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February 26, 2025 2:55 PM

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Midday News

THE HEADLINES:

 

  • World’s largest spiritual and cultural gathering Maha Kumbh to conclude with the last snan on Mahashivratri today; Lakhs of devotees take holy dip on the auspicious occasion.
  • Festival of Mahashivratri being observed with religious fervour; President, Vice President and Prime Minister greet people on the occasion.
  • Border Security Force foils infiltration bid by gunning down a Pakistani intruder at Pathankot international border.
  • External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar says India and Japan can collaborate to strengthen resilience supply chain for African countries.
  • And, in ICC Champions Trophy Cricket, England to take on Afghanistan in Lahore.

 

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The world’s largest spiritual and cultural gathering Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj will conclude today on the auspicious day of Mahashivratri. Pilgrims from across the country have been taking a holy dip at the Sangam and other ghats in Prayagraj since early this morning. The Maha Kumbh Mela, which began on the 13th of January, has drawn over 64 crore 60 lakh visitors so far over six weeks, making it the largest gathering of humanity in the world.

 

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Prasar Bharati Chairman Navneet Sehgal has said, Akashvani has always played a major role in connecting people with the country’s culture and takes its responsibility as a public broadcaster very seriously. In his message on the final day of Mahakumbh, Mr Sehgal said, throughout its 48 day broadcast, Akashvani’s Kumbhvani channel touched a lot of people.

Prasar Bharati CEO Gaurav Dwivedi commended the efforts of Akashwani’s Kumbhwani channel in its coverage of the Mahakumbh. He noted that Akashwani fulfilled its role as a public service broadcaster by providing real-time news, interviews, and special programs through Kumbhwani. Mr. Dwivedi remarked that both the Mahakumbh and Kumbhwani journeys are unforgettable and hold a divine place in the hearts of millions.

 

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Railway has operated more than 115 outward trains from various stations of Prayagraj till 9:00 AM today for the convenience of the Mahakumbh devotees returning home after taking dip in Sangam on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri. The Railway Ministry said, around six lakh passengers travelled in these trains. The Ministry said, special arrangements have been made to run additional trains after the Maha Shivaratri Snan, and extra rakes have been stationed near Prayagraj for use. Railway will operate more than 350 trains from Prayagraj today.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and the Chairman of the Railway Board, Satish Kumar are closely monitoring the entire railway operation.  

 

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The festival of Mahashivaratri is being celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety in India and abroad today. A large number of devotees are visiting the most revered Shiva temples in different states.

In Madhya Pradesh, devotees are thronging all major temples on the occasion of Mahashivratri. Our correspondent reports, at Jyotirlingas Mahakaleshwar and Omkareshwar, long queues of devotees are being seen since early morning today.

“In Ujjain, the doors of the temple were opened at 2:30 am at Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga after which the Bhasma Aarti started. The doors of the temple will remain open for 44 hours continuously. In Khandwa, the doors of the Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga were  opened at 3:30 am and the doors of Lord Omkareshwar and Lord Mamleshwar temple will remain open for twenty-four hours. A large number of devotees are also reaching Bhojpur temple in Bhopal and Pachmarhi. A three-day ‘Mahadev’ festival has been organized in Bhojpur from today. Vikram Utsav is being organized by the state government in Ujjain from today. Various events are being organized in major Shiva temples in all cities. Sanjeev Sharma, Akashvani News, Bhopal.”

In Odisha, thousands of devotees flocked to Lord Shiva temples across the state since early this morning to mark the auspicious occasion of Maha Shivaratri.

 

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In Jammu and Kashmir the Maha Shivratri, locally known as ‘Herath’ is being celebrated across the Union Territory. Akashvani Jammu Correspondent reports that since morning, the devotees have thronged the Lord Shiva temples across Jammu province to offer special prayers.  The festival holds an important significance among the Kashmiri Pandits, who celebrate it to mark the wedding of Lord Shiva with Parvati by cooking traditional Kashmiri food, especially fish.

 

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In Nepal, lakhs of devotees, saints and visitors coming from different parts of Nepal, India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and others have queued to pay obeisance at the Pashupatinath temple on the occasion of Mahashivaratri. Mahashivratri holds immense religious significance in Hinduism, symbolising the divine union of lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

Pashupatinath temple’s doors were open at 2 am this morning to make arrangements for offering worship and obeisance to Pashupatinath.

 

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President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended greetings to countrymen on the auspicious occasion of Mahashivratri and prayed for happiness, prosperity and good health of the citizens.

 

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The portals of the world-famous Kedarnath Dham in Uttarakhand will be opened for devotees on May 2, 2025, at 7 am. This date was officially announced today on the auspicious occasion of Mahashivratri at the Omkareshwar Temple, the winter seat of Kedarnath.

 

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The Border Security Force (BSF) has foiled an infiltration bid and shot dead a Pak intruder along the International Border in Pathankot in the wee hours today. Our Correspondent, quoting BSF Jammu frontier PRO, reports that BSF troops observed a suspicious movement during pre-dawn across the border near Tashpatan border outpost in the Pathankot sector. An intruder was observed crossing the border and was challenged by the alert troops of the border guarding force. As the intruder paid no heed and kept on moving ahead, sensing a threat, troops neutralised him. The BSF said, the identity of the slain intruder and motive is being ascertained and a strong protest will be lodged with Pakistan Rangers.

 

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Union Home Minister and Senior BJP leader Amit Shah has said that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman had presented the Budget which was beneficial to the middle class, farmers and also to the MSMEs. Speaking after inaugurating the BJP Office at Coimbatore, the Home Minister stated that the NDA will form the Government next year in Tamilnadu. He said that it was time for the BJP to end the DMK Government which is known for its anti national beliefs.

The Home Minister also unveiled the plaque for Tiruvannamalai and Ramanathapuram party offices.

 

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Telangana Ministers Uttam Kumar Reddy and K Venkatreddy have reviewed the situation with Tunnel Works experts afresh this morning while the rescue teams are making all out efforts to reach out to the trapped eight persons in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal Tunnel project. More from Our Correspondent:

“Round the clock operations are being held to save the eight trapped persons with the help of over 700 experts from different agencies, who can handle different terrains and aspects of rescue operations with the local authorities extending all out support. However, the teams are not able to establish contact with the trapped persons even after 96 hours of the incident, due to heavy amounts of water and slush. The rescuers have set up a separate conveyor belt to speed up the pace of draining the water and mud. Teams are cutting the wrangled metal of the boring machine which is obstructing the access. Lakshmi, Akashvani News, Hyderabad’

 

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In Bihar, the expansion of the Nitish Kumar led cabinet is likely to be held this evening. Several new ministers are likely to be administered the oath of office at a ceremony at Rajbhavan in Patna. Earlier today, in a sudden political development Revenue and Land Reforms Minister Dr. Dilip Kumar Jaiswal tendered his resignation from the post. Dr. Jaiswal is also the Chief of the State BJP and it has been said that he has resigned from his post to pave the way for the cabinet expansion.

 

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External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has said that India and Japan can collaborate to strengthen resilience supply chain for African countries particularly in critical and emerging sectors. Speaking at the Japan-India-Africa Business Forum virtually, Dr Jaishankar said, the growth and prosperity of Africa will not only benefit its people but also contribute to broader global stability and economic progress. The Minister said, India’s approach to Africa has always been guided by a deep-rooted commitment to building long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships. He said, India is Africa’s fourth-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching nearly 100 billion dollars.

 

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In the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy cricket, Afghanistan have won the toss and opted to bat first against England in a crucial Group B encounter at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan.

The highly anticipated clash is a do-or-die contest, as the losing team will be eliminated from the tournament. Both, England and Afghanistan lost their opening matches and sit at the bottom of Group B without any points.

 

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:

 

  • World’s largest spiritual and cultural gathering Maha Kumbh to conclude with the last snan on Mahashivratri today; Lakhs of devotees take holy dip on the auspicious occasion.
  • Festival of Mahashivratri being observed with religious fervour; President, Vice President and Prime Minister greet people on the occasion.
  • Border Security Force foils infiltration bid by gunning down a Pakistani intruder at Pathankot international border.
  • External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar says India and Japan can collaborate to strengthen resilience supply chain for African countries.
  • And, in ICC Champions Trophy Cricket, Afghanistan win the toss and elect to bat in group B clash against England in Lahore.

 

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