THE HEADLINES: –
- Three-day special sitting of Parliament begins tomorrow to deliberate on key constitutional amendments to Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.
- Rallies and roadshows take centre stage in assembly poll campaign across Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
- Bihar gets first BJP Chief Minister as Samrat Choudhary takes oath in Patna.
- Country’s exports rise by 4.22 per cent to over 860 billion US dollars in last fiscal.
- US President Donald Trump says, war with Iran close to over; Tehran threatens trade through Gulf and Red Sea if blockade continues.
- 70 percent students pass CBSE class 10 board exams; Girls outperform boys again.
- In IPL Cricket, Hosts Royal Challengers Bengaluru lock horns with Lucknow Super Giants.
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A three day special sitting of the extended Budget session of Parliament will begin tomorrow. The session which will continue till the 18th of this month, will primarily focus on Constitutional Amendments to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. The government will introduce three amendment bills to pave the way for the operationalisation of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam Bill, which was passed in 2023, proposing 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. More from our correspondent:
“The special session has been convened to amend the Constitution so that the women’s reservation Act can be implemented in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections after carrying out the delimitation exercise. Few days ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also written to the floor leaders of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha urging all the parties to come together in one voice to pass amendments in this regard. Mr. Modi emphasised that it is imperative that the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and Assembly elections are conducted with women’s reservation in place. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has also assured that Women Reservation Bill is balanced and takes care of the aspirations of every state, community and region.
Several political parties including BJP, JD(U), LJP(R) and Congress have issued three line whip to all its MPs of both the Houses to remain present during the proceedings of the House and support their party stand. With Anand Kumar, Suparna Saikia, Akashvani News, Delhi.”
Meanwhile, Congress President and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge today said opposition parties are in favour of the Women’s Reservation Bill but expressed apprehensions about the way in which the Bill is being brought. Mr Kharge was briefing media in New Delhi after an INDIA bloc meeting.
The Country’s first woman President, Pratibha Patil has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing her support for the Women’s Reservation initiative.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said, the Women’s Reservation Bill is a landmark and far-reaching initiative that will significantly strengthen women’s empowerment in the country.
A women’s bike rally was organized and a human chain was formed by thousands of women in support of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in New Delhi today.
In Nagaland, the apex women’s organisation of the Konyak Naga tribe, Konyak Nyupuh Sheko Khong, participated in large numbers in the Nari Shakti Padyatra in Mon town today.
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Campaigning is in full swing for Assembly Elections in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Top leaders of various parties are holding back to back rallies and roadshows to woo voters. Single-phase polling in Tamil Nadu and first phase of voting in West Bengal will be held on the 23rd of this month.
Senior BJP leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a massive the road show at Nagercoil in Tamil Nadu this evening in support of NDA candidates. Thousands of people lined the streets to welcome him. Mr Modi in a social media post said, roadshow at Nagercoil was filled with unparalleled enthusiasm. He accused the DMK government in the state of misgovernance and corruption. The Prime Minister said, the NDA will provide pro-people good governance to the state.
BJP leader K. Annamalai at a public meeting in Singanallur, accused the DMK and Congress of working together against the welfare of the people.
Meanwhile, DMK leader and Chief Minister MK Stalin held a rally in Dharmapuri, while Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin held a poll meeting in Vasudevanallur. TVK founder and actor Vijay held a roadshow in Chennai, which led to heavy traffic congestion in parts of the city.
In our series on constituency profiles, today we take a look at the Thiruparankundram Assembly constituency in Madurai district of Tamil Nadu.
“Madurai is an entrance to Southern Tamil Nadu. The District has ten constituencies namely Melur, Madurai East, Sholvandan, Madurai North,Madurai South, Madurai Central, Madurai West, Thirupparankundram and Usilampatti. The District has a total electorate of 24 lakhs 66 thousand 954. Thirupparankundram has three lakh 7 thousand 783 voters. The constituency was formed in 1957. AIADMK won nine times, DMK 5 times and Congress once. The sitting MLA Rajan Chellappa of the AIADMK was elected from this constituency. It is a three cornered contest here with Rajan Chellappa seeking re election from this constituency, DMK has fielded a new face Dr. Krithiga Thangapandian and C.T.R.Nirmal Kumar who switched over to the TVK party. The constituency is renowned as it is one of the Arupadaiveedu of lord Murugan.Thiruparankundram has some of the earliest Tamil Shaivite temples . It is also known as Kandhamalai. The hill also has Umai Andar cave and a lot of Jain relics. Joy, Chennai.”
In West Bengal, Senior BJP leader Amit Shah today addressed a public meeting virtually in Darjeeling and held three poll rallies in Jalpaiguri and Coochbehar districts. He vowed that BJP government in the state will end cut money, stop corruption and cow smuggling, install fencing on the border, drive out infiltrators, bring the Rajbanshi language into the 8th Schedule, and deliver justice to the Gorkha community.
Trinamool Congress Chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addressed a public rally in Uttar Dinajpur district. Ms. Banerjee said several welfare schemes have been implemented in the state for farmers, youth, and women.
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BJP leader Samrat Choudhary took oath as the new Chief Minister of Bihar at Lok Bhawan in Patna today. Mr. Choudhary is the first BJP leader to assume the top post in the state.
Senior Janata Dal (United) leaders Vijay Kumar Choudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav, were also sworn in as Deputy Chief Ministers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his wishes to Samrat Chaudhary on taking oath as the Chief Minister of Bihar. He also congratulated Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav on taking oath as Deputy Chief Ministers in the state.
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President Droupadi Murmu today said that taxation is not merely a means of revenue collection, but also a bridge of trust between the state and citizens. She said a tax system must be effective, fair, sensitive, and balanced. The President was addressing the valedictory ceremony of the 78th batch of Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer trainees at the National Academy of Direct Taxes in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Sri Guru Bhairavaikya Mandira at Sri Kshetra Adichunchanagiri in Mandya, Karnataka today. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Modi urged citizens to dedicate themselves sincerely in nine areas of development to make Viksit Bharat a reality. The Prime Minister said, the nine areas include promoting domestic tourism and moving towards natural farming
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The government has ensured 100 per cent domestic supply of LPG across the country amid disruption during the West Asia crisis. Joint Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Sujata Sharma stated this during an inter-ministerial briefing in New Delhi today.
Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium enterprise Dr Rajneesh said, the government is in contact with all MSME institutions amid the West Asia conflict.
Meanwhile, the Indian-flagged LPG vessel MV Jag Vikram arrived at Deendayal Port in Gujarat today after successfully crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
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External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has said that India remains firmly committed to ensuring safe and unimpeded maritime transit amid global energy concerns. In a social media post, Dr Jaishankar informed that he participated in the Asia Zero-Emission Community Plus meeting convened by Japan to deliberate on supply chain disruptions in the energy markets.
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US President Donald Trump has said the war with Iran is close to over, with authorities in Tehran to agree to a peace deal. In an interview that aired, Mr. Trump said asserted that if he pulled up stakes right now, it would take Tehran 20 years to rebuild the country. Mr. Trump’s comment come hours after the US Central Command said that the blockade on Iranian ports had been fully implemented within 36 hours of its launch. On the other hand, Iran’s head of the military’s central command warned that Iran’s army will block trade through the Red Sea along with the Gulf and Sea of Oman if the US naval blockade on Iranian ports continues. He added that Iran will act decisively to defend its national sovereignty and its interests.
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The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced the Class 10 Board Examination Results for the 2025-2026 Academic session. CBSE said, the overall pass percentage stands at 93.70 percent, marking an increase of 0.04 percent compared to last year. Girls have again outshone Boys this year with a pass percentage of 94.99 percent. 92.69 percent of boys and 87.50 percent of transgender students have passed the examination.
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India’s overall exports, combining merchandise and services, increased by 4.22 per cent to over 860 billion US dollars in the last financial year. Meanwhile, imports rose at a faster pace of nearly 6.5 per cent to around 979 billion USD.
Benchmark domestic equity indices rose over one and a half per cent today. The Sensex climbed 1 thousand 264 points to close at 78 thousand and 111.
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In IPL Cricket, Lucknow Super Giants were 137 for 8 in 18.4 overs against Hosts Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, when reports last came in. Earlier, Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the toss and opted to bowl.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN: –
- Three-day special sitting of Parliament begins tomorrow to deliberate on key constitutional amendments to Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.
- Rallies and roadshows take centre stage in assembly poll campaign across Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
- Bihar gets first BJP Chief Minister as Samrat Choudhary takes oath in Patna.
- Country’s exports rise by 4.22 per cent to over 860 billion US dollars in last fiscal.
- US President Donald Trump says, war with Iran close to over; Tehran threatens trade through Gulf and Red Sea if blockade continues.
- 70 percent students pass CBSE class 10 board exams; Girls outperform boys again.
- In IPL Cricket, Hosts Royal Challengers Bengaluru lock horns with Lucknow Super Giants.
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