THE HEADLINES::
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah reaffirms in Lok Sabha not to allow infiltrators decide the Political leadership in the country.
- President Droupadi Murmu to be on a two-day visit to Manipur beginning today.
- DGCA sets up dedicated Oversight Team at IndiGo’s corporate office in Gurugram following widespread flight cancellations and delays.
- India and Malaysia reaffirm their commitment to strengthen cooperation against terrorism and transnational crime.
- US expands online presence checks for H-1B visa applicants.
- US Federal Reserve cuts its benchmark interest rate by 0.25 percentage points.
- In men’s cricket, second T20 between India and South Africa to be played in New Chandigarh this evening.
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The Lok Sabha witnessed intense debate over electoral reforms and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists yesterday. Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a forceful attack on the Opposition, accusing them of protecting illegal immigrants to secure their vote banks. He said, infiltrators cannot decide who will be the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister in the country. Mr Shah asserted that the SIR aims to cleanse electoral rolls by removing duplicate entries and illegal immigrants. He added that while one’s name appearing in multiple places could be a genuine mistake, allowing such duplication undermines the credibility of elections.
Highlighting the broader implications, Mr Shah warned that demographic manipulation cannot be allowed to divide the nation again.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lauded Home Minister Amit Shah for his speech yesterday in the Lok Sabha during the discussion on Election Reform. In a social media post, the Prime Minister said that Mr Shah highlighted the diverse aspects of the nation’s electoral process and the strength of Indian democracy with concrete facts, exposing the alleged lies of the Opposition.
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Rajya Sabha will take up further discussion on the 150th Anniversary of the National Song “Vande Mataram today. The discussion will conclude with the address of Union Minister and Leader of the House JP Nadda. After this, the Rajya Sabha will begin discussion on Election Reforms.
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BJP has criticized the Congress for its remarks in connection with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign visit. Briefing media in New Delhi, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi termed the remarks as condemnable saying Mr Modi goes abroad on official visits and for the work of the nation. He claimed that Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi goes abroad after every Parliament Session for vacation.
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President Droupadi Murmu will be arriving in Imphal today on a two day visit to Manipur. During her visit, she will participate in a series of ceremonial and developmental events in the state.
“President Draupadi Murmu will arrive in Imphal this afternoon and will be accorded a traditional guard of honour. She will then visit the historic Mapal Kangjeibung to witness a polo exhibition match, celebrating the rich sporting heritage of the state. It is to mention that the modern polo game was originated from Manipur. Later In the evening, President will attend a civic reception hosted by the Manipur government at the City Convention Centre, Imphal. She is expected to lay foundation stones and inaugurate several key developmental projects, signalling the government’s continued focus on regional progress. During her stay in Manipur, the President is expected to meet and interact with internally displaced persons who are taking shelter at relief camps in both valleys in hill districts. JJ Thokchom, Akashavani News, Imphal. “
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The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has set up a dedicated Oversight Team at IndiGo’s corporate office in Gurugram following widespread flight cancellations and delays. DGCA announced that the move aims to address passenger inconvenience caused by flight delays and cancellations. The eight-member team, will monitor key operational areas, including fleet strength, crew availability, utilisation hours, unplanned leaves, and standby crew for both cockpit and cabin staff. Two members will be stationed at the airline’s office on a daily rotational basis.
In addition, DGCA officers will keep track of daily cancellations, refund processing, on-time performance, passenger compensation, and baggage delivery.
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Indian Railways has given over 60 thousand crore rupees as subsidy in financial year 2023-24 to keep passenger travel affordable. In reply to supplementary in Lok Sabha, Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the subsidy given to the passengers amounts to 45 percent of the total cost of passenger travel. He highlighted that the fares of Indian Railways are among the lowest in the world. The Minister noted that compared to neighboring countries, India is providing the most affordable transportation to its passengers.
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India and Malaysia have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen cooperation against terrorism and transnational crime.
In a joint statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said that during the third meeting of the India-Malaysia Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism and Combating Transnational Crime in New Delhi, the two sides exchanged views on the regional and global terrorism landscape.
The meeting was co-chaired by Vinod Bahade, Joint Secretary for Counter Terrorism at India’s MEA, and Mohd. Azlan bin Razali, Under Secretary at Malaysia’s Ministry of Home Affairs.
Both sides condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and emphasized the need to strengthen international cooperation to combat terrorism in a comprehensive and sustained manner.
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The United States has expanded its review of social media and online presence to include all H-1B specialty occupation workers and their H-4 dependents, the US Embassy in India said. The announcement follows a recent decision by the Trump administration to make social media screening mandatory for all H-1B and H-4 applicants, creating fresh uncertainty for thousands of workers and their families. Starting December 15, the Department of State will expand the requirement that an online presence review be conducted for all H-1B applicants and their dependents, in addition to the students and exchange visitors already subject to this review.
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US Federal Reserve has cut its benchmark interest rate by 0.25 percentage points, bringing the federal funds rate to its lowest level since early 2022. The new target range now stands at 3.5 to 3.75 percent, down from 3.75 to 4 percent.
This is the Fed’s third consecutive rate cut since September, totaling a 0.75 percentage point reduction this year. The move comes amid slowing job growth and persistent inflation, despite delays in key economic data due to the recent government shutdown.
The Federal Open Market Committee said it will carefully assess incoming data and risks before making further adjustments.
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The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has raised its growth forecast for India to 7.2 percent, up from 6.5 percent, for the financial year 2025-26, according to its Asia and Pacific Growth Outlook report. This marks an increase of 0.7 percentage points after the country registered robust growth in the July-to-September quarter and prospects for a stronger fiscal year. However, the multilateral development bank has kept its FY 2026-27 forecast unchanged at 6.5 percent. ADB has projected the region’s economy to expand by 5.1 percent this year, compared with a 4.8 percent forecast in September, lifted by stronger-than-expected growth in India.
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The nation pays homage to the valour and supreme sacrifice of Maha Vir Chakra awardee, Assistant Commandant of BSF, Ram Krishan Wadhwa and his 8 comrades, today, whose bravery snatched the Raja Mohatam Post in Mamdot Sector of Ferozepur in Punjab from the enemies during the 1971 war. Out of the 8, two were awarded Sena Medals and others with Medals of Gallantry posthumously. The BSF celebrates the day as Raja Mohtam Day. A special ceremony will be held to pay tributes to the fallen soldiers of BSF during the 1971 war at the Raja Mohatam Border Out Post.
“Assistant Commandant RK Wadhwa served the Indian Army’s Regiment of Artillery from 1963 to 1967 before joining the Border Security Force (BSF) in 1968. On 3rd December 1971, Raja Mohatam Post was lost to the enemy. On December 5th, Assistant Commandant Wadhwa, who was the company commander, was tasked to recapture the post. the attack on the intervening night of 06/07 Dec 1971. Displaying raw courage and conspicuous bravery the troops ensured successful re-capture of the Border out Post from Pakistani Forces on December 07th after a three hour long fierce battle. Later, while repelling a counter attack by the enemy on 11 Dec, Assistant Commandant Wadhwa fell to the heavy enemy bombardment and attained martyrdom while defending the post.
Nation salutes him and his comrades who fought gallantly to safeguard the borders of our beloved motherland Bharat. Rajesh Bali, AkAShVANI NEWS Jalandhar
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In men’s cricket, India will face South Africa in the second T20 match of the series at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh, today. The match will begin at 7 PM Indian Time.
This will be the first ever men’s international cricket match in Mullanpur. Suryakumar Yadav-led Men in Blue are currently leading the five-match series 1-0, following a massive win over the visitors in the series opener on Tuesday.
The third match of the series will be held in Dharamsala, the fourth in Lucknow, and the final match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
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In the FIH Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup final, defending champions Germany reclaimed their eighth title, defeating Spain 3-2 in a shoot-out after the match ended 1-1 in regulation time in Chennai last night.
Earlier yesterday, Hosts India secured the bronze medal with 4-2 win over Argentina.
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast cold wave conditions to continue over Central, Eastern and Northern Peninsular India till the end of this week. According to the IMD, cold wave conditions will prevail over parts of West Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and Chhattisgarh today and tomorrow. Similar weather conditions will prevail over Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada, Telangana, North Interior Karnataka and North Interior Odisha during the next two days. Minimum temperature is expected to gradually fall by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius over Maharashtra for the next 3 days.
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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,
- US trade chief accepts India as a ‘tough nut’ to crack but also as a viable alternative market saying “the offers are the Best-ever” says The Economic Times.
- Hindustan Times writes “India’s exports likely to rise by fifteen percent, reach thirty six billion dollar for November.”
- “DGCA launches audit of Indigo, operations under probe” states The Asian Age.
- Aiming to support more than three million jobs in the country in five years “Amazon vows record thirty five billion dollar investment in India by 2030” reports The Times of India.
- The Tribune cites “Sanskrit returns to Pakistan University, first time since partition.”
- And Finally, “Festival of lights shines on global stage as Diwali gains Unesco’s recognition” is a top front page headline in Hindustan Times. The Pioneer adds “apart from Deepavali in India, traditional saree weaving art of Tangail also secured a place in the list.”
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN,
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah reaffirms in Lok Sabha not to allow infiltrators decide the Political leadership in the country.
- President Droupadi Murmu to be on a two-day visit to Manipur beginning today.
- DGCA sets up dedicated Oversight Team at IndiGo’s corporate office in Gurugram following widespread flight cancellations and delays.
- India and Malaysia reaffirm their commitment to strengthen cooperation against terrorism and transnational crime.
- US expands online presence checks for H-1B visa applicants.
- US Federal Reserve cuts its benchmark interest rate by 0.25 percentage points.
- In men’s cricket, second T20 between India and South Africa to be played in New Chandigarh this evening.
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