Delhi

New Delhi, July 31; IANS/GANASHAKTI: The total assets of the BJP in 2017-18 registered a rise of 22 per cent compared to previous financial year's asset declaration of Rs 1,213 crore to Rs 1,483.35 crore, election watchdog Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) has said.

An ADR report said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was among the seven national parties whose assets, as declared by them during 2017-18, was 6 per cent more than their declaration in 2016-17.

31 July 2019; GANASHAKTI: Doctors across the country went on a 24-hour medical strike from 6 am on Wednesday, withdrawing all non-essential services. However, the emergency, casualty, intensive care unit (ICU) and related services will function normally. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has called for the strike in protestagainst the passage of National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, 2019, in the Lok Sabha.

Public demonstrations against the Bill will take place across the country. Few doctors are also likely to go on hunger strikes, said the IMA.

New Delhi, Jul 31 (PTI) The government's fiscal deficit touched Rs 4.32 lakh crore for the June quarter, which is 61.4 per cent of the budget estimate for 2019-20 fiscal.

In absolute terms, the fiscal deficit or gap between expenditure and revenue was Rs 4.32 lakh crore during at June-end, as per the data released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) on Wednesday.

The fiscal deficit was 68.7 per cent of 2018-19 budget estimate in the year-ago period.

New Delhi, Jul 31 (PTI) Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday said reading clubs should be formed in neighbourhoods to promote a reading culture.

He made the remarks while launching several e-projects of the Publications Division such as its redesigned website, mobile application, e-version of the 'Rozgaar Samachar' and e-book 'Satyagrah Geeta'.

New Delhi, Jul 31 (PTI) Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday said he will start ordering from Zomato after the food delivery company refused to resolve a customer's complaint about being assigned a Muslim delivery executive for his order.

"I have not ordered food so far, but I think I will do so now from Zomato," Chidambaram said on Twitter.

His response came after the company responded to its customer saying, "Food doesn't have a religion. It is a religion."

New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) President Ram Nath Kovind has given assent to the triple talaq bill passed by Parliament, making it a law, a government notification said.

The bill, which prescribes up to three years imprisonment for Muslim men giving instant triple talaq to their wives, was passed by Parliament on Tuesday.

Parliament approved the bill that makes instant triple talaq a criminal offence, after the contentious legislation was passed by Rajya Sabha.

New Delhi, Jul 31 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought a report from its secretary general as to why a letter written by the Unnao rape victim to Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, apprehending threat to her life, was not placed before him.

"Unfortunately, the letter is yet to see the light of the day and yet the newspapers flashed it as if I have read the letter," Justice Gogoi said.

The observations came when senior lawyer V Giri, who is assisting the court as an amicus curiae in child rape cases, sought urgent listing of the Unnao rape case.

New Delhi, Jul 30 (PTI) Rajiv Kumar, currently serving as Financial Services Secretary, was on Tuesday designated as the new Finance Secretary.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the designation of Kumar as the new Finance Secretary, according to an official order.

Kumar is a 1984 batch IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre.

New Delhi, Jul 30 (PTI) As the Parliament cleared the triple talaq bill, the Congress on Tuesday said there was no need to criminalise the practice which had already been struck down by the Supreme Court, while senior party leader Raj Babbar termed the bill's passage as a "historic mistake".

New Delhi, Jul 30 (PTI) The CBI has booked London-based Rolls Royce in a corruption case for allegedly paying over Rs 77 crore as commission to an agent to win contracts from public sector undertakings HAL, ONCG and GAIL during 2007-11, officials said Tuesday.

The action comes after a five-year-long inquiry by the agency initiated on the basis of a complaint from the Defence Ministry which had received a letter about the engagement of Singapore-based Ashok Patni and his company Aashmore Pvt Ltd by Rolls Royce, they said.