FinMin Sitharaman to brief BJP MPs today

INDIA’S HAJ QUOTA FOR 2023

FIXED AT 1,75,025, SAYS GOVT

New Delhi: India’s Haj quota for this year has been fixed at 1,75,025 as per bilateral agreement with Saudi Arabia. In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Minority Affairs Minister Smriti Irani said the ministry had a number of sessions on Haj management with stakeholders, including Haj Committees of the states and UTs, wherein requests for restoration of Haj quota were received.

“GoI SPENT `27K LAKH ON CULTURAL SITES IN 2021-22”

New Delhi: The Centre has spent Rs 26,957.32 lakh on conservation, preservation and maintenance of monuments and sites of national importance in 2021-22. Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy, in a written response to a query, also shared data on the revenue generated through entry fee at monuments and sites at 143 locations in India in last three years.

HC COLLEGIUMS IN BREACH OF SIX-MONTH ADVANCE TIMELINE IN SENDING NAMES TO FILL ANTICIPATED VACANCIES: GOVT

Various high court collegiums are in “breach” of the six-month advance timeline in sending recommendations to fill several anticipated vacancies, the government informed Parliament on Thursday. In three separate written replies to questions in the Rajya Sabha, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju also asserted that the government can seek a reconsideration of the names recommended by the Supreme Court collegium. Responding to a question on the “breach” of the six-month timeline, Rijiju said as on January 30, “recommendations in respect of 236 vacancies (191 existing and 45 anticipated vacancies during next six months) are yet to be received from High Court collegiums, which are in breach of the six months’ advance timeline for making recommendations for anticipated vacancies”.

Andhra: TDP leader shot at while asleep

Palnadu (ANI): A Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader on Thursday sustained injuries after he was allegedly shot at by unknown persons in Andhra Pradesh’s Palnadu district.

TDP Mandal level leader, Venna Balakoti Reddy was sleeping at his residence in Alavala village in Rompicherla Mandal, when the assailants fired two rounds at him at midnight. Balakoti Reddy was rushed to Narasaraopet Government Hospital and he is under treatment.

New Delhi (ANI): Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman who presented the Narendra Modi government’s last full budget ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, will hold a briefing for the BJP MPs both of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on Friday, sources said. She will explain the budget to the MPs in the meeting. The briefing will be held at 9 am at the Balayogi Auditorium in Parliament Library Building in the national capital, all MPs have been informed. This briefing comes at a time when the party has asked all its members of Parliament to go to the respective constituencies and tell the common man what does budget means and how it has been brought out, keeping the interest of every stratum

IN BJP’S MEGA BUDGET REACH OUT, UNION MINISTERS TO TRAVEL PAN

INDIA ON FEB 4, 5

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will launch a mega budget Reach Out on February 4 and 5 across India to bring to the fore what the budget means for each and every citizen, cutting across age, caste, creed and profession. Union ministers will travel across the country for this budget reach out programme. “During this reach out programme, union ministers will hold a press conference on the budget and at the same time interact with people across the strata, including prominent citizens and intellectuals,” top sources said. Earlier in the morning on Thursday, BJP national president JP Nadda held a meeting with the ministers to fine-tune the details of the programme.

UNION BUDGET IS BENEFICIAL FOR U’KHAND: DHAMI

Dehradun: Uttarakhand CM

Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday said the Union Budget has several provisions which are especially beneficial for a Himalayan state like Uttarakhand whose economy is based primarily on tourism. “The budget lays the foundations of a strong India and pave the way for its emergence as a global leader,” Dhami said at a press conference here.

Azad meets Shah; protests held in parts of Jammu & Kashmir

Jammu (PTI): Democratic Azad Party (DAP) chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad has sought intervention of Union Home Minister Amit Shah against the ongoing land eviction drive in J&K, where aggrieved people continued their protests at different places on Thursday.

The National Conference and Aam Aadmi Party also demanded an immediate end to the drive, while J&K BJP requested the Lt Governor-led administration to restrict the campaign to politicians, police of- ficers and bureaucrats who have “misused” their power in the past to grab the land. Azad called upon Home Minister Shah in New Delhi on Wednesday and apprised him about “serious unrest and uncertainty” pre-