HIGHLIGHTS

Following are the top stories at 9 pm: NATION DEL112 LDALL CAA RULES Stop spreading ''lies'' about CAA: BJP to oppn leaders; Delhi, WB CMs escalate attack on Centre New Delhi/Kolkata: The BJP on Wednesday accused opposition parties of stoking communal passion over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and asked them to stop spreading ''lies'' about the new law, as leaders of rival parties escalated their attack on the Modi government over its implementation.

DEL95 BIZ-2NDLD PM-SEMICONDUCTORS PM Modi lays foundation stone of milestone semiconductor plants Dholera (Gujarat): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday laid foundation stones of three semiconductor fabrication plant, being built at a cost of Rs 1.25 lakh crore, as India seeks to join ranks of big chip-producing countries.

DEL109 ELECTIONS-BJP-LD LIST Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, 3 ex-CMs in BJP's second list of 72 candidates for Lok Sabha polls New Delhi: Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal and Anurag Singh Thakur, and three former chief ministers, including Haryana's Manohar Lal Khattar, figured in the BJP's second list of 72 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections announced on Wednesday, while the ruling party dropped former Union ministers Sadananda Gowda and Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ from their seats.

DEL75 PM-LD SURAJ PORTAL People from disadvantaged sections biggest beneficiaries of govt schemes: Modi New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that people from disadvantaged sections like SCs, STs and OBCs are the biggest beneficiaries of his government's welfare schemes as he accused the previous Congress dispensations of neglecting them and never appreciating their role in the country's progress.

DEL77 LD HARYANA Haryana: Nayab Saini govt wins trust vote, ex-CM Khattar resigns as Karnal MLA Chandigarh: The BJP government led by Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday won the confidence motion by voice vote in the Haryana Assembly here, a day after he took oath as the new chief minister. CAL15 WB-MAMATA-LD BROTHER Mamata disowns brother after he expressed displeasure over ticket distribution in Howrah Kolkata: TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday disowned her younger brother Babun Banerjee after he expressed displeasure over the party re-nominating Prasun Banerjee from Howrah Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal.

DEL100 BJP-3RDLD CHIRAG Seat sharing with BJP finalised for LS polls in Bihar, all 'concerns' addressed: Chirag Paswan New Delhi: Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan said on Wednesday that his party has finalised a seat-sharing formula with the BJP for the Lok Sabha polls and all his ''concerns'' were addressed.

DEL104 GOVT-PET DOGS-BAN Ban 23 breeds of ferocious dogs: Centre tell states amid deaths due to pet dog attacks New Delhi: The central government has directed states to ban the sale and breeding of 23 breeds of ferocious dogs, including Pitbull Terrier, American Bulldog, Rottweiler and Mastiffs, amid rising instances of people dying due to pet dog attacks.

DEL90 HR-2NDLD KHATTAR Khattar announces resignation as Karnal MLA, says CM Saini will take care of constituency Chandigarh: Hours before he was named as the BJP candidate for the Karnal Lok Sabha seat, former Haryana chief minister M L Khattar on Wednesday announced he was resigning as the MLA from the Karnal assembly segment.

DEL107 DEF-ALH-PROCUREMENT MoD inks contracts worth Rs 8073 cr with HAL to procure 34 advanced light helicopters New Delhi: The defence ministry on Wednesday signed two contracts with a combined value of Rs 8073 crore with the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd for acquisition of 34 advanced light helicopters and associated equipment for the Indian Army and the Coast Guard.

DEL93 JK-LD EC EC will disclose details of electoral bonds in time: CEC Rajiv Kumar Jammu: Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Wednesday announced sharing details of electoral bonds ''in time'' and asserted that the commission believed in complete transparency.

CAL27 AS-CAA-LD PROTESTS Anti-CAA stir: Protests continue in NE region Guwahati: The North East Students' Organisation (NESO), the apex body of major student unions of the eight states of the region, on Wednesday burnt copies of the rules of Citizenship (Amendment) Act across the region and demanded immediate repeal of the law. LEGAL LGD18 SC-ELECTORAL BONDS-LD SBI Total of 22,217 electoral bonds purchased from Apr 1, 2019 to Feb 15, 2024: SBI to SC New Delhi: The State Bank of India (SBI) on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that a total of 22,217 electoral bonds were purchased by donors between April 1, 2019 and February 15 this year, out of which 22,030 were redeemed by political parties.

LGD25 UP-COURT-MUKHTAR MP-MLA court sentences Mukhtar Ansari to life imprisonment in three-decade-old case Varanasi (UP): A special Varanasi court on Wednesday sentenced gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari to life imprisonment in a three-decade-old fake gun licence case.

BUSINESS DEL81 BIZ-GOVT-EMOBILITY Govt announces Rs 500 cr scheme to promote e-mobility New Delhi: The heavy industries ministry on Wednesday announced a new scheme to promote e-mobility in the country with an outlay of Rs 500 crore for four months beginning April 2024.

FOREIGN FGN47 US-LDALL ELECTION Biden and Trump set for 2020 election rematch after winning party nominations Washington: US President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump secured their parties' presidential nominations with impressive wins in another round of key primaries, setting the stage for a gruelling 2020 rematch between them in November.By Lalit K Jha FGN49 NEPAL-POLITICS-LDALL PRACHANDA Nepal PM Prachanda wins vote of confidence in Parliament for 3rd time amidst political uncertainty Kathmandu: Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ on Wednesday secured a vote of confidence in Parliament, as the Himalayan country struggled to maintain political stability due to the frequent shifting of alliances.By Shirish B Pradhan