THE HEADLINES:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs meeting of 40th edition of PRAGATI; Asks agencies working in infrastructure sector to map their projects with water bodies being developed under Amrit Sarovar.

• Prime Minister Modi to address Post-Graduation Programme of 2022 at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad tomorrow; To also inaugurate several completed projects and lay foundation stones for new projects total worth 31,500 crore rupees in Chennai.

• Duty-free import of 20 lakh tonnes of crude soybean and sunflower oil per annum allowed by Government for two years. 

• Government restricts sugar exports at 10 million tonne to keep prices in check; Specific permission mandated to export sugar From 1st June. 

• Delhi court awards life imprisonment to Kashmiri Separatist Yasin Malik under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act UAPA.

• Power Minister R. K. Singh instructs Chief Ministers of all States and Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories to set up State Level Steering Committees for Energy Transition.

• Information and Broadcasting Ministry lauds All India Radio for authenticity in news presentation and trust it enjoys among listeners.

• India Meteorological Department predicts relief from heat wave in the country for next five days.

• Six tourists die as their vehicle falls into gorge on the Rishikesh-Gangotri National Highway in Uttarakhand.

• US stock markets tumble triggered by worries of aggressive federal moves to curb decades-high inflation might tip the economy into recession.

• In French Open Tennis, super stars Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz to be seen in action today.

• And in IPL today Eliminator match between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore underway in Kolkata.

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Prime Minister has asked the agencies working in infrastructure sector to map their projects with water bodies being developed under Amrit Sarovar. Mr Modi said, this would be a win-win situation as the material dug out for the Amrit Sarovars can be utilised for civil works by the agencies.

The Prime Minister chaired the meeting of 40th edition of PRAGATI today, which is the ICT-based multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, involving Centre and State governments. In the meeting, nine agenda items were taken for review including eight projects and one Programme.These eight projects have a cumulative cost of over 59 thousand 900 crore rupees  concerning the 14 States. These States are Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim.

During the interaction,the Prime Minister Modi also reviewed ‘National Broadband Mission’ Programme. States and Agencies were asked to leverage the centralised Gati Shakti Sanchar Portal to ensure timely disposal of Right of Way (RoW) applications.He added, this would expedite the implementation of the Mission and they should work to use technology for enhancing ‘ease of living’ of the common man.

The Prime Minister further said, States may also formulate State level GatiShakti Master Plan on the lines of PM GatiShakti National Master Plan and constitute state level units for this purpose. He said, this can go a long way in better planning, identifying and addressing key issues and ensuring better coordination for timely execution of projects. Till the 39 editions of PRAGATI meetings, 311 projects worth 14 lakh 82 thousand crore rupees have been reviewed.

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In Jharkhand, during an internal review meeting held today virtually on the progress of two major power generation projects of Jharkhand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi instructed to speed up the completion of the power plants to overcome the recent power situation.

Chief Secretary Sukhdev Singh said that the progress of two major power generation projects - Patratu Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (PUVNL), a joint venture of the State Government and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), at Patratu in Ramgarh district and NTPC’s North Karanpura Thermal Power Station in Chatra district are being monitored regularly. Officials of NTPC and Energy department attended the review meet.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Hyderabad tomorrow. He will reach Hyderabad in the afternoon and take part in the 20th annual celebrations of Indian School of Business (ISB) at Gachibowli. The Prime Minister will attend the Graduation Ceremony of the Post-Graduation Programme of 2022 and address the students of both Hyderabad and Mohali campuses. Our Correspondent says elaborate security arrangements are being made for the Prime Minister’s visit: 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit evoke much enthusiasm among over 900 ISB students as it is coinciding with their graduation ceremony. The VVIP’s visit will last for about an hour and 15 minutes. The Prime Minister will present medals to some of the academicians who excelled in their areas on the occasion. He will unveil a commemorative plaque, release the ISB MyStamp and a Special cover besides planting a sapling on the occasion. Elaborate security arrangements are being made in view of the Prime Minister’s Visit. The Cyberabad police have prohibited flying of remote-controlled drones, para-gliders and micro-light aircraft around the ISB for about 5 kilo meters. The Police also announced traffic restrictions on certain routes and also advised private public offices located around the area to stagger their work timings or follow work from home to avoid inconvenience. Lakshmi, AIR News, Hyderabad.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for eleven major infrastructure projects and dedicate five completed infrastructure projects to the nation at a function in Chennai in the evening tomorrow. The total cost of the projects is worth 31,500-crore rupees. The completed projects include railway lines, natural gas pipeline and housing for the urban poor, and the new projects involve major road infrastructure and upgradation of railway stations. Our correspondent says, multi-tier security has been put in place in and around the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai where the Prime Minister is scheduled to attend the function: 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate two completed rail network projects tomorrow. The third broad-gauge line connecting Tambaram and Chengalpattu in the periphery of Chennai is one among them. It has been established at a cost of 590-crore rupees, to ease the heavy congestion in the route. The 75-km long Madurai-Theni Gauge Conversion is the other finished project that has been executed at a cost of over 500 crore rupees. It is set to improve people’s movement in the region that is known for tourism. The Prime Minister will inaugurate 1152 houses constructed at a cost of 116 crore rupees as part of the Light House Project in Chennai, under the urban component of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. He will lay the foundation stone for the 262 Km long Chennai - Bengaluru Expressway worth 14,870 crore rupees. Once completed, it will reduce the travel time between the two metro cities by two to three hours. The 21-kilometer long, four-lane, double decker, elevated road connecting Chennai Port and Maduravoyal in the city, will be built at a cost of over 5850 crore rupees. Another notable project is the redevelopment of the five railway stations at Chennai Egmore, Rameswaram, Madurai, Katpadi and Kanyakumari, at a cost of 1800 crore rupees. Jaya Singh, AIR News, Chennai.

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The Centre has allowed import of 20 Lakh Metric Tonnes each of Crude ​Soybean Oil and Crude Sunflower Seed Oil per year for a period of two years at a nil rate of customs duty and Agricultural Infrastructure and Development Cess. This will provide significant relief to the consumers. The exemption from customs duty and Agricultural Infrastructure and Development Cess will be effective from today.

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The Union Government has decided to put a cap on sugar exports to ensure domestic availability. Briefing media in New Delhi today, Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey said, India's exports have reached a record high in this season and now domestic availability has to be ensured during October - November as consumption increases in the festive season.

Earlier, the Centre decided to allow export of sugar upto 100 Lakh Metric Tonnes. As per the order issued by Directorate General of Foreign Trade, with effect from the 1st of June till the 31st of October this year, the export of sugar will be allowed with specific permission.

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A Delhi court today awarded life imprisonment to Kashmiri separatist Yasin Malik, who had earlier pleaded guilty to all the charges, including those under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), in a terror funding case.

The NIA had sought death penalty before the Delhi court for Malik. The  Investigative agency told Special Judge Praveen Singh in in-chamber proceedings that Malik was responsible for the Kashmiri exodus.

The amicus curiae appointed by the court to assist Malik, had sought minimum punishment, life imprisonment in the matter. The Judge, however, said that since he has already been convicted, there was no point in arguing on the facts of the case and that he was already given the opportunity.

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In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, People of Doda district in Jammu Division have welcomed the decision of the Delhi Court in awarding Life Imprisonment to Yasin Malik. They said, this decision will send a clear message to all such elements who have been indulging in such terror acts.

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Power Minister R. K. Singh has asked the Chief Ministers of all States and Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories to set up State Level Steering Committees for Energy Transition. These Steering Committees will work under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretaries of the States and Union Territories. The Principal Secretaries of Power and New and Renewable Energy Departments, Transport, Industries, Housing and Urban Affairs, Agriculture, Rural Development and Public Works Departments will act as members of these Committees. The States and Union Territories will work on the annual strategy of energy transition under the mandate of the committee.

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President Ram Nath Kovind will be on a visit to three States-Kerala, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. He will inaugurate the National Women Legislators’ Conference - 2022, being organised by the Kerala Legislative Assembly in Thiruvananthapuram tomorrow. On Friday, the President will grace the 125th year celebrations of Laxmibai Dagadusheth Halwai Datta Mandir Trust in Pune, Maharashtra. Mr. Kovind will address a function ‘One-Nation - One Health System is the need of Hour’ in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh on Saturday. He will also lay the foundation stone and launch various health infrastructure projects of Government of Madhya Pradesh in Bhopal. On 29th of this month, the President will inaugurate the 59th Mahaadhiveshan of Akhil Bhartiya Ayurved Mahasammelan at Ujjain.

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Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has said that the whole world looks up to the youth of the country. He said, once again positivity and entrepreneurship were seen in the youth, taking the country in the direction of innovation. Mr. Birla was addressing the 'Youth Entrepreneur Dialogue' program in Jaipur today. He had a meaningful discussion with the youth on various topics including parliament, society, politics, and the changes coming with the challenges in the country. 

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Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur has applauded the role of Indian media during the challenging times of COVID19 pandemic.

Addressing the 17th Asia Media Summit through video conferencing in New Delhi today, the Minister said, Indian media ensured that the Covid awareness messages, important government guidelines and free consultations with doctors reach everyone in the country.

He said, Doordarshan and All India Radio significantly delivered on their mandate of public service during the difficult times by setting the trend through prompt coverage, ground reports and organizing programmes on public health.

Speaking about the misinformation circulating on wider scale during the pandemic, Mr Thakur said, unverified claims and fake content circulating in media had created an atmosphere of extreme fear amongst the people. He said, Press Information Bureau’s Fact Check Unit strongly fought against this menace of fake news and misinformation by bursting it on real time basis. The Minister said, media has immense ability to shape the right public perceptions and perspectives as an effective tool of empowerment. He said, free flow of information and need for correct information go hand in hand.

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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.

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The Army, Central Armed Forces, Police and civil administration are well prepared and focussed on making the ensuing Amarnath Yatra smooth and a big success. This was stated by the General Officer Commanding, Counter Insurgency Force (Delta), Major General, Ajay Kumar at District Police Lines ground in Ramban. He exuded confidence that preparation by all security forces is complete for ensuring full security during ensuing Amarnath Yatra.

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In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, three Pakistani terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces that broke out at Najibhat crossing in Kreeri area of North Kashmir's Baramulla district.

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India Meteorological Department has predicted that there will be no significant heat wave conditions in the country during the next five days. Talking to AIR News, Senior Scientist in IMD, R. K. Jenamani said, there will be no heat wave conditions due to very high rainfall activity during the last three days. He said, the temperature is below normal in most parts of the country.

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In Uttarakhand, six tourists have died after a vehicle fell into a 50-meter deep gorge near Koti Gad on the Rishikesh-Gangotri National Highway. The tourists were residents of West Bengal.

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The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has said that when it comes to trust and authenticity in the news media industry, News network of All India Radio outshines one and all.

Reuters Institute vouched for the same in report in 2021 and this is further corroborated by the trailblazing milestones being achieved by the digital platforms of All India Radio News network. The Ministry said, the most recent being three million followers on Twitter. Since entering the social media platform in 2013, AIR NEWS twitter handle has seen consistent growth with impressions clocking around a million per day.

Our Correspondent reports that the growth of the ‘News on AIR official’ YouTube channel to 4.5 Lakh subscribers in a short duration of three years reflects the relevance of All India Radio news on all platforms.

In tune with the changing times, AIR News has expanded its footprint across multiple social media platforms in a big way to reach out to maximum number of listeners, especially the youth. All India Radio has been providing News updates on various other digital platforms like YouTube, App, Website, Facebook, Instagram and Koo. NewsOnAir App has proven to be a game-changer for All India Radio as 270 All India Radio streams are available on NewsOnAir App in India and globally in more than 190 countries. Some of the AIR streams on NewsOnAir App like Vividh Bharati, AIR Punjabi and AIR News 24X7 are very popular in many of these countries. With Dipendra Kumar, Bhupendra Singh AIR News Delhi.

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The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq index fell yesterday as worries that aggressive moves to curb decades-high inflation might tip the U.S. economy into recession dampened investors' risk appetite.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average index added 0.2 per cent while the S&P 500 declined 0.8 per cent and the Nasdaq Composite tumbled 2.4 per cent.  

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Tennis aficionados around the world are in for a treat as super stars Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are seen in action at the French Open, Roland Garros, today.

Indian star Ramkumar Ramanathan cherished his first ever main draw win at a Grand Slam as he combined with American Hunter Reese to beat the German team of Daniel Altmaier and Oscar Otte in the men’s doubles event.

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In IPL Cricket, Royal Challengers Bangalore were 77 for 2 in 9 overs against Lucknow Super Giants in the playoffs eliminator match at Eden Gardens Kolkata when reports last came in.

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AND NOW BEFORE WE END THE BULLETIN, THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs meeting of 40th edition of PRAGATI; Asks agencies working in infrastructure sector to map their projects with water bodies being developed under Amrit Sarovar.

• Prime Minister Modi to address Post-Graduation Programme of 2022 at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad tomorrow; To also inaugurate several completed projects and lay foundation stones for new projects total worth 31,500 crore rupees in Chennai.

• Duty-free import of 20 lakh tonnes of crude soybean and sunflower oil per annum allowed by Government for two years. 

• Government restricts sugar exports at 10 million tonne to keep prices in check; Specific permission mandated to export sugar From 1st June. 

• Delhi court awards life imprisonment to Kashmiri Separatist Yasin Malik under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act UAPA.

• Power Minister R. K. Singh instructs Chief Ministers of all States and Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories to set up State Level Steering Committees for Energy Transition.

• Information and Broadcasting Ministry lauds All India Radio for  authenticity in news presentation and trust it enjoys among listeners.

• India Meteorological Department predicts relief from heat wave in the country for next five days.

• Six tourists die as their vehicle falls into gorge on the Rishikesh-Gangotri National Highway in Uttarakhand.

• US stock markets tumble triggered by worries of aggressive federal moves to curb decades-high inflation might tip the economy into recession.

• In French Open Tennis, super stars Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz to be seen in action today.

• And in IPL today Eliminator match between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore underway in Kolkata

For details of these stories and more, log on to our website

www.newsonair.gov.in and News On Air App.

AND WITH THAT WE END THE EVENING NEWS.

GOOD NIGHT! 

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