THE HEADLINES ::
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi to share his thoughts in 'Mann Ki Baat' programme on Akashvani at 11 this morning.
- Prime Minister to embark on a three-day visit to Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Assam starting today to lay foundation stones and launch developmental projects.
- In Telangana, rescue activities underway in full swing to evacuate eight stranded persons from a tunnel in Nagarkurnool district.
- Israel delays release of over 600 Palestinian prisoners, citing 'humiliating' handovers of hostages.
- In Women's Premier League Cricket, UP Warriors beat Delhi Capitals by 33 runs in Bengaluru.
- And, in ICC Men's Champions Trophy, India to take on arch-rival Pakistan at Dubai International Stadium this afternoon.
<><><>
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will share his thoughts with the people of the country and abroad in the 'Mann Ki Baat' programme on Akashvani at 11 AM today. It will be the 119th episode of the monthly radio programme. It will be broadcast on the entire network of Akashvani and Doordarshan, the AIR News website, and the NewsOnAir mobile app. The programme will also be live-streamed on the YouTube channels of AIR News, DD News, PMO, and the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. Akashvani will broadcast the programme in regional languages immediately after the Hindi broadcast.
<><><>
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a three-day visit to Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Assam starting today. During the visit, he will lay the foundation stone for the Bageshwar Dham Medical and Science Research Institute in Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh this afternoon. Our correspondent reports that the hospital is being built at a cost of nearly 218 crore rupees.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of the Institute of Medical and Science Research to be built at a cost of around 218 crore Rs at Bageshwar Dham located in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh today noon. This hospital, to be built in an area of more than 10 hectares, has been targeted to be built in 36 months. The first phase of the hospital will have a facility of 100 beds. In which poor cancer patients will be treated free of cost through state-of-the-art machines and specialist doctors. The Prime Minister will also interact with all the MPs, MLAs and other office bearers of the state BJP in Bhopal in the evening. Sanjeev Sharma, Akashvani News, Bhopal."
The Prime Minister will also inaugurate the two-day Global Investors Summit 2025 in Bhopal tomorrow. He will then travel to Bhagalpur in Bihar, where he will release the 19th instalment of the PM KISAN scheme. He will also inaugurate and dedicate various development projects in Bihar.
Mr Modi will then head to Guwahati to attend the Jhumoir Binandini (Mega Jhumoir) 2025 event. On Tuesday, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the Advantage Assam 2.0 Investment and Infrastructure Summit in Guwahati.
<><><>
The Centre will hold the next round of talks with farmers' organisations on March 19. This was announced by Union Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan after a fresh round of discussions with protesting farmers in Chandigarh yesterday. He said that the discussions with farmers' organisations, Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and Samyukt Kisan Morcha Non-Political, were held in a very cordial atmosphere.
Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and Pralhad Joshi, along with farmer leaders from both organizations also attended the meeting. The ministers said that they had listened to Jagjit Singh Dallewal and others. They also inquired about Mr. Dallewal's health and appealed to him to end his fast unto death.
<><><>
The first session of the eighth Assembly of Delhi will begin tomorrow. This session is proposed to be held for three days. Delhi Assembly in a notification stated that the newly elected members of the house will be sworn in on the first day of the session. The election of the Speaker of the Assembly will also take place on the same day.
<><><>
In Telangana, rescue activities are underway in full swing to evacuate eight stranded persons from the Tunnel of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal in Nagarkurnool district. They were stranded inside the tunnel when a part of roof of the tunnel collapsed yesterday. Our correspondent reports that District Collector Badhawat Santhosh and Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Gaikwad are monitoring the rescue operations.
"The rescue teams are making all out efforts to reach out to the stranded persons inside the tunnel. As per the authorities, one team which tried to reach them inside the tunnel, returned back last night after they could not get access due to mud and silt. Another rescue team went inside late in the night, and is expected to come out of the tunnel this morning. The National and State Disaster Management teams along with those from the Singareni coal collieries are at the site throughout the night. With Vijay Kumar in Nagarkurnool, Lakshmi, Akashvani News, Hyderabad."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday called Chief Minister Revanth Reddy over phone and inquired about the incident and assured the Centre's full support to in this regard.
<><><>
Israel has delayed the release of 620 Palestinian prisoners, saying it will not proceed until the next hostage release is confirmed and without humiliating ceremonies by Palestinian militant group Hamas. The decision came after Hamas staged public handovers of six Israeli hostages, yesterday. In a statement the Israeli government said, the release would be delayed until the release of the next hostages is guaranteed, and without the degrading ceremonies at handovers of Israeli captives in Gaza.
The statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office came as vehicles apparently carrying prisoners left the open gates of Ofer prison, only to turn around and go back in.
Meanwhile, Hamas has accused Israel of violating the truce deal by delaying the prisoner release.
<><><>
Pope Francis remains in critical condition after a severe respiratory crisis that required high oxygen support. The 88-year-old Pope Francis, who has been hospitalized for a week with pneumonia and a complex lung infection, also received blood transfusions due to low platelet levels linked to anaemia, the Vatican said yesterday.
<><><>
Germans are voting today in an early election after Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition collapsed in November last year. The campaign focused on the economy and migration, but polls have remained steady, with opposition leader Friedrich Merz's centre-right Union bloc leading. Merz promises to revive Germany’s struggling economy and strengthen its role in Europe.
<><><>
More than 60 crore 74 lakh devotees have taken the holy dip at the Triveni Sangam of Mahakumbh in Prayagraj so far. Millions of devotees from worldwide continue to attend the grand festival every day. Our correspondent reports that around one crore 43 lakh devotees took the holy dip in the Sangam yesterday including many eminent personalities:
"Saints, devotees, and pilgrims from all walks of life are coming to the Mahakumbh. In this trend, Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar took a dip in the Triveni Sangam along with his family. On this occasion, he said that the Maha Kumbh is a symbol of national unity. He highlighted that crores of devotees from the country and abroad are coming to the Maha Kumbh, which shows the grandeur and popularity of the event.
Union Health Minister and BJP National President J P Nadda also took a holy dip in the Sangam with his family and prayed for the public well-being. Mr Nadda was accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Tamil Nadu state BJP President, K Annamalai. After taking a holy dip, described the spiritual gathering as a symbol of civilization and a messenger of peace. Amongst the prominent devotees today, Mr. Adityanath will partake in various programs and activities organized in the Maha Kumbh. With Abhishek Kapil, Adarsh for Akashvani News, Prayagraj."
<><><>
A confluence of culture, art, and skills from India and abroad, Haryana's 38th Surajkund International Crafts Mela is all set to culminate today. A report:
"Organized by Surajkund Mela Authority and Haryana Tourism in collaboration with union ministries of tourism, textiles, culture, and external affairs, the fair attracted over a million Indian and international visitors. Madhya Pradesh and Odisha were the partner states this year. Approximately 600 people attended the fair from 42. The crafts fair featured more than a thousand stalls offering a diverse range of handicrafts, textiles, and cultural artifacts. The Surajkund Mela is unique for a number of reasons, including the presence of both domestic and foreign artisans, live cultural performances, and handcrafted goods. Priya Mondal, Akashvani News, Delhi."
<><><>
In the Hockey FIH Pro League, the Indian men’s and women’s teams secured impressive victories at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar last night. The India’s men’s team completed a clean sweep against Ireland with a commanding 4-NIL win.
Earlier, in the women's FIH Pro League, India bounced back from an earlier defeat to beat Germany 1-NIL.
<><><>
In the Women's Premier League (WPL) Cricket, UP Warriorz defeated Delhi Capitals by 33 runs at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru last night.
UP Warriorz posted a total of 177 runs in 20 overs, losing nine wickets.
In reply, Capitals were bowled out for 144 runs in 19.3 overs.
<><><>
In the ICC Men's Champions Trophy Cricket, Australia emerged victorious by five wickets over England in a high-scoring Group B encounter at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan last night. Chasing a daunting target of 352 set by England, Australia cruised to 356 for five in 47.3 overs.
<><><>
In the ICC Men's Champions Trophy, India will take on arch-rival Pakistan in their Group A clash at the Dubai International Stadium this afternoon. The match is set to begin at 02:30 PM Indian Time. We have a report:
"The Men in Blue are clear favourites in the much-anticipated clash against Pakistan today. Going by numbers and recent form, India has a clear upper hand, having won five of the six encounters against the traditional rivals since the 2017 Champions Trophy final.
Team India, led by Rohit Sharma, made an impressive start to their campaign with a commanding six-wicket victory over Bangladesh on Wednesday. On the other hand, defending champions Pakistan were handed a 60-run defeat by New Zealand in their opening match in Karachi. A win for India today would virtually secure their place in the semi-finals of the eight-team tournament, while Pakistan faces a must-win situation to stay in contention for the last four.
However. the pressure factor will work for both the sides as fans will be expecting much in this crucial match. WITH MAYUR JAIN, CHIRAG JHA, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI."
<><><>
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast thunderstorms accompanied with gusty winds, hailstorms, and lightning at isolated places over Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, and Bihar today. Northeastern regions of the country are also likely to experience similar weather conditions throughout the day. The weather department also predicted dense fog conditions in isolated pockets of Sikkim today. IMD said that the minimum temperatures in Northwest India can witness a gradual fall by 1-2 degrees Celsius during the next 2 days. According to the met department, there will be no significant change in minimum temperatures over the rest of the country during the next 4-5 days.
<><><>
TODAY'S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE:
- ALMOST ALL PAPERS REPORT ON THE STORY OF the UNDER Construction tunnel of the srisailam left bank canal project collapsing and trapping 8 workers 14 kms inside the tunnel. Army and NDRF experts have reached the site as rescue efforts are on. The Hindustan Times headlines " 8 workers trapped as telengana tunnel caves in". The asian age headlines " Disaster strikes Telengana tunnel after sudden flood, 8 trapped.
- Former RBI governor Das appointed second principal secretary to PM headlines The Pioneer and The Statesman headlines Shaktikanta das appointed as principal secretary to PM Modi.
- The sports page and the front pages of most papers are abuzz with the story of arch rivals India and Pakistan clashing in the ICC champions trophy in Dubai. The Times of India headlines " Crickets fiercest rivalry resumes in glitzy dubai and the indian express headlines " Tickets as gifts,mall screenings: Dubai braces for a humdinger.
- And finally, a front page story in The Hindustan times reports that over 6 lakh 41 thousand olive ridley sea turtles have; aid eggs in ganjam district of odisha breaking the previous world record of 6 lakh 37 thousand.
<><><>
THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi to share his thoughts in 'Mann Ki Baat' programme on Akashvani at 11 this morning.
- Prime Minister to embark on a three-day visit to Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Assam starting today to lay foundation stones and launch developmental projects.
- In Telangana, rescue activities underway in full swing to evacuate eight stranded persons from a tunnel in Nagarkurnool district.
- Israel delays release of over 600 Palestinian prisoners, citing 'humiliating' handovers of hostages.
- In Women's Premier League Cricket, UP Warriors beat Delhi Capitals by 33 runs in Bengaluru.
- And, in ICC Men's Champions Trophy, India to take on arch-rival Pakistan at Dubai International Stadium this afternoon.
<><><>