THE HEADLINES:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates and lays foundation stone of major infrastructure and industrial development projects worth over 6,300 crore rupees at Darrang in Assam; says country is moving ahead unitedly to build a developed India and North East has a very big role in this achievement.
- Prime Minister to also inaugurate several other projects in the state worth over 9,230 crore rupees, at Golaghat this afternoon.
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah calls for making Hindi more flexible and promote its coexistence with regional languages.
- IMD Forecasts heavy to very heavy Rain in Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya and Sikkim.
- In Cricket, India to lock horns with Pakistan in a Group A clash of the ongoing T20 Asia Cup tournament in Dubai this evening.
- India to take on Hosts China in title clash of Women’s Asia Cup Hockey in Hangzhou.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of major infrastructure and industrial development projects worth over 6,300 crore rupees in Assam. Addressing people at Mangaldoi in Darrang district on this occasion. The Prime Minister said India is the fastest growing country in the world and Assam has become one of the fastest growing states in the country. Mr Modi said the country is moving ahead unitedly to build a developed India and North East has a very big role in the achievement of this resolution.
He said 25 years of the 21st century have passed and now this next part of the 21st century belongs to the global East and North East of the country.
The Prime Minister said his government has been focusing a lot on connectivity in the North East as fast connectivity is very important for the rapid development of any region.
Mr Modi also urged people to be brand ambassadors of Vocal for Local and to take pride in Swadeshi products.
Admiring Bhupen Hazarika Mr Modi said that Bhupen Da gave voice to India's unity. He said Bharat Ratna for Bhupen Da reflects his government's commitment to the North East.
In Darrang, Prime Minister Modi was felicitated by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma. The development projects include Darrang Medical College & Hospital and GNM School and B.Sc. Nursing College, strengthening medical education and healthcare delivery in the region.
Later today the Prime Minister will also inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of infrastructure and industrial development projects worth over 9,230 crore rupees in Assam.
Mr. Modi will inaugurate Assam Bio-ethanol Private Limited at Numaligarh Refinery Plant at Golaghat aimed at promoting clean energy and reducing dependence on fossil fuels. He will also lay the foundation stone of the Polypropylene Plant at Numaligarh Refinery Limited adding significant value to Assam’s petrochemical sector.
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah has emphasized the need to make Hindi more flexible with time and to foster its coexistence with regional languages. Inaugurating Hindi Day and the 5th All India Rajbhasha Sammelan at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, the Minister called upon the citizens to respect their mother tongue while also supporting Hindi. He said the Central Government has introduced initiatives like the Sarathi Platform and Hindi Shabd Sindhu Kosh to make Hindi more accessible. He underlined that Hindi should not remain only a language of conversation, but should also become the language of science, technology, justice, and policing.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi also extended his greetings to the people of the country on the occasion of Hindi Diwas today. In a social media post, Mr Modi said that Hindi is not merely a medium of communication, but a vibrant heritage of the country's identity and values. He also highlighted that the growing respect for Hindi language on the global stage is a matter of pride and inspiration for the nation.
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On this Independence Day, from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the next generation of GST reforms. His vision was realized on the 3rd of this month, when the GST Council reduced tax rates in many sectors to ease the lives of citizens. Today, we take a look at the reforms for the health sector.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 3rd of this month announced the decisions of the 56th GST council meeting. A significant highlight of the announcement was the tax cut on health insurance premiums. Now all health insurance premiums, which till recently attracted 18 percent GST, will be fully exempted from any tax from 22nd of this month. Now the insured will pay an amount which would simply be the base premium. The reform will particularly be beneficial for seniors and retirees, who often hesitate to take health insurance due to high premiums. The change is also expected to increase insurance penetration across the country, providing financial security for families and individuals. Talking to media, Hemant Rai Singhani, a resident from Bengaluru said that the simplification of tax slabs under the recently announced GST reforms will benefit the ordinary citizens.
The tax cut is expected to make premiums cheaper for middle-class families and encourages wider adoption of health insurance, reducing out-of-pocket medical expenses. With Rishu Jaiswal, Samarth Singh for Akashvani News, Delhi.
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Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, L. Murugan, who was on a two-day visit to Punjab, said this is the time to stand by with the flood victims of the state. The Minister said Central Government is standing by the state and its people to provide everything necessary to take them out of this situation. He said Centre is coordinating with the state government in providing relief. He clarified that the 12,000 crore rupees already lying with Punjab has to be first utilized under State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), then the state government has to submit its utilization certificate to ask for more funds.
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The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has reopened the application window for the Production Linked Incentive Scheme for White Goods including ACs and LED Lights for a period of thirty days, starting tomorrow. The Ministry said that the application window for the scheme shall remain open from the 15th of this month to the 14th of the next month. It said that no application will be accepted after the closure of the application window.
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US President Donald Trump has urged all NATO countries to join in and stop buying Russian oil as he threatened 50-100 percent tariffs on China because of its ties with Russia, saying the tariffs would be lifted once the Ukraine war ends. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer released a statement, calling on partner nations to enact tariffs if they were truly committed to ending the Ukraine war. The Trump administration has also been pressuring European nations and G7 allies to place tariffs on countries buying Russian energy.
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over Bihar, Sub Himalayan West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Goa, and Sikkim today. The IMD also predicted heavy rainfall over Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh. Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, North Interior Karnataka, Odisha, and Telangana till tomorrow. According to the weather agency Jammu-Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad and Telangana are expected to witness thunderstorm and lightning conditions during the next 2-3 days.
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In Hockey, India will take on Hosts China in the title clash of Women's Asia Cup in Hangzhou this evening. The match will start at 5.30 pm Indian Standard Time. India played out a thrilling 1-1 draw against defending champions Japan in a critical Super 4 stage fixture yesterday. Beauty Dung Dung scored for India, but it was negated by a late fourth quarter goal by Japan's Shiho Kobayakawa. In the other Super 4 stage match, China defeated South Korea 1-Nil, which turned out to be a boon for the Indian side, helping it advances to the final.
The winner of the summit clash will qualify for the next year's World Cup, scheduled to take place in Belgium and the Netherlands.
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In Men's Cricket, India will lock horns with Pakistan in a Group A clash of the ongoing T20 Asia Cup tournament at Dubai this evening. The match will begin at 8 PM IST. It's the first time since February this year that these two teams will share the field. The two teams head into the contest on the back of overwhelming wins against the UAE and Oman. More from our Correspondent:
The stage is set in Dubai for cricket’s fiercest rivalry , India versus Pakistan , as the two sides clash in a Group A encounter of the Asia Cup 2025 today. Both sides enter with comfortable wins over UAE and Hong Kong respectively, but their journeys since the 2024 World Cup have been contrasting. Pakistan is still searching for consistency, while India's explosive batting lineup and world-class bowling attack put them in pole position. Still, the stakes remain sky-high, with both teams eager to stamp authority early in the tournament. India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, enter the contest as favorites , and here’s why. In the head-to-head record: India have won ten of the 13 T20 internationals against Pakistan, including a dominant run in Asia Cup encounters across formats. Second, the spin department: Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarty and Axar Patel form a formidable trio, ideally suited for Dubai’s conditions. Third, the return of Jasprit Bumrah. Since lifting the 2024 T20 World Cup, India have won 25 of their 28 games. And finally, Pakistan’s missing experience: the absence of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan leaves their batting lineup without its most trusted anchors. Vinod Kumar, Akashvani News, for Dubai.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates and lays foundation stone of major infrastructure and industrial development projects worth over 6,300 crore rupees at Darrang in Assam; says country is moving ahead unitedly to build a developed India and North East has a very big role in this achievement.
- Prime Minister to also inaugurate several other projects in the state worth over 9,230 crore rupees, at Golaghat this afternoon.
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah calls for making Hindi more flexible and promote its coexistence with regional languages.
- IMD Forecasts heavy to very heavy Rain in Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya and Sikkim.
- In Cricket, India to lock horns with Pakistan in a Group A clash of the ongoing T20 Asia Cup tournament in Dubai this evening.
- India to take on Hosts China in title clash of Women’s Asia Cup Hockey in Hangzhou.
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