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Election Commission of India (ECI) has concluded its largest-ever engagement drive with political parties, conducting 4,719 meetings nationwide at the levels of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), District Election Officers (DEOs), and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) as of March 31, the apex poll body said. According to a ECI release, these meetings, held over 25 days, included 40 by CEOs, 800 by DEOs, and 3,879 by EROs, engaging over 28,000 representatives from political parties across the country. The meetings were held in accordance with directives issued by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr Vivek Joshi, during the CEOs' conference held between March 4-5 this year at India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) in the national capital. The nationwide meeting across these levels aimed at addressing the pending issues within the legal framework of the Representation of the People Acts of 1950 and 1951, the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, and ECI guidelines. State and Union Territory CEOs have been asked to submit action-taken reports, with unresolved issues to be escalated to the Commission for further review, the release said.

Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday asked the government to immediately start the decadal census as well as caste census, saying a large number of people are being left out of welfare schemes due to the delay. Expressing concern over the delay in conducting the decadal census during the Zero Hour in the House, the senior Congress leader said India has been conducting a census every 10 years since 1881. It was conducted even during wars, emergencies, or other crises. He recalled that back in 1931, a caste census was conducted along with the regular census. Right before the 1931 census, Mahatma Gandhi had said that just like 'we need periodic medical checkups to assess our health, a census is the most important checkup for a nation', Kharge stated. He said the census is a crucial exercise and involves a large number of people who collect data not just on population but also on employment, family structures, socio-economic conditions, and several other key aspects.

He then went on to describe how each hotel is associated with a union and they charge tourists a bomb. He then reveals how one such cab driver had demanded Rs 1,600 to travel 10 km. “It would cost me Rs 3,500 to go to and from a restaurant just 10km away. Unbelievable!” he ranted.

In the letter, the co-founder addressed the changing and ever demanding state of global markets and economics up top, stating that from virtually «every client, nearly every leader – nearly every person – I talk to, they are more anxious about the economy than any time in recent memory». The Big Question: How are you managing concentration risk? His words come just days before US President Donald Trump is set to enact a swathe of currently unknown tariffs, adding to the long list he has already brought out against his country's major trading rivals and allies. Th policies have swep...

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. US equity indices have been in the red for the past month as recession fears take centre-stage. Add to that the US President’s steep spending cuts and tariff hikes and it’s no wonder investors are getting jittery, preferring to shift their stock bets to other countries.

Manglam Group will invest INR 1,000 crore over the next five years to expand its hospitality business in Rajasthan to cater to rising demand for premium hotels. Jaipur-based Manglam Group has already developed 'Westin Jaipur Resort', a 150-room luxury property on the Delhi-Jaipur Highway. The property will soon open to the public. To expand its hospitality business, the company plans to invest INR 1,000 crore over the next five years. In a statement on Monday, Manglam Group said it has started work on its second hospitality project in Jaipur comprising about 200 rooms. This new hotel will be a part of a mixed-use development in Jagatpura and will be managed by a global brand.

Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project will significantly reduce travel time between Katra and Srinagar. The new Vande Bharat Express will cut down the travel time from the current 6-7 hours by road to just 3 hours. «The Vande Bharat Express train will cut the Katra-Srinagar journey to just 3 hours, compared to the current 6-7 hours by road. At present, train services run between Srinagar and Sangaldan in the valley. Once the railway line from Sangaldan to Katra becomes operational, these trains can be extended to Katra,» he said. Upadhyay said that the USBRL project Qazigund-Baramulla section was started in the year 2009.

NHPC will be in focus on Tuesday after it announced that it has begun the commercial supply of 600 MW of electricity from three units of the Parbati-II hydro project in Himachal Pradesh, effective April 1. The Parbati-II project consists of four 200 MW units, and the trial run and commercial operation date (COD) for the remaining Unit-4 will be announced in due course, according to a regulatory filing.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. WASHINGTON—President Trump said that he had settled on a plan for his latest batch of tariffs expected this week but didn’t reveal what he had decided, after his economic team struggled to coalesce around a remade U.S. trade strategy.

The comments came after the three countries held their first economic dialogue in five years on Sunday, seeking to facilitate regional trade as the Asian export powers brace against U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs. Japan and South Korea are seeking to import semiconductor raw materials from China, and China is also interested in purchasing chip products from Japan and South Korea, the account, Yuyuan Tantian, said in a post on Weibo. All three sides agreed to strengthen supply chain cooperation and engage in more dialogue on export controls, the post said. During Sunday's meeting, the countries' trade ministers agreed to «closely cooperate for comprehensive and high-level» talks on a South Korea-Japan-China free trade agreement deal to promote «regional and global trade», according to a statement released after the meeting.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Global hotel brands are making a beeline for India, signing a flurry of deals with local property owners to expand in one of the world's fastest growing hospitality markets.

Indian equities ended the financial year to March 31 on a positive note, but gains were modest against the previous fiscal year and compared with many other global markets. A wave of selling pressure from foreigners in the second-half of April-March eroded most of the gains, pushing indices to multi-month lows and denting overall sentiment. India, the world’s fifth-largest equity market in value, lagged behind more than six major global markets, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Germany, China, the UK, Taiwan and the US as foreign investors turned bearish on India on account of slowing growth concerns and expensive share valuations.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: India's electric vehicle (EV) battery makers could face collateral damage from the Trump tariffs, as foreign manufacturers unload cheap batteries here just as the local companies were ramping up production. India’s fast-growing EV market could absorb the diverted supply and drive down costs for local automakers, experts said, adding that also spells trouble for companies such as Amara Raja Energy & Mobility Ltd, Exide Industries Ltd, Reliance Industries Ltd and Ola Electric Ltd, which are investing billions to build battery plants.

President Donald Trump is taking a blowtorch to the rules that have governed world trade for decades

Sony Pictures' One of Them Days will be available for streaming on Netflix in the United States earlier than expected. Originally predicted to arrive in May 2025, the release date has been moved up to March 31, 2025. Other regions will receive the movie later, following different distribution agreements.

Congress on Sunday demanded that the government bring a legislation to implement the UPA-enacted Article 15(5) for providing reservation to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes in the private, unaided, but non-minority educational institutions. It pointed out that a 2014 apex court order had upheld Article 15(5), that the 2024 Lok Sabha election manifesto of Congress had promised to do the same and that a standing panel report too had favoured the course. The move to press for implementing the measure on reservation, especially for OBCs, is being seen by some in the political circles in the context of the Opposition party looking for ways to deal with the NDA government readying the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.

Leo Puri has stepped down from the board of Tata Sons as an independent director, his second exit from a company's top decision-making body within a month. Officials close to the matter said that Puri's term has officially ended, and that he did not seek a renewal. About a fortnight ago, Puri resigned from the board of Hindustan Unilever, the country's biggest consumer goods company, as an independent director, citing increasing board commitments. He had then cited his proposed appointment to the board of a global entity among the reasons for his resignation. Tata Sons did not comment. Leo Puri was not reachable. Puri also serves as the chairperson and independent director on the board of Fortis Healthcare and as an independent director on the board of Dr Reddy's Laboratories.

Freight loading during the year crossed 1.61 billion tonnes, making India's railway network the second largest in terms of freight carried annually, overtaking the US, they said. China is the only country ahead of India in terms of cargo handled by the railway network. The year ended March 31 also saw the railways' capital expenditure utilisation marginally exceeding the budget estimates at more than ₹2.65 lakh crore, they said.

The chief executive of Primark, one of Europe’s biggest fast fashion retailers, has resigned after an investigation into his behavior toward a woman in a social environment

Renault Monday said it will acquire alliance partner Nissan’s stake to fully control manufacturing operations in India run by JV Renault Nissan Automotive India Private Limited (RNAIPL). Renault will acquire the 51% stake in the manufacturing operations currently held by Nissan, post which RNAIPL will become its wholly-owned subsidiary. Nissan will continue to utilise the manufacturing infrastructure, even after it exits the JV company. Renault will contract manufacture existing and new models scheduled to be launched in the country by Nissan over the next two years, both for domestic and exports markets, till the end of life of these vehicles.

Kiren Rijiju asserted on Monday that the government is fully prepared to table the amended Waqf bill in Parliament, as he accused some political parties and organisations of seeking to foment unrest in society and mislead people over its provisions. With Parliament reconvening on Tuesday following the weekend and Eid holiday, he said the timing of the bill's introduction will be decided following consultations after Parliament meets but he wants it passed as soon as possible. The ongoing Budget session of Parliament is scheduled to end on April 4, and the bill will have to be passed by both the Lok Sabha as well as the Rajya Sabha to become a law. The government has indicated that it will discuss with leaders of different parties on Tuesday the timing of the Bill's introduction. It is likely to be first introduced in the Lower House, probably on Wednesday. Opposition parties are strongly opposed to the bill, slamming it as unconstitutional and against the interest of the Muslim community. Several leading Muslim organisations have been rallying support against the bill, which was scrutinised by a Joint Committee of Parliament and approved with several amendments. Speaking to reporters, Rijiju accused some political parties and organisations, a clear reference to the opposition and Muslim bodies, of resorting to lies to mislead society and stoke tensions, while insisting that the bill is in the interest of Muslims.