LIVE! Note ban will be probed after change of guard at Centre: Congress

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Fri, 30 November 2018

Note ban will be probed after change of guard at Centre: Congress

Timeline Refresh

23:34 I support MNREGA, can't call it failure: Varun Gandhi

Bharatiya Janata Party MP Varun Gandhi Friday said the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act or MNREGA, a scheme from the United Progressive Alliance era which guarantees employment in rural areas, was a "good policy".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had once called the MNREGA scheme a "living monument of UPA's failure" to tackle poverty.

"I actually support MNREGA. I think it is a good policy. It is a misconception to say that the scheme is a failure," Gandhi said, addressing students of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

The Sultanpur MP was invited by the institute to speak on issues he had written about in his upcoming book 'A Rural Manifesto: Realising India's Future Through Her Villages'.

Gandhi said villagers should be given the power to decide what kind of work they wanted in the villages under MNREGA.

He said instead of focusing on "next elections", he would prefer to think about "next generation".

Gandhi also said that looking at the backgrounds of the Indian Administrative Service Officers, it was clear that privilege has played a major role in their success.

"As per the information I received through a query under the Right To Information, 69 per cent of serving IAS officers have been to private schools, 84 per cent of them have grown up in 25 big cities and 70 per cent have a post-graduate degree which is a luxury," he said.

Out of 15.5 lakh schools in the country, only 1.2 per cent are affiliated to "posh boards" such as CBSE or ICSE, while only 8 per cent students who got admission to the IITs in 2015-16 were from schools affiliated to state boards, he said.

"Let us be clear, in India, privilege does perpetuate privilege," Gandhi said.

Talking about non-performing assets of banks, he said the problem did not arise because farmers did not repay their loans.

"The total amount of money given to farmers in loan waiver is 23 per cent of the money given to 40 richest families (family-run business groups) in the last 40 years," he said. -- PTI

23:33 Actor Rajpal Yadav jailed for 3 months

Bollywood actor Rajpal Yadav was Friday sent to three-month jail by the Delhi high court for failing to repay loan he had taken in 2010 for making film Ata Pata Laapata.

His lawyer said since the actor was unable to pay the entire amount of the loan which had gone up to Rs 10 crore, the high court noted that under such circumstances the decree would be deemed to be executed if he serves three months jail.

The opposite side had questioned the conduct of the actor who had tried to come out with a proposal not accepted to them.

"I am satisfied from the past conduct of the judgment debtor (Yadav) that he in spite of being in a position to pay the decretal amount are managing their affairs so as to avoid execution of the decree...

"The decree is ordered to be executed by the detention of Yadav in civil prison for a period of three months. Yadav is ordered to be taken into custody forthwith to be detained in civil prison," Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw said.

On April 23, Yadav was awarded six-month imprisonment by a Delhi court in seven cheque bounce cases for not repaying loan worth over Rs 8 crore to a businessman. -- PTI

Maharashtra governor Vidyasagar Rao Friday gave his nod to the bill that grants 16 per cent reservation to Marathas in government jobs and education in the state, a Raj Bhavan source said.

The bill was unanimously passed by both the Houses of the legislature Thursday, meeting a long-pending demand of the influential community, which constitutes 33 per cent of the state's population of around 13 crore.

According to the source, the governor has signed the file containing the bill called the 'Maharashtra State Reservation (of seats for admission in educational institutions in the state and for appointments in the public services and posts under the state) for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Act, 2018'.

The quota granted to Marathas is over and above the existing reservation provided to OBCs, SCs, STs, denotified nomadic tribes and special backward categories.

The entire process of giving quota to the agrarian community took nearly one-and-a-half years.

The government had earlier tabled the recommendations and summary of the findings of the State Backward Class Commission report on Marathas along with the Action Taken Report in the assembly.

Based on the commission's report, the government had declared the Maratha community as 'socially and educationally backward class of citizens' and proposed 16 per cent quota for them in jobs and education.

In June 2017, the SBCC was asked by the government to study the social, financial and educational status of the Maratha community. Its report had a sample survey of 40,962 families.

Public hearings were conducted at 21 places where the panel got 1,93,651 personal memoranda and 814 from various organisations.

According to its provisions, the legislation will apply for direct recruitments, appointments made in public services and posts in the state except super specialised posts in medical, technical and educational field, posts filled by transfer or deputation, temporary appointments of less than 45 days' duration and single post in any cadre or grade.

It will also apply for admissions to educational institutions, including private educational institutions other than minority educational institutions, whether aided or unaided by the state.

These provision won't apply in cases where selection process was initiated before the act comes into force. -- PTI

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma Friday termed demonetisation as the BJP's "money laundering scam", adding the move would be probed after the "government changes at the Centre".

"After this announcement, there were many incidents of seizure of cash by police and all those arrested were associated with the BJP. Not only this, but within 10 days to demonetisation, the new currency reached terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir," he told reporters in Jodhpur.

On November 8, 2016, the government had scrapped old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. It later issued the new Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 banknotes.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claim that demonetisation would deal a blow to black money, Sharma alleged 99.3 per cent cash returned to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) after the move which meant that almost the entire cash from the market reached the central bank and there was no black money.

"Modi just lied to the people...," the former Union commerce minister said.

On the Goods and Services Tax, Sharma said the Congress was in favour of the indirect tax regime, but was kept in dark by the BJP while introducing the same.

"They goofed up on the issue and purposefully kept petroleum, electricity, alcohol and real estate out of the ambit of GST. These all together constitute 45 per cent of the total revenue of the country," he said.

The Congress leader also claimed the "haphazard" and "indiscreet" decision devastated the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises sector and about 4 crore jobs were lost.

He said only Bharatiya Janata Party benefitted from these decisions and amassed 86.4 per cent of the total donations given to political parties, adding the saffron party spent a whopping Rs 4,297 crore on advertisements. -- PTI

Promises made by political leaders at a farmers' protest in New Delhi on Friday were met with scepticism from several participants, who said they will believe them once they see a change on the ground.

Dubbed as the largest farmers' congregation in Delhi, around 35,000 farmers, from across India, converged at the Parliament Street police station Thursday after their march was stopped by the administration.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Samajwadi Party leader Dharmendra Yadav, Communist party of India-Marxist leader Sitaram Yechury, CPI leader S Sudhakar Reddy, AAP MP Sanjay Singh and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah were among the leaders who joined the farmers at Jantar Mantar.

Kumud, a farmer from West Bengal's Sunderbans, demanded middlemen be removed and loans waived, and said all her life she has heard promises of opposition parties, but she will believe them only if they stay true to their word.

She was among the farmers, who marched to the Ramlila Ground on Thursday, took out a rally to Parliament Street Friday morning to press for their demands, including debt relief and remunerative prices for their produce.

The carrot and tomato farmer undertook a 48-hour journey from the Sunderbans -- a mangrove area in the delta formed by the confluence of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna Rivers -- to reach Delhi.

"I want them to remove the middlemen, they eat most of our profits and leave us nowhere. Their commission at times is 200 per cent," the 50-year-old farmer said.

She alleged that even this year, the middlemen bought tomatoes from her at Rs 5 and sold it for Rs 30 per kilogram to consumers.

"I know a number of leaders here who promised us many things, but I will believe their promise only when they fulfil it," she said.

Ram Kumar from Bihar's Sigori village said they are here to demand their rights and not ask for alms.

"I have seen all leaders who are not in power make tall promises but as soon as they come to power they have memory loss," he said.

"The protest was held to make people realise of our plight which has brought us on the brink of starvation. Even if a fraction of the promises made to us are fulfilled then we would not return back to Delhi to protest," the framer said. -- PTI

Image: Participating farmers in the Kisan Mukti March, in New Delhi, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Photograph: Ravi Choudhary/PTI Photo

The Jammu and Kashmir government Friday provided financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh to 18-month-old girl Hiba Nisar, the youngest pellet victim in Kashmir, who received injuries in security forces' action on protesters during clashes in Shopian district.

Deputy Commissioner (Shopian) Owais Ahmed handed over the amount to Hiba, a resident of Kapran area of the south Kashmir district, an official spokesperson said.

He said the deputy commissioner assured Hiba's parents that the government would provide the baby girl with every possible support for her early recovery.

According to the infant's mother, Marsala Jan, Hiba was playing inside her house in Shopian when clashes broke out between protestors and security forces in the wake of an encounter where six militants were killed on Sunday.

Doctors at the SMHS hospital, where Hiba underwent a surgery, said she had suffered corneal perforation due to the pellets.

"Like most cases, the kid will be able to see but there is no guarantee that her eyesight will be restored completely," the doctor, who treated Hiba, said. -- PTI

READ| Is this what we want for our Kashmiri children?

Ace investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala has settled a case with markets regulator Sebi after paying Rs 2.48 lakh towards settlement charges.

The regulator had initiated adjudication proceedings against Jhunjhunwala in 2017 for alleged violation of PIT (Prohibition of Insider Trading norms) in the matter of Geometric Ltd, now part of HCL Technologies.

Under settlement, an entity is allowed to settle charges by paying a penalty without admission or denial of guilt.

The "settlement order disposes of the adjudication proceedings initiated against the applicant viz Rakesh Jhunjhunwala," Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) said in an order dated Friday.

It further said that enforcement actions, including commencing or reopening of the proceedings, could be initiated if any representation made by Jhunjhunwala is found to be untrue.

Foreign investor Geosphere (Mauritius) Fund also settled a case with Sebi by paying over Rs 24 lakh as settlement charges, according to a separate order.

The regulator had initiated adjudication proceedings against Geosphere for alleged violation of FII (Foreign Institutional Investors) and FPI (Foreign Portfolio Investors) regulations in 2016.

While the adjudication proceedings were initiated, Geosphere submitted an application for settlement of the adjudication proceedings.

Thereafter, Sebi's High Powered Advisory Committee recommended the case for settlement on the payment of consolidated amount of Rs 23.98 lakh, which was subsequently approved by the regulator's panel of whole-time members, following which it remitted the amount and accordingly proceedings were disposed of by Sebi. -- PTI

The Supreme Court Friday deferred to January next year the hearing on pleas seeking to restrain the Centre from deporting over 40,000 Rohingya immigrants back to Myanmar.

The Rohingya people, who fled to India after violence in the state of Rakhine in Myanmar, are settled in Jammu, Hyderabad, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi-NCR and Rajasthan.

"Let the matter be listed for final disposal in the month of January, 2019," a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice S K Kaul said.

The bench was hearing three PILs filed by two Rohingya immigrants -- Mohammad Salimullah and Mohammad Shaqir -- and Zaffar Ullah and Harsh Mander on the issue.

They have challenged the government's decision to deport the Rohingya immigrants back to Myanmar and condemned the pitiable conditions at the camps for them here.

Earlier, the apex court had cleared the hurdles, leading to the first ever deportation of seven illegally-migrated Rohingya people staying in Assam to Myanmar by dismissing the plea that had sought to thwart the government's move.

The top court had said those Rohingya people were convicted by the competent court under the Foreigners Act and held to be illegal immigrants.

Prior to this, it had appointed the area sub-divisional magistrates concerned as nodal officers, who could be approached by the Rohingya immigrants living at Kalindi Kunj in Delhi and Mewat in Haryana with grievances related to healthcare, water, sanitation and education.

A day after he retired, former Supreme Court Judge Kurian Joseph on Friday said that he has no regrets over the controversial January 12 press conference in which he along with three other judges flagged various issues with regard to functioning of the top court, and noted that things are changing.

Joseph, who was part of the press conference in which the now Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi, Justice M B Lokur and former judge J Chelameswar had raised serious questions including over allocation of cases in the top court, said the systems and practices in the apex court would take time to change as they have been there for quite long.

He also asserted that there is no political pressure in exercise of judicial powers by a judge, but added that the manner in which appointments are "selectively delayed" or "withheld" is "in a way interference" in administration of justice.

Asked whether he regrets being part of the January 12 press conference, he replied, "What a strange question you are asking? I never regretted whatever I did, I did it very consciously for a cause and for a cause for which there was no other way left. That was the stage, when we did it".

When asked whether the crisis to which they had referred was now over in the apex court, Joseph said, "You can't say it fully that the crisis is over because it was an institutional crisis, so it takes a long time for the systems and the practices to change. Hopefully it would change".

Referring to CJI Gogoi, Justice Joseph said, "It's because one who was part of the clamour for change is also now the captain over there so things should change".

He said that the systems and practices have been there in the apex court for quite a long, so it would take time for them to change, "though it is changing".

"The process of change will continue. Even the earlier chief justice made changes after the press conference," he said.

When Joseph was asked whether the problem of roster is now over in the apex court, he replied, "Probably that is the one mistake. It is not a question of roster.

"It was question of some unhealthy practice and systems which were followed in the Supreme Court but in the matter of business actually. So it was against that although roster was one of the issues but there were other issues along with that," he added. -- PTI

The BCCI Friday invited applications, eyeing men of international stature, for the position of the Indian women's team head coach, left vacant after a bitter public spat between the outgoing Ramesh Powar and senior player Mithali Raj.

Proven names such as Tom Moody, Dav Whatmore and Venkatesh Prasad are some of the options the Indian Cricket Board has at the moment, it is learnt from reliable sources in the Board.

It is understood that the BCCI doesn't want a repeat of the the kind of bickering witnessed between Powar and star player Mithali following the Indian team's semifinal exit from the ICC Women's World T20 in the West Indies.

The Indian women's team has had its fair share of controversies, and the latest one was triggered after Mithali was dropped from the playing XI for the World T20 semifinal, which the side lost to England by eight wickets.

Mithali alleged that Powar was "out to destroy her" while the coach countered her by questioning the "conduct" of the team's seniormost player, saying that she threatened to retire on being denied the opening slot and threw tantrums.

Powar, a former India off-spinner, was appointed in August after Tushar Arothe quit following differences with the senior players over training methods. This was his first major international coaching assignment.

One of the requirements listed by the BCCI is that the candidate should have the experience of coaching an international team for a period of minimum one season or a T20 franchise for minimum two seasons.

People like Moody, a former Australia all-rounder, fulfil the criteria. While Prasad has worked with the Indian cricket team bowlers before joining the Kings XI Punjab setup, Whatmore has guided Sri Lanka to their only ODI World Cup triumph back in 1996.

The BCCI requirements state the candidate should have "a proven ability to manage and interact with people from different backgrounds and cultures, should have represented India or any other country at international level or should be a NCA Level 'C' certified coach or have a similar certification from a reputed organisation/institute and a minimum of 50 FC games". -- PTI

19:38 Modi meets XI at G20 summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping at an informal meeting of the BRICS leaders on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires.

Modi arrived Argentina's capital of Buenos Aires on Thursday to attend the G-20 summit where he will discuss ways to meet the new and upcoming challenges of the coming decade with other world leaders, including US President Donald Trump.

"In his first of the many engagements today, PM @narendramodi participated at #BRICS Leaders' Informal Meeting on the margins of #G20Summit. Reaffirmed India's commitment to globalisation and reformed multilateralism," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Ravish Kumar tweeted.

In his departure statement Thursday, Modi said through the 10 years of its existence, the G-20 has strived to promote stable and sustainable global growth.

"This objective is of particular significance for developing countries and emerging economies such as India, which is today the fastest growing large economy in the world," he said.

19:23 Rahul Gandhi sent me to Pakistan, says Sidhu

Amid the raging row over his Pakistan visit, cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu said on Friday it was Congress president Rahul Gandhi who sent him there for attending the foundation laying ceremony of the

Kartarpur Sahib corridor.

Sidhu's visit had riled Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh, who said on record he tried to dissuade Sidhu, a member of his cabinet, following a grenade attack on a religious congregation in Amritsar that left three people

dead, but he paid no heed. Singh had blamed Pakistan's ISI for the attack.

"Rahul Gandhi is my captain. It is he who sent me to Pakistan," Sidhu told a press conference here when asked about Amarinder Singh's disapproval of his Pakistan trip.

Sidhu said 50-100 Congress leaders patted him on his back for the visit.

The Congress leader, however, described the Punjab chief minister as a "father figure" to him. -- PTI

19:18 7.1% GDP growth in Q2 'disappointing': FinMin

The 7.1 per cent GDP growth for September quarter "seems disappointing", but growth rate for the first six months of the fiscal is robust and healthy, Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg said Friday.

The government data released Friday shows India's economy grew at 7.1 per cent in July-September, lowest in three quarters.

The growth was 8.2 per cent in April-June quarter of this fiscal. In January -March quarter the growth was 7.7 per per cent, while it was at 7 per cent in October-December last year.

"GDP growth for second quarter 2018-19 at 7.1 per cent seems disappointing. Manufacturing growth at 7.4 per cent and agriculture growth at 3.8% is steady. Construction at 6.8 per cent and mining at -2.4 per cent reflect monsoon months deceleration," Garg tweeted.

The growth during April-September stood at 7.6 per cent, which is "quite robust and healthy", he said. "Still, the highest growth rate in the world".

The second quarter growth of 7.1 per cent keeps India ahead of China, which had expanded at the rate of 6.5 per cent in the July-September period this year. -- PTI

India's economy grew at 7.1 per cent in July-September, the lowest in three quarters, but still remained ahead of China to retain the tag of the world's fastest growing major economy.

The Gross Domestic Product at constant prices (2011-12) had grown at 6.3 per cent in July-September quarter of the last fiscal, according to government data released on Friday.

The size of the GDP in the second quarter of 2018-19 is estimated at Rs 33.98 lakh crore, as against Rs 31.72 lakh crore a year ago, showing a growth rate of 7.1 per cent, as per a statement of the Central Statistics Office.

The Indian economy grew at 8.2 per cent in April-June quarter of this fiscal.

The GDP growth was 7.7 per per cent in January-March quarter while it was at 7 per cent in October-December.

The Chinese economy had expanded at the rate of 6.5 per cent in the July-September period this year.

India's GVA (gross value added) at Constant (2011-2012) Prices for the second quarter this fiscal is estimated at Rs 31.40 lakh crore, as against Rs 29.38 lakh crore year ago, showing a growth rate of 6.9 percent over the corresponding quarter of previous year.

The CSO said that mining and quarrying output has declined by 2.4 per cent in the quarter from a growth of 6.9 per cent in year ago period.

However, the manufacturing activities expanded at the rate of 7.4 per cent in the quarter under review up from 7.1 per cent in the year ago quarter.

The construction sector too showed an improvement by recording a growth of 7.8 per cent as against 3.1 per cent earlier.

The farm sector too grew at a higher rate of 3.8 per cent in the quarter as against 2.6 per cent a year ago.

A Chinese researcher, who claimed to have created the world's first gene-edited babies that are resistant to HIV, has been suspended from any scientific activity amid mounting criticism at home and abroad about the controversial experiment, according to media reports.

In a fertilised human-egg cell, the scientist, He Jiankui, intends to make a person resistant to HIV by disabling a gene that forms a protein doorway allowing the virus to enter the body.

"The case, as media have reported, is a blatant violation of China's laws and regulations, and it breaks the bottom line of academic morality and ethics," Xu Nanping, vice-minister of science and technology, told state-run China Central Television.

"It's shocking and unacceptable," Xu was quoted by the China Daily as saying in the interview.

Xu said the ministry had ordered authorities to suspend all scientific activity of people involved with the case and mete out punishments after an ongoing investigation.

He, an associate professor at the Shenzhen-based Southern University of Science and Technology, announced on Monday that twin girls, Lulu and Nana, were born healthy earlier this month after in vitro fertilisation.

Gene-editing technology had been used to immunise them from HIV, he claimed.

The news shocked the world and aroused widespread criticism, both for its ethics, technical flaws and the necessity of such a procedure to prevent AIDS.

The Shenzhen government joined Guangdong provincial authorities in an investigative group on Tuesday.

Zeng Yixin, vice-minister of the National Health Commission, said Thursday the commission had paid close attention to the reports and sent a working group to assist in the probe.

With the rapid development of science and technology, the research and application of science must be more responsible and follow technical and ethical norms, Zeng said. -- PTI

Domestic cooking gas (LPG) price was cut on Friday by Rs 6.52 per cylinder on account of tax impact on the reduced market rate for the fuel.

A 14.2-kg subsidised LPG cylinder will cost Rs 500.90 in the national capital from midnight tonight as against Rs 507.42 currently, Indian Oil Corp, the country's largest fuel retailer, said in a statement.

The price reduction comes soon after six consecutive monthly hikes in rates since June.

IOC said non-subsidised or market priced LPG rates have been cut by a steep Rs 133 per cylinder to reflect fall in international oil rates and strengthening of the rupee. It will now cost Rs 809.50 per 14.2-kg bottle in Delhi.

The Indian Army is not yet ready to have women in combat roles, Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat said on Friday.

The Army chief said there are several other fields where the Army was thinking of inducting women.

"We are not yet ready for that (women in combat roles) as facilities have to be created within... Women also need to be prepared for that kind of hardships," he said.

"It is not easy. Let us not compare ourselves with Western nations, which are more open," Gen Rawat told reporters on the sidelines of the Passing Out Parade of the 135th course at the National Defence Academy in Pune.

There were plans to have women as interpreters, the Army chief said. "Yes, we may be more open in our big cities, but our Army personnel are not coming from big cities only. They are coming from rural areas too, where the intermingling, which is expected, is still not there," he said.

"Women officers are being inducted into all the three services. But what we have to decide is whether some of them can be given permanent commission," Gen Rawat said.

The Army has taken a call that there are some aspects and fields where "we need some kind of continuity and permanency," he said.

"In a command-oriented army, male officers do not fit the bill everywhere. The Army needs language interpreters as military diplomacy is gaining ground. The basic requirement is understanding the language while talking to other nations, military to military. So we are looking for women as interpreters," he said.

Incidentally, in June 2017, Gen Rawat had said the process to induct women in combat roles was moving fast.

The Tamil Nadu government has hiked the health insurance cover from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh so as to benefit 1.58 crore families, Chief Minister K Palaniswami said on Friday.

The scheme, implemented in the state during the previous DMK regime, was made more comprehensive after the AIADMK stormed back into power in 2011.

The revamped scheme was launched by the late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on January 11, 2012 and the government issued 1.58 crore cards offering health insurance coverage for up to Rs 2 lakh to individuals.

"So far, 26.96 lakh persons have benefitted by availing insurance worth Rs 5,133.33 crore from the scheme," Palaniswami said in an official release.

The new insurance coverage would come into effect from tomorrow and the families covered under the scheme can utilise it without paying any fee, he said.

17:19 Bundesliga ties up with IMG Reliance

The Bundesliga and IMG Reliance Friday announced an exclusive long-term understanding to develop and promote football and the German league in India.

This will see the Bundesliga and its clubs work towards the growth of Indian football through a series of activities throughout the year, in collaboration with multiple Indian stakeholders.

The Bundesliga, the top echelon of German football, is the second highest earning football league globally with annual revenues in excess of USD 4.5 billion. Known for its affinity to fans, it also has the highest average stadium attendance worldwide at a staggering 44,000 per game.

The League boasts of global brands such as FC Bayern Mnchen and Borussia Dortmund and some of the world's best talent, including marquee names such as Robert Lewandowski, James Rodriguez, Manuel Neuer and Marco Reus, to name a few.

In order to grow Indian football, the Bundesliga will work with IMG Reliance across a host of football development projects. These will include leveraging Germany's unparalleled youth development system to launch grassroots activities across multiple states with the vision of elevating Indian football.

In addition, the Bundesliga will create deeper engagement with Indian consumers by organising visits from German football legends and current football stars, exhibition matches against German teams, match screenings and fan parks.

The Bundesliga will also work towards extending Indo-German cooperation in the field of football by creating platforms and opportunities for Bundesliga clubs to explore technical and commercial partnerships in India.

Image: Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski, right, and James Rodriguez. Photograph: Andreas Gebert/Reuters

The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Robert Vadra, brother-in-law of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, in connection with its money laundering probe in a land scam case in Rajasthan's border city of Bikaner, officials said Friday.

They added that Vadra was asked to appear before the investigating officer (IO) of the case next week and this was the second summons issued to him for recording his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The officials said that as Vadra did not appear before the investigating officer when the first summons was issued earlier in November, the second summons was issued to him.

The central probe agency had registered a criminal case in connection with the deal in 2015, taking cognisance of a clutch of FIRs and chargesheets filed by the Rajasthan police after the local tehsildar of Bikaner complained about alleged forgery in the allotment of land in the area, considered sensitive due to its proximity to the Indo-Pak border.

The ED, it is understood, wants to grill Vadra about the operations of a firm -- Ms Skylight Hospitality Private Limited -- allegedly linked to him, which had purchased land in the area. It also wants to confront Vadra with the statements of those said to be linked to him.

The agency was also probing the role of a big steel firm that gave loans to a company that bought the land from firms linked to Vadra for a very inflated price, official sources said.

The agency, in the past, had also raided the premises of people linked to Vadra, like Mahesh Nagar and a few others.

In December last year, the ED had arrested Ashok Kumar, a close associate of Nagar, and another person, Jaiprakash Bagarwa.

Nagar is said to be associated with Ms Skylight Hospitality Private Limited, the firm with alleged links to Vadra.

The ED had searched the premises of both Kumar and Nagar in April last year.

Nagar was the "authorised representative" in four cases of land purchase in Bikaner.

Kumar, the agency alleged, had purchased land in the same area, using the "power of attorney" of others.

The ED probe in the case is related to the purchase of a land measuring 275 bigha allegedly by the company in Bikaner's Kolayat area a few years ago. -- PTI

The government has extended the due date of filing tax deducted at source (TDS) returns under GST laws for the October-December period till January 31, 2019.

The TDS provisions under the goods and services tax were brought into effect from October 1, 2018.

According to the Central GST Act, the notified entities are required to collect TDS at 1 per cent on payments to goods or services suppliers in excess of Rs 2.5 lakh. Also, states levy 1 per cent TDS under state laws.

The finance ministry, through a notification, extended the due date for filing TDS returns under GST for the October-December 2018 period, till January 31, 2019.

PwC India Partner and Leader (Indirect Tax) Pratik Jain said issues were being faced on GST portal as regards acceptance of tax deducted by the deductor for claiming credit/ benefit by the deductee and generation of TDS certificates.

"Even after following the steps, TDS certificates were not getting generated in certain cases, leading to disputes between deductor and deductee," Jain said.

He said the government should consider all such challenges being faced in the entire workflow of TDS return filings and make necessary changes on the GST portal. -- PTI

>> The country where a farmer himself is suffering with hunger, that country can never prosper.

>> At our border, jawan is unhappy. In country, farmer is unhappy.

>> That you had to march to Delhi to be heard is sad.

>> BJP said they will implement Swaminathan Commission report. They'll give 100 Rs profit or 50. Affidavit has been submitted in court now that the report can't be implemented, there can't be any greater betrayal than this

>> Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana is a fraud. The Bima Yojana owners take out money from farmers' accounts. They took out thousands of crores and when crops are destroyed, they added conditions. This isnt Bima Yojana. This is bjp's dacoit yojana (daka yojana)

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday joined the farmers' protest at Parliament street.

The Congress chief says farmers not asking for free gifts but their rights.

Attacking the Centre, the Congress president said that PM Modi has duped the nation in the name of NPAs; adds that farmers and youth have been ignored by the government.

Gandhi also used the rally to repeat his Rafale attack at the government, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi only speaks for the industrialists. He says a government that disrespects the youth and farmers will be removed by the country.

Former Union Minister and Odisha MLA Dilip Roy, and senior BJP leader Bijoy Mohapatra resigned from the party on Friday.

Besides sending a joint resignation letter to BJP president Amit Shah, Roy, who represents Rourkela constituency in the Odisha assembly, also resigned as legislator.

Roy said he called on assembly Speaker Pradip Amat Friday morning and tendered his resignation from the membership of the House.

"It is with deep anguish that I have decided to quit as the member of State Legislative Assembly as well as from the membership of Bharatiya Janata Party," Roy said in a Twitter post.

Both the leaders had for a long been alleging delay in construction of a second bridge over the Brahmani river, establishment of a super-speciality hospital in Rourkela and lack of job opportunities for local youths in Paradip oil refinery.

Mohapatra told reporters that the interest of the state is important and their future course would be announced after about a fortnight.

He also alleged that their suggestions and views were ignored by the party.

In the resignation letter to the BJP national president, Roy and Mahapatra said, "We regret to state that despite repeated efforts in appraising you on the sorry state of affairs of the party here, neither you nor any senior central party leader bothered to consult, review or take corrective measures."

"Be it the Mahanadi water issue or the unfulfilled promised of a second bridge over the Brahmani river, the super-speciality hospital at Rourkela or the dreams of lakhs of jobs for Odia youth which we sold at Paradip during the inauguration of the Oil Refinery - nothing, absolutely nothing materialised," it said.

The letter claimed that the people of Odisha were "disillusioned."

-- PTI

Streaming giant Netflix has decided to cancel Marvel's Daredevil after three seasons.

The superhero drama, which starred Cox as the titular vigilante who operated as lawyer Matt Murdock by day, had kicked off Marvel TV's streaming universe.

The project led to the launches of Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Punisher.

"Marvel's Daredevil will not return for a fourth season on Netflix. We are tremendously proud of the show's last and final season and although it's painful for the fans, we feel it best to close this chapter on a high note. We're thankful to our partners at Marvel, show-runner Erik Oleson, the show's writers, stellar crew and incredible cast including Charlie Cox as Daredevil himself, and we're grateful to the fans who have supported the show over the years.

"While the series on Netflix has ended, the three existing seasons will remain on the service for years to come, while the Daredevil character will live on in future projects for Marvel," the company said in a statement to Deadline.

The move comes on the heels of Netflix cancelling Iron Fist and Luke Cage last month.

In a slew of appointments by the Congress, cricketer-turned-politician Mohammed Azharduddin has been made the working president of the party in Telangana, which goes to polls on December 7.

Azharuddin has contested Lok Sabha election twice on Congress ticket, winning from Uttar Pradeshs Moradabad in 2009 and losing from Rajasthans Tonk-Sawai Madhopur constituency in 2014.

Azharuddin, who hails from Hyderabad, wants to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Secunderabad in Telangana.

The Congresss Telangana unit last year had urged Azhar to contest either the state assembly polls or the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, from the state.

The Congress-TDP combine is putting up a tough fight in a bid to unseat Telangana Rashtra Samithis K Chandrashekar Raos TRS that has been ruling the state since 2014.

Ex-MP and son of former Delhi chief minister Sheila Diskshit, Sandeep Dikshit has been appointed as secretary attached to Civic and Social Outreach Congress.

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will meet state BJP MLAs, ministers and government officials at his private residence on Saturday, his office informed.

Parrikar, 62, is currently recuperating at his private residence in Dona Paula, near Panaji, since his discharge from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi on October 14.

"The CM will first meet officials and take stock of governance in the morning, followed by a meeting with BJP MLAs and ministers," a senior Chief Minister's Office functionary told PTI on Friday.

He added that Parrikar was feeling better now.

Parrikar had earlier held a cabinet meeting on October 31 and met party officials the next day.

14:42 Has debris from Flight MH370 been found?

Relatives of those on board Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 Friday handed over new-found debris believed to be from the ill-fated plane, hoping it could help shed light on the jet's mysterious disappearance four years ago.

The Boeing 777 jet with 239 people on board vanished on March 8, 2014 during a routine flight from Kuala Lumpur in the world's greatest aviation mystery.

An official report released in July following a lengthy investigation and years of fruitless searching gave no new clues about why the plane disappeared, sparking anger among relatives.

Only three confirmed fragments of MH370 have been found so far, all of them on western Indian Ocean shores, including a two-metre wing part known as a flaperon.

Malaysia's new government, which took power in May, has said the search could be resumed but only if new and compelling evidence comes to light. Loke, the transport minister, said the government will "immediately verify the items" ranging from almost 60 centimetres in length to palm-sized.

The disappearance of MH370 triggered the largest hunt in aviation history. However, searchers scouring a 120,000-square kilometre area of Indian Ocean have failed to locate the missing plane.

Photograph: Lai Seng Sin/Reuters

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen on Friday approached the Bombay high court for Muslim reservation in Maharashtra, a day after the state legislature passed the Maratha Reservation Bill in Socially and Economically Backward category.

AIMIM's Imtiyaz Jalil told ANI: "We won't challenge it but will go to the court with new facts for Muslim reservation."

On Thursday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said that reservation for the Maratha community in government jobs and admission in public sector academic institutions would not have any adverse impact on the state's existing quota policy.

Lashing out at the opposition over the reservation issue, Fadnavis asked why the previous government did not give scholarships to Muslim students. "The opposition is dividing the people and they are doing politics on the reservation. They are talking about Muslim reservation for the sake of vote bank politics," he claimed.

The Maharashtra government had recently approved the Maratha Reservation Bill, for which the community has been protesting since 2017. According to the Bill, the government will give separate reservation to Maratha community people under the category called socially and economically backward class or SEBC as per the recommendation of the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission.

-- ANI

13:44

Bombay high court allows tunnelling under consecrated premises of two heritage Atash Behrams -- highest grade fire temples -- for Mumbai Metro 3 with strict monitoring of work.

13:17 'Modi hosh mein ao': Farmers chant slogans during Parliament march

Thousands of farmers from across the country, who are making their way to Parliament, amid heavy policy deployment, have been chanting slogans of 'Narendra Modi hosh mein ao'.

The farmers also raised slogans of 'Takht badal do taj badal do, baimano ka raj badal do."

Farmers from different parts of the country, including Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh converged at the Ramlila ground on Thursday.

While on the march, activist Medha Patkar was quoted by Huffpost India as saying, "Farmers here not for any political purpose but to give an ultimatum to them who have destroyed agriculture."

Banded under the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee, which claims to be an umbrella body of 207 organisations of farmers and agricultural workers, many farmers arrived in the city on Thursday, on trains, buses and other modes of transport.

12:45 SC adjourns Rohingya case till January 2019

The Supreme Court on Friday adjourned the Rohingya case till January 2019 for final disposal.

Due to rising violence against Rohingya in Myanmar, thousands of them entered India and Bangladesh to seek refuge. Around 40,000 Rohingya refugees reside in India after having fled persecution in Myanmar, out of which 16,000 are registered with the United Nation refugee agency.

The central government in 2017 had told the court to identify and deport Rohingyas back to their homeland, stating that they are a threat to national security as they have a connection with terror groups and may be used by the Islamic State for terror attacks.

Earlier, a batch of pleas was filed in the apex court opposing the Centre's decision to deport over 40,000 refugees who had fled from Myanmar after widespread violence and discrimination against the community.

The plea was filed by two Rohingya immigrants - Mohammad Salimullah and Mohammad Shaqir- who claimed they took refuge in India after escaping Myanmar due to widespread discrimination, violence, and bloodshed against their community in Myanmar.

More than 650,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Rakhine in August 2017 after Myanmar's army launched a massive crackdown in its northern state, retaliating the attacks by insurgents, Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army on the country's police posts and a military base.

-- ANI

Four Indian-origin women have been named by Forbes among America's top 50 female technology moguls, a list that includes tech heavyweights IBM CEO Ginni Rometty and Netflix executive Anne Aaron.

Padmasree Warrior, former chief technology officer of Cisco; Komal Mangtani, senior director at app-based cab aggregator Uber; Neha Narkhede, chief technology officer and co-founder of streaming platform Confluent; and Kamakshi Sivaramakrishnan, CEO and founder of identity-management company Drawbrige; are in the list.

"Women don't wait for the future. The 2018 Inaugural Top 50 Women In Technology list identifies three generations of forward-thinking technologists leading more than a dozen tech sectors across the globe," Forbes said in its 'America's Top 50 Women in Tech 2018'.

Warrior, 58, served in executive positions at both Motorola and Cisco and is now the US CEO of the Chinese electric-autonomous-vehicle startup NIO.

At the $138-billion Cisco Systems, she had help Cisco the tech giant grow in influence through acquisitions. She is also on the boards of Microsoft and Spotify.

Mangtani, an alumnus of Dharmsinh Desai Institute of Technology in Gujarat, heads business intelligence at Uber. Currently, she serves on the board of nonprofit organisation Women Who Code and led Uber's $1.2-billion donation and partnership with Girls Who Code to increase access to computer science.

Narkhede, who studied at Pune university, had as a software engineer at LinkedIn helped develop Apache Kafka -- which can process the huge influx of data coming from the site in real time. The data-processing software has become the heart of Confluent, an enterprise Narkhede founded with her LinkedIn co-workers to build tools for companies using Apache Kafka, Forbes said.

The 32-year-old's firm counts Goldman Sachs, Netflix and Uber as customers.

Forty-three-year-old Sivaramakrishnan's company, Drawbridge, uses large-scale artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify the different devices people.

"As the number of devices people use on a daily basis -- computers, laptops and smartphones -- increase, advertisers need a way to show ads to a person across all their devices. Facebook and Google already offer these services to advertisers, but now they have a competitor with Kamakshi Sivaramakrishnan's Drawbridge," Forbes added.

-- PTI

Traffic in central and Lutyens' Delhi went into a tizzy on Friday as thousands of farmers, who have been camping at the Ramlila ground since Thursday, began their march to Parliament amid heavy policy deployment, to press for their various demands including debt relief and remunerative prices for their produce.

Traffic was affected on the Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, on the stretch near Guru Nanak Eye hospital, Maharaja Ranjit Singh flyover, Barakhamba Chowk and Janpath on Friday morning. Commuters were advised to avoid these routes.

Around 1,000 traffic police personnel have been deployed between Ramlila maidan and Parliament to ensure that commuters do not face inconvenience.

"Due to this march, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, Ferozshah Road, Janpath, Mandir Marg, Panchkuian Marg, Ashoka Road, Jai Singh Marg and inner and outer circles of Connaught Place will be effected. Our senior traffic officials, along with other traffic personnel, are managing traffic," a senior traffic police official said.

Citizens were advised to follow the Delhi Traffic Police Facebook page, Twitter handle, WhatsApp and the traffic helpline for live updates.

Over 3,500 police personnel have also been deployed on the route of the march and special arrangements have been made in Central and New Delhi police districts.

Farmers from different parts of the country, including Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh converged at the Ramlila ground on Thursday.

-- PTI

12:10

SC notice to Yoga guru Ramdev on publisher's plea against Delhi HC verdict restraining sale, publication of book purportedly on his life.

11:48 Muzaffarpur shelter case: DM attaches properties of Brajesh Thakur's wife, 6 others

In a fresh turn of developments, the District Magistrate of Muzaffarpur on Friday ordered to attach the properties of accused Brajesh Thakur's wife and six other members of the Seva Sankalp Samiti in connection with the Muzaffarpur shelter home rape case.

Brajesh Thakur came under scrutiny after a report by Tata Institute of Social Sciences revealed that the residents at his Muzzafarpur shelter home were sexually abused. Notably, it was this organisation's report which revealed that as many as 40 girls have fallen prey to sexual abuse at the shelter home.

On August 11, the Central Bureau of Investigation had detained accused Brajesh Thakur's son after questioning him in connection with the case, after a team of CBI and Central Forensic Science Laboratory reached the Muzaffarpur shelter home to investigate the alleged sexual abuse case.

The investigative agency had earlier frozen the bank accounts of Brajesh Thakur and also investigated his properties and bank balance.

Thakur, however, has denied all charges levelled on him and claimed that he was being falsely implicated for planning to join the Congress.

-- ANI

A Delhi court on Friday held ex-coal secretary H C Gupta guilty of corruption and criminal conspiracy in a coal scam case relating to allotment of coal blocks in West Bengal.

Besides Gupta, Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar also convicted private firm Vikash Metals and Power Limited, one serving and one retired public servant ex-joint secretary in Ministry of Coal (MoC) KS Kropha and the then director (CA-I) in MoC, KC Samria in the case.

The court also convicted the firm's managing director Vikash Patni and its authorised signatory Anand Mallick in the case.

The case pertains to alleged irregularities in allocation of Moira and Madhujore (North and South) coal blocks in West Bengal to VMPL. In September 2012, the CBI had registered an FIR in the case.

All the five convicted persons were taken into custody by the court which fixed December 3 for arguments on quantum of punishment.

The convicts may get a maximum seven-year jail term.

-- PTI

Reacting to the statement by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan that if France and Germany can stay together why not India and Pakistan, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said that for Pakistan to stay together with India, it will first have to become a secular state.

General Rawat made the statement while interacting with the media on the sidelines of the Passing Out Parade of 135th course of National Defence Academy in Pune, which he reviewed on Friday morning.

For this idea of countries coming together, Pakistan will have to look at their own internal situation. Pakistan has made itself into an Islamic State. If they have to stay together with India, they will have to become a secular state. We are a secular state. How can we stay together, when they say they are an Islamic State and there is no role for anyone else, Gen Rawat said.

Gen Rawat also spoke about the scope of increasing the role of women in the Armed forces and said that areas like information warfare, psychological warfare and role as interpreters in military diplomacy are some of the areas where there will be a bigger role played by women in coming days.

Are you among those facing difficulties logging in to the new HDFC Bank app? The bank has tweeted an apology to its customers.

'While we're working to resolve in on priority, those customers still using the earlier version can continue to do so, whereas those who have moved to the new version and deleted the old one will not be able to use MobileBanking till further notice.

'We request them to use NetBanking, PayZapp, PhoneBanking and Missed-Call Banking for accessing regular banking services,' the bank has said.

The Pakistan Marine Security Agency has apprehended as many as 24 Indian fishermen from from Etcherla Mandal, a coastal village, of Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh, off the Gujarat coast.

Of the 24, eight fishermen belong to Andhra Pradesh.

As per reports, the fishermen had accidentally entered into Pakistan territorial waters near Gujarat.

To this end, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has taken up this matter with the officials of AP Bhavan in New Delhi and has asked them to coordinate with the ministry of external affairs and ensure the release of the fishermen.

Every year, fishermen from coastal Andhra go to Gujarat in September and return in March.

The day-long buzz that Tej Pratap Yadav has scrapped his plan to divorce his wife of six months proved baseless on Thursday, as the elder son of veteran Bihar leader Lalu Yadav told a family court in Patna that he stands by the decision to part company with her.

The court has asked his wife, Aishwarya Rai, to appear before it on January 8.

The former Bihar minister who also dabbles in films has claimed that he and his wife are incompatible. "I'm North Pole and she's South Pole... I'm a simple man with simple habits, while she is a modern woman, educated in Delhi and used to life in a metro," he had told reporters.

Rai -- the daughter of six-time RJD lawmaker Chandrika Rai and granddaughter of former Bihar Chief Minister Daroga Rai - has studied history in Delhi University.

Barely six months after the wedding, Tej Pratap Yadav told the media that he had been forced into the wedding and felt "stifled".

The Kerala government has received a bill of over Rs 33 crore to be paid to the Controller of Defence Accounts, and this includes the airlift services provided by the Indian Air Force during the massive deluge in August this year.

The letter which has been sent to the state government by the Air Headquarters in New Delhi includes a sum of Rs 2,03,15,000 for the airlift services provided to the state government of Kerala by the Indian Air Force.

"This bill should be seen as been sent by the central government. We in the recent past have also written to central government, stating that we were expecting the ration including the extra quota of rice and kerosene as free of charge, given as assistance during the floods. But we've not received any response to even that," Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the media.

Kerala had sought assistance of Rs 5,616 crore through two memorandums. And Rs 2,000 crore as emergency fund. But, the Centre has allocated only Rs 600 crore as emergency fund, the chief minister wrote.

Over 3,500 personnel will be deployed today when farmers who have converged in the national capital from across the country for a two-day protest begin their march from the Ramlila Maidan to Parliament, police said.

According to a senior police officer, special arrangements have been made in Central and New Delhi police districts.

As many as 850 police personnel, up to the rank of sub-inspectors, will be deployed in the Central district. They will be augmented by the presence of 12 police companies, including two of women, comprising 75-80 personnel each, he said.

He added that 95 officers from the rank of inspectors up to additional deputy commissioners of police will also be on the ground to monitor the situation.

In the New Delhi district, 346 police personnel, up to the rank of sub-inspectors, will be deployed, while 600 personnel from other districts will also help them, the official said.

Nine police companies, along with 71 officers, from the rank of inspectors up to additional DCPs, will also be present at the spot.

"In addition, special reserves have been kept at important police stations. Arrangements will be supervised by the two special commissioners of police (Law and Order) and the joint commissioner of police of all the ranges," the officer said.

There will be a rope on both the sides of the marching farmers with the police walking on the other side of the rope to ensure traffic is not affected, police said, adding that they will ensure minimum inconvenience is caused to commuters.

Banded under the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee, which claims to be an umbrella body of 207 organisations of farmers and agricultural workers, many of the farmers have come in trains and others packed into buses and other modes of transport.

They have arrived from different corners of the country, including Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.

The march to Jantar Mantar will start from 9 am. The route of the march will be via Guru Nanak Chowk Ranjit Singh Flyover- Tolstoy Marg, police said.

08:36 Yoga connecting India, Argentina: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said yoga is bridging the vast distance between Argentina and India, and connecting their people.

Addressing participants at a yoga event, he said the practice is India's gift to the world for health and peace.

"I arrived here just a few hours ago after travelling over 15,000 kilometres in more than 24 hours. And because of your love and enthusiasm, I did not feel at all that I am outside India," the prime minister said in Hindi.

Praising the organisers of the "Yoga for Peace" event, he said it's hard to think of a better name. "Yoga keeps both your body and mind healthy. It strengthens your body and keeps your mind at peace," he said.

The prime minister said if the mind is at peace, there would be peace in family, society, country and the world as well.

"Yoga is India's gift to the world for health, wellness and peace. It connects us with wellness and happiness.

"Yoga is bridging the vast distance between India and Argentina. It is connecting the two countries and their people," Prime Minister Modi said.

-- PTI

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will miss the opening of the G20 summit in Argentina after her plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Cologne on Thursday due to a technical problem, her spokeswoman said.

"We will not be proceeding today," she was quoted as saying.

According to tweets by German journalists on board the Airbus A340, named Konrad Adenauer after Germany's first post-war chancellor, Merkel will leave for Madrid on Friday and head on a commercial flight for Buenos Aires with a slimmed down delegation.

The Chancellery did not confirm these reports.

A senior journalist with the public national television ZDF said Merkel would spend Thursday night in Bonn.

The plane turned back from the Netherlands and landed in Cologne because it was the only base with a replacement aircraft, the DPA news agency said.

It was met on the tarmac by fire engines, DPA said, adding that the captain told the passengers the plane would have to turn back as a technical problem was disrupting several electrical systems.

07:56 Prithvi Shaw injured, taken to hospital

Prithvi Shaw has been taken to hospital for scans after he hurt his ankle while taking a catch in the game against a Cricket Australia XI on Friday morning.

Prithvi was taken off the ground in a cart and reportedly looked in considerable pain.

"The medical team is assessing Prithvi Shaw at the moment," the BCCI tweeted. "He hurt his left ankle while attempting to take a catch at the boundary ropes. Shaw is being taken to the hospital for scans."

No government can survive without the support of farmers, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda said Thursday, assuring the agitating peasants in New Delhi that he stood by them in their struggle.

Thousands of farmers from across the country converged Thursday at the historic Ramlila Ground after journeys that took some as long as 36 hours to complete to press for their demands, including debt relief and remunerative prices for their produce.

Addressing the massive gathering of farmers, Gowda said, he understood their pain and problems as, "I, myself am a son of a farmer."

"I have come to assure you (farmers) that we stand with you in this hour of struggle. I understand your pains and as a prime minister truer to do whatever I could for farmers," he said.

Later, interacting with reporters at the Ramlila Maidan, he asked the Union government to listen to the demands of farmers.

"No government can survive without (the support of) farmers. The Union government must listen to their demands. The farmers of this country has awakened and they cannot be fooled," Gowda said.

The historic ground, known for hosting big political events over the years, resonated with slogans like 'Ayodhya nahi, karz maafi chahiye' earlier in the day.

They are spending the night at the ground before marching to Parliament on Friday to put forward their demands. -- PTI

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