THE HEADLINES:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviews progress of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor project and takes stock of under-construction bullet train station at Surat in Gujarat.
- Nation observes Janjatiya Gaurav Divas today in recognition to the contribution of tribal community in country’s progress.
- Accidental explosion at Nowgam Police Station in Kashmir claims nine lives and injures thirty two.
- India and Paraguay reaffirm commitment to combating terrorism through coordinated efforts at bilateral, and global levels.
- And, In Asian Archery Championship at Dhaka, Ankita Bhakat becomes India’s first womens recurve individual Champion.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the under-construction bullet train station in Gujarat’s Surat to review the progress of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor. Mr Modi interacted with the officials and reviewed the work. The corridor will connect major cities including Sabarmati, Ahmedabad, Anand, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Bilimora, Vapi, Boisar, Virar, Thane, and Mumbai, marking a transformative step in India’s transportation infrastructure. Upon completion, the Bullet Train will reduce travel time between Mumbai and Ahmedabad to nearly two hours. The project is expected to boost business, tourism, and economic activity along the entire corridor, catalyzing regional development.
Mr Modi will visit Dediapada town in the tribal-dominated Narmada district, where he will address a gathering to mark the birth anniversary of tribal icon Birsa Munda.
He will also inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for infrastructure and development projects costing more than 9,700 crore rupees.
Mr Modi offered prayers at the temple of Pandori Mata, the clan deity of the tribal community, in Devmogra village of Sagbara taluka.
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The Nation is celebrating Janjatiya Gaurav Divas today to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of the freedom fighter and tribal leader Bhagwan Birsa Munda. The Centre has marked 15th November as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas, recognizing the importance of keeping tribal history alive. Over the years, this observance has expanded into Janjatiya Gaurav Week, celebrated across ministries and states with cultural programs, exhibitions, and educational activities that bring the legacy of tribal heroes to life. More from our correspondent:-
Over the past decade, the vision of tribal development has expanded into a nationwide mission. Today, 42 ministries actively contribute to tribal welfare through the Development Action Plan for Scheduled Tribes. The government has continuously emphasised the development of museums and memorials dedicated to tribal freedom fighters. Eleven museums have been approved across ten states, with three already inaugurated, including the Bhagwan Birsa Munda Memorial Park-cum-Museum in Ranchi. Public spaces like Rani Kamalapati Railway Station, Tantya Bhil University and statues of Alluri Sitarama Raju and Birsa Munda reflect the ongoing effort to embed tribal legacy across the country. The publication of books, comics and digital material narrating the stories of tribal heroes has transformed the way the country remembers its tribal freedom fighters, ensuring their stories reach every generation. Pallavi Parmar, Akashvani News, Delhi
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President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President C P Radhakrishnan, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla paid floral tributes to Dharti Aba Bhagwan Birsa Munda at the Parliament Complex in New Delhi on the occasion of his 150th birth anniversary today.
In a social media post, the President said that his birth anniversary has been celebrated nationwide as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas since 2021. The Vice President noted that Bhagwan Birsa Munda ignited a flame of patriotism that will continue to burn for generations, adding that the legacy of Dharti Aba and other tribal freedom fighters will endure forever.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said that Birsa Munda’s unparalleled struggle for national interest, tribal upliftment, and self-respect will always serve as an inspiration to all.
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The Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) initiative completed 10 years today. Addressing the 10th anniversary celebration of AMRIT in New Delhi, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda said the programme has helped patients save around 8 thousand 500 crore rupees over the last ten years. He noted that there are 255 AMRIT pharmacies across various States and Union Territories, offering more than 6 thousand 500 products including drugs, implants, surgical disposables, and other consumables at discounts of up to 50 percent on the Maximum Retail Price.
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Bihar BJP President Dilip Jaiswal has said that after the NDA’s landslide victory in Assembly elections, the party’s central leadership will soon finalize everything regarding the formation of the government. He said that everything will be decided within the next two days. He also stated that tomorrow, the party will hold a thanksgiving march in all districts of Bihar to express gratitude to the voters. Regarding the process of government formation, BJP State President said that first, all NDA constituent parties will hold separate meetings of their legislators, where they will choose their respective leaders. After that, the leader of the NDA will be elected in a joint meeting of the alliance. Dr. Jaiswal added that the schedule and details related to this will be announced by the BJP’s central leadership.
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Bharatiya Janata Party has suspended former Union Minister and senior party leader R.K. Singh from the party for six years for indulging in anti-party activities. The party has also issued him a show-cause notice. R.K. Singh had been voicing his objections to the decisions of the party leadership for the past few days and had also been speaking out against the NDA.
Meanwhile, the BJP has taken action against two other party office-bearers as well. Ashok Agrawal, a Legislative Council member from the Katihar region, and his wife Usha Agrawal, the Mayor of Katihar, have also been suspended. Ashok Agrawal’s son, Saurav Agrawal, contested the election from the Katihar Assembly constituency against the BJP’s official candidate, Tarkishore Prasad. Saurav Agrawal had been declared a candidate by the Vikasheel Insaan Party, which is part of the opposition Mahagathbandhan.
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In Jammu and Kashmir, nine people lost their lives in an accidental explosion at Nowgam Police Station last night. J&K DGP Nalin Prabhat said the deceased include one personnel of State Investigating Agency, three personnel of Forensic Science Laboratory team, 2 crime scene photographers, two revenue officials who were part of the Magistrate’s team and one Tailor who was associated with the team.
Addressing the media in New Delhi, Home Affairs Joint Secretary (J&K Division) Prashant Lokhande said the explosion occurred while processing a huge cache of explosive substances and chemicals recovered during the investigation of a terror module. He said that the explosives were kept securely in an open area of the police station and were being processed for forensic examination. Mr Lokhande said that the police station building, along with some surrounding structures suffered severe damage. He added that the cause of the accident is being investigated, and any other speculation is unnecessary.
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The National Medical Commission has removed the names of four doctors from the Indian Medical Register or National Medical Register. The Commission said that this action has been taken in view of the FIR registered under relevant sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against Dr Muzaffar Ahmad, Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather, Dr Muzamil Shakeel, and Dr Shaheen Saeed following the Delhi blast. It added that the practitioners will not be permitted to practice medicine or hold any medical appointment until further orders.
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The National Investigation Agency (NIA) yesterday evening detained a person named Nur Alam from Islampur of North Dinajpur district of West Bengal in connection with the recent Delhi blast near Lal Qila. Nur Alam is reported to be a resident of North Dinajpur district and he is a student of Al Falah University of Faridabad.
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India and Paraguay have reaffirmed their commitment to combating terrorism through coordinated efforts at the bilateral, regional, multilateral, and global levels. During the first meeting of the Joint Commission Mechanism held in Asunción, both sides agreed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations poses a serious threat to international peace and security. The two sides also expressed their willingness to strengthen cooperation and bilateral coordination mechanisms in the areas of security and cyber security, for mutual benefit.
The meeting, chaired by Paraguay’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Víctor Verdún, and the Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (East), Periasamy Kumaran, conducted a comprehensive review of the current state of bilateral relations.
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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar chaired a conference of Indian Consul Generals in the United States, convening senior Indian diplomats from missions across the country to review India-US bilateral cooperation and engagement with the Indian diaspora. In a post on X, Dr.Jaishankar appreciated the commitment and efforts of Embassy and Consulates to strengthening the India-US partnership. The meeting was also attended by Indian Ambassador to the United States Vinay Kwatra.
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India has criticised Pakistan heading the Security Council’s committee on sanctions against the Taliban and co-chairing the counter-terrorism panel, citing conflicts of interest. Council members must be prevented from chairing committees when they have vested interests, India’s Permanent Representative P Harish said yesterday at the Council debate on its working methods. He did not name Pakistan, which is an elected member of the Council serving a two-year term, or the Taliban sanctions committee or the counter-terrorism panel, but it was obvious who and which committees he was referring to.
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In Sikkim, Doklam and Cho La will be opened for tourists by 15th of December this year under the Centre’s battle field tourism. Earlier, both the strategic locations were scheduled for inauguration on 27th of September, but later state government fixed a new deadline.
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In Archery, Ankita Bhakat becomes India’s first women’s recurve individual Asian Champion with a composed 7-3 win over Olympic silver medalist Nam Su-hyeon in Dhaka at the Asian Archery Championships. Moments later, Dhiraj Bommadevara sealed his place in the record books by becoming the first Indian male recurve Asian Individual champion. He defeated his fellow compatriot Rahul 6-2 in the final to clinch a gold, concluding India’s best-ever campaign at the Asian Archery Championships.
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In men’s cricket, South Africa were 18 for 1 at tea in second session on day two of first Test of the 2 match series against South Africa at Eden Gardens today. South Africa trail by 12 runs. Earlier, India were bowled out for 189 in 62.2 overs.
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India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy rainfall at isolated places over Kerala, Mahe, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal today. IMD has said that cold wave conditions are likely to prevail in Uttar Pradesh, East Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh till tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the air quality in Delhi-NCR continues to be in the very poor category, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 390 recorded at 1 PM today.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviews progress of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor project and takes stock of under-construction bullet train station at Surat in Gujarat.
- Nation observes Janjatiya Gaurav Divas today in recognition to the contribution of tribal community in country’s progress.
- Accidental explosion at Nowgam Police Station in Kashmir claims nine lives and injures thirty two.
- India and Paraguay reaffirm commitment to combating terrorism through coordinated efforts at bilateral, and global levels.
- And, In Asian Archery Championship at Dhaka, Ankita Bhakat becomes India’s first womens recurve individual Champion.
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