THE HEADLINES: –
- Discussion underway on election reforms in Lok-Sabha; Rajya Sabha takes-up special discussion marking 150th Anniversary of National Song Vande Mataram.
- Home Minister Amit Shah says discussion on Vande Mataram in Parliament will help future generations understand its true importance and glory.
- President Droupadi Murmu confers National Handicrafts Awards for 2023 and 2024 in New Delhi; Says handicraft is not just a cultural identity but also an important component of people’s livelihoods.
- Government launches intensive review of airport operations following IndiGo crisis; Reduces airline’s flight schedule by 5 percent.
- BCCI releases list of players for IPL 2026 auction; 240 Indian players to go under hammer.
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that the discussion on Vande Mataram in Parliament will help future generations understand its true importance and glory. He said national song Vande Mataram became a symbol of patriotism, sacrifice and national consciousness, which paved the way for the freedom movement. Initiating the discussion on the 150th Anniversary of Song Vande Mataram in the Rajya Sabha today, Mr Shah said, this immortal work is a creation that awakens a sense of duty and devotion towards Mother India. He said, Vande Mataram was needed during the freedom struggle, even now as well as when the country becomes Viksit Bharat in 2047. The Minister said, freedom fighters used to begin every meeting with the singing of Vande Mataram and today when brave soldiers make the supreme sacrifice at the border, they utter Vande Mataram.
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The Lok Sabha has taken up discussion on election reforms. Initiating the discussion, Manish Tewari of Congress said, the Election Commission should table the reasons for the carrying out SIR. He said, SIR is ongoing in many states in the country, but the Election Commission has no legal justification to hold SIR. Mr Tewari claimed that the Constitution does not provide for Special Intensive Revision SIR of Electoral Rolls. He said it was a provision given to the Election Commission. Mr Tewari also suggested that either VVPAT should be counted in full or the country should revert to paper ballots. He suggested that Leader of Opposition Rajya Sabha and Chief Justice of India should be added to the committee to choose the Election Commission.
Sanjay Jaiswal of BJP said that the Opposition is raising the issue of SIR to distract people from their heavy losses in the recently-concluded Bihar elections. He said, the first instance of vote-chori happened in 1947 when the whole of Congress Working Committee was with Sardar Patel, yet he was not made the Prime Minister.
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The Government today informed that total food grain production in the country is estimated at over 357 million tonnes, which is 7.65 per cent higher as compared to last year. Replying to supplementaries during the Question Hour in the Lok Sabha, Union Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that this has been made possible due to the hard work of farmers and the policies of the Centre. He said, the country recorded the highest-ever crop production in 2024-25. Mr Chouhan informed that the foodgrain production has increased by around 41.94 percent in comparison to 2014-15.
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The Ministry of Civil Aviation has instructed its senior officials to visit airports to verify airline operations and passenger-oriented services. The ministry said in a social media post that during the visit if any shortcomings identified, including feedback received from passengers, are to be addressed and rectified immediately. This instruction was given during a high-level review meeting chaired by Civil Aviation Minister, K Ram Mohan Naidu in New Delhi for a comprehensive assessment of the on-going situation.
Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has directed IndiGo to reduce its flight schedule by 5 per cent across sectors in light of the recent widespread flight disruptions and cancellations. These cancellations are applied especially on high-demand, high-frequency flights, and to avoid single-flight operations on a sector by IndiGo. The Aviation body has also asked the airline to submit a revised schedule tomorrow by 5 PM.
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Union Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu today said the disruption caused by IndiGo’s recent operational failures is now rapidly stabilising and reiterated that the government is fully determined to build a robust airline system. Addressing the Lok Sabha on the ongoing IndiGo crisis, the Minister stated that IndiGo is being held fully accountable. The Minister further added that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued notices to the airline, and based on its report, strict and appropriate action will be taken. Mr Naidu added that the government will remain fully vigilant until normalcy is restored. He informed the House that, over 750 crore rupees has already been refunded, and re-bookings have been completed without extra charges.
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The government has issued 12 thousands 814 show-cause notices to fertilizer dealers in the last seven months, as part of a nationwide crackdown on black marketing, hoarding, and quality violations. This was informed by the Union Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister J P Nadda in the Rajya Sabha during the question hour. He said more than 5 thousand show-cause notices and over three thousand licences have been cancelled for black marketing of fertilizer. The Minister also informed that 687 show-cause notices and 202 licences have been cancelled for hoarding of fertilizer. Reply to a question on the fertilizer shortage, the Minister said the Centre has delivered fertilizer on time to everywhere but hoarding by dealers is a problem that States must deal with. He said 67 lakh metric tonnes of fertilizer in the stock and 24 lakh metric tonnes will come in the next month.
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The NDA Parliamentary party meeting was held at the Parliament House complex in New Delhi today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP President J P Nadda, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, External Affairs Minister Dr Jaishankar, JDU MP Sanjay Jha, Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha, NCP MP Praful Patel and other NDA MPs were present in the meeting. During the meeting, Prime Minister Modi was felicitated by the NDP MPs for the alliance’ victory in the Bihar Assembly elections.
Talking to reporters after the meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said, during the meeting, the Prime Minister asked NDA leaders to work with more speed for the development of the country.
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Government has said that over two crore claims amounting to more than 28 thousand crore rupees have been settled in the last financial year under the Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav said this in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today. He said, the scheme provides health cover of five lakh rupees per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to 12 crore families.
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President Droupadi Murmu has conferred the National Handicrafts Awards for 2023 and 2024 in New Delhi today. These prestigious national accolades celebrate exceptional artistic mastery and underscore the Government’s commitment to preserving and promoting India’s rich and diverse handicraft heritage. Addressing the gathering, the President said that art connects people to various cultures and to one another. She noted that handicraft is not just a cultural identity but also an important component of people’s livelihoods.
President Murmu highlighted that 68 percent women are in the workforce of Handicraft sector and development of this sector will also ensure women empowerment. A total of 12 artisans received the Shilp Guru Awards for 2023 and 2024, while 36 crafts people got the National Awards for both years.
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In Goa, a magisterial inquiry into the nightclub fire that killed 25 people has revealed serious procedural lapses by local authorities. The inquiry found that the local Sarpanch had issued multiple permissions, including the trade licence, and failed to seal the premises, which had been operating illegally in violation of the Goa Panchayat Raj Act.
Our correspondent quoting Goa Police reports that the efforts to track down the main accused, brothers Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra have been intensified. The two accused fled to Phuket, Thailand early morning on December 7, just hours after the tragedy. The Police said, a Look Out Circular has been issued, and the CBI is coordinating with Interpol to help locate them.
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As part of Operation Sagar Bandhu, the Indian Army is continuing its sustained humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah. The Ministry of Defence informed that the Indian Army’s Engineer Task Force has begun the retrieval and de-launching of the damaged Puliyampokkanai Bridge in Jaffna, using a wheeled excavator to support Sri Lanka’s Road Development Authority . It added that the task is progressing swiftly and is expected to be completed by tomorrow, with the first Bailey bridge likely to be launched by the 13th of this month.
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India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast cold wave conditions over Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Telangana and Vidarbha today. Dense Fog conditions are expected today in isolated pockets over Assam, Meghalaya, East Uttar Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura and Odisha.
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The Indian Premier League (IPL) has finalised the player auction list for the 2026 season. The list features 350 players who will be up for bidding at the upcoming auction in Abu Dhabi on December 16, as per a release by the IPL.
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Benchmark domestic equity indices, the Sensex and the Nifty, were trading on a bearish note in afternoon trade today. The Sensex shed 277 points to 84 thousand and 826, while the Nifty fell 71 points to 25 thousand 890, when reports last came in. On the sectoral front, IT, Auto and Pharma were dragging the most, while buying interest was seen in PSU Bank, Realty, and Industrials.
The broader market at the Bombay Stock Exchange outperformed. The Mid-Cap index added half a per cent, while the Small-Cap index advanced more than 0.9 per cent, a short while ago.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN: –
- Discussion underway on election reforms in Lok-Sabha; Rajya Sabha takes-up special discussion marking 150th Anniversary of National Song Vande Mataram.
- Home Minister Amit Shah says discussion on Vande Mataram in Parliament will help future generations understand its true importance and glory.
- President Droupadi Murmu confers National Handicrafts Awards for 2023 and 2024 in New Delhi; Says handicraft is not just a cultural identity but also an important component of people’s livelihoods.
- Government launches intensive review of airport operations following IndiGo crisis; Reduces airline’s flight schedule by 5 percent.
- BCCI releases list of players for IPL 2026 auction; 240 Indian players to go under hammer.
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