THE HEADLINES :-
- Government appeals to all party leaders to allow Parliament to function smoothly. Decides to take up debate on Election Reforms on 9th of this month after all-party meeting.
- Lok Sabha faces repeated disruptions on electoral roll revision issue.
- Centre assures, Sanchar Saathi is not a surveillance app but enables citizens to secure themselves through transparent and easy-to-use tools.
- Fourth edition of Kashi-Tamil Sangamam begins at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, vibrant programme deepens spirit of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat.
- India and Russia likely to sign several key agreements during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s New Delhi visit from Thursday.
- Death toll in cyclone-hit Sri Lanka crosses over 460; India intensifies humanitarian assistance under Operation Sagar Bandhu.
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The Government today appealed to all party leaders to allow Parliament to function smoothly. Briefing media at the Parliament House today, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju said, the Lok Sabha will hold a special discussion on the 150th Anniversary of National Song Vande Mataram on 8th of this month and on Electoral reforms on the 9th of December. He said, the decision was taken during the all party meeting chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla today
Earlier, the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day over the issue of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Rajya Sabha was also adjourned till tomorrow after completing it’s scheduled business.
The Lok Sabha witnessed two adjournments before being finally adjourned for the day, following the opposition’s demand for discussion on the SIR issue. When the Lower House met after the second adjournment at 2 PM, the opposition continued with their protest leading to adjournment of the House for the day.
In the Rajya Sabha, when the House assembled after the first adjournment at 2 PM, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju reiterated that the government is ready for discussion related to further electoral reforms.
Later, the Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2025 was passed in the Parliament with Rajya Sabha discussing and returning it to Lok Sabha. The bill seeks to amend the Manipur Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017. It will replace the Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 which was promulgated in October this year. The Lok Sabha has already passed the Bill.
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Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai has said, Government has decided to conduct Census in 2027. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today, Mr Rai said, in the first phase, House Listing and Housing Census will be conducted from April to September next year followed by second phase. He said, Population Enumeration will be done in February 2027 with reference date of 1st March, 2027 except for the Union territory of Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the States of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, where it will be done in September, 2026 with reference date of 1st October, 2026.
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Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju reaffirmed that the 5th of this month remains the final date for uploading Waqf property details on the UMEED Portal. In a social media post, the Minister noted that the Supreme Court has refused the plea to extend the deadline. Mr Rijiju acknowledged that he has received several requests from Waqf Boards and other stakeholders seeking an extension.
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Union Minister for Communications, Jyotiraditya Scindia today clarified that the Sanchar Saathi is not a surveillance app but enables citizens to secure themselves through transparent and easy-to-use tools. In a social media post, Mr Scindia said Sanchar Saathi is both an app and a portal that is completely democratic and fully voluntary. He said, digital security of every citizen of the country is government’s topmost priority. Earlier, speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Union Minister noted that users can activate the app at their convenience to access its benefits and they may deactivate or delete it from their devices at any time.
The Ministry of Communications in a statement informed that with the help of this app, 26 lakh mobile phones have been traced, of which 7 lakh 23 thousand phones have been returned to citizens. Meanwhile, above 40 lakh fraudulent mobile connections reported by citizens have been disconnected.
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The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) recorded two hundred 31 crore Aadhaar authentication transactions in November, marking an 8.47 percent increase during the same period last year. The Ministry of Electronics and IT highlighted that this is indicative of the growing usage of Aadhaar, as well as the growth of the digital economy in the country.
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The fourth edition of Kashi-Tamil Sangamam began with a grand opening ceremony at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh this evening. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath jointly inaugurated the event.
Addressing the gathering, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated the first edition of Kashi Tamil Sangamam in 2022 with a vision to build a cultural bridge between North and South India. He said, India’s multilingual nature is its strength, and this event has become a public movement.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath described the event as a grand confluence of language, culture, and traditions, reinforcing the spirit of “Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat”.
On the occasion, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan inaugurated an exhibition by the Central Bureau of Communication at Namo Ghat.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended his wishes on the commencement of Kashi Tamil Sangamam. In a social media post Mr Modi said, the vibrant programme deepens the spirit of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat. The Prime Minister also wished the citizens to have a memorable stay in Kashi during the programme.
Meanwhile, Indian Railways is operating seven special trains between Kanyakumari, Chennai, Coimbatore and Varanasi to facilitate large-scale participation in the Kashi Tamil Sangamam 4.0. The Ministry of Railways said that these trains are ensuring seamless travel, comfortable long-distance connectivity, and timely arrivals for participants attending the multi-day cultural immersion programme.
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Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted a successful high-speed rocket-sled test of a fighter aircraft escape system at controlled velocity in Chandigarh today. The Ministry of Defence highlighted that the complex dynamic test placed India in an elite club of nations with advanced in-house escape system testing capability.
On the occasion, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh complimented Indian Air Force DRDO and industry on the successful test. He described it as a significant milestone for India’s indigenous defence capability towards self-reliance.
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Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi today said that aggressive posturing and immediate action of deployment of the carrier battle group during Operation Sindoor forced Pakistan Navy to remain close to their ports and the Makran coast. In his annual press conference, Mr Tripathi asserted that Operation Sindoor is still in progress and it reaffirmed India’s commitment, readiness and its deterrence potential. He added the first set of four Rafale to be received by the Indian Navy is expected by 2029 and the indigenous nuclear ballistic submarine INS Aridaman would also be commissioned very soon.
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India and Russia are likely to sign a number of agreements during the upcoming visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian President will be on a two-day State visit to India from Thursday to take part in 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit. According to an official in External Affairs Ministry, agreements will be signed in areas related to trade, economy, healthcare, academics, culture and media. The focus during the visit will be on the ever growing trade and economic ties between the two nations. Cooperation in defence, energy, and space have been very significant between India and Russia.
Meanwhile, addressing an online media briefing organised by Sputnik news agency in Delhi, Spokesperson for President of Russia, Dmitry Peskov today said that said S400s and Su 57 are high on the agenda of the Russian President’s visit. The Kremlin spokesperson stated that they are jointly looking for possibilities to increase imports from India to Russia.
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Sri Lanka is battling widespread devastation in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah, as the death toll climbed to 465 while 366 people are still missing and over 1.55 million people remain affected across all 25 districts. Amid the mounting crisis, India has further intensified humanitarian assistance under Operation Sagar Bandhu. More from our correspondent:
“Under Operation Sagar Bandhu, India has sharply expanded rescue and relief efforts. IAF helicopter IFC 1875 delivered 2,000 kilos of aid to Mandaram Nuwara and evacuated 17 people from Irunguwatta, while another mission flew 24 passengers, including a pregnant woman and foreign nationals, from Kotmale to Colombo. IFC 1885 airlifted more supplies and troops to Poramadulla.A C-17 aircraft has also arrived in Colombo carrying a field hospital and 70 medical personnel, soon to be deployed in Mahiyanganaya after the local hospital was devastated. Meanwhile, High Commissioner Santosh Jha inspected NDRF operations in Sedawatta, where teams continue door-to-door evacuations in areas submerged under six to eight feet of water. Dr. Ahmed Muyeen Farooqi, Akashvani News, Colombo.”
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India has rejected the statement made by Pakistan claiming denial of airspace, calling it yet another attempt to spread anti-India misinformation. Responding to media queries on overflight clearance, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, the request for overflight clearance for a Pakistani aircraft transporting humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka was received by the High Commission of India in Islamabad at approximately 1300 hours yesterday. He said that given the urgency of the humanitarian mission, the government processed the request promptly and granted overflight permission and approved the proposed itinerary at 1730 hours on the same day.
Mr Jaiswal reaffirmed India’s commitment to supporting the people of Sri Lanka during these difficult times through all available means.
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Members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) staged a protest outside the Islamabad High Court in Pakistan today, amid growing concerns over the health of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan. They raised slogans demanding justice and political reforms.
Meanwhile, one of the sisters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief was today allowed to meet the jailed leader at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail.
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast cold wave conditions over Punjab and Central Maharashtra for the next two to three days. The weather agency has informed that Kerala, Mahe, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal are expected to receive heavy rainfall tomorrow. IMD has directed a total suspension of fishing operations over southwest and adjoining west central Bay of Bengal and along and off Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, south coastal Andhra Pradesh and north Sri Lanka coasts till tomorrow morning.
Meanwhile, the air quality in Delhi-NCR is in the Very Poor category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the average Air Quality Index of the region was recorded at 388 as of 7 PM today.
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Benchmark domestic equity indices, the Sensex and the Nifty, ended more than half a per cent down today. The Sensex fell 504 points, to close at 85 thousand 138, while the Nifty dipped 144 points, to settle at 26 thousand 32.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN :-
- Government appeals to all party leaders to allow Parliament to function smoothly. Decides to take up debate on Election Reforms on 9th of this month after all-party meeting.
- Lok Sabha faces repeated disruptions on electoral roll revision issue.
- Centre assures, Sanchar Saathi is not a surveillance app but enables citizens to secure themselves through transparent and easy-to-use tools.
- Fourth edition of Kashi-Tamil Sangamam begins at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, vibrant programme deepens spirit of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat.
- India and Russia likely to sign several key agreements during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s New Delhi visit from Thursday.
- Death toll in cyclone-hit Sri Lanka crosses over 460; India intensifies humanitarian assistance under Operation Sagar Bandhu.
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