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February 4, 2025 9:09 AM

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Morning News

THE HEADLINES ::

 

  • Both Houses of Parliament to resume discussion on the Motion of Thanks on President’s Address in Parliament.

 

  • Delhi gears up for Assembly polls tomorrow; All arrangements put in place for smooth conduct of elections.

 

  • Union Home Minister Amit Shah to chair security review meeting on Jammu and Kashmir in New Delhi today.

 

  • King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck to take holy dip at Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj this morning.

 

  • President Donald Trump pauses US tariffs for one month against Mexico and Canada; Tariffs on China come into effect today.

 

  • In table tennis, India’s Manush Shah and Diya Chitale to play Mixed Doubles Pre-quarterfinals in WTT Singapore Smash.

 

 

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Both the Houses of the Parliament will resume the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on President’s Address today. Moving the motion in the Lok Sabha yesterday, BJP MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, listed the achievements of the Narendra Modi-led government, including public welfare schemes. He attacked the AAP-led Delhi government for allegedly failing to implement central schemes like Ayushman Bharat and the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in the capital. Mr.Bidhuri also raised issues of poor road conditions, air pollution, and public transport in the city. He further accused former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal of lavish spending on his official residence.

 

Later, Leader of Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi criticized the President’s speech, calling it a repeat of previous years and a ‘laundry list’ of government achievements. Rahul Gandhi raised concerns about unemployment  and said the government has failed to address the unemployment issue despite the country’s growth. He pointed out that manufacturing’s share of GDP has dropped from 15.3 percent to 12.6 percent, the lowest in the past 60 years.

 

BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad alleged that Congress is uncomfortable whenever the Maha Kumbh is mentioned, noting that thirty five crore people have participated in the event so far. He accused Congress of feeling entitled to govern the country.

 

Other MPs also raised concerns during the discussion. Naresh Chandra Uttam Patel of the SP pointed out the absence of a mention of the Minimum Support Price, MSP guarantee in the President’s address.

Dr. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar of the TMC criticized the omission of food inflation and farm loan waivers.

 

Arvind Ganpat Sawant of Shiv Sena, UBT spoke about schemes benefiting farmers but raised concerns about disparities in the education system.

The discussion saw participation from several other MPs, including K. Kanimozhi of DMK, JD(U)’s Dileshwar Kamait, IUML’s ET Mohammed Basheer, RLD’s Rajkumar Sangwan, BJP’s Ganesh Singh, Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Rodmal Nagar, and RJD’s Abhay Kumar Sinha. However, the debate remained inconclusive. The House was adjourned and will reconvene today at 11 AM.

 

 

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External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar has accused Leader of the Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi of deliberately speaking falsehoods about Dr.Jaishankar’s  visit to the U.S. in December last year. In a social media post, Dr. Jaishankar said he went to meet the Secretary of State and NSA of the Biden administration. He also chaired a gathering of Indian Consuls General and met the incoming NSA-designate.

The External Affairs Minister stressed that at no stage was an invitation regarding the Prime Minister discussed. He added that it is common knowledge that Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not attend such events, and India is generally represented by Special Envoys. He claimed that Mr. Gandhi’s lies may be intended politically, but they damage the nation abroad.

 

 

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BJP MPs met Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and submitted a notice of breach of parliamentary privilege against senior Congress leader and MP Sonia Gandhi for her derogatory remarks against President Droupadi Murmu. In the notice, it was stated that her statement is inconsistent with the established Rules and Conduct and Parliamentary ethics and etiquettes. The BJP MPs have urged the Rajya Sabha Chairman to take cognizance of the matter and initiate disciplinary action against Mrs. Gandhi. Talking outside Parliament, BJP MP Faggan Singh Kulaste said that the remarks are in violation of Parliamentary traditions and conduct.

 

 

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All arrangements are being made for the smooth conduct of elections for the 70 member Delhi Assembly to be held tomorrow. The polling will be held from 7 AM till 6 PM on Wednesday. Over one crore 56 lakh voters will decide the fate of the 699 candidates in the fray. Campaigning came to an end last evening. The counting of votes will take place on Saturday.

 

The Election Commission has deployed over 1.8 lakh personnel for the assembly polls. Seizures of cash, liquor, drugs, freebies, and precious metals amounting to over 220 crores rupees have been recorded in a strict clampdown of inducements. Of these, the largest component is drugs at 88 crore rupees followed by precious metals at over 81 crore rupees. This marks a nearly four fold increase in comparison to the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections where total seizures amounted to 57.5 crore rupees. Since the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct, 7,499 complaints have been received through cVigil. Out of these, only 32 cases remain under process, and the rest have been successfully resolved. With Anand Kumar, Suparna Saikia, Akashvani News, Delhi.”

 

Delhi Metro will begin operations at 4:00 AM on all lines from their terminal stations on polling and counting days of the Delhi Assembly Elections to assist staff deployed for election duty. Trains will run every 30 minutes on all lines until 6:00 AM, after which regular services will be available throughout the day.

 

 

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair a security review meeting on Jammu and Kashmir in New Delhi today. The meeting is expected to be attended by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Home Secretary Govind Mohan, and chiefs of central agencies like IB and RAW, along with other senior officials.

The last such review meeting was held on December 19 2024, in which Mr Shah directed all security agencies to continue working in a coordinated manner to eliminate terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

Meanwhile, an ex-serviceman was killed in a terrorist attack in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district yesterday.

Security sources said terrorists attacked the ex-serviceman along with his wife and daughter in the Behibagh area of Kulgam. His wife and daughter, who were injured in the attack, are under treatment and are reported to be in stable condition. Security forces have cordoned off the area to nab the attackers.

 

 

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Union Minister for Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced that the commercial operations for trains to Kashmir will be launched soon and disclosed that all tracks in Jammu and Kashmir have been electrified.  Addressing a video press conference from Rail Bhawan New Delhi yesterday, the Railway Minister announced that all necessary testing processes for the much-awaited Katra-Srinagar railway line have been completed. He said that the ongoing redevelopment of Jammu Railway Station once completed will ensure direct railway connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar.

 

 

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King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck will visit Prayagraj, Mahakumbh today. He will take a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam. The King of Bhutan reached Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh yesterday.

 

“Mahakumbh is witnessing an overwhelming show of faith and attracting crores of devotees from India and abroad. They are taking holy bath at the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati River. The King of Bhutan will visit Akshayvat and Bade Hanuman Temple in Prayagraj. He will also explore the depth of Mahakumbh through modern technology at the Digital Mahakumbh Experience Centre. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will also present on the occasion. Last week one hundred ten member delegations, including Heads of Mission, and diplomats from 71 countries took a holy dip at Sangam. The Maha Kumbh Mela which commenced on 13th January, will continue till 26th February. Over 37 crore devotees have taken holy dip in the Triveni Sangam so far. With Dipendra kumar, Aman yadav, Akashwani news Prayagraj.”

 

 

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Secretary-General of Shanghai Cooperation Organization Nurlan Yermekbayev arrived New Delhi today. In a social media post, External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, the visit underscores the country’s commitment to enhancing regional cooperation, security, and trade and economic development. Mr Yermekbayev is on a four day visit to India.

 

 

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U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a one-month delay in U.S. tariff hikes on Canada and Mexico, after the two neighboring countries agreed to strengthen border security efforts. However, tariffs against China are still scheduled to go into effect today.

 

In a social media post, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said during a call with Trump, he pledged additional cooperation on border security. Trudeau mentioned that Canada is implementing its 1.3 billion US dollar border plan, which includes reinforcing the border with new helicopters, technology, and personnel, enhanced coordination with American partners, and increased resources to curb the flow of the banned fentanyl drug. Earlier, Trump revealed that he had a positive conversation with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who agreed to deploy 10,000 soldiers to the U.S.-Mexico border.

 

 

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In table tennis, India’s Manush Shah and Diya Chitale will be in action at the WTT Singapore Smash in Singapore this evening. The duo is set to face the Mexican pair of Marcos Madrid and Arantxa Cossio in the Mixed Doubles Pre-quarterfinals. The match is scheduled to begin at 3:30 PM IST.

 

 

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In the Indian Super League (ISL) football, Odisha FC held on for a 2-2 draw against North-East United FC at the Kalinga Stadium in Odisha last evening. An injury-time goal from Isak helped Odisha secure the draw and earn a point.FC Mohun Bagan will take on Punjab FC at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata tomorrow. The match will begin at 7:30 PM IST.

 

 

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The Reserve Bank of India has informed that the total value of 2000 rupee banknotes in circulation dropped to 6,577 crore rupees as of the 31st of last month. In a statement, the RBI has clarified that 98.15 percent of the 3.56 lakh crore worth of currency notes in circulation in May 2023 have been returned to the system.

The RBI had announced the withdrawal of 2000 rupee notes on 19th May 2023, urging citizens to deposit or exchange them at banks by 7th October 2023.

 

 

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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,

 

  • The Delhi Assembly election has been covered prominently in most dailies. “Freebies election draws close”, headlines The Pioneer. “High-voltage Delhi campaign wraps up, voting tomorrow”, writes The Tribune.
  • Quoting Secretary, Department of Financial Services, on the budget proposals, The Financial Express writes, “Tax sops to add 45,000 crore rupees to bank deposits in FY26”.
  • A front-page story in Hindustan Times says that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to meet US President Donald Trump on February 13 in Washington.
  • Trump tariffs hammer markets globally, Rupee sinks below 87 to a dollar, reports Business Standard.
  • And finally, Indian-origin banker, musician Chandrika Tandon, at the age of 71, has won her first Grammy – the award for Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album for Triveni, writes Hindustan Times.

 

 

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:-

 

  • Both Houses of Parliament to resume discussion on the Motion of Thanks on President’s Address in Parliament.

 

  • Delhi gears up for Assembly polls tomorrow; All arrangements put in place for smooth conduct of elections.

 

  • Union Home Minister Amit Shah to chair security review meeting on Jammu and Kashmir in New Delhi today.

 

  • King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck to take holy dip at Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj this morning.

 

  • President Donald Trump pauses US tariffs for one month against Mexico and Canada; Tariffs on China come into effect today.

 

  • In table tennis, India’s Manush Shah and Diya Chitale to play Mixed Doubles Pre-quarterfinals in WTT Singapore Smash.

 

 

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