THE HEADLINES:
- Senior BJP leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses rally at Nawada in Bihar; To also address public meeting in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal this afternoon and to hold roadshow in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh this evening.
- Election Commission receives over 73 thousand applications catering to diverse range of permissions including organising rallies, opening temporary party offices and others in just 20 days on Suvidha portal.
- Microsoft warns of China’s designs to disrupt upcoming elections in India, US and South Korea by using AI- generated content.
- In IPL Cricket, Mumbai Indians to take on Delhi Capitals in Mumbai, while Lucknow Super Giants to face Gujarat Titans in Lucknow this evening.
- And in men’s hockey, India to take on Australia in second match of five-match series in Perth, in a shortwhile.
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Senior BJP leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today the Indi-Alliance lacks clear vision and credibility because their infighting is out in the open. Addressing a public meeting at Kunti Nagar in Nawada in Bihar, the Prime Minister said leaders of the opposition alliance are afraid of his guarantees because they support corruption and are anti-development. Mr. Modi said that he fulfilled whatever guarantees were assured earlier.
Mr. Modi alleged that Congress-RJD and other parties want to disintegrate the country because they do not want to implement the constitution across the country uniformly. He also dubbed the manifesto of the Congress party as a document of appeasement. He said the work of the last 10 years of his regime is a testimonial of guarantees as Article 370 and triple talaq were scrapped. He added the long cherished dream of people was fulfilled as the Ram Temple was completed after 500 years but Congress always opposed it.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and leaders of constituent parties of NDA also attended the meeting. This was the second election rally of the Prime Minister in Bihar within a week.
Earlier on the 4th of April, Mr. Modi had launched the Lok Sabha election campaign for the NDA from the Jamui constituency. F+rom Nawada parliamentary constituency the BJP has fielded Vivek Thakur. He is the son of senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Dr. C P Thakur.
Polling will be held on the 19th of April in the Nawada Lok Sabha segment along with Gaya, Aurangabad and Jamui under the first phase of parliamentary elections.
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Senior BJP leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a public meeting at Jhumur of Dhupguri block of Jalpaiguri. He will embark on stage at around 3 pm this afternoon.
Our Akashvani correspondent from Jalpaiguri informs that BJP’s Jalpaiguri candidate Dr Jayanta Roy, Alipurduar’s BJP candidate Manoj Tigga and the party’s Darjeeling candidate Raju Bista will be present on the stage along with other party dignitaries. The PM will kick off the campaign in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh today. He will also lead a roadshow for about an hour from Bhagat Singh Chowk to Shankaracharya Chowk in Jabalpur at 6 pm.
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The Congress Party kicked off its General Election campaign from Telangana with a grand public meeting titled “Jana Jatara,” at Thukkuguda, Ranga Reddy district 40 kilometres from the State capital Hyderabad last evening. Addressing a massive public gathering after unveiling the party’s election manifesto in Telugu, Rahul Gandhi asserted the Congress party’s commitment to its promises made during assembly elections in Telangana. Mr. Gandhi pledged to fulfill them. Highlighting job creation efforts, he mentioned that the Congress government in Telangana has already facilitated 30,000 jobs, with plans for further employment opportunities. Mr. Gandhi outlined initiatives to provide training and a stipend of one lakh rupees per year to unemployed individuals across various sectors. He promised financial support to working women and advocated for a caste census in the country. Mr. Gandhi addressed issues of farmer suicides and assured minimum support prices (MSP) for crops, as recommended by Dr Swaminathan.
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The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) organised a collective fast to protest the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the alleged Liquor Scam. Party leaders including Aatishi, Sanjay Singh and Gopal Rai protested at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi this morning. Addressing party workers, Mr Singh alleged that all evidence and witness statements in the case were compromised and fabricated. He accused the Centre of misusing government agencies. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janta Party organised a protest at the Palika Market in New Delhi against Mr Kejriwal for the alleged liquor scam and misuse of government funds.
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The Election Commission has said that over 73 thousand applications have been received on the Suvidha Portal in just 20 days since the announcement of General Elections 2024. Recognising the importance of the election campaign period, where parties and candidates engage in activities to reach out to voters, the Suvidha Portal caters to a diverse range of permission requests transparently on the First in First Out principle. It caters to permissions for organising rallies, opening temporary party offices, door-to-door canvassing, video vans, helicopters, obtaining vehicle permits, and distributing pamphlets.
The Commission said, more than 44 thousand 600 requests have been approved and the First in First out principle is ensuring a level playing field for parties and candidates. It said, Suvidha Portal also promotes transparency in election management. The Poll Body said that nearly 11 thousand 200 requests had been rejected which is 15 per cent of the total requests received and over 10 thousand applications were cancelled as they were invalid or duplicates. The rest of the applications are under process. Maximum requests of over 23 thousand were received from Tamil Nadu followed by West Bengal with nearly 12 thousand and Madhya Pradesh over 10 thousand.
Accessible through the Suvidha Portal (suvidha.eci.gov.in), political parties and candidates can seamlessly submit permission requests online from anywhere, at any time.
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The Lok Sabha polls for two seats of Manipur will be held in two phases and the polls for the Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency seat will be conducted on the 19th of April. The total number of voters of the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha constituency is nine lakh eighty-nine thousand eight hundred eighty-seven which includes five lakh sixteen thousand one hundred fifty female voters. Six candidates including three independent candidates are in the fray for the seat. More from our Imphal Correspondent.
“The Election Authority has declared that the voting for the first phase of the Lok Sabha Election in Manipur will be held at one thousand four hundred four Polling Stations including 85 Special Polling Stations. These Special Polling Stations have been set up for Internally Displaced Voters who are taking shelter at different relief camps and other places due to the ethnic clash in Manipur. In the first phase, polls will be conducted at 47 assembly segments of the State including 15 Assembly segments under the Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency. Among the six candidates who are in the fray for the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat, BJP has fielded State Education Minister Thounaojam Basantakumar as party candidate while JNU Professor- Angomcha Bimol Akoijam is contesting on INC ticket. The National General Secretary of RPI (Athawale) Maheswar Thounaojam and three Independent candidates are also contesting for the seat. Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat is constituted of thirty-two assembly segments of Manipur which are in valley districts. JJ Thokchom, Akashvani News Imphal.”
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Microsoft has warned that China is gearing up to disrupt the upcoming elections in India, the United States and South Korea by using artificial intelligence- (AI) generated content. The warning comes after China conducted a trial run during Taiwan’s presidential election, employing AI to influence the outcome.
According to Microsoft’s threat intelligence team, Chinese state-backed cyber groups, along with involvement from North Korea, are expected to target several elections scheduled for 2024. Microsoft said that China will likely to deploy AI-generated content via social media to sway the public opinion in favour of their interests during these elections.
The threat posed by political advertisements employing AI technology to produce deceptive and false content, including “deepfakes” or fabricating events that never took place, is significant in a crucial poll year. Such tactics aim to mislead the public regarding candidates’ statements, stances on various issues, and even the authenticity of certain events. If allowed to go unchecked, these manipulative attempts have the potential to undermine the voters’ ability to make well-informed decisions.
Across the world, at least 64 countries, in addition to the European Union, are expected to hold national elections this year. These countries collectively account for approximately 49 per cent of the global population.
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World Health Day is being celebrated today to raise global health awareness. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared ‘My health, my right’ as the theme this year to address the grave lack of essential health services to at least 4.5 billion people, more than half of the world’s population.
Speaking to Akashwani News, AIIMS New Delhi Professor, Dr. Rima Dada said that key changes in lifestlye and adoption of practices such as yoga can help beat lifestyle diseases that have been growing at an alarming rate, especially amongst the youth.
The World Health Day was first celebrated in 1950 by the WHO to mark the organization’s founding and draw global attention on the importance of health.
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Indian Coast Guard ship ICGS Veera has rescued nine fishermen off Andhra Pradesh coast in Bay of Bengal. These fishermen had suffered severe burns injury after their boat caught fire and sank at sea. Ministry of Defence said that sensing the urgency of the situation, ICGS Veera reached the location within a few hours to provide assistance to the survivors.
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In IPL Cricket, Mumbai Indians will take on Delhi Capitals at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai today. The match will start at 03:30PM, IST. In the second match, Lucknow Super Giants will face Gujarat Titans at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, at 07:30 PM, IST.
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In Hockey, the Indian mens team will face Australia in the second match of the five match series in Perth, Australia today. The match is scheduled to start in a shortwhile. In the series opener, Australia defeated India, 5-1 yesterday.
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert in parts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, West Bengal and Odisha for today. The IMD has forecast moderate rainfall with isolated thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds over various parts of the nation.
The IMD has predicted heatwave conditions across parts of east and peninsular India today and tomorrow. Heatwave will prevail over parts of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana today. The IMD added that hot and humid weather will continue over Karnataka and Goa today, and over Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry and Kerala till the 10th of this month.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN::
- Senior BJP leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses rally at Nawada in Bihar; To also address public meeting in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal this afternoon and to hold roadshow in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh this evening.
- Election Commission receives over 73 thousand applications catering to diverse range of permissions including organising rallies, opening temporary party offices and others in just 20 days on Suvidha portal.
- Microsoft warns of China’s designs to disrupt upcoming elections in India, US and South Korea by using AI- generated content.
- In IPL Cricket, Mumbai Indians to take on Delhi Capitals in Mumbai, while Lucknow Super Giants to face Gujarat Titans in Lucknow this evening.
- And in men’s hockey, second of five-match series between India and Australia underway in Perth, Australia.
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