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February 22, 2025 2:57 PM

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Midday News

THE HEADLINES:

 

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be Guest of Honour at Mauritius National Day celebrations next month; Mauritius Prime Minister terms it a great privilege for his country.
  • Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan asserts new National Education Policy designed to elevate India to a global level.
  • Three-day Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela begins in New Delhi, showcasing latest seed varieties and technologies in Agriculture sector.
  • Indian and Pakistani Armies agree to honour 2021 ceasefire agreement to maintain peace along borders in Jammu and Kashmir.
  • In the US, Donald Trump administration fires top General and Navy Chief in major shakeup in military leadership.
  • In Athletics, Gulveer Singh scripts history by making Asian record in Men’s 5000m indoor race at BU Terrier DMR Challenge in Boston; Qualifies for World Championship 2025.

 

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the Guest of Honour at Mauritius’ 57th National Day celebrations next month. Making the announcement in the Parliament, Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam termed it as a great privilege for Mauritius to host such a distinguished figure. Highlighting the honour of hosting Prime Minister Modi, Mauritius Prime Minister stressed the strong and enduring relationship between the two countries.

 

Mauritius commemorates its National Day on the 12th of March each year, marking the anniversary of its independence from British rule in 1968. President Droupadi Murmu attended Mauritius’ National Day celebrations last year as the chief guest.

 

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Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah is chairing the 27th meeting of the Western Zonal Council of the Ministry of Home Affairs at Pune in Maharashtra today. The conference is being attended by Chief Ministers, administrators, senior ministers and senior administrative officers of the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa as well as the Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. During his visit to Pune, Mr Shah will also attend the closing ceremony of the platinum jubilee year of Janata Sahakari Bank. He will distribute acceptance letters to the beneficiaries of the second phase of Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana in Pune district. The first installment of this scheme will also be distributed to 10 lakh beneficiaries in the state at the same time.

 

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Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has emphasized that the new National Education Policy (NEP) has been designed to elevate India to a global level. Speaking at the 101st convocation of the University of Delhi in New Delhi, he highlighted that achieving the vision of a developed India by 2047 is possible through the widespread implementation of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

 

Mr. Pradhan praised Delhi University for its successful adoption of NEP 2020, expressing confidence that the university would play a key role in making Delhi a major knowledge hub in the future.

 

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The Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela began in New Delhi today, showcasing latest seed varieties and technologies in the agriculture sector to farmers, students and other stakeholders. The theme of the three day fair is Unnat Krishi – Viksit Bharat. Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated the event. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Chouhan said, the government is continuously working in the field of agriculture to make India a developed nation by 2047.

 

Mr Chouhan highlighted the paramount importance of high-quality seeds, asserting that efforts must be made to ensure that the best seeds are swiftly accessible to farmers.

 

The key attraction of the Krishi Vigyan Mela this year is the live demonstrations of the cutting-edge varieties and technologies developed by Indian Agricultural Research Institute.

 

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Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence in the National Capital today. Yesterday, Ms Gupta had met President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.

 

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President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen will be on a two-day visit to India from the 27th of this month. This will be President Leyen’s third visit to India. The External Affairs Ministry said, during the visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold delegation level talks with President Ursula von der Leyen. The visit of President von der Leyen and the EU College of Commissioners will pave the way for further strengthening of bilateral relations.

 

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Indian and Pakistani Armies have agreed to honour the ceasefire agreement of 2021 to maintain peace along the borders and explore measures to prevent future misunderstandings. The representatives of Indian and Pakistani Armies held a Brigade Commander-level flag meeting in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district yesterday in an effort to de-escalate tension after several recent incidents of cross-border firing and an IED attack along the Line of Control and the International Border. The meeting took place in the Chakkan-Da-Bagh crossing point in Poonch in a cordial atmosphere.

 

Besides agreeing to uphold the ceasefire agreement renewed on 25th of February in 2021, the two sides also agreed upon leveraging established communication channels to de-escalate tension.

 

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The Indian Army contingent, comprising 120 personnel, today left for the 6th edition of India-Japan Joint Military Exercise, Dharma Guardian. The exercise is scheduled to be conducted in the East Fuji Maneuver Training Area of Japan from tomorrow and will continue till the 9th of March. The aim of the exercise is to enhance interoperability between the two forces while undertaking joint urban warfare and counter-terrorism operations under UN mandate.

 

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In the US, the Donald Trump administration has fired the top general and Navy Chief in a major upheaval of the country’s military. President Donald Trump in a social media post announced that he was dismissing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Q Brown and replacing him with Air Force Lieutenant General John Dan “Razin” Caine. Media reports said, the move is significant as Caine is retired, and is not a four-star general.

The US President also accused the Biden administration of passing over General Caine for promotion, despite him being highly qualified and respected to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This was followed by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth releasing a statement announcing the firing of the Chief of the US Navy Admiral Lisa Franchetti and the Vice Chief of the Air Force General James Slife.

Notably, the federal law requires the President to pick the top military officers from the combatant commands or the chiefs of the military services, all of which are 4-star positions. But the law also allows the President to waive the requirement if such action is necessary in national interest.

 

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The Indian-origin Kash Patel was officially sworn in as the ninth director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the US. He replaced Christopher Wray, who resigned at the conclusion of the Biden administration. President Donald Trump praised Patel, saying he will be the best ever in the role.

 

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will share his thoughts with the people of the country and abroad in the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme at 11 am on Akashvani tomorrow. It will be the 119th episode of the monthly radio programme. The programme will be broadcast on the entire network of Akashvani and Doordarshan, the AIR News website, and the News On Air mobile app.

 

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Now news from the ongoing Mahakumbh Mela at Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj.

 

In view of the large influx of devotees expected at the grand event on the occasion of Mahashivratri on the 26th of this month, the Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital in Prayagraj has significantly increased the number of beds in its Intensive Care Unit to 147. Along with the expanded ICU capacity, other emergency medical facilities have also been upgraded. This initiative is part of the Uttar Pradesh government’s efforts to enhance health services during the Maha Kumbh, ensuring timely medical care for the large influx of visitors. We have a report:

 

“State-of-the-art health facilities are being provided in the Mahakumbh Area to incoming devotees and local residents. According to Motilal Nehru Medical College media in-charge, Dr Santosh Singh, the SRN hospital which once had only 52 ICU beds in 2017, now has 147 ICU beds. He said that this will be highly effective in dealing with any emergency medical situation during the Maha Kumbh. Furthermore, trauma care and ventilator facility will be available 24×7. To further strengthen health security, the Trauma Care Center has been equipped with state-of-the-art equipment including – ventilators, monitoring systems and emergency medical teams that have been deployed for round-the-clock service. Crores of devotees are expected to come to the Maha Kumbh on Mahashivratri. Full preparations are being made by the state government to deal with any emergency medical situation. With Abhishek Kapil, Adarsh for Akashvani News, Prayagraj.”

 

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The Delhi Police is celebrating its 78th Raising Day with a series of welfare initiatives, including drug awareness campaigns, blood donation drives, health camps, and walkathons. The celebration which began on 16th of this month, is concluding today.

 

On the occasion, a walkathon was held at Kartavya Path in India Gate in the National Capital this morning with an aim to unite against drug abuse and to promote a healthier, drug-free Delhi. Delhi Commissioner of Police Sanjay Arora, Olympic silver medalist Ravi Kumar Dahiya and Arjuna awardee and wrestling champion Sarita Mor flagged off the walkathon.
Talking to reporters, Ravi Kumar Dahiya urged everyone to stay away from drugs.

 

Speaking on the occasion, Sarita Mor applauded the efforts of the Delhi Police and urged the youth to stay away from drug addiction to remain healthy.

 

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In Athletics, Gulveer Singh scripted history by making an Asian record in Men’s 5000m indoor race at the BU Terrier DMR Challenge in Boston. Singh became the first Indian to break the 13-minute barrier in the event. He clocked an astonishing 12 minutes 59.77 seconds, a performance that not only set a new National Record for India but also established a new Asian 5000m short track record. With the feat, Gulveer has qualified for World Championship 2025 to be held in Tokyo in September.

 

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In Cricket, Australia will take on England in the Group B clash of ICC Men’s Champions Trophy in Lahore in a short while from now. The match is scheduled to begin at 2:30 PM Indian Time.

 

In Women’s Premier League Cricket, UP Warriorz will take on Delhi Capitals in Bengaluru this evening.

 

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:

 

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be Guest of Honour at Mauritius National Day celebrations next month; Mauritius Prime Minister terms it a great privilege for his country.
  • Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan asserts new National Education Policy designed to elevate India to a global level.
  • Three-day Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela begins in New Delhi, showcasing latest seed varieties and technologies in Agriculture sector.
  • Indian and Pakistani Armies agree to honour 2021 ceasefire agreement to maintain peace along borders in Jammu and Kashmir.
  • In the US, Donald Trump administration fires top General and Navy Chief in major shakeup in military leadership.
  • In Athletics, Gulveer Singh scripts history by making Asian record in Men’s 5000m indoor race at BU Terrier DMR Challenge in Boston; Qualifies for World Championship 2025.

 

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