Interim Budget 2024: The Centre will launch a housing scheme for the "deserving" middle class, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in her Budget speech on Thursday.

She said, "Our government will launch a scheme to help deserving sections of the middle class 'living in rented houses or slums or chawls and unauthorised colonies' to buy or build their own houses."

The Indian Railways has received a significant push on Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's Interim Budget for 2024-25, as the government plans to set up three major economic railway corridors to reduce congestion and logistics costs in India.

She also proposed that around 40,000 trains running as part of the Indian Railways will be upgraded to Vande Bharat trains.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday announced the government will enhance its ‘Lakhpati Didi’ scheme to target 3 crore women in India from the current two crore.

Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the scheme, which aims to encourage women to start micro-enterprises, during his Independence Day speech on August 15, 2023.

India saw a single-day rise of 160 Covid cases, while the number of active cases stood at 1,338, the Union health ministry said on Thursday.

One death from Maharashtra was reported in 24 hours, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am.

The number of daily cases had dropped to double-digits till December 5, but cases had begun to increase after the emergence of a new variant and cold weather conditions.

The Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday restricted Paytm Payments Bank Ltd from taking fresh deposits and credit transactions across its services, due to non-compliance of regulations and supervisory concerns.

An audit report revealed "persistent non-compliances and continued material supervisory concerns in the bank, warranting further supervisory action," the central bank said in a release.

Oil-marketing companies (OMCs) announced a hike in prices for 19-kg commercial LPG gas cylinders on February 1 with prices increasing by Rs 14 in Delhi, bringing it to Rs 1,769.50 per cylinder from the previous Rs 1,755.50. This comes hours ahead of the Budget 2024 session that is scheduled for 11 am on Thursday. Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present an Interim Budget in Parliament, as this is an election year.

Commercial LPG prices in other major cities have also gone up this month with Kolkata witnessing the highest increase of Rs 18, making it Rs 1,887 from Rs 1,869.

The Centre is likely to recommend enterprises in banking, telecom, and energy sectors to use only security products and services developed in India.

According to a report in The Indian Express, the government has drawn up a policy called "National Cybersecurity Reference Framework (NCRF) to provide guidelines on roles and responsibilities for cybersecurity based on existing legislations, policies, and guidelines.

Ranjan Pai, the chairman of Manipal Education and Medical Group and the largest shareholder in Byju's-owned Aakash is set to invest an additional $50-60 million in the brick-and-mortar coaching network company over time, according to a report by The Economic Times (ET). This comes amid discussions suggesting a new capital infusion for Aakash ahead of the crucial student enrollment season, despite legal notice from Prosus, an investor in Byju's parent Think & Learn.

South Korea's military detected North Korea firing multiple cruise missiles into the sea off its western coast Tuesday in its third round of tests of such weapons this month.

The launches came amid heightened tensions in the region, where the pace of both North Korea's weapons demonstrations and the United States' combined military exercises with allies South Korea and Japan have intensified in a tit-for-tat.

Fever FM, owned by HT Media, on Tuesday, announced that it is closing its station owing to changing trends in the media industry. In an announcement on the social media platform LinkedIn, it said that the end for the Radio industry is "closer than you expect".

In a video released with the announcement, Ramesh Menon, chief executive officer at Fever FM, said, "We made this difficult decision to shut down our station. This decision comes after careful consideration and is due to the evolving trends in the media industry."

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