THE HEADLINES:
- President Droupadi Murmu to confer ‘Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar’ on the occasion of Veer Bal Diwas in New Delhi today.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi to participate in Veer Baal Diwas programme to commemorate martyrdom of sons of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah to inaugurate Anti-Terror Conference in New Delhi.
- Delhi government launches Atal Canteens to provide subsidised meals for 5 rupees.
- Bangladesh’s deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina says, Muhammad Yunus-led interim government is perpetrating unspeakable atrocities against non-Muslims in Bangladesh.
- In Women’s Cricket, third T20 International between India and Sri Lanka to be played in Thiruvananthapuram this evening.
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President Droupadi Murmu will confer the ‘Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar’ on the occasion of Veer Bal Diwas in New Delhi today. This year, 20 children from 18 States and Union Territories have been selected for the honour for demonstrating outstanding achievements in diverse fields, including Bravery, sports and social service. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also address the children and youth at a national-level programme of Veer Bal Diwas at Bharat Mandapam. Awardees of the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP) will also be present during the programme.
To mark Veer Baal Diwas, the Government is organising participative programmes across the country to inform and educate citizens about the extraordinary courage and supreme sacrifice of the Sahibzades, and to honour and commemorate the indomitable courage, sacrifice, and valour of the young heroes of India’s history. The activities will include storytelling sessions, recitations, poster-making and essay-writing competitions, among others. These will be conducted in schools, Child Care Institutions, Anganwadi centres, and other educational platforms.
Veer Baal Diwas is observed to honour the bravery and sacrifice of the Sahibzades – Baba Zorawar Singh Ji and Baba Fateh Singh Ji – the young sons of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji. The annual observance was first announced by Prime Minister Modi during the Prakash Purab of Guru Gobind Singh Ji in January 2022. Priya Mondal, Akashvani News, Delhi.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, for the last 11 years his government has been working hard for the betterment of each and every citizen of the society and giving them benefits of all the schemes without discrimination. The Prime Minister said this while addressing a public rally in Lucknow after inaugurating Rashtra Prerna Sthal on the occasion of the 101st Birth Anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and to honour the legacy of luminaries of independent India.
Prime Minister Modi said, saturation of government schemes is the motto of his government and now crores of poor citizens are gaining benefits from them.
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate Anti-Terror Conference in New Delhi today. The Ministry of Home Affairs said that the two day conference is a meeting point for operational forces, technical, legal and forensic experts engaged in counter terrorism for deliberations on issues impacting national security and threats emerging out of terrorism. It added that the key focus of the conference will be on developing synergies among various stakeholders by establishing formal and informal channels for coordinated action against the menace of terrorism.
The Ministry also said that the conference will include sessions on collecting evidence from foreign jurisdictions, digital forensics and data analysis in counter terrorism investigations, emerging hybrid threats to national security among others. The two day conference is being organised by the National Investigation Agency.
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The Railways has rationalised its passenger fare structure with effect from today, with the objective of balancing affordability for passengers and sustainability of operations. Under the revised fare structure, there is no change in fares for suburban services and Season Tickets, including both suburban and non-suburban routes. The revised fares are applicable only on tickets booked on or after today. Tickets booked before will not attract any additional charges, even if the journey is undertaken after the effective date.
For Ordinary Non-AC (Non-Suburban) services, fares have been rationalised in a graded manner across Second Class Ordinary, Sleeper Class Ordinary, and First Class Ordinary.
In Second Class Ordinary, there is no increase in fare for journeys up to 215 kilometres to ensure that short-distance and daily commuters are not impacted.
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Security forces have ramped up vigilance along the International Border in Jammu and in frontier districts of neighbouring Punjab following intelligence inputs about potential terrorist infiltrations from Pakistan. After heightened security measures in Jammu, Samba, and Kathua districts of Jammu region, Border Security Force has extended the high alert to Punjab’s border regions. The alert comes amid dense fog conditions expected to persist for at least a month, providing cover for such attempts, especially as New Year’s Eve approaches. According to the inputs terrorists camping on the Pakistani side may shift their infiltration routes to Punjab, exploiting the thicker fog in areas like Pathankot and Gurdaspur, which border Kathua in Jammu. Additional deployments have been made along the IB in Punjab, particularly in Gurdaspur and Pathankot, to counter any attempts by terrorists to cross over.
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Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Union Minister Manohar Lal inaugurated the ‘Atal Canteen’ in the national capital, on the occasion of the 101st birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee yesterday. Addressing the media, the Delhi Chief Minister hailed it as a major scheme for the needy and working people in the city, where they can have a meal for just 5 rupees. She informed that 45 canteens have started operating, while the remaining 55 canteens will open in the next 15 days.
Meanwhile, Mr Lal said, this initiative will benefit millions of people. He noted that these canteens will help fulfil Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s vision that no one should go to bed hungry.
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Bangladesh’s deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that Muhammad Yunus-led interim government is perpetrating unspeakable atrocities against non-Muslims in Bangladesh. The 78-year-old Awami League leader also said that the current ruling group, which has seized power illegally, is setting horrific precedents such as burning religious minorities to death, in an apparent reference to the lynching of a Hindu man in Bangladesh last week. In her message on the occasion of Christmas yesterday, Ms. Hasina accused the Yunus government of interfering with the freedom of people of all religions and communities to practice their own faiths. She firmly believes that the people of Bangladesh will not allow this dark time to continue any longer, she said.
The Hindu population in Bangladesh has been affected by a series of incidents against minority communities in the country after the ouster of Hasina government in August last year. Last week, a 25-year-old Hindu worker was lynched by a mob in Mymensingh city.
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In a move aimed at easing investor compliance and streamlining market processes, capital markets regulator SEBI has announced a set of reforms covering the issuance of duplicate securities and the Basic Services Demat Account (BSDA) framework.
To make the process of issuing duplicate securities faster, more efficient and investor-friendly, SEBI has doubled the monetary threshold for the simplified documentation process to Rs.10 lakh from the earlier Rs. 5 lakh. Under the revised norms, investors holding securities valued up to Rs.10 lakh will now be required to submit fewer documents, addressing inconsistencies and reducing procedural hurdles. SEBI has also relaxed Basic Services Demat Account – BSDA norms by excluding Zero Coupon Zero Principal – ZCZP bonds and delisted securities from the valuation threshold used to determine BSDA eligibility. The regulator said this step is intended to further enhance the BSDA facility, make investing simpler for investors and reduce the compliance burden for depository participants. This is Madhuri Pange from Mumbai.
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The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a penalty of eleven lakh rupees on Vision IAS institute for publishing misleading advertisements on its official website about the results of the UPSC Civil Services Examinations 2022 and 2023. The penalty has been imposed in violation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
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Nation is remembering Shaheed Udham Singh on his 126th Birth Anniversary, today. Born in 1899 on this day in village Sunam of Punjab in the undivided India, revolutionary freedom fighter avenged the Jallianwala Bagh massacre by assassinating Michael O’Dyer, the then Lieutenant Governor of Punjab. While in custody of the Britishers, he used the name ‘Ram Mohammad Singh Azad’, representing the three major religions in India and his anti-colonial sentiments. He was an active member of Ghadar Party and Hindustan Socialist Republic Association (HSRA).
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In Women’s Cricket, third T20 International between India and Sri Lanka will be played at Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram today. The match will start at 7 pm. The hosts have taken 2-0 lead in the five match series.
India defeated Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the first game on Sunday and won the second game by seven wickets on Tuesday in Visakhapatnam.
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India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast cold wave conditions today in parts of Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Rajasthan. Places over Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim and Uttarakhand are expected to experience a cold day today. According to the Met Department, dense to very dense fog conditions will prevail during the day over Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Odisha, Sikkim, West Bengal and the north-eastern region.
Meanwhile, the air quality in Delhi-NCR continues to remain in the poor category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the average Air Quality Index (AQI) of the National Capital was recorded at 292 as of 6 AM this morning.
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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,
- Most newspapers today open with the story of inauguration of Rashtra Prerna Sthal. The Statesman says, Glorifying only one family is now a thing of the past.” The Asian Age quoting the PM opens with, “BJP ended 370, Congress erased legacies of India heroes.”
- The Hindu on its front page notes, “BNP leader calls for ‘secure’ Bangladesh at homecoming.”
- With the Stage set for arrival of 140 planes, “Aircraft deliveries to pick up pace in 2026.” headlines the Financial Express.
- The Times Of India leads with ” Prayers & a message as PM joins Xmas service.”
- In a bid to prevent illegal trading of diamonds to fund conflict in war-torn areas,”India to head global efforts to prevent trade in ‘blood’ diamonds.” informs The Pioneer.
- And finally, The Hindustan Times poses the big question, “What’s tea? food regulator now draws the line.’ Adding, that FSSAI has directed companies to stop using the word ‘tea’ for beverages not derived from the camellia sinensis plant.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN,
- President Droupadi Murmu to confer ‘Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar’ on the occasion of Veer Bal Diwas in New Delhi today.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi to participate in Veer Baal Diwas programme to commemorate martyrdom of sons of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah to inaugurate Anti-Terror Conference in New Delhi.
- Delhi government launches Atal Canteens to provide subsidised meals for 5 rupees.
- Bangladesh’s deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina says, Muhammad Yunus-led interim government is perpetrating unspeakable atrocities against non-Muslims in Bangladesh.
- In Women’s Cricket, third T20 International between India and Sri Lanka to be played in Thiruvananthapuram this evening.
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