HIGHLIGHTS

Following are the highlights at 1500 hours:

TOP STORIES

DEL19 LD BUDGET Cash dole for small farmers, mega pension scheme for unorganised sector, IT exemption limit doubled to Rs 5 lakh

New Delhi: Reaching out to a large electorate ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the Modi government Friday announced a cash dole for small farmers, a mega pension scheme for the unorganised sector and doubled the threshold income tax exemption limit to Rs 5 lakh.

PAR124 LS-BUD-INCOME TAX I-T exemption limit hiked to Rs 5 lakh

New Delhi: Finance Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday doled out tax sops to middle class including doubling of income tax exemption limit to Rs 5 lakh and raising standard deduction to Rs 50,000, and provided concessions on interest income from bank deposits and rent.

DEL 23 BUD-LD STOCKS Budget 2019: Sensex rallies over 500 pts; Nifty nears 11,000 mark

Mumbai: The BSE benchmark Sensex rallied over 500 points in afternoon trade Friday, driven by consumption and auto stocks as investors welcomed individual tax exemptions and sops in the farm sector announced in the interim Budget.

DEL26 BUD-LD FISCAL DEFICIT Govt misses fiscal deficit target; pegs at 3.4% for current fiscal

New Delhi: Deviating from the target, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal Friday said fiscal deficit for the current fiscal is expected to be slightly higher at 3.4 per cent for the current fiscal.

DEL27 BUD-RAILWAY Rlys gets Rs1.58 lakh cr in Budget, highest ever for national transporter

New Delhi: Finance Minister Piyush Goyal Friday announced a capital expenditure allocation of Rs 1.58 lakh crore for the railways, the highest ever for the national transporter, in an effort to put its flagging revenues back on track.

DEL28 BUD-JAITLEY Jaitley compliments Goyal for 'excellent pro-farmer, pro-poor budget'

New Delhi: Union Minister Arun Jaitley Friday complimented Piyush Goyal for delivering an excellent pro-farmer, pro-poor budget which will also strengthen the purchasing power of middle class.

DEL4 POL-CHIDAMBARAM-JOBS Chidambaram asks how economy is growing when unemployment rate at highest

New Delhi: Former finance minister P Chidambaram Friday raised doubts over the GDP figures, wondering how the economy is growing at 7 per cent when the unemployment rate was the highest in 45 years.

NATION:

DEL18 JK-LD ENCOUNTER Two JeM militants killed in encounter in J&K's Pulwama

Srinagar: Two Jaish-e-Mohammad militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Friday, police said.

BOM1 MH-SENA-HAZARE-LOKAYUKTA Shiv Sena questions decision to bring Maha CM under Lokayukta's ambit

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Friday asked how a Lokayukta, appointed by the chief minister, will investigate his or her boss.

CAL1 WB-TMC-DISSIDENTS TMC reaching out to disgruntled leaders to thwart BJP's poaching bid: Party leaders

Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress leadership has been reaching out to its disgruntled leaders to thwart any poaching bid by rival BJP ahead of the general elections, TMC leaders said.

CAL2 AS-BILL-PROTEST Citizenship Bill stir: 3 KMSS activists protest naked in Assam

Guwahati: Three activists of the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) staged a nude protest outside the secretariat building here, adjacent to the assembly, on Friday against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

LEGAL:

LGD11 SC-LD CBI SC expresses displeasure at non-appointment of regular CBI director

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Friday asked the Centre why it has not appointed a regular CBI director and said it was "averse" to the appointment of an interim chief for the agency for a long period.

LGD9 SC-LD BASSI SC seeks CBI's response on DSP Bassi's plea challenging transfer

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Friday sought a response from the CBI on a plea of its Deputy Superintendent of Police A K Bassi challenging his transfer to Port Blair.

FOREIGN:

FGN8 US-INDIANSTUDENTS-VISA-FRAUD 130 students arrested in US immigration fraud, attorneys cry foul

Washington: The 130 foreign students arrested for enroling at a fake university allegedly to remain in the US are largely Indians and were not aware of the varsity's illegitimate operation, immigration attorneys have said while criticising authorities for using "troubling" methods to trap them.

FGN7 US-CHINA-2NDLD TALKS Trump says he will meet Xi after US-China trade talks end with no deal

Washington: US President Donald Trump said he would soon meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to try to secure a comprehensive trade deal between the world's two largest economies as the two-day talks to resolve the conflict that has rattled the global economy ended without any agreement.

SPORTS:

SPF11 SPO-IND-LD WOM Indian women walloped by New Zealand in dead rubber

Hamilton: Having already sealed the series, the Indian women's cricket team put up an ordinary effort with the bat to go down by eight wickets against New Zealand in the third and final ODI here on Friday.