Cabinet approves Bill to set up DFI
The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved a bill to set up a Development Finance Institution (DFI) to generate funds for investment in the infrastructure sector. The proposed legislation will give effect to the Budget announcement made by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1. The government has proposed ₹20,000 crore to capitalise the institution.
Also read: Parliament proceedings live updates | March 16, 2021
Coronavirus | Health Ministry tells Maharashtra to plan for ‘worst-case scenario’
The Health Ministry has cautioned Maharashtra to plan for a “worst-case scenario” with sufficient lead time as the State continues to report the maximum number of new daily COVID-19 cases and deaths across India. It has also directed the resumption of death audits to support public health action and minimise mortality.
China to allow Indian travellers only if they take Chinese vaccines
A number of China’s overseas missions, including its embassy in New Delhi, have announced they will begin “facilitating” travellers provided they have taken “Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines”.
Swapan Dasgupta resigns from Rajya Sabha
Rajya Sabha member Swapan Dasgupta on Tuesday resigned from Upper House after questions were raised about him contesting the West Bengal Assembly polls on Bharatiya Janata Party ticket despite being a nominated MP.
Indian Railways will never be privatised: Goyal in Lok Sabha
Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal speaks in the Lok Sabha during the Budget session of Parliament, in New Delhi on March 16, 2021.
Railways Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday asserted that Indian Railways will never be privatised but said private investment should be encouraged for more efficient functioning.
Principal Advisor in PMO P.K. Sinha resigns
Former Cabinet Secretary and Principal Advisor in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) P.K. Sinha has relinquished his high-profile position on personal grounds.
Parliament Proceedings | Congress, government engage in war of words in Lok Sabha over sedition cases
The Congress and the government engaged in a war of words in Lok Sabha on Tuesday over sedition cases with the opposition party alleging the stringent law is being misused, drawing a sharp retort from Union minister G Kishan Reddy who asked it not to lecture others on democracy.
ICC bans UAE players Mohammad Naveed and Shaiman Anwar for eight years on match-fixing charges
The ICC on Tuesday slapped eight-year bans on United Arab Emirates (UAE) cricketers Mohammad Naveed and Shaiman Anwar Butt for their alleged role in trying to fix matches in the T20 World Cup qualifier in 2019.
ICC Women’s ODI rankings: Punam Raut breaks into top 20 among batters
Following her brilliant performance in the ongoing one-day series against South Africa, India’s Punam Raut broke into the top 20 among batters in the latest ICC women’s ODI rankings, released on Tuesday.
Tamil Nadu Assembly polls | Denied ticket, AIADMK MLA announces decision to quit politics and public life
Miffed over being denied a ticket to contest in the upcoming Assembly polls on April 6, sitting MLA of the ruling AIADMK from Panruti Assembly constituency Satya Panneerselvam and her husband have announced their decision to quit politics and public life. They distributed pamphlets claiming to have quit politics.
Also read: Kerala Assembly polls | Lathika Subash to contest as Independent in Ettumanur
AI adoption in organisations is moving ‘too fast’: KPMG survey
Business leaders are experiencing a COVID-19 whiplash from the pace of artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, according to a report by audit firm KPMG. They see this acceleration to be moving “too fast”, but still are confident that AI can solve several challenges.
Health Minister Harsh Vardhan: 157 medical colleges under different stages of implementation in India
A total of 157 medical colleges are under various stages of implementation across the country, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
Google rival calls out search giant for spying on users
Privacy-focussed search engine DuckDuckGo (DDG) called out Google for spying on users after the latter updated privacy labels on Apple’s App Store to show the type of data it collects from users.
