THE HEADLINES:
- JDU Chief Nitish Kumar sworn-in as Bihar Chief Minister for record 10th time at Patna's historic Gandhi Maidan; 26 Ministers also take oath as part of the new State government.
- Supreme Court says timelines cannot be imposed for President and Governors to grant assent to Bills.
- India records highest-ever defence production of one lakh 54 thousand crore rupees in 2024-25.
- Stage all set for 56th edition of International Film Festival of India to begin in Goa this evening.
- And, Indian golfer Diksha Dagar clinches gold medal at Deaf lympics in Tokyo today.
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Janata Dal (United) Chief Nitish Kumar took oath for the 10th time as the Chief Minister of Bihar this morning.
Bihar Governor Arif Mohammed Khan administered the oath of office and secrecy to him. The swearing in ceremony was held at the historic Gandhi Maidan in Patna. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministers Amit Shah, J P Nadda, Chirag Paswan and several other top leaders of the NDA were present on the occasion. A total of 27 Ministers including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took oath as Ministers in the new Bihar government. BJP leaders including Samrat Choudhary, Vijay Kumar Sinha, Dilip Jaiswal, Mangal Pandey, Nitin Nabin, and Ram Kripal Yadav, have taken oath as Ministers in Nitish Kumar’s cabinet. While JD(U)’s Leshi Singh, Shrowan Kumar, Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Zama Khan and Ashok Chaudhary also took oath as Ministers.
In the recently concluded Bihar assembly polls, NDA had achieved a landslide victory by clinching 202 seats in the 243-member House. In NDA, BJP registered victory on 89 assembly seats, JD(U) on 85 seats, LJP(R) on 19, Hindustani Awam Morcha on 5, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha on 4 assembly segments. The opposition’s Mahagathbandhan won only 35 seats in the election.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Nitish Kumar on swearing-in as the Chief Minister of Bihar today. In a social media post, the Prime Minister noted that Mr Kumar is an experienced administrator with a proven track record of effective governance, and wished him success for the new term. He also congratulated Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha on assuming office as Deputy Chief Ministers, highlighting their extensive grassroot work and commitment to public service. Mr Modi also conveyed his best wishes to all newly inducted ministers in the Bihar government, describing it as a capable and dedicated team poised to lead the state toward new heights.
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President Droupadi Murmu has said that the development of tribal communities and the development of the nation are complementary to each other. Addressing a function organised in Ambikapur city of Chhattisgarh today on the occasion of Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas, the President said the contribution of tribal communities forms a glorious chapter in the history of India. She stated that tribal culture is our heritage and identity, and it is our duty to preserve it.
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The Supreme Court today held that the Court cannot impose any timelines for decisions of the President and the Governor on granting assent to Bills under Articles 200/201 of the Constitution. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice BR Gavai unanimously held that it would be against the interest of federalism, if the Governor without following due process under Article 200 that empowers a Governor to provide assent to Bills passed by Assembly, is allowed to withhold Bills. The opinion came in response to a Presidential reference seeking clarity on timelines for gubernatorial and presidential assent, after a 2-judge Bench of the Supreme Court in the Tamil Nadu Bills case declared Governor R.N. Ravi’s prolonged inaction on 10 Bills as illegal and arbitrary and set a three-month deadline for Presidential and gubernatorial approval of Bills passed by the legislature for a second time.
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Union Health Minister J P Nadda today said that over the past decade, India has established itself as a major player in the health research and pharmaceutical sector internationally. In his video message at the National One Health Assembly 2025 Mr. Nadda said the country has emerged as an innovation hub driven by advancements in technology, strong research capabilities and a rapidly growing ecosystem of start-ups. The Minister highlighted that the launch of the National One Health Mission is one of the prominent examples of India’s pandemic preparedness as it brings together 16 Central and State ministries and departments to work together for protecting the health of humans, animals and the environment.
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India has recorded its highest-ever defence production of one lakh 54 thousand crore rupees in 2024-25. The defence exports has also reached a record 23 thousand 622 crore in 2024-25 from less than one thousand crore rupees in 2014. The upward trajectory in defence production is the result of continued government support over the past decade in the form of huge allocation and policy level support extended to country's military industrial base.
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In a major step towards protecting consumer interest in the digital marketplace, 26 leading e-commerce platforms have voluntarily submitted self-declaration letters confirming compliance with the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023. Consumer Affairs Ministry said, this development marks a significant milestone in India’s efforts to curb deceptive online design practices that mislead or manipulate consumers.
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Union Finance Minister Nimala Sitharaman today chaired the ninth Pre-Budget Consultation with the experts and stakeholders from the Tourism and Hospitality sector in connection with the forthcoming Union Budget 2026-27 in New Delhi today. The meeting was also attended by Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, Secretaries of Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Tourism and Chief Economic Adviser to the Government.
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56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI 2025) will open with a spectacular parade at 4 pm in Goa today. This is the first time that the festival is opening with a parade, replacing the traditional indoor opening ceremony.
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Dr L Murugan is inaugurating the WAVES Film Bazaar at Panaji. He is joined by Information and Broadcasting Secretary Sanjay Jaju, renowned actors Balakrishna and Anupam Kher, and other dignitaries.
Our correspondent captures the excitement before the parade in this report:
The atmosphere is abuzz with lots of enthusiasm. The air is alive with the whispers of cinematic legends. The opening grand parade will be meandering through the picturesque streets of Panaji. A spectacle to behold; it will be showcasing India's rich film heritage through majestic tableaus from different states including Goa.
The IFFI 2025 parade will be a grand opening to a grand festival, promising a week-long celebration of cinema, music, and dance. With over 240 films from 81 countries, including 13 world premieres, 5 international premieres, and 46 Asian premieres, the festival is set to be a cinematic extravaganza like no other. With Adarsh and Nikhil Upadhyay, This is Saira Mujtaba, Akashvani News, Panaji, Goa.
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The 7th Meeting of the National Security Advisers (NSAs) of the Colombo Security Conclave began in New Delhi this morning. NSA Ajit Doval is hosting his counterparts from Member States including Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Seychelles is participating as an Observer State, and Malaysia as a Guest. Addressing the conclave, Mr. Doval said that Colombo Security Conclave has gained immense significance today in the midst of a rapidly changing and challenging global security environment. The NSA added that as the countries connected by shared maritime geography, it is the responsibility of the Member States to ensure stability, security, and safety of the region.
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India has expanded its Visa-on-Arrival facility for UAE nationals to include Cochin, Calicut and Ahmedabad international airports. With this move, UAE citizens now have access to VoA at nine major entry points across India. Earlier the facility was available at centres in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kochi. The facility is available exclusively to UAE nationals who have previously obtained an Indian e-visa or a regular paper visa. A report;
This facility of VoA is available exclusively to UAE nationals who have previously obtained an Indian e-visa or a regular paper visa. Travellers are required to fill out the VoA application form upon arrival and submit it along with a disembarkation card, which can also be completed online through the Indian government’s e-arrival portal or the “Indian Visa Su-Swagatam” mobile application. UAE citizens arriving in India under this scheme may stay for up to 60 days and can enter for tourism, business, conferences or medical purposes. Vinod Kumar Spl Correspondent PB Dubai.
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Indian golfer Diksha Dagar came up with a superb 11-under in the last round to win by a huge margin and clinch the gold medal at the Deaflympics in Tokyo today. The 24-year-old, who had represented the country at the 2017 Deaflympics when the sport was included in the event for the very first time and returned with a silver, finally took the top-podium spot at the Wakasu Golf Links thanks to her clinical putting.
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In the ongoing World Boxing Cup, a total of 15 Indians (8 women and 7 men) will be in action at Greater Noida today. So far, the hosts have secured 20 medals in 20 weight categories, with 15 pugilists entering finals.
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Benchmark domestic equity indices, the Sensex and the Nifty, extended initial gains and were trading over half a per cent higher in afternoon trade today. The Sensex climbed 477 points to 85 thousand 663, while the Nifty rose 156 points to 26 thousand 209, trading slightly below from its record high level.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
- JDU Chief Nitish Kumar sworn-in as Bihar Chief Minister for record 10th time at Patna's historic Gandhi Maidan; 26 Ministers also take oath as part of the new State government.
- Supreme Court says timelines cannot be imposed for President and Governors to grant assent to Bills.
- India records highest-ever defence production of one lakh 54 thousand crore rupees in 2024-25.
- Stage all set for 56th edition of International Film Festival of India to begin in Goa this evening.
- And, Indian golfer Diksha Dagar clinches gold medal at Deaf lympics in Tokyo today.
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