Morning News

THE HEADLINES:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, PM-SETU Yojana will connect India’s youth with world’s skill demands.
India adds nearly 17 crore jobs in six years as unemployment dips to 3.2 percent; Women lead workforce surge.
Full Election Commission to review preparations for Bihar assembly elections with officials of enforcement agencies in Patna today.
UIDAI waives off charges for Aadhaar biometric updates for children aged 7 to 15 years.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to undertake a two-day visit to India beginning 8th of this month.
And in cricket, India to take on Pakistan in their second game of ICC Women’s ODI World Cup in Colombo this afternoon.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the PM-SETU scheme will connect the country’s youth with the world’s skill demands. He highlighted that, under the scheme, the Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) network is being prepared to meet the current industry skill requirements and anticipate future demands over the next ten years. Mr Modi stated this while announcing the launch of PM SETU scheme during the Kaushal Deekshant Samaroh in New Delhi yesterday.On the occasion, Mr Modi unveiled various youth-focused initiatives worth over 62 thousand crore rupees giving a decisive push to education, skilling and entrepreneurship across the country.The Prime Minister said, PM-SETU scheme will benefit over one thousand ITIs across the country as they will be upgraded and modern machines will be introduced.

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Around 17 crore jobs have been added to the workforce in India over six years. As per the Labour and Employment Ministry, employment in India rose to 64 crore 33 lakh in 2023-24 compared to 47 crore 50 lakh in 2017-18, a net addition of 16 crore 83 lakh jobs over six years. Furthermore, the unemployment rate has dipped sharply from 6 percent in 2017-18 to 3.2 percent in 2023-24. The Ministry noted that this is indicative of stronger workforce absorption into productive employment. Youth unemployment rate has also declined from 17.8 percent to 10.2 percent in the same time frame, placing it below the global average of 13.3 percent. Women are driving the workforce surge, with more than 1 crore 56 lakh females joining the formal sector over the past seven years. Employment patterns have also shifted, with self-employment increasing to 58.4 per cent in 2023-24.

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Full Election Commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, will review preparations for Bihar assembly elections with officials of enforcement agencies in Patna today. The Election Commission team is on a two-day visit to Bihar to take stock of the preparations for the upcoming assembly elections in the state. More from our correspondent:

On the final day of the Bihar visit today, the Election Commission will hold a meeting with officials of different enforcement agencies, nodal officers from the police department, and nodal officers of central forces. Before leaving for Delhi, the Election Commission will also meet the Chief Electoral Officer, Chief Secretary, and DGP of Bihar to review election preparedness. A press conference has been scheduled for this afternoon by the Election Commission to brief media representatives about the discussions and outcomes of the two-day review and consultations. Dharmendra Kumar Rai Akashvani News Patna.

The EC team held a meeting with representatives of 12 recognized political parties in Patna yesterday. During the meeting, various parties presented their views on several key issues before the Commission.

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Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced that Bihar’s makhana, recognized as a global food, will be exported to Europe and other Asian countries, in addition to US, Canada, and Arab nations. Speaking at the Makhana Festival in Patna, he said that an agreement has been signed for exports to African countries as well.

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched the Goa government’s flagship welfare programme, the ‘Mhaje Ghar Yojana’, at a function held at Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Taleigao yesterday. The scheme aims to regularise houses built on government and community lands and to grant ownership rights to long-time residents. Mr. Shah also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for development projects worth more than 2,452 crore rupees. Addressing the gathering, Home Minister Amit Shah said, the ‘Mhaje Ghar Yojana’ reflects the reform efforts by NDA governments under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has waived off ges for Aadhaar biometric updates for children aged 7 to 15 years. In a statement, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said the waiver of Mandatory Biometric Update (MBU) charges for this age group has already come into effect from the 1st of October and will be in force for a period of one year. This decision is expected to benefit approximately 6 crore children across the country. Aadhaar enrollment for children under the age of five requires only basic demographic details, including name, photograph, date of birth, gender, and address.

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GST Bachat Utsav, which was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and commenced on the 22^nd of the last month, is benefiting all sections of society. Today, our correspondent brings a report on the GST reforms that will empower different industries of West Bengal.

The new GST reform is a big win for West Bengal’s artisans, farmers, and small businesses. Now clothes costing up to 2 thousand 500 rupees will be taxed only at 5 percent from the earlier 12 percent GST rate .This makes garments more affordable and gives a boost to the local textile industry. For Bengal’s traditional crafts and regional products, the change is especially meaningful. Handmade items like Shantiniketan leather goods, Bankura terracotta, Purulia Chhau masks, Nakshi Kantha embroidery, and processed mango products from Malda will now only have 5 percent GST. Darjeeling tea extracts also move to 5 percent, making them cheaper and more competitive worldwide. Jute eco-bags will also benefit, helping both the 2.5 lakh jute mill workers and 40 lakh jute farmers. This reform supports Bengal’s culture and gives its people a fairer chance to grow.

With revised rates on goods, the next generation GST reforms aims to enhance affordability for consumers and improve margins for artisans. These reforms focuses on bringing higher sales, job preservation and a boost to rural economies during the festive season and beyond . Nitika Gupta Akashvani News Delhi.

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Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, will be on a two-day visit to India starting from the 8th of this month. This will be Prime Minister Starmer’s first official visit to India. The External Affairs Ministry said, on the 9th of October in Mumbai, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his UK counterpart will review progress in various areas under the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, in line with Vision 2035’ roadmap. This is a focused and time-bound 10-year roadmap of programmes and initiatives across key pillars such as trade and investment, technology and innovation, defence and security, climate and energy, health, education, and people-to-people relations. Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Starmer will attend the 6th edition of the Global Fintech Fest in Mumbai and will deliver keynote addresses.

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Moving on to the world of sports. In ICC Women’s ODI Cricket World Cup, India will take on Pakistan in their second game of the tournament at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo today. The match is scheduled to start at 3 PM Indian Time. We have more from Sports Desk:

“Indian women won their opening game after beating Sri Lanka by 59 runs through DLS method. Pakistan, on the other hand, suffered a seven-wicket defeat against Bangladesh in their tournament opener. Despite the high-voltage nature of India-Pakistan contests, the women’s fixture has historically been one-sided. India hold a dominant 11-0 record in ODIs against their rivals. For India, the match is a step toward semifinal qualification, while for Pakistan, it remains a chance to break a long-standing losing streak.

Moving on to Badminton, all eyes will be on rising Indian shuttlers Tasnim Mir and Shriyanshi Valishetty, as they will be up against each other in an All-Indian Women’s Singles final of Al Ain Masters 2025 in Abu Dhabi today. Moreover, in Men’s Doubles, Indian duo Hariharan Amsakarunan and Arjun Ramachandran will face Indonesia’s Raymond Indra and Nikolaus Joaquin in the finals today.

Moving ahead, India won three medals on the penultimate day of the World Para Athletics Championships 2025 in New Delhi yesterday. With this, the country took its overall tally to 18 – comprising six gold, seven silver, and five bronze – marking its best-ever performance in the history of the championships. CHIRAG JHA, SPORTS DESK.”

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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast extremely heavy rainfall over North Bihar, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim today. According to the IMD, isolated heavy rainfall is expected over North East India throughout the week including over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya today. These conditions will also continue over parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Mahe tomorrow. Meanwhile over the Northern part of the country, heavy rainfall will likely occur in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, West Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab till tomorrow. The weather agency has also forecast rainfall activity to increase over Northwest India during the next 2 to 3 days. The IMD has predicted thunderstorms with gusty wind upto 50 kilometers per hour to prevail over Delhi-NCR today.

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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE:

‘Bihar in focus as PM unveils sixty-two thousand crore rupee plans,” writes Hindustan Times. The Sunday Tribune reports, ‘Eye on Bihar poll, PM rolls out 62000 crore rupee schemes for youth.’ The Hindu headlines, ‘Hold Bihar polls in fewest phases, parties urge Election Commission,’ while The Asian Age informs, ‘Bihar polls after Chhath, dates soon’ adding Election Commission reviews poll preparation, parties urge one phase elections.’
The Sunday Express headlines ‘Israel, Hamas say they will work with Trump’s Gaza plan but gaps remain.’
And finally, Come winters and North India fears dangerous air quality due to stubble burning but The Hindu Business Line writes about IIT Roorkee’s innovative idea that not only tackles pollution but also fetches income for farmers. Researchers have developed a process that creatively utlises wheat straw, a common agricultural residue often burned after harvest, to produce eco-friendly tableware. The paper writes, ‘Turning wheat straw into tableware to end stubble burning.’

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, PM-SETU Yojana will connect India’s youth with world’s skill demands.
India adds nearly 17 crore jobs in six years as unemployment dips to 3.2 percent; Women lead workforce surge.
Full Election Commission to review preparations for Bihar assembly elections with officials of enforcement agencies in Patna today.
UIDAI waives off charges for Aadhaar biometric updates for children aged 7 to 15 years.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to undertake a two-day visit to India beginning 8th of this month.
And in cricket, India to take on Pakistan in their second game of ICC Women’s ODI World Cup in Colombo this afternoon.