THE HEADLINES :-
- Centre announces development of two major Electronics Manufacturing Clusters at Pillai Pakkam and Manallur in Tamil Nadu.
- India to become world’s third-largest economy by 2028, overtaking Germany, says Morgan Stanley.
- Nominations start for Padma Awards 2026 to be announced on the occasion of Republic Day next year.
- At least 27 civilians killed and 30 injured in an airstrike by Myanmar military on pro-democracy resistance group.
- Kashmir valley receives fresh snowfall; IMD forecasts heat wave conditions in Odisha today.
- In Cricket, Mumbai Indians beat Delhi Capitals by 8 runs to win their second Women’s Premier League title.
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Union Minister for Electronics & IT Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced the development of two major Electronics Manufacturing Clusters in Tamil Nadu. These clusters, with an investment of 1,112 crore rupees, will be established at Pillai Pakkam and Manallur. The initiative aims to strengthen India’s position in the global Electronics System Design and Manufacturing sector. The announcement was made during the inauguration of Zetwerk Electronics’ new manufacturing facility in Chennai yesterday. Mr Vaishnaw said that spread across 15 acres, this facility will play a key role in boosting Tamil Nadu’s electronics manufacturing industry and supporting India’s ambition of achieving a 500 billion Electronics System Design and Manufacturing market.
The Union Minister also highlighted how Tamil Nadu has emerged as a major hub for electronics manufacturing, benefiting from increased government support and a railway budget exceeding 6,000 crore rupees. Mr Vaishnaw said, India’s electronics manufacturing sector is growing rapidly. Thanks to the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we are positioning India as a global manufacturing hub. Tamil Nadu is a key beneficiary of this growth, he added.
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India will become the world’s third-largest economy by 2028, overtaking Germany, according to a report by global financial services firm Morgan Stanley. The report said, Indian economy, valued at 3.5 trillion dollars in 2023, is projected to expand to 4.7 trillion dollars by 2026. In 2028, India will overtake Germany as its economy will expand to 5.7 trillion, Morgan Stanley said. The report said, India has emerged as the world’s most sought-after consumer market and has gained share in global output, facilitated by stable macroeconomic policies and improved infrastructure.
Bharatiya Janata Party has said that this extraordinary ascent is not by chance but the result of years of visionary leadership and bold economic reforms. In a social media post, the BJP said, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi took charge, he set a course for transformation. The initiatives like ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’ ignited a wave of industrial innovation, turning villages into manufacturing hubs and cities into thriving economic centres, the party said.
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Nominations for the Padma Awards-2026 to be announced on the occasion of Republic Day next year have started. The last date for nominations for Padma Awards is 31st July. The nominations and recommendations for Padma Awards will only be received online on the Rashtriya Puraskar Portal.
The Padma Awards – Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, are amongst the highest civilian awards of the country. The Awards seek to recognize ‘work of distinction’ and is given for distinguished and exceptional achievements in all disciplines, such as Art, Literature and Education, Sports, Medicine, Social Work, Science and Engineering, Public Affairs, Civil Service, and Trade and Industry. All persons without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex are eligible for these Awards. Government servants including those working with PSUs, except Doctors and Scientists, are not eligible for Padma Awards.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged people to tune in to his podcast interview with Lex Fridman to be broadcast today. In a social media post, Mr Modi said he had a fascinating conversation with Mr Fridman, who hosts the Lex Fridman Podcast. The coversation covered diverse topics including Mr Modi’s childhood, the years in the Himalayas and the journey in public life.
Mr Fridman said he had an epic 3-hour podcast conversation with Prime Minister Modi. In a social media post, the podcaster said it was one of the most powerful conversations of his life.
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Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya will inaugurate the Fit India Carnival in New Delhi today. The three-day fitness and wellness festival aims to promote a healthy and active lifestyle, aligning with the Fit India Movement’s vision of a fitter, healthier, and obesity-free nation. It will include a host of sports activities including rope skipping, stationary cycling, arm wrestling, cricket bowling among others. The inauguration will also be attended by Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Khadse and Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurana.
During the launch of Fit-India Movement in 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called upon people to exercise for half an hour daily.
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah will attend several programmes in Assam today. He is on a three-day visit to North Eastern States of Assam and Mizoram. Mr Shah yesterday inaugurated a police academy in Golaghat district of Assam and attended a programme of Assam Rifles at Aizawl in Mizoram. Today the Home Minister will go to Assam from Mizoram to attend several programmes. More from our correspondent:
“Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address the 57th Annual Conference of All Bodo Students Union at Dotma in Kokrajhar district in the afternoon. Later in the day, the Home Minister will review the Implementation of New Criminal Laws in the North-Eastern States in Guwahati with the Chief Ministers of eight North Eastern states before returning to New Delhi in the evening. Aminul Haque Akashwani News, Guwahati.”
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In Myanmar, an airstrike by the military on a village under the control of a pro-democracy resistance group has killed at least 27 civilians including six children. A spokesperson for the Mandalay People’s Defence Force said that at least 30 others were injured in the airstrike that occured last evening in Let Pan Hla village in Singu township. The Mandalay People’s Defence Force supports Myanmar’s main opposition and seized the town of Singu in July last year.
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The United States of America has carried out a series of airstrikes on Yemen’s capital Sanaa yesterday following an order from President Donald Trump. President Trump also promised to continue the use of overwhelming lethal force until Iranian-backed Houthi rebels cease their attacks on shipping along a vital maritime corridor.
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Many areas in Kashmir, including the plains, received fresh snowfall, while other parts of the Valley witnessed light to moderate rains yesterday. The plains in Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama districts received fresh snowfall, while snowfall was also recorded in Gulmarg, Sonamarg and Pahalgam tourist resorts. Gurez in Bandipora district, some localities in Kupwara, and several areas in the higher reaches of the Valley also received snowfall. Most other parts of Kashmir are seeing light to moderate rains.
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heatwave to severe heatwave conditions at isolated places over Odisha today. According to IMD, heat wave conditions are likely to prevail over Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, north Telangana today and over Gangetic West Bengal, Saurashtra and Kutch during the next two days. Talking to media, senior IMD scientist Dr Soma Sen Roy said that a red alert has been issued for severe heatwave conditions in Odisha till today, while yellow alerts have been issued for Jharkhand and West Bengal for the next two days.
Met Department has also forecast hot and humid conditions at isolated places over Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, Kerala and Mahe today. IMD has also predicted heavy rainfall over Uttarakhand today and in Arunachal Pradesh over the next two-days. IMD said that thunderstorms with gusty winds and lightning are likely to prevail over Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura over the next two days.
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In Cricket, Mumbai Indians beat Delhi Capitals by 8 runs to win their second Women’s Premier League title. More from our correspondent:-
In Women’s Premier League, Mumbai Indians clinched their second title as Delhi Capitals choked for the third time in succession. In the summit clash played at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, Harmanpreet Kaur’s 44-ball 66 powered Mumbai Indians to a fighting 149 for the loss of 7 wickets. In reply, Delhi Capitals batters finished at 141 for 9. Harmanpreet Kaur was awarded player of the match for her knock. Nat Sciver-Brunt was chosen as Most Valuable Player of the tournament. She also won the Orange Cap for her 523 runs this season. Amelia Kerr won the Purple Cap for her 18 wickets this season while Amanjot Kaur won the Emerging Player of the Season award. The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has selected 30 wrestlers including World Championships medallists Deepak Punia and Antim Panghal for the Senior Asian Championships to be held in Amman, Jordan from March 25 to 30. Ten wrestlers each were picked in the men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman, as well as women’s categories during the selection trials conducted by the WFI.Onto Football Indian Women’s League, Gokulam Kerala thrashed defending champions Odisha FC 3-1 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha yesterday. While in another match, East Bengal FC earned a solid 2-0 win over Kickstart FC Karnataka at the Bangalore Football Stadium in Karnataka last evening. WITH SANYUKTA YADAV, DEEPMALA KAUSHIK, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI.”
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Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy has announced that the Begumpet Railway Station in Hyderabad will be fully operated by women employees of the South-Central Railway. After inspecting the ongoing modernisation works under the Amrit Bharat Station scheme at the Railway station, the Minister announced that the station will be inaugurated soon as an all women Railway station.
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NOW, FOR A LOOK AT TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS :-
- “Pakistan and Bhutan among 43 countries on Trump’s potential travel ban list” cites The Asian Age.
- The Indian Express reports “India’s CAR T-cell therapy for cancer patients shows 73 percent response rate ” according to a study by Lancet.
- Hindustan Times reports about the Delhi government’s bold plan to ensure Electric Vehicle transition. The headline says “Third private car in household must be an EV; CNG autos over ten years old will be replaced with Electric ones.”
- “With start-up and e-Comm rush, B-schools see a busy hiring season” writes The Economic Times as lucrative offers surge for graduates at top management institutes.
- Finally, “With ‘bio-banked’ genetic material, darjeeling has India’s first ‘frozen zoo'” is a headline in The Sunday Times of India writing about a genetic park preserving the DNA of Himalayan wildlife.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN :-
- Centre announces development of two major Electronics Manufacturing Clusters at Pillai Pakkam and Manallur in Tamil Nadu.
- India to become world’s third-largest economy by 2028, overtaking Germany, says Morgan Stanley.
- Nominations start for Padma Awards 2026 to be announced on the occasion of Republic Day next year.
- At least 27 civilians killed and 30 injured in an airstrike by Myanmar military on pro-democracy resistance group.
- Kashmir valley receives fresh snowfall; IMD forecasts heat wave conditions in Odisha today.
- In Cricket, Mumbai Indians beat Delhi Capitals by 8 runs to win their second Women’s Premier League title.
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