THE HEADLINES:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates and lays foundation stone of multiple development projects in Maharashtra; Says every decision and policy of the government is dedicated to Viksit Bharat.
- More than 61 per cent voters exercise their franchise for Single phase Assembly Elections in Haryana.
- DRDO successfully conducts flight tests of 4th Generation Very Short Range Air Defence System at Pokhran in Rajasthan.
- Situation continues to escalate in West Asia as Israel hints at intensifying its operations on multiple fronts.
- And in Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup, Australia beat Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in Group A fixture at Sharjah; Second match between England and Bangladesh underway.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that it is necessary to make cities like Mumbai and Thane future-ready to achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat. While inaugurating and laying the foundation stone for various projects worth over 32,800 crore rupees in Thane district of Maharashtra, he said every decision, resolution and dream of the Union Government is dedicated to Viksit Bharat.
Mr. Modi emphasized that the developmental projects are changing the face of Mumbai and will immensely benefit the people. The Prime Minister said, these projects will create new employment opportunities along with the growth of industries.
Prime Minister Modi criticised the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi for stalling the projects when their coalition was in power.
On Marathi language being conferred the status of Classical Language, the Prime Minister emphasized that it is not just respect towards Maharashtra and the Marathi language but an ode to the tradition which gave India a rich culture of knowledge, philosophy, spirituality and literature.
The projects launched by the Prime Minister in Maharashtra today included Agriculture Infrastructure, fund release in various welfare schemes, Electricity projects, rail and road infrastructure among others. During a day-long visit to poll bound state, the Prime Minister attended programmes at Washim, Thane and Mumbai. In Thane, among the key inaugurations was the BKC to Aarey JVLR section of Mumbai Metro Line-3. The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for the Thane Integral Ring Metro Rail Project and the Elevated Eastern Freeway Extension from Chheda Nagar to Anand Nagar in Thane. He also laid the foundation stone for Phase-1 of the Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area – NAINA project, as well as a high-rise administrative building for the Thane Municipal Corporation. The initiatives launched in Washim district include disbursing the 18th installment of the PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi, the dedication of more than 7,500 projects under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, 9,200 Farmer Producer Organizations, five solar parks across Maharashtra and the launch of Unified Genomic Chip for cattle and indigenous sex-sorted semen technology. With C Prarthana, Madhuri Pange, Aakashvani News, Mumbai.
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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today promised to remove the 50 per cent cap on reservations and conduct a caste-based survey in the country. Addressing the Samvidhan Samman Sammelan in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, Mr. Gandhi described these two steps as crucial for safeguarding the Indian Constitution. He said, along with the caste census, conducting a socio-economic survey and assessing the participation of various communities in key institutions in India is also essential.
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Polling for the sinlge phased assembly elections in Haryana concluded peacefully. More than 61 percent voting was recorded till 6.00 PM. Our correspondent reports that much enthusiasm was seen among the youth, elderly and disabled people for polling. Even some elders above 100 years of age went to the polling booths and cast their votes.
The political future of 1031 candidates contesting the assembly elections today is locked in the EVM, which will now be revealed on 8th of October, the day of counting. The prominent politicians whose political future was at stake today include Acting Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, former Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, former Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij, INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala and wrestler-turned-politician Vinesh Phogat, former Union Minister Birender Singh’s son Brijendra Singh and young leaders like Shruti Choudhary and Aditya Surjewala. Ashwani Kumar Sharma, Akashvani News, Chandigarh.
Counting of votes for Haryana Assembly Elections along with Jammu and Kashmir will take place on Tuesday.
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Jharkhand BJP today released five key points, namely “Panch Pran” of its manifesto for the upcoming Assembly Elections in the state. Releasing the brief manifesto in the presence of Jharkhand Assembly Election In-Charge Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Co-In-Charge Himanta Biswa Sarma, State BJP Chief Babulal Marandi said each woman in the state will be given two thousand one hundred rupees per month under the “Gogo-Didi” Yojana. All families will be provided an LPG cylinder at a cost of five hundred rupees, and two free cylinders will be given on the occasion of two festivals. Unemployed graduate and postgraduate youths will receive two thousand rupees per month for two years.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah today hailed the new sales record achieved by Khadi India. Products worth 2 crore, 1 lakh, and 37 thousand rupees were sold in just one day at the Khadi Bhawan in New Delhi on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. In a social media post, Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed this achievement encouraging.
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Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar has said that the Northeast is the heart and soul of the country. Addressing a private event in New Delhi, Mr. Dhankhar emphasized that the Northeast is not just a geographic region but a vibrant tapestry of cultures, traditions, and natural beauty that embodies the essence of India. Speaking about Look East Policy, the Vice President said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken it to the next level.
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The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully conducted three flight tests of the 4th Generation Very Short Range Air Defence System at the Pokhran Field Firing Ranges in Rajasthan. The tests, conducted in the last two days, were carried out against high-speed targets, demonstrating very critical parameters of maximum range and maximum altitude interception. The Ministry of Defence, in a statement, said that these development trials showcased the repeatability of the hit-to-kill capability of the weapon system in various target engagement scenarios covering approaching, receding, and crossing modes.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has congratulated DRDO, the Armed Forces, and the industry involved in the successful development trials. He said this new missile, equipped with modern technologies, will give a further technological boost to the Armed Forces against aerial threats.
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The situation continues to escalate amid rising hostilities in West Asia. An Israeli strike targeted the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli early this morning marking the first time the city has been hit amid ongoing tensions. This comes after a series of bombardments in the suburbs of Beirut recently as Israeli forces attempted to conduct new ground attacks into southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, the Israeli military has signaled plans to escalate its operations on multiple fronts, as the anniversary of the 7 October attacks approaches. Reports indicate that preparations are underway for a response to the Iranian attack earlier this week.
This announcement comes amid rising tensions across the region. In Gaza, the Israeli military has issued a new evacuation order for Palestinians near the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza, signalling the likelihood of intense military action. Israeli forces are preparing to use “great force” against Hamas in a bid to dismantle the group’s presence in the area.
Meanwhile, air raids continue to devastate Gaza, with at least 12 people reported dead since Saturday morning. The airstrikes follow a pattern of increasing intensity, with waves of attacks targeting key locations in the besieged region. In Lebanon, the potential successor to slain Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has been out of contact since Friday, according to a Lebanese security source. This comes after an Israeli airstrike reportedly targeted him. Beyond Gaza, the conflict is also spreading into northern Lebanon, where an Israeli strike killed a Hamas commander, Saeed Attallah Ali, along with his wife and two daughters near Tripoli. The escalation extends to the southern suburbs of Beirut, where Israeli air raids continue to target Hezbollah strongholds.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, U.S. Central Command forces launched strikes on 15 Houthi targets in Iranian-backed, Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
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In a related development, Emirates Airlines has implemented a ban on pagers and walkie-talkies for all passengers travelling to, from, or via Dubai. The decision comes in the wake of last month’s attacks on Hezbollah, which reportedly involved explosive communication devices.
Emirates Airlines has also announced several flight suspensions. Flights to Iraq and Iran will remain suspended until Tuesday, while services to Jordan are set to resume on Sunday. However, flights to Lebanon will remain suspended until October 15th.
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External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has said, India will not engage in discussions with Pakistan regarding its relations at the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Islamabad. He said this while interacting with the media, during the Sardar Patel lecture on Governance organised by the IC Centre for Governance in New Delhi today. Dr Jaishankar emphasized that his participation would be focused on the multilateral nature of the event.
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An outbreak of cholera has killed at least 359 people in 33 Nigerian states between January and September this year. In an update on the cholera outbreak in the capital city, Abuja, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) confirmed a surge in the number of suspected cases, which has risen to 10,837 this year.
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In Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup, Australia beat Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in group A fixture at Sharjay today. Australia successfully chased down the target of 94 runs set by Sri Lanka, in 14.2 overs losing 4 wickets. Batting first after winning the toss, Sri Lanka scored 93 runs, losing seven wickets. For Sri Lanka, Nilakshi de Silva was top scorer with 29 runs, while for Australia, Megan Schutt took three wickets.
In a Group B fixture, the match between England and Bangladesh is underway at the same venue. England won the toss and opted to bat first. The England women’s team set a target of 118 runs for Bangladesh.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates and lays foundation stone of multiple development projects in Maharashtra; Says every decision and policy of the government is dedicated to Viksit Bharat.
- More than 61 per cent voters exercise their franchise for Single phase Assembly Elections in Haryana.
- DRDO successfully conducts flight tests of 4th Generation Very Short Range Air Defence System at Pokhran in Rajasthan.
- Situation continues to escalate in West Asia as Israel hints at intensifying its operations on multiple fronts.
- And in Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup, Australia beat Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in Group A fixture at Sharjah; Second match between England and Bangladesh underway.
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