Akashvani , National news, All India Radio News

THE HEADLINES:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi stresses on role of family in tackling stigma around mental health faced by children.

• President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, arrives in New Delhi on a three-day visit; To be Chief Guest on 74th Republic Day.

• President Droupadi Murmu to address the nation tomorrow on the eve of Republic Day.

• Earthquake of magnitude 5.9 struck Nepal this afternoon; Tremors felt in Uttarakhand, Delhi and adjoining areas.

• Song Naatu Naatu and two documentaries- All that Breathes and The Elephant Whisperers from India nominated for this year's Oscar.

• And, in Cricket, India clean sweeps 3 match ODI series against New Zealand.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today interacted with Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar awardees at his residence in New Delhi. During the interaction, Mr Modi presented souvenirs to all the awardees and discussed their achievements on a one-to-one basis, which was followed by interaction with the entire group. Prime Minister Modi  engaged in an open-hearted interaction in an informal setting.

He suggested the awardees start solving small problems, gradually build capacity, enhance capability and develop confidence to solve bigger problems as they go ahead in life.

Discussing the issue of mental health and problems faced by children, Mr Modi talked about tackling stigma around the issue and the important role of family in tackling such issues. The children asked him various questions about the challenges they face and sought his guidance on a variety of topics.

Several other topics were also taken up by the Prime Minister during the interaction, including the benefits of playing Chess, taking up art and culture as a career, research and  innovation and spirituality, among others.

During the interaction, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani was also present.

The Government confers the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar to children for their exceptional achievement in six categories, namely Innovation, Social Service, Scholastic, Sports, Art and Culture and Bravery. Each awardee is given a medal, a cash prize of one lakh rupees and a certificate. The awardees, 6 boys and 5 girls, hail from 11 States and UTs.

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President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi arrived in New Delhi this evening on a three-day visit to India. President Sisi will be the Chief Guest on India’s 74th Republic Day. President Sisi is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including five Ministers and senior officials. A military contingent from Egyptian Army will also participate in the Republic Day parade function.

President Sisi will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan tomorrow. President Sisi will have a bilateral meeting and delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest tomorrow.

India and Egypt are celebrating 75 years of establishment of diplomatic relations this year. Egypt has also been invited as a ‘Guest Country’ during India’s Presidency of G-20 in 2022-23.

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President Droupadi Murmu will address the nation tomorrow on the eve of the 74th Republic Day. The address will be broadcast from 7 PM on the entire national network of All India Radio. The event will also be telecast over all the channels of Doordarshan in Hindi followed by the English version. Broadcast of the address in Hindi and English on Doordarshan will be followed by broadcast in regional languages by regional channels of Doordarshan. AIR will broadcast regional language versions from 9:30 PM onwards on its respective regional networks.

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President Droupadi Murmu will present the National Awards for the year 2022 on the 13th National Voters’ Day tomorrow in New Delhi. The theme of the day for this year is Nothing Like Voting, I Vote for Sure. It is dedicated to voters, conveying individuals' feelings and aspirations towards participation in the electoral process through the power of their vote.

The Election Commission said the National Awards for the Best Electoral Practices will be presented to State and District level officers for their outstanding performance in the conduct of elections during the last year in various spheres.

Minister for Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju will also grace the function.

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Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey today said that technology has opened a new window to protect and support democratic institutions, and the electoral process. He, however, said, cyber-attacks and information influence operations are posing an increasing threat to election infrastructure and perception of electoral integrity. Mr Pandey was addressing the concluding ceremony of the two-day international conference on ‘Use of Technology' and ‘Election Integrity’ in New Delhi today. Highlighting the positive role played by technology in the election process, the Election Commissioner said that electorate confidence and stakeholder trust is necessary for technology absorption in the electoral processes. 

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Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today informed that over 38 lakh students have registered for Pariksha Pe Charcha this year, which is 50 percent more as compared to the previous year. Around 15.5 lakh students had registered last year. 

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Mr Pradhan said

"लगभग 16 लाख स्‍टेट बोर्ड के बच्‍चे इसमें पार्टीस्‍पेट कर रहे हैं, सभी राज्‍य इसका प्रतिनिध‍ित्‍व करेंगे सभी। कला उत्‍सव और परिक्षा पर चर्चा दोनों ग्रुप को मिलाकर के दो सौ विद्यार्थी भारत के सभी प्रांतों को प्रतिनिधित्‍व करेंगे ये अखिल भारतीय कार्यक्रम है।"

Pariksha Pe Charcha is an annual event being held every year since 2018. Prime Minister Narendra Modi conceptualised Pariksha Pe Charcha -- a unique interactive programme - wherein students, parents, and teachers across the nation, and also from overseas interact with him.

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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed preparations for the forthcoming Aero India Show, during the apex committee meeting in New Delhi today. The 14th edition of Asia’s largest Aero show will be held in Bengaluru between 13th and 17th of next month. During the meeting, Mr Singh pointed out that the Indian Defence industry is going through a transformational phase, and the active participation of the private sector is the biggest catalyst to that change. He said, Aero India is a medium to provide a platform to all the stakeholders to jointly strengthen the Defence and Aerospace sector and contribute to Nation Building.  

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An earthquake of magnitude 5.9 struck Nepal this afternoon, killing one person and damaging several houses. Tremors were felt as far as Uttarakhand, Delhi and its adjoining areas. According to the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Center at Kathmandu, the epicentre of the quake was at Mela of Bajura district. Our Kathmandu correspondent has filed a report:

"The earthquake in the Bajura district sent a powerful tremor which was also felt in the Kailali and Dhangadhi  districts. A woman in her 30s from Gaumul Rural Municipality-2 was killed when a falling rock hit her while she was cutting grass in the nearby forest . Four houses in the Bajura district have been damaged. Many old houses' roofs and the Budhi Nanda Municipality building have been partially damaged, sending people out of their homes in panic. Sweta Singh, AIR News , Kathmandu."

In Uttarakhand, strong tremors were felt in some districts, including Dehradun, Bageshwar and Nainital. According to the Meteorological Department, the intensity measured on the Richter scale was 5.4. So far, there is no information about damage to life or property from anywhere in the state. 

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The government has convened an all-party meeting on the 30th of this month ahead of the Budget Session of Parliament. The meeting will be held at 12 noon in Parliament House Complex. According to Official sources, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, Union Ministers and floor leaders of political parties representing both the House of Parliament will attend it. At the meeting, the government will seek cooperation from all political parties to ensure smooth functioning of both the Houses of Parliament during the session. 

The Budget Session of Parliament will commence from 31st of this month. The  Union Budget 2023-24 will be presented on 1st of February. 

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BJP has criticised Congress leader Digvijay Singh's comment on the Balakote surgical strike. The BJP today demanded that the Congress should clarify its stand on the issues of terrorism and national security. Addressing media in New Delhi, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said all parties should keep the forces beyond politics.

President of the BJP's J&K Unit, Ravinder Raina also alleged that Digvijay Singh and Rahul Gandhi disrespect the Indian army and the Air Force. He said the forces have made sacrifices to defend the country's borders, but the Congress is breaking the country.  

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The Song Naatu Naatu from India's blockbuster film RRR and two documentaries from the country -- 'All That Breathes' and 'The Elephant Whisperers'  -- have made it to the final nominations list at the 95th edition of the Academy Awards.

Nominations in all 23 categories were announced in a global livestream today.

The Naatu Naatu song from SS Rajamouli's period-action movie, RRR bagged an Oscar nomination in the category of Best Original song. Earlier, the song won a Golden Globe award in the same category.

Indian climate change documentary 'All That Breathes' got an Oscar nod in the Best Documentary Feature Film segment. Set in Delhi, the Shaunak Sen directorial follows two siblings, who have devoted their lives to rescuing and treating injured birds, especially black kites.

Indian documentary short film The Elephant Whisperers has also scored a nomination in the category of Best Documentary Short Film. Directed by Kartiki Gonsalves and produced by Guneet Monga, The Elephant Whisperers' depicts an unbreakable bond between two abandoned elephants and their caretakers.

The Academy Awards ceremony will be held on 13th of March.

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The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has imposed a penalty of 10 lakh rupees on Air India for not reporting unruly behaviour of two passengers during the Paris to New Delhi flight on 6th December, 2022. The regulator had issued a show-cause notice to the Accountable Manager of Air India as to why enforcement action should not be taken against them for dereliction of their regulatory obligations. Air India submitted the reply to the show-cause notice yesterday.

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In Uttar Pradesh, three people were killed while several are feared trapped as a residential building collapsed on Wazir Hasan Road in Lucknow this evening. NDRF and SDRF teams along with local administration are conducting the rescue operation.  

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has instructed officials to intensify the rescue work and provide every possible help to the injured.

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In Cricket, India have clean-swept the three-match ODI series against New Zealand. The hosts beat the Kiwis by 90 runs in the third and final ODI at Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore this evening. Chasing a target of 386 runs, New Zealand were all out 295 in 41.2 overs. 

Put into bat, the hosts scored 385 for 9 in 50 overs. Skipper Rohit Sharma scored his first ODI century in three years. Shubman Gill continued his explosive run, smashing 112 runs in 78 balls.  

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AND NOW BEFORE WE END THE BULLETIN,

THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi stresses on role of family in tackling stigma around mental health faced by children.

• President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, arrives in New Delhi on a three-day visit; To be Chief Guest on 74th Republic Day.

• President Droupadi Murmu to address the nation tomorrow on the eve of Republic Day.

• Earthquake of magnitude 5.9 struck Nepal this afternoon; Tremors felt in Uttarakhand, Delhi and adjoining areas.

• Song Naatu Naatu and two documentaries- All that Breathes and The Elephant Whisperers from India nominated for this year's Oscar.

• And, in Cricket, India clean sweeps 3 match ODI series against New Zealand.

For details of these stories and more, log on to our website www.newsonair.gov.in and News On Air App.

THAT IS ALL IN THE NEWS AT NINE

GOOD NIGHT.

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