Budget 2018-19

  About 2.5 million ceremonies are estimated to have taken place since mid-November, around a quarter of this year’s expected annual total. A quick glance at social media feeds in India over the past month shows a flurry of weddings as couples rush to tie the knot following a lifting of some virus curbs. About 2.5 million ceremonies are estimated to have taken place since mid-November, around a quarter of this year’s expected annual total, after the government eased some restrictions around gatherings. It’s a stark turnaround for India’s jewelers, who have seen demand hammered for almost two years as the coronavirus led to the postponement of many weddings — a key source of demand for the nation that considers buying and gifting of gold as auspicious — while broader financial hardship further curbed purchases. The bumper festival season may help push India’s gold imports to as much as 900 tons this year, the highest in six years , Metals Focus Ltd  said. That’s up from about 3...

  US President Joe Biden on Tuesday (local time) said that Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral pill mark a significant step forward in the path out of the pandemic. US President Joe Biden on Tuesday (local time) said that Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral pill mark a significant step forward in the path out of the pandemic.v”I am encouraged by the promising data released by Pfizer today, showing that its antiviral pill is effective at reducing the risk of severe illness in people infected with  COVID-19 . This news provides another potentially powerful tool in our fight against the virus, including the Omicron variant,” read a statement from the President on Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral pill. “Getting vaccinated and getting your booster shot to remain the most important tools we have to save lives. But if this treatment is indeed authorized — and once the pills are widely available — it will mark a significant step forward in our path out of the pandemic,” added the statement. Earlier on Tue...

  Gangster Suresh Pujari, wanted in several extortion cases in Mumbai region and Karnataka, has been deported to India, a senior police official said on Wednesday. Gangster  Suresh Pujari , wanted in several extortion cases in Mumbai region and Karnataka, has been deported to India, a senior police official said on Wednesday. Pujari, also wanted in extortion cases in Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Ulhasnagar and Dombivli near Mumbai, was brought back to India late Tuesday night after he was arrested and extradited from the Philippines. Intelligence Bureau (IB) and CBI officials took his custody after he landed at Delhi airport, the official said. He will be handed over to Mumbai Police after the central agencies interrogate him, the official said. A Mumbai crime branch team is already in Delhi to take his custody. Mumbai and Thane police had issued red-corner notices against him in 2017 and 2018 respectively after several extortion cases. Pujari, who was on the run for over 15 years, ...

  After the Ganga in Kanpur and Varanasi, the Saryu in Ayodhya, and Yamuna in Vrindavan are all set to become pollution-free. After the Ganga in Kanpur and Varanasi, the Saryu in  Ayodhya , and Yamuna in Vrindavan are all set to become pollution-free as the drains falling into these rivers have been tapped. The water of the drains connecting to the sewage treatment plants (STP) is being treated and purified. The water of as many as 37 drains in prominent cities have been prevented from falling into rivers. New STPs have been set up on the banks of rivers. In the last one year, total 72 drains have been tapped. According to officials, water quality of major rivers, including Ganga, has improved significantly due to the work being carried out under the ambitious Namami Gange programme. A new STP of 50 million litres per day (MLD) capacity has been prepared in Ramna in Varanasi at a cost of Rs 161.31 crore and three drains falling into the  Ganga  have been tapped. Prin...

  The pledge builds on the collaboration between   Oxford University , AstraZeneca and SII, the world’s largest maker of vaccines Vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII) has pledged 50 million pounds ($66.2 million) to the University of Oxford for setting up a research campus that would also house the institute behind the  AstraZeneca -Oxford COVID-19 shot. The investment was made through the Indian company’s Serum Life Sciences unit, Oxford University said on Wednesday. The research building would be named after Serum’s billionaire owners, the Poonawalla family. The pledge builds on the collaboration between Oxford University, AstraZeneca and SII, the world’s largest maker of vaccines and the producer of a version of the British duo’s COVID-19 shot for low- and middle-income countries. SII has also agreed with the Jenner Institute, which was behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, to produce and develop Jenner’s R21/Matrix-M malaria shot on a large scale. Th...

  Oil prices fell on Tuesday due to investor worries about demand after renewed restrictions were imposed in Europe and Asia amid a rise in coronavirus cases Oil prices fell on Tuesday due to investor worries about demand after renewed restrictions were imposed in Europe and Asia amid a rise in coronavirus cases. Brent crude oil futures eased by 34 cents, or 0.5%, to $74.05 a barrel by 0401 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell by 35 cents, or 0.5%, to $70.94. “Energy traders don’t want to bet against OPEC+ but all the short-term risks from Omicron to Fed tightening is proving to be very disruptive to the short-term outlook for oil prices,” said Edward Moya, senior analyst at OANDA. “The virus spread across Europe is delivering a bigger hit than expected and when you calculate family gatherings for the holidays, the short-term outlook could get slashed over the next month.” Governments around the world, including most recently Britain and Norway, were tig...

  The NDPS (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was passed by a voice vote and some amendments moved by opposition members were rejected Lok Sabha on Monday passed a bill to rectify errors that had crept into the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Act with Finance Minister  Nirmala Sitharaman  asserting that the retrospective provision made in the bill was not substantive in nature. The NDPS (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was passed by a voice vote and some amendments moved by opposition members were rejected by the House. Responding to concerns raised by members that the provision for implementing the law with retrospective effect was in violation of Article 20 (1) of the Constitution, Sitharaman said according to the opinion of the Solicitor General, the amendment could be permitted as it was not substantive, but clarificatory in nature. She said the retrospective amendment was allowed as the government did not want to create a new law but only correct a mistake… Read Mor...