THE HEADLINES:-

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches Madhya Pradesh Startup and Start-up Portal of State through video-conferencing.
• Prime Minister to visit Lumbini in Nepal on the occasion of Buddha Purnima on Monday. 
• President Ram Nath Kovind to embark on state visit to Jamaica and St. Vincent & Grenadines from tomorrow.
• Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal says Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement to significantly open doors to a plethora of markets across the globe; Inaugurates India-UAE Economic Partnership Summit in Mumbai.
• Merchandise exports register 30 per cent growth in April while service exports increase 53 per cent compared to same period last year.
• NITI Ayog launches National Data and Analytics Platform to make available easily, government data to public.
• Prime Minister Modi invites citizens to share their inputs for Mann ki Baat programme at AIR on 29th of this month.
• In Thomas Cup Badminton tournament, match between India and Denmark evenly poised.
• In IPL Cricket, match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Punjab Kings underway in Mumbai.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Madhya Pradesh Start-up Policy through video conference today. The Prime Minister also launched the Start-up Portal at  the Start-up Conclave-2022 organised at the Brilliant Convention Centre in Indore.

Mr. Modi provided financial assistance to the youth who are benefiting from the Madhya Pradesh Start-up Policy.

"देश में जितनी प्रोएक्टिव स्‍टार्टअप नीति हैं उतना ही परिश्रमी स्‍टार्टअप नेतृत्‍व भी है। इसलिए देश एक नई युवा ऊर्जा के साथ विकास को गति दे रहा है। एम पी की स्‍टार्टअप नीति के तहत स्‍टार्टअप और इंक्‍यूबेटर्स को वित्‍तीय सहायता दी गयी है। मैं इन प्रयासों के लिए और इस आयोजन के लिए मध्‍य प्रदेश सरकार को, देश के स्‍टार्टअप इकोसिस्‍टम को और आप सबको बहुत-बहुत बधाई देता हूं।"

The Prime Minister interacted with the owners of some selected start-ups.

During the Conference, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan released a collection of success stories of select start-ups.

Earlier, the exhibition on new trends and innovations was inaugurated by Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Omprakash Sakhlecha at the venue. The exhibition showcased the products based on innovation and entrepreneurship by new startups. In addition, the day-long conclave saw discussions  in various sessions.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay an official visit to Lumbini in Nepal on Monday on the occasion of Buddha Purnima. He is visiting the Himalayan nation at the invitation of his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba. This will be the Prime Minister’s fifth visit to Nepal since 2014 and his first visit to Lumbini.

Giving details about the visit of Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said in New Delhi, the visit reaffirms India's commitment and demonstrates the priority it attaches to the neighbourhood.

Mr. Kwatra said, at Lumbini, the Prime Minister will visit the sacred Mayadevi temple to offer prayers. He will also deliver an address at a Buddha Jayanti event organised by the Lumbini Development Trust.

During his visit, Mr Modi will also participate in the 'Shilanyas' ceremony for the construction of a Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage, on a plot belonging to the International Buddhist Confederation, New Delhi within the Lumbini Monastic Zone. Both the Prime Ministers will also hold a bilateral meeting.

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President Ram Nath Kovind will be on a state visit to Jamaica and St. Vincent & Grenadines starting tomorrow. This will be the first ever visit by an Indian Head of State to these Caribbean nations.

The President will be in Jamaica from the 15th to 18th of this month where he will hold delegation level talks with his counterpart, the Governor General of Jamaica Sir Patrick Allen. He will also meet Prime Minister Andrew Holiness and other dignitaries. During the visit, the President will address the Joint Sitting of the two Houses of Jamaican Parliament.

While addressing the media, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs Saurabh Kumar said, the visit will help strengthen the bond between the nations.

Mr. Kovind will also pay a state visit to St. Vincent & Grenadines (SVG) from 18th to 21st of this month and hold discussions with his counterpart Governor General Ms. Susan Dougan. He will also meet Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves as well as other dignitaries. President Kovind will address the House of Assembly of SVG.

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Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Economy Minister of United Arab Emirates Abdullah Bin Touq Al Marri inaugurated the India-UAE Economic Partnership Summit in Mumbai today. Both leaders also launched the India-UAE start-up bridge to boost the economy. The Summit was organised by Confederation of Indian Industry.

Speaking at the inaugural session, Mr Piyush Goyal said, India and the UAE have huge potential to work together and the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) will significantly open the doors to a plethora of markets across the globe and help in building a future ready, more robust and resilient bilateral partnership.

About the pharma sector, the Commerce and Industry Minister said, the CEPA has given a pathway for Indian Pharma products to fast-track approval in the UAE. It is the first time any nation in the world has given India such a benefit, he added.

The UAE Economy Minister Abdullah Bin Touq Al Marri said that India and the UAE will be the defining trade partnership of the future. The UAE is the second largest exporter to India. The CEPA gives good opportunities for Indian companies to expand their reach in the UAE.

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Country's overall exports including merchandise and services scaled a new high in last month. Overall imports exhibited a growth of around 39 per cent in comparison to corresponding period of last year. The Country's exports are estimated to be 67.79 billion US dollars in April.

Merchandise exports crossed the 40 billion US dollar mark and exports in the service sector reached 27.60 billion US dollar in the last month. Merchandise exports registered a 30 per cent growth while service exports recorded an increase of 53 per cent in last month in comparison to corresponding period of previous year.

The Commerce and Industry Ministry said, petroleum products, electronic goods, processed food, leather products lead the way with significant increase in exports. Non-petroleum, non-gems and jewellery exports were 28.46 billion US dollar registering a positive growth of 19.89 per cent over the corresponding period of previous year.

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The State Bank of India has reported over 41 per cent, year-on-year, jump in standalone net profit at 9,114 crore rupees for the fourth quarter of the last fiscal. The Board of the State Bank has approved a dividend of seven rupees and 10 paise per share. The record date for the dividend is the 26th of May.

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The NITI Aayog launched the National Data and Analytics Platform today. The platform aims to make available government data to the public by making it accessible, interoperable, interactive and available on a user-friendly platform.

The platform was launched by Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog Suman Bery in the presence of Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog Amitabh Kant and other senior officials from NITI Aayog.

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The National Health Authority organised a convention for technology partners of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission in New Delhi today. The event brought together representatives from over 40 organisations to discuss the different ways in which the digital health ecosystem of India can be further strengthened.

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The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has initiated the Girl Empowerment Mission for uplifting the lives of underprivileged girls living in different regions of the country.

The NTPC is organising a four week-long Girl Empowerment Mission to provide every girl child essential education, health and self-defence awareness under the Corporate Social Responsibility initiative.

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The Election Commission has announced poll schedule for the Bye-Election to one Rajya Sabha seat from the State of Odisha. Bye-Election to this seat was necessiated following the resignation of  Rajya Sabha Member Subhash Chandra Singh. The Commission said that notification for the election will be issued on the 26th of May and the last date for submission of nominations will be 2nd June. Polling will be held on 13th June and counting of votes will be taken up on the same day.

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The three-day Nav Sankalp Shivir of Congress commenced in Udaipur this afternoon. It was inaugurated by Congress National President Sonia Gandhi. Addressing the inaugural session, Ms Gandhi said that once again the party is expected to show courage and dedication. She said that extraordinary circumstances have arisen before the organization and extraordinary measures are needed to counter such situations. The Congress President said that there is a dire need of reforms in the party.

"आज जो हमारे संगठन के सामने परिस्थितियां उत्‍पन्‍न हुई हैं, वे अभूतपूर्व है। हर संगठन को जीवित रहने के लिए, बल्कि बढने के लिए भी समय-समय पर अपने अंदर परिवर्तन लाने होते हैं। हमें सुधारों की सख्‍त जरूरत है।"

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In an important milestone, ISRO, India’s Space Research Organisation successfully conducted the static test of a human rated solid rocket booster HS-200, a key component for the Gaganyaan manned mission programme. The test was conducted at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, the spaceport of India. HS-200 booster loaded with 203 tonnes of solid propellant was tested for a duration of 135 seconds.  HS-200 rocket booster is the human rated version of the well proven S-200 rocket booster of GSLV Mark II satellite launch vehicle, popularly known as LVM3. The successful test today is a major step towards realising the prestigious human space flight mission of ISRO, the Gaganyaan.

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Over 190 crore 99 lakh Covid vaccine doses have been administered so far under the Nationwide Vaccination Drive. The Health Ministry said, over 14 lakh three thousand doses were administered yesterday. The recovery rate is currently at 98.74 per cent.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited citizens to share their inputs for Mann ki Baat programme on All India Radio which will be broadcast on the 29th of this month. In a tweet, Mr Modi said, he is looking forward to their comments on the NaMo and MyGov Apps. He said, people can also record their message on 1800-11-7800. The phone lines will remain open till 26th May. It will be the 89th episode of the monthly radio programme. People can also give a missed call on 1922 and follow the link received in SMS to directly give their suggestions to the Prime Minister.

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India has declared a one-day state mourning tomorrow as a mark of respect to President of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He passed away today. 

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs said, the National Flag will be flown at half-mast tomorrow across the country on all buildings where the National Flag is flown regularly. There will be no official entertainment on the day.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the passing away of United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed. In a tweet today, Mr. Modi said, Shaikh Zayed was a great statesman and visionary leader under whom the India-UAE relations prospered. He said, the heartfelt condolences of the people of India are with the people of UAE.

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The Information and Broadcasting Ministry organised  a Yoga Camp at the National Media Centre in New Delhi today. Senior officials of the Ministry, All India Radio News and Doordarshan participated in the Yoga Camp and performed the various Yoga Asanas. Yoga trainers from the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga trained the participants.

Participating in the Yoga Camp, Principal Director General of All India Radio (News) N. Venudhar Reddy urged the people to make Yoga an integral part of their daily routine.

"इंटरनेशनल डे ऑफ योगा नजदीक आ रहा है। इसकी तैयारी में सारा मंत्रालय इसमें पार्टिसिपेट कर रहे हैं। अपना एम्‍पलॉइज को सबको एनकरेज करने के लिए कि आप सिर्फ योगा डे के दिन ही नहीं हर दिन आप घर में या अपनी कलॉनी में सब जगह योगा प्रैक्टिस कीजिए और इसका फायदा उठाइए।"

On this occasion, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Vikram Sahay said, Yoga is beneficial for reducing physical and mental stress.

"योगा फिज़ीकल और मेंटल दोनों स्‍ट्रैस के लिए बहुत ही लाभदायक है और ये हम लोग को एक दिन नहीं, दो दिन नहीं, हर दिन करना चाहिए। हर दिन सुबह में आधा घन्‍टा, 45 मिनट अगर हम लोग योगा करते हैं तो मन की भी शांति होगी और बदन भी स्‍वस्‍थ रहेगा। तो ये बहुत ही बढिया चीज है और ये सभी लोगों को, सभी देशवासियों को करना चाहिए। "

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Director General of Films Division and Director of Mumbai International Film Festival Ravinder Bhakar today said, all preparations for the upcoming 17th Edition of Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) are almost complete. MIFF-2022 will be kick-started on  29th May and conclude with the Award Presentation Ceremony on 4th June. This time, it will be organised in hybrid medium to enable artists from abroad to participate without any hurdles in view of the COVID pandemic.

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

"FSSAI has launched food safety connect app for Food Business Operators and Consumers. Download this app from Google Play Store and easily apply for FSSAI registration. Consumers can use this app to register food related complaints."

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In SPOTLIGHT, The News Services Division of All India Radio will bring a Special Programme “Jammu Kashmir- Ek Nayee Subah: Vikas ka naya daur” at 9.15 pm today.

This special programme can be heard tonight on FM Gold Channel and additional frequencies from 9.15 p.m. onwards. This programme will also be available on our website NEWS ON AIR DOT GOV DOT IN and on our YouTube Channel NEWS ON AIR OFFICIAL.

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A Special Court in Mumbai today rejected former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh's application seeking treatment in a private hospital. Mr. Deshmukh, in his plea, had requested permission for surgery on his shoulder at a private hospital instead of the State-run J. J. Hospital. The Enforcement Directorate (ED), investigating the case relating to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, objected to his plea saying the State-run hospital is fully equipped with qualified doctors and other necessary things to conduct the surgery. 

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In the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, four pilgrims were charred to death and several others received burn injuries when a Jammu-bound bus from Katra caught fire near Nommai,  three kilometres from Katra, this afternoon. Twenty four persons received burn injuries in this incident.

A Forensic Team has rushed to the site of the incident to ascertain the cause of fire. Further details are awaited.

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In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, two terrorists  were killed in a gunfight that broke out this evening between the terrorists and security forces at Brar in Aragam area of north Kashmir's Bandipora district.

Search operation in the area was underway when reports last came in.

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In the 12th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship at Bhopal, the line-up for quarterfinal clashes has been drawn up. All the four quarterfinals will be held tomorrow in which Maharashtra will take on Jharkhand, Haryana will be up against Uttar Pradesh, Punjab will face Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh will lock horns against Odisha.

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In Thomas Cup badminton tournament in Bangkok, India's ace shuttler Kidambi Srikanth registered a thumping win against Denamrk's Anders Anderson by 20-18, 12-21, 21-15. India has taken 2-1 lead in the semifinal clash.

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In IPL Cricket, Punjab Kings were 163 for 4 in 16  overs against Royal Challengers Bangalore at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai when the reports last came in.

Earlier, Royal Challengers Bangalore won the toss and opted to field first.

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The Southwest Monsoon is likely to hit Kerala on the 27th of this month. This year, the onset of monsoon over Kerala is likely to be earlier than the normal date of onset. The Southwest monsoon normally sets in over Kerala on the 1st of June with a standard deviation of about seven days.

The India Meteorological Department, in its forecast, has said that in the Indian monsoon region, initial monsoon rains are experienced over south Andaman Sea. The monsoon winds then advance north-westwards across the Bay of Bengal. As per the normal dates of monsoon onset, the Southwest Monsoon advances over the Andaman Sea around the 22nd of May. In association with enhanced cross equatorial winds, conditions are becoming favourable for advance of the Southwest Monsoon into South Andaman Sea, Nicobar Islands and some parts of southeast Bay of Bengal, around the 15th of this month.

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In Meghalaya, heavy rainfall since last evening has wreaked havoc causing multiple landslides in many parts of the State. The Meteorological Department has stated that moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal is responsible for the unseasonal downpour. The weather forecast suggests that rain is expected to continue for the next four to five days, though the spread and intensity may vary.

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The National Disaster Management Authority today held a review meeting on the Pre-Monsoon situation for the South-West Monsoon.The meeting reviewed the state of Disaster Management Plans of 19 States and Union Territories. Discussion was held on ensuring functionality of State Emergency Operation Centres and District Emergency Operation Centres round the clock during the entire year. In the meeting, the Indian Meteorological Department informed that the South-West Monsoon is likely to be normal this year.

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Now, let us have a look at the weather forecast for tomorrow.

• The National Capital Delhi will continue to experience heat wave conditions. Temperature will hover between 28 and 44 degrees Celsius. 

• Mumbai will have a mainly clear sky. The minimum temperature will be 27 degrees Celsius while the maximum is expected to be around 35 degrees. 

• Chennai will have thunderstorm with rain. Temperature will hover between 26 and 35 degrees Celsius. 

• Kolkata will have a mainly clear sky. The temperature will hover between 28 and 35 degrees Celsius.

• Srinagar and Jammu will have a mainly clear sky.

• In  Leh, Gilgit and Muzaffarabad sky will be mainly clear.

• In Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram, sky will be generally cloudy with possibility of one or two spells of rain or thundershowers.

• In the north-east, Guwahati, Imphal, Shillong, Aizawl, Kohima, Gangtok, Agartala and Itanagar will have a generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain. Kohima, will have a partly cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers while temperature will hover between 13 and 22 degrees Celsius.

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:-

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches Madhya Pradesh Startup and Start-up Portal of State through video-conferencing.

• Prime Minister to visit Lumbini in Nepal on the occasion of Buddha Purnima on Monday. 

• President Ram Nath Kovind to embark on state visit to Jamaica and St. Vincent & Grenadines from tomorrow.

• Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal says Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement to significantly open doors to a plethora of markets across the globe; Inaugurates India-UAE Economic Partnership Summit in Mumbai.

• Merchandise exports register 30 per cent growth in April while service exports increase 53 per cent compared to same period last year.

• NITI Ayog launches National Data and Analytics Platform to make available easily, government data to public.

• Prime Minister Modi invites citizens to share their inputs for Mann ki Baat programme at AIR on 29th of this month.

• In Thomas Cup Badminton tournament, match between India and Denmark evenly poised.

• In IPL Cricket, match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Punjab Kings underway in Mumbai.

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