NEWS

Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Friday extended support to farmers protesting the three agriculture laws by driving a tractor in the state's Chhindwara district. Rajya Sabha MP and senior leader of the Congress Digvijay Singh also rode a tractor in Sehore as part of the protests.

The party had organised a nationwide agitation in a show of support for farmers camping in Delhi, whose demonstration entered its 51st day.

Labelling the new legislation as "agri-marketing" laws, Nath criticised the state and Central governments and said, "Most of the farmers in the country don't get minimum support price benefits. Once the three laws are implemented, possibilities for the farmers will end."

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no foreign guest will be present at the Republic Day parade on January 26, 2021, something that has been one of the highlights of the annual event celebrating the country's diversity at the heart of Delhi.

Announcing the development, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, "Due to the global COVID-19 situation, it has been decided that this year there will not be a foreign head of state or head of govt as the chief guest at our Republic Day event."

This is the fourth time in history that no foreign guest will be present at the Republic Day. The last time it had happened was in 1966, and before that in 1953 and 1952.

All schools in Mumbai will remain closed until further orders,  Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said on Friday, as reported by news agency ANI. The educational institutions have been kept shut in the financial capital since March in a bid to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. 

The Maharashtra government had allowed schools to resume physical classes on alternate days for grades 9th to 12th from November 23, last year, though most civic corporations, including Mumbai, Thane and Nashik, have kept them shut amid concerns over the spread of virus. 

Several states and Union Territories have allowed schools to reopen for higher classes, while few others have announced plans for the same ahead of the board exams. The daily national COVID figures have hovered below 20,000 over the past few days, while the vaccines too are on the horizon. 

The Union Budget will be presented at 11am on February 1 by the Finance Minister, the Lok Sabha Secretariat confirmed in a statement on Thursday. It said the fifth session of the 17th Lok Sabha will start on January 29 and is likely to end on April 8.

"The President will address both Houses of Parliament assembled together at 11am on Friday, January 29. The Union Budget will be presented at 11am on Monday, February 1," added the statement.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has already set the expectations high by promising a budget like “never before” (and a paperless Budget) to address the biggest concern being likely contraction in GDP of 7.7 percent [as per advance estimates on the Indian economy by the National Statistical Office (NSO)] as uncertainties around a sustainable rebound of demand continue to weigh on economic activity.