THE HEADLINES: –
- Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan rejects Congress criticism on Viksit Bharat G RAM G scheme; Says number of guaranteed work days has been increased from 100 to 125 days under the scheme.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs 5th National Conference of Chief Secretaries in New Delhi to strengthen Centre-State partnership.
- Indian Army intensifies winter counter-terrorism operations in Kishtwar and Doda districts of Jammu and Kashmir to eliminate Pakistani terrorists.
- In the United States, thousands of flights cancelled due to severe winter storms.
- IMD forecasts dense to very dense fog conditions over Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh for next three days.
- Karnataka’s Tilottama Sen clinches gold in women’s 50-metre rifle three-positions event at National Shooting Championships, in Bhopal.
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Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today hitout at the Congress alleging that the party had included the name of Mahatma Gandhi in National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 only for electoral gains. In a social media post, Mr Chouhan said, the Congress party had repeatedly reduced the MGNREGA budget. He said, under the Viksit Bharat: G RAM G scheme, it has been decided that decisions will no longer be made in Delhi, but at the village level. He said, Gram Panchayats will sit together and prepare their own development plans.
The Minister said, under this scheme, employment has not been reduced but further strengthened. He emphasized that the number of guaranteed workdays has been increased from 100 to 125 days. Mr Chouhan also highlighted that there is a provision for unemployment allowance in the new act, if work is not provided within the stipulated time. He said that the powers of the Gram Sabha and Panchayats are being further strengthened and not weakened.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today chaired the fifth National Conference of Chief Secretaries in New Delhi. He will also chair the conference tomorrow. The three-day Conference which began yesterday, is aimed at strengthening Centre-State partnership through structured and sustained dialogue on national development priorities. More from our correspondent::
“Anchored in the Prime Minister’s vision of cooperative federalism, this Conference serves as the forum where Centre and States collaborate, designing a unified roadmap to maximise country’s Human Capital potential and accelerate inclusive and future-ready growth. The conference focuses on the theme ‘Human Capital for Viksit Bharat’ covering best practices and strategies for states and Union Territories to follow. Under this theme, special emphasis for detailed discussion, is being placed on five key areas including Early Childhood Education, Schooling, Skilling, Higher Education, Sports and Extracurricular activities. The conference features six special sessions focusing on Deregulation in States; Technology in Governance-Opportunities, Risks, and Mitigation; AgriStack for Smart Supply Chains and Market Linkages; One State, One World-Class Tourist Destination; Atmanirbhar Bharat and Swadeshi; and Strategies for a Post-Left Wing Extremism Future. With DIPENDRA, APRAJITA SNATAK, Akashvani News, Delhi.”
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will share his thoughts with the people of the country and abroad in the Mann Ki Baat programme on Akashvani tomorrow at 11 AM. It will be the 129th episode of the monthly radio programme. The programme will be broadcast across the entire Akashvani and Doordarshan network, the AIR News website, and the Newsonair mobile app. It will also be live-streamed on the YouTube channels of AIR News, DD News, the PMO, and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Akashvani will broadcast the programme in regional languages immediately after the Hindi broadcast.
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The Indian Army has intensified winter counter-terrorism operations in Kishtwar and Doda districts of Jammu and Kashmir to eliminate Pakistani terrorists. According to Defence Sources, based on inputs from multiple intelligence agencies, around 30 to 35 Pakistani terrorists are currently hiding in the Jammu region. These terrorists are believed to be seeking temporary winter hideouts to evade detection and avoid direct confrontation with security troops. It said, Army units have expanded their operational reach into higher and snowbound areas to pursue and neutralise Pakistani terrorists.
Traditionally, the onset of Chillai Kalan, the harshest phase of Kashmir’s winter spanning from 21st December to 31st January ushers in a temporary lull in terrorist activities, as communication routes close and heavy snowfall isolates mountain regions.
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President Droupadi Murmu is visiting INS Kadamba Naval base in Karwar in North Karnataka tomorrow. She will be flying into Karwar Naval base from Goa where Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot and State Ministers will welcome her. After visiting the base, the President will take a sortie aboard a submarine from the Karwar Harbour. She will be the second President to undertake a submarine voyage following former President A P J Abdul Kalam who was aboard a naval submarine in 2006 at Visakhapatnam. In view of the President’s visit and the submarine sortie, the local authorities have implemented security measures.
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India has a substantial base of rare-earth minerals located across several coastal and inland regions. These minerals are found in coastal beach sands, red sands and inland alluvium in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Maharashtra. To extract these rare earth minerals, the Government has approved over 7 thousand crore rupees to Promote Manufacturing of Sintered Rare Earth Permanent Magnets .
“The scheme aims to build the country’s first integrated domestic manufacturing ecosystem for high-value magnets. . It also seeks to create 6,000 metric tonnes per annum capacity that spans the entire value chain from rare-earth oxides to finished magnets. These oxides serve as the primary raw material for downstream rare-earth industries, including permanent magnet manufacturing. The Ministry of Mines has entered into bilateral agreements with mineral-rich countries including Australia, Argentina and Zambia. The initiative supports India’s energy transition, strengthens domestic industrial capability, generates employment and advances the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat by 2047. This move is designed to reduce India’s heavy dependence on imports, particularly from China, and strengthen supply chains for strategic and high-growth sectors such as electric mobility, renewable energy, electronics, aerospace, and defence. WITH NITIKA GUPTA, AMAN, AKASHVANI NEWS DELHI.”
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The National Consumer Helpline, the flagship initiative of the Department of Consumer Affairs has facilitated refunds amounting to 45 crore rupees across 31 sectors. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution informed that the initiative has addressed over 67 thousand consumer grievances in the last eight month. It added that with over 39 thousand grievances the e-commerce sector recorded the highest number of grievances and refunds, resulting in refunds of 32 crore rupees.
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The BJP today alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is engaged with various agencies that work against the country. Briefing media in New Delhi today, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi claimed that Sam Pitroda, an advisor to Rahul Gandhi, inadvertently exposed the real face of the Congress. He added that Pitroda acknowledged that the Congress is part of the Progressive Alliance and travelled to Germany in this connection. Mr Trivedi accused Rahul Gandhi of maligning the reputation of democracy in the country.
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In Kerala, the Mandala Pooja, the most important ritual of the Mandala season, was performed at the hill shrine of Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple today. With controlled pilgrim numbers, devotees were able to have darshan of Lord Ayyappa adorned in Thanga Anki, the golden attire. More from our Thiruvananthapuram Correspondent:
“The 41 day Mandala pilgrimage season at Sabari Mala will conclude with the closing of the temple doors at 11 pm tonight. The shrine will reopen at 5 pm on 30 December for the Makara Vilakku season. Key rituals include Erumeli Pettathullal on January 11, the Thiruvabharana procession from Pandalam on January 12, and Makara Vilakku celebrations on January 14. Darshan during the Makara Vilakku season is also being regulated through the virtual queue system, along with limited spot bookings, as per official guidelines. Smithy M Palluruthy, Akashvani News, Thiruvananthapuram.”
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In the United States, thousands of flights were cancelled or delayed due to severe winter storm which hit the north-east during peak holiday travel. Around 1,600 flights were cancelled and 7,400 delayed, with major disruption at New York, as well as Boston, Chicago and Toronto airports as of last night.
Snow was forecast up to nine inches for New York and southern Connecticut, prompting travel warnings from state and city officials. Snow emergency has been declared in New York as it braces its heaviest storm in years. On social media, airports were warning travellers to check with their airline to determine the status of their flights.
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The Indian Meteorological Department has forecast dense to very dense fog conditions over Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh till 30th of this month. Similar conditions will also prevail in Uttar Pradesh. The IMD said that Cold wave conditions are also expected over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, north Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh till Tuesday.
“The Met Department has forecast cold day conditions at isolated pockets of East Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for tomorrow. The weather agency has also forecast thunderstorms and lightning with gusty wind places over Andaman and Nicobar Islands till the end of this month. Meanwhile, the air quality in Delhi-NCR has been registered in the very poor category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the average Air Quality Index (AQI) of the National Capital was recorded at 390 as of 7 PM today.with Nitika’s report Abhineet, Shweta Akashvani News, Delhi.”
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Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL), one of India’s leading vaccine manufacturers has refuted claims by Australian health authorities over fake doses of its antirabies vaccine Abhayrab in India. In a statement, IIL issued a clarification regarding the alert issued by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on circulation of counterfeit batches of vaccine since November 2023. The manufacturing company added that the alert does not reflect the current situation. Reassuring healthcare professionals and the public, IIL emphasized that every batch of vaccine manufactured in the country is tested and released by the Central Drugs Laboratory before being made available for sale or administration.
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Karnataka’s Tilottama Sen has been crowned national champion in the women’s 50-metre rifle three-positions event at the National Shooting Championships, held today at the MP State Shooting Academy in Bhopal. The 17-year-old, who is the youngest Indian shooter to secure a Paris Olympics quota place for the country, topped the podium with a score of 466.9.
Kerala’s Vidarsa K. Vinod won the silver medal with 462.9, while Railways’ rifle stalwart Ayonika Paul claimed bronze after scoring 451.8. Earlier, Tilottama had topped the qualification round with a score of 591, showing her consistency across the standing, kneeling and prone positions.
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In Women’s Cricket, fourth T20 International match between India and Sri Lanka will be played at Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram tomorrow. The hosts have taken 3-Nil lead in the five match series.
In the third T20 game in Thiruvananthapuram yesterday, India comfortably defeated Sri Lanka by eight wickets.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN.
- Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan rejects Congress criticism on Viksit Bharat G RAM G scheme; Says number of guaranteed work days has been increased from 100 to 125 days under the scheme.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs 5th National Conference of Chief Secretaries in New Delhi to strengthen Centre-State partnership.
- Indian Army intensifies winter counter-terrorism operations in Kishtwar and Doda districts of Jammu and Kashmir to eliminate Pakistani terrorists.
- In the United States, thousands of flights cancelled due to severe winter storms.
- IMD forecasts dense to very dense fog conditions over Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh for next three days.
- Karnataka’s Tilottama Sen clinches gold in women’s 50-metre rifle three-positions event at National Shooting Championships, in Bhopal.
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