THE HEADLINES:
• Government gives nod to National Mission on Natural Farming to revive sustainable and chemical free farming.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls for linking cooperative movement to circular economy and promoting global collaboration in the sector.
• Both Houses of Parliament adjourned for the day, amid uproar by Opposition on several issues on first day of Winter Session.
• Government announces year-long celebrations from tomorrow to commemorate 75th year of adoption of Constitution of India.
• External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar expresses concern over situation in West Asia; Asserts India unequivocally condemns terrorism and hostage-taking.
• Prasar Bharati, RailTel, and PlayboxTV launch affordable Freedom Plan on RailWire Broadband.
• And in Cricket, India register historic 295-run victory over Hosts Australia in first Test of Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth.
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The Union Cabinet has given its nod to the National Mission on Natural Farming with a total outlay of the 2,481 crore rupees. Briefing media after the Cabinet meeting in New Delhi this evening, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the Mission aims to revive natural farming for chemical free and sustainable farming.
The Mission will be implemented in 15 thousand clusters in Gram Panchayats.
The Cabinet has also approved One Nation One Subscription, a new Central Sector Scheme for providing country-wide access to scholarly research articles and journal publication, through a simple, user friendly and fully digital process. Six thousand crore rupees have been allocated for One Nation One Subscription for three calendar years-2025, 2026, and 2027.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasized the importance of linking cooperatives to the circular economy and promoting global collaboration in the sector. He added that co-operatives could help the countries of the Global South, in particular, to achieve growth. Mr Modi was addressing the gathering after inaugurating the ICA Global Cooperative Conference at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. He highlighted the government’s efforts to make cooperatives multipurpose and climate-resilient.
Prime Minister Modi said, India sees a huge role for cooperatives in the country’s future growth. He said, to strengthen Cooperative banks and increase people’s trust, his government has brought several reforms.
On the occasion, Cooperation Minister Amit Shah said the government has taken several steps in the last three years to strengthen the cooperative sector.
Speaking at the event, Prime Minister of Bhutan Dasho Tshering Tobgay, said, Cooperatives have enabled individuals particularly the poor to lift themselves out of poverty.
On the occasion, Prime Minister Modi launched a commemorative stamp on the International Year of Cooperatives 2025. The Deputy Prime Minister of Fiji Manoa Kamikamica also attended the conference. For the first time in the 130-year history of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), the Global Cooperative Conference and General Assembly are being organized in India. The five day conference will bring together cooperatives from around the globe for a series of events and discussions.
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Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day, on the first day of the Winter Session today, amid ruckus by the opposition on alleged bribery charges against a business group and other issues.
When the Rajya Sabha reassembled at 11.45 this morning after the first adjournment, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar urged the opposition Members to allow the House to function normally. As noisy scenes prevailed, the Chairman adjourned the House for the day. Earlier, when the House met in the morning, the Chairman rejected the adjournment notices given by the Opposition MPs on the alleged bribery charges against the business group, Manipur violence and other issues. The Chairman said the notices are not in conformity with the directions given by the Chair earlier.
In the Lok Sabha, when the House met again at 12 noon after the first adjournment, Members from the Congress, Samajwadi Party, DMK and others created uproar over the issues including the alleged bribery charges against a business group and the reported violence in Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh. Amid the pandemonium, the presiding officer adjourned the House for the day. Both the Houses will now meet on Wednesday.
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Earlier, speaking to media ahead of the Winter Session of Parliament this morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed hope that this session will be productive and filled with constructive debates and discussions. Mr Modi said, Parliament’s Winter Session is special for many reasons, including for the beginning of the 75th year of the Constitution’s adoption.
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The Government has announced year-long celebrations begining tomorrow to commemorate the 75th year of the adoption of the Constitution of India. The celebrations across the country will continue till the 26th of November, next year.
Providing details about the activities to be under taken as part of the celebrations, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju during a media briefing in New Delhi today said that a grand event will be organised at the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan where President Droupadi Murmu will address the members of both Houses of Parliament.
Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said, the year-long celebrations will be conducted under the campaign “Hamara Samvidhan, Hamara Swabhimaan.”
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External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar today expressed concern over the situation in West Asia, saying that India unequivocally condemns terrorism and hostage-taking. Dr. Jaishankar was speaking at the MED Mediterranean Dialogues Conference at Rome in Italy.
The External Affairs Minister said, India has been in regular touch with both Israel and Iran at the highest levels to advocate restraint and enhance communication. On the Ukraine conflict, Dr. Jaishankar stressed India’s consistent view that disputes in this era cannot be resolved through war and called for a return to dialogue and diplomacy. Dr. Jaishankar reached Rome yesterday on a three-day visit to Italy.
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Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today inaugurated 227 Gender Resource Centres in 13 states under the Nayi Chetna 3.0 campaign. Speaking on the occasion, the Minister urged everyone to raise their voices to eradicate gender-based violence in the country.
The month-long campaign will run across all states and Union Territories till the 23rd of December.
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Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan unveiled the TeacherApp in New Delhi today. Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said the digital platform will empower teachers through continuous capacity building, leveraging innovative course content, technology, and community-building features.
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Prasar Bharati, RailTel, and PlayboxTV have collaborated to launch the Freedom Plan on RailWire Broadband. Chief Executive Officer of Prasar Bharati, Gaurav Dwivedi, and Chairman and Managing Director of RailTel, Sanjai Kumar, unveiled the plan at an event in New Delhi today.
The Freedom Plan is an OTT-bundled home internet plan offered by RailTel’s retail home internet service, RailWire. It provides high-speed internet at an affordable price to the masses and includes Prasar Bharati’s OTT platform WAVES.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Dwivedi said the collaboration aims to redefine digital engagement, and empower people with seamless connectivity and premium entertainment.
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News from the ongoing International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.
At IFFI today, renowned Australian filmmaker Philip Noyce stressed the importance of cost-cutting in filmmaking during a masterclass session on the theme of survival in New Hollywood. He discussed the evolving film industry, stressing that smartphones are the “studio of the future” and that emerging filmmakers will redefine cinema through innovative use of technology.Mr. Noyce is also the recipient of this year’s Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award. Bollywood actress Kriti Sanon conducted a masterclass this evening on the theme “Empowering the Change: Women Leading the Way in Cinema. A total of approximately 75 films are being screened at the festival today, including Article 370 and Under the Grey Sky.
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Domestic benchmark equity indices today extended gains for the second consecutive session amid positive domestic cues. The 30-share BSE Sensex surged 993 points to close at 80,110, while the NSE Nifty50 jumped 315 points to settle at 24,222.
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In Cricket, India registered a resounding 295 run victory over Hosts Australia in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, in Perth. The emphatic win marks one of India’s largest Test triumphs.
Virat Kohli’s unbeaten century and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s stellar knock of 161 powered India to set a daunting target of 534 runs for the hosts. Later, starting their second innings on the final day today, Australia were bundled out for 238, falling far short of the target.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN.
• Government gives nod to National Mission on Natural Farming to revive sustainable and chemical free farming.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls for linking cooperative movement to circular economy and promoting global collaboration in the sector.
• Both Houses of Parliament adjourned for the day, amid uproar by Opposition on several issues on first day of Winter Session.
• Government announces year-long celebrations from tomorrow to commemorate 75th year of adoption of Constitution of India.
• External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar expresses concern over situation in West Asia; Asserts India unequivocally condemns terrorism and hostage-taking.
• Prasar Bharati, RailTel, and PlayboxTV launch affordable Freedom Plan on RailWire Broadband.
• And in Cricket, India register historic 295-run victory over Hosts Australia in first Test of Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth.
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