THE HEADLINES:
- Three day Startup Mahakumbh begins at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi; Aims to connect startups with inventors including venture capitalists, investors and potential corporate partners.
- Prime Minister and senior BJP leader Narendra Modi holds election rally at Jagtial in Telangana.
- Supreme Court rejects Delhi Ex Minister Satyendar Jain’s bail in a money laundering case; Asks him to surrender immediately.
- Vladmir Putin wins Russian Presidential elections for record fifth term.
- Met Department forecast rain and snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
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The three day Startup Mahakumbh, one of the biggest events showcasing the startup ecosystem, began at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi today. This startup event aims at connecting startups with a spectrum of inventors including venture capitalists, investors and potential corporate partners.
Speaking at the event , Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade , DPIIT Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said, there are over one lakh Startups in the country as of now, which were only 300 when the Startup India initiative was launched in 2016. He said, India is the third largest Startup ecosystem in the world and there is a presence of Startups in 670 districts of the country. He said, over 50 per cent of Startups are from tier-2 and tier-3 cities. Highlighting the importance of Deep Tech and Research and Development in the Startup, Mr Singh said, a separate dedicated Deep Tech Startup policy will be finalized in coming months. He also informed that DPIIT has recently launched Bharat Startup Ecosystem Registry collaborating data from all the stakeholders to create synergy between Startups in terms of productive economic activities.
Speaking on the occasion, India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said that since the launch of the Startup India scheme, remarkable growth has been witnessed in the number of Startups in the country. He said, the ecosystem has created over one million jobs in the last eight years and over 10 million indirect jobs. He said, India is the third largest Startup ecosystem in the world and becoming number one is a big task.
Our correspondent reports that sector specific pavilions including Artificial Intelligence, B2B, Agritech, Deep Tech, Climate Tech, Gaming, E-sports, Fintech have been set up at the Bharat Mandapam. More than two thousand startups, thirty thousand future entrepreneurs, fifty thousand business visitors, thousands of investors and over five hundred incubators and delegations from ten countries are taking part in this mega event.
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Prime Minister and senior BJP leader Narendra Modi has said, BJP stands committed to fulfill the aspirations of the people of Telangana. Addressing an election rally at Jagtial in Telangana today, Mr Modi assured that the NDA will ensure speedy development of the state.The Prime Minister criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks insulting Shakti and said the spot on the Moon where Chandrayaan-3’s lander Vikram touched down has been named as ‘Shiv Shakti Point.’
Mr Modi accused the I.N.D.I. Alliance of insulting the people of TelanganaHe accused these parties of indulging in corruption such 2G scam, National Herald scam, Bofors, and Fodder scam. Mr Modi assured the people of Telangana that those who have deceived them will not be spared. Jagtial is part of Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency. Mr Modi also introduced the party candidates from Nizamabad, Karimnagar and Peddapally.
Earlier, addressing a rally of I.N.D.I. Alliance in Mumbai yesterday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had said that the current fight is between two ideologies and not just between the BJP and the Congress.
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Telangana Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan has tendered her resignation with immediate effect. In a communique, the Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad informed about the resignation letter has been submitted to the President of India. The resignation is yet to be accepted. Meanwhile, sources said that Dr Tamilisai will contest the Lok Sabha Election from Chennai South or somewhere from Tamil Nadu.
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Political activities have intensified in Bihar after the announcement of Lok Sabha poll schedule. Chief Electoral Officer of the State H.R. Srinivas told Akashvani News that all efforts are being made to effectively enforce Model Code of Conduct in Bihar.
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In Assam, the election campaign for the Lok Sabha polls has begun in the state following the declaration of the schedule. Polling for the 14 seats will be held in three phases in the state. The BJP and its allies Asom Gana Parishad and UPPL declared their candidates for all 14 seats. The BJP will contest in 11 seats. Asom Gana Parishad will field candidates on 2 seats while UPPL will fight on 1 seat. The Congress has also declared candidates for 12 seats and the party will support Asom Jatiya Parishad at Dibrugarh. Other parties including TMC, AAP, Bodoland People’s Front, CPI-M declared the party lists. The Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma is holding rallies today at Karimganj seat . Other senior leaders of different political parties are also attending public meetings and rallies today to woo the voters.
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The Supreme Court today directed the State Bank of India to make a complete disclosure of all details related to electoral bonds, including the unique bond numbers that would disclose the link between the buyer and the recipient political party, by March 21. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said there is “no manner of doubt” that the SBI is required to disclose the complete details of the bonds. It directed the SBI chairman to file an affidavit before it by 5 in the evening on March 21 indicating that the bank has disclosed all the details.
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The Supreme Court today rejected the bail plea of former Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain in the money laundering case, asking him to surrender forthwith. A bench of Justice Bela M Trivedi and Justice Pankaj Mithal dismissed the appeal filed by Jain. The Court also rejected the bail plea of other two accused- Ankush and Vaibhav Jain.
The top court rejected an oral request by Jain’s counsel to allow him to surrender in a week’s time.
Satyendar Jain was granted interim bail for six weeks on medical grounds on May 26 last year, and later it was extended from time to time.
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Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, today skipped the ED summons in money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Jal Board. Aam Aadmi Party has called the summons illegal and accused the BJP government of using Enforcement Directorate to target Kejriwal.
This is the second time when Delhi CM has been summoned under the anti-money laundering law. Mr Kejriwal is already facing ED summons in the money laundering case linked to Delhi’s excise policy. He has skipped eight summonses in that case.
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In Rajasthan, Rail traffic has been restored on Ajmer-Jaipur railway track, which was disrupted due to the derailment of the engine and four bogies of a superfast train near Madar railway station in Ajmer. Chief Public Relations Officer of North Western Railway, Captain Shasikiran said that relief work is underway on war footing. He said that after the departure of Sabarmati-Agra Kent train service, operation of other train services has been started. Six train services have been cancelled due to this accident. Eight train services have been partially cancelled, while many trains are running late.
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In Bihar, at least 8 people were killed and three others seriously injured this morning in road accident on NH 31 under Pasraha police station area in Khagaria district. Police said the incident took place when an SUV collided with a cement laden tractor near a petrol pump. After the accident the SUV fell into a ditch. All those who lost their lives were members of same family and returning from a marriage function in the district.
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National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Member Rajendra Singh has stressed that community led disaster mitigation initiatives are a crucial step in strengthening the emergency response mechanism. He said, overall preparation is everyone’s preparation to reduce disaster risk. He was speaking at the inaugural session of a two-day conference on industrial safety and Disaster risk reduction in New Delhi today.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has clinched a historic fifth term, securing a landslide victory in the presidential polls. He hailed his preordained electoral victory as a sign of the country’s trust and hope in him. Mr Putin claimed another six-year term by getting 87 per cent of the vote. The election officials said, other candidates languished below five per cent. Communist candidate Nikolai Kharitonov finished at second and newcomer Vladislav Davankov at third.
This victory has solidified Mr. Putin’s position as Russia’s longest-serving leader, surpassing Josef Stalin. Mr Putin told supporters in a victory speech in Moscow that he would prioritise resolving tasks associated with what he called Russia’s military operation in Ukraine and would strengthen the Russian military.
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast rain and snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand today. It has issued an orange alert in parts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The IMD said that isolated hailstorm, thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds will appear over parts of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha, and Jharkhand today. Light to moderate rainfall, thunderstorms and lightning are expected over parts of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and North-East India during next two days.
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In Cricket, Royal Challengers Bangalore have won the Women’s Premier League title beating Delhi Capitals by 8 wickets in New Delhi last night. Chasing a target of 114 runs set by Delhi, Bangalore comfortably scored 115 for 2 in 19.3 overs.
Earlier, deciding to bat first, Delhi Capitals were all out for 113 runs in 18.3 overs.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
- Three day Startup Mahakumbh begins at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi; Aims to connect startups with inventors including venture capitalists, investors and potential corporate partners.
- Prime Minister and senior BJP leader Narendra Modi holds election rally at Jagtial in Telangana.
- Supreme Court rejects Delhi Ex Minister Satyendar Jain’s bail in a money laundering case; Asks him to surrender immediately.
- Vladmir Putin wins Russian Presidential elections for record fifth term.
- Met Department forecast rain and snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
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