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February 19, 2025 2:55 PM

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Midday News

THE HEADLINES:

 

  • Centre approves additional assistance of over one thousand 554 crore rupees to five states affected by natural calamities.
  • Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan says, several revolutionary initiatives taken by the Centre for Rural Empowerment.
  • BJP to hold legislative party meeting this evening to finalise name of next Chief Minister of Delhi; Appoints party leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad and Om Prakash Dhankhar as Central Observers to oversee election of leader.
  • Gyanesh Kumar takes charge as new Chief Election Commissioner.
  • In Cricket, ninth edition of ICC Champions Trophy kicks off in Karachi in a short while; Defending champions Pakistan to face New Zealand in opening game.
  • And, in Women’s Premier League, UP Warriorz to take on Delhi Capitals at Vadodara this evening.

 

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The High-Level Committee, under the Chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, has approved additional Central assistance of over one thousand 554 crore rupees from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to five states affected by natural calamities such as floods, flash floods, landslides, and cyclonic storms during the past year.

 

According to the Home Ministry, 608 crore rupees has been approved for Andhra Pradesh, over 170 crore for Nagaland, over 255 crore for Odisha, more than 231 crore for Telangana and over 288 crore rupees for Tripura.

 

The Home Ministry said, this additional support is separate from the funds already allocated to the states by the Centre under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). During the financial year 2024-25, the Central government released more than 18 thousand 322 crore rupees to 27 states under the SDRF and over four thousand 808 crore rupees from the NDRF to 18 states.

 

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Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said, several revolutionary initiatives have been taken by the Central government to make the lives of rural citizens more comfortable. He added that these initiatives have provided new momentum to the country’s economy. The Minister was addressing the gathering after inaugurating the 77th session of the Executive Committee of the African-Asian Rural Development Organization (AARDO) in New Delhi today. Mr Chouhan assured that India will continue to exchange knowledge, technical expertise, and successful policies and programs through the multilateral platform of AARDO. He emphasized that India, with its unwavering support and assistance to AARDO, will empower the rural community.

 

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The Delhi BJP legislative party meeting will be held in New Delhi this evening. All the newly elected BJP MLAs and the party’s senior leaders will participate in the deliberations. The name of the next Chief Minister of Delhi will be finalised during the meeting. The swearing-in ceremony for the next Chief Minister will be held tomorrow morning at the Ramlila Maidan in the national capital. The BJP won 48 out of 70 seats in the Delhi Assembly elections.

 

Meanwhile, the party today named two central observers for its legislature party meeting in Delhi to elect its leader. They are senior party leader and MP Ravi Shankar Prasad and national secretary Om Prakash Dhankhar.      

 

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Gyanesh Kumar today assumed charge as the new Chief Election Commissioner at Nirvachan Sadan in New Delhi. Mr Kumar succeeds Rajiv Kumar who completed his tenure yesterday. In his message to the people, after assuming charge as Chief Election Commissioner, Mr Kumar said, the first step for nation building is voting and every citizen of India who has completed 18 years of age should become an elector and always vote.

 

Before his elevation as Chief Election Commissioner, Mr Kumar was serving as Election Commissioner since the 15th of March last year.

 

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The 13th meeting of Malaysia-India Defence Cooperation Committee (MIDCOM) took place in Kuala Lumpur today. It was co-chaired by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Secretary General in Malaysia’s Defence Ministry Lokman Hakim Bin Ali. Both sides expressed happiness at the growing bilateral defence cooperation with regular engagements between the two Armed Forces in recent years. The two sides held wide-ranging discussions on effective and practical initiatives to further expand bilateral defence engagements and regional and global issues.

 

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India has denounced Pakistan as “a global epicentre of terrorism” and called it an irony that Islamabad claims to be at the forefront of fighting terror. Speaking at the United Nations Security Council yesterday, India’s Permanent Representative Parvathaneni Harish said, Pakistan is a global epicentre of terrorism, harbouring more than 20 UN-listed terrorist entities and providing state support to cross-border terrorism.

 

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External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar will be on a two day visit to South Africa from tomorrow to participate in the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Johannesburg at the invitation of South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola. The External Affairs Ministry said, Dr Jaishankar’s participation in the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting will strengthen India’s engagement with G20 countries and bolster the voice of the Global South in this important forum. The External Affairs Minister is expected to hold a few bilateral meetings on the margins of the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

 

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The 395th birth anniversary of the great Maratha Warrior-King Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is being observed today. Born on this day in 1630 at the Shivneri Fort  in Pune district in Maharashtra, Chhatrapati Shivaji laid the foundation of the Maratha Empire and challenged the Mughal rule. He is widely admired for his progressive leadership, military acumen, bravery, wisdom, and the relentless pursuit of Swarajya.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to Chhatrapati Shivaji on his Jayanti. In a social media post, Mr. Modi said, the valour and visionary leadership of Chhatrapati Shivaji laid the foundation for Swarajya and inspired generations to uphold the values of courage and justice.

 

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Union Minister for Youth and Sports, Mansukh Mandaviya  took part in a padyatra in Pune today on the occasion of the 395th birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Mandaviya emphasized that, just as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj laid the foundation for Hindavi Swarajya through ideal governance and respect for women, the Narendra Modi government is working to build a developed India, inspired by his principles.

 

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Several events are being held in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra today on the 395th birth anniversary Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. More from our correspondent:-

 

“‘Jay Shivaji – Jay Bharat ‘ rally was organised in Nagpur this morning   where the guardian Minister Chandrashekhar Bavankule and district officials attended the rally. During this rally, War Sports like mallakhamb, Dand Patta  were demonstrated by students and various social organisations to mark the legacy of Noble Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. In other towns like Amravati, Akola , Wardha the processions depicting the war skills and historical moments of the Maratha empire  were taken which witnessed the enthusiastic participation from youths. Various lectures, plays are also being arranged to enlighten the modern generation about the inspiring valour and history of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Dhananjay Wankhede, Akashvani News, Nagpur.”

 

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Millions  of devotees continue to arrive at the ongoing Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, with more than 65 lakh devotees having taken a holy dip in the Sangam by 12 noon today. Our Correspondent reports that the iconic Bade Hanuman temple holds immense cultural and religious significance, drawing countless devotees every day, especially after their ritual dip in the holy waters.

The temple, also known as the Lete Hanuman Temple, located on the banks of Sangam in Prayagraj is very popular with the statue of Lord Hanuman in a lying posture. A huge crowd of devotees is seen everyday in this temple during the kumbh, while earlier the crowd used to be only during its conventionally popular visiting days of Tuesdays and Saturdays. According to religious believes, visit to the temple after bathing in Sangam bears great fruits. It is said that when Lord Hanuman was returning after the conquest from Lanka, he felt tired. Upon the request of Mother Sita, he lied down on the banks of Sangam, after which the Lete Hanuman temple was built. Talking to Akashvani News, Aditi, a devotee from West Bengal, shared her experience of her visit to the temple after taking a bath in the Triveni Sangam with her mother.


According to mythology, after the water level in the Sangam rises, the temple gets filled with water and the statue drowns. It is said that this action bathes Lord Hanuman in the holy water. With Abhishek Kapil, Adarsh for Akashvani News, Prayagraj.

 

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The illegal Indian immigrants who have been deported from the United States in the last 10 days are a dejected lot. Some of them were unsuspecting victims of unscrupulous travel agents who duped them first by showing green pastures abroad and then sending them through illegal means, some others are such who just wanted to go abroad by whatever means. Most of them belong to middle class families settled in small towns and villages having less employment opportunities. According to sources, the last plane that landed at Amritsar in Punjab carrying 112 immigrants had 23 females as well along with 14 kids, both boys and girls. Our Jalandhar correspondent has filed this report:

 

“All the deportees are having harrowing tales to tell. As reported, many of them have travelled long distances in four wheelers packed like sardines, crossed Panama Canal by dangerous boat journeys, walked through jungles without proper food, jumped over high walls to enter the US. The mental trauma after experiencing all this and then deportation seems to have shattered them emotionally. They have urged the state government to take action against the travel agents who have duped them.

 

Almost everyone has spent over Rs. 40 Lakh to sneak into the US by selling their family farm lands, mothers’ jewellery, taking money on loan from banks and friends, that have all gone down the drains now. Rajesh Bali, Akashvani News, Jalandhar.”

 

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Onto sports, the ninth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy will begin this afternoon, with defending champions Pakistan taking on New Zealand in their opening match in Karachi.

 

In Women’s Premier League Cricket, today, UP Warriorz will take on Delhi Capitals at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara this evening.

 

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:

 

  • Centre approves additional assistance of over one thousand 554 crore rupees to five states affected by natural calamities.
  • Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan says, several revolutionary initiatives taken by the Centre for Rural Empowerment.
  • BJP to hold legislative party meeting this evening to finalise name of next Chief Minister of Delhi; Appoints party leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad and Om Prakash Dhankhar as Central Observers to oversee election of leader.
  • Gyanesh Kumar takes charge as new Chief Election Commissioner.
  • In Cricket, ninth edition of ICC Champions Trophy kicks off in Karachi in a short while; Defending champions Pakistan to face New Zealand in opening game.
  • And, in Women’s Premier League, UP Warriorz to take on Delhi Capitals at Vadodara this evening.

 

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