THE HEADLINES::
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold talks with Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tarik in Muscat today; India and Oman to sign Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
- Lok Sabha completes discussion on Viksit Bharat – G RAM G Bill 2025; Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to reply to discussion today.
- Government says, OTT content will remain outside the Central Board of Film Certification jurisdiction.
- Delhi government to strictly enforce ‘No PUC, No Fuel’ rule from today to curb air pollution in the national capital.
- In Men’s Cricket, fourth T20 International between India and South Africa abandoned due to excessive fog in Lucknow last night.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Muscat yesterday evening on a two-day visit to Oman in the last leg of his three-nation tour. He reached Oman after completing his successful visits to Jordan and Ethiopia. At the Muscat airport, Mr Modi was received by Oman’s Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs, Sayyid Shihab bin Tarik Al Said. They had discussions on strengthening India-Oman cooperation in various fields and advancing the strategic partnership. The Prime Minister is visiting the friendly nation on the invitation of the Head of State of the Sultanate of Oman, Sultan Haitham bin Tarik. Mr Modi will hold talks with Sultan of Oman today. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said that India and Oman will sign a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
In a social media post, Mr Modi said, Oman is a land of enduring friendship and deep historical connections with India. He said this visit offers an opportunity to explore new avenues of collaboration and add fresh momentum to the partnership between the two countries. Our correspondent covering the Prime Minister’s visit to Oman has filed this report:
“After reaching at the hotel in Muscat, the Prime Minister was accorded a warm welcome by the members of India diaspora.
During his two-day visit, besides meeting the Sultan of Oman at his palace, the Prime Minister will address business leaders from both countries at a business forum. He will also be interacting with students and members of the Indian community. Interestingly many Indian students in Oman also listens to the Prime Minister’s ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ to distress themselves.
This visit is of great significance as it will further deepen ties with a longstanding and historical partner especially in the year when India and Oman are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations. This is Rajesh Bali for Akashvani News from Muscat, Oman.”
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Union Minister for Rural Development and Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan will reply to the discussion on the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): Viksit Bharat – G RAM G Bill 2025 in the Lok Sabha today. The Lok Sabha sat till late last night to complete the discussion on the Bill. The legislation will replace the twenty-year-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005. It seeks to establish a rural development framework aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047. Under the legislation, a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment will be provided in every financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work.
Moving the Viksit Bharat- G RAM G Bill in the Lok Sabha, Mr Chouhan said the bill will ensure development of villages. He said the bill proposes to enhance the guarantee of days of employment from 100 to 125 days of wage employment. He said, the Bill will fulfil the vision of Mahatma Gandhi of creating self-reliant, developed, and poverty free villages.
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Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr L Murugan has said that OTT content will continue to remain outside the jurisdiction of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Dr Murugan said that OTT content is regulated under the provisions of Part III of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. He said, the Code of Ethics requires OTT platforms to avoid publishing content prohibited by law and undertake age-based classification of content as per the guidelines in the Rules.
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The Lok Sabha has passed the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill, 2025 with amendments. The Bill seeks to constitute the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and the establishment of the Atomic Energy Redressal Advisory Council. The legislation enables the Board to regulate the manufacture, use, export, import, transport, transfer of any radioactive substances and radiation generating equipment.
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The meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on One Nation One Election legislations was held under the Chairmanship of BJP MP P P Chaudhary in New Delhi yesterday. The Committee is examining the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024. First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Gita Gopinath and Member, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister Sanjeev Sanyal also participated in the meeting and shared their views in this regard.
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The Delhi government will begin strict enforcement of the ‘No PUC, No Fuel’ rule from today as part of an intensified multi-pronged drive to curb worsening air pollution in the national capital. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa has issued firm directives to agencies, petrol pump operators and the police to ensure compliance from day one. Under the enforcement plan, vehicles without a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) will be denied fuel at petrol pumps across Delhi. Simultaneously, non-BS VI vehicles registered outside Delhi will be barred from entering the city.
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In Gujarat, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll is nearing completion, with the draft electoral roll scheduled for publication tomorrow. The state-wide campaign, which began on October 27, has successfully concluded its verification phase. All 33 districts and 182 Assembly constituencies have reported 100 percent completion of the verification tasks. The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Gujarat informed that after the draft roll is published tomorrow, a period for filing claims and objections will remain open from December 19, this year to January 18, 2026. A report from our correspondent:
“Out of the 5.08 crore enumeration forms distributed across the state, 4.34 crore forms have been returned by citizens. These forms have been completely digitized. During this intensive process, authorities identified and flagged over 18 lakh deceased voters, 9.6 lakh absent voters, and approximately 40 lakh voters who have permanently migrated. Additionally, 3.8 lakh duplicate entries were detected and processed for removal to ensure the purity of the electoral roll. Aparna Khunt, Akashvani News, Ahmedabad.”
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The second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine began at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi yesterday. Addressing the event, Ayush Minister, Prataprao Jadhav, highlighted India’s long-standing experience in traditional medicine and emphasised the importance of strengthening research, quality standards, and global cooperation. He noted that this collaboration, which began in 2016, represents a key milestone in advancing traditional medicine at the global level.
Meanwhile, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to uniting the wisdom of millennia with modern science and technology.
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AYUSH Secretary Rajesh Kotecha said that around 25 health ministers from more than 100 WHO member countries are participating in the Second World Health Organization Global Summit on Traditional Medicine. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the concluding session of the summit. Highlighting India’s leadership role in the global promotion of traditional medicine, the secretary said that India has offered its expertise to partner countries in developing regulatory frameworks for traditional medicine, along with support in capacity building, education and research.
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In Men’s Cricket, the fourth T20 International between India and South Africa was abandoned due to extreme fog at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow last night. After conducting several inspections, the umpires decided to call off the match. As a result, India retain their 2-1 series lead. The hosts, led by Suryakumar Yadav will look to seal the series and take a 3-1 lead against the Proteas. The fifth and final match is scheduled to be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad tomorrow.
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In badminton, India’s men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will take on Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri of Indonesia today as they look to seal a semifinal berth in the BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China. The Indian duo kicked off their campaign with a thrilling comeback win over China’s Chang Wang and Wei Keng Liang 12-21, 22-20, 21-14 in their opening Group B match yesterday.
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued red colour warning over Uttar Pradesh today due to dense fog conditions. The weather agency has forecast dense to very dense fog conditions to prevail during early hours over parts of Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Uttarakhand during the next 2 to three days. The IMD has also forecast Cold wave conditions to prevail over West Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand till tomorrow.
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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS Headline,
- After elevating bilateral ties with Jordan and Ethiopia “Prime Minister in Oman; to sign free trade agreement today” writes The Indian Express.
- “Lok Sabha passes nuclear energy bill allowing privatisation. Rajya Sabha passes bill for hundred percent FDI in insurance sector” notes The Hindu.
- As the National capital gasps for breath, The Times of India on its front age writes “Delhi orders fifty percent Work-from-Home in city government, Private offices from today; To be enforced strictly.” The Pioneer adds “China offers pollution playbook to India.”
- The Financial Express states “Tier-2 cities lead employment boom as job market grows 23 percent.”
- And Finally, The Economic Times refers to “Co-operative run ‘Bharat Taxi’ set for January rollout” in the national capital. The home-grown app is based on zero-commission model as an alternative to Uber and rapido.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN,
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold talks with Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tarik in Muscat today; India and Oman to sign Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
- Lok Sabha completes discussion on Viksit Bharat – G RAM G Bill 2025; Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to reply to discussion today.
- Government says, OTT content will remain outside the Central Board of Film Certification jurisdiction.
- Delhi government to strictly enforce ‘No PUC, No Fuel’ rule from today to curb air pollution in the national capital.
- And in Men’s Cricket, fourth T20 International between India and South Africa abandoned due to excessive fog in Lucknow last night.
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