A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Growth may have slowed but there will never be a recession, claims Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament: The finance minister claimed that India’s real GDP growth was better during the first term of the Modi government than in the previous Congress-led regime.
  2. Pragya Thakur again refers to Nathuram Godse as a ‘deshbhakt’ – this time in the Lok Sabha: BJP MPs persuaded Thakur to sit down when Opposition members started protesting against her comment. 
  3. In Jharkhand election manifesto, BJP promises to implement NRC and rid the state of Bangladeshis: The ruling party also promised jobs or self-employment for one member of every family below the poverty line.  
  4. ‘Parties with diametrically opposite ideology have come to grab power,’ says Amit Shah on Maharashtra situation: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that people should not be surprised if the party comes to power at the Centre. Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar clarified that he is still a part of the Nationalist Congress Party.
  5. Air India will have to be closed if it is not privatised, says civil aviation minister: Hardeep Singh Puri told the Rajya Sabha that the government was committed to providing the carrier’s employees a fair deal.
  6. ‘If Israelis can do it, so can we,’ Indian diplomat tells Kashmiri Pandits about return to homeland: Later, Consul General in New York City Sandeep Chakravorty tweeted that his remarks had been taken ‘out of context’, but did not clarify further.   
  7. Sensex and Nifty surge to all-time highs again due to buying from FIIs, hopes of US-China trade pact: Yes Bank was the top gainer on both the indices.
  8. Bangladesh court sentences seven militants to death for 2016 Dhaka cafe attack: ‘Charges against them were proved beyond any doubt,’ the public prosecutor said. 
  9. BJP’s sudden love for unlicensed colonies triggered by AAP’s development work, says Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal: The chief minister said his government spent Rs 8,147 crore between 2015 and 2019 to lay water and sewer lines, and construct roads in 1,797 such colonies.
  10. Centre extends 15th Finance Commission’s term by a year: The government has asked the panel to submit an interim report for the 2020-’21 financial year and a full report for the financial years from 2021 to 2026.