‘I will try and uphold credibility and autonomy’ of RBI, says new Governor Shaktikanta Das

Newly appointed Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das on Wednesday promised to try and uphold the value and autonomy of the institution and said his immediate focus will be on the banking sector. “I have convened a meeting with chief executive officers and managing directors of public sector banks tomorrow [Thursday] morning,” he said. “Banking is an important segment in our economy and it’s facing several challenges that need to be dealt with.”

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Mekedatu project report: SC rejects Tamil Nadu’s plea challenging Centre’s nod to Karnataka

The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected Tamil Nadu’s request for stay on the Centre’s decision to allow Karnataka to prepare a detailed project report on a proposed dam in the Mekedatu area across the Cauvery river. Justices AM Khanwilkar and Ajay Rastogi asked the Centre and the Karnataka government to reply to Tamil Nadu’s petition.

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National Register of Citizens: SC extends deadline for filing claims and objections to December 31

The Supreme Court on Wednesday extended the deadline to file claims and objections in the National Register of Citizens process in Assam from December 15 to December 31. The top court said the verification process will begin on February 15.

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Urjit Patel’s resignation as RBI chief will raise India’s risk perception, says rating agency Fitch

Global rating agency Fitch on Wednesday said Urjit Patel’s resignation as Reserve Bank of India governor poses macroeconomic risks. Former Revenue Secretary Shaktikanta Das was appointed the head of the central bank on Tuesday, a day after Patel resigned. The agency said increased government influence in the central bank could undermine the RBI’s efforts to address the bad loan problem.

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#MeToo: Directors’ body suspends Sajid Khan for a year after investigating harassment complaints

The Indian Film and Television Directors’ Association on Tuesday suspended director Sajid Khan for a year over complaints of sexual harassment by several women. The suspension is effective immediately. Actresses Saloni Chopra and Rachel White and journalist Karishma Upadhyay had spoken out on social media and accused Khan of sexual harassment, following which he had stepped down as director of the upcoming comedy Housefull 4.

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Uttar Pradesh: FIR filed against BJP leader for threatening to create ‘Bulandshahr-like situation’

The Uttar Pradesh Police has registered a First Information Report against the Bharatiya Janata Party Hapur unit general secretary for allegedly threatening to create a “Bulandshahr-like incident” in the area and using abusive language against a police officer.

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Assembly polls: 17 seats in MP and 14 in Rajasthan could have gone either way, data shows

Seventeen seats in Madhya Pradesh and 14 in Rajasthan were decided by a margin of less than 1% in the recently-conducted Assembly elections, according to election data. In Madhya Pradesh, where the Congress edged out the Bharatiya Janata Party by five seats, nine of the close-race constituencies went to the Congress while six were won by the BJP. In Rajasthan, the saffron party won seven of the 12 seats where it was involved in close contests with the Congress.

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Assembly election results: Congress defeated BJP’s ‘negative politics’, says Sonia Gandhi

Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday said the party’s victories in the Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Assembly elections was a victory over the Bharatiya Janata Party’s “negative politics”. The Congress swept aside the incumbent BJP government in Chhattisgarh, winning 68 seats against the BJP’s 15. In Rajasthan, the party won 99 seats, just two short of the majority mark. In Madhya Pradesh, the party received support from the BSP and SP, increasing its tally to 117, one above the majority mark.

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Sensex rises 629 points, Nifty crosses 10,700 a day after appointment of new RBI governor

The domestic markets rose for the second straight session on Wednesday, soaring 1.8% a day after former bureaucrat Shaktikanta Das was appointed the new governor of the Reserve Bank of India. Das took charge on Wednesday morning. The BSE Sensex surged to close 629.06 points ahead of Tuesday’s close at 35,779.07, while the NSE Nifty 50 ended the session at 10,737.60, up 188.45 points.

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Winter Session: Lok Sabha adjourned for the day as MPs protest against Rafale deal

The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on the second day of the Winter Session on Wednesday after parliamentarians protested, demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee investigation into the Rafale jet deal with France, and against the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. The Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 2 pm.

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Assembly election results: Mayawati says BSP will support Congress in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan

Soon after the results for the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh were announced, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Wednesday said her party will support the Congress in Madhya Pradesh, and if need be in Rajasthan as well.

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Rajasthan: India’s first state cow welfare minister loses from Sirohi

Otaram Devasi, India’s first minister in charge of cow welfare, lost the elections from Rajasthan’s Sirohi on Tuesday to Independent candidate Sanyam Lodha by 10,253 votes. He was among the 13 ministers in Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje’s cabinet to lose the elections.

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Madhya Pradesh election results: Congress wins 114 seats, BJP trails at 109

The Congress on Wednesday emerged the single largest party in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, winning 114 seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party, which had ruled the state for 15 years, won 109 seats. The half-way mark in the state is 116. The Election Commission declared the final results almost 24 hours after the counting of votes began for the 230-seat Assembly.

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Rajasthan Assembly elections: Congress legislature party to meet today to discuss CM pick

The Congress Legislature Party in Rajasthan will meet on Wednesday morning to discuss who will be the new chief minister after the party finished ahead of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the state. The Congress finished just two short of the majority mark, at 99, in the swing state, with the BJP winning 73 seats.

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Bhima Koregaon: SC defers hearing of plea against refusal of time for police to file chargesheet

The Supreme Court on Tuesday deferred the hearing of the Maharashtra government’s petition challenging the Bombay High Court’s refusal to extend the 90-day limit for filing a chargesheet in the Bhima-Koregaon case. The Pune Police had arrested five activists on June 6 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for their alleged role in the violence in Bhima-Koregaon on January 1.

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Rajasthan election results: 13 of 19 BJP ministers lose their seats

Thirteen of 19 ministers from the outgoing Vasundhara Raje-led Bharatiya Janata Party government in Rajasthan lost the Assembly elections on Tuesday. Some of the big names who were defeated are Agriculture Minister Prabhu Lal Saini, who lost to the Congress’ Pramod Bhaya by 34,063 votes in Anta in the state’s Baran district, Revenue Minister Amra Ram from Pachpadra in Barmer district, and Industries Minister Rajpal Singh from Jhotwara near Jaipur.

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