THE HEADLINES:-
- Railways announces new rules for Tatkal tickets; Aadhaar-based OTP authentication must from first of July.
- Centre cuts customs duty on crude edible oils from 20 to 10 percent to bring down prices in local market.
- Finance Ministry says, there is no plan to levy MDR charge on UPI transactions.
- External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar says, India-EU Free Trade Agreement feasible by end of 2025.
- Indo-Canadians nabbed for smuggling cocaine worth 300 crore rupees into Canada from US.
- And in FIH Hockey Pro League, India to take on Argentina in Amstelveen, the Netherlands this evening.
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Railway Ministry has said that only those users will be able to book online tatkal tickets through IRCTC website and app from 1st of next month who have authenticated their account with Aadhar. The step has been taken to ensure fair and transparent access to Tatkal tickets and to safeguard the interest of passengers. A Report:
“Indian Railways has announced key modifications in the Tatkal ticket booking system. According to the new scheme, aadhaar-based OTP authentication will be mandatory for online Tatkal bookings from 15th of July this year. Tatkal tickets booked at computerised Passenger Reservation System counters and through authorised agents will require OTP authentication sent to the mobile number provided by the user at the time of booking.
These changes are being implemented to improve transparency in Tatkal bookings and to ensure that the benefits of the scheme reach genuine end users. WITH BHUPENDRA SINGH THIS IS ANAND KUMAR, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI”
To prevent bulk bookings during the critical opening period, authorised ticketing agents of Indian Railways will not be permitted to book opening-day Tatkal tickets during the first 30 minutes of the booking window.
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The Union Cabinet has approved two projects of Ministry of Railways with total cost of six thousand 405 crore rupees. The projects include doubling of Koderma – Barkakana rail line has been approved at a cost of three thousand and 63 crore rupees while the doubling of Ballari – Chikjajur rail line approved at a cost of three thousand and 342 crore rupees. Briefing media in New Delhi after the Cabinet meeting, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that Koderma – Barkakana doubling project of 133 Kilometer will provide enhanced connectivity to 938 villages and 15 lakh population.
Mr Vaishnaw said, the second project Ballary – Chikjajur doubling rail line of 185 kilometer will connect Manglore port to Secunderabad. He said that these project will be completed in three years.
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India has undergone a decade of remarkable transformation, driven by the principles of Seva, Sushasan, and Garib Kalyan. Akashvani News brings you a special feature on the Government’s efforts over the last 11 years across key sectors. Today, we focus Nari Shakti – Women as drivers of Economic Change.
Over the last decade, India has witnessed a silent economic revolution, one led by its women. From Self-Help Groups in villages to entrepreneurs in cities, women are no longer just participants in the economy; they are the powerful drivers of change.
Of the 52.5 crore loans disbursed under the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana, nearly 68 per cent have been given to women, helping them start small businesses, expand enterprises, and achieve financial independence. While under the Stand-Up India Scheme, over 2.7 lakh loans have been sanctioned to promote entrepreneurship, with nearly 83 per cent going to women.
At the grassroots level, the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission has mobilised over 10 crore rural women into nearly 91 lakh Self Help Groups (SHG). The Lakhpati Didi initiative has enabled over 1.48 crore SHG members to earn a minimum annual income of rupees one lakh or more.
The government has also institutionalised support through Mission Shakti, which combines safety with empowerment.
From space missions to grassroots governance, from kitchens to boardrooms, Nari Shakti is marching ahead; stronger, freer, and more determined than ever. VISHNU PS, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI”.
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The Centre has reduced the basic customs duty on crude edible oil including crude sunflower, soybean, and palm oils from 20 per cent to 10 per cent. This has resulted in the import duty differential between crude and refined edible oils from 8.75 per cent to 19.25 per cent.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution said that this move aims to reduce the landed cost and retail prices of edible oils, providing relief to consumers and helping to curb the overall inflation.
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Finance Ministry has said that speculation and claims that the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) will be charged on UPI transactions are completely false, baseless, and misleading. It said, such baseless and sensation-creating speculations cause needless uncertainty, fear and suspicion among our citizens, and government remains fully committed to promoting digital payments via UPI.
The official rebuttal was issued following several reports circulated online claiming that the government is planning to impose MDR on large-ticket UPI transactions. MDR is a fee that banks charge merchants for processing payments in real time. Earlier, merchants used to pay an MDR fee amounting to 1 per cent of the total transaction value on card payments. But in 2020, the government waived off MDR charges to promote digital payments in the country.
Meanwhile, UPI processed 18.68 billion transactions in May. The May figures also mark a 33 per cent year-on-year jump in transaction volume, compared to 14.03 billion transactions recorded in the same month last year. The success of UPI placed India in a leadership position with a share of 48.5 per cent in global real-time payments by volume. AISHWARYA RAI NIGAM, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI.
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A farmers’ conference will take place at historic place Bardoli, in Gujarat to mark the culmination of the nationwide Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan today. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will attend the event. The campaign was started on May 29 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to make agriculture self-reliant. We have a report from our correspondent:
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will virtually inaugurate several Centers of Excellence today. These include centers for horticultural crops in Porbandar, bananas and vegetables in Petlad, and a primary processing center for farmers in Kutch. They will also virtually dedicate 14 crop storage godowns with a capacity of 25,000 metric tons in the state. During the programme, a foundation stone will also be laid for the creation of the Centre of Excellence for sugarcane in Bardoli. Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan covered 2 thousand 250 village clusters in 31 districts in Gujarat and helped farmers to understand modern agricultural technology and the proper use of micronutrients. This initiative supports the national goal of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’ by promoting agricultural growth. Aparna Khunt, Akashvani News, Ahmedabad.
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Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will address trainee officers today at the valedictory ceremony of the 127th Induction Training Programme at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie. The training programme is specifically designed for officers promoted from State Administrative Services to the Indian Administrative Service. More from our correspondent:
A total of 97 officers promoted from the services of 19 states are participating in the programme, including 73 male officers and 24 female officers. The programme is inspired by the national vision of “Viksit Bharat-2047” and the transformative goals of “Mission Karmayogi.” The programme aims to prepare ethical, capable, and future-ready administrative officers for policy-making, inter-regional coordination, and institutional leadership. The programme is based on seven key thematic pillars of good governance, personality development, collaborative learning, technology, leadership insights, entrepreneurship, and regional understanding. Sakshi Singh, Akashvani News, Dehradun.
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External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar has said that the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement is feasible by the end of 2025. He said, India places a high priority to its relations with the European Union, the centrepiece of which is the Free Trade Agreement negotiations that are making very good progress. Speaking at the German Marshall Fund Forum in Brussels, Dr Jaishankar expressed confidence that the year-end timeline set for the completion of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement seems feasible following his in-depth talks with EU officials this week.
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In Canada, nine people including seven Indo-Canadians have been arrested by the Peel Regional Police in the largest drug seizure of their history. The police seized 479 kilograms of Cocaine worth nearly 300 crore rupees and two illegally loaded semi-automatic handguns. The smugglers were arrested from Ontario on 35 charges as they were part of a transnational organized criminal network trafficking illicit drugs into the Greater Toronto Area.
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Moving on to the world of sports, in the FIH Hockey Pro League, Indian Men’s Team will take on Argentina at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, the Netherlands this evening. The match will begin at 06:30 PM, Indian Time. We have more from our Sports Desk:
“India is currently fourth in the points tally having accumulated 15 points from 11 games. Today, they will face Argentina again to take revenge of the defeat in yesterday’s clash at the same venue. The Men in Blue went down narrowly by 3-4, after a spirited display on the field. For India, Harmanpreet Singh netted twice, while Abhishek added a third in the 42nd minute. However, Argentina’s Lucio Mendez netted a goal in the 46th minute that created difference.
Next we have from the ICC World Test Championship Final, where South Africa were 43 for 4 against Australia at stumps on Day 1 at Lord’s in London. Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma and David Bedingham will carry on the innings on Day 2 after a power-packed bowling action on the opening day. After being invited to bat first, the defending champions Australia were bundled out on 212 with Webster’s 72 runs and Steven Smith’s sensible innings of 66 runs. For South Africa, Kagiso Rabada picked up 5 wickets. Then came the Proteas who faced early breakthrough as Mitchell Starc picked 2 wickets. A total of 14 wickets fell on an eventful day at Lord’s. Akashvani will broadcast ball-by-ball commentary of this match alternately in Hindi and English. It can be heard on Indraprastha and other channels from 2:55 PM till the end of the match. CHIRAG JHA, SPORTS DESK.”
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The India Meteorological Department has forecast heavy rainfall in Karnataka, Konkan, Goa, Kerala, Mahe, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu over the next three days.
IMD further said that heatwave conditions are very likely at isolated places in Delhi, Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.
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NOW, FOR A LOOK AT TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS,
- Hindustan Times on its front page headline writes “Centre eyes quota for women ahead of 2029 elections” intending to roll out 33 per cent reservation in Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
- The Tribune states “Cabinet okays two multitracking railway projects; investments to boost connectivity in Jharkhand, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh.”
- Business Standard cites “Automakers gear up to roll out Electric Vehicles without rare earth magnets by fiscal year 27.”
- “Red alert as Delhi sizzles in heat; Feels like 51.9 degrees Celsius” with the city boiling at a scorching 45, notes The Indian Express.
- And finally, The Pioneer refers to a mega event scheduled for International Yoga Day revolving around 10 unique signature events under the headline “Yoga for one Earth, One Health: the countdown begins.”
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN
- Railways announces new rules for Tatkal tickets; Aadhaar-based OTP authentication must from first of July.
- Centre cuts customs duty on crude edible oils from 20 to 10 percent to bring down prices in local market.
- Finance Ministry says, there is no plan to levy MDR charge on UPI transactions.
- External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar says, India-EU Free Trade Agreement feasible by end of 2025.
- Indo-Canadians nabbed for smuggling cocaine worth 300 crore rupees into Canada from US.
- In FIH Hockey Pro League, India to take on Argentina in Amstelveen, the Netherlands this evening.
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