Delhi

NEW DELHI (AP) — Toxic smog shrouded the Indian capital as air quality plummeted to hazardous levels Thursday after tens of thousands of people set off a multitude of firecrackers to celebrate the major Hindu festival of Diwali.

New Delhi, Nov 8 (PTI) Authorities responded to over 300 calls about fire incidents, triggered by firecrackers and LPG cylinder blast among others, on Diwali night in Delhi, including an incident in which two children were killed and two others were injured, officials said on Thursday.

According to the Delhi Fire Services (DFS), a record number of 271 fire-related calls were received by its offices till midnight on Diwali and 74 more calls till 8 AM on Thursday.

New Delhi, Nov 8 (PTI) On the second anniversary of demonetisation, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Thursday questioned the rationale behind the Modi government's note ban move and termed it as "a self inflicted deep wound" on the Indian economy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8, 2016, announced a ban on then in use Rs 1000 and Rs 500 denomination bank notes with immediate effect.

New Delhi, Nov 8 (PTI) In a scathing assessment of the demonetisation exercise, former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said the "scars and wounds" it caused are getting more visible with time and the decision's second anniversary is a day to remember how "economic misadventures" can roil the nation.

The senior Congress leader asked the government to not resort to further unorthodox, short-term economic measures that can cause any more uncertainty in the economy.

New Delhi, Nov 6: A group of people on Tuesday gathered outside the office of the Environment Ministry to protest against the alarming rise in the pollution level that has raised health concerns.

The protesters held placards displaying messages like 'Delhi air is poisonous', 'breathing is killing me', 'My Right to Breathe' and 'Unbreathable  India' outside the Indira Pariyavaran Bhawan.

The protesters also sang songs and asked the government to stop the stubble burning going on in the surrounding states of Delhi.

New Delhi, Nov 6 (PTI) Communist Party of India general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy Tuesday described the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to rename Faizabad district to Ayodhya as a ploy to cover up its failure in governance.

The decision, which was announced by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Tuesday, also reflects the "anti-Muslim" sentiments of the BJP, he said.

New Delhi, Nov 6 (PTI) The Congress on Tuesday said that the BJP remembers Ram temple when elections are near and alleged that the ruling party is just interested in seeking votes in the name of Lord Ram.

The Ram temple has been used by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for political opportunism and it is still doing it, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari told a press conference here.

New Delhi, Nov 6 (PTI) Keeping up the heat on the RBI, the government will continue to press the central bank to relax norms to boost lending and transfer at least a third of its Rs 9.6 lakh crore reserve, sources familiar with the discussions said.

In recent weeks, the rift between the RBI and the government has been widening over various issues.

Recently, the government cited never-used before provisions of law that gives it powers to issue directions to the RBI on mattes of public interest to resolve certain issues.

New Delhi, Nov 7 (PTI) Indian Bank said Wednesday that it has raised Rs 110 crore through bonds.

The Basel III Compliant Tier 2 bonds, with a coupon rate of 8.85 per cent per annum, were raised on Tuesday. The bonds have tenor at 10 years and call option after completion of 5 years on private placement basis, an Indian Bank statement said.

According to the statement, the credit rating assigned to these bonds is "CRISIL AAA/Stable" and "CARE AAA".

Rahul Gandhi has alleged that PM Modi needs Rs 3.6 lakh crore from RBI surplus to fix the ‘mess his genius economic theories have created’.

Gandhi’s comment came after Finance Ministry sent a proposal to RBI seeking the transfer of a surplus of Rs 3.6 lakh crore, more than a third of the total Rs 9.59 lakh crore reserves of the central bank, to the government.