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December 20, 2025 8:15 AM

Morning News

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THE HEADLINES:

 

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi to launch National Highway projects worth 3,200 crore rupees in Nadia district of West Bengal today.

 

  • Prime Minister to also travel to Assam on a two-day visit this afternoon; To unveil several development projects worth 15,600 crore rupees in the state.

 

  • Home Minister Amit Shah says, government’s next-generation initiatives strengthened urban development, laying roadmap for world-class infrastructure in the country.

 

  • India and the Netherlands announce establishment of Joint Trade and Investment Committee to boost economic cooperation.

 

  • In Under-19 Asia Cup Cricket, India beat Sri Lanka by eight-wickets in Dubai to set up title clash with Pakistan.

 

  • Men in Blue defeat South Africa by 30 runs in fifth and final T-20 in Ahmedabad to clinch the series 3-1.

 

 

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit West Bengal today. During his visit, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate two National Highway projects worth around 3,200 crores rupees at Ranaghat in Nadia district. Mr Modi will also address the gathering there.

 

The projects will serve as a vital connecting link between Kolkata and Siliguri. They will help to reduce travel time by approximately two hours, ensuring faster and smoother movement of vehicles. The projects will also boost the economic growth in the region and will provide impetus to the growth of tourism across the region.

 

 

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From West Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Assam this afternoon for a two-day visit. During the visit, Mr Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of development projects worth around 15,600 crore rupees in the state. On the first day today, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the state-of-the-art Bamboo Orchids Terminal Building at Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati. Spread over nearly 1.4 lakh square metres, the new terminal is designed to handle up to 1.3 crore passengers annually. The terminal reflects Assam’s biodiversity and cultural heritage, inspired by the theme “Bamboo Orchids”. More from our Correspondent:

 

“The Prime Minister will inaugurate the 4000 Crore rupees New Bamboo Orchids Terminal Building at Lokapriya Gopinath Bardoloi International Airport in Guwahati on his  arrival from West Bengal at 3 pm.  Mr. Modi will also unveil an 80 foot tall statue of former Chief Minister Gopinath Bordoloi at the Airport and will address a public meeting outside the terminal building. The Prime Minister will then lead a massive road show towards the BJP Headquarter in the city and will interact with the party workers. Mr. Modi will spend the night at the State Guest House.

Tomorrow, the Prime Minister will interact with students of schools in his programme Pariksha Pe Charcha while sailing on the Brahmaputra river abroad a cruise ship. After that Mr. Modi will visit the newly constructed Swahid Smarak Kshetra, in memory of 860 martyrs of Assam Movement in the city. The Prime Minister will then leave for Namrup where he will do Bhumi Pujana of the 12000 crore  rupees Ammonia-Urea fertiliser project. He will also address a public meeting at Namrup before leaving for New Delhi. “

 

 

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Prime Minister Modi met  BJP National Working President Nitin Nabin in New Delhi yesterday. In a social media post, the Prime Minister congratulated Mr Nabin on his new responsibility and wished him success in his efforts to strengthen the party at the grassroots level. Expressing confidence in Nitin Nabin’s leadership, Mr Modi said, his organisational and administrative experience will prove to be a valuable asset for the party.

 

 

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The Prime Minister has said that Yoga has shown the whole world the path to health, balance and harmony. Addressing the gathering at WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine in New Delhi, Mr Modi said, over the years, everyone have seen yoga reaching every corner of the world.

 

 

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Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah has highlighted that substantial progress has been made over the past 11 years in developing next-generation infrastructure. Mr Shah made these remarks while addressing the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI) National Conclave 2025 in New Delhi yesterday. The Minister said, several flagship initiatives including National Infrastructure Pipeline, Bharatmala, Sagarmala, and Parvatmala have significantly strengthened urban development and laid out a clear roadmap to position India among the world’s leading infrastructure countries. He added that these initiatives have delivered positive and tangible results.

 

Mr. Shah urged developers and industry bodies to work together towards a shared vision of sustainable and responsible growth.

 

 

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The Government has launched Bharat Taxi on the first of this month for customers which is a cooperative-based mobility initiative aimed at providing a fair, transparent, and driver-owned alternative in India’s ride-hailing sector. Guided by the vision of the Union Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation, Amit Shah, the initiative places drivers at the centre of ownership, governance, and profit-sharing.

 

“The launch of Bharat Taxi was announced on 25th March this year during a Parliament session, in response to persistent challenges faced by drivers and commuters. It operates under Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited, registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002. Earlier, drivers often grappled with lack of platform ownership, unclear incentive structures, long working hours, and absence of social security, while riders used to face unreliable services, frequent cancellations, surge pricing, and limited transparency in fares. But now, this platform provides reasonable fares, profit redistribution to drivers, and democratic decision-making. In terms of progress, the driver app was launched in Delhi-NCR on 14th November, registering over 1.1 lakh drivers, while the customer app saw more than 80 thousand registrations within ten days. WITH DRISHTI AND ARZOO , SHIVANG MISRA , AKASHVANI NEWS , DELHI.”

 

 

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The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) is celebrating its 62nd Raising Day today. On the occasion, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will attend the ceremony as the chief guest at the SSB Training Centre in Sapri in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, where he will take the salute of the parade. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu will also be present at the event. Our correspondent has the details:

 

“Union Home Minister Amit Shah will participate as the Chief Guest in the 62nd Raising Day celebrations of the Sashastra Seema Bal at the SSB Training Centre  at Sapri in the Jwalamukhi area of Kangra district and will take the salute of a grand parade.  During the ceremony, the Union Minister will confer Gallantry Medals on SSB personnel and honour recipients of the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service. In addition, Amit Shah will lay the foundation stones and inaugurate various Sashastra Seema Bal projects. Later, he is scheduled to address the SSB personnel. Considering the Union Home Minister’s visit, tight security arrangements have been put in place by the administration in the Jwalamukhi subdivision. Ritesh Kapoor, Akashvani News, Sapri, Jwalamukhi.”

 

 

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah has extended greetings to the personnel of the Sashastra Seema Bal and their families on the occasion of the force’s Raising Day today. In a social media post, Mr. Shah said, from safeguarding the nation’s frontiers to standing shoulder to shoulder with citizens during times of crisis, the Sashastra Seema Bal has always made the country proud.

 

 

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Jammu and Kashmir is all set to host its first-ever International Indian Style Wrestling (Dangal) event along with Rustam-e-Jammu Kashmir Title 2025 at the iconic Maulana Azad Stadium, Jammu, today. The mega sporting event will witness participation of more than 100 International and National Dangal stars who will compete for the Rustam-e-Jammu Kashmir Title 2025. The competition will also feature open-category bouts with prominent national and international wrestlers. We have a report:

 

“The championship will bring together professional wrestlers from India, Iran, and several other countries, making it one of the biggest wrestling events ever organized in the Union Territory. The event intends to revive and showcase the region’s rich Dangal heritage while providing a global platform for the athletes. The newly introduced Rustam-e-Jammu Kashmir title is open to the wrestlers above 85 kg, with the champion set to receive Rs. 50 thousand along with the traditional Gurj (Gadda) and Patta.  The mega sporting event, organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council, aims to promote unity, strength, fitness, and cultural pride through the traditional sport of wrestling. This is N. Gulshan Raina For Akashvani News from Jammu.”

 

 

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India and the Netherlands have announced the establishment of India-Netherlands Joint Trade and Investment Committee (JTIC) through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The JTIC marks an important milestone in further strengthening bilateral trade, investment, and economic cooperation between the two countries.

The MoU was signed between the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and, was formally announced yesterday on the occasion of the visit of Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel to India.

 

 

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In the Under-19 Asia Cup Cricket, India registered a commanding eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the semi-final in Dubai last evening to set up the title clash with Pakistan.
Put in to bat, Sri Lanka were restricted to 138 for 8 by India in the rain-hit match reduced to 20 overs per side after heavy showers delayed the start of the play. In reply, India overhauled the target of 139 runs for the loss of just two wickets in 18 overs.
In the other semi-final, Pakistan knocked out defending champions Bangladesh with a resounding eight-wicket victory. The Summit Clash between India and Pakistan will take place in Dubai tomorrow.

 

 

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In Men’s Cricket, India defeated South Africa by 30 runs in the fifth and final T20 International to clinch the series 3-1 in Ahmedabad last night. Put into bat, India posted 231 for the loss of five wickets in 20 overs. Tilak Varma with 73 runs and Hardik Pandya with 63 made valuable contribution. Hardik smashed a fifty in just 16 balls, becoming the second-fastest Indian to reach the milestone. For South Africa, Corbin Bosch took two wickets, while Ottneil Baartman and George Linde claimed one each.
Chasing a target of 232 runs, the visitors were restricted to 201 for the loss of eight wickets in 20 overs.

 

 

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In Badminton, star Men’s Doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will take on Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang of China in the semifinals of season-ending BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China today. Seeded third, Satwik and Chirag last evening became the first Indian Men’s Doubles pair to reach the semi-finals of the tournament, topping Group B.

 

 

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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,

 

  • Lok Sabha clocks 111% productivity and Rajya Sabha 121% as stormy Parliament session ends, writes The Tribune.
  • “Violence grips Bangladesh; media houses torched, Indian Missions targeted,” headlines The Statesman.
  • “97 lakh electors deleted in Tamil Nadu, 74 lakh in Gujarat” reports The Hindu.
  • Three headlines on the pollution in Delhi appear on the front page of Hindustan Times. “Orange alert as fog, bad air to smother Delhi’s weekend,” “Construction on across city despite GRAP 4 restriction,” and “Centre gives NCR one week to clean up air.”
  • And finally, Attacked by villagers in Jharkhand’s Ramgarh area, elephant herds have killed six people in the last 72 hours, reports The Times of India.

 

 

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN,

 

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi to launch National Highway projects worth 3,200 crore rupees in Nadia district of West Bengal today.

 

  • Prime Minister to also travel to Assam on a two-day visit this afternoon; To unveil several development projects worth 15,600 crore rupees in the state.

 

  • Home Minister Amit Shah says, government’s next-generation initiatives strengthened urban development, laying roadmap for world-class infrastructure in the country.

 

  • India and the Netherlands announce establishment of Joint Trade and Investment Committee to boost economic cooperation.

 

  • In Under-19 Asia Cup Cricket, India beat Sri Lanka by eight-wickets in Dubai to set up title clash with Pakistan.

 

  • Men in Blue defeat South Africa by 30 runs in fifth and final T-20 in Ahmedabad to clinch the series 3-1.

 

 

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