A look at the top headlines of the day:

  1. Petrol and diesel prices increased again by 80 paise per litre each: This is the fourth such hike in a span of five days. Ahead of the recent Assembly polls, fuel rates had been on a freeze since November 4. Meanwhile, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said that fuel prices were on the rise due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
  2. If hate speech is made with a smile, there is no criminality, says Delhi High Court: The court held that speeches made during elections are different than those made during ordinary times as politicians try to create an atmosphere in their rallies without having any particular intention.
  3. Aam Aadmi Party government promises 20 lakh jobs by 2027 in Delhi Budget: Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that the city’s working population will increase from the current 33% to 45% in the next five years.
  4. Centre extends free ration scheme till September: The Centre had launched the scheme in March 2020 in the wake of the first phase of the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath on Saturday extended the state’s own free ration scheme by three months.
  5. All 132 people on board Boeing flight that crashed in South China have died, say officials: The Boeing 737 plane operated by China Eastern Airlines crashed in the rural locality near Wuzhou city of the Guangxi region on March 21.
  6. Akhilesh Yadav becomes Leader of Opposition in Uttar Pradesh Assembly: Meanwhile, his uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav said that he was not invited to the meeting where Akhilesh was chosen as leader of the Samajwadi Party in the House.
  7. Event on religious harmony cancelled citing ‘government orders’ in Indore: In a letter dated March 25, authorities at the Textile Development Trust, which runs the venue, Jall Auditorium, told the organisers that the event will not be allowed due to “unavoidable reasons”.
  8. Clear Rs 1.36 lakh crore in dues, or we would barricade coal mines, Jharkhand CM tells Centre: Hemant Soren said told the state Assembly that central government-owned coal companies have not the dues in spite of several discussions.
  9. Maharashtra cuts value added tax on CNG to 3% from 13.5%: The decision will come into effect from April 1. On March 11, Pawar had made the proposal to reduce value added tax on CNG while presenting the state’s Budget. Pawar had also said that the decision would result in an annual revenue loss of Rs 800 crore for the government.
  10. Taylor Hawkins, drummer of rock band Foo Fighters, dies at 50: The Grammy award-winning band, known for its songs like Everlong and Best of You announced the tragic news in an Instagram post on Saturday. The band was due to play at the Festival Estereo Picnic in Bogota in Colombia later in the day.