THE HEADLINES:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi to participate in YUGM Innovation Conclave in New Delhi today.
- Jammu and Kashmir Assembly unanimously passes resolution denouncing Pahalgam terror attack.
- Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reviews arrangements, ahead of Char Dham Yatra beginning tomorrow.
- Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal holds talks with his UK counterpart J Reynolds on Free Trade Agreement between the two countries.
- Indian Women’s Baseball team qualifies for Asian Cup 2025.
- In Cricket, Vaibhav Suryavanshi becomes youngest centurion in IPL history.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in YUGM Conclave at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi today. YUGM meaning confluence in Sanskrit is a first-of-its-kind strategic conclave convening leaders from government, academia, industry, and innovators. It will contribute to country’s innovation journey, driven by a collaborative project of around one thousand 400 crore rupees with joint investment from the Wadhwani Foundation and Government Institutions.
The Conclave aims to catalyze large-scale private investment in country’s innovation ecosystem, strengthen academia-industry-government partnerships, and accelerate innovation aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat. In line with Prime Minister’s vision of a self-reliant and innovation-led India, various key projects will be initiated during the conclave. The conclave will also include high-level roundtables and panel discussions involving government officials, top industry and academic leaders. With Bhupendra Singh, Saklen Akhtar for Akashvani News Delhi.
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Jammu and Kashmir Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution denouncing Pahalgam terror attack. In a strongly-worded resolution, assembly expressed shock and anguish over the incident and resolved to fight resolutely to defeat the nefarious designs to disturb communal harmony and hinder progress of the nation and of Jammu and Kashmir. The resolution, moved by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary during a special session of the Assembly, was passed by voice vote.
The resolution reads that such acts of terror are a direct assault on the ethos of Kashmiriyat, the values enshrined in our Constitution, and the spirit of unity, peace, and harmony that have long characterised Jammu & Kashmir and our nation. The House also praised the efforts of people in J&K in the aftermath of the attack . The House also appealed to the media not to fall victim to the sinister design of dividing the people. It appeals to all the sections of the society and in particular the media to not fall victim to this sinister plot by irresponsibly inflaming passions. The Assembly also appealed to the Governments of all states and UTs to ensure safety, dignity, and well-being of Kashmiri students and citizens residing or traveling outside Jammu & Kashmir, and to take all necessary measures to prevent any incidents of harassment, discrimination, or intimidation. The House appealed to political parties, religious and community leaders, youth organisations, civil society groups, and media houses across the nation to maintain calm, reject violence and work collectively to uphold peace, unity, and constitutional values This is N. Gulshan Raina, For Akashvani News, From Jammu.
Addressing the Assembly, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that Kashmir has shown resistance against terrorism for the first time since the onset of terrorism, following the Pahalgam attack. The Chief Minister praised the spontaneous outpouring of grief and condemnation across the region, marking the beginning of the end of terrorism.
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The Indian Army effectively responded to firing by Pakistan military at some places along Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir last night. Defence sources said, Pakistan Army posts fired unprovoked across the Line of Control in areas opposite Kupwara and Baramulla districts, as well as the Akhnoor sector. There were no reports of any casualties.
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Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held a meeting with district magistrates from across the state to review the arrangements for the Char Dham Yatra, which is scheduled to begin tomorrow. In a social media post, Mr Dhami said, devotees will be able to have darshan of Baba Kedar at Kedarnath Dham from the 2nd of May. The registration for Char Dham Yatra also began yesterday.
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Union Minister of Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan held a virtual dialogue with all the 731 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) across the country from New Delhi yesterday. In his address, Mr. Chauhan emphasized the need for a campaign-driven approach to strengthen the agriculture sector, which supports 45 percent of the population and contributes 18 percent to the country’s GDP.
Mr. Chauhan also shared ideas about taking new initiatives to work by linking soil health cards and farmer awareness. He asked the farmers to work further in the direction of farming by giving proper advisory according to the balanced use of fertilizers to maintain the quality of the soil.
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Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that hosting WAVES 2025 is a matter of great pride for Maharashtra and has appealed to citizens to visit the event, which will be held in Mumbai from 1st to 4th May. He described WAVES as a major opportunity to showcase India’s creative excellence on the global stage. Emphasising the importance of the creative economy and its potential to generate employment and opportunities, he reaffirmed the commitment to establishing Mumbai as the capital of the global entertainment industry.
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In his “Mann Ki Baat” program broadcast on last Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the Science Centre established at naxal affected Dantewada in Chhattisgarh. This Science Centre is playing an important role in developing scientific thinking among the children living in the area.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while referring to the Science Centre established in Naxal-affected Dantewada of Chhattisgarh in the Mann Ki Baat program, said that this Science Centre has become a new ray of hope for the children and their parents. Dantewada Jila Panchayat CEO Jayant Nahta said that with the establishment of the Science Centre in this remote area, the local students are now also getting the same information about science as the children living in big cities get.
In a region, once known for violence and unrest, this science centre has emerged as a symbol of hope and development.Vikalp Shukla, Akashwani News Raipur
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Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal met with UK’s Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds in London yesterday to advance negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two nations. Mr Goyal arrived in London for two days of discussions aimed at strengthening investment ties and bilateral trade. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the talks on the Free Trade Agreement between India and the UK are being relaunched, and both sides are committed to moving the agreement forward.
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US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has reaffirmed that India is likely to be among the first countries to finalise a trade agreement with the United States. Mr Bessent cited India’s relatively open trade environment and limited non-tariff barriers as major reasons for the accelerated progress. The announcement comes amid growing global trade tensions, with the US having introduced broad tariffs earlier this month.
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In Punjab, the testing of the anti-drone system has been completed and installations will begin shortly along the Indo-Pak border. With the installation, it would be easier to check cross-border smuggling of drugs, weapons and explosives via drones. The system could detect any flying machine within 10 km radius. Punjab Police Chief Gaurav Yadav said that the deployment will be carried out in coordination with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Border Security Force (BSF).
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Voting has ended across Canada, with British Columbia being one of the final constituencies to close its polls. The Liberal Party led by Mark Carney remains in the lead, according to latest trends. The Liberals are leading in 132 seats, while the Conservatives are leading in 88. After experiencing an unexpected outage, the Elections Canada website is now back online.
To secure a majority government, a party must win at least 172 out of 343 seats.
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In Pakistan, at least seven people were killed and nine others injured after a powerful bomb blast struck the office of a peace committee in volatile Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province yesterday. Hospital officials reported that 16 injured individuals were brought in for treatment, with seven succumbing to their wounds. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in terrorist attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, following the collapse of the ceasefire agreement with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in November 2022.
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The Indian women’s baseball team confirmed its qualification for the Asian Cup 2025 after beating Thailand 6-5 in the Super Round stage of the qualifiers in Bangkok, yesterday. We have more from our sports desk:
India will face off against Indonesia in the gold medal match today. Irrespective of the result, India will make its fourth consecutive appearance in the Asian Baseball Cup, which is a second-tier competition below the Asian Baseball Championship.
In IPL T20 Cricket, Vaibhav Suryavanshi shattered the record of the youngest centurion in tournament history. It is also the second fastest century in the tournament, and the fastest century by an Indian. Vaibhav’s historic ton, alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal’s unbeaten 70 saw hosts Rajasthan Royals register an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans in Jaipur last night. Vaibhav, who scored 101 runs in 38 balls was declared Player of the Match. Today, Delhi Capitals will face Kolkata Knight Riders in New Delhi at 7.30 PM.
In Women’s cricket, India will take on South Africa in the Tri-nation series in Colombo today. The match will start at 10 AM IST.
And in Badminton, India will face Indonesia today in a crucial must-win Group D match at the BWF Sudirman Cup Finals in Xiamen, China. The Indian team’s campaign got off to a rocky start with a 1-4 loss to Denmark on Sunday. With only the top two teams from the group advancing to the next round, India must defeat Indonesia to keep its quarterfinal hopes alive. MANIK SHARMA, SPORTS DESK.
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The India Meteorogical Department (IMD) has forecast heavy rainfall conditions over Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Assam, Odisha and Meghalaya today. The met department predicted fairly widespread to widespread light to moderate rainfall accompanied with thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds over Northeast India during the next 5 days.
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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and NSA Ajit Doval briefed Prime Minister Modi on Jammu & Kashmir situation amid tension with Pakistan, writes The Asian Age.
- “Nervous Pakistan continues to play dirty”, headlines The Pioneer.
- Fearing escalation, farmers harvest wheat across barbed wire fencing on war footing, reports The Tribune.
- India’s military spending last year was nearly nine times that of Pakistan, and the fifth highest in the world, reports Hindustan Times.
- “24,000 jawans encircle Naxals in biggest-ever counter-insurgency operation in Bijapur”, reads The Asian Age
- Delhi’s senior citizens above 70 can now get free treatment with Ayushman cards, reports The Indian Express.
- And finally some good news for wildlife enthusiasts. 5 more cheetah cubs born at Kuno National Park, where tourism has increased by 120%, and 3 penguin chicks born to 2 pairs in Mumbai’s Byculla Zoo, the first in over a year, writes The Times of India.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN-
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi to participate in YUGM Innovation Conclave in New Delhi today.
- Jammu and Kashmir Assembly unanimously passes resolution denouncing Pahalgam terror attack.
- Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reviews arrangements, ahead of Char Dham Yatra beginning tomorrow.
- Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal holds talks with his UK counterpart J Reynolds on Free Trade Agreement between the two countries.
- Indian Women’s Baseball team qualifies for Asian Cup 2025.
- In Cricket, Vaibhav Suryavanshi becomes youngest centurion in IPL history.
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