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February 18, 2025 11:12 AM

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Morning News

THE HEADLINES :-

  •  Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold talks with Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani in New Delhi today, focus on various aspects of bilateral issues.
  • Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar appointed as Chief Election Commissioner.
  • Union Home Minister Amit Shah to review implementation of new criminal laws in Jammu and Kashmir.
  • New episode of Pariksha Pe Charcha 2025 to be released today.
  • In Hockey FIH Pro League, Indian Men’s Team to take on Germany; Women’s Team set to face Spain in Bhubaneswar this evening.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold talks with the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani in New Delhi today. The talks between the Prime Minister and the Amir will focus on various aspects of bilateral relations between India and Qatar. Sheikh Tamim will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhawan today. During his visit, the Amir will hold discussions with President Droupadi Murmu, who will also host a banquet in his honour.

 

Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani reached New Delhi yesterday on a two days official visit. Prime Minister Modi received him at the airport. The Amir was accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Ministers, senior officials and a business delegation.

          

Trade, investment, energy and technology collaboration will be the top agenda during the visit of the Amir of Qatar. India and Qatar share a strong economic partnership, with bilateral trade expanding across various sectors. Qatari firms have made significant investments in the country’s technology, infrastructure, and manufacturing industries, while Indian companies have established a strong presence in Qatar. As India consolidates its position as a global manufacturing and technology hub, several sectors are offering a promising scope for expansion of bilateral trade in the field of logistics, ports, airports, railways and highways, semiconductors, food security, tech and innovation, electric vehicles, and renewable energy. Bhupendra Singh, Akashvani News, Delhi.

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Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has been appointed as the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), as the tenure of incumbent poll body Chief Rajiv Kumar ends today. CEC Gyanesh Kumar is a former IAS officer from the 1988 batch of the Kerala cadre. He has served as secretary in the ministry of parliamentary affairs.

 

Dr.Vivek Joshi, has been appointed as new Election Commissioner. He is an IAS officer from the 1989 batch of the Haryana cadre.President Droupadi Murmu has appointed both commissioners.

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah will review the status of the implementation of new criminal laws in Jammu and Kashmir in the presence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today. The meeting will focus on the current status of various provisions related to police, jails, courts, prosecution, and forensics outlined in the three new criminal laws: the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023; Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023; and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), 2023. These laws replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively. The meeting will also be attended by the Union Home Secretary, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary, state Director General of Police, Director General of the National Crime Records Bureau, and several senior officials from both the Union Home Ministry and the Union Territory government.

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The Department of Land Resources under the Ministry of Rural Development is launching a pilot programme called National Geospatial Knowledge-based Land Survey of Urban Settlements- NAKSHA in 152 urban local bodies across 26 states and 3 Union Territories from today. Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will launch the programme at Raisen in Madhya Pradesh today.

 

Union Minister of State for Rural Development and Communications Dr. Chandrashekhar Pemmasani and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav will also be present on the occasion.

 

The aim of the Naksha programme is to create land records in urban areas to ensure accurate and reliable documentation of land ownership. Survey of India is the technical partner for the Naksha programme. This initiative will empower citizens, make life easier, enhance urban planning and reduce land-related disputes. The cost of the Naksha pilot programme is around Rs 194 crore which will be fully funded by the Government of India. Watershed Yatra will also be flagged off on this occasion. Sanjeev Sharma, Akashvani News, Bhopal.”

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 The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology will release the Digital Brand Identity Manual (DBIM) in New Delhi today, as part of its efforts to bring uniformity across government websites and digital platforms. The DBIM defines key elements of a consistent digital identity, including visual identities. These identities are as logos, color palettes, typography, and imagery, as well as verbal identities like brand voice, messaging frameworks, and taglines. These guidelines aim to enhance citizen engagement and improve the overall user experience in service delivery.

 

The Ministry said that this initiative aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to transform governance through technology, ensuring accessibility, efficiency, and a more citizen-friendly digital experience.

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BJP’s legislative party meeting is expected to be held in New Delhi tomorrow.  All the newly elected BJP MLAs along with senior leaders of the party will participate in the meeting. According to the party sources, the name of Delhi’s next Chief Minister is likely to be finalized during the meeting and the swearing-in ceremony for the next Chief Minister is expected to be held on the 20th of this month at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi. A meeting of Delhi BJP leaders was also held in New Delhi yesterday. BJP General Secretary Vinod Tawde and Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva and other party leaders attended the meeting.

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A new episode of Pariksha Pe Charcha 2025 will be released today. In this episode, several toppers of different boards and examinations will share their thoughts and tips to school students on beating exam stress, anxiety and staying chill under pressure. Sharing the glimpses of upcoming video on his social media platform, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, in this ’Pariksha Pe Charcha’ episode, exam warriors will share their experiences of how they have successfully overcome exam stress and anxiety.

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Two hundred representatives of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam 3.0 took a holy dip in Sangam at the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj. The group arrived in Prayagraj from Varanasi, as part of a program that aims to celebrate and strengthen the ancient civilizational bond between Tamil Nadu and Kashi.

 

The Prayagraj Mahakumbh has also become a confluence of the cultures of North and South India. The first group of Kashi Tamil Sangamam from South India arrived at the Mahakumbh on Monday. The Maha Kumbh Mela and the district administration gave a grand welcome to the visiting team. Several guests shared their experience after the visit. Sridhar Radhakrishnan, from Panruti city of Tamil Nadu, said that this event is amazing and divine in itself. Research student from Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvannamalai, Narayanamurthy, said that Maha Kumbh is not only a cultural confluence between North and South but also a meeting place of global culture and brotherhood.The Sangamam is being organized to revive the vibrant relations between Varanasi and Tamil Nadu, two important centers of education and culture in ancient India. With Abhishek Kapil, Adarsh for Akashvani News, Prayagraj.

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Top officials of the United States and Russia will meet in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia today to discuss ending Russia-Ukraine conflict. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Foreign Affairs Adviser Yuri Ushakov arrived in the Saudi capital yesterday. On the other hand, the US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce has said that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will meet the Russian delegation.

 

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s local media has reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will not participate in the US-Russia negotiations in Saudi Arabia. Mr Zelensky said that Kyiv will not accept the results of the negotiations that do not involve Ukraine.

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Moving on to the world of sports, in the Hockey FIH Pro League, the Indian Men’s Team will take on Germany, while the Women’s Team will face Spain at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha this evening.

 

“Harmanpreet Singh led men’s team currently sit in eighth place in the standings and will be looking to climb higher, by winning the match against Germany. On the other hand, Salima Tete-led women side is set to face Spain in their next set of matches today and tomorrow. Moving on to the Women’s Premier League (WPL) Cricket, Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Delhi Capitals by 8 wickets at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara last night. Today, Gujarat Giants will play against Mumbai Indians at the same venue this evening. Next update is also from Cricket, where the BCCI has unveiled the Indian Men’s Team jersey for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025. Rohit Sharma led squad will be seen in their signature Blue jersey with tri-colour on both the shoulders and Champions Trophy logo on the right side. Moving on to next update, the second and final leg of the Khelo India Winter Games 2025 has been postponed due to insufficient snowfall. It was initially set to take place in Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir, from Saturday. The revised schedule will be announced once weather conditions become favourable. CHIRAG JHA, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI.”

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India’s total exports during April-January 2024-25 logged growth of 7.21 per cent as compared to the same period in last fiscal. On the other hand, total imports during April-January in current fiscal registered a growth of 8.96 per cent. As per the Ministry of Commerce & Industry data, the total exports during the reported period is estimated at aroud 683 billion US dollar while imports estimated at around 770 billion US dollar.

 

As per the data, Merchandise exports during April-January in the current fiscal were at around 359 billion US dollars while Merchandise imports for the same period were at around 602 billion US dollars. Merchandise trade deficit during this period was at around 243 billion US dollar.

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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast dense fog conditions in isolated pockets of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim today. The weather department also said that parts of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Manipur can experience thunderstorms accompanied and lightning today.

 

The maximum temperature is likely to hover around 28 degrees Celsius with the minimum temperature at around 11 degrees Celsius. IMD said, Parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit, Baltistan, Muzaffarabad, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh can witness scattered light rainfall or snowfall.

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The Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly’s Budget Session is starting today. On the first day of the session, the Governor will deliver the address. The budget will be presented on February 20 at 12:30 PM. This time, the assembly will be operated for the first time under the National E-Vidhan application. Laptops have been installed on the desks of all the legislators for this purpose. The Speaker of the Assembly mentioned that this is a step towards a paperless assembly, and later, the assembly will be fully paperless.

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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINES

  •  “As Qatar Amir starts visit, trade, energy & tech ties on the table” reports The Indian Express.
  • The Tribune quotes the Government as saying ” India, U.S. to finalise contours of the proposed trade deal.”
  • “Pitroda’s China remark sets off row: Congress faces BJP flak” states The Asian Age.“Indian Railways rolls out safety overhaul after New Delhi Station stampede,” says The Statesman.
  • The Hindu quotes Jammu & Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha saying, “Indian Army capable of responding appropriately on the border”.
  • The Times of India quoting the Commonwealth Games Federation chief says ” India on track to become top 10 in Olympics.”
  • And finally, On the Bafta Film Awards, Business Standard writes Payal Kapadia’s ‘All We Imagine As Light’ loses to France’s ‘Emilia Perez’.

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:-

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold talks with Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani in New Delhi today, focus on various aspects of bilateral issues.
  • Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar appointed as Chief Election Commissioner.
  • Union Home Minister Amit Shah to review implementation of new criminal laws in Jammu and Kashmir.
  • New episode of Pariksha Pe Charcha 2025 to be released today.
  • In Hockey FIH Pro League, Indian Men’s Team to take on Germany; Women’s Team set to face Spain in Bhubaneswar this evening.

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