THE HEADLINES:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi describes Chola Empire as ancient roadmap for New India; Says, its achievements remain source of inspiration for modern India.
- Prime Minister highlights rapid growth of space start-ups in his Mann ki Baat Programme on Akashvani, as it grew five fold in five years.
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh says, seamless logistics were key factor in success of Operation Sindoor.
- IMD forecasts extremely heavy rainfall in Gujarat today and East Rajasthan till tomorrow.
- In Cricket, Indian captain Shubman Gill hits fourth century of series in fourth Test against hosts England at Manchester.
- And in FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025 final between Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh goes into a tie break after ending in a draw.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, today described the contributions of Rajaraja Chola and Rajendra Chola as symbolic of “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat” and praised the Chola dynasty’s cultural and architectural achievements. Speaking at the valedictory function of the Aadi Thiruvathirai festival in Gangaikonda Cholapuram in Tamil Nadu today, the Prime Minister honoured the legacy of two great rulers.
The Prime Minister said that the economic and strategic advancements achieved during the Chola era remain a source of inspiration for modern India. He noted that India progressed swiftly in all directions through commercial advancement, utilization of maritime routes, and the promotion of art and culture during the Chola Empire which serves as an ancient roadmap for building a new India.
Mr Modi highlighted that the great king Rajendra Chola established the Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple, which continues to be recognised globally as an architectural wonder. Prime Minister Modi remarked that the celebration of Ganga on the land of Mother Cauveri is also a legacy of the Chola Empire.
Mr. Modi also announced that grand statues of Rajaraja Chola and his son, the illustrious ruler Rajendra Chola-I, will be installed in Tamil Nadu in the coming time. The Prime Minister released a commemorative coin in the emperor’s honor, offered prayers at the temple and held roadshows in Trichy and Gangaikonda Cholapuram. The Prime Minister also inaugurated the new terminal at Thoothukudi Airport and launched development projects worth over 4,800 crore rupees.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today expressed pride that science is progressing with renewed energy in 21st-century India. In his Mann Ki Baat program on Akashvani, Mr. Modi spoke about Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla’s return from space. The Prime Minister mentioned the rapid growth of Space start-ups in the country, pointing out that there were fewer than 50 start-ups in space sector five years ago, and the number has now increased to over 200.
Mr. Modi praised Indian students who brought glory to the nation by winning three gold, two silver, and one bronze medal at the International Chemistry Olympiad held in Dubai earlier this month. The Prime Minister stated that India has strengthened its position in the world of mathematics.
Prime Minister Modi highlighted that the Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad will be held in Mumbai next month, with students from more than 60 countries participating in the event. He remarked that this will be the largest Olympiad to date.
Mr. Modi also spoke about the Swadeshi Movement, which began on the 7th of August 1905. He mentioned that the movement gave new energy to local products, especially handloom. The Prime Minister emphasized that textiles in India are not just an economic sector but also a representation of the country’s cultural diversity.
He stressed that India’s real strength lies in the knowledge preserved in ancient manuscripts, which contain information on science, medicine, music, and philosophy. The Prime Minister said that it is the responsibility of every citizen to preserve this extraordinary heritage. He said, the government has launched a historic initiative in this year’s budget, called Gyan Bharatam Mission. The mission will digitize ancient manuscripts and create a National Digital Repository.
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In today’s Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister praised Navin Kumar, a weaver from Silao in Nalanda district in Bihar. Talking to Akashvani News Navin Kumar expressed his gratitude and said the members of Nepura Silk Primary Weavers Cooperative Committee Limited are overwhelmed.
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Goa’s capital city, Panaji, has clinched the top spot as the cleanest city in India in the category of towns with a population between 20,000 to 50,000 in the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted Panaji’s achievement and the city’s innovative waste segregation practices in his today’s Mann Ki Baat broadcast. Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant expressed his gratitude to the Prime Minister for acknowledging the cleanliness efforts of Panaji. He said that the recognition of Panaji’s transformation and the prestigious President’s Award under the Swachh Survekshan is a result of the remarkable contribution of women who have taken the lead in waste management.
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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said, the seamless logistics management was a deciding factor in the success of Operation Sindoor. The Defence Minister said this while virtually addressing the convocation ceremony of Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya in Vadodara.
Speaking on the occasion, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted the transformational changes in Indian Railways over the past 11 years. He encouraged the graduating students to contribute to India’s development journey, emphasizing the importance of innovation in the sector.
A total of 194 students received degrees in various disciplines during the convocation.
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The Lok Sabha will begin a special discussion on Operation Sindoor tomorrow, focusing on the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam and India’s response. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had earlier informed that 16 hours have been allotted for the debate, with a similar discussion scheduled in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
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In Uttar Pradesh, Kushinagar police arrested eight accused, including two women for alleged religious conversion of Hindu girls. SP Kushinagar, Santosh Kumar Mishra, said, the accused has been arrested after an application was registered by the victim’s father regarding kidnapping of his daughter and luring her into converting. The SP informed that a joint police team recovered the victim safely today and arrested a total of 8 accused.
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The Supreme Court will hear a group of petitions tomorrow challenging the Election Commission’s decision to carry out a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi is expected to take up the case. The petitioners argue the move could lead to large-scale voter disenfranchisement just ahead of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections. The Election Commission says the revision is aimed at ensuring clean voter rolls by removing ineligible names.
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President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have expressed deep sorrow over the stampede incident in Mansa Devi Temple in Haridwar today and wished a speedy recovery for the injured.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident in which at least six people were killed and 20 injured. The state government has announced a compensation of 2 lakh rupees each for the next of kin of the deceased and 50,000 rupees for those injured.
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall over Gujarat today and over East Rajasthan till tomorrow. The IMD said that heavy to very heavy rainfall likely to continue over northeastern parts of the country tomorrow. The met department predicted that Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, West Uttar Pradesh, and West Rajasthan are expected to witness heavy rainfall during the next 2-3 days.
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In Cricket, India were 347 for 4 a short while ago in their second innings against hosts England on the last day of fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Old Trafford in Manchester. India now lead by 36 runs.
Earlier, India resumed their play at the overnight score of 174 for two. Overnight batsmen K L Rahul was out for 90 runs, while Captain Shubman Gill hit his fourth century of the series, scoring 103 runs.
The Indian skipper shattered multiple world records with a brilliant century. Gill became the first batter ever to hit four hundreds in his debut Test series as captain. Five others – Warwick Armstrong, Don Bradman, Greg Chappell, Virat Kohli and Steven Smith – had three each in their debut series as captain. Gill now also has the most 100-plus scores by a captain in a Test series against England. Before him, only Don Bradman and Sunil Gavaskar have slammed 4 centuries in a Test series as captains.
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The second game of all-Indian final match between Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh, of FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup, has ended in a draw after 34 moves, in Batumi, Georgia today. Playing with the white pieces, Humpy was forced to go for a draw through repetition after Divya gave her back-to-back checks. Game One between the players too had ended in a draw on Saturday. Now the winner for the final match will be decided in the tie-breaker which is set to be played tomorrow.
In the tiebreaks, two rapid matches of 10 minutes each will be played, with a 10-second increment after every move.
The all-Indian clash guarantees a spot in next year’s FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament, where the winner will earn the right to challenge Ju Wenjun for the World Championship title.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi describes Chola Empire as ancient roadmap for New India; Says, its achievements remain source of inspiration for modern India.
- Prime Minister highlights rapid growth of space start-ups in his Mann ki Baat Programme on Akashvani, as it grew five fold in five years.
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh says, seamless logistics were key factor in success of Operation Sindoor.
- IMD forecasts extremely heavy rainfall in Gujarat today and East Rajasthan till tomorrow.
- In Cricket, Indian captain Shubman Gill hits fourth century of series in fourth Test against hosts England at Manchester.
- And in FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025 final between Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh goes into a tie break after ending in a draw.
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