THE HEADLINES
• Eighty five new Kendriya Vidyalayas and 28 Navodaya Vidyalayas to be opened across the country; Nearly one lakh students to receive affordable, high-quality education, says Central Government.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, 21st Century belongs to Asia and the east and Northeast India holds great potential to propel country’s growth.
• Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan says, government will fix MSP at more than 50 per cent of production cost.
• Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to visit Bangladesh to discuss all issues of mutual interest.
• Government launches 24 X 7 Indian Sign Language channel, PM e-Vidya.
• And, India’s under-19 cricket team storms into final of Men’s Asia Cup in Dubai beating Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the Semifinal.
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The Cabinet has approved the opening of 85 new Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) across the country and the expansion of the existing Kendra Vidyalaya in Shivamogga, Karnataka, by adding two additional sections in all the classes. The total estimated requirement of funds is 5,872.08 crore rupees. Briefing media after the Cabinet meeting in New Delhi this evening, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the opening of these new KVs will provide an opportunity for around 82,560 students to receive affordable, high-quality education across the nation. This decision will lead to the creation of 5,388 regular posts.
The Minister also announced that 28 new Navodaya Vidyalayas will be opened in the uncovered districts of the country under the Navodaya Vidyalaya Scheme. This will benefit over 15,680 students and lead to the creation of 1,316 regular posts. The approved amount for the creation of the new Navodaya Vidyalayas is 2,360 crore rupees.
The Cabinet also approved the Rithala-Kundli corridor of the Delhi Metro Phase-IV project consisting of 26.463 kilometers. Mr Vaishnaw said, it will further enhance connectivity between the national capital and neighboring Haryana. It is scheduled to be completed in four years from the date of its sanction. Mr. Vaishnaw said with this, Delhi Metro will become one of the largest metro networks in the world.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, the Northeast holds immense potential to propel the country’s growth. He added that the 21st century belongs to the East, to the Asia, and to India. Mr. Modi underscored that several northeastern cities have huge potential, similar to other big cities in the country. The Prime Minister was speaking after inaugurating the Ashtalakshmi Mahotsav at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
Highlighting the importance of the Ashtalakshmi Mahotsav, Mr. Modi said, this is the first and unique event which will open huge investment opportunities in the Northeastern states. He added that the government is connecting the Northeast with the trinity of Emotion, Economy, and Ecology.
The Prime Minister added that the North East had a major role to play in the solutions that today’s India wants to give to the world related to healthy lifestyle and nutrition.
The three-day Ashtalakshmi Mahotsav highlights the vast cultural tapestry ofNortheast India, bringing together an array of traditional arts, crafts, and cultural practices.
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Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today assured that the government will fix the Minimum Support Price at more than 50 per cent of the production cost and also procure the produce from farmers. During Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Mr. Chouhan emphasized that Congress had previously denied farmers the Minimum Support Price for their crops. He highlighted that, in contrast, the Central Government has consistently increased the MSP over the last decade.
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Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr L Murugan has said that his Ministry supports and promotes adoption of emerging technologies in the broadcasting sector by issuing appropriate policy directions from time to time. He said, Prasar Bharati continuously upgrades the Akashvani and Doordarshan networks by adopting emerging technologies in the broadcasting sector like digitalization of network and upgradation to latest equipment. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today, the Minister said, Prasar Bharati has also entered into an MoU with IIT-Kanpur for Direct to Mobile D2M broadcasting technology.
Replying to another question, the Minister said, Government is committed to take all possible actions to control the spread of fake and misleading information which has the potential to weaken the democracy and create fissures in society.
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Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned till Monday following uproar on different issues today. The Rajya Sabha was adjourned after a ruckus by the treasury bench members on the issue of the cash row, while the Lok Sabha was adjourned amidst protests by opposition members on BJP MP Nishikant Dubey’s allegation against Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders.
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The BJP today took a dig at Congress following the recovery of a bundle of currency notes from the bench of Party MP Abhishek Manu Singhavi in the Rajya Sabha chamber. Talking to the media after Parliament, the Party’s spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said, the Congress leaders have so much money that they do not even bother to account for the money left behind. He added that since no leader came to collect the money, it raises doubts about the sources of the money, with people wondering whose money it is.
Meanwhile, Mr. Singhvi clarified that he only carries one 500-rupee note when he goes to the Upper House. He said, yesterday his total stay in the House was three minutes adding that he finds it bizarre that even such issues are being raised.
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Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today chaired the first pre-budget consultation with leading economists in New Delhi for the upcoming union budget. Along with the finance minister, Minister of State for finance Pankaj Chaudhary, Finance Secretary and Chief Economic Adviser also attended the meeting.
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Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today launched the PM e-Vidya DTH 24×7 channel for Indian Sign Language (ISL) in New Delhi. The ministry said the channel will disseminate learning content for schoolchildren, teachers, educators, and other stakeholders. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Pradhan said this channel is a bridge to facilitate communication and will make society more inclusive and progressive.
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In Uttar Pradesh, at least 8 people were killed and around 18 were seriously injured in a road accident on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway in Kannauj district today. The accident took place when a double-decker bus traveling from Lucknow to Delhi lost control and overturned after colliding with a truck parked on the expressway. The injured were admitted to Saifai Medical College.
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The Bihar Public Service Commission, BPSC, has appealed to the aspirants not to be misled by rumors, as there is no consideration of the normalization process in the BPSC State Civil Services Examination. BPSC Secretary, Satya Prakash Verma has said, the commission has not mentioned a single line about normalization in the advertisement for the 70th Combined Civil Services Examination. Several candidates today protested outside the BPSC office in Patna over the potential implementation of the normalization process.
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Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is scheduled to visit Bangladesh for Foreign Office Consultations on the 9th of this month. Briefing media in New Delhi this afternoon, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said this is part of India’s structured interactions with the Bangladesh side. He said Mr Misri will discuss all issues of mutual interest with his Bangladesh counterpart.
On the Syria situation, the spokesperson said, India is closely following the situation and Indian Mission remains in close contact with its nationals for their safety and security.
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The India under-19 cricket team has stormed into the final of the Men’s Under-19 Asia Cup in Dubai. India beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the Semifinal, chasing down the 174-run target in just 21.4 overs. Vaibhav Suryavanshi was the highest scorer with 67 runs off 36 balls. Sri Lanka had won the toss and decided to bat. In the other semi-final, Bangladesh defeated Pakistan by seven wickets.
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In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test cricket, hosts Australia were 86 for 1 at stumps against India on day one of the second Test at Adelaide today. They still trail by 94 runs in the pink ball test.
Earlier, visitors were all out for 180 as their top order collapsed once again. Mitchell Starc claimed 6 wickets while Pat Cummins and Scott Boland bagged two wickets each. Nitish Reddy was the highest scorer with 42 runs. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat first.
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast dense fog conditions at isolated places over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura during night and morning hours tomorrow. The weather agency said squally weather conditions are likely to prevail over southern parts of the southeast Bay of Bengal tomorrow. The IMD has advised fishermen not to venture into these areas.
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In the Netherlands, severe winds forced the cancellation of over 100 flights at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol today and also affected railways, road traffic and waterways.
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Domestic benchmark equity indices ended marginally lower in today’s volatile session, snapping their five-day winning streak. The 30-share BSE Sensex shed 57 points to close at 81,709 and the NSE Nifty50 dipped 31 points to settle at 24,678.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN.
• Eighty five new Kendriya Vidyalayas and 28 Navodaya Vidyalayas to be opened across the country; Nearly one lakh students to receive affordable, high-quality education, says Central Government.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, 21st Century belongs to Asia and the east and Northeast India holds great potential to propel country’s growth.
• Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan says, government will fix MSP at more than 50 per cent of production cost.
• Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to visit Bangladesh to discuss all issues of mutual interest.
• Government launches 24 X 7 Indian Sign Language channel, PM e-Vidya.
• And, India’s under-19 cricket team storms into final of Men’s Asia Cup in Dubai beating Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the Semifinal.
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