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Mon, 13 July 2020
Raj Cong leader demands floor test in assembly

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23:37   Raj Cong leader demands floor test in assembly
Senior Congress leader Deepender Singh Shekhawat on Monday demanded a floor test in the Rajasthan assembly at the earliest to make it clear as to how many MLAs are in support of Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot.
  
Congress MLAs were holed up on Monday in a resort near Jaipur after a legislature party meeting, where they expressed support for Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and only indirectly referred to Pilot, whose rebellion threatens his government.

Shekhawat clarified that those with Pilot, who is also the Rajasthan Congress chief, do not want to leave the party and are not going to join the BJP, even if "helplessness arises".

"We want a floor test at the earliest, which will make the situation crystal clear. We are with the Congress and Rajasthan Congress president Sachin Pilot," the former Rajasthan assembly speaker said. 

Shekhawat does not hold any ministerial portfolio in the present Congress government.

"I want to clarify that we will not join the BJP and don't want to leave the Congress. Even if helplessness arises, we will not join the BJP," he said

To a question on whether those supporting Pilot were thinking of forming a new party, Shekhawat said, "As of now, we have not thought of anything but we will not go with the BJP. We are just talking about leadership change."

He claimed that nearly 30 legislators were in support of Pilot. 

They can be even more than 30, which will be clear if the floor test is done, Shekhawat said.

He said that people have seen what can happen under political pressure. Legislators were present in the CLP meeting today but they were not there with their heart and soul, Shekhawat claimed.

He said that whether 109 legislators were in support of Gehlot, will be clear in the floor test.

-- PTI
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23:31   Real-time data key to fighting COVID-19: Kant
Amid rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant on Monday said real-time data would be key in fighting coronavirus, as it helps in contact tracing which is essential for preventing further spread of the disease.
 
Speaking at India Policy Forum 2020, organised by NCAER, Kant said government should actively put data in public domain as debate and discussions would help in taking right policy decisions.
"Data on a real-time basis is very critical. We have been working for last year-and-half and our experience is that real time data is really the key.
"In corona times this becomes even more important...My belief is that it will be very difficult to handle COVID-19 without huge amounts of increased testing and without contact tracing," he said.
The Aarogya Setu app developed in Niti Aayog with participation of private sector is being used to detect COVID-19 hotspots and device strategy across the country, he added.

 He said the app was conceptualised and developed with private sector, but the basic intention throughout was use of data science and contact tracing in a big way.
He said a lot of data is also being used in managing reopening of the economy.

-- PTI
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23:10   Rahul's 'Mann Ki Baat' from tomorrow
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said he will share his thoughts with the people through video starting Tuesday as he slammed the alleged "hate filled narrative" being spread through television channels.

He said this "narrative of lies" is tearing India apart and he would bring out the truth of many such reports.

"I want to make our current affairs, history and crisis clear and accessible for those interested in the truth. From tomorrow, I'll be sharing my thoughts with you on video," he said on Twitter on Monday.

"Today a large part of the Indian news media has been captured by fascist interests. A hate filled narrative is being spread by television channels, whatsapp forwards and false news. This narrative of lies is tearing India apart," he said.

Gandhi had also recently opened an account on Telegram Channel to engage with people directly. It is a messaging application where the administrator alone can post messages and views. The channel is a tool to broadcast public messages to a large audience.

In a tweet earlier in the day, Gandhi again took potshots at the government over the Ladakh standoff.
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23:01   Mumbai's COVID-19 doubling rate increases to 50 days
Amid COVID-19 cases surge in the state, Mumbai's doubling rate for COVID-19 positive cases has increased to 50 days while the discharge rate stands at 70 per cent, said Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation chief on Monday.

The city reported 1,174 new cases on Monday and 47 deaths, taking the total case count to 93,894 and fatalities to 5,332, the civic body said.

The number of the recovered cases has gone up by 750 to 65,622 while the number of active cases now stands at 22,939.

A total of 934 new suspected patients have been admitted to hospitals, the civic body said.

Due to various steps taken to contain the spread of the virus, the daily average number of COVID-19 cases has decreased to 1,200 per day from earlier 1,400, it said.

-- PTI
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22:22   All are prepared to listen to Pilot: Singhvi
As the Congress grappled with a crisis in Rajasthan, Abhishek Singhvi reacted to the situation saying that everyone in the Congress values Sachin Pilit and he should come and air his grievances.

Singhvi said, "I consider Sachin Pilot one of the most talented, competent & impressive Congress men we have. He is a friends also. We all value him in the party. He should come & air his grievances, floor is open. All people are prepared to listen to him."

He may have genuine grievances but where I draw a red flag is that if you try to topple a govt or hurt your own Congress party. I think everything except that red flag is accepted in party. It's a capacious party. I urge, request, beg him to exercise that right," added Singhvi. 

The party has announced that another legislative party meeting will take place tomorrow at 10 am and Sachin Pilot has been requested to attend that one as he missed out on today's meet.
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21:57   Varavara Rao shifted to J J Hospital
Poet and activist Varavara Rao, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, has been shifted JJ Hospital just now and tests are on. 

The 80-year-old activist, earlier in the day, had approached the Bombay high court seeking temporary bail owing to his deteriorating medical condition and the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic.

Rao's family had on Sunday sought the jail authorities to provide him with immediate medical condition and claimed that when the veteran activist, who hails from Telangana, contacted them last week he was in a "delirious state and hallucinating".

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21:49   WHO warns that pandemic is worsening globally
The head of the World Health Organization has warned that the COVID-19 pandemic is worsening globally and things won't return to "the old normal" for some time.
  
At a press briefing, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that "there will be no return to the old normal for the foreseeable future." 

Tedros said that while numerous countries, especially in Europe and Asia, have brought outbreaks under control, too many others are seeing virus trends move in the wrong direction.

Tedros also chastised political leaders for mixed messages about outbreaks that damage trust, without referring to any politicians by name.

Tedros called for countries to adopt a comprehensive strategy to curb the soaring caseloads in many countries, noting that about half of all the new cases are now coming from the Americas.

Still, Tedros said there was a roadmap out of the pandemic and that it's never too late to control its spread even in places with explosive transmission.
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21:26   Cong invites Pilot to attend party meet on Tue
Congress leader and spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that another legislative party meeting will take place tomorrow at 10 am.

"We invite Sachin Pilot and those who are with him once again to come for this meeting tomorrow," Surjewala said.

Speaking to the media, Surjewala said, "They're requested to come and discuss how to strengthen Rajasthan and serve the eight crore people together. If there are some differences with someone then they should say that that with an open mind. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are ready to listen to everyone and find a solution."

Meanwhile, there are also reports Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi may visit Jaipur tomorrow. 
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21:12   Do everything to persuade Sachin Pilot: Bishnoi urges Cong
Haryana's Adampur MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi on Monday urged the Congress leadership to do everything possible to persuade Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, saying his exit from the party will deal a severe blow to it.
 The Congress in Rajasthan is witnessing a power tussle between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his deputy Sachin Pilot, upset since he was denied the the chief minister's post after the December 2018 assembly elections.
The current crisis began Friday night when the Rajasthan Police sent a notice to Pilot, asking him to record his statement over an alleged attempt to bring down the government.
The same notice was sent to the chief minister and some other MLAs, but Pilot's supporters claimed that it was only meant to humiliate him.
Commenting on the issue, 51-year-old Bishoni, who is the younger son of former Haryana chief minister Bhajan Lal, also batted for promoting young faces with a  'mass base' to strengthen the party.

Earlier, Bishnoi had described Jyotiraditya Scindia's exit from the party in March as a big blow and said there are many devoted leaders across the country who feel "alienated, wasted and discontented".

-- PTI
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20:43   Won't accept being slaves to Gehlot: Party MLA
Congress MLA and Rajasthan youth Congress president Mukesh Bhakar has hit out at Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in a tweet. "Loyalty in Congress means Ashoka Gehlot's slavery. That is not acceptable to us," Bhaskar tweeted.

Meanwhile, president of Bhartiya Tribal Party has written a letter instructing two of its Rajasthan MLAs to abstain from voting in the floor tests, of and when one takes place. 

Both the MLAs are in Jaipur Hotel in Gehlot camp.

BTP president Maheshbhai Vasava, in the letter, has asked both the MLAs to neither vote in favour of Gehlot nor Sachin Pilot and not even for the BJP. Vasava has instructed his MLAs to remain absent during voting.
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20:41   'Sachin Pilot always in Rahul Gandhi's heart'
As the Congress fights a crisis in Rajasthan where Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot is at loggerheads with his boss Ashok Gehlot, there is no word yet from former Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

But on Monday, Gandhi's office insisted that "He (Sachin Pilot) is always in his heart. And they speak often and directly. They have great respect and affection for each other."

There has been no word on Twitter either from Rahul Gandhi on the Rajasthan crisis. The former Congress president tweeted twice on Monday. The first tweet questioned the government's claim the fight against Covid-19 was going well and the second was about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stand on the face off with China in Ladakh.

Pilot has claimed that the Ashok Gehlot government was in minority and that he had the support of over 30 MLAs in the 200-member assembly.

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19:54   Rajasthan party position
Here's where the Congress and BJP stand in Rajasthan as of now. 
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19:50   Maharashtra crosses 2.6 lakh-mark with 6,500 new Covid-19 cases
Maharashtra today reported 6,497 new coronavirus cases as well as 193 deaths, taking its tally of infections to 2,60,924 and the death toll to 10,482.
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19:28   We have all options open, says Rajasthan BJP
The Congress government in Rajasthan should go as it has lost the confidence of people, the Bharatiya Janata Party said on Monday amid a tussle for power in the ruling party.

Rajasthan Deputy CM Sachin Pilot has declared open rebellion against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and claimed that the government is in minority as he has the support of over 30 MLAs in the 200-member assembly.

Asked about speculations that the BJP may support the Pilot camp from outside, party state president Satish Poonia said that 'we have all options open' and a decision would be taken based on how the situation evolve and as per the directions of the central leadership.

Poonia said that young leaders have always been 'neglected and side-lined' in the Congress.

Pilot had worked for five years to strengthen the Congress but he was neglected, Poonia added.

What is happening in the Congress today is a result of infighting, the BJP leader said.

"The Congress government has lost people's confidence. It should go in public interest. The government failed to keep its promises made to people," Poonia told reporters.

"We have all options open. We will follow the directions of the party high command.... We will follow their directions," he said on what the BJP would do in these circumstances.

On the developments in the ruling party, the state BJP president, who is also an MLA, said that many things were still under a veil and have not come out yet.   -- PTI
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18:59   Varavara Rao moves HC for bail
Poet and activist Varavara Rao, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, on Monday approached the Bombay high court seeking temporary bail owing to his deteriorating medical condition and the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic.

The 80-year-old activist also sought a direction from the court to the prison authorities to produce his medical records. Rao filed two petitions in the HC through his advocate R Satyanarayan Iyer one challenging a June 26 order passed by the special NIA court rejecting his bail plea and the second seeking a direction to the authorities of Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai to produce his medical records.

Rao, who is behind bars for almost two years, has sought temporary bail considering his medical condition and the prevailing COVID-19 situation.

In the second plea, the poet-activist has sought a direction to the Taloja prison, where he is lodged, to produce his medical records post June 2, 2020, when he was discharged from state-run J J Hospital.

The plea has also urged the court to direct the prison authorities to send Rao for medical check-up immediately and submit reports.

The second petition alleges the jail superintendent had not conducted tests on Rao, as suggested by the J J Hospital, and hence action should be initiated against the errant officers of the jail.

Both the pleas are likely to be taken up for urgent hearing this week.

Raos family had on Sunday sought the jail authorities to provide him with immediate medical condition and claimed that when the veteran activist, who hails from Telangana, contacted them last week he was in a 'delirious state and hallucinating'.

Another accused in the case, Anand Teltumbde, on Monday filed an application before the special NIA court in Mumbai seeking to be released on default bail on the ground that the prosecuting agency, NIA, has not filed its chargesheet even after the stipulated 90-day period.

Rao, Teltumbde and eight other activists have been arrested in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist link case which was initially probed by the Pune police and later transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in January this year.

The case related to alleged inflammatory speeches made at the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017, which, the police claimed, triggered violence the next day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial located on the outskirts of the western Maharashtra city.

The police have also claimed the conclave was organised by people with alleged Maoist links.   -- PTI
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18:52   Lt Col moves HC against ban on using social media
A senior rank officer of the Indian Army Monday approached the Delhi high court challenging a recent policy banning armed forces officials from using social networking platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

The petition, likely to come up for hearing on Tuesday, sought the court's direction to the Director General of Military Intelligence to withdraw its June 6 policy to the extent that it orders all the members of the Indian Army to delete their accounts from Facebook and Instagram and 87 other applications.

Lieutenant Colonel P K Choudhary, who is currently posted in Jammu and Kashmir, said in the plea that he is an active user of Facebook and uses the platform to connect with his friends and family as most of them are settled abroad, including his elder daughter.

In the petition, filed through advocates Shivank Pratap Singh and Sanandika Pratap Singh, the officer sought direction to the central government through Ministry of Defence to withdraw its June 6 policy to 'ensure that the fundamental rights of armed forces personnel are not abrogated amended or modified by arbitrary executive action which is not backed by the mandate of law, offends the provisions of the Army Act and Rules made thereunder and is unconstitutional'.

The plea said Choudhary got to know through a July 9 news report about the Army's order requiring him and other personnel to delete Facebook, Instagram and 87 other applications by July 15.

On July 10, he received a letter titled 'Policy On Use Of Social Media Platforms And Mobile Phones In IA' issued by the Director General of Military Intelligence, banning the use of 89 applications and websites and directed deletion the accounts, the plea said, adding that as the policy is classified as restricted, he is not reproducing any part of it here.

The plea claimed that the provisions of the policy violate various fundamental rights of the petitioner under the Constitution including the right to freedom of speech and expression and right to privacy.

It said soldiers serve in remote areas, extreme weather conditions, difficult terrain, with the lingering threat of an enemy attack at all times and the professional hazards are a direct cause of soldiers committing suicides and in some cases shooting at their fellow soldiers before taking their own lives.

'In a majority of cases the precursor to such incidents is denial of leave to the soldier. The soldiers rely on social networking platforms like Facebook to address various issues arising in their families while posted in remote locations and often use the virtual connect to compensate for the physical distance existing between themselves and their families.

'Soldiers can view pictures, videos etc. of events such as weddings, birthdays and other events of cultural significance in real time or even at a later date as per their convenience and need. This is the beauty of social network platforms like Facebook. Therefore, the respondents (authorities) must wake up to the benefits that these websites/applications enable the use of these websites and applications for Soldiers and put in place a mechanism to ensure its misuse,' the petition said.


It alleged that the policy which bans social media platforms is 'illegal, arbitrary, disproportionate, violates the fundamental rights of soldiers including but not limited to the freedom of speech and expression, the right to life and the right to privacy'.

It said the authorities have cited security concerns and risk of data breach as the basis of imposing the restrictions contained in the policy regarding usage of social media platforms but the act of banning it is a clear violation of Article 14 (Equality before law) of the Constitution.

'It is submitted that no other professional army serving in a constitutional democracy has put such unreasonable and mindless restrictions on its soldiers.

'The respondent no.2 has conveniently shifted its own burden and responsibility to regulate use of social networking platforms onto the soldiers, assuming that it has unfettered power to abrogate and restrict the fundamental rights of soldiers.

'It is noteworthy that the policy has an entire section dedicated to measures such as sensitisation and training of personnel to avoid breach of security and data. This gives rise to a glaring absurdity,' the plea said.

It also sought to declare that the Director General of Military Intelligence is not empowered under the Constitution or under any other law to modify, amend or abrogate the fundamental rights of the petitioner and other members of the armed forces.


Besides, the Centre and Director General of Military Intelligence, the petition has also made Chief of the Army Staff, who is the professional head, commander and the highest-ranking military officer of the Indian Army, party to the petition.   -- PTI
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18:01   'Raj CM's garden not place to prove majority'
Sources close to Sachin Pilot say Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot's government doesn't have numbers they claim. "CM's back garden isn't the place to prove majority, it's done in Assembly. If they have numbers as claimed then why not do a head count, take them to Guv instead of moving them to hotel?" sources told ANI. 

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Cabinet Minister Ramesh Meena has announced that he is with Sachin Pilot. "20 MLAs didn't attend the Congress Legislative Party meeting held at Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's residence today," he said. 


The Rajasthan Congress Legislature Party on Monday passed a resolution supporting the Ashok Gehlot-led government in the state amid a tussle for power between him and Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot. It also recommended strong disciplinary action against any Congress MLA and office-bearer who "weakens" the party. Party sources claimed that 106 MLAs, both from the Congress and those supporting it, were present in the meeting. Sachin Pilot and some of his loyalists did not attend it.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Mamallapuram
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Mamallapuram
17:22   M S Aiyar breathes fire at the IFS brigade
''A whole host of former ambassadors to China, and foreign secretaries and other Indian Foreign Service China-watchers have abandoned their professional omerta to thunder in the media about the pernicious Chinese. Where were these ambassadorial hawks when Modi and China's President Xi Jinping were cooing like turtledoves as they shared a "lovers' swing' on the Sabarmati waterfront? Why were they not hooting at the hype generated over Xi being at Xian Airport to receive Modi?'   

'We are now told that Xi is out to establish a Pax Sinica -- an addition to our vocabulary for which we need to thank Gautam Bambawale, our most recent former envoy to Beijing (2017-2018): "The Chinese dream is nothing else than to dominate the world, become the sole superpower in international politics and create a Pax Sinica'. Did he whisper this in Modi's ears when, during his tenure, Xi and Modi were proclaiming the much-touted "Wuhan Spirit'?'   

That is the unputdownable Mani Shankar Aiyar, a former IFS himself, asking some tough questions of his ex-colleagues, in the latest edition of The Week magazine. Don't miss it!
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17:19   Why Dutee Chand wants to sell her BMW
India's fastest woman has put her luxury car up for sale.
Reason? 
Dutee Chand wants to arrange funds for her training.
The sprinter took to social media, on Saturday, July 11, posting a picture with the blue BMW on Facebook only to delete it later.
The BMW is a 2015 3-series model she bought in 2018 for Rs 30 lakh. Now she wants to sell the car for Rs 20 lakh.
While four of her brand endorsements have ended, the one with global sports firm Puma expires in December.
The 24 year old, only the third Indian woman to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, tells Laxmi Negi/Rediff.com why she is strapped for funds. 
Read the interview here
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17:12   Cong herds Rajasthan MLAs in Jaipur hotel
Rajasthan Congress MLAs arrive at Hotel Fairmont in Jaipur, after attending the Congress Legislative Party meeting at Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's residence. The Rajasthan Congress Legislature Party here on Monday passed a resolution supporting the Ashok Gehlot-led government in the state amid a tussle for power between him and Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot. It also recommended strong disciplinary action against any Congress MLA and office-bearer who "weakens" the party. 


The resolution expressed confidence in the leadership of national party president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. The Congress Legislature Party expresses full faith and confidence in the leadership of party president Sonia Gandhi and leader Rahul Gandhi. This meeting unanimously supports the Congress government led by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, the resolution said.
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17:06   Non-bailable warrant against nun-rape accused Mulakkal
Kottayam Additional Dist Court cancels the bail granted to Franco Mulakkal, an accused in the nun rape case and has issued non-bailable arrest warrant against him. Order was passed by Judge G Gopakumar after Mulakkal repeatedly failed to appear before the court.
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17:04   Bengal BJP workers protest MLA's death
Social distancing goes out of the window as the BJP's Bengal unit protests  over the death of BJP MLA Debendra Nath Ray, whose body was found hanging in Bindal near his village home. West Bengal BJP has called 12-hr 'bandh' in the districts of North Bengal tomorrow, over the incident. 
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17:01   Corps Commander-level talks between India, China tomorrow
Corps Commander-level talks between India and China to be held tomorrow at Chushul in Eastern Ladakh. The talks will focus mainly on the second phase of disengagement along the Line of Actual Control: Indian Army officials.
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16:58   Itolizumab: New anti-Covid drug at Rs 8000/vial
Bengaluru-based biotech major Biocon on Monday announced that its drug Itolizumab, which will hit the market as Alzumab has received permission from the Drugs Controller General of India for use in moderate to severe COVID-19 patients. 

"It is the first novel biological therapy to be approved by the DCGI for treating patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 complications," the executive chairperson of the company Kiran Mazumdar Shaw said at a press conference. Claiming that Itolizumab is a drug to save many lives, she said the DCGI gave permission for Biocon to market Itolizumab. 


"It is an injection containing 25mg/5mL solution for emergency use in India for the treatment of Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS) in moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ADRS) patients caused by the COVID-19," the Biocon chairperson said. 


Shaw said the therapy costing Rs 32,000 is given to the patient in four vials with each vial priced at Rs 8,000. Itolizumab is a clinically proven therapy for the COVID-19 patients with ARDS, she said,adding that the drug has got successful results from a multi-centric, two armed randomised pivotal trial conducted to study the efficacy and safety of Itolizumab in COVID-19 complications. 

"Itolizumab is a breakthrough. The beauty of this drug is it is working upstream, which means it actually starts regulating the immune system, rebooting the immune system and it starts down regulating the immune system, saying, do not make such pro-inflammatory cytokines start slowing down," Shaw said. 

She added that the body then recovers completely to fight the virus. "By effectively controlling therefore hyper activation of the immune system prevents morbidity and mortality related to the cytokine storm," she added. 


According to her, this is an original innovative Indian drug, which Biocon has licenced from Cuba 20 years ago. "And we developed it in India.We actually did a lot of research in India. We actually did clinical trials in India, and it is made in India, innovated in India, drug, which we have licenced to a US company, which is also doing trials with the drug. And we are very proud that this is actually an original first in class drug," Shaw said. -- PTI
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16:46   SC refuses to entertain plea for restrictions on Amarnath Yatra
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea seeking restrictions on devotees in the Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage this year due to COVID-19 pandemic, saying the issue has to be left with the local administration to look into. 

"We have to respect principle of separation of powers," said a bench comprising justices D Y Chandrachud, Indu Malhotra and K M Joseph and declined to enter the arena of the executive which has to deal with it as per statutory norms. 

"We are of view that recourse being taken here under Article 32(of the Constitution) is inappropriate. The issue as to whether Yatra be held should be left with the local administration. Undoubtedly any decision arrived at must be based on law and all relevant statutory provisions", the bench, which conducted the hearing through video conferencing, noted in the order.

The apex court was hearing a plea filed by 'Shri Amarnath Barfani Langars Organisation' (SABLO) which had sought a direction to the Centre, Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board to restrict the access of pilgrims in the Yatra this year in wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The plea had also sought a direction for 'live darshan' of Lord Shri Amarnathji Shrine by way of the internet and on television.
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16:27   Kerala's parotta maestros want to return to China
Around 400 'fly parotta masters' in Puliyur, who were employed in China and flew back to India due to COVID-19, say they want to return in order to earn a livelihood. Mohandas, a parotta master says, "I was earning Rs 1 lakh earlier, now I earn Rs 4000 driving an auto."
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16:16   Raj Cong MLAs: Won't tolerate anti-party activity
Resolution passed at Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meet: "This meet urges that strict disciplinary action be taken against any office bearer or member of Legislative Party who indulges in activities against the Congress govt, party or gets involved in any conspiracy. This ripping off of democracy by BJP is insult to 8 Cr people of Rajasthan, they'll not accept it. CLP meet expresses its confidence in Congress Pres Sonia Gandhi and leader Rahul Gandhi, and unanimously supports the govt led by Ashok Gehlot."


In the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly, the Congress has 107 MLAs and the BJP 72. The Congress has the support of 10 out of 13 independents, and other party MLAs like Rashtriya Lok Dal (1), which is its ally. The Congress also considers Bhartiya Tribal Party (2) and CPI(M) (2) MLAs as their supporters. BJP ally Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) has three MLAs in the assembly.
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15:26   Rahul, Priyanka try to placate Sachin Pilot
Top Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, are in touch with Sachin Pilot and are trying to placate him, a day after the Rajasthan Deputy CM declared open rebellion against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, sources said on Monday. 

Pilot has claimed that the Ashok Gehlot government is in minority and that he has the support of over 30 MLAs in the 200-member Assembly.

According to sources, top Congress leaders have talked to Pilot and have asked him not to rebel against the chief minister. They also assured him that his grievances would be redressed at the party level. 

Besides Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, other Congress leaders who are learnt to have spoken with Pilot are Ahmed Patel, former Union finance minister P Chidambaram and AICC general secretary K C Venugopal. 

It was not immediately known what transpired during the discussions. Sources said the leaders asked Pilot to attend a Congress Legislature Party meeting in Jaipur, but he has not given any assurance. 

Pilot, who is in Delhi, has not been taking calls of many party leaders. AICC general secretary in-charge for Rajasthan Avinash Pande has said that Pilot has not been responding to calls and messages have been left with him. 

Pilot has raised a banner of revolt against Gehlot, after the special operations group (SOG) of Rajasthan Police sent a notice to him for appearing before it in the case involving "horse-trading" of MLAs in the state. The SOG has registered an FIR in this regard and has also sent notices to the chief minister, chief whip of Congress and some ministers and MLAs. -- PTI
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15:22   All is well, claim Raj MLAs as CLP meet ends
Buses, carrying Congress MLAs, leave from the residence of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot after the Congress Legislative Party meeting concluded. One of the MLAs says, "All is well." 107 MLAs present at the meet.

In a statement issued on Sunday night, Sachin Pilot had claimed that the Gehlot government was in minority and more than 30 Congress and some independent legislators have pledged support to him.
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15:09   CA May exam cancelled, to be merged with Nov cycle
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India Monday informed the Supreme Court that the May cycle of CA examination, scheduled between July 29 and August 16, has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The counsel appearing for ICAI told a bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar that now the May cycle examination will be merged with the November 2020 cycle of the CA exam. The apex court was hearing through video-conferencing a plea which had challenged the 'opt out' option provided by ICAI alleging that it "arbitrarily" discriminate between the aspirants in May cycle of CA examination. The plea had also sought more exam centres across the country. -- PTI
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14:51   Google to invest Rs 75,000 crore in India
Google CEO Sundar Pichai announces India Digitisation Fund to invest Rs 75,000 crore in India over next 5-7 years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke with Google CEO Sundar Pichai and discussed issues such as leveraging the power of technology to transform the lives of India's farmers and youth. The prime minister also shared pictures of the virtual interaction.


"This morning, had an extremely fruitful interaction with Sundar Pichai. We spoke on a wide range of subjects, particularly leveraging the power of technology to transform the lives of India's farmers, youngsters and entrepreneurs," the prime minister wrote on Twitter.


Pichai is the chief executive officer of Alphabet Inc and its subsidiary Google LLC. Pichai and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad would be addressing the sixth annual edition of "Google for India" later in the day.
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14:40   Status quo in Rajasthan?
Rajdeep Sardesai tweets: "Breaking now: compromise being worked out between @ashokgehlot51 and @SachinPilot factions in Rajasthan. Gehlot stays as CM, Sachin stays deputy CM/PCC chief, cabinet reshuffle could incl shift in portfolios. And yes, the FIR under Sec 124 may be withdrawn."
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14:34   Prayers at Amitabh temple in Bengal
Members of the All Bengal Amitabh Bachchan Fan Association performing puja for his recovery at an Amitabh Bachchan 'temple' after the actor was admitted to a Mumbai hospital on July 11. Both the actor and his son Abhishek had tested positive for Covid. 
File pic
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14:31   PM, Google's Pichai discuss how tech can transform lives
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke with Google CEO Sundar Pichai and discussed issues such as leveraging the power of technology to transform the lives of India's farmers and youth. The prime minister also shared pictures of the virtual interaction.

"This morning, had an extremely fruitful interaction with Sundar Pichai. We spoke on a wide range of subjects, particularly leveraging the power of technology to transform the lives of India's farmers, youngsters and entrepreneurs," the prime minister wrote on Twitter.

Pichai is the chief executive officer of Alphabet Inc and its subsidiary Google LLC. Pichai and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad would be addressing the sixth annual edition of "Google for India" later in the day. -- PTI
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14:28   Amitabh, Abhishek stable, on supportive therapy
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan and his son, actor Abhishek Bachchan, who were admitted to a hospital in Mumbai after testing positive for coronavirus, are "clinically stable", hospital sources said on Monday. Amitabh, 77, and Abhishek, 44, revealed their diagnosis on Twitter on July  11, saying they were in the isolation ward of Nanavati Hospital. 

"They both are in the (isolation) ward and are clinically stable. At present, they do not requiring aggressive treatment. They are okay with the first line of medication. They are being given supportive therapy," a hospital insider told PTI. "Their vitals and appetite are fine," the source added. 

On Sunday, Amitabh's daughter-in-law, actor Aishwarya, 46, and her eight-year-old daughter Aaradhya also tested positive for COVID-19. Abhishek confirmed Aishwarya and Aaradhya's diagnosis on Twitter on Sunday, adding that they will be "self-quarantining at home". The actor said he and his father will "remain in hospital till the doctors decide otherwise". Taking to his blog on Sunday, Amitabh thanked his admirers for their prayers and concern for him and his family members. -- PTI
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13:57   Rajasthan MLAs flash victory sign
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Congress leaders and party MLAs show the victory sign, as they gather at CM's residence in Jaipur.
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13:50   GDP to contract 7.5% if Covid vaccine is delayed
A longer wait for a vaccine against COVID-19 virus may lead to a contraction of up to 7.5 per cent in the Indian GDP in FY21, a foreign brokerage said on Monday. 


Economists at Bank of America Securities also revised down their base case estimates on the real GDP within a week, and now expect it to contract by 4 per cent because of a drop in economic activity. It can be noted that multiple efforts to find a vaccine against the dreaded virus are on both globally as well domestically, but no timelines have been announced yet. Many analysts are expecting the Indian economy to contract by 5 per cent in FY21 as a result of the nationwide lockdowns, with some also estimating a contraction of up to 7.2 per cent in the GDP.

"India's real GDP will likely contract by 7.5 per cent if the global economy has to wait for a vaccine discovery for a year," the BofA analysts said, calling this as the "bear case". 

A base case is the most probable case or expected case. While a bear case means a typically pessimistic case. The analysts, who were earlier estimating a 5 per cent contraction in the worst case scenario, said every month of lockdown is costing 1 percentage point from a yearly growth perspective for the Indian economy. 

In response, the Reserve Bank of India will cut rates by another 2 percentage points in FY21, they said. Citing movement on a proprietary indicator on economic activity, it said the indicator fell 20.6 per cent in May after the 29.7 per cent fall in April. Industrial production contracted by 34.7 per cent in May, atop April's 57.6 per cent, it said, estimating the Q1 GDP to contract to 18 per cent. 


As the cases of COVID-19 infections have trebled since the country began getting into an unlock phase, the present restrictions will get extended to mid-September as against an earlier projection of mid-August, the economists said, adding a full restart of activities will only be possible by mid-October. 


Apart from this, several states are imposing localised lockdowns like the ones across many urban centres in Maharashtra. "As a result, we now expect FY21 GDP to contract by another 1 per cent to 4 per cent," they said. The RBI is estimated to cut rates by 0.75 per cent more in the current fiscal as a base case, the Centre's fiscal deficit will come at 6.85 per cent of GDP as against the budgeted 3.5 per cent and the overall fiscal deficit will be at 10.7 per cent, it said. -- PTI 
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13:45   CBSE declares 88.78 pass percentage
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Monday declared the results for Class 12 examinations 2020. As per CBSE, with 88.78 per cent pass percentage this year for Class 12, the pass percentage has increased by 5.38 per cent. Last year, the pass percentage was 83.40 per cent.The Class 12 board results could be viewed on the CBSE official website. Earlier, a fake release had surfaced on social media which stated that the Class XII results will be announced on July 11 and Class X results will be out on July 13. -- ANI
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13:33   Abhishek's co-star Amit Sadh's Covid results out
Two days after actor Abhishek Bachchan tested positive for coronavirus, his 'Breathe: Into The Shadows' co-star Amit Sadh tested negative for the contagious virus.

Sadh took to Twitter to share the news with his fans and friends and also thanked them for their prayers. "Thank you for your prayers and concerns. This is the only time I say happily I am negative. To all people battling this, my prayers and thoughts continue. Love you. Togetherness is the only strength," he tweeted.

Sadh had earlier on Sunday said that he will undergo the test for coronavirus as a precautionary measure.

Actor Abhishek Bachchan and his megastar father Amitabh Bachchan were diagnosed with coronavirus on Saturday following which Abhishek's star wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and daughter Aaradhya Bachchan also tested positive for the virus. -- ANI
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13:10   Pilot sincere Congressman, won't quit: Shivakumar
Amid deepening political crisis in Rajasthan, Karnataka Congress President D K Shivakumar on Monday expressed confidence that Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot will not quit the party and called him a "sincere Congressman". He accused the BJP of trying to destabilise the Congress as part of their agenda. 


"No, he (Pilot) will not leave. I have full confidence that he will not leave. He is a very sincere Congressman like his father (Rajesh Pilot). He has built the party for the past six-seven years. He is the President (Rajasthan state unit), he has done his best for the party," Shivakumar said.


Speaking to reporters, he said, "there may be some issues, I'm not saying no, but everything will be sorted out." A crucial meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) will be held at Jaipur on Monday, amid deepening political crisis in Rajasthan, and the party has issued a whip to all party legislators mandating their presence.

However, Pilot, who has openly displayed rebellion against the leadership of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has made it clear that he was not going to attend the meeting. In a statement issued on Sunday night, Pilot had claimed that the Gehlot government was in minority and more than 30 Congress and some independent legislators have pledged support to him.

Stating that BJP wants to misguide Congressmen and people, Shivakumar said they want to destabilise us, it is their agenda and they are always trying for it. "I'm very confident, people have given us (Congress) a mandate to work (in Rajasthan). This is Corona time, we all have to work, power is next. I think good sense will prevail on all legislators and leaders," he said. Our national leaders are there, they will sort out the issue, he said, adding that "as a Congressman I feel that we should all stand united."PTI
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12:58   Over 1.1 crore samples tested for COVID-19 till July 12: ICMR
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said on Monday that a total of 2,19,103 samples have been tested for coronavirus in the last 24 hours.

With this, the total number of tests in India have reached 1,18,06,265.

Meanwhile, ICMR is continuously scaling up its testing facilities for COVID-19 by giving approval to government and private laboratories.

As of now, a total of 688 laboratories across India has been given the approval to conduct tests for coronavirus including 480 government laboratories and 208 private laboratories' chains. -- ANI
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12:49   Sonu Sood to help families of deceased migrants
Actor Sonu Sood on Monday said he would provide financial assistance to over 400 families of deceased and injured migrant workers, hit by the coronavirus-induced nationwide lockdown. The "Dabangg" actor got in touch with the authorities of various states, including, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and took relevant information -- addresses and bank details -- of the migrants who lost their lives.


"I've decided to help families of the deceased or injured migrants so that they have a secure future. I feel it's my personal responsibility to support them," Sood said in a statement. The 46-year-old has been arranging transport for thousands of migrants desperate to return to their home states. Last month, the actor arranged for chartered flights to help fly over 300 migrant workers. PTI

Also read our interview with Sood: 'This is the most important thing I have done'
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12:40  
CBSE class 12 examination results announced
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12:36   Triple lockdown in Covid critical areas in Kerala
The Kerala Government has imposed an enhanced triple lockdown in the coastal areas which have been declared as critical containment zones. The triple lockdown will come into force from 6 am on Monday and will continue till July 23. Shops that sell essential items are allowed to function from 10 am to 6 pm. These shops are permitted to collect stock from 7 am to 9 am.

Milk booths are allowed to function from 5 am to 10 am and from 4 pm to 6 pm.

State government-central government, private offices, and other institutions in these areas will remain closed till July 23.

No movement of people will be allowed to and from the containment zones except for medical emergency and exempted services.The government has declared free five kg rice to the families residing in these regions. -- PTI
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12:24   Army chief in Jammu today
Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane in Jammu today to review the operational preparedness of troops deployed along the border with Pakistan. He will be briefed by senior commanders on the security situation there: Indian Army officials.
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12:10   John Travolta's wife, actor Kelly Preston, dies at 57
Actor Kelly Preston, best known for her work in films Mischief, Twins and Jerry Maguire, has died following a two-year battle with breast cancer. She was 57. John Travolta, her husband of 29 years, shared the news of her demise on his Instagram account. "It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that my beautiful wife Kelly has lost her two-year battle with breast cancer. She fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many," Travolta said. "My family and I will forever be grateful to her doctors and nurses at MD Anderson Cancer Center, all the medical centers that have helped, as well as her many friends and loved ones who have been by her side. Kelly's love and life will always be remembered," he added. 

Preston is survived by Travolta and their children: daughter Ella, 20, and nine-year-old son Benjamin. Their son Jett died at age 16 in January 2009. Travolta said he will be taking some time off to be with his children.
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12:02   Cong leaders spoke to Pilot many times: Surjewala
Randeep Surjewala, senior Congress leader who is in Jaipur along with party colleague Ajay Maken as central observers to save the party''s government in the state, said today, "I appeal to all Congress MLAs that people have voted for Congress to lead a stable govt in the state, so all MLAs should take part in the Congress Legislative Party meeting today and make our govt in the state stronger.
 
"Over the last 48 hours, Congress leadership has spoken to Sachin Pilot a number of times about the present political situation (in Rajasthan).

"If anyone, be at any post or profile, has any problem, they must come forward and mention the issue on the party forum. We will work to resolve it together and keep our govt intact in the state."
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11:56   Rajasthan Congress leaders question timing of I-T raids
Rajasthan government chief whip Mahesh Joshi on Monday condemned the income tax raids on premises linked to two Congress leaders. Joshi was speaking to reporters outside the residence of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot where a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party has been convened. 

"I condemn this. The raids are uncalled for and intended at threatening but we are not going to be distracted or scared by this," he said. 

"Entire country is watching this," Joshi added. The premises are linked to Congress leaders Rajiv Arora and Dharmendra Rathore. Cooperative Minister Udailal Anjana also questioned the timing of the raids.

"This was done to create pressure. It apparently looks like leaders who are sitting in Delhi are behind these raids," he said.

The Income Tax Department is conducting searches in four cities, including Delhi and Jaipur, in connection with a tax evasion case against a Rajasthan-based jewellery group. Official sources, however, refused to comment on reports claiming that the searches were linked to the current political crisis in the state. -- PTI
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11:45   For all roll lovers...
"I was alone in Calcutta, so there were many evenings when I would stroll across and watch them make the rolls. From what I remember, the cook heated a massive tawa and then put a half-ready paratha on it. As the paratha heated up, he broke an egg on the paratha and cooked it on both sides. Then he took ready-made kebabs, heated them on an empty portion of the tawa before placing them in the centre of a paratha. He added onions, which had been sliced long, and a little chutney, before rolling up the paratha so that it became a cylinder. He wrapped the cylinder in paper and gave it to you to take away."

Vir Sanghvi on Kolkata's rolls. Do read
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11:38   Ray's killing speaks of 'gunda raj' in West Bengal: BJP
BJP president J P Nadda on Monday termed the death of party leader Debendra Nath Ray as a "suspected heinous killing" and alleged that it showed the "gunda raj and failure of law and order" under the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal. 


Ray was found hanging near his home in Hemtabad area of North Dinajpur district on Monday morning. Nadda said, "The suspected heinous killing of Debendra Nath Ray, BJP MLA from Hemtabad in West Bengal, is extremely shocking and deplorable. This speaks of the Gunda Raj & failure of law and order in the Mamta govt. People will not forgive such a govt in the future. We strongly condemn this." 

Ray had contested and won the Hemtabad assembly segment -- a reserved seat for Scheduled Castes -- on a CPI(M) ticket but had switched over to the BJP last year after the Lok Sabha polls. He, however, did not resign as CPI(M) legislator in the state assembly. The BJP leader's family has demanded a CBI inquiry into the incident as they suspected that he was murdered.

"We think he was murdered. There should be a CBI inquiry into the killing," a family member said. The state BJP leadership termed Ray's death as a "cold-blooded murder" by the ruling Trinamool Congress party.
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11:24   'Meant Scindia, said Pilot's name by mistake'
Now, Chhattisgarh Congress party in-charge PL Punia issues a clarification on the statement that 'Sachin Pilot is in the BJP'. "It is clear in the video that question was asked about Scindia-ji and my reply was about Shri Scindia and by slip of tongue I took Sachin Pilot's name instead of Scindia. Mistake is regretted."
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11:18   SC upholds rights of Travancore royal family over Padmanabhaswamy Temple
The Supreme Court on Monday set aside the 2011 verdict of the Kerala High Court which had directed the state government to set up a trust to take control of management and assets of the historic Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala. 

The apex court upheld the rights of the Travancore royal family in the administration of the temple. A bench headed by Justice U U Lalit said that as an interim measure, the District Judge of Thiruvananthapuram will head an administrative committee to manage the affairs of the temple. The top court delivered the verdict on a batch of appeals, including the one filed by the legal representatives of the Travancore royal family, challenging the January 31, 2011 verdict of the high court in the matter. 

The sprawling temple, an architectural splendour in granite, was rebuilt in its present form in the 18th century by the Travancore Royal House which had ruled southern Kerala and some adjoining parts of Tamil Nadu before integration of the princely state with the Indian Union in 1947. PTI
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11:13  
 Chattisgarh Congress in-charge PL Punia says Sachin Pilot is now in BJP.
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11:11   Gehlot begins Rajasthan CLP meet with 90 MLAs
Over 90 MLAs arrive at Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's residence in Jaipur for the Congress Legislative Party meeting. The meeting has started. 

NDTV quoting Congress sources said they are working for a possible last-minute turnaround by Sachin Pilot, who is also chief of the Congress in Rajasthan. "What makes you think Sachin Pilot will not attend the MLAs' meet," Congress leaders said in the late-night briefing, asserting that action would be taken against absentees. Sources in the party believe Sachin Pilot has not more than 16 MLAs on his side.
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10:53   Income tax raids on Gehlot's confidants
Income Tax raids are being conducted at the houses of Congress leaders Dharmendra Singh Rathore and Rajiv Arora, known to be close confidants of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, amid the Rajasthan crisis. 

Congress MLA, Mahender Chaudhary said today that the BJP will not be successful in its attempts to topple the Congress government in Rajasthan and that all party MLAs and its alliance MLAs are with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.


"BJP will not be successful in its attempts to topple Congress govt in Rajasthan. All our MLAs and our alliance MLAs are with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. All of them will be attending the meeting of Congress Legislative Party today," said Chaudhary. 

"Everyone will be attending the CLP meeting today," said Chaudhary, on being asked if Sachin Pilot will be attending the CLP meeting today.

The Congress Legislature Party has issued a whip to its MLAs to attend a meeting on Monday in Jaipur, and will face disciplinary action if they absent themselves, Rajasthan Congress in-charge Avinash Pandey said today.

While Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has blamed the BJP for attempting to destabilise the State government by poaching MLAs, Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot has been camping in Delhi to speak to the party leadership regarding the political turmoil in the State.

A controversy broke out in Rajasthan after Special Operation Group (SOG) sent a notice to Pilot to record his statement in the case registered by SOG in the alleged poaching of Congress MLAs in the State. -- ANI
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10:52   Rahul questions govt's claims on battling Covid
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday questioned the government's claims on battling COVID-19, asking is India at a "good position" in the battle against the virus. His remarks came a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah said India is in a "good position" in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic and the country will fight the disease with determination and enthusiasm. In a tweet, Gandhi asked, "India at good position in COVID19 battle?".


He tagged a graph of India's daily average COVID cases that showed a steady rise, against that of other countries like South Korea and New Zealand which have shown a steady decline in cases. 


India saw a daily rise of 28,701 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 8,78,254 as on Monday morning, while the death toll climbed to 23,174 with 500 people succumbing to the infection, according to the Union Health Ministry data. Gandhi has been critical of the government on the handling of the COVID crisis and has accused it of having failed to tackle the situation. -- PTI
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10:31   Karnataka Tourism Minister tests positive for COVID-19
Karnataka Minister for Tourism, Kannada and Culture C T Ravi has tested positive for coronavirus. His wife and daughter have however, tested negative for the virus.


"Yesterday, I along with my wife Pallavi & my staff members underwent COVID19 test. Fortunately, my wife Pallavi and all my staff members are tested negative. Third umpire's result for me has confirmed that I'm Covid Positive," Ravi tweeted on Monday. He went into home quarantine on July 11 after he came in contact with a coronavirus infected person. Earlier, his two separate tests had given two different reports including negative. The minister had to wait for a final report, which arrived on Monday confirming that he has tested positive for COVID-19. He said he was feeling "absolutely fine". Ravi said he would continue to work and undergo treatment. -- PTI
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10:28   Parts of Bihar's Darbhanga flooded
People use boats as floodwater enters in some areas of Darbhanga district, Bihar, following heavy rainfall. Ghanshyampur Circle Officer says, "We are keeping an eye on the water levels of the rivers in the area and have alerted people living nearby. The situation is alarming."
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10:19   Scindia loyalists get key ministries in MP
Eleven days after expansion of the Madhya Pradesh cabinet, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday allocated portfolios to the new ministers, with BJP MP Jyotiraditya Scindia's supporters getting some of the key departments. The 28 new ministers who joined the Chouhan cabinet on July 2 include 20 of cabinet rank and eight ministers of state. 

The Chouhan ministry strength is now 34, including four women ministers. Scindia loyalist Tulsi Silawat retained the water resources department and also got charge of the fisheries and fisheries development departments in the allocation on Monday while Govind Singh Rajput retained revenue and transport departments, official sources said. 

Silawat and Rajput were inducted into the cabinet in the first 'mini expansion' of the Chouhans ministry. Scindia supporters Dr Prabhuram Choudhary got charge of the health and family welfare department, Pradyumna Singh Tomar got energy, Mahendra Singh Sisodia got panchayat and rural development while Imarti Devi got women and child development department.

Chouhan has kept the general administration, public relations, Narmada valley development, aviation and some other departments with himself. Senior BJP leader Narottam Mishra retained the Home department, but had to give up health to Scindia supporter Prabhuram Choudhary. Mishra also got charge of the parliamentary affairs and law departments on Monday. Besides, Gopal Bhargava got the public works department and rural industries, Vijay Shah-forest, Jagdish Devda-finance and commercial tax, Bhupendra Singh-urban administration and development and Yashodhara Raje Scindia- sports and youth welfare.

Kamal Patel, who was inducted during the first expansion earlier, retained farmers welfare and agriculture development departments. From the Scindia camp, Bisahulal Singh got food and civil supplies and consumer protection, Aidal Singh Kansana- public health engineering, Hardeep Singh Dang new and renewable energy, Rajwardhan Singh Dattigaon-industrial policy and investment promotion, Brajendra Singh Yadav-public health engineering, Girraj Dandotia-farmers welfare and agriculture development, Suresh Dhakad-public works department and OPS Bhadoria-urban administration and development. Yadav, Dandotia, Dhakad and Bhadoria have been inducted as ministers of state (MoS).
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10:09   West Bengal: BJP leader found hanging in North Dinajpur
Senior BJP leader Debendra Nath Ray was found hanging near his home in Hemtabad area of North Dinajpur district on Monday morning, police sources said. 

"Ray was found hanging near a shop at Hemtabad area this (Monday) morning. We have started an investigation," a senior district police officer said. Ray had contested and won the Hemtabad assembly segment -- a reserved seat for Scheduled Castes -- on a CPI(M) ticket but had switched over to the BJP last year after the Lok Sabha polls.

BJP West Bengal said People are of the clear opinion that he was first killed and then hung.  -- PTI
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10:05   Sensex rallies over 400 pts; Reliance hits fresh peak
Equity benchmark Sensex rallied over 400 points in early trade on Monday, tracking gains in index-heavyweight Reliance Industries and strong signals from global markets. Reclaiming the 37,000 level in opening session, the 30-share BSE Sensex was trading 413.03 points, or 1.13 per cent, higher at 37,007.36. 


In similar movement, the NSE Nifty surged 123.35 points, or 1.15 per cent, to 10,891.40. Reliance Industries was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, jumping over 2 per cent to hit its record high of Rs 1,938.80 per share, after the company said it has secured Rs 730 crore from wireless technology leader Qualcomm by selling a small stake in Jio Platforms. 


Adding to a slew of investments since April that has crossed Rs 1.18 lakh crore, Qualcomm Ventures' investment will translate into 0.15 per cent equity stake in Jio Platforms on a fully diluted basis. Infosys, Tech Mahindra, Tata Steel, IndusInd Bank, HUL and Maruti were among the other gainers. On the other hand, Bharti Airtel and HDFC were the laggards. -- PTI
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10:02   Not joining BJP, says Sachin Pilot
Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, who has declared an open revolt against the Congress, told NDTV that he is "not joining the BJP".

Pilot on Sunday claimed that the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan is in minority as over 30 Congress MLAs have "pledged support" to him.

"Rajasthan deputy CM and Congress leader Sachin Pilot not to attend Congress legislative party meeting scheduled to be held tomorrow. Pilot says Ashok Gehlot government is in minority after over 30 Congress and some independent MLAs have pledged support to Sachin Pilot," said a statement circulated via a WhatsApp group operated by Pilot's office.
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10:01   Bengal BJP leader found hanging
BJP leader Debendra Nath Roy found hanging near his home in North Dinajpur district in West Bengal: Police sources.
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09:39   India reports highest 1-day spike of 28,701 cases
India registered yet another single-day spike of 28,701 COVID-19 cases and 500 deaths, the Union health ministry data shows. 

The total number of cases stand at 8,78,254 including 3,01,609 active cases.

The death toll stands at 23,174.

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09:18   Melania Trump posts video of herself wearing mask
A day after United States President Donald Trump was spotted donning a face mask, First lady Melania Trump on Sunday posted a video of herself in a mask during a visit to The Mary Elizabeth House last week.

This is the first time the public has seen footage of the First Lady in a face-covering in several weeks.

"It was a pleasure to spend time with the staff, mothers & children at The Mary Elizabeth House, a place that helps strengthen families & provides life skills, counselling and educational resources to help vulnerable single women & their children. #BeBest," Trump wrote in a tweet accompanying the video.

The First Lady's tweet comes a day after Trump visited Walter Reed Hospital wearing a face mask. Notably, he had for months declined to wear a face mask in public.

Trump wore a dark coloured face mask during his visit to see wounded military members.
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09:03   Fire on US naval ship, 21 injured
Twenty-one people suffered minor injuries in an explosion and fire on Sunday on board a United States ship at naval base San Diego, California, military officials said.

The blaze was reported shortly before 9am on USS Bonhomme Richard, said Mike Raney, a spokesman for Naval Surface Force, US Pacific Fleet.

Seventeen sailors and four civilians were hospitalized with "non-life threatening injuries," Raney said in a brief statement.
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08:49   Cong issues whip to MLAs for CLP meeting today
The Congress Legislative Party has issued a whip to its MLAs to attend a meeting on Monday in Jaipur, and will face disciplinary action if they absent themselves without mentioning a reason, Rajasthan Congress in-charge Avinash Pande said today.

The CLP meeting has been scheduled to be held at 10:30 am today.

The decision to issue a whip for today's meeting was taken after a meeting at Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot's residence in Jaipur on Sunday which was attended by around 75 MLAs including ministers.

After the meeting, Pande addressed a press conference in the early hours today along with party colleague Randeep Surjewala and Ajay Maken, who had reached Jaipur late on Sunday night. 

The two leaders have been sent by the Congress as central observers to save the party's government in the state.

"A whip has been issued to all party MLAs to be mandatorily present at Congress Legislature Party meeting to be held tomorrow morning. Strict disciplinary action will be taken against any MLA who is absent without mentioning a proper reason," Pande said.

Pande further said that 109 MLAs have expressed their trust in the Rajasthan government led by chief minister Gehlot.

"A total of 109 MLAs have signed a letter expressing their trust and support to Rajasthan government led by chief minister Ashok Gehlot and leadership of Sonia Gandhi ji and Rahul Gandhi ji," the Congress general secretary said.

"A few more MLAs had telephonic conversations with chief minister and they will also sign letter of support till morning," he added. -- ANI
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08:08   Congress claims support of 109 Rajasthan MLAs
Hours after Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot declared open rebellion and claimed that the Ashok Gehlot government in the state is in minority, Congress leader Avinash Pande on Monday said 109 MLAs have signed a letter of support to the chief minister.
 
Pande, the All India Congress Committee general secretary in-charge of Rajasthan, said some other MLAs are in touch with Gehlot and they will also sign the letter.
He said a whip has been issued to all the party MLAs, asking them to attend the Congress Legislature Party meeting at 10.30 am.
"Action will be taken against those who skip the meeting," Pande said.
"As many as 109 MLAs have signed the letter to express full confidence in the Congress government led by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and in the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Some other MLAs have spoken to the chief minister over the phone and they will also sign the letter," he told reporters at the CM's residence here in the wee hours.
Pilot on Sunday claimed that the Gehlot government is in minority as over 30 Congress MLAs have "pledged support" to him.
In the 200-member Rajasthan assembly, the Congress has 107 MLAs and the BJP 72.  -- PTI

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