Lok Sabha Approves Rs 48.21 Lakh Crore Union Budget For 2024-25

The Lok Sabha approved the Rs 48.21-lakh crore Budget for 2024-25 of the Union Government.

The lower House also approved the budget of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir with a voice vote.

The Union Budget and Budget for J&K was passed by a voice vote by the Lok Sabha. The relevant appropriation bills were also passed by the House.

Replying to the debate, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the fiscal deficit of the central government is proposed to be brought down to 4.9 per cent of the GDP during 2024-25 and further to below 4.5 per cent by 2025-26.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Woman, 2-Year-Old Son Killed In Manipur Landslide Triggered By Heavy Rain

A woman and her infant son were killed in a landslide triggered by heavy rain in Manipur's Tamenglong district, police sources said. The woman's husband, a cop, was also critically injured in the landslide.

The incident took place at Dimthanlong village, about 145 kilometers from Imphal. The police constable Ringsinlung Kahmei was injured after his house was swept away in the landslide, sources said.

Local sources said the neighbours rushed to Mr Kahmei's rescue when they heard a loud sound of his house collapsing. Locals then pulled out Mr Kahmei , his wife Duanzaengliu (28) and their two-year-old son from the debris, sources said.

While Duanzaengliu and her son died on the way to the hospital, Mr Kahmei was referred to Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal East district for further treatment. His condition remains critical, an official told news agency PTI.

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh expressed grief over the incident and prayed for the police constable's speedy recovery.

"Deeply saddened to learn about the tragic loss of a mother and her child due to the landslide that occurred last night in Dimthanlong village, Tamenglong Ward No. 3. My heart goes out to the bereaved family," the chief minister posted on Facebook.

"Our thoughts are with Mr. Ringsinlung Kahmei, who has been critically injured in this incident. We are taking immediate steps to ensure he receives the necessary medical attention and advanced care," he added.

The remains of the mother and son were taken to Tabanglong village for last rites on Tuesday.

Several parts of Manipur have recorded heavy rainfall in the past 24 hours, the Met Department said.

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Civic Body Action A "Welcome Step": Drishti IAS Head On Basement Tragedy

Days after the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) sealed multiple coaching centres running from the basement, including one by Drishti IAS, the institute's chief Vikas Divyakirti said on Tuesday that the safety of students is paramount.

"Extensive action by the MCD in the last few days is a welcome step," Mr Divyakirti wrote on X.

Drishti IAS, one of the leading coaching centres for IAS exam preparations, has come under fire for violating safety norms. It is one of the centres sealed by the MCD recently.

The crackdown on coaching centres in Delhi came on the back of a tragedy in Rajinder Nagar, in which three civil service aspirants died due to flooding in the basement of Rau's IAS Study Circle.

The Drishti IAS head on Tuesday took to social media to express condolences over the demise of three UPSC aspirants.

He said the anger among the students over the incident was justified, adding that they are cooperating with the government in this regard.

However, he added that the "problem wasn't as simple as it appears".

Notably, Mr Divyakirti, an educator and former civil servant, has been at the receiving end after his coaching centre was found to be flouting safety norms.

In the social media post, the Drishti IAS head claimed that the institute is extremely cautious about the safety of the students, and its 'fire and safety officer' regularly conducts safety audits of each building.

He also sought to offer a solution to deal with the problem caused by the mushrooming of coaching centres running from basements.

"The permanent solution to this problem is that the government should select three-four areas in Delhi and designate them for coaching institutes. If the government itself prepares classrooms, libraries, hostels, there will be no problem of high rent or security of the provisions relating thereto," he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Protesting Students Start Indefinite Strike Over Delhi Basement Deaths

The civil services aspirants, who are protesting outside Rau's coaching centre in Old Rajinder Nagar on Tuesday went on an indefinite hunger strike, demanding action in the case of the death of three students.

One of the protesting students said that ten aspirants have started an indefinite hunger strike till their main demands, including compensation of Rs five crore to the victims' families, are met.

"Somewhere we had a brief hope that the administration will listen to us, we will be heard, heard by the UPSC coaching lobby, heard by the authority, but after four days we have come to a realisation that this protest is going nowhere," said a woman, who is on a hunger strike.

"We are not taken seriously. Just because we are aspirants, they think that we will break and after some days we will go back to our studies. So here we are to make sure that this incident does not disappear till justice is served," she stated.

The main demands are compensation of Rs five crore to the victims' families, all the details of the FIR filed in the incident, the committee should report within a specified time frame and prohibition on using basements for libraries and classes across Delhi, another protestor added.

Three civil services aspirants died on Saturday evening after water from a flooded drain gushed into the basement of Rau's IAS Study Circle in Old Rajinder Nagar where a library was set up.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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20 Coaching Centre Basements Sealed For Violating Norms After Delhi Tragedy

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has sealed the basements of six more coaching institutes in Central Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar and one in North West Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar in a crackdown on illegally run establishments following the tragedy on Saturday in which three civil services aspirants died.

Several prominent coaching institutes like Dristi (The Vision) are among those facing action. The civic body also carried out an anti-encroachment drive in Old Rajindra Nagar to demolish structures that were covering the storm drains that led to flooding in the area, officials said on Monday.

The sealing drive will also be carried out against establishments illegally using basements for commercial activities in other parts of the city, MCD commissioner Ashwani Kumar told reporters.

So far, 20 basements of coaching centres that were illegally being used either as libraries or for providing classes in both Rajendra Nagar and Mukherjee Nagar have been sealed, the officials said.

"Till Sunday we took action against 13 basements of coaching institutes running in Rajendra Nagar. On Monday we resumed the sealing drive and sealed six more basements of such institutes in the same area.

"The MCD also carried out an anti-encroachment drive to remove structures covering the storm drains.

"Additionally, the basement of a coaching institute has been sealed in Mukherjee Nagar, where a sealing drive was also carried out by us," Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi said.

The names of prominent coaching centres which came under the MCD scanner on Monday include -- Drishti IAS Institute, Vaji Ram and Ravi IAS hub, and SriRam IAS Institute in Rajinder Nagar and Drishti (The Vision) in Mukherjee Nagar, according to an official statement.

Three basements in the building of Vaji Ram and Ravi IAS hub were sealed, it said.

The crackdown comes two days after three civil services aspirants died after a library housed in the basement of their coaching centre, Rau's IAS Study Circle, in Rajinder Nagar was inundated following heavy rain, and reportedly led to the failure of the single biometric entry and exit point.

"Whereas it has been brought to my notice that basement of single unit local shopping centre, Vardhman Mall, Nehru Vihar, (combined Basement of Tower 1, 2 and 3) is being used for coaching centre, teaching centre, institutes in the name and style as Dristi (The Vision) the instance of owner and occupier in violation of clause 15.9 of MPD-2021," read the notice pasted at the entrance of a coaching centre in Mukherjee Nagar.

Similar, notices were pasted at the entrance of the basements sealed by the civic body in both the areas.

Meanwhile, the closure of many libraries is causing a problem for students preparing for civil services.

A UPSC aspirant studying at one of the coaching centres in Mukherjee Nagar said libraries at most of the centres have been closed after the Saturday incident.

"I have to appear for UPSC Mains in one and a half months and the library at my centre has been closed. My books and all the preparation material are inside the library and now I am not allowed to collect my books," the student said.

"We got a message on Sunday night, saying we should collect our books, etc. from the library by 6 am today. I was sleeping so how was I supposed to collect them by morning. Most students here are preparing for UPSC Mains," the student added.

The MCD also terminated an officer and suspended another from the maintenance department for the lapse in containing waterlogging.

On Sunday, the civic body had sealed 13 illegal coaching centres in the area.

Rau's IAS Study Circle, where the three students died on Saturday, has already been sealed by police.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"English Seekhen": Liquor Shop Owner's Move To Boost Sales Draws A Fine

A liquor shop owner in Madhya Pradesh tried to boost sales by highlighting the general tendency of people to become more expressive after drinking, but the plan failed and earned him a fine of Rs 10,000.

Officials said the owner had put up a banner with the message “Dindahade English bolna seekhen (learn to speak English during daytime)” near his shop at Nachankheda in Burhanpur district. An arrow below the message pointed to the alcohol vend.

Although it was not clear if the poster sent his sales to a new high, a photo of it went viral on social media, generating chuckles and criticism in equal measures.

The visual also reached the district administration on Saturday, an official said.

Burhanpur District Collector Bhavya Mittal said they directed the Excise Department to take action against the alcohol seller. Excise officials then served a notice to the shop licensee.

In his reply, the shop owner claimed innocence and said it was put up on private land of another person, 40-50 feet from his shop.

He also claimed that some other person had placed the banner as part of a conspiracy. However, his explanation didn't cut much ice with the officials.

Terming his reply unsatisfactory, the authorities fined him Rs 10,000 for flouting the conditions of his liquor licence, the official said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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'She Chose Not To Speak More': NITI Aayog CEO On Mamata Banerjee's Charge

Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog, BVR Subrahmanyam, dismissed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's claim that her microphone was muted while speaking at the NITI Aayog meeting. He clarified that each Chief Minister was given a designated speaking time, which was displayed on screens at their tables, and that the time allotted to the West Bengal Chief Minister had ended.

Addressing a press conference after the NITI Aayog meeting, Mr Subrahmanyam said that the West Bengal Chief Minister requested to speak early before lunch, and "it was accepted."

"The Chief Minister of West Bengal requested to be given a turn before lunchtime. I'm just putting facts on the ground, no interpretations. It was a clear request from their side because normally we would have gone alphabetically, starting with Andhra Pradesh, then Arunachal Pradesh. We adjusted, and the Defence Minister called her in just before Gujarat. So, she made her statement," he said.

"Every Chief Minister is allotted seven minutes, and there's a clock on top of the screen that shows the remaining time. It goes from seven to six to five to four to three. At the end, it shows zero. Nothing else happened. Then she said she would have liked to speak for more time but chose not to. That was it. We all heard her points respectfully, and they will be reflected in the minutes. The Chief Secretary continued to attend the meeting even after she left to catch a flight to Calcutta," Mr Subrahmanyam added.

The CEO further mentioned that the Chief Ministers of ten states and Union Territories did not attend the meeting.

"We had 10 absentees and 26 participants. Absentees included Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Bihar, Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Puducherry. The Chief Minister of West Bengal was present," he said.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also rejected Mamata Banerjee's claim that her microphone was switched off during the NITI Aayog meeting, stating that every Chief Minister was "allotted due time to speak."

"Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee attended the NITI Aayog meeting. We all heard her. Every Chief Minister was given their allotted time, displayed on the screen before each table. It's completely false that her mic was turned off. Every Chief Minister was given their due time to speak," the Finance Minister told ANI.

Ms Sitharaman described Ms Banerjee's claims as "unfortunate," adding that the government was happy that the West Bengal Chief Minister attended the meeting, where she spoke on behalf of the opposition, i.e., INDIA bloc.

"It's unfortunate that the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, has claimed that her mic was switched off, which is not true. We're happy she participated in this meeting, presented her case for West Bengal, and spoke for the opposition. But even as she did so, we adhered to the procedure," Sitharaman said.

She further remarked that Ms Banerjee should have requested more time if needed, instead of using it as an excuse to walk out of the meeting.

"If reminded that her time is over, she could have requested to continue speaking as other Chief Ministers did. Instead, she used it as an excuse to leave the meeting," Ms Sitharaman said. "She should speak the truth rather than build a narrative based on falsehood," she added.

Earlier, the central government's fact-checking body refuted as "misleading" the claim made by the West Bengal Chief Minister about her microphone being switched off.

A PIB fact-check today debunked her allegations, stating that "only the clock showed that her speaking time was over."

"It is claimed that the microphone of CM West Bengal was switched off during the 9th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog. This claim is misleading. The clock only showed that her speaking time was over. Even the bell was not rung to mark it," the Press Information Bureau (PIB) said in a post on X.

According to the government fact-checking body, Mamata Banerjee's turn to speak would have been after lunch if scheduled alphabetically, but she was "accommodated" as the seventh speaker on an official request from the Chief Minister.

"Alphabetically, CM West Bengal's turn would have come after lunch. She was accommodated as the 7th speaker on an official request from the West Bengal government as she had to return early," PIB Fact Check explained in a subsequent tweet.

Speaking to reporters, the West Bengal Chief Minister alleged "political discrimination," stating that at the NITI Aayog meeting, she was not allowed to speak for more than five minutes, while other Chief Ministers were given more time.

"I said the central government should not discriminate against state governments. I wanted to speak, but my mic was muted. I was allowed to speak only for five minutes. People before me spoke for 10-20 minutes," Ms Banerjee told reporters after she stormed out of the NITI Aayog meeting today.

"I was the only one from the opposition participating, but still, I was not allowed to speak. This is insulting," Ms Banerjee said as she walked out of the meeting midway.

"I have come out boycotting the NITI Aayog meeting. Chandrababu Naidu was given 20 minutes to speak, Chief Ministers of Assam, Goa, and Chhattisgarh spoke for 10-12 minutes. I was stopped after just five minutes. This is unfair," the Chief Minister said, speaking to reporters after leaving the meeting.

Claiming she participated in the meeting to strengthen "cooperative federalism," Ms Banerjee said, "There are many regional aspirations. That is why I am here, to share those aspirations. If a state is strong, the Union will be strong."

The Chief Minister stated that several states, including West Bengal, were deprived in the Union Budget presented in Parliament this week.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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