At least 27 people were killed in an attack on a political rally in Kabul Friday, officials said, in the first major assault in the city since the US signed a withdrawal deal with the Taliban.

Interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said women and children were among the dead.

Amid another tumultuous day, Lok Sabha has passed the Vivad se Vishwas Bill, which aims to settle pending direct tax disputes in the country. The bill was passed with certain amendments before the Lower House was adjourned amid clamour over Delhi violence.

The Direct Tax Vivad Se Vishwas Bill, 2020, was tabled before Parliament on March 2. First proposed in Union Budget 2020, the Bill was approved by the Union Cabinet on February 12. It seeks to provide taxpayers a lucrative opportunity to settle direct tax disputes within the current financial year by waiving interest and penalty on their pending taxes.

The Vivad se Vishwas Bill aims to resolve 4.83 lakh direct tax cases worth Rs 9.32 lakh crore that are currently locked up in various appellate forums such as Commissioner (Appeals), ITAT, High Courts, Supreme Court and Debt Recovery Tribunals. Also, once the Bill is passed by the Parliament, it can be availed in search and seizure operations with recoveries up to Rs 5 crore.

Under the Vivad se Vishwas scheme, taxpayers willing to settle disputes shall be allowed a complete waiver of interest and penalty if they pay the entire amount of tax in dispute by March 31,2020. Beyond this date, a 10 per cent additional disputed tax shall have to be paid over and above the tax liability.

Further, where arrears relate to disputed interest or penalty only, then 25 per cent of disputed penalty or interest shall have to be paid if the payment is made by March 31, 2020, beyond which the same shall be enhanced to 30 per cent. The Vivad se Vishwas scheme would remain open till June 30, 2020.

India recorded its biggest jump in coronavirus cases today after 15 of 23 Italian tourists - who came to Delhi last month - and one Indian, who was travelling with them, tested positive for the illness. Twenty-eight fresh coronavirus cases have been reported in the country in last three days, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said today, adding that six of these patients are family members of a 45-year-old Delhi man, who tested positive on Monday. Coronavirus outbreak originated in China's Wuhan city in December and has spread to over 60 countries since then, killing more than 3,000 and infecting over 90,000 across the world.

Here is your ten-point cheat sheet on this big story:

1. All passengers of international flights will have to undergo screening, and not just from the 12 countries listed earlier, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said today. Over 5,89,000 people have been screened at airports in two months, over 10 lakh screened at borders with Nepal and around 27,000 are currently under community surveillance, he added.

2. Of the total 28 coronavirus cases in India, one is a 45-year-old man from Delhi. He had recently gone to Italy, which is fast emerging as hub for the outbreak after China. Six others are his family members from Agra. They apparently contracted infection from him. A Bengaluru-based techie in Hyderabad tested had positive on Monday. First three coronavirus patients in the country from Kerala, who contracted infection last month, have been cured.

3. Fourteen of the 16 infected Italian tourists are quarantined in Delhi. They were a part of a group of 23 Italians, which traveled to Rajasthan last month. One of them - currently in Jaipur - tested positive on Tuesday; his wife has also tested positive. This is the biggest group in the country to be infected with coronavirus.

4. Prime Minister Narendra Modi this morning tweeted that he would not participate in any Holi events this year as experts have advised against "mass gatherings to avoid coronavirus spread". "Experts across the world have advised to reduce mass gatherings to avoid the spread of COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus. Hence, this year I have decided not to participate in any Holi Milan programme," he wrote. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also tweeted an appeal to "everyone to avoid public gatherings" and said he too would not participate in any Holi events.

5. On Tuesday, PM had said that he had held "an extensive review regarding preparedness on the COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus" and "there is no need to panic". Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also assured the people in the national capital about the arrangements, urging them not to panic.

6. According to sources, the Delhi patient was not screened at airport because he flew in from Austria, where the outbreak has not been declared serious. The crew of the Air India flight that flew him last week has been asked to stay in isolation at their homes for 14 days. A similar advisory has been issued to other passengers.

7. The affected passenger in Hyderabad -a techie from Bengaluru - had travelled on an IndiGo flight on February 20. The crew of the flight have been placed under observation.

8. India has now stepped up preventative measures including barring visitors from Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan, except diplomats and officials from international bodies. The Union Health Ministry has advised people not to travel to China, Iran, South Korea and Italy. It has also asked all citizens to avoid non-essential travel to other affected nations.

9. Hundreds of Indians, including fishermen and students, are stranded in Iran where coronavirus is spreading fast and nearly 1,000 are infected. The government said today that if the Iranian government lent its support, a testing facility could be set up there to help bring back the Indian citizens.

10. The novel coronavirus spreads through contact with droplets spread during coughing and sneezing, doctors say. Besides keeping contact to a minimum with an infected person, the preventive measures include frequent washing of hands and use of hand sanitisers. Fresh tissues should be used while sneezing and coughing and then discarded, to ensure the virus does not spread.

Finance Ministry on Tuesday listed six schemes that have benefitted women entrepreneurs. The schemes are Standup India, Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojna (PMMY), Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), Atal Pension Yojana (APY), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY).

The ministry said in its press release ahead of the International Women's Day on March 8 that "in the past six years, the ministry has launched various schemes which have special provisions for the empowerment of women".

"These schemes have financially empowered women to lead a better life and chase their dreams of being an entrepreneur," it added.

The ministry further said that women account for over 81 per cent of the total beneficiaries under the 'Stand Up India' scheme with loans worth Rs 16,712 crore sanctioned for them in nearly 4 years time.

The Stand Up India scheme was launched on April 5, 2016, to facilitate bank loans between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore to at least one Scheduled Caste (SC) or Scheduled Tribe (ST) borrower and at least one woman borrower per bank branch of Scheduled Commercial Banks for setting up a greenfield enterprise.

"As on February 17, 2020, more than 81 per cent account holders under Stand Up India Scheme are women. 73,155 accounts have been opened for women. Rs 16,712.72 crore has been sanctioned for women account holders and Rs 9,106.13 crore has been disbursed for women account holders," the ministry said in a statement.

Besides, under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), 70 per cent of the total loan borrowers are women. PMMY was launched on April 8, 2015, for providing loans up to Rs 10 lakh to the non-corporate, non-farm small/micro enterprises. These Mudra loans are given by commercial banks, RRBs, small finance banks, MFIs and NBFCs.

"As on January 31, 2020, more than 22.53 crore loans have been sanctioned since the launch of the scheme. Out of this, more than 15.75 crore loans extended to women, thereby 70 per cent of the total loan borrowers are women," the ministry added.

Moreover, Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) was launched on August 28, 2014. The scheme envisages universal access to banking facilities with at least one basic banking account for every adult. It has 38.13 crore beneficiaries.

"As on February 19, 2020, 20.33 crore beneficiaries out of 38.13 crore PMJDY beneficiaries are women which amounts to 53 per cent," it said.

In the social sector scheme Atal Pension Yojana (APY), launched on May 9, 2015, more than 93 lakh subscribers (43 per cent) out of a total of around 2.15 crore subscribers are women, according to the ministry. The scheme offers guaranteed minimum monthly pension of Rs 1,000 -Rs 5,000 at the age of 60 years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch 10,000 Farmers Producers Organisation (FPOs) across India on Saturday.

Almost 86 per cent of farmers in India are small and marginal and averagely hold land less than 1 hectare. The FPO is set up as collectivisation of small, marginal and landless farmers to help them overcome issues like access to technology,  quality seed, fertilisers, pesticides and finances during the agriculture production phase.

Moreover,  PM Modi will also lay the foundation stone of the Bundelkhand Expressway today in Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh.  It will be a four-lane access-controlled 296-kilometre road in the northern state. The 296 km long expressway is expected to benefit seven districts - Chitrakoot, Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Jaloun, Oraiyah and Etawah.

As promised by the government in 2018, the Expressway will be supplementing the nodes of the UP Defence Industrial Corridor.  The road will pass through Chitrakoot, Banda, Hamirpur and Jalaun and will connect Buldelkhand to Delhi through the Agra- Lucknow and Yamuna Expressway. It is also expected to play a vital role in developing the Bundelkhand area.

The government had announced a Defence Industrial Corridor at Uttar Pradesh during the Investors Summit on February 21, 2018, in Lucknow. This will fulfill India's huge defence equipment requirements, like land systems, ships, submarines, fighter jets, helicopters, weapons and sensors which are worth $250 billion by 2025.

Lucknow, Jhansi, Chitrakoot, Aligarh, Kanpur, Agra are the six nodes the Government identified to set up the corridor initially. Jhansi and Chitrakoot are both being created in the Bundelkhand region. The biggest node in Jhansi. The government only bough uncultivated land , benefiting the local farmers.

Prime Minister Modi will also distribute assistive aids and devices to senior citizens (under the Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana-RVY) and 'Divyangjans' (under ADIP Scheme) at a distribution camp at Prayagraj.

The PM-KISAN will also complete one year of the launch at the event.