LIVE News Updates: LS passes Bill to suspend MPLAD funds for 2 years, 30% salary cut for MPs

The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed a Bill which has provisions to suspend the MP Local Area Development (MPLAD) funds for two years and for a 30 % deduction of salaries of all lawmakers and the money thus saved can go to the Consolidated Fund of India to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2020 was passed on the second day of the Monsoon Session despite objections by opposition MPs.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi moved the Bill to replace an ordinance issued by the government after the Union Cabinet in April approved a 30 % cut in the salaries of all Members of Parliament and suspension of the MPLAD scheme during 2020-21 and 2021-22. The consolidated amount of MPLAD funds -- around Rs 7,900 crores -- will go to the Consolidated Fund of India. The Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had approved the ordinance to amend the Salaries, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament Act, 1954, to cut the salaries of MPs by 30 per cent.

20 pairs of clone trains to start from 21st September on specific routes. These services will be in addition to Sharmik Special and Special trains: Ministry of Railways

15 people died due to lightning strikes in 6 districts of the state. Ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakhs each to be given to the families of the deceased: Bihar Chief Minister's Office

Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Pema Khandu tests positive for COVID-19, reports ANI

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi rises to 2,25,796 with 4,263 new positive cases and 36 deaths reported today. The numbers of active and recovered cases are 29,787 and 1,91,203, respectively. Death toll 4,806: Delhi Government.

Chandigarh reports 347 new COVID-19 cases today, taking the total number of cases to 8,592 including 2,991 active cases, 96 deaths and 5,502 cured cases: Health Department, UT Chandigarh.

3,215 new COVID-19 cases, 2,532 recoveries & 12 deaths reported in Kerala in the last 24 hours. Count of active cases now stands at 31,156 till date: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan.

Himachal Pradesh records 143 new COVID-19 cases and 165 recoveries today, taking total positive cases to 10,059 till date, including 6,332 recovered cases, 3,610 active cases and 88 deaths: State Health Department.

TV show UPSC Jihad cannot air for now, tries to vilify one community, says SC, reports NDTV

It is clear from the statement of the Defense Minister that Modi Ji misled the country on Chinese transgression.

Our country has always been and will remain, with the Indian Army.

But Modi Ji,

When will you stand up against China?

When will we take back the land of our country from China?

Do not be afraid to name China, tweeted Rahul Gandhi

Delhi: Congress MPs stage walkout from Lok Sabha demanding discussion on India-China border issue

Former India player Sadashiv Raoji Patil, who represented the country in one Test match,passed away at his residence in Kolhapur on Tuesday.
He was 86 and is survived by wife and two daughters.

"He died in his sleep in the wee hours on Tuesday at his residence in Ruikar Colony in Kolhapur," Ramesh Kadam, a former office bearer of Kolhapur District Cricket Association, told PTI.

Patil, who was a pace bowling all-rounder, played a Test match against New Zealand in 1955.

He didn't get any more chance to play for the country.

China continues to be in illegal occupation of approximately 38,000 sq. kms in Ladakh In addition, under the so-called Sino-Pakistan 'Boundary Agreement' of 1963, Pakistan illegally ceded 5,180 sq. km. of Indian territory in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir to China: Defence Minister

In meeting with Chinese Defence Minister, I clearly stated that while our troops had always taken a responsible approach towards border management, but at the same time there should be no doubt about our determination to protect India’s sovereignty & territorial integrity: Defence Min

I request this house to pass a resolution that we stand shoulder to shoulder with our armed forces who are guarding our borders to safeguard India's sovereignty and integrity: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

China has mobilised a huge number of Army battalions & armaments along LAC & inner areas. There're many friction points in eastern Ladakh, Gogra, Kongka La, Pangong Lake's north & south banks. Indian Army has made counter deployments in these areas: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

Violent conduct of Chinese troops is a violation of all past agreements. Our troops have done counter deployments in the area to safeguard our borders: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on India-China border issue

We have told China through diplomatic and channels that the attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo were in violation of the bilateral agreements: Defence Minister in Lok Sabha

China doesn't recognise the traditional & customary alignment of the boundary. We consider that this alignment is based on well established geographical principals: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Lok Sabha

Both India and China agree that to maintain peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas, it is essential for the further development of bilateral relations: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on India-China border issue

National Seismological Network recorded 413 earthquakes in the country between March 1 and September 8; only 11 were in the range of 5.0 to 5.7 magnitude: Ministry of Earth Sciences

South Korea reported 106 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, raising the total number of infections to 22,391.

The daily caseload has stayed below 200 for 13 straight days, but it continued to grow in triple digits since August 14, reports Xinhua news agency.

It was attributed to cluster infections in Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi province.

Of the new cases, 32 were Seoul residents, 31 from Gyeonggi and 15 were imported.

Four more deaths were reported, taking the death toll to 367.

Two Kashmiri associates of the Al-Badr militant outfit were arrested on Tuesday in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district.

Facebook's letter is in disregard of committee's privilege. Facebook's refusal to appear before the committee is an attempt to conceal crucial facts in relation to its role in Delhi riots. Fresh summons will be issued to it in line with principles of natural justice: R Delhi Assembly's Peace & Harmony Committee chief Raghav Chadha

SC grants interim protection from arrest to former Punjab DGP Sumedh Singh Saini in the 1991 alleged murder case of junior engineer

India is a leading vaccine producer; we need cooperation from India on manufacturing COVID-19 vaccine: Bill Gates to PTI

Odisha's COVID-19 tally on Tuesday mounted to 1,58,650 with 3,645 people, including a ruling BJD MLA, testing positive for the infection, a health department official said.

The death toll rose to 645 with eight more people succumbing to the infection - three in Cuttack and one each in Boudh, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Sambalpur and Subarnapur, he said.

Of the 3,645 new cases, 2,151 were reported from various quarantine centres, and 1,494 were detected during contact tracing.

Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has given Adjournment motion Notice in Lok Sabha demanding discussion on 'Chinese company monitoring over 10,000 Indian individuals and organisations in its global database of foreign targets.'

Congress MP questions Farooq Abdullah's absence from Lok Sabha since 6 months, reports Firstpost.

What was known to us has been confirmed by a founding AAP member.

The IAC movement & AAP were propped up by the RSS/BJP to subvert democracy and bring down the UPA government, tweeted Rahul Gandhi.

The continuous surge in fresh cases of COVID-19 in the Agra region is causing alarm, as life is struggling to return to normalcy. The rail transport has resumed and preparations are going on to welcome tourists at the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort from September 21.

While Agra reported 111 fresh cases, Mathura reported 66, Firozabad 71, Mainpuri 42, Etah 9, Kasganj 17.

Two deaths have been reported from Mathura. In Agra, the death toll has gone up to 115

At least three people died and 53 others were rescued after a boat carrying migrants capsized in the waters off Greece's Crete island, the country's Coast Guard said in a statement.

A search and rescue operation continued with the participation of a Navy frigate, Air Force helicopter, and ships sailing near the accident site about 12 nautical miles from the island, Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying on Monday.

The nationalities of the victims and the rescued people have not been revealed.

Telangana's COVID-19 tally crossed 1.60 lakh with the state adding 2,058 new cases in the last 24 hours, health officials said on Tuesday.

With 1,60,571 cases, Telangana overtook Bihar to have the eighth highest numbers in the country.

10 more people succumbed to the disease, taking the death toll in the state to 984. The case fatality rate in the state stands at 0.61 per cent against the national average of 1.64 per cent.

The state saw more recoveries than new cases during the last 24 hours ending 8 p.m. Monday. With 2,180 more patients recovering from the virus, the total number of recoveries mounted to 1,29,187.

The recovery rate has also further improved to 80.45 per cent against the national average of 78.26 per cent.

The number of active cases in the state stands at 30,400 including 23,534 in home isolation.

More than 88,000 coronavirus cases and at least 60 deaths were reported

in universities and colleges across the US, a survey has revealed.

The New York Times survey of more than 1,600 American colleges and universities was published on Monday, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to the survey, most of those deaths were reported in the spring and involved college employees and not students.

More than 150 colleges have reported at least 100 cases over the course of the pandemic, including dozens that have seen spikes in recent weeks as in-person classes have started and dorms have reopened.

In 2015, India's safety score was 89% in audit by International Civil Aviation Organization which declined to 57.4% in Nov 2017 & 65.8% in Feb 2018. India's air safety oversight is lower than 8 South Asian countries including Pakistan, Nepal & Bangladesh: Congress MP Vivek Tankha

A Pakistan Air Force (PAF) aircraft crashed near Pindigheb, Attock during a routine training mission. Pilot ejected safely: Pakistan media

In a major breakthrough in the Visakhapatnam espionage case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday said it has arrested the key accused Giteli Imran from Gujarat for his involvement in the espionage activities and working for the Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).

4-5% ppl board flights one time in a year. If this number goes up to 10-15%, we would need a huge increase in number of airports & aircraft. Airlines are financially stressed due to COVID-19 & need support, says NCP MP Praful Patel during discussion on Aircraft (Amendment) Bill 2020 in RS

I expected Jaya ji to support what I said. Not everyone in the industry consumes drugs but those who do are part of a plan to finish the world's largest film industry. When Jaya ji & I joined, situation was not like this but now we need to protect the industry, says BJP MP Ravi Kishan

Ram Gopal Yadav (SP) said industries have shut down due to the lockdown and the result is that people are suffering from depression. He added government should give those who lost their jobs Rs 15,000.

Anand Sharma (Congress) spoke on the surge in suicides. India accounts 15 percent of suicides in the world and there has been a 4 percent increase this year, especially after COVID-19 and lockdown. He demanded active policy intervention and life insurance to cover mental illness too.

TMC’s Santanu Sen said that the term physical distancing should be used instead of social distancing, as the formal may result in increasing social stigma.

Congress’ PL.Poonia said the migrants who returned to their native villages should be given jobs through MGNREGA.

BJP’s KC Ramamoorthy said online rummy nothing but gambling and should be banned. “Cricketers and film stars are advertising it,” he added. The Chair said that though it is a state subject, Law Minister should look into it.

DMK’s Tiruchi Siva said that there is a growing learning divide among students who can't access online education.

The COVID-19 tally in Arunachal Pradesh rose to 6,298 as 176 more people, including nine security personnel, have tested positive for the disease, an official said on Tuesday.

ADB says India's economy to contract by 9 per cent in current fiscal ending March 31, 2021

Adani group has won bids to operate & develop 6 airports. There's clear violation of norms in giving airports to a single private entity. Govt ignored advice of some of its own ministries & depts. Changes in norms enabled Adani group to win all 6 bids: Congress RS MP KC Venugopal

People in the entertainment industry are being flogged by social media. People who made their names in the industry have called it a gutter. I completely disagree. I hope that govt tells such people not to use this kind of language, says MP Jaya Bachchan in Rajya Sabha.

Just because there are some people, you can't tarnish the image of the entire industry. I am ashamed that yesterday one of our members in Lok Sabha, who is from the film industry, spoke against it. It is a shame, said Jaya

India's COVID-19 case tally crosses 49-lakh mark with a spike of 83,809 new cases & 1,054 deaths in last 24 hours. The total case tally stands at 49,30,237 including 9,90,061 active cases, 38,59,400 cured/discharged/migrated & 80,776 deaths: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to make a statement on India-China border issue, in Lok Sabha later on Tuesday.

Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh has been hospitalised after he tested positive for COVI-19.

Also a former Governor of Rajasthan the 88-year-old was admitted to the Rajdhani Corona Hospital in the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) late Monday.

He has been complaining of fever, dry cough and breathlessness for the past two days.

SGPGIMS Director Prof R.K. Dhiman said the veteran leader's condition is stable and on initial evaluation, his oxygen saturation during rest was 97 per cent on room air. He has been admitted to the ICU where he is being kept under observation.

Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan has given Zero Hour notice in Rajya Sabha over 'alleged conspiracy to defame film industry'.

Congress MP Rajeev Satav has given Zero Hour notice in Rajya Sabha over 'drawing attention of central government on reservation of Maratha community'.

TMC MP Santanu Sen has given Zero Hour notice in Rajya Sabha, over 'Community spread of COVID-19'.

DMK MP Tiruchi Siva has given Zero Hour notice in Rajya Sabha over 'adverse impact of holding NEET exams, leading to suicides by students'.

The overall number of global coronavirus cases has surpassed the 29.1 million mark, while the deaths have increased to over 927,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

As of Tuesday morning, the total number of cases stood at 29,182,198 and the fatalities rose to 927,015, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed in its latest update.

The US accounted for the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 6,553,303 and 194,489 respectively, according to the CSSE.

India is currently in the second place in terms of cases at 4,846,427, while the country's death toll stood at 79,722.

In terms of cases, Brazil ranks third (4,345,610), and is followed by Russia (1,064,438), Peru (729,619), Colombia (716,319), Mexico (671,716), South Africa (650,749), Spain (593,730), Argentina (565,446), Chile (436,433), France (425,870), Iran (404,648), the UK (373,553), Bangladesh (339,332), Saudi Arabia (326,258), Pakistan (302,020), Iraq (294,478), Turkey (292,878), Italy (288,761), Philippines (265,888), Germany (263,222), Indonesia (221,523), Ukraine (160,679), Israel (160,368), Canada (140,072), Bolivia (127,619), Qatar (121,975), Ecuador (118,911), Kazakhstan (106,920), Romania (104,187), Dominican Republic (104,110), Panama (102,204) and Egypt (101,177), the CSSE figures showed.

The other countries with over 10,000 deaths are the Brazil (132,006), Mexico (71,049), the UK (41,726), Italy (35,624), France (30,958), Peru (30,710), Spain (29,848), Iran (23,313), Colombia (22,924), Russia (18,573), South Africa (15,499), Chile (12,013), Argentina (11,667) and Ecuador (10,922).

An encounter broke out between security forces and militants in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir early Tuesday, police said.

Acting on specific information about the presence of militants in Marwal area of Pulwama, security forces launched a cordon and search operation there, a police official said.

He said during the search, militants fired on the forces, who retaliated, leading to an encounter.

The exchange of firing was going on and details were awaited, the official said.