THE HEADLINES
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate Grand International Exposition of Sacred Piprahwa Relics related to Lord Buddha in New Delhi today.
- Election Commission directs West Bengal election authorities to file FIRs against five suspended officials over electoral roll irregularities.
- Centre issues notice to social media platform ‘X’ over obscene content targeting women, and children on AI tool Grok.
- Narcotics Control Bureau advises Indian travellers to obtain necessary approvals for carrying medicines before travelling to Saudi Arabia.
- IMD issues red alert for dense to very dense fog conditions over Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a Grand International Exposition of Sacred Piprahwa Relics related to Lord Buddha in New Delhi today. The Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that the Piprahwa relics, discovered in 1898, hold a central place in the archaeological study of early Buddhism.
“The Exposition will be held at the Rai Pithora Cultural Complex in New Delhi. It will bring together, for the first time, the Piprahwa relics repatriated after more than a century from Piprahwa that are preserved in the collections of the National Museum of New Delhi, and the Indian Museum of Kolkata. The Piprahwa relics, discovered in 1898 are among the earliest and most historically significant relic deposits directly connected to Lord Buddha. Archaeological evidence associates the Piprahwa site with ancient Kapilavastu, widely identified as the place where Lord Buddha spent his early life prior to renunciation. The exposition will highlight India’s deep and continuing civilizational link with the teachings of Bhagwan Buddha and reflects the Prime Minister’s commitment to preserve India’s rich spiritual and cultural heritage. The recent repatriation of these relics has been achieved through sustained government effort, institutional cooperation and innovative public-private partnership. With Rishu Jaiswal, Adarsh Kumar for Akashvani News, Delhi.”
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The Prime Minister’s flagship platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, PRAGATI, has marked a significant milestone with the successful conduct of its 50th meeting. Since its launch by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015, PRAGATI has transformed governance by enabling real-time monitoring and resolution of key infrastructure projects and public grievances through direct Prime Ministerial review. Today, in this special series, we take a look at the Mumbai-Nagpur-Jharsuguda Natural Gas Pipeline.
“The Mumbai-Nagpur-Jharsuguda Natural Gas Pipeline is a strategically significant energy infrastructure project conceived to strengthen India’s National Gas Grid. It spans around 1,702 kilometres across Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh. The project was approved at a cost of 8,255 crore rupees under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. The project faced several challenges including hindrances in pipeline laying, delays in acquisition of land parcels and pending wildlife clearance for a 53.7-kilometre stretch passing through a designated tiger corridor. Given the systemic nature of these bottlenecks, the project was reviewed under the PRAGATI mechanism on 28th June 2023. A marked acceleration was observed following the PRAGATI review. High-level meetings chaired by the Chief Secretary, Maharashtra government, and Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas brought all concerned agencies onto a single execution platform. Land acquisition challenges were successfully addressed through active facilitation by the Maharashtra government, with acquisition completed in August 2024. With legacy bottlenecks resolved, the project advanced rapidly and now stands at around 98 percent physical progress, with full completion targeted by February this year. It illustrates how the PRAGATI mechanism enables effective delivery of complex, multi-jurisdictional energy infrastructure. With Anand Kumar, Suparna Saikia, Akashvani News, Delhi.”
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Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan has said that PRAGATI system has accelerated implementation of projects and major welfare schemes. Addressing media in New Delhi yesterday on the outcomes of PRAGATI, Mr Somanathan said that over three thousand three hundred projects worth 85 lakh crore rupees, including those which faced problems, were reviewed. He informed that 61 government schemes, including One Nation One Ration Card and PM Jan Arogya Yojana, were also reviewed other than the projects.
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The Election Commission has directed the concerned district election authorities to file FIRs against the five suspended state officials, accused of illegally including fake or non-existent voters’ names in the electoral rolls. According to sources in the office of the State Chief Electoral Officer, instructions have been issued to register criminal cases against Debottam Dutta Chowdhury, Electoral Registration Officer of the Baruipur East Assembly constituency, Assistant Electoral Registration Officer Tathagata Mandal; Biplab Sarkar, Electoral Registration Officer of the Moyna Assembly constituency; Assistant Electoral Registration Officer Sudipta Das, and Data Entry Operator Surajit Halder.
During the enumeration phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, these officials were accused of adding fraudulent names to the voter list.
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Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh has said that the country’s future growth over the next two decades will be led by innovation-driven sectors including space, oceans, biotechnology, clean energy and advanced manufacturing. The Minister said this while addressing a press conference in New Delhi yesterday.
The Minister called the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) fund of 1 lakh crore rupees as a major highlight of 2025, promoting Research and Development in the private sector. He also underscored flagship missions such as Deep Ocean Mission and Gaganyaan, stating that India is preparing simultaneously for human spaceflight and deep-sea exploration.
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Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has issued a notice to social media platform X, asking it to remove obscene content. Sources said the government has raised concerns over the misuse of Grok AI to create and share obscene content. In its letter to the Chief Compliance Officer of X, India Operation, the Ministry said the service of Grok AI is being misused by users to create fake accounts to host, generate, publish or share obscene images or videos of women in derogatory or vulgar manner. It said the regulatory provisions under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and IT Rules, 2021 are not being adhered to by the platform. The Ministry stressed that compliance with the IT Act and the IT Rules, 2021 is not optional.
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The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has advised Indian travellers to obtain necessary approvals for carrying medicines before travelling to Saudi Arabia. This comes after Saudi Arabia introduced an electronic service platform for obtaining prior permission for the clearance of medicines intended for personal use by individuals entering or leaving the country.
According to the NCB, certain medicines that are legally available in India or other countries may be prohibited or subject to restrictions in Saudi Arabia. It said, carrying medicines in excess of prescribed limits may also attract regulatory action.
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The year 2025 stands as a defining chapter in India’s development journey. It saw policies translate into progress and intent into impact. Today, in this Special Series, ‘Year of Reforms’, we bring you India’s progress in the Finance sector in 2025.
“India received strong global recognition for its progress in equality, innovation, technology, and global influence in 2025. The World Bank ranked India among the world’s most equal societies, with a Gini Index of 25.5, placing it ahead of China, the United States, and all G7 and G20 nations. The International Labour Organisation reported that social protection coverage in India rose sharply from 19 percent in 2015 to 64.3 percent in 2025.
India’s digital public infrastructure also gained global praise. The International Monetary Fund recognised the Unified Payments Interface as the world’s largest real-time payment system, handling 49 percent of global transactions. The World Intellectual Property Organisation highlighted India’s strong growth in intangible asset investment, reflecting a shift toward a knowledge-based economy. Poverty reduction remained a major achievement, with over 17.1 crore people lifted out of extreme poverty in the last decade. India’s cultural and innovation standing also improved, with UNESCO recognitions and a rise to 38th place in the Global Innovation Index. With Nitika, Akshit Vedyan, Akashvani News Delhi. “
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The India Meteorological Department, IMD has issued a red colour warning for dense to very dense fog conditions over Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh today. The weather agency has also predicted cold wave conditions at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh and ground frost conditions over Uttarakhand. The IMD said that cold day conditions will prevail at isolated pockets over East Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar till Monday.
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With the air quality showing a marked improvement across Delhi-NCR, the Sub-Committee on the Graded Response Action Plan of the Commission for Air Quality Management has Revoked Stage-III of GRAP with immediate effect. Our Correspondent reports that the decision was taken following favourable meteorological conditions and a sustained downward trend in AQI levels.
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“The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas said that Delhi’s air quality has been improving yesterday due to strong winds and favourable weather conditions. The Air Quality Index stood at 222 at 7:00 AM today, indicating a significant improvement in air quality. Following the rollback of Stage-III of GRAP, private construction and demolition activities, mining and allied operations have been allowed to resume with immediate effect. Restrictions imposed on the operation of BS-3 petrol and BS-4 diesel vehicles under Stage-III have also been lifted, along with other vehicular curbs applicable under this stage. While comprehensively reviewing air quality parameters of Delhi-NCR, the Sub-Committee noted that the AQI had improved to 236 on yesterday, reinforcing the decision to withdraw Stage-III measures. However, the Commission has directed all concerned agencies to maintain strict vigil and Intensify measures under Stages-II and I of the extant GRAP to prevent any further deterioration in air quality. The government has also urged citizens to strictly adhere to the Citizen Charter under Stages-II and I, so that air quality levels do not slip again. with aditya ‘s report, Jigyasa pandey , Akashvani News, Delhi.”
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In men’s cricket under-19, team India will lock horns with South Africa in the first Youth ODI of the three-match series at the Willowmoore Park in Benoni today from 1:30 pm IST.
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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,
- The Times of India leads with the news of developments in the contaminated water tragedy in Indore. “Water deaths: Indore commissioner removed,” reads the headline.
- The Statesman quotes the External Affairs Minister as saying that cross-border terrorism remains a barrier to normal ties with “certain neighbours” – making an indirect reference to Pakistan. “No water for sponsor of terror: EAM slams ‘bad neighbour’ Pakistan,” headlines The Tribune.
- India will soon launch a mission to achieve technology sovereignty in manufacturing drones, used in applications ranging from product delivery to warfare, reports The Pioneer.
- The Centre has directed social media platform X to check Grok misuse in morphing images, writes The Hindu.
- And finally, in yet another instance of human-wildlife conflict, 7 of the world’s rarest frogs called Galaxy frogs, living in Kerala’s Western Ghats, are presumed dead, likely due to rise in photo tourism, reports The Indian Express.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN,
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate Grand International Exposition of Sacred Piprahwa Relics related to Lord Buddha in New Delhi today.
- Election Commission directs West Bengal election authorities to file FIRs against five suspended officials over electoral roll irregularities.
- Centre issues notice to social media platform ‘X’ over obscene content targeting women, and children on AI tool Grok.
- Narcotics Control Bureau advises Indian travellers to obtain necessary approvals for carrying medicines before travelling to Saudi Arabia.
- IMD issues red alert for dense to very dense fog conditions over Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh.
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