THE HEADLINES:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend 15th India-Japan Annual Summit during his visit to Japan; To embark on two Nation visit this evening.
- Prime Minister says PM Jan Dhan Yojana transformed lives across India from financial exclusion to empowerment.
- IMD forecasts heavy to very heavy rain over Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand for today; Jammu-Srinagar National Highway remains closed due to landslides.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un to attend China’s Victory Day parade.
- And, Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa qualifies for Grand Chess Tour final in the US.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a two nation visit to Japan and China this evening. The Prime Minister will participate in the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit in Tokyo. This will be Prime Minister Modi’s eighth visit to Japan, and the first Summit with his counterpart Shigeru Ishiba. External Affairs Ministry said in a statement that during the visit, the two leaders will review the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between India and Japan, including defense and security, trade and economy, technology and innovation, and people to people exchanges. A report:-
“India and Japan have a long history of friendship, rooted in spiritual affinity and strong cultural and civilisational ties. Both countries have seen significant progress in special strategic and global partnerships in the last 12 years. Trade between the two countries is currently more than 22 billion dollars, and it is expected to grow further with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit. During the visit, the two prime ministers will review the special strategic and global partnership between India and Japan, including defense and security, trade and economy, technology and innovation, and people-to-people exchanges, as well as discuss issues of regional and global importance. The visit will consolidate our long-standing friendship between the two countries and give a new road map to the India-Japan relationship. It will also open new avenues of cooperation, and reaffirm India and Japan’s shared commitment to peace, prosperity, and stability in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. Om Awasthi, Akashvani News, Tokyo.”
In the second leg of his visit, the Pime Minister will travel to China from 31st August to 1st September to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Tianjin at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
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The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana has completed 11 years today. It is one of the biggest financial inclusion initiatives in the world which was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15th August 2014 from the ramparts of the Red Fort. In a social media post, while sharing the glimpses of PM Jan Dhan Yojna, Prime Minister Modi highlighted how the scheme has transformed lives across India from financial exclusion to empowerment. He underlined that when the last mile is financially connected, the entire nation moves forward together which has been achieved by PM Jan Dhan Yojana. Mr Modi also said the scheme has enhanced dignity and given people the power to script their own destiny.
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The Government has decided to extend the import duty exemption on raw cotton from 30th September to 31st December 2025. In a statement, Ministry of Finance said this decision has been taken to augment availability of cotton for the Indian textile sector.
Earlier, the Government had temporarily exempted the import duty on cotton from 19th August to 30th September.
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President Droupadi Murmu has extended greetings to the citizens of Odisha on the occasion of the Nuakhai festival. In a social media post, President Murmu said this festival is a sacred opportunity to express respect for agriculture and gratitude towards farmers. The festival is enjoyed by wearing traditional Sambalpuri folk sarees and dresses. It brings great joy and happiness to the people of western Odisha. More from our correspondent.
Odisha hosts 13 festivals throughout the year, with Nuakhai being the most prominent in western Odisha. The region has a dense population of tribal communities whose primary occupation is agriculture, which is why they celebrate Nuakhai. Nua means ‘new’, and Khai means ‘food’. On this occasion, the people of western Odisha offer the freshly harvested rice to their respective deities. Goddess Samaleswari is worshipped in Sambalpur, Pataneswari in Bolangir, Sureshwari in Sonepur, Sekharbasini in Sundergarh, and Manikeswari in Kalahandi, with offerings of the new crop made to each. The festival celebrates social bonds and strengthens family ties. People from various parts of the country return to their hometowns to partake in the festivities. Special rituals are performed at the Maa Samaleswari temple in Sambalpur. The most significant ritual of Nuakhai juhar involves exchanging greetings with friends, relatives, and well-wishers. With S N Pattnaik and Sukanya Jena for Akashvani.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also extended his wishes to the nation on the occasion of Nuakhai today. In a social media post, Mr Modi highlighted that the festival serves as a reminder of the deep gratitude owed to farmers, whose hard work sustains everyone. He also expressed hope for good health, prosperity, and happiness in every household.
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Marathwada welcomed Lord Ganesha with great fervor. A Report:-
In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, the installation and worship of the traditional Gramdaivat Sansthan Ganapati was performed by leaders across political parties. This year, Ganesh Mandals are taking the initiative for a drug-free city. Also, various Ganesh Mandals are focusing on the ‘One Mandal-One Tree’ campaign and cleanliness drive. In Nanded district, eco-friendly Ganesh idols are being installed at Degloor. In Beed district, Ganesh idols have been installed at one thousand 762 Public locations. To ensure smooth celebrations, the police department has deployed 2,500 police personnel. This year, good rainfall in Latur district has brought joy and relief among farmers, adding to the festive spirit. In Dharashiv district, a unique “Book-Reading Ganapati” has been installed at the Omergara by Prof. Shyamrao Raghunathrao Chavan Memorial Library. Samarjit Thakur, Akashvani news, Sambhajinagar.”
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In Jammu and Kashmir, the strategic Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH44) remained closed for traffic for the third consecutive day today due to multiple landslides triggered by heavy rains in the Udhampur-Ramban belt. Akashvani Jammu Correspondent has filed this report;
“The strategic Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH44) remained closed for traffic for the third consecutive day today due to multiple landslides triggered by heavy rains in the Udhampur-Ramban belt. Due to the closure of the National Highway, over 600 vehicles are stranded at various places en route. The 250 km long stretch, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, was blocked by multiple landslides at several places between Jakheni and Chenani in Udhampur district. According to the traffic advisory, movement of Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) shall be allowed on the historic Mughal Road connecting twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region with the Shopian district of Kashmir region, subject to fair weather and good road condition, after getting a green signal from road maintenance agencies. However, all the Government and Private schools, colleges, universities, coaching and tution centres across the Jammu division are closed today for the fourth consecutive day as a precautionary measure. This is N. Gulshan Raina For Akashvani News from Jammu.”
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Moderate to heavy rains lashed several parts of Andhra Pradesh beginning from Tuesday till Wednesday night and early hours of today. More from our correspondent;
First warning alert has been issued at Prakasam Barrage in River Krishna in Vijayawada, with an inflow and outflow equaling 4.05 lakh-cusecs. The State government has alerted revenue machinery in the wake of heavy rains in coastal Andhra. With Orange Alert issued by the Met Department for coastal Andhra under the influence of the low-pressure area, all authorities have been asked to be ready for relief measures. People have been alerted in North Coastal Andhra and undivided Krishna districts. With rising flood flow from upper catchment areas, people on the banks of River Krishna have been advised to be on guard as more than 4 lakh-cusecs of water is coming from the Prakasam Barrage. People in low-lying areas have been asked to move to safer places and rehabilitation centres. Meanwhile, water levels in River Godavari which is also slightly on the rise and is likely to reach almost the first warning level by tomorrow. People along Krishna, Godavari and Tungabhadra rivers have been cautioned .
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In Himachal Pradesh,the Meteorological Department has predicted that the monsoon rains are likely to continue in the state until September 2.
Relief and rescue operations have gained momentum in areas which are most affected by rainfall and landslides, Stranded pilgrims of the Manimahesh Yatra in Chamba district have been moved to safer locations. However, in regions of the district badly hit by heavy rains, relief efforts are facing difficulties due to disrupted communication and road connectivity. Even in Chamba district headquarters, power and communication services remain down, making it difficult to contact the administration. Meanwhile, in rural areas of Kullu district, road blockages are causing distress to farmers and orchardists, In Kangra district, one lakh ten thousand cusecs of water is set to be released from Pong Dam today, and the administration has appealed to people not to go near the riverbanks.
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Meanwhile The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over Chhattisgarh, Coastal Karnataka, Madhya Maharashtra and Uttarakhand for today.
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Twenty-six foreign leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, will attend China’s Victory Day parade commemorations on September 3, China announced today. The presence of foreign leaders at the parade in what Beijing describes as the war of resistance against Japanese aggression in World War II has become a diplomatic spat between Japan and China after Tokyo urged the world leaders to refrain from attending, saying it has “anti-Japanese overtones”.
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Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa has qualified for Grand Chess Tour finales. Praggnanandhaa played out a draw in the final round against Levon Aronian of the USA to confirm his place in the GCT Finals, securing a fourth-place finish on the 2025 GCT circuit with 30 circuit points.
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In Badminton, men’s doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty along with ace shuttler PV Sindhu, stormed into the Round of 16 at the BWF World Championships 2025 in Paris. The ninth-seeded Satwik-Chirag duo defeated Chinese Taipei’s Liu Kuang Heng and Yang Po Han 22-20, 21-13 in a 43-minute contest. In women’s singles, PV Sindhu defeated Malaysia’s Karupathevan Letshanaa 21-19, 21-15.
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Benchmark domestic equity indices, Sensex and Nifty, were trading around 0.7 per cent down during afternoon trade today. The Sensex lost 615 points, to 80 thousand 171, while Nifty declined 174 points, to 24 thousand 537, when reports last came in. On sectoral front , Realty, IT and Telecommunication were dipping the most, while Consumer durables was bucking the trend.
The broader market at the Bombay Stock Exchange was trading down. The Mid-Cap index lost 0.8 per cent, and the Small-Cap index decreased nearly 0.7 per cent, a short while ago.
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The Indian squad for next month’s World Para Athletics Championships was announced yesterday.
The championship to be held in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi from September 27 to October 5.
Three-time Paralympics medallist high jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu was one of the notable omissions from India’s 73-strong team with 19 women, led by star javelin thrower Sumit Antil, for Championship, being hosted by the country for the first time.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend 15th India-Japan Annual Summit during his visit to Japan; To embark on two Nation visit this evening.
- Prime Minister says PM Jan Dhan Yojana transformed lives across India from financial exclusion to empowerment.
- IMD forecasts heavy to very heavy rain over Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand for today; Jammu-Srinagar National Highway remains closed due to landslides.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un to attend China’s Victory Day parade.
- And, Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa qualifies for Grand Chess Tour final in the US.
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