US Fed Meet Highlights: Federal Reserve leaves interest rate unchanged

The US Federal Reserve left its key lending rate unchanged again on Wednesday and said it had made "some further progress" in its inflation fight.

Policymakers voted unanimously to maintain the US central bank's benchmark interest rate between 5.25 percent and 5.50 percent, the Fed announced in a statement, adding it was "attentive to the risks to both sides of its dual mandate."

With the end of their two-year fight against inflation in sight, Federal Reserve officials are likely to set the stage for the first cut to their key interest rate in four years, a major shift in policy that could eventually lower borrowing costs for US consumers and businesses.

Inflation has been falling steadily closer to the Fed's 2% target for the past several months. And the job market has cooled, with the unemployment rate rising about a half-point this year to 4.1%.

Fed officials have said that they are seeking to balance the need to keep rates high enough to control inflation without keeping them too high for too long and causing a recession.

Emerging-market equities and currencies climbed on expectations the Federal Reserve to leave interest rates unchanged on Wednesday, but nod toward a cut in September, boosting risk appetite.

The strength in currencies were driven by the “anticipation of a dovish Fed hold as well as general dollar weakness,” said Win Thin, global head of markets strategy at Brown Brothers Harriman.

The US Treasury market rallied in the hours before the Federal Reserve’s July announcement, buoyed by economic data that backs the case for a September interest-rate cut.

While central bankers led by Fed Chair Jerome Powell will likely hold rates steady as their two-day policy meeting concludes on Wednesday, traders are keen for evidence that policymakers are ready to cut rates in September.

The Nasdaq and the S&P 500 jumped around 2% on Wednesday, as investors hoped for hints from the Federal Reserve on the timing of rate cuts, a bullish forecast from AMD boosted chip stocks and Microsoft slipped after a higher spending forecast.

With the end of their two-year fight against inflation in sight, Federal Reserve officials are likely Wednesday to set the stage for the first cut to their key interest rate in four years, a major shift in policy that could eventually lower borrowing costs for U.S. consumers and businesses.

Inflation has been falling steadily closer to the Fed's 2% target for the past several months. And the job market has cooled, with the unemployment rate rising about a half-point this year to 4.1%. Fed officials have said that they are seeking to balance the need to keep rates high enough to control inflation without keeping them too high for too long and causing a recession.

A house collapsed in the Sabji Mandi area of north Delhi following heavy rain on Wednesday, a Delhi Fire Services official said.

"We received a call at 8:57 pm regarding the collapse of a house in the Sabji Mandi area close to Ghanta Ghar near Robin Cinema. Five fire tenders were rushed to the spot," an official said.

India and China on Wednesday held "constructive" and "forward-looking" diplomatic talks to resolve the over four-year border standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh but there was clear no indication of any breakthrough.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said restoration of peace and tranquillity, and respect for the LAC are "essential basis" for restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations.

Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar, where three students died due to flooding in the basement of a coaching centre last week, was flooded again following a spell of heavy rain on Wednesday.

Several videos surfaced of the flood-like situation in the stretch that is lined with many coaching centres.

"We had come out from our home for dinner and it suddenly started raining and within minutes the whole area got flooded with water," a resident of the area said.

"Even after five days (of the death of the UPSC aspirants), the administration and MCD is applying its complete force to suppress the protest and has done nothing for cleaning the drains," he said.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena Wednesday formed a committee headed by the chief secretary to frame guidelines to regulate coaching centres in the city and redress issues faced by students, Raj Niwas officials said.

The move comes in the wake of a tragedy that claimed the lives of three civil services aspirants in a flooded basement library of Rau's IAS coaching centre in Old Rajinder Nagar.

Saxena directed for various steps after a meeting on Tuesday with student representatives, managements of over 20 coaching centres, senior Delhi government officials and DDA vice chairman.

At least 10 flights that were to land at the Delhi airport were diverted on Wednesday evening due to heavy rains in the national capital.

An official said that at least 10 flights were diverted at the airport after 1930 hours due to bad weather.

The national capital witnessed heavy rains that also caused waterlogging and traffic congestion in several areas.

Many parts of the national capital were inundated following a spell of heavy rainfall on Wednesday evening, causing massive traffic snarls in several areas.

According to the India Meteorological Department's Automatic Weather Station (AWS) network, the Pragati Maidan observatory in central Delhi recorded 112.5 mm of rainfall in just one hour.

Although there was no official confirmation that it was actually a "cloudburst", the IMD defines the phenomenon as more than 100 mm of precipitation within an hour.

As Delhi witnessed widespread waterlogging, the traffic police issued an advisory asking commuters to avoid certain roads.

Taking to the social media platform 'X', the police said traffic movement was hit in the carriageway from Moolchand towards Chirag Delhi and in both the carriageways on Anuvrat Marg due to heavy waterlogging.

Delhi recorded more than a hundred millimetres of rainfall in one hour, leading to waterlogging in several areas of the national capital and prompting the weather office to issue a 'red' warning.

The National Flash Flood Guidance Bulletin also included Delhi in its list of 'areas of concern', the weather office said.

According to the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) Automatic Weather Station (AWS) network, the Pragati Maidan observatory in central Delhi recorded 112.5 mm of rainfall in one hour.

An extreme amount of precipitation in a short period, specifically 100 mm of rainfall within an hour, is defined by the IMD as a "cloud burst".

There has, however, been no official statement on the situation from weather officials.

Delhi Lt Governor, in a post on X, said he cautioned officers to remain alert in light of the heavy downpour.

The Delhi Police has recorded the statements of 16 employees of Rau's IAS Study Circle as part of its probe into the death of three civil services aspirants in flooded basement of the coaching centre, officials said on Wednesday.

They said the statements of teachers, managers, and security and cleaning staff have been taken in the past two days.

A police officer said that MCD officials, who have been asked to join the probe, are yet to come with the relevant documents about de-silting and actions taken by them in the past.

Delhi Education Minister Atishi on Wednesday said asked protesting students at old Rajinder Nagar to give names of 10 representatives who will be part of a panel that will draft a law to regulate coaching institutes in the city.

While Atishi was greeted with slogans of 'go back', 'we want justice', she sat with the protesters and assured them of government support for their issues.

Piyush Goyal: The bureaucrats are not bad, the leadership and direction that you provide that defines the work you get out of them.

He further said that the government is constantly at it to liberalise and decriminalise laws and reduce compliance burden.

The world today recognises India's growth story, Goyal said.

Piyush Goyal on the halwa ceremony exchange: Fortunately we have PM Modi at the helm of affairs and he does not get swayed by such frivolous comments. It is not as if he will suddenly start scouting and start looking at everybody's caste because just for a photo opportunity we have to appoint them

Piyush Goyal: India can replicate, if not better, the China story between 2000-2020, the two decades where China relentlessly grew at 8 percent with a stable currency and low inflation. And that is the sweet spot in which India is today

Piyush Goyal: At times there will be certain jolts to the politics of the country, we have to be prepared for that. But my own sense is for next 20-25 years, people want a stable, decisive and honest government. We do have a coalition currently, but at the core of this coalition is a party with 240 seats

Former CEA KV Subramanian: India will be rubbing shoulders with the largest economies of the world, or with some luck possibly be the largest economy of the world. That is a once in a few centuries opportunity.

Piyush Goyal on India's long term outlook: As we increase shipping, focus more on electric mobility and become sufficient in defence and a little bit more on things like oilseeds, rubber, pulses we are looking at a rupee appreciation.

Former CEA KV Subramanian: Going forward, India could maintain 5 percent inflation in next 2.2.5 decades and an 8 percent GDP growth

Piyush Goyal: Going forward the focus will be on defence self-sufficiency, replacing oil economy with electric economy and bring quality in play in manufacturing and consumer choices

Piyush Goyal at an ASSOCHAM event: This govt has focussed on infrastructure, actions on making India corruption-free, to encourage employment generation. Want to see similar thrust on areas like shipping where India has a long way to catch up.

The Delhi Police has recorded the statements of 16 employees of Rau's IAS Study Circle as part of its probe into the death of three civil services aspirants in flooded basement of the coaching centre, officials said on Wednesday.

They said the statements of teachers, managers, and security and cleaning staff have been taken in the past two days.

A police officer said that MCD officials, who have been asked to join the probe, are yet to come with the relevant documents about de-silting and actions taken by them in the past.

Delhi LG on July 31 directed police chief to crack down on exorbitant rentals being charged in coaching hubs, Raj Niwas officials said.

The high returns from Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in recent years, coupled with government support for the sector, have encouraged Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) to explore this growth potential.

AIF is a fund established or incorporated in India which is a privately pooled investment vehicle.

Paradise Moon Investment Fund, an AIF, has announced its launch with the aim of raising Rs 750 crore over the next few years, targeting investors looking to leverage the growth of the SME market pre and post-IPOs.

BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan on Wednesday supported the Centre's demand in the Supreme Court for prospective implementation of its verdict on royalty and taxes on mines and minerals, saying they will adopt a "citizen-centric approach" and not seek refund of the amount.

However, the JMM-led Jharkhand government opposed the Centre's demand and sought retrospective implementation of the July 25 verdict. The newly elected BJP government in Odisha did not specify any clear stand despite prodding by the apex court.

A nine-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud reserved its orders on the issue of whether its July 25 verdict upholding the power of states to levy tax on mineral rights and mineral-bearing land should be given retrospective or prospective effect.

In a significant verdict on July 25, the bench, by a majority 8:1 verdict, had held that the legislative power to tax mineral rights vests with the states and the royalty paid on minerals is not a tax.

The verdict had overruled a 1989 judgement in the case of India Cement versus Tamil Nadu, which held that only the Centre has power to impose royalty on minerals and mineral bearing land.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to entertain a public interest litigation seeking dual citizenship for Indians abroad.

A bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan said the issue of allowing dual citizenship did not fall within the domain of the high court as a decision in this regard has to be taken by the Parliament.

"These are matters of national security. It has wide ramifications. This is not in our domain," said the bench also comprising Justice Tushar Rao Gedela.

Strongly condemning the assassination of the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, China -- which brokered a unity deal between various Palestine groups last week -- on Wednesday warned that the killing could plunge the region into deeper chaos.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a media briefing here that Beijing strongly opposed the assassination of Haniyeh, whose Hamas group took part in the unity talks along with 14 Palestine factions in Beijing sponsored by China.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Wednesday tabled a vote-on-account in the assembly to meet various government expenditures for August and September.

Odisha Appropriation (Vote-on-Account) Bill, 2024 was presented by Majhi, who also holds the finance portfolio, for an amount of Rs 95,000 crore.

This is the second vote-on-account in the state in the 2024-25 fiscal.

A court on Wednesday rejected the bail pleas of an SUV driver and four owners of the coaching centre basement in the Old Rajinder Nagar area which was flooded with rainwater and led to the death of three civil services aspirants.

Judicial Magistrate Vinod Kumar rejected the bail plea of driver Manuj Kathuria and basement owners Tejinder Singh, Parvinder Singh, Harvinder Singh, and Sarabjeet Singh.

"All the bail applications are dismissed," the judge said.

Apple will likely report on Thursday that it returned to revenue growth in its fiscal third quarter as it won back some customers in China with big iPhone discounts and sold more high-margin iPads thanks to a refreshed design.

Sales of the iPhone, which account for nearly half of Apple's revenue, are expected to have decreased by 2.2% in the three months ended June, a big improvement from the 10.5% decline in the second quarter, according to LSEG data.

The construction of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, India's longest Greenfield Expressway, will be completed by October, 2025, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said the Ministry has taken up the construction of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway including spurs in 53 packages having a length of 1,386 km.

"As of June 2024, a total 26 packages have been completed," Gadkari said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday the United States was not involved in the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, and reiterated the importance of a ceasefire in Gaza.

"This is something we were not aware of or involved in. It's very hard to speculate," Blinken said in an interview with Channel News Asia during a visit to Singapore.

Maldives President Dr Mohamed Muizzu sends a message of condolence to Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the Wayanad landslide: President's Office, Maldives.

Indian Air Force conducted the longest ferry of aircraft to Alaska in the US for Exercise Red Flag. Now we are conducting the first multinational exercise Tarang Shakti in India to be held at Sulur and Jodhpur, said Group Captain Ashish Dogra.

He further added that make-in-India equipment including LCA Tejas, LCH Prachand and other weapon systems would be showcased at the event exercise.

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann said, "Sukhbir Singh Badal did drama for his party. For 25 years Sukhbir Singh Badal helped BSP, in the Jalandhar assembly elections and got 731 votes and Shiromani Akali Dal got 1400 votes. Gulab Chand Kataria ji is very experienced from Rajasthan. He has been MLA eight times..."

Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis on July 31 said, "It is a matter of great joy that Toyota Kirloskar Company has signed an MoU with the Maharashtra Government today for an investment of Rs. 20,000 crores in the category of electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar in Marathwada. This investment will create 8,000 direct and 12,000 indirect jobs and a very big vendor system will also be set up here. This investment will take Maharashtra one step ahead in the field of automobiles. Through Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and our Industries Department, we made continuous efforts and brought this investment of Toyota to Maharashtra. They were being invited from many other places but Maharashtra has prepared a common strategy with them and brought this investment today. I would like to congratulate the people of Marathwada in the community..."

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come to Maharashtra to campaign for the BJP during the upcoming state assembly elections.

Modi was made to sweat in Maharashtra during the recent Lok Sabha polls, Thackeray said referring to the campaign undertaken by the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), in which his party is a constituent along with the Congress and the NCP (SP).

India and Vietnam should explore the possibility of a free trade pact to further strengthen the economic cooperation, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said on Wednesday.

Chinh, who is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including several ministers, deputy ministers and business leaders, is on a three-day visit to India.

Going forward, the two nations should aim to increase their bilateral trade to $20 billion, the Vietnamese Prime Minister said while addressing the Vietnam-India Business Forum.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday pulled up authorities over the deaths of three UPSC aspirants who drowned in the basement of a coaching centre, saying such tragedies are bound to happen when there is no collection of taxes due to a "freebies culture".

The high court hinted at asking a central agency to probe the incident and directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) commissioner, deputy commissioner of police concerned and the investigating officer of the case to appear before it on Friday.

Coaching institutes and libraries functioning illegally from basements in Indore will be shut down and FIRs will be registered against their operators, a move aimed at averting any potential Delhi basement-like tragedy.

Indore administration has sealed more than 15 coaching institutes and libraries functioning from basements of buildings, a senior official said.

Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas' supreme leader in exile who landed on Israel's hit list after the militant group staged its surprise October 7 attacks, was killed in an airstrike in the Iranian capital early Wednesday. He was 61.

Hamas said Haniyeh was killed at his residence in Tehran in an Israeli airstrike after he attended the swearing-in ceremony of Iran's new president. Israel has not commented on the accusation.

Haniyeh's death makes him the latest Hamas official to be killed by Israel since the Hamas-led October 7 attacks, when militants killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages. The devastating Israel-Hamas war the attacks set off has become the deadliest and longest in the Arab-Israeli conflict. More than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to health officials in Gaza.

The Delhi Police on Wednesday removed a few "outsiders" from a protest site in Rajinder Nagar, where hundreds have been demonstrating to seek justice following the deaths of three civil services aspirants at Rau's IAS Study Circle.

According to a police officer, over a dozen individuals were removed from the protest site as they were identified as "outsiders" and not students of any coaching institute.

Meanwhile, a delegation of UPSC aspirants met MCD Commissioner Ashwani Kumar at the agency headquarters here on Wednesday amid protests that have erupted following the death of three students at a coaching centre in the national capital.

The government has appointed former health secretary Preeti Sudan chairperson of the Union Public Service Commission after Manoj Soni resigned from the UPSC's top post early this month, according to an official order.

Sudan, currently a member of the UPSC, will take charge on Thursday.

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has cancelled the provisional candidature of Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar, a provisionally recommended candidate of the Civil Services Examination-2022 (CSE-2022) and permanently debarred her from all future exams and selections.

The Russian military on Wednesday began a third round of drills with tactical nuclear weapons, part of the Kremlin's messaging intended to force the West to limit its support for Ukraine.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the drills will feature units of the central and southern military districts armed with Iskander short-range missiles. They will practice receiving nuclear weapons from storage and deploying them to designated launch areas. The maneuvers will also include air force units that will arm their warplanes with nuclear weapons and perform patrol flights.

E-waste recycling company Attero has started waste collection from homes in 10 cities through its newly launched subsidiary Selsmart, a senior company official said on Wednesday.

Selsmart is the first integrated consumer e-waste take-back platform that will buy electronic waste from consumers and hand it over to Attero for recycling.

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram on Wednesday said he is glad that Union minister Nitin Gadkari has urged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to remove GST on insurance, a suggestion he made in Lok Sabha during the Budget debate.

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has requested the finance minister to withdraw the 18 per cent goods and services tax (GST) on life and medical insurance premiums.

Byju Raveendran says Riju Raveendran raised Rs 158 crore to specifically settle with BCCI and it’s not tainted money.

US lenders on July 31 asked, “How can someone who cannot even pay salaries pay Rs 150 crore out of the blue."

US lenders’ lawyer Mukul Rohatgi alleged “Byju and Riju conspired and stole $ 500 million. It is our money which has been withdrawn by these fellows”

US-based lenders ask NCLAT not to accept the settlement. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi said “It’s a tainted settlement because it is being paid from stolen money.”

Byju Raveendran and BCCI settle have settled the dispute, NCLAT told. Riju Raveendran has agreed to pay the money, Byju Raveendran’s lawyer tells NCLAT.

US based lenders allege round tripping.

Delhi HC makes Delhi police as a party to the PIL. The court summons the investigation officer, DCP and the commissioner of Municipal corporation of Delhi to be personally present in court. Court asks the authorities to file an affidavit outlining what action has been taken in the case so far.

CJ asks authorities to clear all the drains and encroachments by Friday

--“There is no master plan for drain since 1980. No MCD officer will know where the drain goes. I don’t know whether these civic agencies exist in the ground level or not.”

--“You have to ensure water reaches Yamuna and Yamuna flows! If not the water will come back! You cannot keep fixing drains only in affected areas. You have to find a solution for the entire problem.”

--CJ says the court will have to be informed on the path the investigation into this is taking and who is to be held liable. If the Investigation Officer is not doing it properly then the case should be transferred to the central agencies or Lok Pal.

--“We will pass orders, one to fix responsibility in this case. This is infrastructural breakdown. And this should go to some statutory mechanism.”

Chief Justice of Delhi High Court questioned why nobody from the MCD has been hauled up as yet while a passerby (the SUV driver) has been arrested.

CJ also asked, “We ask MCD to carry out projects. Any project above Rs 5 crore they say will be approved by Standing committee. But there is no Committee.”

CJ: “You have terminated junior officers but what about senior officer who should have supervised? Senior officers are not coming out of their air conditioned offices.”

CJ to MCD: “Delhi’s population is touching 3.3 crore. How will you develop the infrastructure for so many people when you don’t money to pay salaries? The city was planned 100 years ago to accommodate 6-7 lakh people.”

T-Series co-owner Krishan Kumar appeared before Patiala House court in connection with the 2001 match-fixing case

A fire broke out at a house in the Kirti Nagar area. 2 fire tenders were rushed to the spot. 10 person rescued safely by Delhi Fire Service.

At a press conference, Delhi PWD minister Atishi Singh announced that the government will establish a committee consisting of both government officials and students from various coaching hubs to draft new legislation. This committee will focus on creating a law to address issues related to coaching centres, including regulations for their operation and compliance.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is conducting searches at 19 locations across Delhi, Chandigarh, and various districts in Himachal Pradesh (Kangra, Una, Shimla, Mandi, Kullu) in connection with a case involving the generation of fake Ayushman Bharat AB-PMJAY ID cards. The searches are targeting several hospitals, including Bankey Bihari Hospital and Fortis Hospital, suspected of violating the scheme and causing financial losses through fraudulent medical bills.

Key figures in the investigation include RS Bali, a Congress MLA from Nagrota, Himachal Pradesh, who is also the chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation and vice-chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Board, and Dr. Rajesh Sharma of Shree Balaji Hospital, Kangra. Their premises are among those being searched as part of the ongoing probe.

Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi, addressing the press this morning, stated, "Following the tragic incident, I have written to the Commissioner of the MCD to address the issue of coaching centres operating illegally in basements and to take action against the responsible engineers and officers".

She further noted, "Over 30 coaching centres have been sealed, and show-cause notices have been issued to 200 centres involved in such operations. We have also taken measures against encroachments, including bulldozer actions. Additionally, we are working towards implementing a Coaching Institute Regulation Act to prevent future occurrences. Our deepest condolences go out to the families affected by this tragedy".

Preeti Sudan, a 1983 batch IAS officer, will assume the role of UPSC Chairperson effective August 1, 2024.

A moment of silence was observed in the Central Hall of Parliament House to honour the three UPSC aspirants who died due to flooding in the Old Rajinder Nagar coaching centre on July 27.

Santosh Gangwar today took oath as the Governor of Jharkhand at Raj Bhavan in Ranchi.

Lakshman Prasad Acharya has taken the oath of office as the Governor of Manipur. In addition to his new role, he has also been appointed as the Governor of Assam and will hold the additional charge of Manipur.

A new Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) column from a Gorkha Regiment Battalion in Bengaluru has been mobilised to Kollagal, Chamarajanagar, in response to severe flooding in the area. The column, which includes 3 officers, 4 Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs), 64 Other Ranks (ORs), and a Regimental Medical Officer (RMO), departed at 6:30 AM on July 31. It is expected to cover the 157 km distance and arrive by 10:30 AM, according to the Indian Army.

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were reportedly killed in an attack on their residence in Tehran, according to a statement from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iranian media.

Delhi PWD Minister Atishi Singh is expected to make an announcement today regarding coaching centres, she announced on microblogging site X.

District authorities today began collecting data to assess the number of people missing following the devastating landslides. As rescue operations resumed, a special team at the District Emergency Operation Centre is working to compile information on residents, those found after the landslide, and the missing individuals. Data collection involves reviewing ration card details and other government documents, according to a district administration official.

NDRF Commander Akhilesh Kumar, interacting with reporters this morning, stated, "We rescued injured victims from Mundakkai village yesterday. We fear victims might be trapped in collapsed buildings. Until 10 p.m. last night, we rescued 70 people, after which we had to stop due to bad weather and rain. With many teams working, we cannot give an exact number of deaths, as we only know about the bodies our team has recovered. People have been given shelter in a resort and a mosque on the other side of the river. Given the ongoing rainfall, there are chances of another landslide."

The origin of the landslide has been identified as a water-logged hillock 6 km away from the villages, which are adjacent to the Iruvanipuzha River. The first landslide occurred at 2 am. while residents were asleep, followed by a second landslide at 4:10 am. The cascading wave of mud, boulders, and uprooted trees buried the villages thousands of meters below.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have postponed their planned visit to landslide-hit Wayanad, which was scheduled for Wednesday morning. Authorities informed them that they would be unable to land due to incessant rain and adverse weather conditions.

The Congress leaders assured that they would visit the district as soon as conditions improve.