THE HEADLINES:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi lays foundation stones and dedicates development projects worth 10,000 crore rupees in Haryana.
- Startup QNu Labs launches world’s first unique platform, Q-Shield empowering enterprises to protect their critical infrastructure.
- Over 200 patients, including those in critical care, rescued safely after a massive fire in Lok Bandhu Hospital in Lucknow.
- Second round of talks between United States and Iran on Tehran's nuclear programme likely to take place in Rome.
- MeT Department forecast heat wave conditions in isolated pockets over Rajasthan and Gujarat during the next two-three days.
- In IPL T20, Chennai Super Kings, ending five-match losing streak, register five-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid foundation stones and dedicated development projects worth 10 thousand crore rupees in Haryana. On the occasion of the birth anniversary of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, Mr Modi laid the foundation stone for the third 800 MegaWatt unit at Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram Thermal Power Plant in Yamunanagar. This project is an expansion of the existing plant that currently operates 2×300 MegaWatt units. The project is targeted to be completed within 52 months.
The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for a GOBAR DHAN Plant in Yamunanagar worth 90 crore rupees. The plant will have an annual production capacity of 2 thousand 600 metric tonnes of compressed biogas. Mr. Modi also inaugurated the Rewari Bypass, which has been built at a cost of one thousand 69 crore rupees.
Lauding the hard work of Haryana’s farmers, the Prime Minister emphasized that the governments at Center and state stand as a steadfast partner in joys and challenges of farmers.
During his Visit, he also laid the foundation stone of the new terminal building of Maharaja Agrasen Airport in Hisar and flagged off the first flight for Ayodhya from the Airport.
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Supreme Court Justice B R Gavai has said that the Constitution has stood the test of time and made the country strong, stable and united. He was speaking at the first 'Dr Ambedkar Memorial Lecture' organised at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi yesterday. Justice Gavai said, in the past years, the country faced various external aggressions and internal disturbances, yet it remained united and strong, with the Constitution being amended from time to time to adapt to the changing needs.
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Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale outlined several flagship initiatives undertaken in India to translate the ideals of Dr BR Ambedkar into transformative action.Delivering the keynote address at a discussion at the UN, Mr. Athawale underlined the relevance of Dr Ambedkar's vision in the context of Sustainable Development Goals. Meanwhile, New York City Mayor’s Office announced that the Mayor has proclaimed 14th April 2025 as Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar Day.
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QNu Labs, one of the startups selected by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) under the National Quantum Mission has launched world’s first and unique platform, Q-Shield. It empowers enterprises to protect their critical infrastructure. It also enables seamless cryptography management across any environment including cloud, on-premises, or hybrid, on the occasion of World Quantum Day.
The Ministry of Science and Technology in a statement said that Q-Shield enables various services like Qosmos for key generation, QConnect for secured connectivity and QVerse for secured collaboration. The launch of this platform adds one more step in India’s journey towards global leadership in quantum technology.
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The sixth edition of the National Highway Excellence Awards 2023 will be held today in New Delhi, aiming to encourage innovative practices and recognize professionals for their excellence in National Highway development. The awards serve as a platform to celebrate outstanding achievements in the National Highway infrastructure sector. It honors both individuals and stakeholders for their contributions to the construction and maintenance of high-performing highway assets across the country.
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Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy launched the Bhu Bharathi revenue portal in Hyderabad last evening. The portal is aimed at strengthening land security and bringing transparency to land records in the state. Addressing the officials on the occasion, Mr. Reddy said the Bhu Bharathi portal will provide permanent solutions to land issues through a dispute-free revenue policy.
The Bhu Bharathi revenue portal has been rolled out on a pilot basis in four mandals - Khammam, Mulugu, Kodangal, and Kamareddy blocks in the state. Mandal Revenue Officers will visit every revenue village in these mandals to resolve all pending land-related issues by May 1.
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The second round of talks between the United States and Iran on Tehran's nuclear programme is expected to be held in Rome on Saturday.
"Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, during his visit to Japan, announced that Rome has agreed to host the meeting following requests from the negotiating parties and Oman, which is acting as a mediator. He said that the Italian government is ready to do everything necessary to support negotiations that would help resolve the nuclear issue and promote peace. However, there has been no official confirmation of the venue from either Iran or the United States.
The first round of indirect talks between US and Iranian officials took place in Oman on April 12. Both countries have said that they had held “positive” and “constructive” talks although the negotiations remain indirect with Oman acting as a mediator.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will travel to Russia this week for consultations regarding the nuclear talks with the US. VISHNU PS, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI".
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The British Government is scheduled to host a conference of foreign ministers from nearly 20 nations and organisations at Lancaster House in London today, in an attempt to move Sudan closer towards peace. The conference comes on the second anniversary of the start of a civil war in Sudan that became one of the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis, leaving half of Sudan’s population short of food and over 1 crore people displaced internally. Ahead of this conference, the United Kingdom has also called for an urgent United Nations Security Council meeting over conflict in Sudan.
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Back Home,
In West Bengal, Additional Director General ( Eastern Command) of Border Security Force BSF Ravi Gandhi visited Samsherganj of Murshidabad yesterday. He had a review meeting with the DGP of West Bengal Rajeev Kumar, ADG ( South Bengal ) Supratim Sarkar. Senior police officers of Jangipur Police district and other senior ranked police officials of various districts of Bengal were present at the meeting. ADG said BSF and police would jointly work to maintain peace and order in the violence affected areas of Murshidabad.
On the other hand, large number of people from these areas of Murshidabad are living in the relief camps at Baisnabnagar in Malda district. Union minister of state of Education and BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar visited the people in the relief camps.
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The Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party has announced to sever ties with the National Democratic Alliance. This announcement was made by party president and former Union Minister Pashupati Kumar Paras on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti in Patna. Addressing party workers, he said that there is no worth in remaining with the BJP-led NDA alliance. He added that the party will explore a new alliance in Bihar that values and respects it appropriately.
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Himachal Pradesh is celebrating its 78th Foundation Day today. On April 15, 1948, the state was formed by merging 30 small and large princely states. Since then, April 15 has been observed every year as 'Himachal Day'. This year, the state-level main event is being held at Killar, the headquarters of the remote and tribal Pangi Valley in Chamba district. For the first time, the state-level Himachal Day celebration is taking place in Pangi Valley, generating great enthusiasm among the local residents.
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Moving on to the world of sports, in the IPL T20, Chennai Super Kings ended their five-match losing streak with a five-wicket win over the hosts Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Cricket Stadium last night.
"Chasing a target of 167, Shivam Dube provided a crucial middle-order contribution with a steady 43 off 37 balls, stabilizing the innings. However, it was skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s blistering knock of 26 off just 11 deliveries that powered CSK past the finish line in 19.3 overs. Today, Punjab Kings will host Kolkata Knight Riders in Chandigarh at 7:30 PM. Punjab Kings pacer Lockie Ferguson has been ruled out indefinitely from the tournament due to an injury. Moreover, CSK have picked Ayush Mhatre as a replacement for the injured Ruturaj Gaikwad, while Sunrisers Hyderabad have signed Smaran Ravichandran in place of the injured Adam Zampa for the remainder of the season.
Moving to 15th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2025, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab will face each other in the summit clash at Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh this evening. The match is scheduled to begin at 7 PM.
Next update is from Shooting, where the ISSF World Cup 2025 will begin today at Lima in Peru. A 42-member Indian contingent will compete across the three disciplines, Rifle, Pistol, and Shotgun.
Last we have from Chess, where world number one, Magnus Carlsen of Norway has clinched the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam 2025 in Paris, France yesterday, while Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi defeated MVL of France and bagged fifth spot with 50 thousand US Dollar prize money. CHIRAG JHA, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI."
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In Uttar Pradesh, over 200 patients, including those in critical care, were rescued safely and shifted out of the hospital after a massive fire broke out on the second floor of Lok Bandhu Hospital in Lucknow last night. The incident created panic among patients and hospital staff.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognizance of the fire incident and instructed officials to ensure that all affected patients receive immediate medical attention.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who reached the spot late last night, praised the prompt response of the hospital staff and emergency services.
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The India Meteorological Department has forecast heat wave conditions in isolated pockets over Rajasthan and Gujarat during the next two to three days. It has predicted the similar conditions over Punjab, Haryana and West Madhya Pradesh during the next three days. The weather agency said that Kerala and Mahe are expected to witness hot and humid weather conditions today.
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TODAY'S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,
- All papers have widely covered the arrest of former fugitive Mehul Choksi in Antwerp, Belgium. "Wanted for 13 thousand crore PNB fraud, Choksi held in Belgium" headlines The Tribune and the Indian Express headlines " Belgium confirms Mehul Choksi's arrest, request for extradition by India.
- Congress made SC's ST's OBC's second class citizens says PM is the lead in The Asian Age, PM slams Congress for appeasement politics is the lead in the Statesman. The papers add that in his speech at Hisar, PM reiterated his governments resolve to continue with agenda of inclusive development.
- Most papers also report on their front page the recovery of 300 kgs of drugs off the Gujarat The Hindu reports "300 kg drugs worth 1800 crores seized off Gujarat coast"
- And finally, a story in Times of India says that an Olive ridley turtle has pulled off a hitherto unheard of feat, swimming 3500 kms from Odisha coast to Konkan coast in Maharashtra.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi lays foundation stones and dedicates development projects worth 10,000 crore rupees in Haryana.
- Startup QNu Labs launches world’s first unique platform, Q-Shield empowering enterprises to protect their critical infrastructure.
- Over 200 patients, including those in critical care, rescued safely after a massive fire in Lok Bandhu Hospital in Lucknow.
- Second round of talks between United States and Iran on Tehran's nuclear programme likely to take place in Rome.
- MeT Department forecast heat wave conditions in isolated pockets over Rajasthan and Gujarat during the next two-three days.
- In IPL T20, Chennai Super Kings, ending five-match losing streak, register five-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants.
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