Top news of the day: Furore in Lok Sabha over Anurag Thakur’s remarks on Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund; Google removes Paytm app from Play Store, and more

The major news headlines of the day, and more.

September 18, 2020 07:21 pm | Updated 07:23 pm IST

Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur speaks in the Lok Sabha on September 18, 2020 to express regret over remarks he made in the House. Photo: LSTV

Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur speaks in the Lok Sabha on September 18, 2020 to express regret over remarks he made in the House. Photo: LSTV

Parliament proceedings | Furore in Lok Sabha over Anurag Thakur’s remarks on PM National Relief Fund

After introducing the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said her deputy Anurag Singh Thakur will talk about PM CARES Fund. Opposition members raised concerns about the fund, and Mr. Thakur alleged that the Congress had misused the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. His remarks triggered protests from Congress members. Later, Mr. Thakur expressed regret over his comments.

Google removes Paytm app from Play Store

Google did not disclose the reason behind the app’s removal, but posted a blog about the company’s gambling policy. “We don’t allow online casinos or support any unregulated gambling apps that facilitate sports betting,” Suzanne Frey, VP, Product at Android Security and Privacy, wrote in the blog post .

Shopian encounter | Army finds ‘prima facie’ evidence against troops, initiates proceedings under Army Act

On July 18, the Army claimed three militants were killed in Amshipura village in the higher reaches of south Kashmir’s Shopian district.

Farmers being misled over agriculture Bills, says Modi

While flagging off railway projects in Bihar worth ₹2,700 crore , Mr. Modi said, “The farmers of the country will get freedom from brokers and they will get more options and opportunities to sell their produce… these Bills have come as a raksha kawach [protection safety] for them.”

‘Saddened’ my voice in support of farmers was not heard, says Harsimrat Kaur Badal

“I left my mother in ICU in the hospital to fulfill my duty to attend Parliament debate on these three legislations and register my protest. Thereafter I resigned in protest against these proposed legislations,” Ms. Badal told PTI in an interview.

Shiromani Akali Dal begins its consultation on future with NDA

The SAD, however, is mindful of challenges that the government is facing from China and Pakistan, says party MP Naresh Gujral.

Coronavirus | Central team for Jammu as COVID-19 numbers rise

“The total cases one week ago was 6,878. Jammu has been reporting doubling time of 15.4 days. The team will comprise S.K. Singh, director, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC); and Vijay Hadda, professor, Dept. of Pulmonary Critical Care, AIIMS, Delhi,’’ said a release issued by the Union Health Ministry.

Don’t cross borders while criticising judiciary, says Madras High Court Chief Justice

Chief Justice Amreshwar Pratap Sahi and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy made the observations after accepting the opinion of Advocate General Vijay Narayan that there was no necessity to initiate criminal contempt proceedings against actor Suriya . Justice S.M. Subramaniam of the High Court had written to the Chief Justice taking exception to the actor’s statement against judiciary .

Nepal introduces new text books with revised map incorporating Indian areas

India has already termed as untenable the “artificial enlargement” of the territorial claims by Nepal after its Parliament unanimously approved the new political map of the country featuring Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura areas which India maintains belongs to it.

U.S. Commerce Department will roll out ban of transactions using TikTok and WeChat from September 20

According to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, the order was put in place to combat China’s malicious collection of American citizens’ personal data.

It’s official! Apple will launch an online India store on September 23

The new online store promises to provide customers with the same experience found in Apple Store international locations, delivered by online team members who are ready to offer their expertise.

Indian Premier League 2020 | Teams, schedules and statistics

Moved out of India due to a surge in COVID-19 cases, the upcoming edition of the world’s biggest T20 league will be held in the three venues of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah in the UAE.

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