New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday asked public sector banks (PSBs) to deepen corporate lending in productive sectors while ensuring robust underwriting and risk management standards. The finance minister's direction comes weeks after the RBI's six-member monetary policy committee, headed by Governor Sanjay Malhotra, lowered the benchmark repurchase or repo rate by a massive 50 basis points to 5.5 per cent. It also slashed the cash reserve ratio by 100 basis ...Read More
Gorakhpur (UP), Jun 27 (PTI) Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday conducted an extensive review of the preparations for President Droupadi Murmu's upcoming visit to the state's first AYUSH University in Pipri, Bhathat, the Uttar Pradesh government said in a statement. The chief minister directed senior officials to ensure exceptional arrangements in terms of security, convenience and cleanliness for the president's visit so that the event becomes an unforgettable memory for her, the stateme...Read More
Mumbai/New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) State-run Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) has decided to acquire a controlling stake in Sri Lanka's Colombo Dockyard PLC under a USD 52.96 million deal, a move that is expected to expand India's strategic presence in the island nation. MDL's decision marks its first international venture and is seen as a major milestone in the company's transformation from a purely domestic shipbuilder into a regional maritime player with global aspirations. "Located in t...Read More
Mumbai, Jun 27 (PTI) No COVID-19 case was reported in Mumbai on Friday, the feat achieved for the first time in about two months, the metropolis' civic body said. In a release, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation also said no new or concerning variant of the virus has been detected in the city as per the Whole Genome Sequencing Report. Mumbai recorded six COVID-19 cases between January and April this year, before a surge in May saw the detection of 435 cases, while the figure for June stood...Read More
Mumbai, Jun 27 (PTI) Airport services management firm Air India SATS Services (AISATS) has dismissed four senior executives for hosting a party at its office, days after a video clip of the gathering in the backdrop of the fatal Air India plane crash elicited criticism from various quarters. AISATS is a joint venture between Tata Group-owned Air India and Singapore's SATS Ltd, a global provider of gateway and food solutions. In a statement on Friday, AISATS said it has taken "firm disciplinary...Read More
Puri, Jun 27 (PTI) Lord Jagannath devotees will get another chance to pull the chariots tomorrow as none of them reached their destination on Friday after Balabhadra's Taladwaja chariot got stuck while negotiating a turn, causing delays that prevented the others from arriving at Gundicha Temple, 2.6km away from the 12th-century shrine. "There is no major issue. It is not unusual for chariots to be pulled on the following day. All rituals were conducted on time. There have been no accidents or u...Read More
Shimla, Jun 27 (PTI) Moderate to heavy rains affected parts of Himachal Pradesh, resulting in the closure of 53 roads to vehicular traffic. Additionally, 135 transformers and 147 water supply schemes were disrupted, officials said on Friday. A maximum of 23 roads were blocked in Kullu, 16 in Mandi, seven in Lahaul and Spiti, four in Una and three in Sirmaur districts, the report by the state emergency operation centre said. Pandoh recorded 139 mm of rain since Thursday evening, followed by Jog...Read More
Etawah, Jun 27 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Police on Friday transferred the probe into two cases related to the alleged caste-based assault and tonsuring of a non-Brahmin preacher and his aide from Etawah to Jhansi, citing "sensitivity" of the matter. The development comes amid an uneasy calm in Dandarpur village in the Bakewar area of Etawah, a day after a violent faceoff between a group of protestors -- who demanded that the case against the katha vachak (preacher) and his aide be taken back - and th...Read More
Idukki (Kerala), Jun 27 (PTI) Authorities in Kerala's Idukki district are preparing for the possible opening of the Mullaperiyar dam on Saturday, after Tamil Nadu officials indicated they may open the shutters once the water level reaches 136 feet. As a precaution, the district administration has completed arrangements to evacuate 3,220 people from 883 families living in low-lying areas, an official release said here on Friday. These include villages such as Periyar, Manjumala, Upputhura, Elap...Read More
Varanasi, Jun 27 (PTI) Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday said that the 'Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan is not just a ritual, but a concerted effort by scientists to improve the condition of farmers. He was speaking at a review meeting with scientists of the Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR) in Varanasi, a statement said. The minister praised the success of the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan, which has been launched across the country, and highlighted the need...Read More
Mumbai, Jun 27 (PTI) Sugar output is likely to increase by 15 per cent in sugar season 2025-26 to about 35 million tonnes on a favourable monsoon, a report said on Friday. India's gross sugar production is likely to rise 15 per cent in sugar season 2026 to about 35 million tonnes, aided by above-average monsoon, boosting cane acreage and yields in key sugar-producing states like Maharashtra and Karnataka, Crisil Ratings said in the report. The growth is expected to ease tightness in the domest...Read More
Shimla, Jun 27 (PTI) The death toll in Wednesday's flash floods in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district has gone up to six as one more body has been found, officials said. The body was found at a hydro-project site near the Manuni Khad area in Khaniyara village, taking the total number of victims in the tragic incident to six, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Kangra, Aditi Singh, said on Friday evening. Rains hampered the search-and-rescue operations jointly undertaken by the National ...Read More
Mumbai, Jun 27 (PTI) Estranged cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray will unite for the cause of the Marathi language, in a joint morcha in Mumbai on July 5 against the "imposition" of Hindi and the state government's three-language formula for Classes 1 to 5. The Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) on Friday said it will support the protest march, with Pawar asserting that the people of Maharashtra are not anti-Hindi, but it is not right to impose the language on young students. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) The nephew of gangster Manjit Mahal was shot dead in front of his daughter, who also suffered a bullet injury in the attack, allegedly by unidentified assailants in the Bawana area on Friday morning, an official said. The victim was identified as Deepak (43), he said. The case is suspected to be in connection with a rivalry between Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu gang and Manjeet Mahal gang. However, Deepak had no recent contact with Mahal and has no prior involvement in any ...Read More
Mumbai, Jun 27 (PTI) India's external debt increased by 10 per cent to USD 736.3 billion at the end of March 2025 compared to USD 668.8 billion in the year-ago period, the Reserve Bank said on Friday. As a percentage of the GDP, the external debt increased to 19.1 per cent at the end of the recently concluded financial year from 18.5 per cent a year ago, it added. In a year which saw some volatilities in the currency markets, the RBI said the "valuation effect" due to the appreciation of the U...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) India on Friday banned imports of certain jute products and woven fabrics from Bangladesh through all land routes amid strained relations between the two countries. However, imports are allowed only through Nhava Sheva seaport in Maharashtra, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification. The goods under these curbs include jute products, flax tow and waste, jute and other bast fibres, jute, single flax yarn, single yarn of jute, multiple folded...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) With the monsoon delayed in the national capital, residents experienced a sunny and humid Friday under clear skies. Despite forecasts of rain and thunderstorms over the past week, the much-anticipated monsoon continues to elude Delhi. The long-period average (LPA) date for the monsoon's arrival in Delhi is June 27. Last year, the monsoon reached the city on June 28, a day later than the average. In previous years, the monsoon arrived on June 25 in 2023, June 30 in 2022, ...Read More
Ratlam, Jun 27 (PTI) The Regional Industry Skill and Employment (RISE) conclave held in Ratlam on Friday attracted investment proposals worth Rs 30,402 crore and these will generate employment for 35,520 persons, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said. The aim is to ensure Ratlam emerges as an industrial hub not only of Madhya Pradesh but the entire nation, Yadav added. "During the conclave, investment proposals worth Rs 30,402 crore were received. These which will generate 35,520 jobs...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) The Left parties on Friday denounced RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale's call to review the words 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble, saying these "basic tenets" of the Constitution reflect the values for which freedom fighters sacrificed their lives. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) alleged the RSS' proposal exposes its "long-standing objective of subverting the Constitution and its intent to transform India into a Hindu Rashtra". CPI General Secre...Read More
Guwahati, Jun 27 (PTI) The Assam government is mulling stricter Aadhaar card issuance rules for adults as part of its efforts to curb illegal immigration from Bangladesh, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday. Toughened Aadhaar card issuance rules will also further boost the state government's efforts in detecting and deporting illegal foreigners, he added. The government is also planning to tighten guidelines for issuing late birth certificates, with district commissioners to be m...Read More
New Delhi/Noida, Jun 27 (PTI) End-of-life vehicles detected at fuel stations or found parked at public places will be impounded and a penalty of Rs 10,000 imposed on four-wheeler owners and Rs 5,000 on two-wheeler owners starting July 1, officials said on Friday. EOL vehicles are diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years. Irrespective of the states they are registered in, they will not be given fuel in Delhi starting July 1, according to directions issued by th...Read More
Mumbai, Jun 27 (PTI) Maharashtra minister Uday Samant on Friday said the policy of making Hindi compulsory from Class 1 in the state schools was approved during Uddhav Thackeray's tenure as the chief minister under the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. Talking to reporters, Samant, who is Minister for Marathi Language, also claimed that the present government has not imposed Hindi nor has it been made compulsory anywhere in the state. "The policy of making Hindi compulsory in Maharashtra sch...Read More
New Delhi, June 27 (PTI) The Delhi government has extended its excise policy for the financial year 2025-26 even as work is underway to come up with a new regime to regulate liquor trade in the national capital. An order issued on Thursday by the Excise Department of the Delhi government said approval has been granted by the competent authority for the continuation of the excise duty-based regime which is in effect from the licensing year 2022-23 (which was continued in 2023-24 and 2024-25) for...Read More
Shillong, Jun 27 (PTI) In a significant step toward resolving the long-standing border dispute between Assam and Meghalaya, MDA government spokesperson Paul Lyngdoh on Friday said a second MoU is expected to be signed between the two states before August 15. This comes after the first pact signed in 2022, which resolved issues in six out of 12 areas of contention along the interstate boundary. Lyngdoh, who is also a cabinet minister in the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA), told PTI, "The pr...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) The total number of telecom subscribers in India grew marginally to 120.7 crore in May with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel adding over 99 per cent new customers during the month, according to data published by sector regulator Trai on Friday. The total net subscriber addition by telecom service providers was 43,58,231 while Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel jointly added 43,51,294, thereby accounting for 99.84 of the total net subscriber addition in May. The overall growth...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) The higher oil prices triggered by a brief Israel-Iran war have come down, but it is too soon to sound the "all clear" for the rest of the year, said a finance ministry report on Friday. The ministry's monthly economic review also stressed that with no major imbalances in the macro aggregates, a subdued inflation rate combined with a growth-supportive monetary policy stance, India's macroeconomic health is in a relative goldilocks situation. The brief Israel-Iran war, f...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) Banks need to ensure that there is no mis-selling of insurance to customer and premium are affordable so as to help increase market penetration for such products, Financial Services Secretary M Nagaraju said on Friday. Insurance, which is a sensitive financial product, should be explained thoroughly to customers before onboarding them, he said at an event to announce strategic partnerships between Central Bank of India and Generali Group of Italy. Often, a particular pr...Read More
New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) Raising concerns over the elevated gold prices, country's leading branded jewellery maker Titan said it "could see shifts in demand segments", though it will continue to prioritise topline growth driven by market share gains. "Gold prices are expected to remain high, given the geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainties globally," said the latest annual report of Titan, which operates in the market with brands such as Tanishq, Mia by Tanishq, CaratLane and Zoya. "The F...Read More
Imphal, Jun 27 (PTI) Tangkhul Naga civil society organisations in Manipur on Friday issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the Kuki community, for handing over those involved in the June 26 attack on a passenger vehicle in Ukhrul district, in which two persons were injured. The Tangkhul Naga, one of the major Naga tribes, is an ethnic group primarily residing in Ukhrul district of Manipur and parts of neighbouring Myanmar. The ultimatum, jointly issued by the Katho Katamnao Long and the Tangkhul Naga V...Read More
Jodhpur, Jun 27 (PTI) Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Friday hit back at former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, saying the Congress leader miserably failed in his attempt to defame him by dragging his name into the Sanjivani Credit Co-operative Society case only to build his son's political career. Taking to X, Shekhawat said even the high court found him not guilty and that Gehlot himself knew very well that he was innocent. The response of Shekhawat has come a...Read More