Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 1 (PTI) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Friday termed the union budget 2019-20 as "disappointing" and criticised the Centre for not providing enough funds for the flood-hit state.

Even if the BJP-led NDA government presented the interim budget eyeing the upcoming Parliament elections, Kerala was not given enough consideration, he said in a Facebook post.

New Delhi, Feb 1 (PTI) The government will provide a total of Rs 3,900 crore for servicing Air India's loans transferred to a special purpose vehicle, according to Budget documents.

The Air India Asset Holding Ltd, a special purpose vehicle, has been set up as part of financial restructuring of the debt-laden national carrier.

According to the documents presented in the interim Budget for 2019-20, the government has decided to allocate Rs 1,300 crore for the special purpose vehicle this fiscal.

Begusarai (Bihar), Feb 1 (PTI) An occultist here has sent the Begusarai authorities into a tizzy with an "application" seeking permission for human sacrifice to propitiate his deity.

In a video that was shared widely, the occultist purportedly claimed that human sacrifice is not a crime and he is going to sacrifice his son, an engineer, first.

New Delhi, Feb 1(PTI) Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit slammed the Interim Budget presented on Friday as "high on rhetoric, low on content" and disappointing.

Finance Minister Piyush Goyal made various announcements in his budget speech, including direct cash transfer to farmers and income tax exemptions, amid cheers by NDA members in Parliament.

Raipur, Feb 2 (PTI) A suspected woman naxal was killed and another injured Saturday in an encounter between security forces and ultras in Chhattisgarh, police said.

The skirmish took place early this morning in the forest of Rengaiguda village, around 450 kms from Raipur, under Polampalli police station limits when a joint team of security forces was returning after an area domination operation, Sukma Superintendent of Police Jitendra Shukla told PTI over phone.

New Delhi, Feb 1 (PTI) Top leaders of various opposition parties met on Friday to discuss the issue of alleged tampering of EVMs and develop their future course of action.

Sources said the Congress convened the meeting to discuss a joint strategy on the issue of alleged tampering of electronic voting machines (EVMs) as some parties have questioned their efficacy and demanded the EC revert to the old system of ballot paper.

Mumbai, Feb 1 (PTI) A 19-year-old man allegedly committed suicide at his residence in Kurla here on Friday, as he was apparently upset over not getting a mobile phone of his choice from his family, a senior police official said.

The deceased, Nadeem Sheikh, hanged himself from the ceiling fan of the kitchen around 4 am, the official said.

"Sheikh wanted a particular mobile worth Rs 37,000, but his elder brother gave him a cell phone worth around Rs 20,000," he said.

Noida (UP), Feb 1 (PTI) The Delhi-Noida Direct (DND) flyway connecting Uttar Pradesh with the national capital was shut on Friday evening as a huge mass of farmers marched on the road in a rally, officials said.

The Delhi Traffic Police cautioned commuters asking them to take alternate routes between Delhi and Noida suggesting usage of NH-9 instead of the DND to those moving to Ghazipur via Mayur Vihar.

"Due to the rally/protest by farmers, the DND road between Noida and Delhi has been shut," the Delhi Traffic Police tweeted at 5 pm.

HEFEI, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists announced that they have successfully addressed a key problem impeding the promotion of hydrogen vehicles by developing a new catalyst system for fuel cells.

A research team led by Lu Junling, Wei Shiqiang and Yang Jinlong at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), has developed a new catalyst for fuel cells, which could prolong battery life and greatly extend the range of proper temperature for cells to work.

New Delhi, Feb 1 (PTI) There has been a decline in budget outlays for IITs, IIMs, IISER, and statutory and regulatory bodies such as UGC and AICTE in the interim budget for 2019-20 as compared to the allocation for 2018-19.

This comes at a time the Human Resource Development Ministry has said it will implement 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker sections of the general category from the 2019 academic session and has directed to increase around 25 per cent seats in higher educational institutions and universities across the country.

ISLAMABAD, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake of 5.8 magnitude jolted parts of Pakistan including the capital city of Islamabad on Saturday evening, the country's National Seismic Monitoring Center said.

According to the center, the earthquake struck at 5:04 p.m. local time, with the epicenter determined in Hindu Kush Region in Afghanistan with a focal depth of 80 km.

New Delhi, Feb 1 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit West Bengal's Durgapur on Saturday to launch a nearly 300-km-long electrified section of the railways.

He will also inaugurate a 20-km-long Hijli-Narayangarh third line, a statement from his office said.

The prime minister will dedicate to the nation the railway electrification of the 294-km-long Andal-Sainthia-Pakur-Malda and the Khana-Sainthia sections.