THE HEADLINES:
- Discussion underway in Rajya Sabha on the motion of thanks to President’s address; Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reply to the motion in the Upper House this afternoon.
- Dr S. Jaishankar to make statement in Rajya Sabha on deported Indian nationals from the US.
- Over 8 thousand tribal youths from across country taking part in Janjatiya Yuva Kumbh at Mahakumbh in Prayagraj today.
- US Post Service rolls back its decision to suspend incoming parcels from China and Hong Kong.
- And in Cricket, England elects to bat first in the first ODI against India at Nagpur.
<><><>
The Rajya Sabha today resumed the discussion on the motion of thanks on the President’s Address to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament. BJP member Devendra Pratap Singh said, the government has taken several measures for farmers by ensuring Minimum Support Price for their agricultural produce as well as the welfare of SC and ST communities. Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda said the welfare of the poor, women, and farmers are the priority of the government. He also lauded the budgetary allocations made for sectors like agriculture, health, and education in the Union Budget this year. The discussion is underway.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reply in the Rajya Sabha on the motion of thanks this afternoon. Parliament Affair Minister Kiren Rijiju informed this in a social media post. The Lok Sabha has already adopted a motion of thanks to the President’s address.
Earlier this morning, the issue of Deportation of Indian nationals from the USA today rocked both Houses of Parliament as the opposition demanded a discussion on the issue.
In the Lok Sabha, when the House reassembled at 12 noon, the opposition members, including Congress, DMK, TMC, Samajwadi Party, and others, started sloganeering and continued their protest over the issue of deportation. They trooped into the well and demanded a discussion on the issue. The Chair urged the opposition parties to allow the House to function, but in vain. Later, he adjourned the House until 2 PM. Earlier, the House was adjourned till noon after ruckus by the opposition over the same issue after assembling in the morning.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is making a statement in the Rajya Sabha over the issue of deportation of Indian nationals from the USA. Now we go to live in Rajya sabha.
<><><>
Members of Parliament from the opposition Congress and Samajwadi Party held a protest outside the Parliament today over the same issue. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, the parties protested over the manner in which the US deported Indians. He said they have a legal right to deport people who are illegally in their country, but the manner in which it was done is not acceptable.
<><><>
External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar today said that the safety and welfare of Indian students studying outside the country are the priority of the government. Replying to supplementaries in the Rajya Sabha, he said the government has taken several measures to protect the interests of the Indian students who have returned from conflict zones. The Minister said the government is sympathetic and responsive to the welfare of these students. Stating that the government has brought back hundreds of students from conflict zones, the Minister said the government allowed medical students from Ukraine to transfer their education programs to a third country and permitted practical exams in India.
<><><>
Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat today said, the tourism projects undertaken by the States under the Special Assistance for Tourism promotion in Capital investment scheme will create footfall employment opportunities in the country. Replying to supplementaries in Rajya Sabha, the Minister said, growth in the Tourism potential at any location leads to employment generation. The Minister further emphasised that any project proposal sent by the states falling within the framework of the rules is considered for approval.
<><><>
The eighth edition of Pariksha Pe Charcha, the annual interaction programme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the students will be held in a new format this season. The programme will now be held in eight episodes. It is scheduled to be held on the 10th of this month at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The Education Ministry said, under the new format, renowned personalities from diverse fields will interact with students and share their experiences and knowledge. The Ministry informed that in this programme, 36 students from each State and Union Territory have been selected from various schools to interact directly with the Prime Minister. It added that in the first episode, the Prime Minister will interact with the students.
<><><>
All preparations are in final phase for the counting of votes for the Delhi Assembly elections to be taken up on Saturday. Overall 60.42 per cent of the voters exercised their franchise in yesterday’s polling to decide the political fate of 699 candidates. The Election Commission said, EVMs have been kept in the strong rooms, which are under a constant vigil of the commission and the police officials. The Poll body said, 19 counting centres have been set up in 11 districts of Delhi for counting of votes.
<><><>
And now news from Mahakumbh, underway in Prayagraj.
In the Mahakumbh today, Janjati Sanskritik Samagam 2025 is being held. Over 15,000 tribals from across the country are set to participate in the programme. Our correspondent reports that during the six-day event, a pledge will be taken to protect the culture and traditions of the tribals.
“The year 2025 has been declared as Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh, to commemorate 150th birth anniversary of Birsa Munda. As part of this celebration, five day Janjati Sanskritik Samagam is being organised at Mahakumbh. Addressing the gathering during the Yuva kumbh, Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Durgadas Uikey said, the youth of the country brings the revolutionary changes in the society. He urged youth to work towards social harmony and make the country self reliant.
The tribal youth took a pledge to protect culture and tradition of Tribals. During the event 25 youth from different states will be awarded, who have done excellent work for the tribal community. An exhibition related to tribal society has been organized and 120 cultural dance groups from across the country will participate and showcase their art. With Dipendra kumar, Aman yadav, Akashwani news, Prayagraj.”
<><><>
In Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in the capital Dhaka was demolished with bulldozers by a raging crowd last night amid presence of law enforcers. The museum, Dhanmondi 32, was the personal residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding president of Bangladesh and father of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The ‘protesting crowd’ first vandalised and set fire to the museum around 8:30pm. The destruction and arson continued for hours.
<><><>
The US Post Service (USPS) has backtracked on a decision to suspend incoming parcels from China and Hong Kong, after fears of major trade disruptions. According to media reports, the decision to suspend packages arriving from China and Hong Kong was a consequence of tariffs imposed on China by the US President Donald Trump.
Alongside the tariffs, Trump also slashed a duty-free exemption for low value packages, many of which come from Chinese-founded online retailers.
<><><>
The Panama Canal Authority said in a statement that it had not made any changes to charges or rights to transit the Panama Canal. The response came after the U.S. State Department said that its government vessels could cross the waterway for free. Meanwhile, the Authority said that it is willing to establish dialogue with relevant U.S. officials regarding the transit of wartime vessels.
<><><>
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast Cold wave conditions in some parts of Himachal Pradesh and north Rajasthan today. Thunderstorms accompanied with lightning is also likely at isolated places over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Meghalaya today. Talking exclusively to Akashvani News, IMD senior scientist, Dr. Soma Sen Roy has informed that Arunachal Pradesh and east Assam are also likely to experience heavy rainfall and thunderstorms in the coming 2 days. A fresh Western Disturbance is likely to affect Western Himalayan Region from Saturday.
<><><>
In Cricket, England have won the toss and elected to bat first in the first of the three match ODI series against India at Nagpur. The visitors were 75 for 1 in 8.5 overs, when reports last came in. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Harshit Rana are making their ODI debuts for India today. Virat Kohli has been rested due to knee injury.
Second match of the series will be played in Cuttack on Sunday, while the third and final ODI will be played in Ahmedabad on 12th of this month. The series will serve as a crucial test for both sides to assess their ODI performances ahead of the Champions Trophy later this month.
<><><>
In the ongoing 38th National Games in Uttarakhand, today’s competitions will feature the finals of the Recurve Archery events in the women’s, men’s, and mixed team categories. Additionally, medals will be up for grabs in track cycling events. As per the latest medal tally, Karnataka leads with 29 gold medals, followed closely by Services with 28 gold medals.
<><><>
Benchmark domestic equity indices, Sensex and Nifty, were trading over half percent down in the afternoon trade today. The 30-share BSE Sensex slipped 410 points, to 77,862 and the NSE Nifty50 fell 129 points, to 23,567, when reports last came in. In the broader market at the Bombay Stock Exchange, the Mid-Cap index was trading over 0.9 percent down while the Small-Cap index shed over 0.2 percent, a short while ago.
<><><>
THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
- Discussion underway in Rajya Sabha on the motion of thanks to President’s address; Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reply to the motion in the Upper House this afternoon.
- Dr S. Jaishankar makes statement in Rajya Sabha on deported Indian nationals from the US.
- Over 8 thousand tribal youths from across country taking part in Janjatiya Yuva Kumbh at Mahakumbh in Prayagraj today.
- US Post Service rolls back its decision to suspend incoming parcels from China and Hong Kong.
- And in Cricket, England elects to bat first in the first ODI against India at Nagpur.
<><><>