Govt gets nod for Rs 2.01 lakh cr additional spending in FY26
NEW DELHI, March 17: Parliament on Tuesday approved the second batch of supplementary demands for grants, allowing the government to spend an additional Rs 2.01 lakh crore in the current fiscal, with the Rajya Sabha returning the Appropriation Bill 2026 to the Lok Sabha.Through the second batch of supplementary demands, the government had sought Parliament’s approval for spending a gross of Rs 2.81 lakh crore extra in the current fiscal year. With additional receipts of Rs 80,000 crore estimated for the current fiscal year in the supplementary, the net additional cash spending will be Rs 2.01 lakh crore.The Rajya Sabha returned the bill with a voice vote after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s reply to a discussion on the grants.The Lok Sabha passed the demand for grants on March 13. (PTI)
Tribal couple, son hacked to death over witchcraft suspicion
GODDA, March 17: A tribal couple and their minor son were allegedly hacked to death by their relatives in Jharkhand’s Godda district over suspicion of practising witchcraft.A tribal couple and their minor son were hacked to death at Danga Tola in Godda. Preliminary investigation suggests the victims were killed over suspicion of practising witchcraft, police said.Three persons have been arrested so far.The axe used to kill them has also been recovered, and further investigation into the matter is underway.The deceased tribal couple has been identified as Darbari Murmu (55) and his wife Maki Baski (50).Their son was around 12 years old. The accused have been identified as Santlal Murmu, Hemlal Murmu, and Talababu Murmu. All three have been booked under sections of the BNS. (PTI)
14 arrested for hosting Iftar, eating biryani on River Ganga
VARANASI, March 17: Fourteen people have been arrested on charges of defiling a place of worship and hurting religious feelings after a video purportedly showing them eating chicken biryani during an Iftar party hosted on a boat in the Ganga river here was widely shared on social media.The action was taken on a written complaint filed on Monday by the BJP Yuva Morcha’s city unit chief Rajat Jaiswal. Jaiswal alleged that an Iftar party was organised on a boat in the Ganga, during which chicken biryani was consumed.“The Ganga holds deep and unshakeable faith for the followers of Sanatan Dharma. Thousands of devotees from across the country and the world visit Kashi every day to perform rituals and offer prayers using Ganga water.“In such a situation, eating biryani on a boat in the middle of the river and throwing its leftovers into the water is completely inappropriate. This act appears to have been done with the intention of hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus,” he said. Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) Vijay Pratap Singh on Tuesday said that a video went viral on Monday, purportedly showing a group of people holding an Iftar party on a boat on the Ganga and consuming biryani during the gathering. (PTI)
