THE HEADLINES:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi says Gen Z and Gen Alpha will lead the country in becoming a developed nation; Addresses the Veer Baal Diwas programme in New Delhi.
- New Delhi expresses concern to Washington on H-1B visa restrictions; External Affairs Ministry says disruption is causing hardships to individuals and their families.
- India condemns killing of Hindu youth in Bangladesh, says, it is a matter of grave concern.
- Home Minister Amit Shah says Narendra Modi government ruthlessly curbing terrorism in the country.
- MeT Department issues red colour warning predicting dense fog over Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Haryana and Punjab for next three days.
- In Women’s Cricket, Sri Lanka set a target of 113 runs for India in the third T20 match at Thiruvananthapuram.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the new policies are being framed with a focus on youth empowerment, placing young people at the center of nation-building. Addressing the Veer Baal Diwas programme at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi today, Mr Modi said, Gen Z and Gen Alpha will lead the country towards the goal of becoming a developed nation. He emphasized that youth remain at the core of every initiatives taken by the government in various fields including space, sports, fintech and manufacturing. The Prime Minister highlighted that efforts are being made to connect youth and provide them opportunities with the development of leadership skills under the initiative Mera Yuva Bharat. Mr Modi underlined that new opportunities are opening for youth in every sector.
The Prime Minister said, the country is remembering the exemplary courage and sacrifice of the Sahibzadas Baba Zorawar Singh ji and Baba Fateh Singh ji today. Mr Modi said, the Sahibzadas stood like a rock against the cruelty of Mughals, shaking religious fundamentalism and terror.
On the occasion, Mr. Modi interacted with the 20 awardees of Rashtriya Bal Puraskar.
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President Droupadi Murmu conferred the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar on the occasion of Veer Bal Diwas in New Delhi today. This year, 20 children from 18 States and Union Territories have been awarded for demonstrating outstanding achievements. Speaking on the occasion, the President said that the awards will encourage the recipients and also inspire children across the country. President Murmu noted that the award-winning children have made extraordinary contributions in various fields, including bravery, art and culture, environment, innovation, and science and technology.
During her address, the President highlighted the extraordinary achievements of some of the awardees. Talking to Akashvani News, Vishwanath Karthikey from Hyderabad expressed his gratitude on receiving the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar. He said he earned the recognition by becoming the youngest Indian to complete the Seven Summits Challenge and that he currently holds four world records.
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India remains actively engaged with the US to address and minimise the disruptions caused to Indian nationals holding H-1B visas. Briefing media in New Delhi today, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, the government has received multiple representations from Indian nationals facing delays and difficulties in scheduling or rescheduling US visa appointments. He said India has raised these concerns with the US authorities in New Delhi and Washington DC. He added that these delays have caused extended hardships for affected individuals and their families, including disruptions to education.
On atrocities against the Hindu community, Mr. Jaiswal said, India has expressed grave concern over hostilities against minorities in Bangladesh. Condemning the recent gruesome killing of a Hindu youth in Mymensingh city of Bangladesh, he said the perpetrators of the crime must be brought to justice.
Replying to another query on the upcoming elections in Bangladesh, Mr Jaiswal said, India supports free, fair,inclusive and participatory elections in Bangladesh.
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Members of Hindu Samhati today held a rally from Sealdah to Bekbagan in Kolkata to protest against the brutal killing of Dipu Chandra Das in Bangladesh. Protests had also been reported from many districts in West Bengal on the atrocities on religious minorities in the neighbouring country.
In Medinipur town of Paschim Medinipur district, members of Bajrang Dal and other sanatani organisations took part in a protest rally. Viswa Hindu Parisad staged a protest at Bamon-gola block in Malda district to protest against the unabated violence against Hindus in Bangladesh.
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah today stressed that the Narendra Modi government is ruthlessly curbing terror in the country. Inaugurating the Counter-Terrorism Conference organized by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in New Delhi, Mr Shah underlined that terror is the biggest enemy of humankind and everyone needs to fight against it together.
The Home Minister said this annual conference has become a platform to deal with the emerging threats under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of zero-tolerance against terrorism.
Mr Shah said that for the first time, security forces punished those who planned the terrorist incident through Operation Sindoor and neutralized those who executed it through Operation Mahadev.
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Karnataka Home Minister Dr. G. Parameshwar said that the authorities have been instructed to investigate and submit a report regarding the helium cylinder explosion that occurred in front of the Mysuru Palace yesterday. Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said, a person from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, who was selling balloons, has died in the incident. Necessary action has been taken after discussing with the officials of the Tourism Department.
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Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that under the Viksit Bharat: G RAM G Scheme, development works will be carried out in villages to realise the vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047. In an interview with DD News, Mr Chouhan said the scheme increases the statutory wage employment guarantee from 100 days to 125 days per rural household. He said that technology will be used to curb corruption in the scheme.
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Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda today called for mission-mode health care reforms and accelerated efforts to achieve TB Mukt Bharat by 2027. Chairing a high-level review meeting with Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh officials in New Delhi, Mr Nadda highlighted the importance of robust drug regulation, and continuous monitoring of the entire supply chain. He directed both States to strengthen Free Drugs and Free Diagnostics schemes by plugging supply-chain and monitoring gaps. He informed that the Centre is working with IIM Ahmedabad to improve logistics, transparency and accountability in procurement.
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The Indian Railways has planned to double the originating train capacity in 48 major cities by 2030 to address the rapidly growing travel demand. These cities include Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Patna, Bhopal and Puri. The Railway Ministry said, this will help in meeting the traffic requirement progressively over the years.
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Indian Railways has operated over 43 thousand special trains this year to ensure smooth travel during festivals and peak seasons. Ministry of Railways said that this year, it undertook one of its largest special train operations for Maha Kumbh. During Maha kumbh period around 17 thousand 340 special train trips were operated to facilitate the movement of pilgrims.
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Imprisoned former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has been sentenced to 15 years in jail and a hefty 13.5 billion ringgit or 2.8 billion US dollars fine after being convicted today by the Kuala Lumpur High Court in corruption cases. Najib was convicted on charges of abuse of power and money laundering in the multibillion-dollar 1 Malaysia Development Berhad scandal. The High Court found 72-year-old Najib guilty on four counts of abuse of power and 21 charges of money laundering related to more than 700 million dollars channelled into his personal bank accounts from the one Malaysia Development Berhad fund.
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In Women’s Cricket, Sri Lanka has set a target of 113 runs against India in the third T20 match at Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram. The visitors scored 112 for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs. In reply, India was 61 for one in 7.1 overs, when reports last came in.
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The India Meteorological Department, IMD has issued a red colour warning predicting dense to very dense fog over Uttar Pradesh for the next three to four days. Similar conditions will prevail over Bihar, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. Our correspondent reports that various parts of the country continue to grapple with dense fog, affecting day-to-day life.
“According to the IMD dense fog conditions are expected over parts of North East India, Odisha, Sub Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim and Uttarakhand for the next three to four days. The weather agency also predicted cold to Severe Cold Day conditions over Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Uttarakhand tomorrow. The Met Department has predicted thunderstorms and lightning with gusty winds to prevail over Andaman and Nicobar Islands till 30th of this month. No significant change in minimum temperature is expected over the Northwest, Central and East part of the country for the next 4 to 5 days.
Meanwhile, the air quality in Delhi-NCR has been registered in the poor category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the average Air Quality Index (AQI) of the National Capital was recorded at 238 as of 7 PM today. With Ishani Yadav, Adarsh for Akashvani News, Delhi.”
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi says Gen Z and Gen Alpha will lead the country in becoming a developed nation; Addresses the Veer Baal Diwas programme in New Delhi.
- New Delhi expresses concern to Washington on H-1B visa restrictions; External Affairs Ministry says disruption is causing hardships to individuals and their families.
- India condemns killing of Hindu youth in Bangladesh, says, it is a matter of grave concern.
- Home Minister Amit Shah says Narendra Modi government ruthlessly curbing terrorism in the country.
- MeT Department issues red colour warning predicting dense fog over Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Haryana and Punjab for next three days.
- In Women’s Cricket, Sri Lanka set a target of 113 runs for India in the third T20 match at Thiruvananthapuram.
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