THE HEADLINES:
- Electioneering gains momentum for upcoming Bihar Assembly Elections; Janata Dal (United) releases first list of 57 candidates.
- Prime Minister and Senior BJP leader Narendra Modi to launch party's campaign for Bihar Assembly Polls today; To interact with booth level workers.
- Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurates Asia’s largest International Railway Equipment Exhibition-2025 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
- Supreme Court allows sale and bursting of green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR during Diwali.
- And, six Indian shooters to begin their campaign in trap events at ISSF World Championship Shotgun in Greece.
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The electioneering is gaining momentum ahead of the upcoming Bihar assembly elections. After the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Janata Dal (United) has also released its first list of 57 candidates. Ministers currently serving in the state cabinet have been given another opportunity to contest. More from our Patna correspondent:
"The Deputy Speaker of Bihar Assembly and senior leader Narendra Narayan Yadav will contest from Alamnagar constituency in Madhepura district. Another minister, Maheshwar Hazari, will contest from Kalyanpur in Samastipur district. Former MP Ashwamedh Devi has been given ticket from the Samastipur Assembly constituency. Former Minister Shyam Rajak will contest the election from Phulwari Sharif constituency and Santosh Nirala from Raj Nagar. Dharmendra Kumar Rai Akashvani News Patna.
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Talking to media in Patna, Bihar BJP chief Dilip Jaiswal said that all parties have discussed seat sharing and constituencies. He said, after these discussions, each party is now announcing its candidates.
JDU MP Sanjay Kumar said that the second list will also be released in a couple of days. He further added that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will begin the election campaign from tomorrow.
On the other hand, the constituent of Grand alliance, RJD leader Mrityunjay Tiwari said, the Mahagathbandhan is united and is fighting the elections strongly.
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Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sinha has filed his nomination from Lakhisarai constituency. Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta are also present.
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Prime Minister and Senior BJP leader Narendra Modi will launch party campaign for the Bihar Assembly elections with an interactive session with party's booth level workers today. He will interact with the party workers under the Mera Booth Sabse Majboot campaign. Prime Minister Modi hailed the role of party workers in its election campaign and said that they are working dedicatedly with full energy to ensure the victory of BJP-NDA in Bihar. BJP has fielded 71 candidates in its first list released yesterday with 50 sitting MLAs including Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and several state cabinet ministers contesting once again.
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BJP has announced candidates for upcoming Assembly bypolls in Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Odisha and Telangana. In Jammu and Kashmir, the candidates for the upcoming bypolls include Aga Syed Mohsin for Budgam and Sushri Devyani Rana for Nagrota. In Jharkhand, Babulal Soren is contesting the bypolls from Ghatsila. In Odisha, Jay Dholakia is the candidate for Nuapada. In Telangana, Lankala Deepak Reddy is contesting the bypolls from Jubilee Hills.
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Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw today inaugurated the 16th International Railway Equipment Exhibition-2025, Asia’s largest and the world’s second-largest railway exhibition at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. Over 450 exhibitors across more than 15 countries are showcasing state-of-the-art railway and metro products, innovations, and sustainable solutions.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Vaishnaw said that in the last eleven years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put strong focus on railways' modernisation. He said, railway is currently investing two lakh 56 thousand crore rupees every year to modernize railway at a rapid pace.
On the occasion, Confederation of Indian Industry - CII, Director General, Chandrajit Banerjee said that the exhibition is showcasing India's rail technologies and manufacturing strength.
During the three days exhibition, Railway Ministry is showcasing Amrit Bharat and Tejas Coach, Vande Bharat train, Kolkata metro and Namo Bharat train. The exhibition will provide an opportunity to Indian manufacturer to showcase their products at global level.
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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved a hundred per cent increase in financial assistance for Ex-Servicemen and their dependents under schemes implemented by the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare. The penury grant has been doubled from four thousand rupees to eight thousand rupees per month per beneficiary. This will provide sustained lifetime support to aged and non-pensioner Ex-Servicemen and their widows above 65 years of age with no regular income. The Ministry said, the education grant has been increased from one thousand to two thousand rupees per month per head for up to two dependent children. The marriage grant has also been raised from 50 thousand to one lakh per beneficiary.
The Ministry said, the revised rates take effect for applications submitted from 1st November this year onwards, with an annual financial implication of approximately 257 crore rupees.
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The Supreme Court permitted the sale and bursting of green firecrackers in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) during the upcoming Diwali festival, describing it as a “balanced approach” between celebrating festivities and protecting the environment. A Bench of Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice Vinod Chandran ordered that sale of green crackers shall be permitted from October 18 to October 20. The Apex Court further directed bursting of such firecrackers shall be allowed from 6 am to 7 am and 8 pm to 10 pm on two days, the day before Diwali and on Diwali.
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Delhi Government has welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision for granting permission to use green firecrackers in the National Capital. In a social media post, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that this decision respects the sentiments and enthusiasm of the public during sacred festivals like Diwali. She added that the government remains fully committed to its resolve for a clean and green Delhi.
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In Maharashtra, 61 senior Naxal cadres surrendered to the Gadchiroli police today, in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. We have more details from our correspondent.
"The polit bureau Member of Central Naxal committee , Mallujola Venugopal Rao alias Bhupati has surrendered along with other 60 senior naxal Cadres today at a programme held in Gadchiroli. All these 61 naxals were carrying a collective bounty of 6 crore rupees . The cadres include senior ranks like divisional committee members, area committee and dalam members. Naxalites have laid down their weapon and CM Devendra Fadnavis presented copy of Indian Constitution as a token of welcoming these surrendered naxals into the mainstream. Speaking on the occasion, Mr.Fadnais said that, this is the biggest surrender in the history of the Naxalite movement in Maharashtra so far. Under the leadership of Prime Minister and Home Minister the fight against Maoists is at a decisive stage. Dhananjay Wankhede, Akashvani News Nagpur."
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The death toll in the Jaisalmer sleeper bus fire tragedy has risen to 21. A 10-year-old boy, who had suffered severe burn, succumbed to his injuries this morning during treatment. According to the administration of Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, Jodhpur, the condition of five injured persons remains critical. Meanwhile, DNA samples are being collected in Jodhpur and Jaisalmer hospitals to establish the identity of the victims, as several bodies were badly charred and beyond recognition.
Around 15 injured passengers are undergoing treatment at Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in Jodhpur. Officials said that most of the victims belong to Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, and nearby districts.
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The GST Bachat Utsav, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and commencing on the 22nd of last month, is benefiting the country as a whole. Today, our correspondent brings a report on the GST reforms that are set to empower various sectors in Nagaland. A report:
"The recent GST reforms are a significant step towards strengthening Nagaland's economy by rationalizing tax rates across various industries. With these changes, the GST rate on handloom shawls and textiles up to 25 hundred rupees has been reduced to 5 per cent. This will increase competition in the market, boost weavers' income, and support more than 44,000 women artisans in the region. Similarly, the tax rate on hotel rooms up to 7 thousand and 5 hundred has been reduced from 12 percent to 5 percent, a reduction of over 6 percent. This will boost the state's tourism sector and benefit guides, hotels, homestay hosts, and locals. Apart from this, coffee is a popular product of Nagaland's economy, so the tax rate on roasted beans has been reduced from 12 percent to 5 percent, while coffee extracts will now attract only 5 percent GST, down from 18 percent previously.These reforms aim to boost Nagaland’s economy and enhance the livelihood of the state's people. With Aditya, Dilnshi Arzoo, Akashvani News, Delhi."
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India has been elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council for a three-year term starting next year, marking the country’s seventh tenure on the Geneva-based human rights body. India’s Permanent Representative, P. Harish, said that the election reflects India’s unwavering commitment to human rights and fundamental freedoms. In a social media post, Mr. Harish said that India looks forward to serve this objective during the upcoming term and thanked all delegations for their overwhelming support.
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Six Indian shooters will begin their campaign in the trap events at the ISSF World Championship Shotgun 2025 in Athens, Greece today. Neeru Dhanda, Aashima Ahlawat, and Kirti Gupta will compete in the women’s trap, while Zoravar Singh Sandhu, Vivaan Kapoor, and Bhowneesh Mendiratta will take part in the men’s category. The qualification rounds start with 50 targets each for men and women.
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In Hockey, Indian junior men’s hockey team will face Australia today in their next group match of the Sultan of Johor Cup 2025 at Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The match will start at 06:05 PM IST.
Earlier yesterday, India held 3-3 draw with Pakistan. In an intense contest, India fought back from two goals down to take a 3-2 lead before Pakistan scored late to level the match.
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Benchmark domestic equity indices, Sensex and Nifty, continued their upward trend in afternoon trade today. Indices gained around 0.8 per cent each. The Sensex surged by 657 points to 82 thousand and 687, while the Nifty increased 205 points to 25 thousand 351, when reports last came in.
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In United States, severe thunderstorms hit southwest California today, bringing heavy rains, flash floods, and debris flow risks across the region. The U.S. National Weather Service issued storm warnings for Los Angeles County and nearby areas. Officials warned of possible debris flows in wildfire burn zones, including the Palisades and Malibu regions.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
- Electioneering gains momentum for upcoming Bihar Assembly Elections; Janata Dal (United) releases first list of 57 candidates.
- Prime Minister and Senior BJP leader Narendra Modi to launch party's campaign for Bihar Assembly Polls today; To interact with booth level workers.
- Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurates Asia’s largest International Railway Equipment Exhibition-2025 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
- Supreme Court allows sale and bursting of green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR during Diwali
- And, six Indian shooters to begin their campaign in trap events at ISSF World Championship Shotgun in Greece.
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