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March 4, 2025 2:42 PM

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Midday News

THE HEADLINES:

 

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlights transformative role of MSME Sector in country’s economic growth; Says government is working with vision of a self-reliant India.
  • Maharashtra Food, Civil Supplies Minister Dhananjay Munde resigns from his post.
  • Bombay High Court stays special court FIR order against former SEBI chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch and other officials.
  • India strongly rejects UNHRC Chief Volker Turk’s comments over Jammu and Kashmir and Manipur; Calls them unfounded and baseless.
  • US tariffs against China, Canada and Mexico come into effect today.
  • And, in Cricket, India to take on Australia in the first semifinal in ICC Champions Trophy at Dubai this afternoon.

 

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that the government is working with the vision of a self-reliant India and has accelerated the pace of reforms. He said the country has consistently demonstrated its commitment to reforms, financial discipline, transparency, and inclusive growth over the past 10 years. Talking about the importance of MSMEs in the economy, Mr. Modi said MSMEs play a transformative role in the economic growth of a country. Mr. Modi was addressing a post-Budget webinar on the MSME sector.

 

Highlighting the various measures taken to facilitate ease of doing business in the country He said important steps have been taken to promote manufacturing and exports in the Budget.  

 

He urged the industry leaders not to be mere spectators, but to seek opportunities in the global supply chain. He said the focus must be laid on manufacturing innovative products that have global demand to push exports. He observed that the production-linked incentive scheme has led to an investment of over one lakh 50 thousand crore rupees with the production of over 13 lakh crore rupees.

 

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Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Protection Minister of Maharashtra Dhananjay Munde has tendered his resignation to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Talking to reporters at Vidhan Bhavan, Mr. Fadnavis informed that he has accepted Mr. Munde’s resignation and has sent it to Governor C. P. Radhakrishnan for further proceedings.

 

The development comes after the alleged involvement of Mr. Munde’s close aides in the murder of Santosh Deshmukh, the Sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, became clear. The opposition parties and BJP MLA Suresh Dhas have been raising the demand for Mr. Munde’s resignation.

 

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The Bombay High Court today granted a stay on the order of a special PMLA court directing the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to file an FIR against former Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch and other SEBI and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) officials in connection with a listing fraud case. Single-judge Justice S.G. Dighe granted relief after Ms. Buch and two others approached the court challenging the order. The High Court prima facie observed that the special court’s order was passed mechanically without going into the details or attributing any role to Buch and others. The court was hearing a plea against the special court’s directive to the Ani Corruption Bureau to register an FIR against Ms. Buch and five others over alleged irregularities in the 1994 listing of a company on the BSE.

 

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An FIR has been registered against Maharashtra Samajwadi Party chief and MLA Abu Azmi over his alleged remarks defending Mughal ruler Aurangzeb. His statement has sparked widespread controversy, drawing sharp criticism from political leaders across the spectrum. The controversy erupted after Azmi made the remarks while addressing reporters in Mumbai at the commencement of the Maharashtra Assembly session. Following his remarks, Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske filed a complaint at Thane’s Wagle Estate Police Station, leading to an FIR being registered against Azmi.

 

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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that unconventional threats like hybrid warfare, cyber, and space-based obstacles are posing challenges to the security apparatus. He pointed out that security situations have become quite complex across the world due to the overlap between internal and external security. Speaking at the seminar on Advanced Technologies for Internal Security in New Delhi today, Mr. Singh said regions and areas affected by insurgencies, left-wing extremism, and terrorism have their own distinct issues. He stressed focusing on specific areas to come up with better solutions to the challenges.

 

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Union Minister of Panchayati Raj Rajiv Ranjan Singh, alias Lalan Singh, has highlighted that nearly 1.4 million women across the country are associated with Panchayati Raj Institutions. He made these remarks while addressing the inaugural event of Sashakt Panchayat-Netri Abhiyaan at the National Conference for Elected Women Representatives in New Delhi today. 

 

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The US’ tariffs on Chinese, Mexican, and Canadian imports have come into effect today. US President Donald Trump has announced 25 percent tariffs against Canada and Mexico, and 20 percent tariffs against China, doubling the levy on China from last month. On the other hand, Canada has said it will retaliate with 25 percent tariffs on 150 billion dollars’ worth of US goods. China has announced 10-15 percent tariffs on US agricultural imports and is also targeting US firms with retaliatory actions, while Mexico has also vowed to retaliate. Mr. Trump said the import taxes will force Canada and Mexico to take more action to curb illegal drugs and migrants entering the country. Meanwhile, US markets dropped, and Asian markets turned jittery at the possibility of a trade war.

 

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US President Donald Trump has suspended military aid to Ukraine. A White House official reportedly told media that President Trump has been clear that US is focused on peace and needs its partners to be committed to that goal as well. According to reports, the official said, US is pausing and reviewing aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution.

The move comes just days after a stunning public spat between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Trump and his deputy at the White House. The development is expected to escalate pressure on Ukraine to agree to peace negotiations with Russia.

 

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India strongly rejected comments made by UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk in his global update at the Human Rights Council in Geneva.  Speaking at the UN, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Mr. Arindam Bagchi, called the remarks unfounded and baseless, saying they did not reflect the reality on the ground.

 

Bagchi emphasized that India is the world’s largest democracy with a vibrant and diverse society. He criticized Turk’s reference to Kashmir and Manipur and using Kashmir instead of Jammu and Kashmir.

 

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External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar will embark on an official visit to the United Kingdom and Ireland today. India and the UK share a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and the bilateral relations have strengthened across diverse areas, including defense, security, trade, economy, health, education, and people-to-people ties. During the visit to the UK, Dr. S. Jaishankar will hold discussions with Foreign Secretary David Lammy and meet with other key dignitaries to further deepen cooperation. 

 

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Princess Astrid of Belgium who is on a visit to India, will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi today. She is on a visit till the 8th of this month. Princess Astrid along with Belgium Defence Minister Theo Francken met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh yesterday. They discussed ways and means to enhance defense industrial cooperation between the two countries. 

 

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In the ICC Champions Men’s Cricket Trophy, Australia won the toss and elected to bat first in the first semifinal of the tournament at Dubai. We have more from our correspondent:-

 

“Both cricketing powerhouses are now just one win away from reaching the final of this prestigious eight-nation tournament. Australia began their campaign impressively with a five-wicket victory over arch-rivals England. However, their momentum was disrupted when their remaining group-stage matches were washed out due to rain. Speaking at  press conference ahead of the match, Indian captain Rohit Sharma acknowledged the challenge ahead but expressed confidence in his team’s preparations and familiarity with the conditions here in Dubai.”

 

In the ICC Champions Trophy, India hold a slight edge with a 2-1 lead over Australia in four encounters, with one match ending in no result. The broader  picture favors Australia, who have won 84 of the 151 matches between these teams, compared to India’s 57 victories, with 10 matches yielding no result. India’s Champions Trophy semifinal record stands at an impressive four wins from five matches. Weather conditions should play in favor of a full match today, with forecasts predicting sunny and clear skies over Dubai. This is Vinod Kumar, for akashvani news from dubai.”

 

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India remained Sri Lanka’s top tourist source, accounting for almost 80,000 tourist arrivals in the first two months of 2025. The data released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority revealed that 492,000 tourists were welcomed during the same period, which has been the second best after 2019.

 

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The domestic markets are experiencing a marginal downturn today, with the Sensex slipping 165 points to 73,209. Meanwhile, the Nifty has also dropped 66 points to 22,053 when reports last came in.

 

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:

 

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlights transformative role of MSME Sector in country’s economic growth; Says government is working with vision of a self-reliant India.
  • Maharashtra Food, Civil Supplies Minister Dhananjay Munde resigns from his post.
  • Bombay High Court stays special court FIR order against former SEBI chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch and other officials.
  • India strongly rejects UNHRC Chief Volker Turk’s comments over Jammu and Kashmir and Manipur; Calls them unfounded and baseless.
  • US tariffs against China, Canada and Mexico come into effect today.
  • And, in Cricket, Australia win the toss and elect to bat in first semifinal in ICC Champions Trophy at Dubai.

 

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