THE HEADLINES:
- Government rejects Opposition’s snooping claims over Sanchar Saathi App in Parliament today.
- President Droupadi Murmu confers National Awards to individuals and institutions for exemplary efforts in empowering Persons with Disabilities in New Delhi.
- Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw says fake news is a threat to democracy; Government actively monitoring complaints against media institutions.
- World Meteorological Organisation warns of deadly Asia floods as extreme rains batter the region.
- In Cricket, South Africa win toss and elect to bowl against India in the second ODI at Raipur.
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Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia today rejected opposition’s allegations of snooping, saying that snooping is neither possible nor will happen with the Sanchar Saathi App. Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha today, Mr Scindia clarified that users can activate the app by registering at their convenience to access its benefits, and they may deactivate or delete it from their devices at any time. He said, the Narendra Modi government has provided this facility to protect the citizens from fraudulent activities.
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President Droupadi Murmu today said that a society can only be called developed in true sense when the differently-abled are treated as equals. She added that they should not be treated with pity but with respect and dignity. The President said this during National Awards for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in New Delhi. During the event, she conferred the National Awards to individuals and institutions for their exemplary effort in empowering Persons with Disabilities. Addressing the event, President Murmu lauded them and said that their incredible achievements are a source of inspiration for everyone. She also noted the government’s role in uplifting them, especially through sports.
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Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that fake news is a threat to democracy. He stressed on the need to take strict action on social media, fake news and AI generated deep fakes. Replying to supplementaries during the Question Hour in the Lok Sabha today, Mr Vaishnaw said, a new draft rule has been published to identify and take action against AI generated deep fakes. He said, the Government as well as the Press Council of India, both have been actively looking at the complaints which come against any TV channel or newspaper.
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Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that Parliament has enacted the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act to protect the personal data of citizens. Replying to supplementaries during the Question Hour in the Lok Sabha today, Mr Vaishnaw said, the Narendra Modi Government brought this legislation as earlier there was no mechanism to protect personal data of countrymen. The Minister said, because of the DPDP Act now anybody who uses personal data of any user or any citizen of India will have a protection mechanism. The Minister said, the act was notified on the 13th of last month and has created a new regime for protection of data of citizens. He said, AI Apps and AI Models are covered under the DPDP Act.
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The Government will establish 50 thousand new Atal Tinkering Labs in schools across the country. Replying to supplementaries during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha today, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that over ten thousand Atal Tinkering Labs have been established under Atal Innovation Mission to promote innovation at school level. He said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has initiated this Mission to promote research and innovation in school.
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Union Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said that almost hundred per cent of ration cards across the country have now been digitised. Replying to supplementaries during the Question Hour in the Lok Sabha today, Mr Joshi said that almost all of the 20.58 crore household ration cards have been digitised. He said, the Government is providing free ration to the beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana and it will continue till 2029. The Minister said, under the scheme, the eligible households receive five kg of free food grains per person every month.
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The Centre has said that a number of steps have been undertaken to prevent or minimise the loss of life and property from major natural events such as cyclones, unseasonal rainfall and earthquake. In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Earth Sciences Dr Jitendra Singh said that IMD consistently issues timely alerts and forecasts to the public and concerned stakeholders. He said, recently, a new Central Sector Scheme, Mission Mausam, was launched to make India a weather-ready and climate-smart nation. Dr Singh informed that the recently launched Bharat Forecasting System has been developed primarily to improve short- and medium-range weather prediction.
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External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar today said that the Government has addressed around 1 lakh 38 thousand grievances in the last 3 years via the MADAD portal. Speaking at India’s World Annual Conclave 2025 in New Delhi, Dr Jaishankar said that the cess on passport collected for the Indian Community Welfare Fund has benefited around 2 lakh 38 thousand people in distress. He further highlighted that obtaining passport in India is no longer a challenge like it used to be as people can now get it from over 5 hundred places in the country. Talking about preventing illegal migration, Dr Jaishankar said that illegal and irregular mobility is against India’s interest but it also requires cooperation from other countries. He called for greater transparency and understanding from these countries to streamline proof of documentation and deportation.
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The death toll in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah has risen sharply, with the Disaster Management Centre confirming 474 deaths and 356 people missing after days of severe flooding and landslides. Kandy District remains the worst affected, recording 118 fatalities. A report:
“Sri Lanka is finally seeing the first signs of relief as all major flood alerts have now been lifted by irrigation department. River levels are falling, with only the Kelani River at Nagalagam Street still on alert. But the human toll remains staggering with 474 people dead and over 356 still missing. In this hour of need, India has continued to maintain Operation Sagar Bandhu with Indian helicopters, ships, and NDRF teams are rescuing families from isolated village, airlifting the injured and delivering massive consignments of relief. A full-fledged Indian field hospital with 73 medical personnel has also arrived yesterday strengthening lifesaving care on the ground. Operation Sagar Bandhu continues ensuring help reaching Sri Lankans when it matters most. Ahmed Muyeen Farooqi, akashvani news, Colombo.”
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BJP today claimed seven seats in the Delhi Municipal Corporation (MCD) bypolls across 12 wards in the National Capital. Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) bagged three seats, and Congress and All India Forward Bloc won one seat each. Talking to media Chandni Chowk MP, Praveen Khandelwal said that the the MCD election results reflect the work carried out by the BJP in Delhi.
The By-Elections were held on the 30th of November at 580 polling booths, with 51 candidates, including 26 women.
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The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted a successful high-speed rocket-sled test of fighter aircraft escape system at controlled velocity, yesterday. With this complex dynamic test, India has joined the elite club of nations with advanced in-house escape system testing capability. Raksha Mantri, Rajnath Singh complimented DRDO, IAF, ADA, HAL and industry on the successful test. He described it as a significant milestone for India’s indigenous defence capability towards self-reliance. More from our correspondent:
“Dynamic ejection tests are significantly more complex than the other static tests and are a real measure for evaluating ejection seat performance & efficacy of canopy severance systems. A dual-sled system with the LCA aircraft forebody was propelled to precisely controlled velocity through phased firing of multiple solid propellant rocket motors. The test records critical loads, moments, and accelerations that would be experienced by an ejected pilot from an aircraft. The entire sequence was captured through onboard and ground-based imaging systems. Rajesh Bali, Akashvani News, Jalandhar.”
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President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid floral tributes to Dr Rajendra Prasad at Rashtrapati Bhavan today on his birthday anniversary. In a social media post, the Prime Minister said that from actively participating in India’s freedom struggle and presiding over the Constituent Assembly to becoming the first President, Dr. Prasad served the nation with unmatched dignity, dedication, and clarity of purpose. Mr Modi hailed the first president for his simplicity and courage, saying his service and vision will continue to inspire generations.
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World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned of deadly Asia floods as extreme rains batter the region. Devastating monsoon rains and tropical cyclones have unleashed catastrophic flooding across parts of South and Southeast Asia, killing hundreds of people, displacing communities and causing major economic disruption, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said at a UN press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday. Clare Nullis, a WMO official, said that the Philippines, Thailand, Viet Nam and Sri Lanka are among the worst hit, as monsoon-related downpours combine with tropical typhoons. The Asia-Pacific region is facing the world’s record typhoon activity, and no single institution or country can deal with tropical cyclones or climate change alone, she said.
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In Men’s Cricket, India were 53 for 1 in 7 overs against South Africa in the second match of the three-match ODI series, at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur today, when reports last came in.
Visitors won the toss and elected to bowl.
India currently led the series by 1-nil after defeating the Proteas by 17 runs in the first ODI on Sunday.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
- Government rejects Opposition’s snooping claims over Sanchar Saathi App in Parliament today.
- President Droupadi Murmu confers National Awards to individuals and institutions for exemplary efforts in empowering Persons with Disabilities in New Delhi.
- Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw says fake news is a threat to democracy; Government actively monitoring complaints against media institutions.
- World Meteorological Organisation warns of deadly Asia floods as extreme rains batter the region.
- In Cricket, South Africa win toss and elect to bowl against India in the second ODI at Raipur.
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