THE HEADLINES:

• Nation pays homage to  Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his 125th birth anniversary; Prime Minister Narendra Modi  to unveil hologram statue of Netaji at India Gate this evening.

• Gujarat Institute of Disaster Management and Professor Vinod Sharma to receive first ever Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar.

• Campaigning gains momentum in digital mode in poll bound states as election Commission extends ban on rallies and road shows till 31st of this months.

• India's Covid -19 Vaccination coverage crosses 161 crore 92 lakh mark.

• Full dress rehearsal of Republic Day parade held at Rajpath today in New Delhi.

• In  Badminton, P.V. Sindhu to face compatriot Malvika Bansod in final of Syed Modi International tournament in Lucknow today.

• Sania Mirza-Rajeev Ram enter quarter-finals of mixed doubles in Australia Open.

• And in Cricket, India chose to field first against South Africa in  final ODI in Cape Town.

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And now the news in detail:

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Nation is celebrating Parakram Diwas today to mark the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. On the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil the hologram statue of Netaji at India Gate this evening. The hologram statue will be replaced by a grand granite statue of Netaji which will be installed to commemorate Netaji's 125th birth anniversary and as a part of the year long celebrations to mark the event. The statue, made of granite, shall be a fitting tribute to the immense contribution of Netaji in the country's freedom struggle, and would be a symbol of the country’s indebtedness to him. Till the work for the statue is completed, a hologram statue of Netaji will be present at the same place.

Last year, Prime Minister announced that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's birth anniversary will be celebrated as Parakram Diwas every year.

More from our correspondent:

"The hologram statue will be powered by a 30 thousand lumens 4K projector. An invisible, high gain, 90 per cent transparent holographic screen has been erected in such a way that it is not visible to visitors. The 3D image of Netaji will be projected on it to create the effect of a hologram. The size of the hologram statue is 28 feet in height and 6 feet in width. During the programme, the Prime Minister will confer Subhas Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar, for the years 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 in the investiture ceremony. A total of seven awards will be presented during the ceremony. The Centre has instituted the annual awards to recognize and honour the invaluable contribution and selfless service rendered by individuals and organisations in the field of disaster management. The award is announced every year on 23rd of January. The award carries a cash prize of 51 lakh rupees and a certificate in case of an institution and 5 lakh rupees and a certificate in case of an individual. It has been the constant endeavour of the Prime Minister to honour the freedom fighters in a befitting manner. A special focus of these efforts has been on the legendary freedom fighter, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Several steps have been taken in this regard. In this spirit, Republic Day celebrations is beginning a day early, from today 23rd of January. Anupam Mishra, AIR News, Delhi."

President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in paying tributes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his 125th birth anniversary.

In his tribute, Mr Kovind said that the daring steps that Netaji took to fulfil his fierce commitment to the idea of a free India -- Azad Hind make him a national icon. President said, his ideals and sacrifice will forever inspire every Indian.

Mr Modi greeted people on Parakram Diwas, saying every Indian is proud of his monumental contribution to nation. He had said that till the grand statue is constructed, it will be represented by a hologram bust at the same place. 

Other political leaders too wished the nation on Netaji's birth anniversary. Home Minister Amit Shah, Information and Broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee wished the nation on Netaji's birth anniversary.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha  Piyush Goyal paid floral tributes at the portrait of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in the Central Hall of Parliament House .

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP) awardees tomorrow at 12 noon via video conferencing. Digital certificates will be conferred on PMRBP awardees for the year 2022 and 2021 using Blockchain Technology. This technology is being used for the first time for giving certificates of awardees.  A report :

"Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar has two categories: Bal Shakti Puraskar which is awarded to the children between the age of 5 to 18, for outstanding achievement in innovation, scholastic achievements, social service, arts and culture, bravery, or sports, and Bal Kalyan Puraskar which is given to individuals or organisations that have made outstanding contributions in child development, child protection, or child welfare. This year, 29 children from across the country, under different categories of Bal Shakti Puraskar, have been selected for 2022. The awardees also take part in the Republic day parade every year. Each awardee of Bal Puraskar is given a medal, a cash prize of one lakh rupees and certificate. ARTI RANA/ AIR NEWS."

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Gujarat Institute of Disaster Management in the Institutional category and  Professor Vinod Sharma in the Individual category have been selected for the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar 2022. They have been selected for this Award  for their excellent work in Disaster Management.They will be conferred with this Award, alongwith the awardees of the year 2019, 2020 and 2021, by Prime Minister  Narendra Modi at the investiture ceremony, to be held this evening to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

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Samajwadi Party has lodged a complaint with the Chief Election Commissioner of Uttar Pradesh demanding immediate and complete ban on telecast of opinion polls on news channels.

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The Election Commission has extended ban on physical rallies and road shows till 31st of this month. The Commission yesterday held a review meeting with the Union Health Secretary through virtual mode. The Commission also held virtual meetings with Chief Secretaries, Chief Electoral Officers and Health Secretaries of Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra along with Election Commissioners Rajiv Kumar and Anup Chandra Pandey held a comprehensive review of the present situation with respect to status and projected trends of COVID pandemic in the five poll going states. The Commission deliberated on relaxing restrictions for physical rallies in the wake of prevailing situation.

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In Uttar Pradesh, campaigning for the first two phases of the elections has gained momentum. Eleven districts of West UP will go to polls on 10th February in the first phase and 9 districts in the second phase on 14th February. A total of 113 assembly constituencies out of 403 will vote in the first two phases.

Our correspondent reports that the political parties are putting their best efforts to reach out to voters.

"The political parties are putting their best efforts to reach out to voters. Senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah is spearheading the party’s campaign in Western UP along with party president JP Nadda. Both these leaders visited five districts yesterday where they held door-to-door campaigns and meetings with the party workers and eminent citizens. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is also on a campaign spree in assembly constituencies going for polls in the first phase. Deputy Chief Minister Dr. Dinesh Sharma held a door-to-door campaign in Greater Noida today. Samajwadi Party on the other hand is organising at least two virtual rallies daily in the forenoon and afternoon. Party president Akhilesh Yadav is also conducting a press conference in Lucknow daily to brief the people about the parties’ policies and plans. Congress is in the fray by launching two manifestoes one for Youth and the other for women. Party’s campaign is mostly centered around these manifestoes till date. Bahujan Samaj Party is in the race with its new slogan ‘Har polling booth ko jeetna hai, BSP ko satta mein lana hai’. Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party has announced the candidature of Shivpal Singh Yadav from Jaswant Nagar seat in Etawah district. ADITYA SHUKLA, AIR NEWS, GORAKHPUR"

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Punjab Lok Congress, a political party founded by former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh will release the list of its all 38 candidates for the Assembly Elections today.  The Media Advisor of Captain Amarinder Singh, Raveen Thukral informed this on twitter. Punjab Lok Congress is contesting the Assembly polls in alliance with BJP and Shiromni Akali Dal Sanyukt of Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa.

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Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Dr S. Karuna Raju has directed the Returning Officers to ensure that the right document is uploaded on the Know Your Candidate' app, launched for electors to know the particulars and criminal antecedents of any candidate. CEO asked them to select the check box 'Yes' or 'No' for Candidate Criminal Antecedent and upload the scanned document submitted by candidate in Encore offline nomination. He said that Returning Officers will ensure Criminal antecedents of candidate get public visibility through KYC (Know Your Candidate) App.

He said, Returning Officer also needs to re-verify and ensure that the check box is marked appropriately as "Yes or "No" as per the details submitted by the candidate.

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Congress released the first list of 53 candidates for Uttarakhand assembly polls last night. The Party has fielded Former state assembly speaker Yashpal Arya from Bajpur. Former Leader of Opposition Indira Hridayesh's son Sumit Hridayesh will fight from Haldwani. Leader of opposition in State assembly Pritam Singh will contest from Chakrata and Party's state president Ganesh Godiyal has been fielded from Srinagar.

Earlier yesterday, the party also announced 40 names for Manipur Assembly Elections. Former Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh will contest from Thoubal seat.

Congress party has released the first list of 40 candidates for Manipur Assembly Polls. Former Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh will contest from Thoubal seat. Former Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam has been fielded from Nungba constituency. Former Chief Minister Rishang Keishing's son Victor Keishing will fight from Phungyar seat.

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Over 161 crore 92 lakh COVID-19 Vaccine doses have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive in the country. More than 71 lakh Vaccine Doses administered in the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, India's active Covid-19 caseload currently stands at over 21 lakh 87 thousand. The  recovery rate is currently at 93.18 percent. Over two lakh 59 thousand patients have  recovered in the last 24 hours. Over there lakh 65 thousand new cases were reported in the last 24 hours.

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Over 161 crore 47 lakh vaccine doses have been provided to States and Union Territories so far. The vaccines have been given through the Central Government free of cost channel and through direct state procurement category. The Health Ministry said, over 13 crore 32 lakh balance and unutilized COVID vaccine doses are still available with the States and UTs. The Ministry said, the Centre is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country.

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In Kerala, a 24-hour lockdown is imposed today to slow down rapid spread of Covid-19,  with only emergency services  being operated.  Most private vehicles keep off the road and police have intensified checking of vehicular traffic across the State.  Only parcel services are allowed in hotels and restaurants.

Government has directed  private hospitals to earmark 50 per cent of beds for Covid-19 patients in the wake of continued surge in Covid cases. Kerala reported  45 thousand 136 Covid-19 positive cases and 21 thousand 324 recoveries in  last 24 hours.  Test Positivity Rate  further surged to 44.8 percent. State's active caseload has  risen to two lakhs  47 thousand 227.

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In our bilingual live phone-in programme 'Corona Jagrukta series', Director AIIMS Bhopal, Dr. Sarman Singh will be with us tonight to answer the queries related to Corona virus.

Listeners can ask questions to the expert from 09.30 p.m. on telephone number: 011: 2342-1230 (Repeat 011: 2342-1230) AND 011: 2342-1764 ( Repeat 011:2342-1764). You can also post your queries on our Twitter handle @airnews alerts by #tag Askair.

This Live Programme can be heard on FM Gold Channel and additional frequencies from 09.30 p.m. onwards. This programme will also be available on our website NEWS ON AIR DOT GOV.IN and  YouTube Channel NEWSONAIROFFICIAL.

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This month’s Mann Ki Baat, which will take place on the 30th, will begin at 11:30 AM. The Prime Minister's Office in a tweet said, the monthly radio programme will begin after observing the remembrances to Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on his Punya Tithi (Death Anniversary).

This will be the 85th edition of the monthly radio programme and the first episode of 2022. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged people to share inspiring life stories and topics in MyGov open forum or the NaMo App. People can also dial the toll-free number 1800-11-7800 and record their message for the Prime Minister in either Hindi or English.

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In a first, the country will begin Republic Day celebrations 2022 from today to include the birth anniversary of late freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

To commence the celebrations of Republic Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil the hologram statue of the freedom fighter at India Gate in Delhi in the evening.

Earlier, the full dress of the  parade rehearsal was held at Rajpath  in New Delhi. The parade began  at 10.20 AM  from Vijay Chowk and proceeded to National Stadium. The country's military might and cultural heritage were showcased during the parade rehearsal. Tableaux from various Ministries and Departments were on display at Rajpath Delhi Police had made  elaborate traffic arrangements to ensure  smooth conduct of the parade rehearsals along the route.

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Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana today said over twenty thousand police personnel are deployed in the national capital for the Republic Day celebrations. He said strict anti terrorist measures are being taken since last two months. Speaking to reporters, Mr Asthana said active monitoring along border areas of national capital is being done. Mr Asthana said armed battalions are deployed and drones and other technologies are being used.

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India has emerged as the largest exporter of cucumber and gherkins in the world. India has exported cucumber and gherkins to the tune of over one lakh 23 thousand Metric Tonnes with a value of 114 million US dollar during April to October 2020-21. Ministry of Commerce and Industry in a statement said that India has crossed  200 million US dollar  mark of export of agricultural processed product- pickling cucumber, which is globally referred as gherkins or cornichons, in the last financial year.

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As our Nation celebrates the seventy fifth year of Independence, a series of events are being organised by the Government as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. To commemorate the occasion as a Jan-Utsav, All India Radio News brings its listeners a special quiz on India’s freedom movement and its glorious history. The quiz is being conducted every Monday and Tuesday in Morning News. The next question of Amrit Mahotsav Quiz will be shared with Listeners tomorrow.

And now, let's listen to our special programme, 'Azadi ka Safar' highlighting the importance of the day during the freedom struggle. 

Best wishes to all consumers for Azaadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. Hallmark ensures purity of Gold. Always purchase Hallmarked Gold Jewellery. For any consumer related complaints, please contact National Consumer Helpline's Toll free no 14404. Issued in Public Interest by Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India. Jago Grahak Jago.

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In a presentation made by Niti Ayog yesterday, it was revealed that the centralised kitchen service operated by the Tribal Department in Nandurbar district had considerably improved the health of 11,000 students in 30 Ashram Schools and Eklavya Schools through the supply of nutritious meals. More in this report.

During special meeting with the progressive districts yesterday, the Niti Ayog made a presentation in which it specifically mentioned the unique venture  of Maharashtra's.cbz Nandubar district.Excellent packaging, clean handling and on-time delivery are the hallmarks of Nandurbar's Central Kitchen which provides quality food to all the students of Aashram and Eklavya schools. The food service from this kitchen had resulted in a tangible improvement in the health of the students. The Niti Ayog  also mention that  the concept of a centralised kitchen would further extended for Anganwadi and Ashram schools located in the most remote areas in the coming future. Nivedita, AIR NEWS, Mumbai.

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In Badminton, two-time Olympic medalist, P.V. Sindhu stormed into the women's singles finals of the ongoing Syed Modi International tournament in Lucknow last evening. Sindhu will face compatriot Bansod Malvika in the final today.  Malvika defeated Anupama Upadhyaya in the other semifinal.

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In Australian Open Tennis Tournament, Sania Mirza-Rajeev Ram entered the quarter-finals of Mixed Doubles with a 7-6(6), 6-4 win over Matwe Middelkoop-Ellen Perez.

In Men's singles, Rafael Nadal beats Adrian Mannarino 7-6(14), 6-2, 6-2 to make the quarter-finals of the Australian Open after a battling first set, Nadal cruised through.

In another match, 14th seed Canadian Denis Shapovalov knocks out third seed Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 to make his first Australian Open quarter-finals.

In Women's singles, Barbora Krejcikova moves into the quarter-finals with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Victoria Azarenka. Azarenka.

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In Cricket, South Africa were 31 for 1 in 5 over  against India in  the third and final One Day International at Newlands Cricket Stadium in Cape Town  when reports last came in. Earlier, India won the toss and elected to bowl.

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Now, let us take a look at the weather for the day.

Srinagar will have rain or Snow . Temperature will hover between two and 4 degree Celsius.

Jammu will also have  generally cloudy sky with moderate rain . The minimum temperature was 9  degree Celsius while maximum will be around 11 degrees.

Leh is likely to have  light snow  and the temperature will vary between minus 13 and  minus two degree Celsius. 

Gilgit will have generally cloudy sky with possibility of rain or Thunderstorm or Duststorm with temperature hovering between zero and nine degree Celsius. 

Muzaffarabad will have  light snow . The minimum temperature was five  degree  Celsius while maximum will be around 12 degrees.

The National Capital Delhi is experiencing  generally cloudy sky with Light Rain or Drizzle. It recorded a minimum temperature of ten degree Celsius while the maximum be around 16 degrees. 

Mumbai will have partly cloudy sky. It noted a minimum temperature of 15 degree Celsius while the maximum is expected to be around 27 degrees. 

Chennai will also have fog/mist in the morning and partly cloudy sky later. There will be not much change in temperature as it will vary between 23 and 29 degree Celsius.

Kolkata will have generally cloudy sky with Light rain . The city noted a minimum temperature of 17 degree Celsius while maximum is expected to be around 24degrees.

Bengaluru will have  mainly clear sky. Temperature will hover between 15 and 30 degree Celsius. 

Guwahati will have generally cloudy sky with a few spells of rain or thundershowers . The minimum temperature was 13 degree Celsius while the maximum will be around 22 degrees. 

The city registered a minimum temperature 7degree Celsius and maximum19 degrees.

Itanagar will have  generally cloudy sky with a few spells of rain or thundershowers . Temperature will hover between  ten and 19 degree Celsius.

In Gangtok will have generally cloudy sky with moderate rain  . The minimum temperature was four degree Celsius and maximum will be nine  degrees.

Agartala will have  generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers. The temperature will hover between 16 and 25 degree Celsius.

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