THE HEADLINES:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates and lays foundation stones of various development projects worth around 6,350 crore rupees; Flags off two Amrit Bharat Express trains in Varanasi.
- Prime Minister says, country’s women are strongest pillar of developed India and government is committed to ensure their participation in policy-making.
- Stage set for second and final phase of voting for Assembly Elections in West Bengal tomorrow.
- Supreme Court says, roads cannot be blocked in the name of religious activities.
- Government issues advisory to protect workers and labourers from the adverse effects of severe heatwave conditions across the country.
- Pakistani strikes in Kunar province of Afghanistan leave seven people dead.
- Indian weightlifters win four gold at Commonwealth Youth and Junior Championships in Samoa.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of various development projects worth around 6,350 crore rupees in Varanasi. The projects cover key sectors like rail, road, water, healthcare, tourism and urban infrastructure. The Prime Minister also flagged off two new Amrit Bharat Express trains and laid the foundation stone of other rail projects. Mr Modi launched the projects during the Mahila Sammelan organised in his Parliamentary Constituency. Speaking on the occasion, he said, country’s women power is the strongest pillar of developed India and government is committed to ensuring women’s participation in the country’s policy-making. The Prime Minister sought blessings of women for the achievement of a major national goal to implement reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies.
The Prime Minister came down heavily on the opposition saying that dynastic parties like Congress, Samajwadi Party and Trinamool Congress do not like increasing the women seats in the Parliament and assemblies.
Mr Modi said, the two Amrit Bharat trains flagged off today which will enhance connectivity between Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Our correspondent takes a look at the projects launched by the Prime Minister today.
“The major projects are 30 rural drinking water schemes under the Jal Jeevan Mission, the redevelopment of Chandrawati Ghat, tourism development of Sarangnath Temple near Sarnath, and beautification and renovation works of Sant Ravidas Park, Nagwa, a synthetic hockey turf at UP College and development of tourism facilities at key ghats. Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the Varanasi Junction-Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction third and fourth railway line project, including the construction of a rail-cum-road bridge over the Ganga River. Tomorrow morning, Prime Minister will perform darshan and pooja at Shri Kashi Vishawanath temple in Varanasi. Thereafter, PM will travel to Hardoi and inaugurate Ganga Expressway. Sushil Chandra Tiwari, Akashvani News, Lucknow”
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Stage is all set for voting in West Bengal tomorrow for second and final phase of Assembly Elections. A total of 142 constituencies across seven districts will go to polls in this phase. More from our correspondent:
“Polling will commence over forty thousand booths covering seven districts of West Bengal under the second phase of Assembly election in West Bengal. Total 1448 candidates are in the fray including two hundred twenty female candidates. Voting will commence from 7 am in the morning and will continue till 6 pm. Webcasting facility will be in place in all the booths. Commission has taken all measures for a free fair and peaceful vote. Following the Election Commission of India’s earlier mandate of no booth jamming and source jamming, tight security arrangements have been put in place. Security forces are carrying out route marches and area domination processes to boost voters’ confidence. In the first phase, over 93 percent voting was recorded. Following the trend of the first phase, Commission will take every measure on ground tomorrow for a high voters turn out. Kalyan Laha, Akashvani News, Kolkata.”
Counting of votes will be taken up on 4th of next month along with Tamil Nadu, Assam, Keralam and Puducherry Assembly Elections.
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The Bharatiya Janata Party has registered a landslide victory in the local body elections in Gujarat, sweeping all major Municipal Corporations in the state. Out of the nine thousand 200 seats, the BJP has secured over seven thousand 424 seats. The Congress party managed to win one thousand 720 seats, while other candidates and parties secured seven hundred 40 seats. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the people of Gujarat, stating that this mandate strengthens the bond between the state and the party. More from our correspondent:
“The BJP achieved its largest-ever win across 15 Municipal Corporations, including Ahmedabd, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot along with newly formed bodies in Navsari, Gandhidham, Morbi, Vapi. In the Nagarpalikas, the BJP won one thousand 988 seats, while Congress secured 459. The rural landscape also saw a saffron surge, with the BJP winning 887 seats in District Panchayats and three thousand 612 seats in Taluka Panchayats. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel congratulated the winning candidates and party workers. Aparna Khunt, Akashvani News, Ahmedabad.”
Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP President Nitin Nabin congratulated the people of Gujarat for the historic victory to Bharatiya Janata Party in the elections.
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The Supreme Court has observed that roads cannot be blocked in the name of religious activities and the government can intervene if secular activities are affected. A nine-judge Constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, made the observation while hearing petitions related to the scope of religious freedom and discrimination issues against women at places of worship, including the Sabarimala temple in Kerala.
The apex court said, while religious denominations enjoy autonomy in matters of worship, this does not extend to disrupting public order or essential civic functions.
The apex court reiterated that while religious freedoms are protected, they remain subject to constitutional limitations, including non-discrimination and public order. The hearing in the matter will continue tomorrow.
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The government has assured 100 per cent supply of domestic LPG, PNG for households and CNG for transport across the country. Addressing an inter-ministerial briefing in New Delhi, Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas Sujata Sharma said, domestic LPG supply remains stable, with no dry-outs reported at any distributorship.
Director in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Mukesh Mangal said that all Indian seafarers in the region are safe and no incident involving any Indian-flagged vessel has been reported in the last 24 hours. Mr Mangal said that the Ministry has facilitated the safe repatriation of Indian seafarers.
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Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that country is rapidly emerging as a trusted global electronics-manufacturing partner under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India vision. Mr. Vaishnaw along with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stone of Google Cloud India AI Hub in Visakhapatnam today.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Vaishnaw said the country is marching ahead with large-scale electronics manufacturing, semiconductor production, advanced chip design, and artificial intelligence technologies. He noted that while the country missed earlier opportunities in these sectors, strong policy support and leadership have driven major growth in recent years.
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The government has issued an advisory to States and Union Territories to protect workers and labourers from the adverse effects of rising temperature and heatwave across the country. In a communication to Chief Secretaries and Administrators of all States and Union Territories, the Labour and Employment Ministry emphasized the need for a coordinated, multi-sectoral and multi-dimensional approach to protect workers, particularly those employed in outdoor and labour-intensive sectors. More in this report:
“The advisory stressed on the need to ensure adequate drinking water facilities and make provision for rest areas and cooling of work places, to coordinate with the Health Department to ensure regular health check-ups of the workers. Special attention has been recommended for construction workers, brick kiln workers, daily wage earners and casual labourers. Hospitals and dispensaries under the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation and the Director General of Labour Welfare have been asked to establish dedicated help desks for heat stroke cases. They have also been asked to ensure adequate stocks of ORS, ice packs and other heat illness prevention materials. With Dipendra Kumar, Aman Yadav, Akashvani News Delhi.”
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The India Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall in the North-eastern region tomorrow while, northern states including Bihar and Jharkhand are expected to experience thundersquall conditions. Several regions across country may experience thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds for the next two days. The weather agency has forecast hot and humid conditions over Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal for the next two to three days.
Meanwhile, all schools across nine districts in Mizoram remained closed today due to heavy rain. Serchhip recorded the highest rainfall of 70.5 millimeter in the last 24 hours. While in Tripura, a series of powerful Kalbaishakhi storms and heavy rainfall have caused widespread devastation paralysing normal life in several districts. Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha has said, government is actively managing the aftermath of severe weather.
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At least seven people have been killed and around 75 others injured after Pakistani strikes hit Afghanistan’s Kunar province. The attacks targeted multiple locations, including the provincial capital Asadabad and Sarkano district. According to local reports, several residential areas and Sayed Jamaluddin Afghan University were struck, causing widespread damage and panic. Hospital authorities in Asadabad confirmed that dozens of injured, including women and children are undergoing treatment, while emergency teams continue rescue operations.
Officials said nearly 30 students and staff were injured after mortar rounds hit the university campus. The Afghanistan Ministry of Higher Education has strongly condemned the attack, calling it a violation of international and Islamic principles. It described the strike as an assault on education and urged the international community to respond.
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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today met Kyrgyzstan’s Defence Minister Major General Mukambetov Ruslan Mustafaevich on the sidelines of SCO Defence Ministers’ meet in Bishkek. In a social media post, Mr Singh said, the meeting was productive.
Mr. Singh also met the Defence Minister of Belarus, Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin. The discussions between both leaders were focused on strengthening defence cooperation between the two nations.
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Indian weightlifters put up a strong show at the Commonwealth Youth and Junior Championships in Apia, Samoa, winning four gold medals on day two. Sunil Singh claimed gold in the men’s 65 kg category, while Aisangfa Gogoi topped the women’s 58 kg division. Abhinob Gogoi secured gold in the men’s 71 kg category. In the Universal Cup, Charu Pesi of Arunachal Pradesh also won gold in the men’s 65 kg event.
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In IPL Cricket, Punjab Kings have set a target of 223 runs for Rajasthan Royals in New Chandigarh. Earlier, put into bat, Punjab Kings scored 222 for 4 in stipulated 20 overs.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN: –
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates and lays foundation stones of various development projects worth around 6,350 crore rupees; Flags off two Amrit Bharat Express trains in Varanasi.
- Prime Minister says, country’s women are strongest pillar of developed India and government is committed to ensure their participation in policy-making.
- Stage set for second and final phase of voting for Assembly Elections in West Bengal tomorrow.
- Supreme Court says, roads cannot be blocked in the name of religious activities.
- Government issues advisory to protect workers and labourers from the adverse effects of severe heatwave conditions across the country.
- Pakistani strikes in Kunar province of Afghanistan leave seven people dead.
- Indian weightlifters win four gold at Commonwealth Youth and Junior Championships in Samoa.
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