The Union Cabinet on Friday approved the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) 2.0 under which financial assistance will be provided to one crore urban poor and middle-class families through states and Union Territories to construct, purchase, or rent a house at an affordable cost in urban areas in five years.

The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

E-commerce giant Amazon India on Friday said it has set up four hubs, including a temporary hub in West Bengal, to deliver urgent relief material in less than 72 hours, as part of its disaster management strategy.

Located at Thane (Maharashtra), Faridabad (Haryana), Hyderabad (Telangana) and Purba Bardhaman in West Bengal, these disaster relief mitigating facilities will enable the company to swiftly mobilize resources and support communities affected by natural disasters like floods, cyclones, cold waves, among others, Amazon India said.

Responding to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's statement asking him to retire from public life as he is an accused in a POCSO Act case, veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa on Friday said the truth will come out when the court decides on the case, and the former will get a befitting reply.

The former chief minister hit back at Siddaramaiah stating that the time for him to retire and go home is approaching, pointing at the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment 'scam'.

Stating Telangana as 'The Future State", Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who is currently visiting the US, made a strong pitch for investments in the state.

Addressing the CEOs of Tech Unicorns at an AI business roundtable hosted by the Indian Consulate General in California, the chief minister said Telangana would be "The Future State", given its current set of game-changing projects like the AI city, Net Zero Future City, and the massive reimagining of Hyderabad.

Manish Sisodia gets bail in liquor policy case: The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in two cases linked to the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam.

The court was hearing pleas filed by Sisodia, who was seeking bail in both the cases lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for alleged money laundering and corruption.

Police have registered a case against Dilip Khedkar, the father of former probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, on charges of threatening and obstructing a public servant in the discharge of duty in Pune district, officials said on Friday.

The case was filed at the Bundgarden police station here on the basis of a complaint lodged by a tehsildar-rank officer from the Pune district collectorate, they said.

Former Chief Minister of West Bengal Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee passed away on Thursday at 80 years of age. He was suffering from chronic COPD and age-related issues. He served as the chief minister for two complete terms from 2002 to 2011. He was the successor of Jyoti Basu in the Left Front government. Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee succeeded him.

In the 2011 assembly polls, Bhattacharjee-led CPI (M) lost to Mamata Banerjee-led TMC, which ended a 34-year communist rule in West Bengal.

In a move reflecting its cautious approach amid ongoing economic uncertainties, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to keep the repo rate unchanged at 6.5 per cent. This marks the ninth consecutive time the central bank has opted for stability in its monetary policy.

Governor Das stated, "After a detailed assessment of the evolving macroeconomic and financial conditions and the overall outlook. It decided by a majority of four members to keep the policy repo rate unchanged at 6.5 per cent."

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called an emergency meeting to discuss the surge in Monkey Pox (mpox) cases spreading from Congo.

Sharing a post on X, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that a committee of independent experts will meet as soon as possible to look into the issue.

The opposition on Thursday protested against the introduction of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha, with Congress MP KC Venugopal calling it "draconian" and an "attack on the Constitution".

Soon after Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju sought leave to introduce the bill, Venugopal -- who had submitted notice to oppose its introduction -- accused the government of violating freedom of religion and attacking the federal system through it.

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