Digvijay admits to affair with TV anchor

May 1, 2014

Digvijay_admitsNew Delhi, May 1: Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Wednesday sprung a surprise by admitting to a relationship with a young television anchor, drawing sharp retorts from political opponents.

The 67-year-old, two time Madhya Pradesh chief minister, announced his relationship with journalist Amrita Rai on Twitter, thus putting an end to the rumour mills on social media where intimate photographs of the duo were a rage for the past couple of days.

“I have no hesitation in accepting my relationship with Amrita Rai. She and her husband have already filed a mutual consent divorce case,” Singh posted on the micro-blogging site in the afternoon.

“Once that is decided we would formalise it. But I do condemn encroachment in our private life,” he said in a separate posting.

Soon after Singh’s tweets, Rai declared on the micro-blogging site that she would marry the Congress general secretary after divorcing her husband. “I have separated from my husband and we have filed mutual consent divorce papers. After which I have decided to marry Digvijay Singh,” she tweeted.

Singh is a widower. His wife Asha Singh passed away in February last year after a prolonged battle with cancer. He has four daughters and a son from his marriage.

The revelation by Singh in the middle of elections has surprised many within the Congress. Singh’s relationship with Rai had become an election issue in Madhya Pradesh with a video CD of the two visiting temples together being circulated in the state. The BJP attacked Singh, who had fired salvos at BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, who acknowledged Jashodaben as his wife while filing papers from Vadodara.

“A new definition of morality has been given by the actions of senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh Sahab. Those who preach lessons of morality should first look within themselves to see if they are practising what they are preaching to others,” BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi said.

Aam Aadmi Party leader Somnath Bharti tweeted, “As an ordinary citizen one has more freedom than someone who gets into politics.”

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June 24,2020

Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 24: Kerala on Tuesday was among those honoured for tackling the Covid-19 pandemic when the United Nations celebrated the Public Service Day.

The function, held on a virtual platform, saw the participation of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and other top UN dignitaries who applauded all the leaders which included state Health Minister K.K. Shailaja for effectively tackling Covid-19.

Speaking on the occasion, Shailaja noted that the experiences of tackling Nipah virus and the two floods - 2018 and 2019 - where the health sector played a crucial role, all helped in tackling Covid-19 timely.

"Right from the time when Covid cases got reported in Wuhan, Kerala got into the track of the WHO and followed every standard operating protocols and international norms and hence, we have been able to keep the contact spread rate to below 12.5 per cent and the mortality rate to 0.6 per cent," she said.

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News Network
March 25,2020

New Delhi, Mar 25: The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India rose to 562, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday.
This includes 512 active cases, while 40 infected people have already been cured or discharged.
The Union Health Ministry said that total deaths due to the disease now stand at 9, as the second death reported in Delhi is COVID-19 negative. One patient has also migrated due to the infection.
The Central government has taken several steps to contain the rapid spread of the virus including the screening 15,24,266 passengers at the airports.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Tuesday announced a 21-day lockdown in the entire country effective from midnight to deal with the spread of coronavirus, saying that "social distancing" is the only option to deal with the disease, which spreads rapidly.
In a televised address to the nation, Prime Minister Modi said that it is vital to break the chain of the disease and experts have said that at least 21 days are needed for it.
The Prime Minister, who had also addressed the nation last week, said the lockdown has drawn a "Lakshman Rekha" in every home and people should stay indoors for their own protection and for that of their families. 

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June 16,2020

New Delhi, Jun 16: Jet fuel or ATF price on Tuesday was hiked by 16.3 per cent while petrol price was increased by 47 paise per litre and that of diesel by a record 93 paise on the back of firming international oil rates.

Aviation turbine fuel (ATF) price was hiked by ₹5,494.5 per kilolitre (kl), or 16.3 per cent, to ₹39,069.87 per kl in the national capital, according to a price notification by state-owned oil marketing companies.

This is the second straight increase in ATF price this month. Rates were hiked by a record 56.5 per cent (₹12,126.75 per kl) on June 1.

Simultaneously, petrol and diesel prices were hiked for the 10th day in a row.

Petrol price in Delhi was hiked to ₹76.73 per litre from ₹76.26, while diesel rates were increased to ₹75.19 a litre from ₹74.26, the price notification said.

In 10 hikes, petrol price has gone up by ₹5.47 per litre and diesel by Rs 5.8 a litre.

Rates have been increased across the country and vary from state to state depending on the incidence of local sales tax or VAT.

The hike in diesel rates is the highest daily increase since the state-owned fuel retailers started daily revision in rates in May 2017.

Hike for 10th consecutive day

Tuesday’s increase in petrol and diesel price marks the 10th straight day of rise in rates since oil companies on June 7 restarted revising prices in line with costs, after ending an 82-day hiatus.

The freeze in rates was imposed in mid-March soon after the government hiked excise duty on petrol and diesel to shore up additional finances.

Oil PSUs Indian Oil Corp (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) instead of passing on the excise duty hikes to customers adjusted them against the fall in the retail rates that was warranted because of fall in international oil prices.

The June 1 hike in jet fuel price had come after seven consecutive reductions in rates since February. ATF price in Delhi before the reduction cycle began in February was ₹64,323.76 per kilolitre, which got reduced to ₹21,448.62 last month.

Industry officials said the hike was necessitated because benchmark international rates have bounced back from a two-decade low.

While ATF prices are revised on 1st and 16th of every month, petrol and diesel prices are revised on a daily basis.

Oil companies used to revise ATF prices on the first of every month, but adopted fortnightly revisions on March 21 to pass on the benefit of falling international oil prices to airlines.

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