THE HEADLINES :
- India achieves highest ever growth in indigenous defence production of one lakh 27 thousand crore rupees in 2023-24.
- Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh announces completion of genome sequencing of 10,000 isolates of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis.
- BJP government to present Delhi Budget 2025-26 today.
- Egypt offers new proposals to de-escalate tensions in the ongoing Gaza conflict.
- India to take on Bangladesh in AFC Asian Cup Football 2027 Qualifiers at Shillong this evening.
- In IPL cricket, Delhi Capitals defeat Lucknow Super Giants by one wicket in last over thriller at Visakhapatnam.
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India has achieved the highest-ever growth in indigenous defence production during the financial year 2023-24 since the launch of the Make in India initiative, reaching a record one lakh 27 thousand crore rupees. The value of defence production has surged 174 per cent increase from 46 thousand 429 crore in 2014-15. A report:
”65 percent of defence equipment is now manufactured domestically, a significant shift from the earlier 65 to 70 percent import dependency. The Defence exports have also surged from 686 crore rupees in 2013-14 to an all-time high of over 21 thousand crore rupees in 2023-24, marking a 30 fold increase over the past decade. This growth has been bolstered by the Make in India initiative, which has enabled the development of advanced military platforms.
The Defence Ministry said, once dependent on foreign suppliers, the country now stands as a rising force in indigenous manufacturing, shaping its military strength through homegrown capabilities. The Ministry said, the government has introduced several measures to improve ease of doing business in the defence manufacturing sector. India now targets 3 lakh crore rupees in defence production by 2029, reinforcing its position as a global defence manufacturing hub. Adarsh for Akashvani News, Delhi.”
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The Joint Parliamentary Committee on One Nation One Election will meet today in the Parliament Annexe in New Delhi. The committee will interact with Former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, Justice D N Patel, who currently serves as the Chairperson of the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT). Following this, the Committee will meet with Attorney General of India, R Venkataramani. The committee’s next sitting is scheduled for the 2nd of next month, which will feature interactions with two more distinguished personalities.
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The Centre has notified an increase in the salary, daily allowance and pension of Members and former Members of Parliament. The monthly salary for Members of Parliament has been increased from one lakh rupees to one lakh 24 thousand. The daily allowance has been raised from two thousand rupees to two thousand 500 rupees. The monthly pension for Members and Ex-Members of Parliament has been revised from 25 thousand rupees to 31 thousand rupees. It will be effective from 1st April 2023.
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Government has said, the total forest and tree cover of the country is over eight lakh 27 thousand square kilometers which is over 25 percent of the geographical area of the country. In a reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav said, the current assessment shows an increase of over one thousand 445 square kilometers in the forest and tree cover as compared to the last assessment of 2021. He said, the Ministry provides technical and financial support to the States and UTs for protection, conservation and management of forests in the country.
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The BJP led government in Delhi will present the budget for the financial year 2025-26 in the Assembly today. The budget will be discussed in the House tomorrow. After the discussion, the budget will be passed in the Assembly the next day. The five-day Delhi Assembly session began yesterday with the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) report on the functioning of the Delhi Transport Corporation – DTC presented in the House. The discussion on the CAG report will continue today as well. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta tabled the CAG report and announced that the Delhi government will bring a white paper on the tenure of the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) regime in the national capital. The report is expected to shed light on the financial and operational aspects of the DTC. She also said the economic survey will be tabled soon, as audits in different departments are still ongoing.
The budget session of the Delhi Assembly will continue till the 28th of this month.
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Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh has announced the completion of genome sequencing of ten thousand isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB). Dr. Singh made this announcement while talking to media in New Delhi yesterday. The nationwide initiative is aimed at tackling drug resistance in TB by harnessing genomics and Artificial Intelligence. The Minister informed that the government is aiming to address TB by 2030 and reduce its prevalence by 90 percent. He added that the government aims to make the country TB-free by 2025.
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Union Health Minister J P Nadda has announced that the Intensified TB Elimination Campaign will now be expanded to all the districts in the country. Earlier, the campaign was implemented in 455 selected high priority districts. Addressing the World TB Day 2025 summit in New Delhi yesterday, Mr. Nadda said, nearly 13 crore people were screened for TB and more than seven lakh new cases were detected during the 100 Days intensified TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan.
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Jharkhand government has announced to conduct Caste based census in the upcoming financial year. Answering to the question raised by Congress MLA Pradeep Yadav in the State Assembly Budget session, cabinet minister Deepak Birua said that the government is committed to conduct caste based survey in the next financial year. The State Government has already approved the proposal of conducting Caste based census during Cabinet meeting in February 2024.
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In an effort to de-escalate tensions in the ongoing Gaza conflict, Egypt has put forward a new proposal aimed at restoring the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The Egyptian plan introduces a phased approach to hostage release and potential withdrawal, suggesting Hamas release five Israeli hostages each week. Under the proposed framework, Israel would implement the second phase of the ceasefire after the initial week of hostage releases.
Security sources reported that both the United States and Hamas have expressed agreement with the proposal, while Israel has yet to provide a response.The proposal comes in the wake of intense violence that erupted last Tuesday when Israel resumed air and ground operations against Hamas, effectively ending a two-month period of relative calm.
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Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that the country is developing privileged strategic partnership with India. He also said that Russia is actively expanding ties with the majority of global states, including China, India, Iran, North Korea, as well as Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries. Mr Lavrov made these remarks while addressing the meeting of board of trustees of the Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund, as reported by Russian news agency.
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A massive earthquake of magnitude 6.8 hit the coast of Riverton in New Zealand today. The earthquake, which struck at a depth of 10 kilometers, was initially recorded at 7 magnitude. The National Emergency Management Agency of New Zealand is currently assessing the earthquake. As of now, the agency has suggested residents of Southland and Fiordland to stay away from beach and marine areas as strong and unusual currents may present a danger. The agency has further directed to not return until an official all-clear message is given by Civil Defence. Further details are awaited.
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Ajay Seth, a 1987 batch IAS officer of the Karnataka cadre, was designated as the new Finance Secretary. Seth is currently the Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs in the Finance Ministry. An official order issued by the Personnel Ministry said, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved designating Seth as the Finance Secretary. A B.Tech graduate in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Roorkee and holding an MBA from Ateneo de Manila University, he took over as Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, in April 2021.
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Moving on to the world of sports, the Indian National Football team will take on Bangladesh in the crucial third-round match of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong, Meghalaya, this evening. The match will begin at 7 PM. We have a report:
“India is placed in Group C of the final round of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers, alongside Hong Kong, Singapore, and Bangladesh. The teams will compete in a home-and-away round-robin format until March 2026, with the group winners advancing to the AFC Asian Cup tournament in Saudi Arabia. The Blue Tigers are coming off a commanding 3-NIL victory over the Maldives in a friendly match last Wednesday. In a pre-match press conference, Indian player Sandesh Jhingan said the team is focusing on preparing itself irrespective of who the opponent is.
Next we have from IPL Cricket, where Delhi Capitals defeated Lucknow Super Giants by one wicket in a last over thriller at Visakhapatnam last night. Chasing a target of 210 set by LSG, Delhi Capitals overhauled the total with just 3 balls remaining. At one stage, Delhi were struggling at 65 for 5, but impact player Ashutosh Sharma, along with debutant Vipraj Nigam, turned the game in Delhi’s favor. Ashutosh further sealed the victory with a six and was named Player of the Match. Today, Gujarat Titans will lock horns with Punjab Kings at Ahmedabad from 7:30 PM. CHIRAG JHA, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI.”
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast light to moderate rainfall over Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and Ladakh during the next two to three days. The maximum temperature will gradually rise by 2 to 4 degree Celsius over Central India and by 4 to 6 degree Celsius over West and Northeast India during the next 3 to 4 days.
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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,
- Most newspapers today open with the Burning Cash Controversy, The Statesman says “SC Collegium recommends repatriation of Justice Varma to Allahabad High Court”. The Pioneer writes “Bar demands Justice Varma’s impeachment”.
- The Indian Express headline reads, “Ahead of reciprocal tariffs, US trade team begins 4-day India visit today”.
- Amidst continued hostilities between Russia and Ukraine, “US, Russia teams hold talks on Ukraine war”, writes the Hindustan Times.
- In a bid to reduce the tax burden on digital ad consumers and costs for platforms like Google and Meta, “Digital tax on online ads to go from April 1”, notes The Hindu Business Line.
- In an inspiring story under the caption, ” ‘Gender party’, IMA to induct 1st batch of women officer cadets”, takes note, the Hindustan Times.
- And finally, calling it the Blooming Valley, The Hindu has a picture of, Asia’s largest tulip garden in Srinagar.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
- India achieves highest ever growth in indigenous defence production of one lakh 27 thousand crore rupees in 2023-24.
- Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh announces completion of genome sequencing of 10,000 isolates of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis.
- BJP government to present Delhi Budget 2025-26 today.
- Egypt offers new proposals to de-escalate tensions in the ongoing Gaza conflict.
- India to take on Bangladesh in AFC Asian Cup Football 2027 Qualifiers at Shillong this evening.
- ln IPL cricket, Delhi Capitals defeat Lucknow Super Giants by one wicket in last over thriller at Visakhapatnam.
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