ModiWatch: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Rajasthan and Haryana today.

According to an official, Mumbai Police received a threat to kill PM Modi on Saturday. A police team was dispatched to apprehend the culprit after the phone from which the message was sent was identified as coming from Ajmer, Rajasthan.

Parliamentary affairs

BJP claims Congress-Soros link: Lok Sabha (Lower House) on Friday was washed out as BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, for the second time in as many days, accused the Congress of being in league with US-based billionaire investor George Soros to derail India’s success story under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Upper House adjourned amid opposition protests: Shortly after it began, the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) session was adjourned on Friday. Abdul Wahab, a United Democratic Front (UDF) MP, began by discussing the significant backlog of court cases. Ongoing demonstrations, however, made it difficult for the House to function smoothly.

Cash found under Congress MP's seat: Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar announced on Friday that a wad of money notes had been discovered in Parliament's Rajya Sabha (under the seat of Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi) and that an investigation had been initiated into the matter.

73 complaints for ads on TV: L Murugan, the Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, responded in writing to the Rajya Sabha that 73 complaints against obscene and vulgar commercials on private television channels have been filed with the regulating organisations in the last three years.

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Protesting farmers

Farmers group demands for removal of GST: The Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), an RSS-affiliated farmer group, has demanded that the government completely remove the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on agricultural equipment and inputs.

Congress demands PM to resolve farmers' issue: According to the Congress party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi needs to meet with farmers, grant their request to give the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for agricultural products and pass legislation during the current Winter Session of Parliament.

BJP claims US links with Congress

BJP claims US interference in domestic politics: The Bharatiya Janata Party claimed that attempts to "destabilise India" and targeted attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling party were orchestrated by the US State Department. “It’s disappointing that the ruling party in India would make these kinds of accusations,” a US Embassy spokesperson said in reply.

Foreign Secretary visits Bangladesh: The Ministry of External Affairs announced that Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will visit Dhaka today, India’s first high-level diplomatic outreach to Bangladesh since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led regime.

Mamata backs herself to be the leader of united opposition: Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, voiced her displeasure with the way the Opposition INDIA bloc was operating and indicated that, if given the chance, she might take leadership of the alliance.

Defence Minister in Russia

Defence Minister to commission two stealth-guided missile frigates in Russia: During his three-day visit for the 21st meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC), which started yesterday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will commission the first of two stealth-guided missile frigates, Tushil, which is being built in Russia. He will also witness the commissioning of a stealth warship into the Indian Navy and hold talks with his Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov on the expansion of bilateral cooperation in the co-production of Military hardware.

10-year timeline for the indigenous nuclear submarines: According to officials with knowledge, the design phase of the indigenous nuclear attack submarines (SSN) will take four to five years, and the ballistic nuclear missile submarine program (SSBN) will take another five years to complete. After delays, the Indian Navy is anticipated to get the third SSN it has leased from Russia in 2028.

Indian economy

RBI projects 6.6% real GDP growth: With third-quarter growth of 6.8% and fourth-quarter growth of 7.2%, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has projected a 6.6% real GDP growth for FY25. Growth is predicted to be 6.9% in the first quarter of 2025–2026 and 7.3% in the second.

Finance Minister confident on economic growth: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman expressed confidence that the third-quarter expansion would restore the lost momentum and stated that the significant growth slowdown in the three months leading up to September is not a "systemic slowdown."

Policy rates unchanged by the RBI: For its eleventh consecutive review meeting, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) kept policy rates unchanged, however, the central bank lowered the cash reserve requirement, which could lower borrowing costs and create a window for the easing cycle to start at its next meeting. Amid the rupee's decline by portfolio investors' withdrawals, it temporarily raised the cap on interest rates on US dollar deposits.

CII urges the Centre to stick to the fiscal deficit target: According to the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the government should adhere to the budget deficit target of 4.9% of GDP for 2024–25 and 4.5% for 2025–26. The CII has warned that setting "overly aggressive targets" beyond these could negatively impact India's economic growth.

FDI flow news - brought to you by

Hospitals attract major FDI share: Hospitals currently have the greatest proportion of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India's healthcare industry, which has seen a boom in deal-making in recent years. Hospitals received $1.5 billion, or 50%, of all foreign direct investment (FDI) in FY24.

Bengaluru leads Indian cities in FDI contribution to London: According to Haemin Bharucha, Regional Director-India and Middle East, London & Partners, a business growth agency, Bengaluru has become a leading Indian city that attracts foreign direct investment (FDI) to London, contributing an astounding 13% of all FDI inflows into the British capital last year.

Maharashtra attracts more than half of FDI into India: Devendra Fadnavis pledged to accelerate Maharashtra's growth, targeting it to become India's first trillion-dollar sub-economy. In the first half of the fiscal year, Maharashtra attracted 52% of India's FDI, signalling its strong business appeal.

Pope’s anticipated visit to India

Pope to visit India after 2025: Minister of State for Minority Affairs George Kurian stated that Pope Francis' eagerly anticipated visit to India is probably going to take place after 2025, which the Catholic Church has declared to be the "Jubilee Year."

MoU to empower marginalised communities through entrepreneurship: The Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI) and the National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to encourage business in marginalised groups.

Delhi Today: Mostly sunny.

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