THE HEADLINES:
- Parakram Diwas being celebrated across the country to mark birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose; Prime Minister Narendra Modi says countrymen should work towards achieving goal of developed India by taking inspiration from Netaji.
- External Affairs Minister Dr Jaishankar clarifies, India is open to legitimate return of undocumented Indians living abroad, including in United States.
- Campaigning for Delhi Assembly polls gains momentum as prominent leaders of BJP, AAP and Congress hold multiple rallies and road shows to woo the voters.
- Railways to run over 150 special trains on Mahakumbh to accommodate large influx of devotees on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya.
- And, Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen crashes out from Indonesia Masters badminton tournament.
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The nation is celebrating ‘Parakram Diwas’ today to mark the birth anniverary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. This year, the ‘Parakram Diwas’ celebration is being organised for the first-time at the historic Barabati Fort in Cuttack, the birth place of one of India’s most indomitable leaders, Netaji for three days from today. Netaji’s memorials from all over the country have been brought and displayed at the celebration venue in Cuttack. Many beautiful large-scale paintings of Netaji have also been included in the exhibition being organised by the Lalit Kala Academy.
Remembering the Netaji, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today reiterated the country’s commitment to become the third largest economy in the world by taking inspiration from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. In his video message, on the 128th birth anniversary of Netaji, the Prime Minister said, the countrymen must strive to work towards achieving the goal of developed India.
Mr. Modi said, people must come out from their comfort zone and adopt excellence by focussing on efficiency like Netaji, who adopted challenges for the freedom of the country.
On the country’s rising stature in the world, the Prime Minister said, there is a favourable environment for country’s progress and the world is looking towards India.
Meanwhile, President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, and various leaders have paid tributes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his birth anniversary. a social media post, the President said that Netaji is among the most resolute and inspiring figures in India’s freedom struggle. In his message, the Vice-President said, Netaji’s exemplary dedication to India’s Independence and the formation of Azad Hind Fauj stand as testament to his extraordinary vision and valour.
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External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar Dr Jaishankar said that India’s stand on legitimate return of undocumented Indians living abroad, including in the United States stating that the country is open for their return. Speaking to the press in Washington DC yesterday he emphasized that India strongly supports legal mobility and wants skilled and talented Indians to have great opportunities at the global level.
Highlighting the strong bond between India and US, Dr Jaishankar emphasized that both nations share a very strong degree of trust and convergence. He also underlined that two nations share a sense of global good and are committed to serving their national interests while building their bilateral partnership.
The External Affair Minister has said that there have been no talks with Pakistan on resumption of trade with India. He has clarified that it was Pakistan’s administration which made the decisions in 2019 to discontinue trading with India.
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Campaigning for 70 member Delhi Assembly polls is in full swing. Prominent leaders of BJP, Aam Aadmi Party and Congress are trying to woo the voters and seek support in favour of their candidates by conducting road shows, door-to-door campaigns and public meetings.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will be holding multiple public meetings in Kiradi, Karol Bagh and Janakpuri constituencies starting this afternoon. Meanwhile, Uttrakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami will also hit the ground at the Palam and Delhi Cantonment constituencies. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will also be interacting with the public in the Madipur and Rohini constituencies this evening.
On the other hand, Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh will campaign in Moti Nagar and Model Town Assembly constituencies this evening. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will also hold a roadshow in Kasturba Nagar constituency followed by public meetings in Mehrauli and Chhatarpur Assembly this evening.
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will hold a mega rally in Mustafabad constituency in favour of party candidate Ali Mehdi. Delhi Congress President Devendra Yadav and other prominent leaders of the party will release the theme song of the party for the Delhi polls this afternoon.
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The Election Commission of India organized a two-day international conference in New Delhi today. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar attended the inaugural session of the conference. Around 30 representatives from 13 election management bodies and international organizations, including the President and CEO of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (1987) and the Secretary General of the Association of World Election Bodies, are participating in this conference.
During the conference, the heads and representatives of election management bodies will deliberate on major issues faced in election management worldwide. The theme of the conference is Global Election Year 2024: Reiteration of Democratic Spaces and Takeaways for Election Management Bodies.
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In Jammu and Kashmir, four more people including three sisters, have been shifted to hospital from Badhaal village of Rajouri district where a ‘mysterious illness’ has claimed 17 lives over the past 50 days. Akashvani Jammu Correspondent reports that three sisters, aged between 16 and 22, were shifted to the Government Medical College (GMC), Rajouri from Badhaal after their health suddenly deteriorated yesterday. The fourth patient was brought to GMC Rajouri from Badhaal village. All the four patients are said to be close relatives of the three families that lost their members to the mysterious illness. While the inter-ministerial central team constituted by the Union Home Ministry yesterday continued its investigation for the third straight day into the cause of the deaths, which took place in three families.
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Now the news from Mahakumbh;
Prayagraj Railway Division has rolled out extensive plans to run over 150 special Mela trains to accommodate the large influx of devotees expected at the Mahakumbh on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya. These special trains will be operated direction-wise from all nine stations in Prayagraj, ensuring smooth travel for the devotees. More from our correspondent.
“The Mela Authority has anticipated that around 8 to 10 crore devotees are expected to take a holy dip at Triveni Sangam on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya. Out of them, around 20 per cent devotees are expected to travel by train. In addition to running special trains, the division has also implemented color-coded ticketing and shelter arrangements to ensure a smooth experience for passengers.With these plans, the Prayagraj Railway Division aims to run a train approximately at every 4 minute on Mauni Amavasya. Senior Public Relations officer, Amit Malviya said that , Prayagraj Railway Division is fully prepared to manage the record number of devotees arriving at the Mahakumbh 2025. During the ongoing Mahakumbh, so far over nine crore 73 lakh devotees took a holy dip at Sangam. Anand Kumar for Akashvani News Prayagraj.”
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Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister has confirmed that the death toll from the Jalgaon Pushpak Express accident has risen to 13, with 10 of the deceased identified so far. Speaking to the media, Mr. Pawar stated that the accident occurred after several passengers attempted to disembark the train following a rumour of a fire in an adjoining coach, only to be struck by the Karnataka Express travelling at high speed in the opposite direction.
He added that Minister of Water Resources and Disaster Management Girish Mahajan, Minister for Water Supply and Sanitation Gulabrao Patil, and District Collector Ayush Prasad had visited the accident site. Mr. Pawar further confirmed that railway services have resumed and traffic has returned to normal.
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The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has added 14 lakh 63 thousand members during November last year. This represents an increase of 9.07 per cent in net members as compared to October 2024. The Ministry of Labour and Employment attributed this surge to growing employment opportunities, increased awareness of employee benefits, and EPFO’s successful outreach programmes. According to EPFO, around 8 lakh 74 thousand new members have been added in November last year. The new payroll data highlights that four lakh 81 thousand new members in the 18 to 25 age group and 2 lakh 40 thousand new female members were added in November 2024.
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The CBI has filed an appeal before the Calcutta High Court, seeking death sentence for Sanjay Roy, who has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a Sealdah court in RG Kar Medical College rape and murder case. A sessions court in Kolkata’s Sealdah had sentenced prime accused Sanjoy Roy to life imprisonment on Monday.
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In the Indonesia Masters Super 500 badminton tournament, ace Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen lost to Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto in the second round of the Men’s Singles event at Jakarta today. Sen lost the first set 16-21 and made a come back to win the second set 21-12 but lost the third set 23-21.
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In ICC Under-19 Women’s Cricket T20 World Cup, Desfending Champions India have set a victory target of 119 runs for Sri Lanka in their third and final Group A fixture at the Bayuemas Oval Stadium in Kuala Lumpur today. Put into bat, India scored 118 runs for nine in the 20 overs. Opener Gongadi Trisha scored 49 runs. Earlier, Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bowl. India currently leads Group A with two wins from two matches, boasting an impressive Net Run Rate of +9.148. Notably, India have already qualified for the the Super Six stage.
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Benchmark domestic equity indices, Sensex and Nifty, were trading with moderate gains in the afternoon trade today, led by Information Technology and Consumer Durables sectors. The 30-share BSE Sensex rose 243 points, or 0.32 percent, to 76,648, and the NSE Nifty50 added 92 points, or 0.4 percent, to 23,247, when reports last came in.
The broader market at the Bombay Stock Exchange were also trading in positive territory. The Mid-Cap index gained over 1.8 percent and the Small-Cap index advanced over 0.8 percent, a short while ago.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
- Parakram Diwas being celebrated across the country to mark birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose; Prime Minister Narendra Modi says countrymen should work towards achieving goal of developed India by taking inspiration from Netaji.
- External Affairs Minister Dr Jaishankar clarifies, India is open to legitimate return of undocumented Indians living abroad, including in United States.
- Campaigning for Delhi Assembly polls gains momentum as prominent leaders of BJP, AAP and Congress hold multiple rallies and road shows to woo the voters.
- Railways to run over 150 special trains on Mahakumbh to accommodate large influx of devotees on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya.
- And, Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen crashes out from Indonesia Masters badminton tournament.
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