THE HEADLINES::
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, reforms are not compulsion but a commitment and conviction for government; Asserts, its policies are pro-people, pro-growth and pro-development.
- Home Minister Amit Shah hails West Bengal government for handing over 1,129 acres of land to BSF and SSB for India-Bangladesh border fencing within 45 days of coming to power.
- India and Nepal reaffirm commitment to strengthen bilateral cooperation in border management and security.
- BRICS Tourism Ministers adopt Jaipur Declaration focusing on sustainable tourism, AI integration, and seamless travel.
- Indian Women’s Doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand to take on top seed Chinese duo in semifinals of BWF World Championships in Delhi.
- In Hockey World Cup, Indian Men’s team to begin their second-stage campaign against Hosts Netherlands at Amstelveen this evening.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that reforms are not a compulsion but a commitment and conviction for his government, and that its policies are pro-people, pro-growth and pro-development.
Addressing the Economic Times World Leaders Forum in New Delhi last evening, Mr Modi said his government has created a clear roadmap for reforms, with the primary focus being on reforms at the governance level. He said India is undertaking next-generation reforms at the policy level to secure the country’s future.
The Prime Minister pointed out that his government is not merely changing regulations but is changing the entire philosophy behind them. He said that earlier, the approach to regulations was Prohibited unless Permitted . Mr Modi said the licence raj under earlier governments contributed to unemployment, while his government’s Production Linked Incentive model is creating new opportunities.
The Prime Minister also spoke about the global economic environment, saying the weaponisation of resources and growing mistrust were creating new challenges. He said that even in such circumstances, the world continues to see India as a bright spot of hope and growth.
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah has lauded West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari for handing over 1,129 acres of land to the Border Security Force and Sashastra Seema Bal for fencing along the India-Bangladesh border in the state within 45 days of the new government coming to power. He said the request for the land required for the border fence had been pending since 2014. Mr Shah was speaking while attending a programme at the Sashastra Seema Bal frontier headquarters in the Ranidanga area at Siliguri in West Bengal yesterday. The Home Minister said completing border fencing is crucial to stopping infiltration and protecting national security. He said the government will continue its zero-tolerance policy towards illegal immigration.
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The BRICS Tourism Ministers’ Meeting, held under India’s Chairship, concluded yesterday with the unanimous adoption of the Jaipur Declaration, which provides a framework for strengthening tourism cooperation among BRICS member countries. The declaration outlines key areas of cooperation, including the use of artificial intelligence in tourism, sustainable tourism practices, skill development and seamless travel facilitation.
The meeting was presided over by Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat at Jaipur in Rajasthan and marked the culmination of the BRICS Tourism Track under India’s Chairship in 2026. The Tourism Track was taken forward under the theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
Addressing the meeting, Mr Shekhawat said tourism will play an important role in India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat by 2047 and had the potential to extend economic growth beyond major urban centres to towns, villages and remote regions.
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India will host the BRICS Youth Ministers’ Meeting and the BRICS Sports Ministers’ Meeting at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. The BRICS Youth Ministers’ Meeting will be held today, while the BRICS Sports Ministers’ Meeting will take place tomorrow.
The meetings will be chaired by Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, with Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Khadse also participating.
According to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the Youth Ministers’ Meeting will focus on strengthening cooperation in youth development and empowerment, with discussions on education, skill development, entrepreneurship, wellbeing and sustainable development.
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President Droupadi Murmu will confer National Teachers’ Awards to 48 school teachers on the 5th of next month at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. The Education Ministry said, school teachers have been selected through a three-stage selection process at the District, State and National levels by the Department of School Education and Literacy. The 48 selected school teachers are from 27 States, 7 Union Territories and 6 Organizations of the Central Government. Out of the 48 selected teachers, 26 are male and 22 are female.
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India and Nepal have reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation on border management and security. The discussion came up during the 14th meeting of the India-Nepal Joint Working Group, which concluded in Dehradun yesterday.
“Discussions covered measures to address trans-border crime and criminal activities, and strengthening an effective utilisation of border infrastructure, particularly Integrated Check Posts, roads and railway networks. The two sides also discussed the removal of encroachments and maintenance of boundary pillars. They exchanged views on strengthening institutional coordination and capacity building across various sectors and agreed to sustain engagement in these areas. Both sides also agreed that the next meeting of the Joint Working Group will be held in Nepal at a mutually convenient date. Ishani Yadav, Akashvani News, Delhi.”
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India and the UK have agreed to expand bilateral exchanges between the armed forces of the two countries through joint exercises, training and capacity building, as both sides held a key dialogue in Delhi. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh co-chaired the 25th India-UK Defence Consultative Group meeting with Permanent Under Secretary for Defence of UK, Jeremy Pocklington, in the National Capital. During the meeting, both the countries reviewed the ongoing defence industrial cooperation with emphasis on Research and Development through the India-UK vision 2035 and the Ten year Defence Industrial Roadmap. Ministry of Defence said, both sides acknowledged the robust maritime security collaboration in the Indo-Pacific, including establishment of the Regional Maritime Security Centre of Excellence under the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative.
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The government has said that a total of 29 Foreign Direct investments (FDI) have been reported under the revised framework as of 20th of this month, involving proposed FDI of more than four thousand eight hundred crore rupees. These investments span a range of sectors, including Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Information and Communication, Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals, Data Centres and Transport Services, among others.
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In Kerala, the 72nd Nehru Trophy Boat Race will be held today at Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha. The prestigious annual event will witness fierce competition among traditional snake boats.
“A total of 71 boats, including 22 Chundan Vallams, or traditional snake boats, will compete in today’s Nehru Trophy Boat Race at Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha.
The Nehru Trophy is one of Keralam’s major sporting and cultural events, attracting visitors from across the country and abroad. Boatrace enthusiasts, including foreign tourists, have already arrived in Alappuzha for the event.
A local holiday has been declared today for government offices and educational institutions in Alappuzha district.
With the boats, oarsmen and supporters are all set, Alappuzha is gearing up for another spectacular edition of Kerala’s iconic water festival. Smithy M Palluruthy Akashvani News. Thiruvananthapuram.”
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In the BWF Badminton World Championships, the Indian Women’s Doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will take on top seeds Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning of China in the semifinals at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi today.
The Indian duo stormed into the semifinals yesterday, defeating fourth seeds Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian of China 16-21, 21-15, 21-13. With this victory, Treesa and Gayatri have assured India of a coveted medal at the prestigious championship.
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In FIH Hockey World Cup, Indian Men’s team will begin their second-stage campaign against Hosts Netherlands today at Amstelveen. The match will begin at 7:30 PM Indian Standard Time.
India secured second place in Pool D with a convincing 5-3 victory over Pakistan. The win was particularly significant, as India displayed greater attacking fluency and finished the pool stage on a strong note. India will now join England and the top two teams from Pool A in Pool E. The top two teams from Pool E will qualify for the semi-finals. Unlike England, India will not carry any points into the second stage and will have to start a fresh today against a strong Netherlands side.
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Ace Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra finished second at the Lausanne Diamond League with a season-best throw of 88.05 meter, just nine centimetres behind Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, who won with 88.14 meter.
The two-time Olympic medallist Chopra’s 88.05m throw marked a strong return to the 88m range after a difficult start to the 2026 season. Pathirage reclaimed the lead with his third attempt, and neither athlete could improve their marks in the remaining rounds.
Anderson Peters finished third with 86.69m, while Keshorn Walcott took fourth with 83.71m.
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall over East Madhya Pradesh today. Heavy rainfall conditions are also expected to prevail over the northeastern parts of the country, including Assam, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura, till tomorrow. According to the IMD, similar weather conditions are expected to prevail over Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, East Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Odisha, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Uttarakhand and West Madhya Pradesh tomorrow.
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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS,
- The Statesman quotes Prime Minister Modi’s address at a World Leaders Forum unveiling the next- generation roadmap asserting that India has emerged as a bright spot for global growth.”
- The Asian Age mentions about the Prime Minister urging the CEOs of Space start-ups to find new uses for tech and make lives easier.
- A top front page headline in Hindustan Times states “Biggest El Nino in ‘over a century’ to dial up global heat” and could push 2027 as the hottest year ever recorded globally.
- “Apple and Google are set to deepen their manufacturing presence in India’ reports Financial Express.
- Finally, All the dailies have covered the news of passing away of veteran actress Sowcar Janaki. the versatile face of southern cinema, at the age of 94. She started as a drama artiste in AIR and went on to captivate viewers in Tamil, Telugu and kannada Films.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, reforms are not compulsion but a commitment and conviction for government; Asserts, its policies are pro-people, pro-growth and pro-development.
- Home Minister Amit Shah hails West Bengal government for handing over 1,129 acres of land to BSF and SSB for India-Bangladesh border fencing within 45 days of coming to power.
- India and Nepal reaffirm commitment to strengthen bilateral cooperation in border management and security.
- BRICS Tourism Ministers adopt Jaipur Declaration focusing on sustainable tourism, AI integration, and seamless travel.
- Indian Women’s Doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand to take on top seed Chinese duo in semifinals of BWF World Championships in Delhi.
- In Hockey World Cup, Indian Men’s team to begin their second-stage campaign against Hosts Netherlands at Amstelveen this evening.