Bharat Bandh Live: Opposition is protesting high fuel prices, falling rupee

The Congress party called for a 'Bharat bandh' on September 10 to protest the rising fuel prices and steadily declining value of the rupee against the US dollar. Twenty political parties have answered the Congress' call, and a number of chambers of commerce and traders' associations are also supporting the bandh.

Top Opposition party leaders like Sharad Pawar, M K Stalin and Left leaders have openly extended their support to the call for a shutdown, while the Trinamool Congress has decided to stay away from the protest.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged that the Narendra Modi government had "looted" Rs 11 trillion from the people of the country in the past 52 months and was running a "profiteering company" rather than a government.

He also urged people to bring about a change in the country by ousting the BJP from power.

7-year-old girl raped, killed in UP's Etah district; Oppn slams BJP govt

A seven-year-old girl attending a wedding ceremony was allegedly raped and strangulated to death here early on Tuesday by a man hired to set up tents on the occasion, police said.

Enraged over the incident, the victim's family blocked the Etah-Farrukhabad road while opposition parties slammed the Yogi Adityanath government for the "sudden spurt" in rape cases.

The incident in western Uttar Pradesh comes at a time when the Yogi Adityanath government is fighting public anger over the rape of a teenager allegedly by a ruling party MLA in Unnao.

According to police, the incident took place at around 1.30 am near Mandi Samiti gate on the Aliganj road here where the girl had gone with her family to attend a wedding.

Sonu Jatav (19), who was given the task of putting up tents for the marriage ceremony lured the girl, raped her and subsequently killed her, Superintendent of Police Akhilesh Chaurasia said, adding that the man was in an inebriated state.

Yogi Adityanath Cabinet waives off crop loans worth Rs 36,000 crore

Within a fortnight of taking office, the Yogi Adityanath-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh (UP) on Tuesday fulfilled its key poll promise, writing off crop loans of up to Rs 1 lakh for about 21.5 million small and marginal farmers.

The total waiver will be of Rs 36,359 crore — one of the highest-ever promised by a state.

Of this, Rs 5,630 crore of NPAs, or non-performing assets, of 700,000 farmers will be immediately waived. This would not only enable these farmers to seek new loans, but also clean up the account books of the banks involved. According to the official data, there are 23 million farmers in UP, of whom about 92.5 per cent, or about 21.5 million, belong to the small and marginal segments.

State Health Minister and Spokesperson Siddharth Nath Singh said the government would bear the entire burden, with no help from the Centre. He also said the state government would raise the money by floating “farmer relief bonds”.

“This is for the farmers of the state on the occasion of Ram Navami, and a step towards building Ram Rajya (kingdom of Ram),” Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma said.

Considering the burden on the state’s finances and to keep the fiscal deficit under the stipulated 3 per cent mark, the state would float Farmers’ Relief Bond to the tune of the composite crop loan waiver amount. (READ MORE)

UP: Woman who accused SP MLA of rape found dead in Sultanpur

UP elections 2017 - A 22-year-old woman, who had accused Samajwadi Party MLA Arun Verma of raping her along with some other youth in 2013, was found murdered near her house in Sultanpur, police said on Monday.

The body of the woman, who was missing since Saturday, was found on Sunday near a primary school in Jaisinghpur, they said. An FIR has been registered in this regard.

Police said the injury mark around her neck suggested that she was strangled to death. The body has been sent for postmortem to ascertain the cause of death.

The woman had alleged that the local MLA, who is also the SP's Sultanpur candidate for the February 27 polls, and some others had gang raped her in September 2013.(Read More)