THE HEADLINES:
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls upon police to convert challenge posed due to digital frauds, cyber crimes and AI into opportunity.
• Judicial panel members begin investigation into Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal violence case.
• Delhi court sends AAP MLA Naresh Balyan to two-day police custody in connection with extortion case.
• Congress and Aam Aadmi Party to go alone in upcoming Delhi Assembly elections.
• GST collections rises 8.5 per cent to 1.82 lakh crore rupees in November this year.
• Cyclone Fengal weakness into a deep depression; IMD issues red alert for extremely heavy rainfall for Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, South Andhra Pradesh and Kerala tomorrow.
• And, In Badminton, Indian shuttlers dominate Syed Modi International Tournament in Lucknow; PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen clinch singles titles.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called upon the police to convert the challenge posed due to threats like digital frauds, cyber crimes and Artificial intelligence (AI) technology into an opportunity. He asked the police to harness country’s strengths in Artificial Intelligence and ‘Aspirational India’. Mr Modi was speaking on the concluding day of All India Conference of Directors General and Inspectors General of Police at Bhubaneswar in Odisha today. The Prime Minister noted that wide ranging discussions were held during the three-day conference, on national and international dimensions of security challenges. He expressed satisfaction on the counter strategies which emerged from the discussions.
“The all-India Director Generals and Inspector Generals of Police Conference at Bhubaneswar chalked out roadmaps to counter existing and emerging national security challenges, including Left Wing Extremists, coastal security, narcotics, cyber crime and economic security. The progress in the implementation of the new criminal laws and initiatives and best practices in policing was also previewed during the conference. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the 3-day conference on its second and final day and reviewed the security issues in different states and union territories. Significant emphasis was given in the conference for better coordination among states and union territories to face challenges on different security-related issues. Prakash Dash, Akashvani News, Bhubaneswar.”
The Prime Minister distributed President’s Police Medals for Distinguished Service to officers of the Intelligence Bureau during the valedictory session.
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In Uttar Pradesh, members of the judicial inquiry commission formed to investigate the violence that took place during the second survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal reached the mosque and started their enquiry.
The commission headed by retired high court judge Devendra Kumar Arora and also comprising former state police chief Arvind Kumar Jain and retired IAS officer Amit Mohan Prasad was formed by the State government to inquire into the violence that killed four people and left around 25 others including policemen injured. Meanwhile, the situation in Sambhal is returning to normalcy.
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The Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi today sent Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Naresh Balyan to a two-day police custody in connection with an extortion case and his alleged links to gangster Kapil Sangwan.
MLA Naresh Balyan was arrested by Delhi Police’s Crime branch yesterday after recovering an audio clip of a conversation between the AAP leader and the gangster, reportedly based in London, during an investigation. The conversation allegedly involved discussions about collecting ransom money from businessmen.
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Former Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal has ruled out any alliance of his party in the forthcoming Assembly elections in Delhi. Mr Kejriwal stated this while replying to a question about alliance in the upcoming elections, during a press conference in New Delhi. AAP has already released its first list of 11 candidates for the upcoming assembly polls.
Meanwhile, Congress has also ruled out forming any alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party in the forthcoming assembly elections in Delhi. Briefing media in the national capital today, Delhi Congress President Devender Yadav said that party will field its candidates on all 70 assembly seats. He claimed that Congress suffered a lot in the Lok Sabha elections due to alliance with AAP.
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Delhi BJP will launch Parivartan Yatra from 8th of this month for the upcoming Delhi Assembly Elections. Briefing the media in New Delhi, Delhi BJP Chief Virendra Sachdeva said that this will be a pad yatra which will simultaneously begin from all the seven Lok Sabha constituencies and cover one State Assembly constituency each day. Party leaders and workers will interact with local citizens, RWAs and senior citizens, highlighting the AAP led Delhi Government’s alleged failure in fulfilling the aspirations of the people in the national capital. The Yatra will likely continue till the 20th of this month.
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Caretaker Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde has reiterated his full and unconditional support for the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate in Maharashtra, stating that the people have delivered a historic mandate in favour of the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance. Speaking to reporters in Satara before returning to Mumbai, Mr Shinde mentioned that he had retreated to his native village to take a break after a hectic election schedule.
Mr Shinde informed that the chief ministerial candidate will be decided by tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) has appointed MLA Jitendra Awhad as its leader in the legislative assembly. NCP(SP) state president Jayant Patil made this announcement today in Mumbai at a press conference following a meeting of the newly elected legislators. Mr Patil also declared that Rohit Patil has been appointed as the party’s Chief Whip, while Uttam Jankar has been entrusted with the responsibility of Whip.
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Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, Jagat Prakash Nadda appealed to the common people to show sensitivity towards HIV AIDS infected persons and to protect the human rights of infected persons. Mr. Nadda was addressing the program organized on World AIDS Day in Indore, Madhya Pradesh today. He said that the Central Government has worked to stop any kind of discrimination with infected persons through HIV Protection Act 2017.
“Mr. Nadda informed that the government has started implementing the test and treat policy and the result is that now there has been a 79 percent reduction in deaths due to AIDS in the country. There has also been a 44 percent reduction in new infections. Referring to India’s development journey in the medical field, he said that India has succeeded in making the cheapest and most effective medicine for the disease. He informed that out of 17 lakh 30 thousand known infected people in the country, now 95 percent patients have not only been identified but their treatment is also going on. Mr Nadda expressed hope that India will be free from the disease by 2030. Sanjeev Sharma, Akashvani News, Bhopal.”
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The total gross Goods and Services Tax, GST collections grew 8.5 per cent to over 1.82 lakh crore rupees in November this year as compared to the same month last year. The total gross GST revenue in November last year was 1.68 lakh crore rupees. The Central GST collection in November this year stood at 34 thousand 141 crore rupees and State GST is at 43 thousand 47 crore rupees. The Integrated IGST collected amounts to 91 thousand 828 crore rupees and cess is at 13 thousand 253 crores.
In October, Gross GST collection had grown 9 percent to over 1.87 lakh crore rupees, the second-highest ever, mainly due to rise in domestic sales and improved compliance.
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Finance Ministry has said that the Unified Payments Interface, UPI achieved a milestone by processing nearly 16.58 billion financial transactions in a single month in October this year. UPI processed around 23.49 lakh crore rupees across 16.58 billion financial transactions in October. This marks 45 percent year-on-year growth as compared to October last year.
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Coal Ministry has achieved a milestone in November, with overall coal production reaching 90.62 million tonnes compared to 84.52 MT in the same month last year. This marks a 7.20 percent growth in coal production. Meanwhile, coal production for 2024-25 up to November has reached 628.03 MT, compared to 591.32 MT during the same period in 2023-24. This reflects a growth of 6.21 percent. Coal Ministry said in a statement that it remains committed to meeting the nation’s energy requirements by focusing on increasing production, improving dispatch efficiency, and ensuring seamless coal availability across the country.
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Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions has said that a total of one crore 30 lakhs Digital Life Certificates, DLCs were generated during the DLC Campaign 3.0. The campaign was launched on the 1st of last month to simplify digital life certificate submissions particularly for super senior pensioners. It was the largest ever campaign conducted for Improving Pensioners Welfare in the country, concluded yesterday.
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Life in Puducherry and adjoining areas continues to remain disrupted following Cyclone Fengal, which brought record-breaking rainfall not seen in the region for 30 years. The Meteorological Department reported 48.37 cm of rainfall in Puducherry from yesterday morning till today morning, marking the highest cumulative 24-hour rainfall in three decades. While the rains subsided this afternoon, occasional light showers and moderate winds continue to hamper recovery efforts.
According to the latest alert from the Meteorological Department, Cyclone Fengal, which made landfall near Puducherry last night, has weakened into a deep depression. The system remains stationary over north coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and is expected to move westward slowly, weakening further into a depression over north Tamil Nadu in the next 12 hours.
“Severe waterlogging continues to plague multiple areas in Puducherry, leaving hundreds of residents stranded in their homes. Many housing colonies remain inundated, with rainwater entering homes and submerging parked vehicles. Rescue operations are ongoing, with the Army’s Chennai Garrison Battalion and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) evacuating affected residents. Approximately 120 relief centers have been opened across Puducherry to shelter displaced people. Under the Disaster Management Act, all government and private colleges, as well as private schools, have been designated as relief facilities to accommodate those in need. The government has declared holiday for all schools and colleges in Puducherry for tomorrow. Cyclone Fengal has caused widespread damage to infrastructure, with uprooted trees disrupting power and internet services. The electricity supply, cut off since last evening, is yet to be restored in most areas. This is Bibin S Nath, Puducherry.”
India Meteorological Department, IMD issued red alert for Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and South Andhra Pradesh today due to the impact of Cyclonic Storm Fengal. Met department has also issued red alert for Kerala and Puducherry tomorrow as extremely heavy rainfall may occur. Very heavy rainfall is also likely over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and South Interior Karnataka tomorrow.
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The 25th edition of the Hornbill Festival, one of Nagaland’s most iconic cultural events commenced with grand opening showcasing the state’s rich cultural heritage on the global stage.
“The grand opening ceremony of the 25th Hornbill Festival marked the beginning of the 10 day festival here at the Naga Heritage Village, Kisama. The festival was officially opened by the beating of Naga traditional Gong by the Governor of Nagaland La Ganesan and Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio. Governor of Nagaland and Chief Host La Ganesan and Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio who is also the host of the festival addressed the gathering. Ambassadors and dignitaries from the four Country Partners also addressed the event. The presence of Padma Bhushan, Grammy, and Oscar-winning composer Dr. A. R. Rahman stole the show as he enthralled the gathering with one of his hit songs. The 10 day festival will witness Nagaland’s culture and heritage on full display spread across the festival venue and various part of the districts of Nagaland. For Akashvani News Asonuo from Kohima.”
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In Badminton, ace Indian Shuttlers PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen were crowned the Singles champions at the Syed Modi International Tournament in Lucknow today.
Two-time Olympic medallist and top seed, Sindhu clinched Women’s Singles title, overpowering China’s Wu Luo Yu, 21-14, 21-16 in the final today.
Lakshya Sen drubbed Singapore’s Jia Heng Jason Teh 21-6, 21-7 in final to win Men’s Singles title.
Earlier, Indian pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand won the Women’s Doubles title. The second seed Indian team defeated Chinese duo Bao Li Jing and Li Qian, 21-18, 21-11 in the Summit Clash.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls upon police to convert challenge posed due to digital frauds, cyber crimes and AI into opportunity.
• Judicial panel members begin investigation into Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal violence case.
• Delhi court sends AAP MLA Naresh Balyan on two-day police custody in connection with extortion case.
• Congress and Aam Aadmi Party to go alone in upcoming Delhi Assembly elections.
• GST collections rises 8.5 per cent to 1.82 lakh crore rupees in November this year.
• Cyclone Fengal weakness into a deep depression; IMD issues red alert for extremely heavy rainfall for Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, South Andhra Pradesh and Kerala tomorrow.
• And, In Badminton, Indian shuttlers dominate Syed Modi International Tournament in Lucknow; PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen clinch singles titles.
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