As it was promised in the Budget for 2010-11, the government on Friday approved releasing of Rs 4,868 crore to public sector lenders for re-financing those, who provide concessional loans to farmers. A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. This will help farmers get short-term crop loan at 7 per cent interest.

Calling the Commonwealth Games an organised loot, the RJD-LJP combine on Friday sought a high-level probe into the alleged irregularities in the ongoing works being carried for the mega sporting events this year.

In the wake of the Chief Vigilance Commission pointing out large scale financial irregularities in the Commonwealth Games projects, the main Opposition BJP on Friday demanded a judicial inquiry in the matter after the sporting event gets over. The party claimed these findings by CVC has “shocked, disappointed and startled” people of

Karnataka high court Chief Justice P.D. Dinakaran, facing impeachment proceedings in Parliament following allegations of corruption and land grabbing, was on Friday transferred to Sikkim.

The deadlock between the government and the Opposition on the issue of price rise stalled the Parliament for the fourth day with both Houses adjourned till August 2.
Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj said in the Lok Sabha, “We have been pressing for a debate on price rise for the past four days either under adjournment m

The government and the Opposition managers, especially the BJP leaders, are working on a face saving draft to end the week-long deadlock over the price rise issue in Parliament.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on home affairs has given its nod to the Code of Criminal Procedure (amendment) Bill, 2010, which aims to streamline the powers of arrest of the police. The bill entails a significant amendment to Section 41 of the CrPC making it “compulsory’’ for the police to record in writing its reasons for

Investigations by the CBI into the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case have revealed that one of the IPS officers of Gujarat — Abhay Chudasama, who was also associated with the state police’ probe into the alleged fake encounter — threatened the family members of the victim to withdraw a petition filed in the Supreme Court for a probe. The agency found out that the officer was doing this at the behest of Amit Shah, Gujarat’s former minister of state (Home).

Five political parties lost their status as state parties on Friday, according to the Election Commission. They are the Janata Dal (United), Samajwadi Party, Pattali Makkal Katchi, Marumalarch Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Arunachal Congress Party. Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal lost its status as a national party following its poor performance in the last Jharkhand elections.

The CBI on Friday filed a status report in the Supreme Court on the progress of investigation in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case in a “sealed cover” but the sources indicated that it might spell more trouble to the Narendera Modi government and even some politicians in Rajasthan.