Chikkballapur (Karnataka), Apr 21: Senior Congress leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister M. Veerappa Moily has said that his constituency is free from all caste considerations.

Moily, who is contesting elections from the Chikkballapur parliamentary constituency, described his constituency as democratic and secular.

Mumbai, Apr 21: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) revealed the annual monetary policy here on Tuesday.

According to the report, the short-term lending (repo) rate and borrowing (reverse repo) rates have been reduced by 25 basis points.

The repo rate, thus stands at 3.25 per cent while reverse repo rate stands at 4.75 per cent.

The RBI has said that there is scope for banks to cut lending rates and has asked banks to review their benchmark prime lending rates (BPLR).

A committee has now been formed to review the BPLR system.

Patna, Apr 20: Retracting from his stand on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Tuesday said that United Progressive Alliance (UPA) does not necessarily belong to the Congress party and the coalition would meet after the completion of elections to decide their primeministerial candidate.

The Railway Minister had maintained all along that Manmohan Singh is the UPA nominee for the post of Prime Minister.

The very first owner of Tata Nano in Vadodara will be the 96-year old, first woman photojournalist of India - Homi Vyarawalla.

In rather interesting series of incidents, Vyarawalla, who had recently written a Rs 95,000 cheque for Tata's brand new wonder car, was told by officials from Tata Motors that she would be the first 'out-of-turn' Vadodara owner of the Nano, in July!

Madrid - Indian President Pratibha Patil arrived Monday in Madrid for the first-ever official visit of an Indian head of state to Spain.

Patil was welcomed at Madrid airport by a delegation headed by Science and Innovation Minister Cristina Garmendia.

The four-day visit was described by diplomats as opening a new phase in political, economic and cultural relations between Spain and India.

Guwahati, Apr 20: Seven persons, including five Assam Police Battalion personnel, were killed when DHD (Jewel) extremists attacked on a convoy of Vinay Cement Factory in troubled North Cachar Hill District on Monday afternoon.

According to police, the incident occurred when a team of 5th Assam Police Battalion (APBN) was escorting trucks carrying cements from Umrangshu to Lanka in neighbouring Nowgong district.