Here's a wrap of the top stories from morning newspapers
The Assam government has sought to ease fears as the deadline for the publication of the final National Register of Citizenship approached. The Hindustan Times has reported that the govt has reiterating that those excluded will not automatically be declared foreigners and that people should not believe rumours. The administration in Assam has also increased security and issued orders banning large assemblies and use of loudspeakers in some areas.
The 2,000 rupee note, which was much-reviled in the aftermath of demonetisation due to difficulties in exchanging it, is seeing a sharp drop in print orders by the RBI. The Times of India has reported that the number of outstanding notes has shrunk by 7.2 crore to 329 crore in financial year 2019. According to bankers, the RBI is shifting focus away from the 2,000 note as the denomination was printed in large numbers to cope with the replacement of demonetised notes.
The CBI has sought Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s sanction for prosecution of three Trinamool Congress MPs — Sougata Ray, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Prasun Banerjee — and former MP Suvendu Adhikari in the Narada case, The Indian Express has reported. Quoting CBI sources, the report said the MPs will be chargesheeted after the Speaker grants sanction. The Narada sting case pertains to some TMC leaders who were purportedly caught on tape accepting money from a person posing as a representative of a private company.
Reviving consumption demand and private investment remains the top priority in the current fiscal, the RBI said on Thursday, signalling the possibility of at least one more interest rate cut this year. Business paper Mint reported that to revive growth, governor Shaktikanta Das has asked banks to pass on past rate cuts to borrowers at a faster pace by linking lending rates to external benchmarks such as repo rate.
Oppn corners govt on rising fuel prices on 2nd day of Parliament
AIADMK betters DMK's poll sop with ₹1,500 promise to homemakers
Youth Congress wants Rahul to return as Congress president
Kolkata fire: PM condoles deaths, Mamata targets Railways
To Amit Shah's 7 questions on smuggling, Kerala CM fires his own
Lakhs of farmers will reach Parliament, if needed: Tikait warns Centre
Kamal Haasan's MNM to contest 154 seats in TN polls, leaves 80 for allies
Now, special warnings for flyers against carrying bullets
India slams UK MPs debate on farm protests, press freedom
Maharashtra: Lockdown in 11 Thane areas due to Covid spike
9, including firemen & a cop, killed in Kolkata fire, CM visits spot
Man seeks cop's help in asking woman out. See his reply
India stands out in terms of its vaccine policy: IMF's Gita Gopinath
Owaisi ties up with Dhinakaran, AIMIM to fight 3 TN seats
Watch: women farmers take centre stage at protest sites
Big blow to TMC, 4 more TMC MLAs quit party for being denied ticket
Rawat in Delhi amid reports of leadership change in Uttarakhand
‘Scindia will never be CM while in BJP, will have to return to Cong’: Rahul
Mamata's jibe at PM: 'Day not far when country will be named after Modi'
Something fishy, ATS will continue Hiren death probe: Thackeray on NIA takeover