THE HEADLINES:-
- Union Cabinet approves international potato Centre in Agra, Jharia coalfield rehabilitation plan and Pune Metro Phase-II Extension.
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah releases ‘The Emergency Diaries’ book on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role in fight against Emergency; Says memories of emergency must be kept alive to prevent repetition.
- History made with Shubhanshu Shukla’s lift off for Axiom-4 Mission; Becomes first Indian to go to space in 40 years.
- CBSE announces twice a year board exams for Class 10th from next year.
- NATO members to boost defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP by 2035.
- Iranian parliament approves bill suspending cooperation with International Atomic Energy Agency.
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The government has taken the decision for establishing the International Potato Centre South Asia Regional Centre at Agra in Uttar Pradesh. Briefing media on the decisions taken by the Union Cabinet under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that this will help in increasing food and nutrition security, farmers income, and job creation by improving potato and sweet potato productivity, post-harvest management and value-addition.
Mr. Vaishnaw said, the government has also given its nod for the revised master plan for rehabilitation of Jharia coalfield in Jharkhand.
Mr. Vaishnaw also informed that the government has approved the proposal for extension of Pune Metro Rail Project Phase-II at a cost of three thousand 626 crore rupees. He said, additional length of 12.75 kilometers will be added as the new metro line with 13 stations.
The Minister said that the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister passed a resolution on the observance of 50 years since the proclamation of emergency. He said, the government resolves to commemorate and honour the sacrifices of countless individuals who valiantly resisted the Emergency. The Minister said a resolution has been passed on the successful launch of the space mission Axiom-4 Mission. He said, the Union Cabinet welcomed the launch of the Mission carrying astronauts from India, Hungary, Poland and the US.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lauded the cabinet decisions saying that his government is fully committed to the welfare of farmers across the country. In a series of social media posts, the Prime Minister said, the government has approved the establishment of the South Asia Regional Center of the International Potato Center in Agra. He said, this will greatly benefit farmers associated with potato production.
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Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas was observed today. It served as a reminder of what happened when the Constitution of India was trampled over on 25th June 1975. It was also a day to pay homage to all those who suffered due to the excesses of the Emergency.
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah today released a book ‘The Emergency Diaries-Years that forged a leader’ in New Delhi. The book delves into the compelling role of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, then a young RSS Pracharak, played in the fight against Emergency. During the event, the Union Home Minister flagged off the Loktantra Zindabad Yatra. The yatra will travel across the country with the aim to spread awareness about constitutional values and the lessons learned from the Emergency.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Shah highlighted the atrocities faced by the people during the emergency. He pointed out that all must keep the memories of the emergency alive so that it is never repeated.
Divided into five chapters, this book uncovers how the Emergency influenced young Narendra Modi’s understanding of state power, political mobilization and the role of a healthy opposition. More from our correspondent:
“The book mentioned that the Emergency remains a powerful reference point in India’s democratic journey, a shocking example of how fragile civil liberties and institutional independence can become under concentrated power whose sole aim is the perpetuation of dynastic rule. Prime Minister Narendra Modi often recalls that the believers of democracy fought a prolonged war, and the great nation that India is where the spirit of democracy pervades the very being of all its people, the strenght of that spirit was demonstrated when the oppurtunity of election came. Mr. Modi stressed to further fortify that legacy. The book remarked that commemorating the emergency serves as an unforgettable reminder that democracy must never be compromised and that constitution rights must always be defended. ANUPAM MISHRA, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI. ”
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In a historic moment for the country, Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla took off in to space today on the Axiom-4 mission. Shukla is the first Indian in over four decades to be in space after Rakesh Sharma. The Mission was launched from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, United States at 12.01 pm Indian Standard Time today.
The Indian Space Research Organisation said, the Axiom-4 will dock with the International Space Station (ISS) at 4:30 PM IST tomorrow.
Group Captain Shukla sent a message from space saying it is an amazing ride. He said this journey is not a beginning to the International Space Station but to India’s Human Space Programme.
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A total of three thousand 154 Indian nationals have been brought to India from Iran under Operation Sindhu. A flight carrying 296 Indian and four Nepalese nationals arrived in New Delhi from Mashhad, Iran this evening.
Apart from this, a total of eight hundred and 18 Indian nationals have returned home from Israel so far as part of Operation Sindhu.
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The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) today announced that Class 10 board exams will be held in two terms starting from next year. According to the new framework, the initial examination will take place in February which will be compulsory for all students. The subsequent examination in May will be optional for those students who seek to enhance their performance. All passed students will be allowed to improve their performance in any of the three subjects out of Science, Mathematics, Social Science and languages. The results for the two phases will be announced in April and June, respectively.
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The 198th Board Meeting of the Inland Waterways Authority of India – IWAI was held today in Delhi. Key decisions pertaining to the development of national waterways for advancement of Inland Water Transport (IWT) sector were taken during the meeting. For Inland Water Transport development in the North East, the Board approved the proposal of setting up three tourist jetties in Silghat, Bishwanath Ghat and Guijan and a tourist-cum-cargo jetty in Neamati in Assam.
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All NATO members have agreed to raise defence and security spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2035. In a declaration at the NATO summit in The Hague, the leaders stated that the defence pledge will consist of investments of at least 3.5 percent of GDP per year in core defence requirements. They also vowed to spend up to 1.5 percent of GDP on security-related expenditures, including the protection of critical infrastructure and the strengthening of the alliance’s defence industrial base.
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The Iranian Parliament today approved a bill suspending cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Iranian media reported that the decision followed recent U.S. strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites in Esfahan, Fordow, and Natanz.
The bill, which must be approved by Iran’s Guardian Council to become law, stipulates that any future inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would need approval by the Supreme National Security Council.
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The benchmark domestic equity indices today ended with gains of more than 0.8 percent, buoyed by positive global cues and broad-based buying across most sectors. The 30-share index at the Bombay Stock Exchange, Sensex, surged 700 points to close at 82,756. The National Stock Exchange Nifty-50, rose 200 points to settle at 25,245.
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that heavy to very heavy rainfall activity is likely to continue over Northwest, Central, East and Northeast parts of the country during the next 7 days. According to IMD, heavy to very heavy rainfall with isolated extremely heavy rainfall very likely at isolated places over Gujarat Region and Odisha.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN.
- Union Cabinet approves international potato Centre in Agra, Jharia coalfield rehabilitation plan and Pune Metro Phase-II Extension.
- CBSE announces twice a year board exams for Class 10th from next year.
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah releases ‘The Emergency Diaries’ book on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role in fight against Emergency; Says memories of emergency must be kept alive to prevent repetition.
- History made with Shubhanshu Shukla’s lift off for Axiom-4 Mission; Becomes first Indian to go to space in 40 years.
- NATO members to boost defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP by 2035.
- Iranian parliament approves bill suspending cooperation with International Atomic Energy Agency.
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