Mumbai: Life was good for Mitharam Patil, a wealthy moneylender from a small village in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Small-time financiers like Patil would typically lend cash to farmers and traders every day, providing a vital source of funding for a rural economy largely shut out of the banking sector, albeit at interest rates of about 24 percent. All …

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday had reached out to people directly for feedback on demonetisation move and black money, by asking the public to convey their views to him via his App by answering a set of questions. He asked the public to participate in a survey on Narendra Modi App where 10 questions, with various options, …

Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Thursday sparked controversy when he said that India lacked guts to take back parts of Jammu and Kashmir occupied by Pakistan. The Bharatiya Janata Party has demanded an apology from Farooq. Addressing a rally in Kishtwar district, the National Conference president said India and Pakistan needed to talk and solve …

Kolkota: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday vowed to keep side all the ideological differences between her Trinamool Congress and arch rival CPM in order to save the country from ‘draconian’ decisions Referring to the Centre’s decision to demonetise Rs 500/1000 notes, she said, “We may have ideological differences with CPI-M but we are ready to work with …

The Bengal government has made attendance mandatory at its offices on Monday, when the Left Front will be holding a 12-hour general strike and hartal to protest the demonetisation, and on Tuesday. The decision makes it clear that Mamata Banerjee will not flinch from her opposition to bandhs. Such pre-bandh directives have been the rule under her administration, but many …

New Delhi: The BJP-led NDA government has saved Rs 36,000 crore by digitising economic activities in one year, Union Law and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said here on Saturday. The various digitised economic activities included payment of subsidies and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee wages through direct cash benefit facilities into the accounts of intended beneficiaries through …

Modi would first arrive on Friday afternoon in the Sikh religious town of Anandpur Sahib and will attend a function to mark the 350th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh master. Anandpur Sahib, which is famous for Takht Keshgarh Sahib, the second holiest of Sikh shrines after Amritsar’s Harmandir Sahib or Golden Temple, is about 85 …

New Delhi: Government has extended the facility of using old Rs 500 notes in public utilities and certain other services like pre-paid mobile top-up till December 15 and stopped the over-the-counter exchange of defunct currencies and use of Rs 1,000 notes. It has been decided that these exemptions, with the additions and modifications, will be continued for a further period …

Three soldiers of a counter-infiltration patrol party were ambushed and killed by terrorists in Machhal sector along the LoC A day after three jawans were killed and a soldier’s body was mutilated by terrorists in Machhal sector on the Line of Control (LoC), the Army launched a massive fire assault on Pakistani posts on Wednesday morning. “A fire assault was …

New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee has said if the Swachh Bharat programme is implemented successfully, India can become a “powerful modern economy”. “If the innovative government programs like Swachh Bharat Mission and Digital India are implemented successfully, then India will definitely become a powerful modern economy,” the Swachh Bharat Mission tweeted quoting the President. The Ministry for Drinking Water and …