THE HEADLINES:

• Newly formed Eknath Shinde government in Maharashtra wins trust vote with 164 to 99 votes.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveils a bronze statue of freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju on his 125th birth anniversary celebrations, at Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh.

• Digital India Week 2022 to be inaugurated by Prime Minister at Gandhinagar in Gujarat this afternoon.

• Home Minister Amit Shah says, despite challenges, the cooperative movement in the nation went from strength to strength.

• Twelve people killed as a bus falls in a gorge at Jangla village in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh this morning; President and Prime Minister express grief at the tragic incident.

• In Women's cricket, Sri Lanka set a target of 174 runs before India in the second ODI at Pallekele.

• And in Wimbledon Tennis, Sania Mirza with her Croatian partner enters mixed doubles quarterfinals after receiving a walkover.

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The newly formed BJP-Eknath Shinde-led government in Maharashtra today won the trust vote on the floor of the State Legislative Assembly.

Accepting the division of votes that took place through head count, the ruling establishment received 164 votes, whereas, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi got 99 votes. Shiv Sena rebel Santosh Bangar voted for Shinde-led government. Bangar had  joined the Shinde camp yesterday.

Two Samajwadi Party legislators and one AIMIM MLA abstained from voting while another MLA of the Asaduddin Owaisi-led party remained absent. More in this report from our Mumbai correspondent.

Eknath Shinde returned to Mumbai from Goa told reporters that the Speaker's election and the floor-test were mere formalities to the new government. The new coalition government led by Mr. Shinde and the BJP sailed through without any hiccups in the House. However, there was a twist in the tale, as senior Congress legislators Ashok Chavan, Vijay Weddetiwar and Praniti Shinde and 17 others including legislators of the NCP could not make into the House when the doors were shut for the voting through head count. The ramifications were the reduction in the cumulative numbers of the Opposition confined to just 99. The day also witnessed another jolt to the Shiv Sena as one more MLA Santosh Bangar switched over to the Eknath Shinde camp and eventually voted for him during the floor-test. Now there are 40 Shiv Sena MLAs who are supporting Eknath Shinde. Congratulating Mr. Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis assured him of his complete support in running the government.  WITH JEEVAN BHAWASAR AND KUNAL SHINDE, THIS IS SHAILESH PATIL, AIR NEWS, MUMBAI.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today unveiled a bronze statue of freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju, at a special programme on his 125th birth anniversary celebrations, in Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Modi said alongside the Amrit Mahotsav of 75 years of independence, the country is celebrating 125th anniversary of Alluri Sitarama Raju. He said 'Rampa Kranti' for the  country's independence has also completed 100 years. Paying tributes to Sitarama Raju Mr. Modi said his indomitable courage inspires every Indian.

The Prime Minister said new India should be an India of the dreams of fighters who gave their lives for our freedom.

Mr Modi said, for the first time since independence, tribal museums are being set up to showcase the tribal pride and heritage in the country. 

Mr Modi said in the past 8 years, we have worked with full devotion, walking on the principles of Alluri Sitarama Raju towards the welfare of tribals.

AP Governor, Biswanhusan Harichandan, Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and Union Culture, Tourism Minister G. Kishan Reddy  were also present on the occassion. 

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu also paid tributes to the legendary freedom fighter on his birth anniversary. In a tweet, Mr Naidu said, Known for his boundless courage, Alluri led the Rampa rebellion in which he galvanised the tribals to fight against the injustices of the British. The Vice President said, his indomitable spirit and unconditional love for the motherland continue to inspire every Indian.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Digital India Week 2022 at Gandhinagar in Gujarat this afternoon. He will launch multiple digital initiatives aimed at enhancing accessibility of technology, streamlining service delivery to ensure ease of living and giving a boost to startups. The theme for Digital India Week is Catalyzing New India’s Techade. We have a desk report:

Digital India Bhashini’ will be unveiled by the Prime Minister, which will enable easy access to the internet and digital services in Indian languages, including voice-based access, and help the creation of content in Indian languages. Mr Modi will also launch ‘Digital India GENESIS’ - a National Deep-tech Startup Platform, to discover, support, grow and make successful startups in Tier-II and Tier-III cities of India. A total outlay of 750 crore rupees has been envisaged for the scheme. The Prime Minister will launch ‘Indiastack.global’ - a global repository of key projects implemented under India Stack like Aadhaar, UPI, Digilocker, CowiN Vaccination Platform, Government e MarketPlace among others. The Prime Minister will dedicate to the citizens ‘MyScheme’ - a service discovery platform facilitating access to Government Schemes. It aims to offer a one-stop search and discovery portal where users can find schemes that they are eligible for. He will also dedicate to the citizens ‘Meri Pehchaan’-  National Single Sign On for One Citizen Login, a user authentication service. WITH SUPARNA SAIKIA'S REPORT, ANITA ANAND, AIR NEWS, DESK."

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Home Minister Amit Shah today said that cooperatives in India have done remarkable work in the last hundred years. Addressing a programme to mark the 100th International Day of Cooperatives in New Delhi, Mr Shah urged all cooperatives to resolve to do even better in the coming 100 years. He added that many faults may be found in the 100 years which have gone by. He expressed pride that despite challenges, the cooperative movement in the nation went from strength to strength.

Mr Shah said he would like to congratulate the Prime Minister for creating the  Cooperation Ministry and gave new life to the Cooperative movement in India.

The theme of the 100th International Cooperative Day is “Cooperatives Build  a Better World”. Considering the importance of Atmanirbhar Bharat in creating a better world, the Ministry of Cooperation and the National Cooperative Union of India are organizing the event with the theme “Cooperatives Build an Atmanirbhar Bharat and Better World.”

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NDA's presidential candidate and former Governor of Jharkhand Draupadi Murmu today visited Ranchi to seek electoral support from Members of Parliament and legislative members of Jharkhand. Mrs Murmu was in a traditional manner welcomed and greeted at Birsa Munda airport by Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda, Union Minister of State for Education Annapurna Devi and other MPs and MLAs of the Bhartiya Janta Party.

Mrs Murmu will be meeting with the legislators at a private hotel in Ranchi to seek their support in the upcoming Presidential election.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Hemant Soren has extended a hearty welcome to NDA’s Presidential candidate and former Governor of Jharkhand Draupadi Murmu through a tweet message.

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A two-day Special Session of the Delhi Assembly commenced today. On the first day of the session, Law, Justice and Legislative Affairs Minister of Delhi, Kailash Gehlot tabled the Salaries, Allowances and Pension Amendment Bills 2022 in the House for consideration and passing. Our Correspondent reports that the bill intends to increase the salaries, allowances and pension of Ministers, members of legislative assembly, Chief Whip, Speaker and Deputy Speaker and the Leader of Opposition.

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In Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath’s government has completed 100 days of its second term today. The Chief Minister shared the achievements of his government during the period at a press conference in Lucknow today. He said, 97 promises out of the 132 made in the Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra of the party during elections have been fulfilled in just 100 days. He said his government worked on every front during this period.

Yogi Adityanath said, there was crisis of identity for the state before 2017 and the state was lacking in implementation of the central government schemes. He said his government changed the perception and image of Uttar Pradesh and that is why investment is now coming to the state and development is reaching new heights.

Mr Yogi further said his government has made efforts to bring rule of law in the state. Illegal property of Mafia elements worth 844 crore rupees has been seized in the  last 100 days in the state. 

Yogi Adityanath said, for the first time in the state loudspeakers violating the permitted decibel limit,  were either removed or their volume was restricted.

The Yogi government took oath for the second time on March 25th this year. All ministers of the state government also held press conferences to list the achievements of the government.

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In Himachal Pradesh, at least 12 people were killed and three were injured as a private bus fell into a deep gorge near Jangla village at Sainj valley in Kullu district this morning. According to the district administration the Sainj bound bus fell into gorge around 8.30 am.

District officials and rescue team have reached the spot and are carrying out relief and rescue operation. The injured were being taken to a nearby hospital for treatment when reports last came in. The cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained.

President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur have expressed grief at the death of several persons, including students in the accident. In a tweet, the President extended his condolences to the bereaved families who lost their children and loved ones. He also prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured. The Prime Minister, in a tweet said, the local administration is providing all possible assistance to those affected.

Mr Modi has approved an ex-gratia of two lakh rupees each from PM's National Relief Fund for the next of kin of those who lost their lives. The injured would be given 50 thousand rupees each.

Chief Minister Jairam Thakur thanked the Prime Minister for approving an ex-gratia from PMNRF. He asked the Chief Secretary to personally supervise the relief and rescue operations. He said a magisterial enquiry has been ordered and ADM Kullu would probe the whole incident.

Jai Ram Thakur said that  5 lakh rupees would be provided to the next of  kin of the deceased whereas 15,000 rupees would be provided as immediate relief to each injured person. He said free treatment would also be given to the injured persons. 

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In Manipur, the death toll in the landslide incident in Noney district has increased to 42 as 8 more bodies, including that of a two year old child were recovered yesterday. The Union Minister of State Dr. Subhas Sarkar and others visited the landslide areas and assessed the rescue operation.

Dr Sarkar said, the Centre is ready to provide all possible help for the rescue operation. He also wished for all injured persons to recover at the earliest.

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More than 197 crore 98 lakh COVID vaccine doses have been administered in the country so far. Over one lakh 78 thousand vaccine doses were administered in the last 24 hours. During the same period, sixteen thousand one hundred and thirty five new COVID cases were reported in the country and 13 thousand 958 people recovered.

India's Active caseload currently stands at over one lakh thirteen thousand and it is at point two six per cent. The recovery rate stands at 98.53 per cent.

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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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Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Zubin Irani today said the combined efforts of the Centre and state governments can enhance women empowerment. She assured that the Centre will extend all support to states and Union Territories in expanding their infrastructure like setting up One-stop centres and new Anganwadis. Addressing a zonal conference of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Lakshadveep in Hyderabad today, the Minister said the Centre will sanction maximum possible number of new Anganvadis and Child Care Centres. Tribal areas are seeking establishment of these new centres in the wake of increasing awareness about nutrition.

The Minister also interacted with the beneficiaries of various programmes like PM Matritva Yojana, Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao and other schemes on the occasion.

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Delhi Police Special Cell has arrested Ankit Sirsa, main shooter in Sidhu Moosewala case . Ankit was one of the shooters involved in the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala.

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In Jammu and Kashmir, a militant hideout was busted in Rajouri district of Jammu division today, leading to the recovery of six sticky bombs along with other arms and ammunitions. AIR Jammu Correspondent reports that the hideout was busted at the disclosure of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Talib Hussain Shah who along with his associate Faisal Ahmad Dar were overpowered by people and handed over to the police in a remote village in Reasi district yesterday. Shah revealed the presence of a hideout in Draj village of Rajouri district during questioning and accordingly a raid was carried out by the Police and the hideout was busted.

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Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur remembered Swami Vivekananda on his death anniversary today. In a tweet, Mr Thakur said Swami Vivekananda put forth the true nature of Hindu, Hindutva and Hindustan on the world stage. He said Swami Vivekananda is a source of inspiration for crores of youths.

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Department of Telecommunications has issued an advisory to the general public on the proper use of wireless jammer and booster or repeaters. The advisory issued on the 1st of this month has stated that the use of cellular signal jammer, GPS blocker or other signal jamming device is generally illegal, except specifically permitted by the Government. The detailed guidelines in this regard are available at cabsec.gov.in.

Private sector organizations or private individuals cannot procure or use jammers in India.

The advisory also stated that it is unlawful to advertise, sell, distribute, import or market signal jamming devices in India, except as permitted under the guidelines.

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In Sri Lanka, Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera has issued a stark warning over the country's fuel stocks. Kanchana Wijesekera yesterday said, the country only had enough petrol left for less than a day under regular demand. He also said, its next petrol shipment was not due for more than two weeks. Last week, Sri Lanka suspended sales of petrol and diesel for non-essential vehicles as it struggles to pay for imports like fuel, food and medicines. The government also extended school closures for one week because there is not enough fuel for teachers and parents to get children to classrooms.

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In Tennis, Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza and her Croatian partner Mate Pavic have reached the mixed doubles quarterfinals after receiving a walkover in their Round of 16 match. The Indo-Croatian pair will take on Australian-Canadian pair of John Peers and Gabriela Dabrowski in the quarterfinals today. In the other mixed Doubles scheduled for today, Americans Jack Sock and Coco Gauff will meet Edouard Roger Vasselin and Alize Cornet of  France.

Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic has entered the quarter-finals of Men's Singles for the 13th time in his career by beating Tim van Rijthoven. With this victory, Djokovic has set up a quarter-final clash with Jannik Sinner of Italy. Belgian David Goffin won against American Frances Tiafoe to reach the quarter-finals of the Men's Singles.   In Women's Singles, No. 3 seed Ons Jabeur, Marie Bouzková, Jule Niemeier and Tatjana Maria have already entered the quarter-finals.

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In the women's cricket, India were 35  for no loss in 6.3 overs against Sri Lanka in the second match of the three match ODI series at Pallekele, when reports last came in. After winning the toss the visitors opted to bowl.

Earlier, Sri Lanka set a target of 174 runs for India.  The hosts scored 173 runs in the stipulated 50.  Ama Kanchana 47 and Nilakshi de Silva 32 were the top scores for hosts.  For India, Renuaka Singh claimed 4 wickets while Menghna Singh and Deepti Sharma took two wickets each.

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In Men's Cricket, India are in a commanding position ahead of the 4th day's play in the ongoing fifth Test against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham. On the third day yesterday, Cheteshwar Pujara's fifty helped India to take a 257-run lead. Visitors are at 125 for the loss of 3 wickets with Pujara and Rishabh Pant at the crease.

Earlier, India bowled out England on 284, taking a solid 132-run lead from the first innings score of 416.

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The Sensex and the Nifty were trading almost flat in the afternoon trade today. Both stock indices added marginally amid mixed global cues. The Sensex was trading above 52,900 points while the Nifty was trading near 15,750 level.

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN

• Newly formed Eknath Shinde government in Maharashtra wins trust vote with 164 to 99 votes.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveils a bronze statue of freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju on his 125th birth anniversary celebrations, at Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh.

• Digital India Week 2022 to be inaugurated by Prime Minister at Gandhinagar in Gujarat this afternoon.

• Home Minister Amit Shah says, despite challenges, the cooperative movement in the nation went from strength to strength.

• Twelve people killed as a bus falls in a gorge at Jangla village in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh this morning; President and Prime Minister express grief at the tragic incident.

• In Women's cricket, Sri Lanka set a target of 174 runs before India in the second ODI at Pallekele.

• And in Wimbledon Tennis, Sania Mirza with her Croatian partner enters mixed doubles quarterfinals after receiving a walkover.

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