Chandrababu Naidu's TDP exits Modi govt but not NDA: Top 10 developments

Andhra Pradesh's ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP), led by N Chandrababu Naidu, on Thursday pulled out of the Narendra Modi government, with two of its minister in the Union Cabinet tendering their resignations. TDP’s exit from the Narendra Modi-led central government came as a result of the Centre’s refusal to grant Andhra Pradesh a special-category status.

However, a split within the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre was averted for now, with the party deciding to remain in the alliance, a move many view as TDP’s attempt to keep the window for rapprochement open.

Civil Aviation Minister P Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Minister of State for Science and Technology & Earth Sciences Y S Chowdary, the two TDP ministers in the Modi government, met the prime minister on Thursday evening and tendered their letters of resignation. However, as of the time this report was filed, there had been no official word on whether the resignation letters were forwarded to President Ram Nath Kovind for acceptance. This has also set off speculations that back-channel talks could still be taking place to iron out differences.

Chidambaram says Modicare, MSP, jobs 'jumlas'; asks Jaitley 12 questions

The Opposition on Thursday targetted the government over the agrarian crisis, unemployment, and other issues, with Congress leader P Chidambaram dubbing its economic policy as a "betrayal" of the country and saying all norms of fiscal prudence have been thrown out of the window.

The 40-minute speech of Chidambaram, who initiated the debate on the 2018-19 budget in the Rajya Sabha, witnessed continuous ruckus and sloganeering by ruling BJP members who sought an apology from the Congress for such disruptions during the Prime Minister's speech in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

An unfazed Chidambaram continued to target the government in a loud pitch and sought replies to 12 questions relating to the economy, while describing minimum support price (MSP) for foodgrains, job creation and the Ayushman Bharat scheme as the three "Jumlas" (rhetoric) of the BJP-led government in its last full budget before the 2019 polls.

Patanjali to invest Rs 5,000 cr in current fiscal year, says MD Balkrishna

Patanjali Ayurved's managing director Balkrishna said here today that the company is planning to invest Rs 5,000 crore in the country in the current financial year.

"We are exploring possibilities to set up units in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, the North-East, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh," he told reporters here.

If all goes well, the company's food processing unit at Pithampur industrial area in Dhar district, 30 km from here, would be up and running by March, he said.

"Hopefully, the food processing unit will start production by March 2018 with an investment of Rs 500 crore," he said.

The plant will produce biscuits, suji, noodles and flour. It would process 1,000 tons of wheat daily, Balkrishna added.

The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh has allotted 40 acres of land to Patanjali at the rate of Rs 25 lakh per acre, he said.

The company would also explore the possibility of processing fruits and vegetables in the state, he said.

"If the government provides us land, we will also set up a cow shelter in the state," he said.

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Xiaomi launches Amazon exclusive VoLTE ready Redmi 4A, priced at Rs 5,999

China’s smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi on Monday launched Redmi 4A -- a latest entrant in Xiaomi’s entry-level Redmi series. The Xiaomi Redmi 4A will be available exclusively on Amazon and will be sold at a jaw-dropping price of Rs 5,999.

The latest Xiaomi Redmi 4A, being an entry-level budget smartphone, offers spectacular features. The device flaunts 5-inch HD display, which is enclosed in a polycarbonate body. The dual-sim smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 425, 64-bit quad-core processor and sports 16 GB internal storage – expandable up to 128 GB via microSD card – coupled with 2 GB of RAM.

The Redmi 4A boots Android 6.0 out of the box covered under Xiaomi’s MIUI 8 theme. On the camera front, the smartphone features 13-megapixel (MP) rear camera and 5 MP front-facing selfie camera. The device is powered by 3,120 mAh battery that keeps the show running.

Xiaomi has been quite successful in India and to cement its position even further, the company is commencing operations at its second manufacturing plant in India.

The company claims to employ 5,000 employees in the manufacturing plant that produces  one smartphone every second. Manu Jain, managing director, Xiaomi India claimed that more than 95 per cent of Xiaomi smartphones sold in India come from its Sri City unit manufacturing plant. (READ MORE)

HCL Technologies to set up operations in AP with Rs 500 cr investment

Latest News - India's fourth largest global IT services company HCL Technologies(HCL) is all set to become the anchor client of an upcoming IT cluster being developed near Andhra Pradesh state's new capital Amaravati.

A senior AP government official said HCL chairman Shiv Nadar and chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu are likely to make a joint announcement about HCL Tech foray into AP next month.

AP investment promotion board, headed by chief minister Naidu, has already cleared the company's proposals, which entail an investment of Rs 500 crore in (Read More)