Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman receives a warm welcome from BJP women workers on her arrival, at the party headquarters, in New Delhi on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Budget 2024: Nirmala Sitharaman signals shift from earlier trickle-down strategy to a slew of schemes

Presenting her seventh Union Budget and the first after this year’s Lok Sabha election, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on July 23 unveiled a flurry of measures aimed at fixing the woes of unemployed youth, small businesses, and the middle class, and sought to strengthen the ruling NDA coalition’s bonds with support for multiple investment projects in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.

Budget 2024: States ruled by non-NDA parties ignored, says Opposition; four CMs to boycott Niti Aayog meet

The Opposition slammed the Union Budget calling it an exercise in political jugglery to appease the BJP’s two key allies, Janata Dal (United) and Telugu Desam Party, while doing little to address issues such as high rate of unemployment and inflation. States ruled by non-National Democratic Alliance (NDA) parties, the Opposition said, have been ignored.

Budget 2024: Stocks wobble on capital gain tax plan

The stock markets reacted negatively to the Budgetary provisions concerning additional tax burden on investors and closed in the negative territory led by losses in banking stocks after undergoing high volatility. The key benchmark indices recovered most of the lost ground in the second half of trading.

Trump assassination attempt: U.S. Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle steps down

The director of the U.S. Secret Service said on July 23 she is resigning following the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump that unleashed intensifying outcry about how the agency tasked with protecting current and former Presidents could fail in its core mission.

Y.S. Jagan approaches A.P. High Court seeking Leader of Opposition status 

Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy filed a writ petition in the High Court (HC) praying for a direction to the A.P. government to designate him as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Legislative Assembly, in accordance with Section 12-B of the A.P. Payment of Salaries and Pension and Removal Of Disqualifications Act, 1953.

NTA will release final NEET results within two days: Dharmendra Pradhan

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on July 23 hailed the Supreme Court’s decision on the NEET-UG issue and announced that the final results of the medical entrance exam would be declared within two days. The merit list would be revised according to the observations made by the Supreme Court, he said.

Nehru Planetarium set for revamp, India’s space achievements to take centre stage

Nehru Planetarium is getting ready for a revamp by the year end, with its gallery set to feature by 2025 new interactive screens focusing on India’s latest space missions and developments in the field of astronomy. The planetarium has now teamed up with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to incorporate the country’s latest space missions into its shows.

Bombay High Court puts temporary hold on Indrani Mukerjea’s Europe trip 

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday passed an ad interim stay on a special court order that permitted Indrani Mukerjea to travel to Spain and United Kingdom until July 29. Ms. Mukerjea who is the prime accused in the alleged murder of her own daughter Sheena Bora, is currently out on bail.  

Sri Lanka apologises for forced cremations policy during pandemic 

Sri Lanka on Tuesday apologised for enforcing a “cremations only” policy during the Covid-19 pandemic, going against the religious sentiments of Muslims, as well as expert views that burials were safe. The government said the Cabinet approved a joint proposal from a group of ministers “to plead an apology on behalf of the government”, from all communities affected by the compulsory cremation policy during the pandemic, when President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was in office.

Paris Olympics preview | Indian pugilists capable of landing medal-winning punches

The presence of two World champions, including an Olympic medallist, and two Worlds medallists in the six-member Indian squad brightens up the country’s prospects in the Paris 2024 boxing ring. After the dismal performance of the male boxers in the initial qualifying phase and the loss of the women’s 57kg quota place due to Parveen Hooda’s missed dope tests, the boxing scene looked better as Amit Panghal (51kg) and Nishant Dev (71kg) notched up two quota places and Jaismine Lamboria reclaimed the 57kg slot.

Paris Olympics preview | Will the ‘nucleus of Indian sports’ live up to its title?

The health of Indian sports will largely depend on the contribution of Olympic medals by the shooters in the Paris Games. It may sound ironical that a sport that has brought nought from the last two Games in Rio and Tokyo, finds itself as the nucleus of Indian sports. There will be 21 shooters, the best from any country including China, competing for 27 medals. Can quality come from quantity? Can there be another gold medal from shooting, the way Abhinav Bindra won by asserting his mastery in air rifle in the Beijing Games in 2008.

Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh):

Amid the ongoing debate between BJP and the Opposition leaders about the reservation and minority quota, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said 4 per cent of Muslim reservations “will remain” and that is YSR Congress Party’s “final word” on it.

Addressing a public gathering in Kurnool, he said, “On one hand, Chandrababu Naidu continues to join hands with the BJP which stands on removing the 4 per cent Muslim reservation, on the other hand, to seek minority votes, he comes up with new drama. Have you witnessed a chameleon-like Chandrababu Naidu? Come what may, 4 per cent of Muslim reservations will remain and that is YSR Congress Party’s final word on it. My only question to Chandrababu Naidu is why does he continue the alliance with the NDA even after the NDA government pledges to cancel the 4 per cent reservation?”

Commenting on the ongoing Lok Sabha election battle, Mr Reddy said, “In the next 4 days, the battle of Kurukshetra is set to take place. This election is not to elect MLAs and MPs, this election will decide the future of ongoing schemes and the development of every household. If you vote for Chandrababu Naidu, you are stopping all the welfare that this government has brought to the doorstep of the household.”

Criticising Chandrababu Naidu, he said, “For 14 years, Chandrababu Naidu boasts about being the CM – for a 3-year term. Does any poor remember the welfare that this man has brought to the State? We have brought welfare without discriminating against religion, caste, community, or other party members.”

Earlier, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s remarks on Muslim reservation had kicked up a storm and drew flak from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Muslims should get a reservation (reservation toh milna chahiye Musalmano ko, pura’…),” Mr Yadav said.

However, the RJD Chief later clarified that he was in favour of extending reservation benefits to Muslims but emphasized that it should be “based on social backwardness and not based on religion.”

“I implemented the ‘Mandal Commission’. Reservation samajik adhar par hota hai dharmik aadhar par nahi hota hai (it is based on social backwardness and not based on religion). Atal Bihari Vajpayee constituted the Constitution Review Commission,” Lalu Yadav said.

The Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh will be held on May 13. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.

In the 2019 Assembly elections, the YSRCP won with a thumping majority of 151 seats, while the TDP was confined to 23 seats. In the Lok Sabha polls, the YSRCP won 22 seats, while the TDP could only win three seats.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)