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seat-sharing formula for principal ally the Congress, the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu on Saturday allotted 10 seats in the state and neighbouring Puducherry to the national party for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The Dravidian party gave Congress nine seats in Tamil Nadu, besides the lone Puducherry segment.

Centre not to run away from its responsibility of giving legal guarantee for MSP on all crops, even as farmers prepare to participate in the proposed 'rail roko' protest on March 10 to press for their demands. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have called for a 'rail roko' protest on Sunday in support of their various demands. Citing reports, Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) leader Dallewal rejected the Centre's plan to undertake guaranteed procurement of pulses (tur, urad and masoor), maize and cotton at a Minimum Support Price (MSP). Speaking to reporters, Dallewal asserted that farmers must be given MSP on all crops for their survival under the «C2 plus 50 per cent» formula recommended by the Swaminathan Commission.

financial assistance to students from Classes 9 to 12, for which the government has allocated Rs 1,650 crore in the state budget. Under its "Namo Lakshmi Yogana", the government will provide Rs 50,000 to girls studying in Classes 9 to 12 over four years, while Rs 25,000 will be given to both girls and boys who have opted for the science stream in Classes 11 and 12 under the "Namo Saraswati Vigyan Sadhana Yojana", a release stated. «These two significant schemes have been initiated this year to fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to girls' education, encouraging girls to pursue secondary and higher secondary education and to promote science education,» the state government said in a statement. The chief minister launched the schemes from Gyanda High School in Ahmedabad, with around 35,000 students of primary and secondary schools and educators from across the state participating virtually in the online programme.

Modi on Saturday unveiled the 125-feet tall statue of medieval era Ahom general Lachit Borphukan that has been installed near the latter’s maidam, or the burial tomb, at Hollongapar in Jorhat district of the State. Named “The Statue of Valour”, the statue is part of the Lachit Barphukan Maidam Development Project that also includes a museum, a 500-seating capacity auditorium and a hostel. Apart from contributing towards tourism potential of the area, the 125-feet tall statue of the great general is also expected to inspire newer generation with the patriotism and love for their motherland.

ONGC's newly explored crude oil from KG basin deep-sea block was received at Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) on Saturday, the refinery said in a statement. The new crude oil from Krishna Godavari basin block KG-DWN-98/2 was brought to Mangalore by a ship named Swarna Sindhu, which was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 2. «This sweet (low sulphur) indigenous crude is poised to be transformed into various fuels and petrochemicals at MRPL, Mangalore, contributing impactfully to the Athmanirbhar Bharath mission of the Government of India,» it said. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation's (ONGC) KG block KG-DWN-98/2, which started oil production in January, lies in Andhra offshore.

Liverpool will host Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday in what will be the top-of-the-table clash. Liverpool are at the number place with 63 points off 27 games, Manchester City are at second position with 62 points from 27 matches. While, Liverpool won four consecutive matches, City secured same number of wins in their previous five matches. It will also be the face-off between two of the greatest club football managers of all time — Jürgen Klopp, and Pep Guardiola.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday said he had told quota activist Manoj Jarange that reservations for Marathas will not be technically possible and urged the community to not fall prey to false promises. Speaking at an event organised to mark the party's 18th foundation day in Nashik, Thackeray said if one community gets reservations in government jobs and education, all communities will make similar demands. «When I met Jarange, I had told him that it would not be technically possible to grant reservation to the Maratha community. For this, a session of the Lok Sabha is necessary. Moreover, this issue is not limited to the Marathas alone but communities in every state. If one community gets reservations, all communities will make the same demand. I request the Maratha brethren not to fall prey to false promises,» Thackeray said.

Amit Shah on Saturday alleged that the top brass of the Congress and RJD always worked for the interest of their families but did not do anything for the poor. Addressing a rally of the BJP OBC Morcha in Patna's Paliganj area, he said that it is only Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP who can do good for the poor. «The top brass of the Congress have always taken care of their families. In the name of backward people, Lalu-ji also lived his entire life for his family. Sonia Gandhi's only goal is to make Rahul Gandhi the prime minister, while Lalu-ji's aim is to make his son the chief minister,» he claimed. «If anyone can do good for the poor then it's only Narendra Modi and the BJP,» he added.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki has resigned as the president of the state Congress, ahead of the Lok Sabha and the assembly elections, a party leader said on Saturday. Tuki sent his resignation to the All India Congress Committee on Friday, following the defection of three party MLAs to BJP, he said. «The former chief minister resigned on moral grounds as he could not prevent the MLAs from defecting to other political parties,» APCC general secretary Gyamar Tana said. Tuki represents the Sagalee assembly constituency in the state.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said positive discussions were held in Delhi on the Mahayuti alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and «80 per cent» of the issues have been resolved. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday held talks for seat sharing in Maharashtra with coalition partners Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde and NCP president Ajit Pawar. Fadnavis was also present in the meeting. The Mahayuti alliance comprises the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP. Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Fadnavis said, «Very positive discussions were held in the meeting yesterday. I can say that 80 per cent of our issues have been solved, and talks are going on for the remaining 20 per cent. And, I believe that the remaining issues will be resolved, and a good alliance will be formed.»

India and England in Dharamsala witnessed an intense moment between Jonny Bairstow and Shubman Gill, which was captured in a video and has now gone viral on social media. In the video, Bairstow can be seen asking Gill about a comment he made to Jimmy Anderson regarding retirement. Bairstow, who was celebrating his 100th Test appearance, was heard saying, "«What did you say to Jimmy about retiring… then he got you out next ball.» Gill responded confidently that even if Anderson got him out after his century, it wouldn't matter. «So what?… he can get me out after my 100.»

Office space demand in India's six major cities will remain healthy this year as domestic and foreign firms are expected to lease 50-55 million square feet area to expand their businesses, according to a FICCI-Colliers report. Gross leasing of office space stood at 58.2 million square feet across six major cities namely Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune. Industry body FICCI and real estate consultant Colliers India earlier this week released its report 'India Office: Repurposed to scale-up'. The report has given three scenarios for office demand forecast — optimistic, realistic, and pessimistic.

Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said the AAP government in Delhi was pursuing a model of 'vikas' or development while the BJP was following a model of 'vinash' or destruction with its stamping out of opposition parties and toppling of governments. Speaking in the Delhi Assembly over the 2024-25 budget of the AAP government tabled in the House recently, Kejriwal said it was such a good budget that people are now saying that the AAP-Congress combine will win all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. The chief minister said every woman in a family will receive Rs 1,000 each under the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Samman Yojna announced in the budget. Kejriwal also remembered former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, presently in jail in an excise policy-related case.

Indian Banks' Association (IBA) and bank employee unions have reached a consensus on an annual wage hike of 17 per cent, a move that is expected to have a substantial impact on public sector banks. This decision will lead to an additional yearly expenditure of approximately Rs 8,284 crore for these banks, benefiting around 8 lakh bank employees. The wage hike is set to take effect from November 2022. The All India Bank Officers' Confederation announced that as part of the agreement, all Saturdays will be recognized as holidays, subject to government notification. The revised working hours will come into effect upon government notification.

Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu held second round of talks with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda on Saturday as the two parties worked to seal their alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Lok Sabha and assembly polls will be held simultaneously in Andhra Pradesh. Rebel YSR Congress Party MP K Raghu Rama Krishna Raju said the alliance will soon be officially announced and said the coming together of the BJP, TDP, and Jana Sena Party is essential to rid the state of the «devil» ruling it — a swipe at Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy-led party. Naidu, a former Andhra Pradesh chief minister, and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan had met Shah and Nadda on Thursday too.

Gurpreet Singh GP on Saturday joined the Aam Aadmi Party in the presence of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann here. Singh was elected as an MLA from the Bassi Pathana assembly constituency seat in Fatehgarh Sahib district in 2017. He unsuccessfully contested from the same constituency in the 2022 assembly elections. Cabinet Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, while welcoming Singh into the party fold, said with his joining, the AAP will get a boost in Fatehgarh Sahib. Singh said the main reason behind quitting the Congress was a «lack of discipline» in the party.

The prices of high-end electric vehicles in Karnataka are set to increase as the state government has decided to collect a lifetime tax of 10% of the vehicle's cost at the time of registration. The new rule will apply to electric cars, jeeps, and buses, the govt said in a notification. Karnataka has been giving tax exemption for EVs for the last seven years, irrespective of the price range, to promote eco-friendly mobility systems. However, the govt is now rethinking its policy in view of the increasing number of luxury EVs which are being brought by the affluent people.

Narendra Modi on Saturday unveiled a 125-foot bronze statue of 'Ahom general' Lachit Borphukan in Assam's Jorhat. The 'Statue of Valour' was unveiled by the PM at the Lachit Barphukan Maidam Development Project at Hollongapar near Teok. Modi, who reached Jorhat from Arunachal Pradesh by helicopter, was dressed in traditional attire and headgear. He participated in an Ahom ritual for the unveiling of the statue.

BJP MP of West Bengal's Jhargram Kunar Hembram on Saturday said he has resigned from Lok Sabha and his party. Speaking to reporters, Hembram said he took the decision for personal reasons. State BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said, «Hembram had informed the party about his decision a few days back.» Reacting to the development, the TMC said he resigned «sensing defeat».

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the kind of work done by his government in the last five years in the Northeast, the Congress would have taken 20 years to do it. The PM was addressing a public meeting in Arunachal Pradesh's Itanagar after unveiling development projects worth Rs 55,600 crore in the region. «The Northeast is going to become a strong link in India's trade, tourism and other relations with South Asia and East Asia. Today, projects worth over Rs 55,000 crore have been unveiled here,» he said. «Congress would have taken 20 years to do what we have done in the last five years in the Northeast,» he added.