THE HEADLINES::
Prime Minister Narendra Modi to participate in Shaurya Yatra to honour warriors who laid down their lives defending Somnath Temple in Gujarat this morning.
Prime Minister to also inaugurate Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference for Saurashtra and Kutch region in Rajkot today.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, India can become self-reliant only by embracing mantra of Swadeshi and Swabhasha.
Pariksha Pe Charcha 2026 records over 4 crore registrations, surpassing last year’s Guinness World Record.
27 Indians lured into illegal jobs in Myanmar rescued back to India.
And in Cricket, first ODI of three-match series between India and New Zealand to be played in Vadodara this afternoon.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a three-day visit to Gujarat, will participate in the historic ‘Somnath Swabhiman Parv,’ today. The event marks exactly one thousand years since the first invasion of the temple in 1026 and 75 years since its post-independence restoration in 1951. Today, the Prime Minister will take part in the ‘Shaurya Yatra’, a ceremonial procession honouring those who defended the shrine. Mr Modi will also perform pooja and offer prayers at the temple. He will then address a public gathering in Somnath. Later in the day, the Prime Minister is scheduled to inaugurate the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference in Rajkot.
Earlier, on reaching Somnath yesterday evening, the Prime Minister participated in the ‘Omkar Mantra’ chanting and viewed a spectacular drone show at the temple. Our correspondent reports that the holy shrine is witnessing a huge spiritual gathering with devotees from across the country participating in these historic celebrations.
सौराष्ट्रे सोमनाथं च श्रीशैले मल्लिकार्जुनम् । उज्जयिन्यां महाकालम्ॐकारममलेश्वरम् ” “The history of the Somnath Mahadev Temple, the first of the twelve Jyotirlingas, is a saga of unparalleled resilience and faith. For centuries, this sacred site remained a target of foreign invaders, most notably the one in 1026 when Mahmud of Ghazni plundered its treasures and destroyed the sanctum. Despite the repeated reconstruction efforts by local kings like Bhimdev I, the temple faced further destruction under the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in the late 17th century. In the 18th century, it was the visionary Queen of Indore, Ahilyabai Holkar, who ensured that the spirit of worship remained alive by building a new temple adjacent to the ruined site. The turning point in its modern history arrived with India’s independence. In 1947, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel visited the ruins of Prabhas Patan and, moved by its state, took a historic resolve to rebuild the temple to its former glory. Under his guidance, a public trust was formed, leading to the construction of the current grand Chaulukya-style structure, which was inaugurated by President Dr. Rajendra Prasad in 1951.Today, this journey of development continues under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Through the PRASHAD scheme, the temple complex has been improved with modern facilities, including a sea-view walkway, a center for tourists, and a new museum gallery ensuring that Somnath remains a powerful symbol of India’s lasting spirit for generations to come.” Aparna Khunt, Akashvani News, Ahmedabad.
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that India can become self-reliant only by embracing the mantra of Swadeshi and Swabhasha. Addressing a function at Jodhpur in Rajasthan, he urged people to make and use local products and to converse in their mother tongue at home. Mr Shah said that language is the key to preserving any society, culture and religion. He said, while any language can be learnt or spoken as required to progress in the world, only local languages should be used for conversation with children at home, as it will help strengthen their connection with their roots.
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Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman chaired a pre-budget consultation with States and Union Territories in New Delhi yesterday. In a statement, the Ministry of Finance said that during the meeting participants gave several suggestions to the Union Finance Minister for consideration in the Union Budget of 2026-27. It said that many participants highlighted that the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) be continued with higher allocations. Since 2020-21, the Government has released over 4 lakh 25 thousand crore rupees as 50-year interest free loans to the States under SASCI. Ms Sitharaman assured all the dignitaries that the suggestions would be duly examined and suitably considered while formulating the Budget. The Budget Session of Parliament is scheduled to begin on the 28th of this month.
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Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia has announced two new India Post services, Speed Post 24 and Speed Post 48, which will ensure delivery within 24 and 48 hours. This announcement, made in a program at Pichor in Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh, is being considered an important step towards the modernisation of postal services. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Scindia said that Speed Post 24 and Speed Post 48 will set a new standard of punctual, reliable and fast delivery.
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Prime Minister’s flagship platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, PRAGATI, has marked a significant milestone with the successful conduct of its 50th meeting. Since its launch by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015, PRAGATI has transformed governance by enabling real-time monitoring and resolution of key infrastructure projects and public grievances through direct Prime Ministerial review. Today, in this special series, we take a look at the Jabalpur-Gondia Gauge Conversion project of the Ministry of Railways.
The Jabalpur-Gondia Gauge Conversion project covers around 285 km. The project involved conversion of the existing narrow-gauge alignment, including the Balaghat-Katangi section, into broad gauge, thereby creating an alternate route to several saturated rail corridors. In March 2016, the project was taken up under the PRAGATI mechanism. The review reinforced the importance of time-bound forest clearances, expeditious land transfer by the Government of Madhya Pradesh, and close coordination between the Ministries of Railways, Road Transport and Highways, and Environment, Forest and Climate Change in March 2021. It achieved 100 percent physical progress and delivering the intended operational benefits of an alternate rail route. The resolution of forest and land-related challenges-undertaken with due regard to statutory safeguards, compensatory afforestation and environmental compliance-was enabled by structured oversight under the PRAGATI framework and consistent follow-through at the State and district levels. With Akshit, Anupam Mishra, Akashvani News Delhi.
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Social media platform X has admitted its mistake and acknowledged gaps in its content moderation standards. Government Sources informed that the company has said that they will operate in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations. The issue came to light after concerns were raised over the circulation of obscene and sexually explicit content on the platform, including material allegedly generated or amplified through its AI tool, Grok. Following the scrutiny, around 3,500 pieces of content were blocked and more than 600 accounts were deleted.
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Pariksha Pe Charcha 2026 has set a new participation record, with more than 4 crore registrations so far, surpassing last year’s Guinness World Record tally of 3.56 crore. The update was shared by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who said the initiative has grown from an annual interaction into a nationwide movement promoting a stress-free exam environment for students.
The Minister urged students, referred as “Exam Warriors”, to actively join this year’s edition and benefit from the Prime Minister’s guidance on confidence, focus, well-being and stress management as exams approach.
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The 53rd edition of the New Delhi World Book Fair 2026 has begun at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The fair will bring together publishers, authors, readers, and cultural voices from India and across the world. A report:
“The nine-day book fair will attract participation from over one thousand publishers representing more than 35 countries. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the grand exhibition. The theme of the fair is Indian Military History: Valour and Wisdom @ 75. The Theme Pavilion is the main attraction, showcasing over five hundred books on military history and hosting more than one hundred theme-based events. A key highlight this year is the Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya, a digital library offering access to six thousand free eBooks. This 53rd edition of the New Delhi World Book Fair will continue till the 18th of this month. With Rishu Jaiswal, Priya Mondal for Akashvani News, Delhi. “
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A total of 27 Indian citizens who were lured to Myanmar with false job promises but were instead forced to work illegally in cyber scam operations have been safely rescued and brought back to India. The rescued nationals arrived in Delhi yesterday and are now proceeding onward to their respective native places to reunite with their families. These stranded Indian citizens were lured by false job promises and subsequently trafficked to the Myanmar border, where they were subjected to coercion, physical abuse and forced cyber scam operations.
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Iran’s authorities indicated they could intensify their crackdown on the largest anti-government demonstrations in years, with the Revolutionary Guards blaming the unrest on terrorists and vowing to safeguard the governing system. There were fresh reports of violence across the country, although an internet blackout made it difficult to assess the full extent of the unrest.
The protests, which began on December 28 in response to soaring inflation, quickly turned political, with demonstrators demanding an end to the current region. Authorities have accused the United States and Israel of fueling the unrest, while a senior U.S. intelligence official described the situation as an endurance game.
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In Cricket, India is all set to start their 2026 season today, as they face New Zealand in the first match of the three-match ODI series in Vadodara, Gujarat. The match will start at 1:30 PM. This will be the last ODI series for India, before they head into full T20 mode with the T20 World Cup 2026 and the IPL 2026 on the horizon.
The second ODI will be played at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on January 14, while the third and final match is set to take place at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on January 18.
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India Meteorological Department, IMD has forecast dense to very dense fog over Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh today. Dense fog is expected over Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan and Muzaffarabad. Similar conditions will prevail over Rajasthan, Sub Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE
Papers have widely noticed the historic celebrations at the Somnath temple; the churnings in West Bengal with ED and State government at loggerheads and international developments like unrest growing in Iran.
‘PM prays at Somnath, says temple ‘symbol of courage” headlines The Asian Age. Sunday Pioneer writes, ‘Omkar Mantra reverberates in Somnath.’
The Sunday Statesman headlines, ‘ED approaches Supreme Court over I-PAC raid interference,’ while Hindustan Times says, ‘ED vs Bengal: fight over raid reaches top court.’
The top headline in The Hindu says, ‘Defying U.S warning, Iran clamps down on protests.’
And finally, a copy of the comic book that introduced the world to Superman in 1938 has been sold to a collector for fifteen million dollars! The Economic Times writes, ‘It’s a comic…It’s a collectible…Yes, it’s Superman’s Debut.’ The paper adds that Action Comics No.1 is considered to be the first American comic book to include superheroes.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi to participate in Shaurya Yatra to honour warriors who laid down their lives defending Somnath Temple in Gujarat this morning.
Prime Minister to also inaugurate Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference for Saurashtra and Kutch region in Rajkot today.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, India can become self-reliant only by embracing mantra of Swadeshi and Swabhasha.
Pariksha Pe Charcha 2026 records over 4 crore registrations, surpassing last year’s Guinness World Record.
27 Indians lured into illegal jobs in Myanmar rescued back to India.
And in Cricket, first ODI of three-match series between India and New Zealand to be played in Vadodara this afternoon.
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