Nationalist Congress Party's senior leader Ajit Pawar on Sunday joined Eknath Shinde-led government and was sworn-in as the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra.

"Several people will criticise now a bit. We don't give value to that and we will keep working for the progress of Maharashtra and that is why we have taken this decision. Most of our MLAs are satisfied with this. We have supported this govt with NCP Party. We will contest all elections in the name of NCP only," said Pawar in a press conference.

While Ajit Pawar was sworn in as the deputy chief minister by Governor Ramesh Bais at the ceremony held in the Raj Bhawan, eight other NCP leaders took oath as ministers.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on June 27 said it has granted non-banking institutions licence to Mahalaxmi Cooperative Bank Ltd, Dharwad, Karnataka, after cancelling its banking permit.

Accordingly, RBI has cancelled the licence dated March 23, 1994, granted to Mahalaxmi Cooperative Bank Ltd, Dharwad, Karnataka to carry on banking business in India, with effect from the close of business on June 27, the release said.

This will not stop the bank from conducting the business of ‘banking’ and acceptance of deposits from non-members with immediate effect.

Former Punjab Assembly deputy speaker Bir Devinder Singh died here on Friday following a brief illness.

The 73-year-old Singh passed away at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research here. Singh was elected MLA for the first time from Sirhind in 1980 on a Congress ticket.

He again became a legislator after winning the election from the Kharar assembly constituency in 2002.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian expressed Iran's positive stance towards reestablishing relations with Egypt and Morocco during a ceremony commemorating Eid al-Adha.

Emphasizing the significance of Hajj as a diplomatic opportunity for Islamic nations to foster unity and gain a deeper understanding of global affairs, he reiterated Iran's commitment to expanding ties with neighboring and Islamic countries.

Amir-Abdollahian expressed satisfaction at the restoration of relations between Tehran and Riyadh through diplomacy and dialogue. He also highlighted Iran's concern over the crisis in Sudan.

India beat Iran 42-32 in the final of the Asian Kabaddi Championship 2023 in Busan, Korea, today. This is India’s eighth title in nine editions. Indian captain Pawan Sehrawat led from the front with a super 10. A couple of tackle points by defenders and successful raids from Pawan Sehrawat and Aslam Inamdar handed Iran their first all-out of the match in the 10th minute.

Earlier in the day, India had beaten Hong Kong 64-20 to end the league stage of the tournament undefeated.

New Zealand will become the first country to ban the thin plastic bags that supermarket customers use to collect their fruit and vegetables.

The new ban will also extend to plastic straws and silverware, as the government expands a campaign against single-use plastics it started in 2019 when it banned the thicker plastic shopping bags that customers used to carry home their grocery items. These days, most customers bring their own reusable tote bags to stores.

Officials estimate that on average, each New Zealander sends more than three-quarters of a ton of waste to landfills every year.

All panchayats across the country will mandatorily use digital payments for all development work and revenue collection starting this Independence Day, and will be declared UPI-enabled, a letter issued by the Panchayati Raj Ministry said.

States should "announce and inaugurate" the UPI-compliant panchayats in the presence of prominent dignitaries, like chief ministers, MPs, and MLAs, the ministry said in the letter to states and Union territories.

Secretary, Panchayati Raj Ministry, Sunil Kumar told PTI almost 98 per cent panchayats have already started using UPI-based payments.

The merger of HDFC Bank and Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC Ltd) will be effective July 1, HDFC Bank said in a statement. The boards have set July 13 as the record date to determine the eligible shareholders for allotment of shares under the merger deal.

The merger of HDFC Investments and HDFC Holdings into HDFC Ltd is effective today, the bank said. The boards have set July 12 as the record date for transfer of non-convertible debentures of HDFC Ltd in the name of HDFC Bank.

Aurangzeb Lane in Delhi has been renamed as Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Lane, said the New Delhi Municipal Council(NDMC) Vice Chairman Satish Upadhyay. While announcing the decision he said that since Aurangzeb tried to "destroy the Indian culture" there shouldn't be any road in the name of the Mughal emperor.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 17th Indian Cooperative Congress (ICC) on 1st of next month at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI) is organizing the two days Indian Cooperative Congress with the theme of Amrit Kaal: Prosperity through Cooperation for a Vibrant India. It will be chaired by the Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah.

According to the Ministry of Cooperation, the objective of the Indian Cooperative Congress is to discuss various trends in the cooperative movement, to showcase the best practices being adopted by the successful cooperatives and to deliberate on challenges being faced by the cooperative world. The Ministry said, an exhibition will also be held displaying various products of Self-Help Group’s and NCUI Cooperative Education Field Projects under the banner of NCUI HAAT. Approximately five crore members will be connected live during the event.