President poll: Congress waits for Mamata's vote on Pranab's nomination

June 9, 2012
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New Delhi, June 9: The race to Raisina Hill is nearing the finish line and the Congress is now reaching out to allies outside the UPA for consensus on Finance Minister Pranab Mukerjee's nomination. The Congress is already in touch with the Samajwadi Party and is expected to be speaking to key ally and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee soon.

The West Bengal Chief Minister had earlier expressed reservations on Pranab as a Presidential candidate and her vote is key to naming a final nominee.

Sources said that Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who has been authorised by the party's Working Committee to pick the candidate, is likely to make the announcement around June 15, probably a couple of days after the expected poll notification by the Election Commission.

Significantly, Sonia's Political Advisor Ahmed Patel had a meeting with Mukherjee at his North Block office.

The sources said the Congress has already secured the support of key allies like DMK, NCP and RLD, who form part of the government, and outside supporters like Samajwadi Party.

Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief and Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Wednesday described Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee as a "qualified" candidate for the post of President but said his views on others were equally positive. "The Finance Minister is qualified for President. My views are positive on him, but my views are positive on others as well", Singh said.

BSP, another outside supporter, and UPA's second largest constituent Trinamool Congress, are not not expected to oppose the UPA candidate.

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has reportedly struck a deal with the Congress and agreed to back UPA-II's Presidential candidate.

The sources said though Mamata Banerjee had taken the name Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and a couple of others as her favourite, her party is expected to toe the UPA line once Mukherjee's name is announced, the logic being that Trinamool Congress cannot be expected to oppose a candidate from Bengal for the top post.

The sources also made it clear that no names were considered at the meeting of the Congress Core Group on Friday morning which was attended by Sonia, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and some other leaders.

Meanwhile, former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma, who has been named by AIADMK and BJD as their candidate, met BJP leader LK Advani on Friday to seek NDA's support for him. Sangma is hoping to become the first tribal leader to hold the nation's top office.

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News Network
April 14,2020

New Delhi, Apr 14: With 1,211 fresh cases of coronavirus reported in the last 24 hours, the total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country has reached 10,363 including 339 deaths, said Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, here on Tuesday.

As many as 1,036 people have recovered from the disease so far, said Aggarwal during the daily media briefing on the coronavirus. "In one day, 179 people were diagnosed and found cured," he added.

"A total of 10,363 confirmed cases have been reported in India including 339 deaths and 1,036 people, who were COVID-19 positive have recovered. Out of the total deaths, 31 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours," said Aggarwal.

Aggarwal said that an evaluation of each district and city will be done till April 20.

"An evaluation of each district and city will be done till April 20 in which it will be evaluated what measures did that authorities take in these cities and districts to combat COVID-19," he said.

"Based on the results of this litmus test approach, permission will be granted for some selective activities to those districts and cities which controlled the situation effectively. Detailed guidelines will be issued soon," he added.

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News Network
July 2,2020

Lucknow, Jul 2: After a video showing health workers allegedly tossing bodies of coronavirus victims in a large pit in Karnataka, BSP President Mayawati on Wednesday stated that the incident is the "height of cruelty and insult to humanity".
The former UP Chief Minister demanded that the guilty must be punished.

"The tragedy that the bodies of COVID-19 victims being thrown into trenches in Ballari, Karnataka is the height of cruelty and an insult to humanity. Though incidents related to inhuman cruelty with corona patients are rampant but guilty of Ballari must be punished by the state government," Mayawati said in a tweet.

Also, in another tweet, she asked the Central government to extend the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana till the end of the coronavirus pandemic.

"In order to check ignominy of starvation on account of long unprecedented hardship & unemployment due to coronavirus and the subsequent nationwide lockdown, the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojna must continue not till November but till the end of the pandemic, this is the demand of BSP," she tweeted. 

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News Network
March 4,2020

New Delhi, Mar 4: The Supreme Court on Wednesday revoked the ban of cryptocurrency imposed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in 2018.

Pronouncing the verdict, the three-judge bench of the apex court said the ban was 'disproportionate'.

The bench included Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman, Justice S Ravindra Bhat and Justice V Ramasubramanian.

The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), whose members include cryptocurrency exchanges, and others had approached the top court objecting to a 2018 RBI circular directing regulated entities to not deal with cryptocurrencies.

Advocate Ashim Sood, appearing for IAMI, submitted that Reserve Bank of India lacked jurisdiction to forbid dealings in cryptocurrencies. The blanket ban was based on an erroneous understanding that it was impossible to regulate cryptocurrencies, Sood submitted.

The petitioners had argued that the RBI's circular taking cryptocurrencies out of the banking channels would deplete the ability of law enforcement agencies to regulate illegal activities in the industry.

IAMAI had claimed the move of RBI had effectively banned legitimate business activity via the virtual currencies (VCs).

The RBI on April 6, 2018, had issued the circular that barred RBI-regulated entities from "providing any service in relation to virtual currencies, including those of transfer or receipt of money in accounts relating to the purchase or sale of virtual currencies".

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