India

Mumbai, Jun 18 (PTI) Maharashtra Health Minister Eknath Shinde Tuesday said over 2,400 people in the state have died of HIV infection in the past one year.

He was responding to a question raised by Shiv Sena MLA Vilas Potnis.

"Between April 1 last year and February this year, 2,460 people have died (of HIV infection) in Maharashtra.

However, the government has not stopped the process of carrying out determination tests of suspected people. The required funding for the scheme is still on," Shinde said.

Mumbai, Jun 18 (PTI) Maharashtra government Tuesday presented an additional budget for 2019-20 with a revenue deficit of Rs 20,292.94 crore, higher than last year's deficit of Rs 14,960.04 crore.

The government has estimated revenue expenditure of Rs 3,34,933.06 crore against revenue receipts of Rs 3,14,640.12 crore, said Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, who tabled the budget proposals in the Legislative Assembly.

Mumbai, Jun 18 (PTI) Alleging that EVMs are being manipulated, the Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (VBA) Tuesday demanded that upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra be held through ballot papers.

VBA leader A R Anjaria said the electronic voting machines are not reliable, and that even the counties like the USA have discontinued their use.

Jaipur, Jun 18 (PTI) Unemployed youth having graduation or equivalent degree will be given unemployment allowance up to Rs 3,500 by the Rajasthan government, an official statement said.

They will get the benefit of the Chief Minister Yuva Sambal Yojana from February this year, the statement read.

The state government has implemented the scheme from February this year after rechristening the earlier Akshat Yojana.

MUMBAI, June 18. /TASS/: Russia and India should jointly use the dollar less and develop national currencies instead, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev said on Tuesday at the session of the Eastern Economic Forum in India.

"This is an advantage that the US enjoys. With the help of the dollar, they significantly influence world economy," Trutnev said.

"The world should be multipolar both politically and economically. We should work on this together. I am confident that there should not be only one dominant currency in the world, this is just wrong," he added.

Cuttack, Jun 18 (PTI) Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) vice chairman Justice Arijit Pasayat Tuesday suggested appropriate amendments in existing tax laws to curb the use of money power to win elections.

"It has come to the notice of the SIT that nearly Rs 3,800 crore was seized from across the country during the time of elections in April-May this year," he said.

Bengaluru, Jun 18 (PTI) The Congress Tuesday suspended rebel MLA R Roshan Baig from the party with immediate effect for "anti-party" activities.

"All India Congress Committee has approved the proposal sent by KPCC to take action against R Roshan Baig, MLA on account of his anti-party activities," the state Congress said in a release.

New Delhi, Jun 19 (PTI) Rajasthan MP Om Birla was on Wednesday chosen as speaker of the Lok Sabha.

The motion to choose Birla as the speaker was moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is also Leader of the House, and passed by a voice vote

"That Shri Om Birla, a member of the is House, be chosen as the Speaker of the this House," read the motion

Anantnag, Jun 18: 2 Kashmiris have been killed in an alleged a gun battle with Indian security forces in Anantnag district of Indian administered Kashmir on Tuesday, Indian police said. An Indian security forces’ soldier was also killed.

Raipur, Jun 18; PTI/GANASHAKTI: A woman Naxal was gunned down in an encounter with police in Chhattisgarh's Dhamtari district on Tuesday morning, a senior official said.

The skirmish took place around 6 am in a forest near Katti village, located around 120 km here, when a team of the Special Task Force was out on a counter-insurgency operation, Deputy Inspector General (anti-Naxal operations) Sundarraj P told PTI.

After the encounter got over, the security personnel recovered the body of a woman Naxal and a self-loading rifle (SLR) from the spot, he said.