THE HEADLINES:

 

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Haryana on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti tomorrow; To launch multiple development projects.
• Calcutta High Court orders immediate deployment of central forces in West Bengal’s Murshidabad, following Waqf-related violence.
• Government invites nominations for Padma Awards 2026 to be announced on the occasion of Republic Day next year.
• IMD forecasts heavy rain in Assam and Meghalaya today.
• India’s forex reserves surge by 10.8 billion US dollars to 676.26 billion dollars.
• US exempts smartphones and computers from latest tariffs.
• And, Indian pair of Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Rishabh Yadav bags Gold medal in compound mixed team event at Archery World Cup Stage 1 in Florida, US.

 

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Haryana tomorrow on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti. He will travel to Hisar in the morning and flag off commercial flight from Hisar to Ayodhya and lay the foundation stone of the new terminal building of Hisar airport. Mr Modi will also address a public meeting. Thereafter, the Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of development projects in Yamunanagar and address a gathering on the occasion. Boosting power infrastructure in the region along with the vision of electricity reaching the last mile, Mr Modi will lay the foundation stone of 800 MW modern thermal power unit of Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram Thermal Power Plant at Yamunanagar. Taking forward the vision of GOBARDhan scheme, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of a Compressed Biogas Plant in Mukarabpur, in Yamunanagar. Mr Modi will also inaugurate the 14.4 km Rewari Bypass project, worth around 1,070 crore rupees under the Bharatmala Pariyojana.

 

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The Calcutta High Court has ordered the immediate deployment of central forces in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district after the incidents of widespread violence, vandalism and arson in the areas on the  Waqf (Amendment) Act issue. The order came after the hearing of the petition filed by the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari in the Calcutta High Court, alleging unrest in several parts of the state. A special bench of Justices Soumen Sen and Raja Basu Choudhury heard the case and ordered the deployment of central forces.

 

The court also stated that this direction should not be limited to Murshidabad district alone. Wherever similar situations arise in other districts, central forces may be deployed immediately to control the situation and restore normalcy. The bench further directed that the central forces are to operate in coordination with the state administration.

 

At least three people were killed in the clashes in Murshidabad, and over 138 individuals have been arrested in connection with the violence.

 

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In view of the violence reported in Murshidabad district in West Bengal, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan held a video conference with Chief Secretary and DGP of the state yesterday. The West Bengal DGP briefed that the situation is tense but under control and is being monitored closely. He further said that more than 150 persons have been arrested and he is taking the assistance of BSF posted locally.

 

Meanwhile, the Union Home Secretary said that apart from nearly 300 BSF personnel locally available in Murshidabad, additional 5 Companies have been deployed at the request of the State Government. He further advised the State administration to keep a close watch on other sensitive districts also, and to put in place adequate steps to ensure normalcy at the earliest. Mr Mohan said that the Centre is also closely monitoring the situation and assured the State all possible assistance including deployment of additional manpower, if necessary.

 

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The Government has invited nominations for the Padma Awards 2026, which will be announced on the occasion of Republic Day next year. Nominations are open until 31st July this year, and the nomination process began on the 15th of last month. Our correspondent reports that 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. Instituted in 1954, 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, as well as Trade and Industry. These Awards are announced on the occasion of the Republic Day each year. All persons without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex are eligible for these Awards. Interested individuals can apply for nominations or recommendations on the Rashtriya Puraskar Portal – awards(dot)gov (dot)in. Adarsh for Akashvani News, Delhi.”

 

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A state level cooperative conference is being organized today in Madhya Pradesh under the International Cooperative Year. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be the chief guest of this program. More from our correspondent:

 

“The state level cooperative program organized in Bhopal will preside over by Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav. An agreement will also be signed between the National Dairy Development Board and Madhya Pradesh Dairy Federation during the program. The vision of prosperity through cooperation in Madhya Pradesh and the efforts made towards diversification in the field of cooperation will also be showcased. Distribution of micro ATMs, Kisan Credit Cards and approved loan letters will also be done in the program. Sanjeev Sharma, Akashvani News, Bhopal.”

 

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The festival of harvest Baisakhi is being celebrated with traditional enthusiasm in the northern part of the country today. Baisakhi is celebrated with much fanfare in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.

 

In Punjab, people are taking a dip in the holy sarovars, canals and rivers before joining the Mela celebrations. More From Our Correspondent:

 

“It was on this day in the year 1699; the Tenth Guru Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji founded the Khalsa Panth at Gurdwara Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, located in Sri Anandpur Sahib. Large number of devotees from across the country and abroad are paying obeisance here and at Sri Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar besides other Gurudwaras since early morning and listening to the the holy Gurbani.

 

Traditionally, the farmers are celebrating Baisakhi, by starting harvesting the golden wheat crop standing in their farms.

 

On this day, the Nation also remembers hundreds of those innocents who were massacred by the British Officer Reginald Dyer in Jallianwala Bagh in 19 hundred 19. That killing of the innocents had further ignited the India’s independence movement. People from all walks of life are paying tributes to them at the Jallianwala Bagh. Rajesh Bali, Akashvani News, Jalandhar.”

 

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India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy rainfall in Assam and Meghalaya today. The IMD has also predicted thunderstorms along with gusty winds and lightning over Kerala, Mahe, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, Rayalaseema and Telangana. More from our correspondent:

 

“The weather department predicted thunderstorms with lightning over South Interior Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Coastal and North Interior Karnataka. The IMD added that thunderstorms and gusty winds are also likely to prevail over Jharkhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Similar conditions are expected over East and Northeast India over the two-three days. Further, the IMD predicted Heat wave conditions at isolated places over Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam. The IMD added that heatwave conditions are likely to prevail in West and East Rajasthan, West Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana from the 14th to the 18th of this month. Bhanu Pratap Singh , Akashvani News, Delhi.”

 

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Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Dr. Manshukh Mandaviya will lead Bhim Padyatra this morning on the eve of the birth anniversary of Babasaheb Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar in Patna, Bihar. Mr. Mandaviya will flag off the Padyatra from the iconic Gandhi Maidan which will pass through different nooks and corners of Patna. Thousands of My Bharat volunteers will take part in the foot march. More from our correspondent:

 

“At historic Gandhi Maidan in Patna youths and volunteers will recite Preamble of Indian Constitution along with Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Dr. Manshukh Mandaviya. Several volunteers of My Bharat and Young Achievers will attend the event. The foot march from historic Gandhi Maidan to Patna High Court will pass through JP Golambar, SP Verma Road, Dak Bangla Chowraha, Income Tax Chowraha and Vidyut Bhawan crossing in Patna. During the event youths, young achievers and NSS volunteers will adopt a resolution to contribute for Viksit Bharat.Dharmendra Kumar Rai, Akashvani News, Patna.”

 

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India’s foreign exchange reserves surged by 10.8 billion dollars, reaching over 676.2 billion dollars in the week ending April 4. According to the Weekly Statistical Supplement released by the Reserve Bank of India, during the last week, foreign currency assets, a major component of the reserves, were up by over 9.07 billion dollars to over 574 billion dollars. Gold reserves increased by over 1.56 billion dollars, totaling 79.36 billion dollars.

 

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The US has announced exemption for smartphones and computers imported to the country from the latest tariffs. According to a US Customs and Border Protection notice, smartphones and computers will be excluded from US President Donald Trump’s 10 percent global tariff on most countries, and the much larger Chinese tariffs of 145 per cent. The exemption applies to products entering the US or removed from warehouses as early as April 5.

 

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And now, news from the world of sports:

 

“In Archery, the Indian duo of Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Rishabh Yadav clinched the gold medal in the compound mixed team event at the World Cup Stage 1 in Florida, USA. The pair edged past their Chinese Taipei opponents 153-151 last night. Notably, the Indian pair has also become the first-ever champions in the compound mixed team category since it was officially included as an Olympic event.

 

Moving onto Football, Mohun Bagan Super Giant has clinched the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 title following a 2-1 victory over Bengaluru FC in Kolkata. This was Mohun Bagan’s second ISL title, following their maiden triumph in the 2022-23 season.

 

In the Indian Premier League T20 Cricket, Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Punjab Kings by eight wickets in Hyderabad last night. Today, Rajasthan Royals will host Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Jaipur from 3:30 PM. While in the second clash of the day, Delhi Capitals will face Mumbai Indians in Delhi. The match will begin at 07:30 PM.

 

Onto Tennis, India secured their playoff berth in the Billie Jean King Cup by finishing second following a 2-1 victory against South Korea in their last Asia-Oceania Group 1 fixture in Pune last night. This is only the second time that India have qualified for the playoffs of the Billie Jean King Cup, with the previous one coming in 2020. THIS IS VISHNU PS, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI.”

 

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Marking the beginning of the Holy Week, Christians across the globe are observing Palm Sunday today, commemorating the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem ahead of his capture and crucifixion.

 

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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE:

 

• In a first, the Supreme Court of India sets a 3-month limit for President to decide on the bills sent to her by the governor, writes The Asian Age.
• “Tamil Nadu notifies 10 Acts after Supreme Court deems assent implicit”, headlines The Hindu.
• A Junior Commissioned Officer of the Indian Army and three unidentified ultras have been killed in two J&K encounters, reports The Pioneer.
• The 45-minute storm in Delhi on Friday evening caused chaos at the IGI Airport, affecting 400 flights, reports The Times of india.
• “Trump drops tariffs on Laptops, Phones and Chips”, headlines The Economic Times.
• A 19th century British architect’s notes are helping in reinstatement of the 145-year-old heritage Faculty of Arts building’s iconic dome of Vadodara’s Maharaja Sayajirao University, reports The Indian Express.
• And finally, Hindustan Times pays homage to Kumudini Lakhia, a revolutionary in Kathak who seamlessly blended classical traditions with modern choreography, who passed away yesterday, aged 95.

 

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Haryana on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti tomorrow; To launch multiple development projects.
• Calcutta High Court orders immediate deployment of central forces in West Bengal’s Murshidabad, following Waqf-related violence.
• Government invites nominations for Padma Awards 2026 to be announced on the occasion of Republic Day next year.
• IMD forecasts heavy rain in Assam and Meghalaya today.
• India’s forex reserves surge by 10.8 billion US dollars to 676.26 billion dollars.
• US exempts smartphones and computers from latest tariffs.
• And, Indian pair of Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Rishabh Yadav bags Gold medal in compound mixed team event at Archery World Cup Stage 1 in Florida, US.

 

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