THE HEADLINES:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address annual NCC rally at Cariappa Parade Ground in New Delhi this evening.

• Prime Minister to also attend birth anniversary celebrations of Lord Devnarayan in Bhilwara Rajasthan.

• Information and Broadcasting Minister, Anurag Singh Thakur condemns culture of boycotting films.

• 5G services rolled out in seven cities of Jammu and Kashmir.

• New Zealand win first match of T-20 International series by 21 runs against India at Ranchi.

• In Australian Open Tennis, Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan to take on Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus for women's singles title.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the annual NCC rally at the Cariappa Parade Ground in Delhi today at around 5:45 PM. This year, NCC is celebrating 75th year of its inception. During the event, the Prime Minister will release a special Day Cover and a commemorative specially Minted Coin of 75 rupees denomination, commemorating 75 successful years of NCC.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend an event today in Bhilwara of Rajasthan district to mark the birth anniversary of Lord Devnarayan, a folk deity revered by the people. The programme will be held at Malaseri Dungri village, the birthplace of Lord Devnarayan, who is believed to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the ceremony commemorating 1 thousand 111th 'Avataran Mahotsav' of lord Devnarayan. The Prime Minister will be the chief guest during the programme. Apart from Bhilwara, people from other neighbouring districts will attend the programme. Mr. Modi is scheduled to offer prayers at the temple and also plant a sapling. Lord Devnarayan is worshipped by the people of Rajasthan, and his followers are spread across the country. Elaborate security arrangements have been made in view of the prime minister's visit. Meanwhile, the state government has also declared a holiday in the state today on the occasion of the birth anniversary of lord Devnarayan. Jitendra Dwivedi, AIR NEWS, Jaipur.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with the students, parents and teachers in his Pariksha Pe Charcha programme in New Delhi yesterday. Students and teachers from various schools across the country asked questions from the Prime Minister on various topics including exam preparation, stress management and mental well-being. On the question of taking stress free exams and expectations of parents, the Prime Minister said, it is not bad on the part of parents to have expectations from children but if they do so due to social status then it is not good.

The Prime Minister also suggested students to apply intelligence before starting their work and make a correct assessment of oneself. He said, students must know their potential and then channelize their energy. He also suggested the students not to be pressured for not being extraordinary. Mr Modi also advised that children should not be kept locked in the confines of the house and they should be allowed to do the activities they want to do in society.

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All India Radio has invited applications to design the logo depicting the 100th episode of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Mann Ki Baat programme. The participants can submit their entries latest by the first of February this year. The logo should be designed on a digital platform and reproable in multiple formats for multiple platforms. The winner will also receive a cash reward of one lakh rupees. All the other details are available at MyGov.in portal.

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Science and Technology Minister Dr Jitendra Singh has said that India has developed four indigenous vaccines in just two years. He said, Department of Biotechnology, DBT, through “Mission COVID Suraksha”, has delivered four vaccines, augmented the manufacturing of Covaxin, and created necessary infrastructure for smooth development of future vaccines. These vaccines are ZyCoV-D, CORBEVAX, GEMCOVAC and iNCOVACC.

The Minister said this, after a high-level meeting with Secretary DBT Rajesh Gokhale and other senior officials in New Delhi yesterday, following the formal launch of the Intranasal COVID Vaccine. He pointed out that financial support for vaccine development, as well as, expert scientific and technical oversight and monitoring for various COVID-19 vaccine development activities, were provided under this Mission.

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Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Singh Thakur on Friday slammed the culture of boycotting films. Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Mr. Thakur said the 'boycott calls' vitiate just pollute the atmosphere. He said, the Government has established the Central Board of Film Certification which examines the film from all aspects and only then permission is granted for the movie’s screening in theatres. Mr. Thakur said, passing comments on something without complete knowledge can do more harm, adding that it is a great time for Indian films as they are making a mark for themselves on the international stage.

Mr Thakur was speaking after inaugurating the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Film Festival. The Festival opened in a glittering ceremony last evening.

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In Jammu and Kashmir, telecom company, Bharti Airtel yesterday rolled out 5G services in seven cities of the Union Territory. Telecom service provider, Airtel rolled out 5G services in Samba, Kathua, Udhampur, Akhnoor, Kupwara, Lakhanpur and Khour. It became the first operator to bring 5G to the region.

Customers with 5G-enabled devices will enjoy high speed Airtel 5G Plus network at no extra cost until the roll out is more widespread.

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The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Meta have announced the list of 120 startups and innovators for the XR Startup Programme in New Delhi yesterday. The Programme includes an Accelerator and a Grand Challenge, aiming towards boosting the emerging Tech ecosystem in the country. Out of the startups selected in the Accelerator Programme, over 30 per cent are from tier II or tier III cities across India. Also, women-led or co-led Startups and Innovators form over 20 per cent of the cohort.

The programme will discover, nurture, and accelerate Extended Reality (XR) Technology startups and innovators across the country. It is supporting 40 early-stage start-ups working in XR technologies with a grant of twenty lakh rupees each. The innovators will also be provided support to upscale from the Research and Development phase to developing workable products and services.

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The government has offered 25 Lakh Metric Tonnes of wheat for sale starting from the 1st of next month under Open Market Sale Scheme (Domestic). Buyers willing to purchase wheat stocks can get empanelled themselves with e-auction Service Provider of Food Corporation of India. Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution in a statement said that stocks are offered from all States to ensure that the rising prices are controlled immediately.

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Aadhaar-based e-KYC has witnessed a growth of 18.53 per cent in the October-December quarter (Q3) over the July-September quarter (Q2) of the current financial year. During Q3, over 84.8 crore e-KYC transactions were executed using Aadhaar. In December last year alone, 32.49 crore e-KYC transactions were carried out using Aadhaar, over 13 per cent more than the previous month. In October, the number of Aadhaar e-KYC transactions was 23.56 crore and in November such transactions went up to 28.75 crore.

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A two-day inception meeting of Startup20, the new engagement group of G-20 initiated by India, will begin in Hyderabad this morning . Startup-20 has been mooted by India after assuming the G-20 presidency to serve as a forum for startups to create a global narrative for supporting startups and enabling synergies between various stakeholders of the ecosystem. G-20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant informed that the primary objective of the engagement group is to harmonise the global startup ecosystem through a collaborative and forward-looking approach.

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INTERPOL Secretary General Jurgen Stock addressed the 3rd INTERPOL Young Global Police Leaders Programme virtually yesterday. The event is being organised by Central Bureau of Investigation, CBI in New Delhi from the 25th January to the 2nd February. Fifty nine participants from 44 countries are taking part in the programme. This is a flagship INTERPOL leadership programme for promising young police officers.

Mr Stock complimented CBI for hosting the event and thanked India for its continued commitment to INTERPOL. He also emphasized on building bridges across police forces, founded on a common mission to foster global collaboration.

Speaking on the occasion, CBI Director Subodh Kumar Jaiswal said, the rich professional capabilities, innovations and best practices developed by police in India can be a template for other countries to emulate. The event brings together young police leaders holding vital assignments in their respective countries and help them develop an international perspective and understanding.

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In Cricket, New Zealand defeated India by 21 runs in the first T20 International of the three-match series in Ranchi last evening. After setting a victory target of 177 runs, New Zealand restricted hosts to 155 for 9 in the stipulated 20 overs. New Zealand had scored 176 for 6 wickets in 20 overs.

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In Australian Open 2023, Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina will lock horns with Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka in the women's singles finals today at 2 PM Indian time. Twenty-second seed Rybakina dominated two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka 7-6(4), 6-3 in the semi-final to storm into the finals. While fifth seed Sabalenka overpowered Magda Linette in straight sets 7-6(1), 6-2 to reach the final frontier. Men's singles final will be played tomorrow. Novak Djokovic will lock horns with Stefanos Tsitsipas. Indian pair of Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna lost the mixed doubles final to Brazilian duo of Luisa Stefani and Rafael Matos 6-7, 2-6 at Melbourne yesterday.

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In Badminton, Indian ace Lakshya Sen lost to Jonatan Christe of Indonesia in Men's Singles quarterfinals of Indonesia Masters in Jakarta yesterday.

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AND NOW, A LOOK AT TODAY'S NEWSPAPERS,

• "India issues notice to Pakistan for modification of Indus treaty," is the top headline in The Tribune.

• "India 4th in world with ability to develop Mach 6 missiles," writes The Pioneer, adding, 'Hypersonic Tech Demonstrator Vehicle tested; earlier only US, Russia, China had this capability.'

• Papers have also noticed PM's interaction with students in Parikhsha Pe Charcha 2023. The Statesman writes, "Criticism is a purification yajna : Modi tells students" while the Hindustan Times notes, 'PM urges tech fasting in annual exam talk.'

• In Business News making headlines across dailies is the rout in Adani group stocks. The Pioneer reports, "Adani-sparked bloodbath continues; rupees ten lakh crore lost."

• And finally, all dailies have noticed Sania Mirza drawing the curtain on her illustrious Grand Slam career with a runner up finish alongside Rohan Bopanna in the Australian Open mixed doubles on Friday.

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

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address annual NCC rally at Cariappa Parade Ground in New Delhi this evening.

• Prime Minister to also attend birth anniversary celebrations of Lord Devnarayan in Bhilwara Rajasthan.

• Information and Broadcasting Minister, Anurag Singh Thakur condemns culture of boycotting films.

• 5G services rolled out in seven cities of Jammu and Kashmir.

• New Zealand win first match of T-20 International series by 21 runs against India at Ranchi.

• And in Australian Open Tennis, Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan to take on Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus for women's singles title.

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