THE HEADLINES :-
- President Droupadi Murmu says, Atmanirbharta and Swadeshi are guiding principles in shaping country’s economic destiny.
- Addressing Nation on eve of 77th Republic Day, President emphasizes India’s self-reliance in field of defence, powered historic success of Operation Sindoor.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi in year’s first Mann Ki Baat, highlights transformation of India’s start-up ecosystem over past decade.
- Government announces 131 Padma awards for 2026. Former Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and veteran actor Dharmendra awarded Padma Vibhushan posthumously. JMM founder Shibu Soren conferred with Padma Bhushan; Playback singer Alka Yagnik, Malayalam actor Mammootty and banker Uday Kotak among recipients of third-highest civilian award.
- Grand parade showcasing country’s military strength and rich cultural diversity to mark Republic Day celebrations at Kartavya Path in National Capital tomorrow; EU Chief Ursula Von Der Leyen and Council President Antonio Luis Santos da Costa to be Chief Guests.
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President Droupadi Murmu today highlighted that in the journey of shaping the country’s economic destiny, Atmanirbharata and Swadeshi are the guiding principles. Addressing the nation on the eve of the 77th Republic Day, the President lauded India’s young entrepreneurs, sportspersons, scientists and professionals for energising the nation and making their mark globally.
President Murmu noted that despite global uncertainties, India is recording sustained economic growth. She said the country is the world’s fastest-growing major economy and is moving towards becoming the third-largest economy in the near future.
Urging everyone to work together with the spirit of ‘Nation First’, President Murmu said Republic Day is an opportunity to strengthen the feeling of patriotism. She noted that India’s self-reliance in defence powered the historic success of Operation Sindoor.
Amid conflicts in many regions, the President said India is spreading the message of global peace.
The President said the country’s women are actively contributing to overall development. She underlined that over ten crore women associated with self-help groups are redefining the development process.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a social media post appreciated President Droupadi Murmu’s address on the eve of Republic Day and described it as inspiring.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today highlighted the transformation of India’s start-up ecosystem over the past decade. Sharing his thoughts in this year’s first Mann Ki Baat programme on Akashvani, the Prime Minister said, the Nation embarked upon an ambitious journey ten years ago, in January 2016, with the launch of Start-Up India. Mr Modi said, today India has become the third largest Start-ups ecosystem in the world.
Mr Modi urged countrymen, especially the youth associated with industry and Start-ups to emphasize on improving quality in manufacturing. He said, excellence should be the benchmark. Mr Modi reiterated his clarion call from the Red Fort, Zero Defect Zero Effect. He added that only by doing this the Nation will be able to accelerate the journey towards a ‘Viksit Bharat’.
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The Nation will celebrate the 77th Republic Day tomorrow. President Droupadi Murmu will lead the Nation in celebrating the Day from Kartavya Path in New Delhi. The Republic Day parade will commence at 10:30 AM and will be a unique blend of India’s cultural diversity and military prowess. President of the European Commission, Ursula Von Der Leyen and President of the European Council Antonio Luis Santos da Costa will be the Chief Guests at the Republic Day parade. Our Correspondent has a report:
“The theme this year is ‘Swatantrata ka Mantra: Vande Mataram’ and ‘Samriddhi ka Mantra: Aatmanirbhar Bharat’. The Parade will start with Prime Minister Narendra Modi laying a wreath at the National War Memorial. President Droupadi Murmu will receive salute during a ceremonial march past, which will include units from the Armed Forces, Para Military Forces, Auxiliary Civil Forces, NCC and NSS. President of the European Council Antonio Costa and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will be the Chief Guest at the parade. Thirty tableaux from various States, Union Territories, and Central Government Ministries and Departments will be showcased during the parade. The event will conclude with a flypast by 29 aircrafts, including Rafale, Su-30, C-295, Mig-29, Apache, among others., Pallavi Parmar for Akashvani News, Delhi.”
Delhi Police has issued a detailed traffic advisory to ensure the smooth conduct of the ceremonial parade and other associated cultural events. As per Delhi police advisory, Kartavya Path will be closed to traffic from 10 PM tonight until the parade ends. Delhi Police has urged commuters to avoid the parade route and nearby areas unless travel is essential.
Delhi Metro will also start its services at 3 AM on all lines tomorrow to help people reach Kartavya Path and witness the Republic Day ceremony.
EU Chief Ursula Von Der Leyen and Council President Antonio Luis Santos da Costa were accorded Guard of Honour and ceremonial welcome at the airport in the National Capital today. The leaders are on a state visit to India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Later, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar called on the EU leadership. In a social media post, Dr Jaishankar expressed confidence that the upcoming discussions of the two leaders with Prime Minister Modi would herald a new chapter in India-European Union relations.
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The Government has announced 131 Padma awards for year 2026. The awards comprise five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri. Among the awardees, 19 are women and 16 honours are being conferred posthumously. We have a report:
“Continuing the tradition of recognising ordinary Indians making extraordinary contributions, this year’s Padma Awards acknowledge a wide spectrum of unsung heroes from across the country. The Padma Awards, one of the highest civilian honours of the country, are announced every year on the eve of Republic Day. Late Bollywood actor Dharmendra Singh Deol has been awarded the Padma Vibhushan posthumously for his remarkable contribution in the field of arts. K.T. Thomas from Kerala in Public Affairs, N. Rajam from Uttar Pradesh in Arts, and P. Narayanan from Kerala in Literature have also been awarded the second-highest civilian honour. Former Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan has been awarded the Padma Vibhushan posthumously for his contribution to Public Affairs. Ankit Kumar, Akashvani News, Delhi.”
The list of Padma Bhushan awardees includes playback singer Alka Yagnik, former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy from Tamil Nadu, and Malayalam actor Mammootty from Kerala. Other awardees include Nori Dattatreyudu, Vijay Amritraj, S.K.M. Maeilanandhan from Tamil Nadu, Shatavadhani R. Ganesh, banker Uday Kotak and Vellappally Natesan. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) founder Shibu Soren, BJP leader VK Malhotra and Advertising legend Piyush Pandey have been awarded the third-highest civilian award posthumously.
A 113 individuals have been named for Padma Shri awards, the fourth-highest civilian honour for distinguished service in fields such as arts, social work, public affairs, medicine, agriculture, literature, education and sports.
Star Indian Batter Rohit Sharma, Praveen Kumar and , Captain of Indian Women Cricket team Harmanpreet Kaur, Baldev Singh, K Pajanivel, Savita Punia have been given Padma Shri for their contribution in the field of Sports.
Vice President CP Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have congratulated all the Padma Awardees for their outstanding contributions to the nation.
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President Droupadi Murmu approved gallantry awards for 70 Armed Forces personnel, including six posthumous awards, on the eve of the 77th Republic Day today. IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who made history by becoming the first Indian to visit the International Space Station, has been honoured with the Ashoka Chakra, the country’s highest peacetime gallantry award.
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Veteran Journalist and renowned Broadcaster Mark Tully passed away in New Delhi today at the age of 90. Mark Tully was born in Kolkata on 24th of October in 1935. He joined the BBC in the 1960s and went on to serve as its India correspondent and then bureau chief in New Delhi for more than two decades. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the demise of the veteran journalist.
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In Cricket, chasing a target of 154 runs, India were 62 for 2 in 4.2 overs against New Zealand in third T20 match in Guwahati when reports last came in. Earlier, put into bat first, the visitors scored 153 runs losing nine wickets in stipulated 20 overs.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:-
- President Droupadi Murmu says, Atmanirbharta and Swadeshi are guiding principles in shaping country’s economic destiny.
- Addressing Nation on eve of 77th Republic Day, President emphasizes India’s self-reliance in field of defence, powered historic success of Operation Sindoor.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi in year’s first Mann Ki Baat, highlights transformation of India’s start-up ecosystem over past decade.
- Government announces 131 Padma awards for 2026. Former Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and veteran actor Dharmendra awarded Padma Vibhushan posthumously. JMM founder Shibu Soren conferred with Padma Bhushan; Playback singer Alka Yagnik, Malayalam actor Mammootty and banker Uday Kotak among recipients of third-highest civilian award.
- Grand parade showcasing country’s military strength and rich cultural diversity to mark Republic Day celebrations at Kartavya Path in National Capital tomorrow; EU Chief Ursula Von Der Leyen and Council President Antonio Luis Santos da Costa to be Chief Guests.
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