Midday News -

THE HEADLINES::

Campaigning for second phase of Lok Sabha elections touches peak before coming to end this evening.
Leaders of major political parties holding multiple rallies across the states to woo voters.
6th edition of International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure begins in New Delhi; Prime Minister Narendra Modi stresses on investing in resilient infrastructure for a better tomorrow.
President Droupadi Murmu highlights critical role of forest conservation in combating climate change.
US Senate approves bill banning TikTok.
And in IPL Cricket, Delhi Capitals to take on Gujarat Titans in New Delhi this evening.

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Campaigning for the second phase of Lok Sabha Elections will end this evening. Top leaders of all political parties are busy in intense campaigning by holding back to back rallies and road shows to woo voters in their favour. All twenty seats in Kerala, 14 of 28 in Karnataka, 13 of 25 seats in Rajasthan, eight each in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, six in Madhya Pradesh, five each in Assam and Bihar, three each in West Bengal and Chhattisgarh and one each in Tripura and Jammu and Kashmir will go to polls in this phase on Friday. Voting in 13 Assembly segment of Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency of Manipur will also be held on same day.

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Prime Minister and Senior BJP leader, Narendra Modi has said that Congress has been trying to reduce the reservation of scheduled tribes and scheduled castes and wants to provide reservation on the basis of religion. He was addressing a public meeting in Ambikapur city of Surguja Lok Sabha constituency in Chhattisgarh today. Mr Modi said, Congress will do this by changing the Constitution. He said, only BJP can protect reservation. Modi said, those who do not want to see India strong and self-reliant want a weak government with opposition alliance in the country. He said that the BJP government at the Center is taking strict action against terrorism and Naxalism, whereas, Congress supports those who spread violence.

Highlighting the different developmental work, he talked about Viksit Bharat- Viksit Chattisgarh.

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Mr. Modi will also be on a tour of Madhya Pradesh beginning today. After public meetings in Sagar and Harda, he will hold a road show in Bhopal.

Meanwhile, in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections, voting will be held in six Lok Sabha constituencies of Madhya Pradesh on 26 April. Election campaigning will end in these areas from 6 pm today.

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In Kerala, all three major political fronts are in a heated campaign mode with the presence of national leaders. Senior BJP leader Amit Shah addressed a rally for NDA in Alappuzha today.
He accused the Congress and Communist parties of taking support from anti-national forces like the PFI and the SDPI. Addressing a public meeting at Alappuzha this afternoon, the BJP leader alleged that both parties encouraged terrorism in Kerala, for the sake of minority vote bank. He said under BJP rule, PFI-like organisations will not be allowed to thrive.

The BJP leader said the I.N.D.I Alliance has been exposed completely, with the Congress and Communists sharing the same platform in Delhi while opposing each other in Kerala.

Congress leader, Priyanka Gandhi is in Wayanad to campaign for United Democratic Front. Senior left front leaders including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will campaign for Left Democratic Front.

Meanwhile, The BJD president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is also scheduled to address a public meeting in Hinjili Assembly Constituency of Odisha today.

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In Arunachal Pradesh, Repolling held at 8 polling stations of 4 Assembly constituencies in Arunachal West Parliamentary Constituency amidst tight security today. Voting began at 6 am in the morning and was scheduled to end at 2 PM. Scrutiny of Form 17A of these polling stations will be done immediately after the poll today.

The Election Commission of India had declared the polling held on April 19 this month at these polling stations for Parliamentary and Assembly elections void.

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In Assam, all the top leaders are making last efforts to woo the voters in the second phase of polls to be held in five seats. 61 candidates are in the fray in this phase. Over 77 lakh voters can exercise their voting rights. Today, the Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma held a rally at Dalgaon for the party candidate. He said that the Assam government would appoint 50 thousand youths in government jobs this year.

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Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said that his party’s manifesto has disturbed the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Speaking at a Social Justice Conclave organized by the Congress, Mr. Gandhi claimed that the release of the party’s revolutionary manifesto has caused panic to PM Modi. He made these remarks following PM Modi’s repeated criticism of the Congress manifesto, where he alleged that congress is planning to redistribute wealth of people.

Notably, Congress unveiled its manifesto earlier this month, titled ‘Nyay Patra’. This time, the Congress’ manifesto emphasises on ‘Paanch Nyay’ and ‘Pachees Guarantee’.

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With Kerala all set to go to the polls on the 26th of this month, a triangular battle is on the cards in the Thrissur Parliamentary constituency. The contest is evenly poised, and the candidates are engaged in a neck and neck race. Our Kochi Correspondent has filed this report:

“Both Congress and the CPI-M have won Thrissur interchangeably several times in the past elections, a trend the BJP hopes to arrest this time. The BJP has fielded Suresh Gopi, who is contesting for the second time from the constituency for the parliament elections. Although he was third in the race in 2019, Suresh Gopi secured 28.19 per cent of the total votes polled. The UDF has nominated K Muraleedharan, son of former Kerala Chief Minister K Karunakaran, while the LDF has fielded V S Sunil Kumar of the CPI to take on the BJP and Congress candidates. Muralidharan, who last time won from Vadakara, was handpicked by the Congress party to contest in Thrissur after his sister, Padmaja Venugopal decided to switch sides and joined the BJP. VS Sunilkumar of the CPI , the LDF candidate, has been maintaining a disciplined election campaign and is banking on his personal rapport and wide contacts with the voters. Raj Mohan/AKASHVANI NEWS/Kochi.”

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The 6th edition of International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure has begun in New Delhi today and will continue till tomorrow.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said it is important to invest in resilient infrastructure for a better tomorrow. While addressing the 6th International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure via a video message, Prime Minister Modi highlighted that while disasters are often measured in monetary terms, their true toll is felt by individuals, families, and communities. He stressed the need for resilience to be incorporated into both new infrastructure projects and post-disaster reconstruction efforts. In a world where the impact of disasters transcends borders, Prime Minister Modi urged the necessity for collective resilience among nations.

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The Prime Minister has greeted the nation on Panchayati Raj Day. In a social media post, he appreciated all those working at grassroots to transform rural India and ensure a better quality of life for the people. He said that the Government will continue to work to strengthen Panchayati Raj institutions and give wings to people’s dreams.

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Marking the day, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj is holding a one-day National Colloquium on Grassroots Government in New Delhi today. A report

“National Panchayati Raj Day, celebrated today, commemorates the establishment of the Panchayati Raj System in 1993 through the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act. The day underscores the significance of decentralized governance in fostering inclusive and sustainable development, reaffirming India’s dedication to promoting grassroots democracy and empowering rural communities. The National Colloquium organised on this day aims to reaffirm India’s commitment to decentralized governance and grassroots democracy. It provides an opportunity for policymakers, experts, and stakeholders to exchange ideas, share best practices, and chart a course for further strengthening the Panchayati Raj System. ARPITA CHOWDHURY, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI.”

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President Droupadi Murmu has highlighted the pressing issue of climate change and underscored the critical role of forest conservation in combating its effects. Addressing the convocation ceremony of Indian Forest Service Probationers at Forest Research Institute in Dehradun today, the President said that mankind is deliberately making the mistake of forgetting the importance of forests. She stressed that humans are not the owners but the protectors of the earth’s invaluable resources.

The President encouraged probation officers to shoulder the vital duties of conserving, promoting, and nurturing forests. He expressed confidence that they would wholeheartedly fulfill this crucial responsibility.

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The US Senate has approved a controversial landmark bill that could see TikTok banned in America. The bill will now be handed over to US President, Joe Biden, who has vowed to sign it into a law.

If that happens, the owner of the app, ByteDance of China will have nine months to sell its stake or the app will be blocked in the US. If ByteDance is forced to sell its stake, it will still need approval from Chinese officials. Beijing has vowed to oppose any such move. Experts on the subject say the process could take years.

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Widespread light to moderate rainfall and snowfall accompanied with isolated thunderstorm is expected over North east India till the 29th of this month. India Meteorological Department has forecast rainfall over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Odisha and Sikkim for the next two to three days. Delineating on the hot weather, IMD said that heat wave conditions are likely to prevail in some pockets over West Bengal, Odisha, Karnataka, Rayalaseema, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Bihar, Telangana, East Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Yanam during next five days.

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In IPL Cricket, Delhi Capitals will take on Gujarat Titans at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi this evening. The match will start at 7.30 PM Indian time.

In yesterday’s match Lucknow Super Giants defeated Chennai Super Kings by six wickets at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN::

Campaigning for second phase of Lok Sabha elections touches peak before coming to end this evening.
Leaders of major political parties holding multiple rallies across the states to woo voters.
6th edition of International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure begins in New Delhi; Prime Minister Narendra Modi stresses on investing in resilient infrastructure for a better tomorrow.
President Droupadi Murmu highlights critical role of forest conservation in combating climate change.
US Senate approves bill banning TikTok.
And in IPL Cricket, Delhi Capitals to take on Gujarat Titans in New Delhi this evening.