to focus on garnering diplomatic and mediatory support from the Modi government, as well as more technical assistance in reconstructing destroyed facilities in the country.
Lok Sabha elections | Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena releases first list of eight candidates
The ruling Shiv Sena faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday released its first list of eight candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections .Apart from the Ramtek seat, where the Shinde-led Sena has dropped its sitting MP, the party has retained its faith in the incumbents of the remaining seven seats, giving tickets to sitting MPs.
Sena (UBT) firm on contesting Sangli Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on March 28 reiterated his party’s determination to contest the Sangli Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra, stating the importance of not inadvertently aiding the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This stance follows concerns expressed by their alliance partner, the Congress, regarding Sena (UBT)’s recent candidate announcement for Sangli and Mumbai South-Central constituencies.
Last-minute entry of Choudhary Lal Singh to set up interesting contest in Udhampur
The last-minute entry of Choudhary Lal Singh, who is being hounded by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), into the Congress has set the stage for a nip and tuck contest in the Udhampur seat in Jammu and Kashmir between him and Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh. Firebrand Mr. Singh, a Dogra Rajput who founded the Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan Party (DSSP) in 2018 to protect Jammu’s indigenous identity, has been a two-time Member of Parliament (MP) from Udhampur on Congress tickets in the past.
Rekha Patra, BJP candidate from Sandeshkhali, enjoys benefits of State scheme: Trinamool
The Trinamool Congress got embroiled in a controversy on March 28 after it published the personal banking and contact details of the BJP‘s Sandeshkhali candidate Rekha Patra on its official X handle, claiming that she is a beneficiary of the West Bengal’s government Swastha Sathi scheme. “Caught red-handed! @BJP4India’s MP candidate from Basirhat, Rekha Patra, plays the ultimate game of hypocrisy, enjoying the benefits of Smt. @MamataOfficial ‘s schemes while aligning herself with Delhi’s JOMIDARS (landlords),” the TMC posted on X.
Battles, bombardment in Gaza as US says Israel talks back on
Battles and bombardment pounded the Gaza Strip on Thursday after Washington said Israel had agreed to reschedule talks that had been cancelled amid tensions between the allies. Israel’s military said it struck dozens of militant targets including tunnels over the previous day, and the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza reported at least 62 more deaths over a similar period. The United States’ criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has mounted over Gaza’s civilian death toll, dire food shortages, and Israeli plans to push its ground offensive against Hamas militants into Rafah.
Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years for multi-billion dollar FTX fraud
Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison by a judge on March 28 for stealing $8 billion from customers of the now-bankrupt FTX cryptocurrency exchange he founded, the last step in the former billionaire wunderkind’s dramatic downfall. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan handed down the sentence at a Manhattan court hearing after rejecting Bankman-Fried’s claim that FTX customers did not actually lose money and accusing him of lying during his trial testimony. A jury found Bankman-Fried, 32, guilty on November 2 on seven fraud and conspiracy counts stemming from FTX’s 2022 collapse in what prosecutors have called one of the biggest financial frauds in U.S. history.
