THE HEADLINES:
- Finance Minister Arun Jaitley says defeat in Delhi polls will not slow down economic reforms.
- Retail inflation rises to 5.11 per cent in January; Industrial production slows down to 1.7 per cent in December.
- Supreme Court stays social activist Teesta Setalvad's arrest in Gulbarg Society Fund embezzlement case till tomorrow.
- A Mumbai Court directs City Police to file FIR against the organisers and bollywood stars like Karan Johar, Ranvir Singh and Dipika Padukone participants of controversial AIB Roast programme.
- Nitish Kumar slams delay in trust vote in Bihar Assembly.
- BJP dominates Municipal polls in Assam.
- Social activist Anna Hazare to protest against land acquisition bill in Delhi on 24th of this month.
- ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 starts off with a grand opening ceremony at Christchurch, New Zealand.
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Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said that the BJP's defeat in the Delhi assembly election will not slow down the economic reforms in the country. Replying to a media query during the official briefing of the 5th Indo-US Economic and Financial Partnership meeting, Mr Jaitley said the Centre is determined to go ahead on the path of economic reforms to generate investment, bring jobs and alleviate poverty.
Government is determined to go ahead on the path of economic reforms. We believe that the kind of reforms we have undertaken are certainly going to bring in investment, generate jobs, improve the quality of life of people and also help us in alleviating poverty levels.
Mr. Jaitley said that just because one election has not been won, it is no ground to believe that there will be a slowdown in the process the government has undertaken. He said, India's economy is poised to take off at a much faster pace.
There were several sectors about which we had a detailed discussion with the delegations - the financial sector, the macro-economic situation in both the countries, the taxation, the banking, problems facing the entire world with regard to funding of terrorism, the money laundering cooperation which is required to check the menace.
Talking about his meeting with US treasury Secretary Jacob J Lew, Jaitley said, both side discussed money laundering and terrorism funding. He said the concerned authorities have taken appropriate action in this regard. He said both the countries are moving together for common interest.
The US treasury secretary said that deepening bonds with India is a key priority for the United States.
Our commitment is rooted in the belief that we can significantly advance both of our interest by promoting economic ties and increasing trade between the two growing markets. Since the partnership began, we developed our engagement in a number of important areas - expanding macro-economic cooperation to support global growth, strengthening our financial sectors, resolving tax disputes, combating illicit finance and facilitating long-term investment through the development of deeper capital markets in India.
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Retail inflation rose to 5.11 per cent in January this year, measured on the new base year of 2012. Inflation based on the Consumer Price Indexstood at 4.28 percent in December last year. Food inflation rose to 6.06 per cent in January.
Apart from revising the base year to 2012, from 2010, for computing the Consumer Price Index, the Central Statistics Office has changed the weights of items and groups, and has shifted to the geometric mean for computing inflation, from the arithmetic mean used previously.
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Growth in industrial production slowed to 1.7 per cent in December last year, from 3.9 percent in November, mainly due to contraction in the mining sector. But growth in factory output in December last year, as measured by the Index of Industrial Production, was better than the 0.1 percent growth in December 2013.
According to government data, manufacturing output grew by 2.1 per cent in December last year, compared to a dip of 1.1 per cent in December 2013. But mining sector output contracted by 3.2 per cent in December last year.
For the April to December 2014 period, industrial output rose to 2.1 percent, against 0.1 per cent in year-ago period.
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The Supreme Court has stayed till tomorrow the arrest of social activist Teesta Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand. Earlier in the day the Gujarat High Court had rejected the anticipatory bail plea of the couple in a case of alleged embezzlement of funds for a museum at Gulbarg society, devastated in the 2002 riots.
A bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu said Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand would be protected from the arrest till the matter is heard tomorrow.
The couple is accused of misusing funds to the tune of 1.51 crore rupees. Setalwad, who has been espousing the cause of the victims of 2002 Gujarat riots, and others, have been contending that the case was filed against them with political motives and they had not misused the funds. On March 25, 2014, the sessions court had rejected their pre-arrest bail applications.
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A Mumbai court has directed the city police to file an FIR against the organisers and participants of the controversial AIB Roast that was held recently. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate C. S. Baviskar has asked the Mumbai Police to register a case against top Bollywood personalities like Karan Johar, Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone and Rajeev Masand. The court also directed to lodge an FIR against the organisers, directors, writers and other participants of AIB Roast Programme and the officials of National Sports Club of India where the event was held. The FIR would be registered under various sections of IPC including criminal conspiracy and speaking vulgar, obscene and pornographic words publicly before a women audience.
This order was issued on a petition filed by a social activist through Advocate Ms. Abha Singh who alleged that a "commercial, vulgar, obscene and pornographic show" featuring several Bollywood stars, was held at a stadium meant for sports events.
This development comes two days after the Bombay High Court asked the Information and Broadcasting Minister to file its reply on the issue. The court was hearing a petition seeking guidelines for a screening mechanism to keep a check on obscene and vulgar videos uploaded on YouTube.
Meanwhile, the court today also pulled up Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for not initiating legal action against the accused. The court observed that the Chief Minister never gave any instruction to file the FIR even after promising to look into the matter. The court has now ordered the cops to submit an investigation report in the case.
The AIB Knockout Roast, the first of its kind in India, featured a panel of eight participants and 'Roastmaster' Karan Johar. The show went viral after it was put up online. However, after complaints of obscenity, AIB pulled off the show earlier this month.
The widely debated show has divided even the film fraternity, with some coming out in its support but others, like Aamir Khan, being openly critical.
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JD (U) leader Nitish Kumar today alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is encouraging horse-trading in Bihar. Talking to reporters in New Delhi, he also accused the Centre of pursuing the State Governor into giving Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi a long time to prove his majority so that MLAs could be lured. Mr. Kumar said the to what is happening in Bihar was written after Mr Manjhi met the Prime Minister in New Delhi last week. He alleged that the MLAs are being offered ministerial chairs and even BJP tickets.
Meanwhile, the BJP refuted the allegations and termed them as baseless. Talking to reporters, party leader and Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that Mr. Kumar is leveling allegations in desperation as he is in a hurry to become Chief Minister. He said the present political crisis is an internal affair of the JD(U) and the BJP has nothing to do with it.
(S/B RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)
The BJP refutes these allegations. They are wrong. Why can't Nitish Kumar Ji control his own MLAs. After all he is parading them before the President, he is parading them before the Governor. You control your MLAs. Are you having any lurking doubt that they have to be brought back to Delhi to be safely kept in the security of UP Government in Greater Noida.
Meanwhile Patna High Court today said its order for legal examination of the Assembly Secretary's letter recognising Nitish Kumar as JD(U) Legislative Party leader should not be construed as interference in the internal affairs of any party. A bench comprising Chief Justice L N Reddy and Justice Vikash Jain said this during the hearing of a review petition by former JD(U) minister P K Shahi on yesterday's order of the same bench. The Patna High Court yesterday said that the court intend to examine the legal implication of the letter issued by in-charge Secretary of Assembly, recognising Nitish Kumar as leader of JD(U) Legislative Party.
Briefing media persons in Patna today, Mr. Shahi said that the court's order was interpreted as it had put a stay on Nitish Kumar becoming JD(U) Legislative Party leader.
When I explained it that this order is being interpreted to mean that High Court has interfered with election of Shri Nitish Kumar as leader of JD(U) legislature party, the court was convinced and the court has clarified that the order dated 11/02/2015 will have absolutely no effect on internal political party decision including JD(U). The court has not at all expressed any adverse comment in so far as election of Shri Nitish Kumar as leader of JD(U) legislature party is concerned.
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BJP has emerged as the front-runner in Assam with an impressive show in civic polls. The results of the 72, out of the total 74 urban local civic bodies show the BJP has attained majority in 38, Congress in 17, AGP in 02 and NCP in 01 in the counting held today. Counting for two municipal bodies-Silchar and Golaghat-was still on when reports last came in. Polling was held for a total of 32 Municipalities and 42 Town Committees on Sunday .
Congress had swept the previous civic elections in 2009, winning decisive majority in 71 of the 74 urban civic local bodies.
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BJP leader Ram Madhav today said that talks with PDP over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir are in progress. Talking to reporters in New Delhi today, he said the two parties are working on a common minimum programme and will be soon able to reach on a consensus to form the government in the state. He said there are some issues on which common understanding between BJP and PDP is yet to arrive.
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Delhi Chief Minister designate Arvind Kejriwal today called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence and invited him for the swearing in ceremony of his government on Saturday. After the meeting, Manish Sisodia, who accompanied Kejriwal said, that the Prime Minister will not be able to attend the oath-taking ceremony because of prior engagements in Maharashtra. Mr. Sisodia also said that they raised the demand for full statehood for Delhi and Mr Modi assured to look into the issue.
Meanwhile, Arvind Kejriwal will be heading a seven-member AAP cabinet. Party sources said, the cabinet will include Mr Kejriwal's close confidante Manish Sisodia as Deputy Chief Minister and four new faces.
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Delhi Police today questioned newly elected Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Uttam Nagar Assembly Constituency, Naresh Balyan in connection with the seizure of liquor bottles from a godown before the assembly election. Balyan was quizzed for around two hours at the Crime Branch office in New Delhi's Chanakyapuri. A Delhi police official said, Balyan joined the probe a day after he was sent the fourth summons in the case.
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Veteran social activist Anna Hazare will address a day long rally of farmers opposing the Land Acquisition Bill at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on 24th February. Social activist Medha Patkar would also take part in the agitation. More than 70 organizations are supporting this agitation. This information was disclosed by one of his aides in Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra today.
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The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 opened today with a vibrant opening ceremony at Christchurch, New Zealand. More from our Sports desk:
Thousands of fans filled the leafy Hagley Park to witness the launch of the first World Cup in New Zealand and Australia in 23 years. The formal part began with a lone bagpiper and ended with a booming fireworks display, which some say was the biggest in the city's history. Around 80 children were joined by famous players in games of backyard cricket played on four giant ovals, divided into 14 individual grounds representing the 14 nations taking part in the tournament. Each of the areas was overlooked by a stage on which more than 1,000 participants, including cultural performers from India and Sri Lanka, West Indian steel bands, Scottish and Irish dancers and indigenous Maori haka groups, enthralled the crowds. Captains of all the teams were also present at the event. The World Cup is the largest event Christchurch has hosted since an earthquake in February 2011 which devastated the city's centre claiming 185 lives. The opening game of the World Cup will be held on Saturday, with New Zealand taking on Sri Lanka at Christchurch. In the other Pool-A fixture of the day, Australia will clash with England at Melbourne. Team India, which is in Pool-B, will play its group opener against Pakistan on Sunday. With Savvy Hasan Khan, this is Swathi Rakheja for AIR News.
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