THE HEADLINES :
- Leaders of various political parties make last-ditch efforts to woo voters, as campaigning for first phase of Bihar Assembly elections ends today.
- Election Commission launches second phase of Special Intensive Revision exercise in nine states and three Union territories.
- External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar says India supports Gaza peace plan that will pave the way for a lasting solution; Holds meeting with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar in New Delhi.
- India dispatches 10,000 doses of rabies vaccine to Timor-Leste to tackle rabies outbreak.
- Airquaility in Delhi remains very poor; IMD predicts light rainfall in Delhi- NCR today.
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Leaders of various political parties are making last-ditch efforts to woo the voters as campaigning for the first phase of Bihar Assembly election comes to an end this evening. In this phase, voting will be held on 6th November in 121 assembly constituencies across 18 districts. Prominent leaders of the BJP, Janata Dal (United), Rashtriya Janata Dal, and Congress, among others, are addressing several rallies today. Addressing a rally in Darbhanga, Senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah promised that NDA will construct Kaushal Vikas Kendras in every district of the state. He announced that every district will get a new factory, and 10 new industrial parks will be constructed in the state.
BJP leader and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also campaigned for Bihar Minister and BJP candidate from Darbhanga, Sanjay Saraogi. On the other hand, RJD leader Misa Bharti said, the Mahagadhbandhan is receiving tremendous support. She said the alliance is talking about the youth, women, inflation, and jobs. Our Patna Correspondent has filed this report:
Janata Dal (United) President and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, addressing a rally in Triveniganj in Supaul, said that in the past 20 years, his government has focused extensively on women’s empowerment. He stated that over 1 crore 40 lakh women have been connected with self-help groups under the Jeevika programme. Referring to the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana , Mr. Kumar said that financial assistance of 10,000 rupees has been provided to help women to become self-reliant.Meanwhile, former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Smriti Irani, speaking in Patna, said that while the NDA government has been empowering women by providing them 10,000 rupees, the Rashtriya Janata Dal’s anti-women face has been exposed. She added that the RJD has even complained to the Election Commission regarding the NDA’s initiatives for women’s empowerment.Mahagathbandhan’s Chief Ministerial candidate and RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav, speaking in Patna, said that if his government comes to power, PACS and Vyapar Mandal presidents will be given the status of public representatives. He further announced that under the Mahagathbandhan government, farmers will receive a bonus of 300 rupees per quintal along with Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy, and a bonus of 400 rupees per quintal with the MSP for wheat.The Jan Suraj founder Prashant Kishore held road show in Arrah in favour of party candidate. Dharmendra Kumar Rai, Akashvani News, Patna.
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Under the Mera Booth Sabse Mazboot initiative, Senior BJP leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with women in Bihar today. In a social media post, Mr Modi expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming discussion, noting that women are contributing with great dedication to ensure the victory of the BJP-NDA alliance in the Bihar Assembly elections. He further emphasized that their active participation in the campaign is strengthening the journey of democratic process in Bihar.
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The second round of Special Intensive Revision exercise has been launched by the Election Commission of India today. The exercise is covering nine states and three Union territories with a combined electorate of around 51 crore. The large-scale revision of the electoral rolls will conclude with the publication of the final voter list on February 7, 2026. We have more details from our correspondent:-
The new phase of SIR will include the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Among these, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and West Bengal are due for assembly elections in 2026. The Enumeration phase will run till December 4. Draft Electoral Rolls will be published on December 9, followed by claims and objections till January 8, 2026. Hearings and verification will be held from December 9 to January 31, 2026. Voter lists in these 12 States and UTs are already frozen. Booth Level Officers will distribute Unique Enumeration Forms to current registered voters. These forms include their current voter details. If their name also appeared on the 2003 voter list, they don’t need to submit any extra documents. According to the EC, the SIR aims to ensure that no eligible citizen is left out of the rolls while removing ineligible names, including illegal migrants. The process involves verifying voters’ place of birth, which officials say will help identify non-citizens, particularly in light of recent crackdowns on illegal migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar. Bhanu Pratap Singh, Akashvani News, Delhi.
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President Droupadi Murmu has said that education is not just a means of self-reliance, but also an inspiration for the development of society and the nation. She was addressing the 20th convocation of Kumaun University in Nainital, Uttarakhand, today.The President urged students to use their education in serving the underprivileged and in nation-building, emphasizing that education strengthens intellect, skills, and moral values. Describing Uttarakhand as the land of divinity and valor, she paid tribute to the freedom fighters and noted the significant role of the state’s youth in defending the nation. She reaffirmed that the government’s goal is to make India a developed nation by 2047, and that the youth will play the most crucial role in achieving this vision.
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The Government has said that India aims to achieve 300 million tonnes of steel capacity by 2030 and 500 million tonnes by 2047. Secretary of the Ministry of Steel, Sandeep Poundrik, said this while addressing the inaugural session of the CII Steel Summit 2025 in New Delhi today. Mr. Poundrik called the steel industry the backbone of the national economy and a key enabler in realising the vision of Viksit Bharat.
The Secretary further highlighted that India's steel capacity has nearly doubled from around 100 million tonnes a decade ago to close to 200 million tonnes now, supported by strong infrastructure growth and rising domestic demand.
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The GST Bachat Utsav started on the 22nd of September of this year with the reduction of GST on many items, benefiting citizens across the country. Our correspondent brings a report on how the next generation GST reforms are boosting the economy of Kerala.
The next gen GST reform is a major boost for Kerala’s farmers, artisans, coastal communities and small enterprises. By lowering tax rates in key sectors, these reforms have made products affordable for consumers and strengthened margins for traders.
Kerala’s cashew processing industry, employing about 3 lakh workers, now attracts 5 percent GST, bringing about a major cost reduction for processors and export units. Similarly, the coffee belt around Wayanad sees major benefits as tax rates on instant coffee and preparations are reduced from 18 percent to 5 percent. In the spice sector, the GST on Malabar Pepper has been cut from 18 percent to 5 percent, supporting small hill-farm growers and processing clusters. Meanwhile, GST on fisheries and seafood-processing has been cut to 5 percent, further reducing prices of products in the state. Furthermore, Ayurvedic drugs and wellness-services are now taxed at 5 percent, resulting in cost savings of approximately 6-11 percent. The reforms have lifted the tax burden across key sectors in the state. This move is aimed to deliver inclusive growth across rural and coastal regions of Kerala. With Samarth and Rohan, Aman Yadav for Akashvani News, Delhi.
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The Tamilnadu State police arrested three persons in connection with a sexual assault incident of a college student at Coimbatore. The incident took place near Coimbatore International airport on 2nd November. The arrested have been identified as Guna alias Thavasi, Karuppusamy alias Satheesh and Kaleeswaran alias Karthik. As per initial findings by the Police, the accused were construction workers. They were doing construction work around 4 km away from the deserted vacant lands near the Coimbatore International airport where the gang had involved in sexual assault after assaulting her boyfriend aged 25 years.
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External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar today said that India supports the Gaza peace plan and hopes that it paves the way for a durable and lasting solution. In his opening remarks during his meeting with Israel's Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa'ar, in New Delhi, the Minister said that both India and Israel face a particular challenge from terrorism, and it is essential that both nations work towards ensuring a global approach of zero tolerance towards terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
Welcoming the Israeli Foreign Minister and delegation, Dr Jaishankar added that India and Israel have a strategic partnership and both nations have stood together through testing times.
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India has sent 10,000 doses of rabies vaccine and 2,000 vials of rabies immunoglobulin to Timor-Leste to help the island nation tackle a rabies outbreak. India also reaffirmed its role as a trusted and reliable health partner to the Global South. According to the World Health Organisation, Timor-Leste reported its first human rabies case in March 2024. Following that, the WHO provided the country's Ministry of Health with 6,000 doses of rabies vaccine and 2,000 doses of immunoglobulin.
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Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada today held a bilateral meeting with Romania’s Minister Oana-Silvia Țoiu in Bucharest. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said that the discussions during the meeting focused on expanding trade, attracting investment, and strengthening resilient supply chains within the broader India-EU economic framework. Both sides agreed to work towards the conclusion of a fair, balanced, and mutually beneficial India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), within this year.
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India Meteorological Department has forecast light rainfall at isolated places of Delhi- NCR today. Meanwhile the air quality in the Delhi-NCR region continues to remain in the very poor category, with an average Air Quality Index - AQI of 305 this afternoon. The Weather agency has also predicted thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for today. Similar weather conditions are expected at isolated places over Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Telangana, and Uttarakhand.
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The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has announced to introduce pre-open session in futures and options to enhance price discovery. The NSE will roll out a 15-minute pre-open session for equity futures and options starting from 8th of December this year, to enhance price discovery, improve transparency regarding gap movements and manage volatility. The pre-open session is a 15-minute call auction window from 9:00 am to 9:15 am to determine opening prices for index and single-stock futures prior to the regular trading session.
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Benchmark domestic equity indices, the Sensex and the Nifty, were trading around 0.4 per cent down in afternoon trade today, tracking weakness in asian markets. The Sensex lost 289 points to 83 thousand 690, while the Nifty dipped 99 points to 25 thousand and 665, when reports last came in.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN: -
- Leaders of various political parties make last-ditch efforts to woo voters, as campaigning for first phase of Bihar Assembly elections ends today.
- Election Commission launches second phase of Special Intensive Revision exercise in nine states and three Union territories.
- External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar says India supports Gaza peace plan that will pave the way for a lasting solution; Holds meeting with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar in New Delhi.
- India dispatches 10,000 doses of rabies vaccine to Timor-Leste to tackle rabies outbreak.
- Airquaility in Delhi remains very poor; IMD predicts light rainfall in Delhi- NCR today.
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