New Delhi, Feb 19 : The Lok Sabha passed the Interim Rail Budget for 2009-10 by a voice vote on Thursday.

Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav had announced a Rs. 10,807 crore budget last week to fund various ongoing projects.

Lalu rejected opposition charges that his ministry had hiked passenger fares and freight rates. He claimed that fares in all classes had been lowered in the past five years.

He also said that budgetary support to the Railways had declined to 29 percent from 53 percent since 2004.

New Delhi, Feb 19 : A joint investigation team was constituted today by the Civil Aviation Ministry to investigate the near collision between an IAF Helicopter and Air India Flight IC-866 on February 9 at Mumbai Airport.

Dr. S. N. A. Zaidi, Director General of Civil Aviation will head the probe. The other members are Vinod Kumar Yadava, Executive Director, AAI; Group Captain Alok Kumar, Director (Helicopters), Indian Air Force.

New Delhi, Feb 19 : Fed up of the BCCI-Sony controversy (now Multi Screen Media), Sony Entertainment CEO Kunal Dasgupta has resigned from his duties with immediate effect from February 19.

Confirming his resignation to Economic Times Dasgupta said that he does not know what he will do next after leaving the company.

Till a replacement for Dasgupta is found, Chairman of the Multi Screen Media (MSM) board Manjit Singh, has been named interim CEO.

New Delhi - India's inflation slowed to a 13-month low of 3.92 per cent in the first week of February, government figures showed Thursday, raising hopes of further bank rate cuts to boost the slowing economy.

India's weekly inflation rate, linked to a wholesale price index, stood at 4.39 per cent the previous week.

The easing of inflationary pressures from 12.91 per cent in August 2008 to below 4 per cent augers well for the ruling United Progressive Alliance government with its term ending in May and a general election on the cards.

New Delhi, Feb. 19 : Rajya Sabha Member Naresh Gujral, the son of former Prime Minister I. K. Gujral, on Thursday, appealed to the UPA Government to take steps to save the country''s dairy industry from a looming crisis.

He claimed that European countries and New Zealand were dumping butter oil which is the raw material for making Ghee in India, thanks to the generous subsidies that they were receiving from their governments.

He also warned that the United States is also contemplating the reintroduction of a Dairy Export Incentive programme, which would accentuate the problem.

New Delhi, Feb 19 : Former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin formally joined the Congress party on Thursday.

Congress leader Veerappa Moily confirmed the cricketer's membership, saying, "Azharuddin had approached me a few days ago with a desire to join the party. The decision to offer him a membership was taken after holding a discussion with party president Sonia Gandhi."

Moily, however, did not confirm whether he would contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The leader told that the cricketer's controversial past was not a problem for the party.