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15 May

Nirmala Sitharaman Announces Measures As Part Of A Mega Stimulus Amid Coronavirus Pandemic.

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The government will amend Essential Commodities Act to enable better price for farmers, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said today, in her third set of announcements on the mega economic stimulus to tackle the coronavirus crisis.Agriculture food stuff including cereals, edible oils, oilseeds, pulses, onions and potato will be deregulated, Ms Sitharaman said.The government will also bring in law to implement agriculture marketing reforms to provide marketing choices to farmers. The law will provide adequate choices to farmers to sell produce at an attractive price, said the Finance Minister.

15 May

Bhupesh Baghel Asked The Centre To Return CSR Donations Made By Industrialists Of His State.

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Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday asked the Centre to return CSR donations made by industrialists of his state to the PM CARES fund, saying the money "is ours...of the people of the state".In an interview to news agency PTI, he also said the country has a right to know about the donations in the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) fund.The assertion comes days after Mr Baghel went public with details of contributions made to the chief minister's relief fund.

14 May

Sachin Tendulkar Has Settled His Lawsuit Against Bat-Maker Spartan.

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Sachin Tendulkar has decided to settle his lawsuit against bat-maker Spartan in the Federal Court of Australia after the company apologised for "breach of contract". In 2016, Tendulkar entered into a worldwide exclusive sponsorship agreement with Spartan to promote its sporting goods and sportswear. Tendulkar alleged that Spartan failed to comply with its obligations under the agreement by failing to pay him royalties and endorsement fees as per the agreement signed by both parties."Spartan sincerely apologises to Tendulkar for its failure to honour his sponsorship agreement and is grateful for Tendulkar's patience in resolving this dispute," Les Galbraith, the COO…

14 May

Sachin Tendulkar Took To Instagram And Shared A Throwback Picture.

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Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, who formed a dream batting pair on the field, have shared a camaraderie off it as well. On Thursday, Sachin Tendulkar took to Instagram and shared a throwback picture from his visit to Sourav Ganguly's house during their playing days. "Throwback to a fun evening spent at Dadi's home. Relished the food & warm hospitality. Hope your mother is doing well, my best wishes to her," the legendary batsman captioned the post.Interestingly, before playing for India senior team, Sachin Tendulkar, the leading run-scorer in the world and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, played under-15 cricket together.In…

14 May

President Ram Nath Kovind Will Forgo 30 Per Cent Of His Salary For A Year.

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President Ram Nath Kovind will forgo 30 per cent of his salary for a year and drastically reduce spending on travel and ceremonial banquets to make more resources available for the fight against coronavirus.According to a Rashtrapati Bhavan statement, the President has given instructions to bring in austerity measures that include holding off on buying a limousine for ceremonial purposes and reworking the scale, decor and menus of banquets."In the President's estimation, this will be a small but significant contribution to realise the government's vision of making India self-reliant (aatmanirbhar) and energise the nation to take up the challenge to…

14 May

Additional Rs 30,000 Crore As Emergency Fund For Farmers Hit By The Coronavirus Crisis.

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An additional Rs 30,000 crore will be released as emergency fund for farmers hit by the coronavirus crisis. The move will help three crore farmers, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said today, unveiling the second tranche of announcements that are a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Rs 20 lakh crore stimulus to boost a coronavirus-hit economy.This will help small and marginal farmers in post-harvest Rabi crops, Nirmala Sitharaman said.This is in addition to Rs 90,000 crore support provided by NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development), which gives credit for agricultural activities.

14 May

The Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Announced A Rs 70,000 Crore Boost To The Housing Sector.

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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today announced a Rs 70,000 crore boost to the housing and construction sectors that have been affected by the coronavirus outbreak and lockdown, by extending an interest subsidy scheme meant to help middle class families build or purchase a house.Ms Sitharaman, unveiling the second tranche of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Rs 20 lakh crore stimulus package for a coronavirus-hit economy, said a credit-linked subsidy scheme for middle-income groups that had been operationalised in May 2017 and expired on March 31 would be extended by 12 months to March 2021.

14 May

The Cities Of Delhi, Ghaziabad And Noida Witnessed Heavy Rain, Dust Storm And Hailstorm Today.

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The cities of Delhi, Ghaziabad and Noida witnessed heavy rain, dust storm and hailstorm today. The dust storm started at around 6.00 pm, followed by rain and hailstorm minutes later.The rain and cloudy skies also led to a dip in the temperature.The sudden evening rain and dust storm sent social media into an overdrive, with many people sharing videos and images on Twitter and Facebook.

14 May

Fierce Fight Over Food Packets Between Passengers Of A Special Migrants’ Train.

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A fierce fight over food packets between passengers of a special migrants' train at a station in Bihar is being widely shared on social media. The video was reportedly filmed today in Katihar, around 300 km from state capital Patna.The tragic visuals have raised questions about railways' claims of ensuring social distancing while running the special migrant trains during the lockdown to slow the spread of coronavirus in the country.The incident allegedly took place at Katihar Junction, when a train arrived from Delhi and stopped en route to Purnia. In the clip, a group of men start snatching food packets…

13 May

Maharashtra Reported 1,495 Coronavirus Cases On Wednesday Which Is The Highest Single Day Spike Yet In The State.

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Maharashtra reported 1,495 coronavirus cases on Wednesday – the highest single-day spike in the state taking its total to 25,992, while the number of deaths rose to 975 with 54 people dying of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, health department officials said. State capital Mumbai breached the 15,000-mark today with 800 new cases taking its tally to 15,747. Mumbai is the worst-hit city in India; it also accounts for 40 of the 54 deaths in the state in the last 24 hours.Mumbai also accounts for 21 per cent of the total COVID-19 cases in the country. With a death…