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Fri, 31 May 2019
Modi to visit Sri Lanka in early June: Sirisena
Timeline Refresh
23:28 Rafale replica erected outside IAF chief's residence
A replica of the Rafale fighter jet has been erected outside Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa's official residence which is situated opposite the Congress party's headquarters.
Earlier, a model of a Sukhoi Su-30 was set up at the same place, but that was replaced by a Rafale fighter jet a few weeks ago, official sources said.
The Congress has been alleging massive irregularities in the Rafale deal and has been targeting the government over selection of the Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Defence as an offset partner for Dassault Aviation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the procurement of a batch of 36 Rafale jets after talks with the then French President Francois Hollande on April 10, 2015, in Paris.
The final deal, worth Rs 56,000 crore, was sealed on September 23, 2016.
The government has rejected the allegations by the Congress and other opposition parties.
The first Rafale aircraft is scheduled to be delivered in September. Weeks after India's Balakot strikes, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa had said India could have achieved better results if the country had Rafale jets.
The first Rafale jet expected to be handed over to the Indian Air Force in September this year. -- PTI
23:14 Will all those like me who took on BJP be killed? Asks Hardik
Congress leader Hardik Patel on Friday congratulated Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah on becoming Union home minister, but also wondered what will be the fate of people like him who 'fought against' the saffron party.
Shah was inducted in the second Narendra Modi government at the centre Thursday after winning his maiden Lok Sabha election from Gandhinagar.
"I extend warm wishes to Shri Amit Shahji for becoming the home minister. But, some bhakts (a term often used for supporters of the BJP or prime minister Narendra Modi) have messaged me today 'What will happen to you now Hardik'.
'It means that bhakts are very happy after Amit Shah became home minister. Whether youths like me who fought against the BJP will be killed? God's wish will be final,' Patel, who led the Patidar quota agitation in Gujarat four years ago, tweeted.
The young Patidar leader had campaigned extensively for the Congress during the Lok Sabha election.
During the agitation for inclusion of the Patidar community in OBC category, Patel had often targeted Shah,alleging that the BJP government in the state treated the agitators harshly at Shah's behest. -- PTI
22:57 Temperature breaks 75-year record for May in Sri Ganganagar, nears 50C
The maximum temperature touched 49.6 degrees Celsius on Friday in Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan, breaking a 75-year record for the month of May, a meteorological department official said in Jaipur.
It was the second consecutive day when the maximum temperature in Sri Ganganagar touched 48 degrees Celsius or more.
The highest temperature recorded in this month in Sri Ganganagar until now was 49.4 degrees Celsius on May 30, 1944.
The all-time highest temperature recorded in the city was 50 degrees Celsius on June 14, 1934, the weather department official added.
The day temperature witnessed an upward trend in all major cities of the desert state on Friday, the official said.
Churu recorded a maximum of 48.5 degree Celsius followed by 46.6 in Bikaner, 46.5 in Jaisalmer, 44.7 in Jodhpur, 44.6 in Kota, 44.5 each in Ajmer and Barmer, 44.2 in Jaipur and 42.2 in Dabok.
However, Barmer and Kota received respite from the summer heat briefly with a rainfall of 2.4 mm and 0.2 mm, respectively.
The weather office has warned that the severe heat wave condition will persist in western Rajasthan and at some places in the eastern part of the state during the next 48 hours. -- PTI
22:55 Modi to visit Sri Lanka in early June: Sirisena
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to travel to Colombo on June 9, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena said on Friday.
Sirisena, who was in New Delhi to attend Modi's swearing-in ceremony, told reporters that Sri Lanka was eagerly waiting to welcome the Indian leader.
The Sri Lankan President said he has received information that Modi will be travelling to Colombo on June 9 on his return from Maldives.
Srisena said it will be a great honour for his government and people of the island nation to receive Modi as it will further strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries particularly in areas of trade and commerce.
Modi held a bilateral meeting with Sirisena on Friday during which both the leaders noted that terrorism and extremism continue to pose a threat to humanity.
They also expressed commitment for closer bilateral cooperation for peace and security in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region, the External Affairs Ministry said.
Sri Lanka was hit by a wave of bombings last month in which over 250 people were killed.
"Modi warmly thanked President Sirisena for his gesture of attending the ceremony and also for his good wishes. He conveyed his government's continued commitment to further foster friendly bilateral ties with Sri Lanka," the MEA said.
Modi is expected to travel to the Maldives between June 7-8 which will be his first bilateral visit after becoming PM for a second term. However, there is no official word on it so far.
Bhutan was the first country Modi had visited in 2014 after becoming prime minister. -- PTI
22:24 Defence secy Sanjay Mitra gets three-month extension
Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra was on Friday given a three-month extension in service, according to an order issued by the Personnel Ministry.
Mitra, a 1982-batch Indian Administrative Services officer of the West Bengal cadre, took over as the defence secretary on May 24, 2017, for a two-year term.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the extension to Mitra up to August 23, 2019, the order said.
Mitra was earlier secretary in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and had also been chief secretary of West Bengal.
Rajnath Singh was Friday announced as the defence minister. -- PTI
21:43 Rahul to visit Wayanad on June 7-8
Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be on a two-day visit to Wayanad, his new Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala, from June 7 to 8.
His Twitter account for Wayanad announced on Friday, 'Congress president and newly elected Member of Parliament from Wayanad, Shri Rahul Gandhi will be in the constituency on 7th and 8th of June to thank the people for their love and support.'
Gandhi, who contested from two Lok Sabha constituencies this election, won from Wayanad but lost his traditional Amethi seat to Smriti Irani of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
This is the first visit of Gandhi to his constituency after winning the Lok Sabha seat. -- PTI
20:51 Surat blaze: Two fire officers held for 'negligence'
A week after 22 students were killed in a devastating fire at a coaching centre in Surat, two officers of the Surat fire department, who had been suspended following the incident, were arrested on the charge of criminal negligence, police said on Friday.
The arrest was made by the Surat crime branch on Thursday night.
According to police, the two officers did not conduct fire safety audit of the four-storey Takshashila Arcade in Sarthana area in the city, where the blaze erupted.
Deputy chief fire officer S K Acharya, 54, and fire officer of East Zone Kirti Mod, 40, were arrested Thursday night, a release by the crime branch said.
Both the officers had been suspended by the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) after the incident.
The crime branch said that all the fire officers of Surat city had been instructed by the SMC authorities to conduct fire safety audit of all the commercial buildings in their respective areas, during a meeting convened on January 31 this year.
"However, both the accused showed lax attitude and did not follow the instructions. This complex was also supposed to be checked by them. But, it was not checked.
"We have arrested both the suspended officials for showing criminal negligence in discharging their duties," the release said.
With their arrest, the total number of persons held in the case so far has gone up to five.
The crime branch had earlier arrested the owner of the coaching institute, Bhargav Butani, and two builders -- Harshul Vekaria and Jignesh Paghdal.
An FIR against them was lodged at Sarthana police station. Investigation into the case was later handed over to the Surat crime branch.
The probe conducted so far has revealed that the presence of inflammable materials, including flex banners and tyres, on the fourth floor of the complex, contributed to the spread of fire very quickly, which killed 22 teenage students, including 18 girls, on May 24. -- PTI
20:13 Guj traffic cop seen abusing PM in video, suspended
A traffic police constable was suspended in Surat on Friday after a video purportedly showing him abusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi went viral on social media.
Constable Kiritsinh Rathod was heard saying in the video that his job was to 'rob the government, especially Modi'.
He was also heard using abusive language for the PM.
"We have taken a serious note of the video and suspended him," said Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic, Sudhir Desai.
From the video, it appears that Rathod engaged in a banter with a traffic offender who asked him to resign if he was not enjoying his job.
In reply, Rathod, while writing a fine receipt, said he had joined the police force to 'rob the government, especially Modi', and followed it up with swear-words.
The person accompanying the traffic offender apparently shot the video on mobile phone, which later went viral on social media. -- PTI
20:08 Union Budget to be presented on July 5
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar saya that Union Budget will be presented on July 5.
More details awaited. -- ANI
19:24 Budget Session of Parliament from June 17
Parliament session for budget to be held from June 17 to July 26, ANI reports quoting sources.
Election for Speaker will be on June 19.
More details awaited.
19:22 Pradhan to become longest-serving oil minister
Ujjwala-man Dharmendra Pradhan is set to become India's longest-serving Oil Minister as he set out for a second stint, during which his priorities he said will be to raise domestic oil and gas production, expedite creation of national gas grid and create common market-friendly infrastructure.
Pradhan is the only oil minister after Atal Bihari Vajpayee government's Ram Naik to have completed full five-year term.
But unlike Naik, he has been reassigned the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, which he had made a common household name through the free LPG cooking gas connection scheme Ujjwala in the first stint.
Late Murli Deora too had a five-year stint -- from January 2006 to January 2011, as the oil minister but it was split over two governments, both led by the United Progressive Alliance.
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi reposing faith in him again, Pradhan is set to break the records of Naik and Deora to be the longest-serving Oil Minister of the country.
Hailing from Odisha, where his almost weekly visits and thousands of public meetings helped create a groundswell for the BJP in the state, he paid obeisance at Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri in the morning before coming to the national capital to take charge as the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
In Modi 2.0 government, he has also been given additional charge of Ministry of Steel.
He took charge of that ministry as well. -- PTI
18:31 Anupriya was unhappy with MoS rank: Sources
The omission of Apna Dal-S leader Anupriya Patel from the Union ministry has come as a disappointment for supporters, with some leaders suggesting that she declined an offer to be a minister of state.
District unit president of the Apna Dal-S Ramakant Patel said, "We were expecting that Anupriya, who was an MoS in the previous ministry, will be elevated to cabinet position and were not aware of her omission from the list till the last minute."
"She had received a phone call and was told to prepare herself for the swearing in ceremony. But I feel that she did not agree for a minister of state rank," a party insider said, requesting anonymity.
"In the initial rounds, there were talks about her elevation, hence she might have declined the offer," the party leader said, adding she should have been offered at least the rank of minister of state with independent charge.
When contacted, senior party leader and MLC Ashish Singh Patel said it was up to the prime minister to choose his team.
"We are with the NDA... It is the prerogative of the prime minister who will join his team," he said, when asked about his party not being accommodated in the Modi 2.0 regime.
Apna Dal-S leaders cite senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Rajnath Singh's promise of a better deal for Anupriya at a public meeting in Mirzapur during campaigning.
They say that the results in her favour had raised her supporters' expectations.
Supporters of Anupriya, who is in Delhi, feel that she might be accommodated in the government later, like the last time, when she was appointed minister of state two years after Modi became the prime minister.
Even local BJP leaders say that the AD-S is likely to be included in the government whenever the ministry is expanded at a later stage. -- PTI
District unit president of the Apna Dal-S Ramakant Patel said, "We were expecting that Anupriya, who was an MoS in the previous ministry, will be elevated to cabinet position and were not aware of her omission from the list till the last minute."
"She had received a phone call and was told to prepare herself for the swearing in ceremony. But I feel that she did not agree for a minister of state rank," a party insider said, requesting anonymity.
"In the initial rounds, there were talks about her elevation, hence she might have declined the offer," the party leader said, adding she should have been offered at least the rank of minister of state with independent charge.
When contacted, senior party leader and MLC Ashish Singh Patel said it was up to the prime minister to choose his team.
"We are with the NDA... It is the prerogative of the prime minister who will join his team," he said, when asked about his party not being accommodated in the Modi 2.0 regime.
Apna Dal-S leaders cite senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Rajnath Singh's promise of a better deal for Anupriya at a public meeting in Mirzapur during campaigning.
They say that the results in her favour had raised her supporters' expectations.
Supporters of Anupriya, who is in Delhi, feel that she might be accommodated in the government later, like the last time, when she was appointed minister of state two years after Modi became the prime minister.
Even local BJP leaders say that the AD-S is likely to be included in the government whenever the ministry is expanded at a later stage. -- PTI
18:05 GDP growth slows to 5-yr low at 5.8%
India's economic growth rate slowed to five-year low of 5.8 per cent in January-March 2018-19, due to poor performance in agriculture and manufacturing sectors, official data released Friday said.
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) also revealed that GDP growth during 2018-19 fiscal stood at 6.8 per cent, lower than 7.2 per cent in the previous financial year.
The growth in gross domestic product was slowest since 2014-15. The previous low was 6.4 per cent in 2013-14. The fourth quarter growth was below China's 6.4 per cent, reports PTI.
Union finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will have to hit the ground running.
17:50 PM makes changes in National Defence Fund
First decision of PM Narendra Modi on assuming his office is approval to a major change in the 'Prime Minister's Scholarship Scheme' under the National Defence Fund. Modi has approved the following changes: Rates of scholarship have been increased from Rs 2000 per month to Rs. 2500 per month for boys and from Rs 2250 per month to Rs 3000 per month for girl.
The ambit of the scholarship scheme is extended to the wards of State Police officials who are/were martyred during terror/Naxal attacks. The quota of new scholarships for wards of state police officials will be 500 in a year.
17:34
Lots to smile about for giant killer Smriti Irani and Shiv Sena's Arvind Sawant as they head to the Cabinet meeting.
17:31
Defence minister Rajnath Singh arrives for the meeting.
17:30
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and MoS PMO Dr Jitendra Singh arrive the Cabinet meeting.
17:25 PM, Shah, ministers arrive for Cabinet meeting
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives for the Union Cabinet meeting. Amit Shah arrived just ahead along with Union Ministers Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Dharmendra Pradhan, and Giriraj Singh.
17:16 Amit Shah arrives for Union Cabinet meeting
Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrives for the Cabinet meeting. The portfolios of the 57 ministers -- 24 of cabinet rank, 9 of independent minister of state rank and 24 ministers of state -- were announced today.
On Thursday, President Ram Nath Kovind administered oath of office and secrecy to PM Modi and his Cabinet colleagues.
There were 26 new faces in the council of ministers, including Amit Shah, who is the president of the BJP, and former foreign secretary S. Jaishankar. The council of ministers also included six women -- three of whom were sworn in as cabinet ministers.
16:56 GoAir employee wishes mother on birthday, then kills self
A 19-year-old employee of private carrier GoAir here has allegedly committed suicide, a step he took after wishing his mother on her birthday, police said Friday.
The deceased, Manthan Mahendra Chavan, was part of the Mumbai-headquartered budget airline's ground staff at the Nagpur airport, they said. He ended his life Thursday afternoon at residence here after wishing his mother, a policewoman, on her birthday by writing the message on a piece of paper, they said.
According to the police, Chavan, who worked as a trainee ramp officer, hanged himself from an iron rod of a ventilator at his home in Chandramani Nagar under the Ajni police station area at around 2.45 pm.
Chavan's father told the police its not clear why his son committed suicide, but he may have taken the extreme step due to work stress, police sub-inspector (Ajni) Kailash Magar said.
The deceased was on leave as he was down with jaundice for the last nearly two weeks, Magar said, quoting his father. "No suicide note was found at the spot, from where a piece of paper was recovered with the message, `Happy birthday mummy - I am sorry'. It was Manthan's mother's birthday yesterday," he said. The Ajni police have registered a case of accidental death. -- PTI
16:37 Sealed with a hug
This heartwarming picture of Admiral Karambir Singh as he took over as Navy chief today -- a hug from his mother -- who said she had brought up her son to be disciplined. Singh replaces Admiral Sunil Lanba.
16:24 Why Nitish refused ministerial berth for JD-U
The JD(U), BJP's crucial ally in Bihar, on Friday ruled out joining the Modi government at the Centre, notwithstanding Amit Shah's telephonic call to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar this morning in a bid to persuade the party to reconsider its decision.
Kumar, who is also the JD(U) chief, made it clear that his does not want to join the new Cabinet just for the sake of "symbolic" representation but would fully support the government from outside.
The BJP has full majority on its own and there should be no worry about JD(U)'s support, he added.
"This morning the BJP President called me and I told him that I have already communicated my decision to Bhupendraji (Bhupendra Yadav, BJP General Secretary) yesterday itself" he told reporters as having told Shah.
JD(U) refused to accept one ministerial berth for each ally as proposed by the BJP and declined to join the government. Other allies like LJSP headed by Ram Vilas Paswan, Akali Dal, Shiv Sena and RPI(A) joined the new Cabinet yesterday.
"We communicated our decision to them in the day. Then in the night BJP's general secretary in-charge came to me. We have communicated our decision in the day but they came in the night again.
"We have decided, We are together. Our alliance is for Bihar's development. We do not wish for symbolic representation," Kumar said referring to Yadav's meeting with him last night after the swearing in.
He said if at all necessary for JD(U)'s participation then it should be on the basis of "proportion" in Bihar, suggesting the party should get more ministerial berths.However, when pressed for the number of ministerial berths the party was interested in, the chief minister said the issue has not yet come to that stage.
"We only said one is not alright. There should be proportional representation. What that proportion is, we have not come to that stage."
Referring to the discussions with the BJP on joining the government, Kumar said, "After the NDA meeting in Parliament (last Saturday), BJP president Amit Shah asked me to come on May 30.
In the meeting, he said that an MP from each NDA ally would be inducted into the cabinet. They want to give symbolic representation to each NDA ally. I have said that it is not needed," Kumar told reporters.
16:16
Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar takes charge as Minister of External Affairs.
16:11 Naqvi takes charge
Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi takes charge as the Union Minister for Minority Affairs, in New Delhi.
16:01 Tagore on jingoism
A little over a century ago, a man who had been born in a British colony, and who would die in it, pronounced this judgement, "The idea of the Nation is one of the most powerful anaesthetics that man has invented. Under the influence of its fumes the whole people can carry out its systematic programme of the most virulent self-seeking without being in the least aware of its moral perversion, -- in fact feeling dangerously resentful if it is pointed out."
He made this statement in the United States of America right in the middle of what would later be labelled the First World War. The man was, of course, Rabindranath Tagore, and this is one of several prescient pronouncements he made as he toured Japan (picture) and the US in 1916, comprehensively critiquing the canker of nationalism even as the world seemed intent on destroying itself at the altar of jingoistic patriotism.
Read the column here.
15:48 Two militants, over-ground worker killed in encounter in J-K's Shopian
Two militants and an over-ground worker were Friday killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district, police said.
The security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Dragad Sugan area of south Kashmir following specific information about the presence of militants there, a police official said.
He said as the forces were conducting searches, the militants fired at them, triggering an encounter in which two militants and their "active associate" were killed.
The official said one of the militants is believed to be Saju Magrey of the Hizbul Mujahideen. Magrey was involved in a series of terror crimes, including IED incidents, he said.
The identities of the other militant and the OGW are being ascertained, the official said. He said arms and ammunition have been recovered from the site of the encounter. -- PTI
15:42 On flight to Mumbai look who Asha Bhonsle met
On the flight back to Mumbai from Delhi where she attended the Narendra Modi and his cabinet's swearing-in ceremony, Asha Bhonsle bumped into Jeetandra and tweeted this picture saying, "Pleasure to meet Jeetendraji after many years on the Delhi to Mumbai flight."
15:34 Finance minister assumes office
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman takes charge. To her left is Anurag Thakur, MoS Finance.
15:21 That is why she won: Asha Bhonsle praises Smriti
Fulsome praise for BJP minister Smriti Irani from an unexpected source -- veteran singer Asha Bhonsle.
Bhonsle tweeted a picture with Irani, who is now the Women and Child Development minister in Narendra Modi's Cabinet, sayig, "Irani won because she cares."
Asha Bhonsle, was one of 8000 people who attended Prime Minster Narendra Modi's oath ceremony on Thursday. Sharing her experience of the day, Bhonsle said she was stranded in the aftermath of the ceremony and it was Irani who offered to help. "I was stranded in the crazy rush post PM oath ceremony. No one offered to help me except @smritiirani who saw my plight & made sure I reached home safely. She cares & that's why she won."
Smriti Irani was one of 57 cabinet ministers who took oath with PM Modi.
"I was stranded in the crazy rush post PM oath ceremony. No one offered to help me except @smritiirani who saw my plight & made sure I reached home safely. She cares & that's why she won," Ms Bhonsle tweeted. Ms Irani acknowledged the compliment.
Irani, 43, defeated Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, a Nehru-Gandhi family borough which he had retained since 2004. Congress had never lost the parliamentary seat in three decades except 1998.
14:55 Jal Shakti ministry: Modi keeps his promise
In the portfolio allocation, which was announced on Friday, a new ministry, Jal Shakti, has been introduced, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's poll promise of providing safe drinking water to people.
Member of Parliament from Jodhpur, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who defeated the son of Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, will head the Jal Shakti Ministry.
It has been created by reorganising the earlier Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, which was held by Nitin Gadkari in the previous government.
Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has also been added to it.
During an election rally in Tamil Nadu, Modi last month had assured that if voted back to power, his government would ensure the establishment of a separate Jal Shakti Ministry.
"After May 23, when the Modi Government will once again assume office, there will be a separate Ministry for Jal Shakti. This Ministry will cater to many aspects relating to water," Prime Minister Modi had said.
"The NDA govt had devoted a lot of attention to Water resources. There will be a separate ministry for Jal Shakti to ensure clean water and top class irrigation water facilities for the farmers," he added.
BJP's manifesto had also promised to set up a unified Ministry of Water to end the water woes in the country.
14:41 Nirmala effect: Sensex slips 200 points
Domestic equity benchmarks gave up early gains, with the BSE Sensex dropping over 200 points and the NSE Nifty slipping below the 11,900 mark in afternoon session tracking losses in power, metal and financial stocks. Market turned volatile as the government announced the portfolios for new cabinet ministers, traders said.
Amit Shah has been named the new Home minister, Rajnath Singh the new Defence minister and Nirmala Sitharaman the new Finance minister. The 30-share index was trading 228.36 points, or 0.57 per cent, lower at 39,603.61.
In a similar movement, the broader NSE Nifty was down 64.65 points, or 0.54 per cent, at 11,881.25. Top losers in the Sensex pack include, Vedanta, Yes Bank, Tata Motors, ITC, M&M, NTPC, Kotak Bank, Tata Steel, Hero MotoCorp and SBI, falling up to 3 per cent.
14:34 Jaishankar 1st career diplomat to be EAM
Former foreign secretary S Jaishankar was given charge of the External Affairs ministry on Friday, the first career diplomat to handle the key portfolio. Considered an expert on China and the US, the new External Affairs minister's moves will be keenly watched to see whether he brings any changes in India's approach in dealing with a hostile Pakistan. Jaishankar, who takes charge of the ministry nearly 16 months after he retired as foreign secretary, will also have to deal with overall expectations of expanding India's global influence and stature, particularly in key multilateral forums like G-20, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and BRICS.
However, a major focus of the ministry under his leadership is likely to be on further boosting India's trade and defence ties with the US, Russia, France, Japan and the European Union as well as with the countries of the neighbourhood.
Another challenge for him will be to further strengthen India's ties with China, badly hit by the Doklam standoff in mid 2017. The 64-year-old -- who is not a member of either the Rajya Sabha or the Lok Sabha at this point -- is also likely to push for deepening cooperation with the African continent where China is fast expanding its influence and presence.
Getting the long-awaited membership of the UN Security Council and Nuclear Suppliers Group is expected to be another area of interests of the new government. India has also been trying enhance ties with the Gulf region as well as the hydrocarbon rich Central Asia, and Jaishankar is set to ensure continuity on it.
Jaishankar, son of the late K Subrahmanyam, one of India's leading strategic analysts, was a key member of the Indian team which negotiated the landmark Indo-US nuclear deal.
The deal, initiated in 2005, took several years to craft, and was signed by the UPA government headed by Manmohan Singh in 2007. Jaishankar's appointment as foreign secretary in January 2015 evoked a sharp reaction from various quarters over the timing of the government's decision to remove Sujatha Singh. He had earlier served as India's Ambassador to the US and before that to China. -- PTI
14:31 Piyush Goyal thanks family
Piyush Goyal who retains the railway ministry tweets his wife's Facebook post from yesterday: "My wife Seema wrote today, "30th May 2019, what a day for my family , DAUGHTER and FATHER, both graduate in their respective fields, one graduates from Harvard, one becomes a Cabinet Minister, 2nd time, one in Boston, one in New Delhi ...CAN'T THANK GOD ENOUGH..."
"Once again congratulations to Radhika for successfully starting another chapter in her life. I am blessed to have the support of my family in this journey and thank them from the bottom of my heart."
14:24 Who gets what
Piyush Goyal, who was presented the interim budget earlier this year and was expected to take over from Arun Jaitley, has been given the Commerce and Industry ministry in addition to his old charge of Railways.
However, the Coal ministry has been taken away from him and given to Pralhad Joshi, a new entrant in Modi Government. Joshi will also be the minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Mines.
Ravi Shankar Prasad will continue as minister of Law and Information Technology. He also gets Telecom, a portfolio he commanded in the first half of Modi 1.0 government.
A new Ministry of Jal Shakti has been created and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will be its minister.
Ujjwala-man Dharmendra Pradhan retains his Petroleum portfolio and has also been given charge of the Steel ministry.
Former Uttarkhand chief minister Ramesh Pokhariyal 'Nishank' is the new Human Resource Development minister while Bihar ally and Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswam remains Consumer Affairs minister. The Agriculture ministry has been allocated to Narendra Singh Tomar who also gets the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj portfolio. Prakash Javadekar has been given the ministries of Information and Broadcasting as well as Environment.
DV Sadananda Gowda will be the minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers and Narendra Singh Tomar will be the new minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal continues to be the minister of Food Processing Industries, Thawar Chand Gehlot will be new minister of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Former diplomat Hardeep Puri will be new minister of state with Independent charge of Civil Aviation while former IAS bureaucrat R K Singh will retain the ministries of Power and Renewable Energy in the same capacity.
Eight-term BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh Santosh Kumar Gangwar will be MoS with Independent charge for Labour and Employment. The BJP capped a massive mandate by winning a total of 303 seats while the NDA has 353 MPs in the recently elected 17th Lok Sabha. -- PTI
13:54 Nirmala is India's 1st woman FM since Indira
Nirmala Sitharaman makes history by being the first woman to hold the portfolio of finance in India. Former PM Indira Gandhi had also held the finance portfolio, but Sitharaman is a full-time finance minister.
She has risen from the ranks of the BJP and was the Defence minister in the last term, again a record of sorts, since she was the first woman defence minister of India.
Again, Indira Gandhi had held the portfolio, but Sitharaman was a full-time defence minister.
Sitharaman has served as Member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Parliament, since 2016. In 2003, during Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure, she became a member of National Women for Commission and served on the position till 2005. Sitharaman had joined the BJP in 2006, when Nitin Gadkari was the party chief, and she became the national spokesperson of the party.
13:25 Rijiju gets Sports (Mos, Independent charge)
Here's the list of ministers of state (Independent charge).
13:23 Modi holds other portfolios
PM Narendra Modi also the in-charge of Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space and all important policy issues and all other portfolios not allocated to any Minister.
13:23 Giriraj Singh gets animal husbandry
Two more ministers announced: Shiv Sena's Arvind Sawant gets ministry of heavy industries and public enterprise. Giriraj Singh gets animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries.
13:22 Smriti gets Maneka's ministry, retains textiles
To bring you up to speed, 21 of the 58 ministries have just been announced.
BJP President Amit Shah will be the new Home Minister in the Narendra Modi government while Rajnath Singh will be the new Defence Minister and Nirmala Sitharaman the Finance Minister.Former foreign secretary S Jaishankar will be the new External Affairs Minister while Smriti Irani has been given charge of Women and Child Development Ministry in addition to Ministry of Textiles she already had in the earlier government.
Under the portfolios officially released today, Piyush Goyal gets to retain the Railways portfolio and has also been given Commerce and Industry which was held by Suresh Prabhu, who has been dropped.
Prakash Javadekar, who was the Human Resource Development minister, gets to retain the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and will be the new Minister of Information and Broadcasting.
13:13 Smriti gets Maneka's ministry, retains textiles
To bring you up to speed, 21 of the 58 ministries (except the PM) have just been announced.
BJP President Amit Shah will be the new Home Minister in the Narendra Modi government while Rajnath Singh will be the new Defence Minister and Nirmala Sitharaman the Finance Minister.Former foreign secretary S Jaishankar will be the new External Affairs Minister while Smriti Irani has been given charge of Women and Child Development Ministry in addition to Ministry of Textiles she already had in the earlier government.
Under the portfolios officially released today, Piyush Goyal gets to retain the Railways portfolio and has also been given Commerce and Industry which was held by Suresh Prabhu, who has been dropped.
Prakash Javadekar, who was the Human Resource Development minister, gets to retain the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and will be the new Minister of Information and Broadcasting.
13:02 Portfolios announced
Some of the important portfolios have just been announced. Please click on the image to enlarge.
12:59 Rajnath: Defence, Amit Shah: Home, Nirmala: Fin
Portfolios in the new Narendra Modi cabinet have just been announced.
Rajnath Singh appointed as the new Defence Minister,
Amit Shah will be Home Minister,
S Jaishankar is External Affairs Minister,
Nirmala Sitharaman is the finance minister.
Updates shortly.
12:49 From admiral to another
Admiral Karambir Singh takes over as the chief of the Naval staff. He replaces Admiral Sunil Lanba, who is retiring today.
The resemblance is uncanny.
12:40 Everyone has stake in running govt: BJP minister
Newly-inducted Union Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti on Friday said everyone has a crucial role in BJP and in running the government, a day after key leaders who were part of the earlier Cabinet were dropped.
"It doesn't matter if few old ministers have not been inducted in the new cabinet. Everyone has a stake in running the government. Everyone has a crucial role in taking the party up to this level of success. I will not say that I have done something extraordinary which is why I was inducted in the cabinet again," Jyoti told ANI.
BJP leaders Maneka Gandhi, Suresh Prabhu, JP Nadda, Radha Mohan Singh -- Cabinet ministers in the first Modi government -- have been dropped in the new government that assumed office on Thursday.
Besides the Cabinet ministers, those of minister of state rank -- Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Mahesh Sharma, Jayant Sinha, SS Ahluwalia, Vijay Goel, K Alphons, Ramesh Jigajinagi, Ram Kripal Yadav, Anant Kumar Hegde, Anupriya Patel, Satya Pal Singh -- have also not been included in the Council of Ministers.
12:25
Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Prime Minister of Nepal KP Sharma Oli at Hyderabad House. Both the leaders will hold a bilateral meeting today. He attended PM Modi's swearing-in ceremony yesterday.
12:15 Mamata takes on 'Jai Shri Ram' chanters
Belligerent cries of "Jai Shri Ram' prompted chief minister Mamata Banerjee to step off her vehicle thrice in Bengal on Thursday and admonish the chanters who stood their ground and resumed the chant as she resumed her journey.
Mamata later told her supporters to chant "Jai Hind'.
"On the roads, say 'Jai Hind'. I will say 'Jai Hind, Joy Bangla''. Let people be happy with their own cultures. Cultures should not be imposed on people."
Vowing to "never let Bangla become (violent like) Gujarat', Mamata added: "I repeat, I will never let Bengalis and non-Bengalis to be turned against each other. I love those non-Bengalis who have made Bangla their home. Come forward to fight these criminals who are committing atrocities. Don't sell your self-respect to the BJP."
Read the report here.
12:10 PM Modi, Sri Lankan Pres hold bilateral talks
Holding his first bilateral meeting amongst the five scheduled for Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi.
This comes after the Sri Lankan leader, along with representatives from fellow member-states of BIMSTEC, attended Modi's swearing-in ceremony on Thursday.
Modi sat down with the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Sooronbay Sharipovich Jeenbekov, on Thursday, marking his first bilateral meeting as the Prime Minister for a second term right after the oath-taking ceremony.
After a massive mandate in the elections, Modi took oath as the Prime Minister for a second consecutive term, inducting confidant and BJP President Amit Shah into his Cabinet along with the surprise inclusion of former Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar. While he retained most of his earlier Cabinet ministers, seniors like Suresh Prabhu, Maneka Gandhi and Radha Mohan Singh were dropped.
12:06 Maya to meet BSP netas after poll drubbing
After the recent drubbing in Lok Sabha elections, BSP supremo Mayawati has called for a meeting of party leaders on June 3 to discuss the reasons leading to a dismal performance.
Newly-elected BSP parliamentarians, Lok Sabha elections candidates, zone in-charges and district presidents will take part in the meeting at the party's office in the national capital.
This is the first meeting of the party after the conclusion of national elections.
BSP stitched an alliance with SP and RLD in Uttar Pradesh and contested on 38 parliamentary seats, however, they could only manage to win 10. SP bagged 5, while RLD drew a blank. BJP swept the state by bagging 62 out of the total 80 seats. -- ANI
11:37 BJP panchayat president found dead in Begusarai
A BJP worker was allegedly murdered by unidentified persons, police said on Friday.The deceased was identified as Pankaj Singh, the panchayat president and member of the BJP. The alleged crime occurred in Amror Kirtarpur village in Singhaur police station limits.
"The reason behind the gruesome killing is yet to be known. Prima facie it appears that he was hit with a hammer-like object, however, more clarity on the injuries would be confirmed by the doctors after the post-mortal examination," Manish Kumar Singh, Station House Officer (SHO) of Singhaur Police Station told ANI over the phone.
The incident came to light when the deceased's mother came to wake him up in the morning and found him lying dead in a pool of blood.A case has been registered under the relevant sections of the law and the investigation in the matter is underway. The corpse has been sent for post-mortem.
11:20 HC grants 4 more months time to CBI to complete probe in Asthana case
The Delhi High Court Friday granted four more months to the CBI to complete its probe in a bribery case involving the agency's former special director Rakesh Asthana. Justice Mukta Gupta allowed the CBI's plea seeking extension of time to complete its investigation in the case lodged against Asthana, DSP Devender Kumar and middleman Manoj Prasad.
On January 11, the court had granted 10 weeks to the probe agency to complete its investigation. The CBI had approached the high court after completion of 10 weeks time.
Asthana was booked on the allegations of criminal conspiracy, corruption and criminal misconduct under relevant sections of Prevention of Corruption Act.
Kumar, earlier the investigating officer in a case involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi, was arrested on the allegations of forgery in recording the statement of Hyderabad-based businessman Sathish Babu Sana, who had allegedly paid bribe to get relief in the case. He was arrested on October 22, 2018 and granted bail on October 31. -- PTI
File pic: Rakesh Asthana.
11:15 India-Lanka meet today
A day after the mega swearing-in ceremony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena at Hyderabad House. Both the leaders will hold a bilateral meeting. The Sri Lankan President attended PM Modi's swearing-in ceremony yesterday.
10:51 Sensex reclaims 40K mark in early trade, Nifty above 12K
The benchmark BSE Sensex reclaimed the 40,000 mark, rallying nearly 300 points in early trade Friday led by gains in banking and IT stocks amid positive domestic cues and strong foreign fund inflow.
After hitting a high of 40,119.81, the 30-share index was trading 271.12 points, or 0.68 per cent, higher at 40,103.09.
In similar movement, the broader NSE Nifty crossed the 12,000 level, and was trading 81.20 points, or 0.68 per cent, higher at 12,027.10.
In the previous session on Thursday, the 30-share gauge ended 329.92 points, or 0.84 per cent, higher at 39,831.97 -- its fresh-closing high, while the broader NSE Nifty settled at a new closing peak of 11,945.90, gaining 84.80 points or 0.71 per cent.
Top gainers in the Sensex pack include Asian Paints, Coal India, TCS, ONGC, HCL Tech, L&T, Axis Bank, SBI and IndusInd Bank, rising up to 3 per cent.
10:20 Modi 2.0 to meet today, suspense over portfolios
The first meeting of the new Union Cabinet will take place on Friday at 5:30 pm, a government official said.
The allocation of portfolios will also be done soon.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Council of Ministers were sworn in on Thursday at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The Union Cabinet for the 17th Lok Sabha includes 24 cabinet ministers, nine ministers of state with independent charge and 24 Ministers of State (MoS).
Top leaders who were sworn in as cabinet ministers include Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, DV Sadananda Gowda, Nirmala Sitharaman, Ram Vilas Paswan and former foreign secretary S Jaishankar, a surprise pick.
Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, Nitin Gadkari, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Sadanand Gowda and Representatives of BJP allies--Ram Vilas Paswan (LJSP), Harsimrat Kaur (Akali Dal), Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena) and Ramdas Athawale (RPI-A) who will be a Minister of State (MoS) also took oath.
Some of the key ministers in the previous Modi government, including Sushma Swaraj, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and Maneka Gandhi, are not a part of the new council of ministers, while former finance minister Arun Jaitley opted out of the new cabinet citing health reasons.
10:01 Terrorist killed in J-K, encounter still on
A terrorist was neutralised by security forces in Dragad Sugan area of Shopian district, the police said on Friday.
The identity of the slain terrorist is yet to be ascertained.
The encounter, which broke out in the early hours of Friday, is still underway.
This comes a day after two terrorists were killed in an encounter in Dangerpora area of Sopore district of the state.
Incriminating material including arms and ammunition was recovered from the site of encounter.
09:05 Andhra top cop shunted out as Jagan takes charge as CM
On his first day in office as Andhra Pradesh chief minister, Y S Jaganmohan Reddy on Thursday shunted out state Director General of Police R P Thakur, very much on expected lines.
Damodar Goutam Sawang, Thakur's 1986 batch mate, has been given full additional charge as the new DGP (Head of Police Force) and is eventually expected to take regular charge as the state police chief.
Anti-Corruption Bureau DG A B Venkateswara Rao (1989 batch) has also been removed and asked to report to the General Administration Department.
Both Thakur and Rao were on the "hit list" of the YSR Congress for some time now, as they were perceived to be close to the previous Telugu Desam Party government.
The YSRC, when in opposition, filed many complaints with the ECI and other authorities against the two controversial IPS officers.
Thakur has been posted to the nondescript Printing and Stationery Department as Commissioner. The incumbent there, T A Tripathi, has been asked to report to the GAD, according to an order issued by the Chief Secretary L V Subrahmanyam.
Kumar Viswajeet, currently Additional DG (Intelligence), has been given full additional charge as DG, ACB, as per the Chief Secretary's order.
In another crucial appointment, 1992 batch IAS officer Shamsher Singh Rawat has been made Principal Finance Secretary, a post that had been lying vacant for a long time.
Sending a clear signal that he is serious about bringing in good administration, the chief minister appointed 2000 batch IAS officer Solomon Arokia Raj as his Secretary.
Solomon is seen as an efficient and upright officer.
K Dhananjaya Reddy (2006 batch) has been posted as Additional Secretary to CM.
Reddy is expected to visit the state Secretariat on Friday and continue the bureaucratic rejig, official sources said. -- PTI
09:02 Practice kapalbhati for next 10 years: Ramdev to Oppn
Soon after Narendra Modi took oath as Prime Minister again for a second consecutive term on Thursday, yoga guru Ramdev took a potshot at opposition and said that they should practice 'kapalabhati' for the next 10 to 15 years to control stress.
"Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country will get freedom from economic, conceptual and cultural penury... All the ministers who have taken oath today, including Amit Shah, Piyush Goyal and Nitin Gadkari among others will live up to people's expectations. In the next five years, they will do hard work," Ramdev told ANI.
"I believe that for the next 10 to 15 years, the Opposition leaders need to do a lot of 'kapalabhati' and 'anulom vilom'. Only then they will be able to control their stress," he added.
The 58-member council of ministers were administered the oath of office and secrecy by President Ram Nath Kovind in the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday evening before a gathering of over 6,000 guests that included heads of governments and states, political leaders and captains of the industry, Bollywood and other film celebrities and diplomatic representatives.
08:15 US warns India over S-400 deal with Russia
India's decision to buy the long-range S-400 missile defense system from Russia will have serious implications on defence ties, the Trump administration has warned.
The S-400 is known as Russia's most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defence system. China was the first foreign buyer to seal a government-to-government deal with Russia in 2014 to procure the lethal missile system.
India and Russia signed a USD 5 billion S-400 air defence system deal in October last after wide-ranging talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A Senior State Department Official told a group of reporters on Thursday that New Delhi's decision to buy S-400 air defence system from Moscow was significant, disagreeing with the view that it "isn't a big deal".
The official disagreed with the view that India's buying of S-400 from Russia might not have an impact as long as it increases its military purchase from the US.
"I disagree. The S-400 is significant because of CAATSA sanctions. It's also significant because of what it precludes, in terms of future high-tech cooperation," the official said.
The S-400 missile defence system deal could result in US sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) instituted by the US Congress on arms purchases from Russia.
The official said if India went ahead with its decision to buy the S-400 missile defence system from Russia, it will have serious implications on the defence ties.
The Trump administration has been very clear that the acquisition of advanced Russian technology sends the wrong message to Russia at a time when it continues its aggressions, the official said.
"Those concerns we hold high," said the official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
"You can look at the very serious conversation that's taking place with our NATO partner Turkey and the same concerns will apply should India proceed with an S-400 purchase," the official said.
"We don't commingle highest technology systems. There are threats posed by the purchase of an S-400. So that conversation you're seeing played out in Turkey right now," the official said, asserting that those same concerns would apply to India as well. -- PTI
00:26 Rahul-Pawar meet fuels Cong-NCP merger rumour
The meeting in Delhi Thursday between Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar prompted speculation in Maharashtra political circles about a possible merger of the two parties.
State leaders of both the parties, however, said they were unaware if the issue of merger was discussed during the meeting.
Pawar maintained that he and Gandhi discussed matters pertaining to Maharashtra assembly polls, due later this year, and also the drought situation in the state.
Pawar, along with some other leaders, had walked out of the Congress in 1999 over United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin issue and formed the NCP the same year.
The Congress bagged 52 Lok Sabha seats in the recently held general election.
It is falling short by two seats to claim the post of Leader of Opposition in the Lower House.
The NCP won five Lok Sabha seats, including four from Maharashtra.
Pawar tweeted after his meeting with Gandhi, 'Congress President Mr. @RahulGandhi met up with me today at my residence in Delhi. We discussed matters pertaining to the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha Elections and the drought situation in Maharashtra.'
Asked if a possible merger is being discussed, NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said there is no such discussion within the party on the issue.
Maharashtra Congress president Ashok Chavan, whose party won just one seat in the state in the recent Lok Sabha polls, said, "When leaders of two political parties meet, politics is discussed. If two parties come together, it helps to avoiddivision of votes. But the issue of merger of two parties indifferent. I have no knowledge about it." -- PTI
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