Budget 2018-19

  In 2017-18, West Bengal accounted for 15 per cent of the total contributions made to the NSSF; its share increased from 12.4 per cent in 2007-08 A day after the finance ministry announced a reduction in rates on small savings schemes as part of its periodic review, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman   was quick to announce a rollback of the move on Thursday morning, calling it an “oversight” In a tweet, the FM said: “Interest rates of small savings schemes of GoI shall continue to be at the rates which existed in the last quarter of 2020-2021, ie, rates that prevailed as of March 2021. Orders issued by oversight shall be withdrawn.” If the ministry had gone ahead with its plan to lower the rates on small schemes up to 1.1 per cent, it would have been a second cut in two years and brought savings rate on many schemes, such as the  Public Provident Fund   (PPF), to historic lows. In the April-June quarter of last year, too, the government had cut rates on small...

  The very severe cyclonic storm Nivar, crossed the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coast late night and early Thursday morning with an estimated wind speed of 120-130 kmph, said the IMD The very severe cyclonic storm Nivar, crossed the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coast late night and early Thursday morning with an estimated wind speed of 120-130 kmph, said the India Meteorological Department (IMD). On its way the cyclone uprooted several trees and power lines in Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore, Marakkanam and in Puducherry. Power supply in several areas was disrupted. The concerned administration was removing the fallen trees. In Puducherry also the power supply was disrupted. Puducherry Chief Minister V.Narayanasamy told a news channel that power supply will be restored in a phased manner on Thursday itself. He said, a lot of trees have fallen due to the  Cyclone Nivar  and rain in continuing. Narayanasamy said low lying areas were inundated and work was on to drain the water. Fallen tr...

  Severe cyclonic storm Nivar is expected to cross Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts around midnight or early hours of Thursday as a very severe cyclonic storm     Severe cyclonic storm Nivar is expected to cross Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts around midnight or early hours of Thursday as a very severe cyclonic storm, India Meteorological Department said on Wednesday. Moving at a speed of about 7kmph over the past six hours, the severe cyclonic storm Nivar lay centred about 290km east-southeast of Cuddalore, about 300km east-southeast of Puducherry and 350km south-southeast of Chennai, the weather department said. Over the next 12 hours,  Cyclone Nivar  is likely to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm. Nivar is likely to move northwestwards and cross Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts between Mamallapuram and Karaikal around Puducherry during the intervening night of November 25 and 26 as a very severe cyclonic storm. The wind speed when Nivar crosses the...

  Extremely heavy rains and strong winds are expected in the next three days in Tamil Nadu and Poducherry   Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are on high alert with Cyclone Nivar expected to make landfall on November 25 afternoon between Karaikal and Mamallapuram. While rains are expected in southern Andhra Pradesh, a deep depression is brewing over the Bay of Bengal and is most likely to turn into a severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday and cross the coast on Wednesday, according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). The deep depression over the Bay of Bengal is currently 440 km east-southeast of Puducherry and 470 km southeast of Chennai, according to the latest IMD bulletin. The  Cyclone Nivar  is very likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm in the next 12 hours and into a severe cyclonic storm in the subsequent 12 hours with a speed of 100-110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph. Extremely heavy rains and strong winds are expected in the next three days. The state governments...

  DMK will hold a protest outside the Raj Bhavan to demand Tamil Nadu Governor give his immediate assent to the bill for reservation to government school students in medical college admissions DMK President M.K. Stalin on Thursday said his party will hold a massive protest outside the Raj Bhavan on Saturday to demand Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit give his immediate assent to the bill for reservation to government school students in medical college admissions. Stalin made the announcement after he received a reply to his letter in this regard from the Governor on Thursday. In his letter, Purohit had said that he needs three to four weeks time to arrive at a decision on the Bill that provides 7.5 per cent horizontal reservation in medical college admissions to those who had studied in government schools. “The same has also been informed to the delegation of Ministers who called on me recently,” he told Stalin. Stalin, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly,...

Four helicopters of the Indian Air Force and their 10 commandos are involved in the rescue operation in Kurangani forest fire A massive forest fire, which started on Saturday in Tamil Nadu's Theni, has claimed nine lives so far and seriously injured another eleven of the 36 trekkers that had gone mountain trekking in Kurangani hills in Bodi foothills. Speaking of stepped up rescue operations, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said an advanced light helicopter had been sent to save those trapped in the forest fire. Twenty-seven people have been rescued so far by the fire and forest departments, along with Indian Air Force’s (IAF's) aid — 11 of them is admitted to hospitals in Madurai and Erode after suffering serious burns. The defence ministry swung into full force by fielding 16 commandos of the Garud Commando Force and four choppers from the Indian Air Force to fasten the rescue operation of those stuck in Kurangani forest fire in Theni district....