Morning News -

THE HEADLINES:-

Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Sikkim, West Bengal and Bihar today to launch multiple development projects.
Centre hikes Minimum Support Price for 14 Kharif crops; Also extends interest subvention scheme for Kisan Credit Card loans till current financial year.
President Droupadi Murmu to inaugurate Literary Conference at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre today.
IMD forecasts heavy rain in Northeast, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu today.
Hamas’ Gaza chief Mohammed Sinwar killed in Israeli air strike in Khan Younis.
In IPL cricket, Punjab Kings to take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in first qualifier in Mullanpur this evening.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Sikkim, West Bengal and Bihar today to launch multiple development projects.

In Sikkim, the Prime Minister will participate in the “Sikkim@50: Where Progress meets purpose and nature nurtures growth” event in Gangtok this morning. Mr Modi will also lay the foundation stone and inaugurate multiple development projects for the people of Sikkim and address the gathering on this occasion. Political Secretary to the Sikkim Chief Minister Bikash Basnet said that people are eagerly waiting to welcome and also listen to the Prime Minister.

“All the roads of Gangtok are leding to the historic Paljor stadium today where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in Sikkim’s 50 year’s of statehood celebration. The Prime Minister in presence of Governor and Chief Minister of Sikkim , will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate various development projects including a 750 crore rupees 500 bedded district hospital at Namchi. Other projects include a passenger ropeway at popular tourist spot Peeling in Gyalsing district and a statue of Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Gangtok district. The state government will organize a beautiful drone show in the evening to make the Prime Minister’s visit memorable. Manas Pratim Sarma, Akashvani News, Gangtok.”

Later, the Prime Minister will visit West Bengal where he will lay the foundation stone of City Gas Distribution project in Alipurduar and Cooch Behar districts in Alipurduar at around 2:15 PM. The project, worth over 1010 crore rupees, aims to provide Piped Natural Gas (PNG) to more than 2.5 Lakh households, over 100 commercial establishments and industries besides providing Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to vehicular traffic by establishing around 19 CNG stations.

In Bihar, Mr Modi will inaugurate the newly constructed passenger terminal of Patna Airport this evening.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive this evening and inaugurate the newly constructed terminal building of Jay Prakash Narayan Airport at Patna. The expansion of this terminal building covering an area of 65,000 square meters, will significantly benefit passengers with several modern facilities.

PM Modi will also initiate the construction work of the civil enclave of Bihta Airport, the second major airport being built in Patna district. This new airport is being developed with much higher capacity than the existing Patna airport.

After the inauguration ceremony, the Prime Minister will hold a grand roadshow in Patna. The roadshow will commence from Patna Airport and conclude at the BJP Headquarters at Birchand Patel Marg. During the six-kilometer route, the Prime Minister will be welcomed at 32 locations. Extensive security arrangements have been made in view of the Prime Minister’s program and roadshow. WITH Dharmendra Kumar Rai, FROM PATANA,VISHNU PS, Akashwani News, DELHI.

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The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the increase in the Minimum Support Prices, MSP for fourteen Kharif crops for Marketing Season 2025-26. Briefing media in New Delhi yesterday, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said government has increased the MSP of Kharif crops to ensure remunerative prices to the growers for their produce.

The Union Cabinet has also approved continuation of Modified Interest Subvention Scheme for Financial year 2025-26 with existing 1.5 percent Interest Subvention.

The Cabinet also gave a nod to two multitracking projects across Indian Railways in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

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President Droupadi Murmu will inaugurate the Literary Conference at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre today. The two day conference will showcase various sessions including Poets’ Meet, Feminist Literature of India, Change in Literature vs. Literature of Change and New Directions of Indian Literature in Global Perspective. The Conference will conclude with the saga of Devi Ahilyabai Holkar. Rashtrapati Bhavan will host this two day conference in association with Sahitya Akademi. Minister of Culture and Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and literary figures from across the country will also be present at the inaugural ceremony.

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Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who is leading an all-party delegation in Panama today reaffirmed India’s firm stance against terrorism and underlined that the country will not turn the other cheek and will respond to any further attack. Speaking at an event organised by the Indian Embassy in Panama, Mr Tharoor said, the ghastly terror attack in Pahalgam was in pursuance of a cynical set of objectives that the Pakistani military want to pursue to undermine the Kashmiri economy, which was booming with tourism and also India.

Another delegation led by BJP MP Baijayant Panda interacted with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Bin Ahmed al Jubeir at Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. Talking to media Mr Panda said, India is on the same page as Saudi Arabia and the closeness is a good sign in the fight against cross-border terrorism sponsored by Pakistan.

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As we celebrate the success of Operation Sindoor, the Nation salutes the valour of the Indian soldiers. As a tribute to the Armed Forces, Akashvani News is presenting a special series. Today we remember Param Vir Chakra awardee Major Dhan Singh Thapa who showed exemplary courage and bravery during the Sino-Indian war in 1962.

“Born in 1928 in Himachal Pradesh, Major Dhan Singh Thapa was commissioned into the 8 Gorkha Rifles in August 1949. During the 1962 Indo-China War, he commanded a platoon of C Company at the strategically vital Sirijap-1 post near Pangong Lake in Ladakh, tasked with defending the Chushul airfield. On October 21, the Chinese launched a heavy artillery and mortar assault on the post, damaging some wireless sets and setting the area ablaze. Despite being outnumbered, Major Thapa and his men repelled two successive enemy attacks, inflicting significant casualties on the enemy. Undeterred by mounting losses, they stood firm. A third and more intense assault followed, supported by tanks. With dwindling ammunition and reduced manpower, the platoon continued to resist. When the post was finally overrun, Major Thapa emerged from his trench, engaging in fierce hand-to-hand combat before being captured. For his extraordinary courage, leadership, and bravery, Major Dhan Singh Thapa was awarded the Param Vir Chakra. SAKLEN AKHTAR for Akashvani News, Delhi.”

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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy rainfall in Northeastern region, Coastal and South Interior Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry today. Met Department has also predicted heavy rain in Odisha, Telangana and West Bengal today. Similar conditions are expected in Uttarakhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Konkan, Goa, Madhya Maharashtra, Vidarbha and West Madhya Pradesh.

In Northeast India, light to moderate rainfall accompanied with thunderstorm and lightning is expected over the next seven days. The IMD predicted heatwave and dust storm conditions over West Rajasthan tomorrow.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed that Mohammed Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza and the brother of late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, was killed in an Israeli airstrike earlier this month. Speaking in parliament, Mr. Netanyahu said, Israel was at a dramatic turning point in its war against Hamas and that the military had eliminated Mohammad Sinwar. It marked the first official acknowledgment of his killing, following a joint Israeli military and Shin Bet strike on May 13 that targetted a bunker beneath the Gaza European Hospital in Khan Younis.

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Moving on to the world of sports, in IPL cricket the Playoffs will begin today. Table topper, Punjab Kings will take on second-placed Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the first qualifier in Mullanpur this evening. The match will begin at 7:30 PM.

Both the teams are chasing their maiden IPL title. For Punjab Kings, this marks their first playoff appearance since 2014. RCB, on the other hand haven’t finished in the top two since 2016.

After the first qualifier, all eyes will be on the eliminator, where fourth-placed Mumbai Indians will face third-placed Gujarat Titans tomorrow. The winning team of the eliminator will face the losing team of the first qualifier in the second qualifier on June 1. The winner of the second qualifier will meet the winning team of the first qualifier in the final on June 3 in Ahmedabad.

Moving on to Tennis where India’s Yuki Bhambri and his American partner Robert Galloway secured a hard-fought victory in the French Open men’s doubles opening round in Paris. Rohan Bopanna and his Czech partner Adam Pavlasek also progressed to the second round of the tournament after beating American duo of Robert Cash and JJ Tracy 7-6, 5-7, 6-1.

And Finally, in Badminton, India’s stars are back in action at the Singapore Open Super 750. Indian Shuttler Prannoy H. S. will play against France’s Christov Popov in the round of 16 today. While, Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu will face a stern test in the next round against Tokyo Olympic gold medalist and current world No.5 Chen Yu Fei of China his morning. With Neelam Kaushik, this is Ashish Abraham, Akashvani News Delhi.

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In some more news :

US President Donald Trump’s administration said that it will aggressively revoke the visas of Chinese students studying in the United States. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the move would include those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.

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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINES:-

A top front page headline in Hindustan Times reads, “New rules to fast track joint services commands” to boost, command efficiency and operational synergy in armed forces to fight future wars.
An Asian Age headline says, “Social media check: US visas to take longer now.”
The Statesman cites a report of Ernst & Young claiming, “India’s growth more stable in two financial years 2026 and 27 as China falters”.
Buoyed by government’s incentives and strong investor sentiment, veterans from companies developing indigenous AI chips. The Economic Times headline says, Former tech company executives carve their own semiconductor path.
And finally,The Pioneer carries a grim projection, quoting a report by World Meteorological Organisation, “Get ready for several years of killer heat” as Earth’s average temperature over five years likely to exceed 1.5 degree Celcius limit.

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:-

Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Sikkim, West Bengal and Bihar today to launch multiple development projects.
Centre hikes Minimum Support Price for 14 Kharif crops; Also extends interest subvention scheme for Kisan Credit Card loans till current financial year.
President Droupadi Murmu to inaugurate Literary Conference at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre today.
IMD forecasts heavy rain in Northeast, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu today.
Hamas’ Gaza chief Mohammed Sinwar killed in Israeli air strike in Khan Younis.
In IPL cricket, Punjab Kings to take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in first qualifier in Mullanpur this evening.

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