THE HEADLINES ::
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, Assam’s dynamic workforce and rapid growth are driving its transformation into a leading investment destination.
- CAG report says, Aam Aadmi Party’s liquor policy in Delhi caused a loss of over 2000 crore rupees to government exchequer.
- Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 to conclude in Prayagraj on the occasion of Maha Shivratri today.
- CBSE proposes Class 10 Board examination twice a year; Seeks feedback on draft policy.
- US and Ukraine finalise a minerals deal, amid talks to end Russia war.
- In ICC Men’s Champions Trophy cricket, England to take on Afghanistan in Lahore this afternoon.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that Assam’s dynamic workforce and rapid growth are driving its transformation into a leading investment destination. He said this while inaugurating Advantage Assam 2.0 Investment & Infrastructure Summit in Guwahati yesterday.
The Prime Minister said, Assam is becoming a crucial hub for semiconductor manufacturing in India. He said, East India and North East India are embarking on a new journey of future and Advantage Assam is a mega initiative to intertwine the incredible potential and progress of Assam with the world.
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Now, News from the Mahakumbh:
The Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 will conclude today in Prayagraj on the occasion of Maha Shivratri festival. Pilgrims from across the country have been taking holy dip at Sangam and other ghats in Prayagraj since early this morning. The Maha Kumbh Mela, which began on January 13, has drawn over 64 crore 60 lakh visitors so far over six weeks, making it the largest gathering of humanity in the world. Yesterday, around one crore 24 lakh devotees took a dip at the Triveni Sangam. Special arrangements have been made by the authorities to ensure that the event is safe, secure, and memorable. Security personnel remained on high alert, closely monitoring the swelling crowds at Mahakumbh Nagar and the various ghats. Railway stations, roads, and entry points to the city witnessed a constant influx of devotees.
Now we go over Live to our correspondent Adarsh in Prayagraj.
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Railway is set to operate more than 350 trains from Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh for the Mahakumbh devotees on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri today. The Railways Ministry said, special arrangements have been made to run additional trains after the Maha Shivaratri Snan, and extra rakes have been stationed near Prayagraj for use.
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In Uttar Pradesh, devotees are arriving at Shiva temples across the state including Kashi Vishwanath Dham in Varanasi since morning to perform Jalabhishek of Lord Shiva. Special preparations have been made in Kashi for Mahashivratri. Apart from the darshan and worship, processions of seven Akharas will also be taken out here.
“On the occasion of Shivratri, devotees from all over the world have reached Kashi for Jalabhishek and Darshan of Shri Vishwanath. Mahamandaleshwars and Naga Sadhus of many Akharas are also doing Jalabhishek of lord Shiva. Mangala Aarti of lord Shiva on Mahashivratri was performed at 2:15 am, and the temple was opened for devotees from 3:30 am. Naga Sadhus are arriving for the darshan of lord Shiva under the leadership of Mahamandaleshwar Kailasanand Giri. Due to Maha Kumbh, this time 12 to 15 lakh devotees are expected to reach Kashi on Mahashivratri. In view of the large number of devotees arriving in Varanasi, it has been decided to take out the traditional Shiv Baraat on the next day of Shivratri. Om Awasthi, Akashvani News, Lucknow.”
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The festival of Mahashivaratri is being celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety in Gujarat today. A large number of devotees are visiting the most revered Somnath Mahadev temple, Nageshwar temple in Dwaraka and other prominent Shiva temples in the state. Our correspondent reports that the Mahashivratri holds a special significance in Somnath.
“A 42-hour continuous religious festival began at Somnath temple on the occasion of Mahashivratri today. As per the tradition a Homat Laghurudra Yagya is being held at the Somnath Yagyashala from early morning itself. Talking to Akashvani, Somnath Temple General Manager Vijaysinh Chavda said the Somnath Temple will remain open for devotees for 42 hours starting from 4:00 am today. A four-hour Mahapuja and Maha Aarti have also been organized. Similarly, a large number of devotees have also thronged to other prominent Shiva temples in the state. With Rajesh Bhajgotar from Gir Somnath. Aparna Khunt/Akashvani News/Ahmedabad.”
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Maha Shivaratri is being celebrated in Shiva temples across Sri Lanka notably in the Pancha Ishwaram temples. Devotees will undertake a fast and pray through the day and night and engage in spiritual practices, praying for the darkness of ignorance to be replaced by the radiance of wisdom.
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A Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report has said that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s liquor policy in Delhi caused a loss of over 2,000 crore rupees to government exchequer. The CAG report said that the Delhi government suffered cumulative losses of more than 2,000 crore rupees due to the 2021-2022 excise policy. According to the report, the audit observed several discrepancies in the AAP government’s excise policy to supply liquor in the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
The report was tabled in Delhi Assembly yesterday by Rekha Gupta-led BJP government.
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The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has sought responses on a draft policy to conduct two board examinations for class 10 from the academic session 2025-26. In the draft policy, the CBSE proposed to conduct board exams of class 10 in two phases, with the first phase taking place from February to March and the second phase in May.
The CBSE has urged the stakeholders to submit their response by 9th of next month. CBSE has added that the draft policy has been developed following the two recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
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President Draupadi Murmu will attend a mass marriage ceremony at Bageshwar Dham in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh today. Our correspondent reports Governor Mangubhai Patel, Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav, many cricketers, artists and other celebrities will also the present on this occasion.
“The mass marriage ceremony has been organized by Shri Bageshwar Jan Seva Samiti in Garha village, about 23 km from Chhatarpur district headquarters. President Draupadi Murmu will give her blessings to the newlyweds. Out of the 251 girls, around two hundred and twenty five girls are from tribal, Dalit and OBC category. These include girls from various states including Madhya Pradesh, UP, Bihar, Maharashtra and Jharkhand. The visit of President is not only important from religious and social point of view, but it will also give impetus to the efforts of the development of Bundelkhand region. Sanjeev Sharma, Akashvani News, Bhopal.”
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A total of over ten lakh crore rupees in loans have been given under the Kisan Credit Card, benefitting seven crore 72 lakh farmers. The Kisan Credit Card (KCC) is a banking product that provides farmers with timely and affordable credit for purchasing agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides. The Union Finance Ministry said that the amount under operative Kisan Credit Card accounts has more than doubled from 4.26 lakh crore rupees in 2014 to over ten lakh crore rupees in December 2024.
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Ukraine and the United States have agreed on a framework for a broad economic deal, including the extraction of rare earth minerals. According to Ukrainian officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Kyiv hopes the agreement will help secure continued US military support, which Ukraine urgently needs.
There was no immediate response from the administration of US President Donald Trump. However, Mr Trump told reporters that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will travel to Washington on Friday to sign a very big deal.
President Trump has been pushing for access to Ukraine’s mineral resources in exchange for past military and other aid to the country.
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Moving on to the world of sports, we have an action-packed lineup of thrilling matches ahead. Here’s a detailed update from our correspondent:
“In the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy cricket, England will face Afghanistan in a crucial Group B encounter in Lahore, Pakistan, this afternoon. The match is scheduled to begin at 2:30 PM IST. The highly anticipated clash is a do-or-die contest, as the losing team will be eliminated from the tournament.
In hockey, both the Indian Men’s and Women’s teams ended the Bhubaneswar leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League on a high note last evening. The Men’s team secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over England at the Kalinga Stadium. While, the Indian Women’s team pulled off a thrilling shootout win against Olympic champions Netherlands.
In tennis, India’s Yuki Bhambri and his Australian partner Alexei Popyrin have advanced to the men’s doubles quarterfinals of the Dubai Open.
And in basketball, the Indian women’s team will lock horns with Maldives in the South Asia Basketball Association Women’s Championship 2025 final in New Delhi today. India, unbeaten in the tournament, advanced to the final after dominating both the Maldives and Nepal in group stage. Vishnu P S, Akashvani News, Delhi.”
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heat wave conditions in pockets of Konkan and Goa, coastal Karnataka, north Kerala, and Mahe today. Heatwave conditions in coastal Karnataka are likely to continue for the next 2-3 days. The weather department also predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall or snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit, Baltistan, Muzaffarabad, and Himachal Pradesh today.
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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,
- Dailies have carried photos of swelling crowds of devotees, thronging the banks of the Ganga for a holy dip, ahead of the Maha Shivratri. “Stage set for final Kumbh snan” headlines Hindustan Times.
- Life term for Sajjan Kumar is front page news in most dailies. “Ex-Congress MP Sajjan gets life term in double murder case linked to 1984 riots” reads The Tribune
- Camera-mounted drones, robots, and 11 national and state agencies are engaged in Telangana tunnel rescue, where eight men are currently trapped, reports The Indian Express.
- The Hindu quotes a survey conducted by National Statistics Office that reveals that participation of women in employment-related work increased to 25% in 2024 from 21.8% in 2019.
- And finally, in a rare surgical procedure, doctors at AIIMS Delhi have successfully separated a ‘parasitic twin’ weighing 15 kgs, from a 17 year old boy, finally enabling him to live a normal life, writes The Times of India.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, Assam’s dynamic workforce and rapid growth are driving its transformation into a leading investment destination.
- CAG report says, Aam Aadmi Party’s liquor policy in Delhi caused a loss of over 2000 crore rupees to government exchequer.
- Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 to conclude in Prayagraj on the occasion of Maha Shivratri today.
- CBSE proposes Class 10 Board examination twice a year; Seeks feedback on draft policy.
- US and Ukraine finalise a minerals deal, amid talks to end Russia war.
- In ICC Men’s Champions Trophy cricket, England to take on Afghanistan in Lahore this afternoon.
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