Top news today: Today marks a significant day across various sectors, especially in the realm of politics. From the Reserve Bank of India's eagerly anticipated monetary policy announcement to key political developments such as Rahul Gandhi's appearance in a defamation case. Take a look:
Reserve Bank Governor Shaktikanta Das will announce the next monetary policy set on Friday morning amid expectations of a status quo on the benchmark interest rates.
The Reserve Bank of India has held the key interest rate (repo) at 6.5 percent since February 2023.
PTI reported that experts believe that the RBI will maintain the status quo on interest rates as inflation remains a concern, though the European Central Bank and Bank of Canada have started reducing their respective key rates.
Das will announce the decision at 10 in the morning after deliberations of the RBI's rate-setting panel -- Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) -- which started discussions on Wednesday.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will appear before a special court here on Friday in connection with a defamation case filed by the Karnataka BJP for issuing allegedly defamatory advertisements in mainstream newspapers.
The advertisement ahead of the assembly polls last year had accused the then BJP government in the state of indulging in large-scale corruption during its 2019-2023 rule. "Congress national leader Rahul Gandhi will attend the City Civil Court at 10.30 am tomorrow (Friday)," the state Congress said on Thursday.
Later, he will hold a discussion with the Congress's newly-elected MPs from the state as well as the defeated candidates at Bharat Jodo Bhavan on Queens Road at 11.30 am, the party's state unit said, adding that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC President D K Shivakumar will also be present.
The recently elected members of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) are anticipated to convene on Friday to select Narendra Modi as their leader, facilitating his inauguration for a third term as Prime Minister, PTI reported.
The swearing-in ceremony is projected to occur on Sunday.
After Modi's election as the leader of NDA MPs, senior members of the alliance like TDP's N Chandrababu Naidu and JD(U)'s Nitish Kumar will join the prime minister for a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu to present her the list of parliamentarians supporting him, some alliance members told PTI.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to leave Dhaka for New Delhi on Friday to join the swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi as India's prime minister for a third consecutive term, PTI reported.
Prime Minister Hasina will leave Dhaka for New Delhi at 4pm on Friday to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Modi, her speech writer M Nazrul Islam was quoted as saying by the state-run BSS.
The chief minister of Odisha's maiden government of the BJP is likely to be selected during its Parliamentary Party meeting in New Delhi on Friday.
As reported by PTI, the BJP trounced the BJD, ruling the state for 24 years in a row, winning 78 seats in the 147-member Odisha Assembly.
In the wake of the acute shortage of drinking water has become an "existential problem" in Delhi, the Supreme Court observed on Thursday and directed the Himachal Pradesh government to release 137 cusecs of surplus water to the national capital on Friday and Haryana to facilitate its flow, PTI reported.
“Since Himachal Pradesh has no objection and is ready and willing to release the surplus water available with it, we direct that Himachal Pradesh shall release 137 cusecs of surplus water available with it from the upstream so that the water reaches Hathnikund barrage and reaches Delhi through Wazirabad,” the bench said.
(With inputs from PTI)
