THE HEADLINES::

 

1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs special meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security; Calls for all-out effort to safeguard Indian citizens from impact of war in West Asia.
2. Prime Minister to inaugurate and launch Sadhana Saptah 2026 this morning to enhance civil servants’ capacity development.
3. Notification for second phase of assembly elections in West Bengal to be issued today. 
4. Budget Session of Parliament to conclude today.
5. US President Donald Trump says, American forces will ‘finish the job’ in Iran soon as core strategic objectives are nearing completion.
6. NASA launches its historic crewed mission around moon – Artemis II from Florida in US.
7. In football, defending champions India beat Bhutan 5-0 to storm into final of SAFF Men’s Under-20 Championship in Malé.

 

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a special meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to review measures taken by various Ministries and Departments and also discussed further initiatives to be taken in the context of the ongoing West Asia conflict, at his residence in New Delhi yesterday.

 

         

“During the meeting, the Prime Minister assessed the availability of critical needs for the common man. He also discussed the availability of fertilisers in the country and steps being taken to ensure its availability in the Kharif and Rabi seasons. The Prime Minister also directed that all efforts must be made to safeguard the citizens from the impact of the ongoing conflict. Mr Modi underlined the need for timely and smooth flow of authentic information to the public to prevent misinformation and rumour mongering. Mr Modi also directed all concerned departments to take all possible measures to ameliorate the problems of citizens and sectors affected by the ongoing global situation. During the meeting, interventions across agriculture, fertilizers, shipping, aviation, logistics and MSMEs to mitigate emerging challenges were discussed. Further, a review of supply diversification for LPG and LNG, fuel duty reduction and power sector measures was also undertaken to ensure stability of essential supplies. WITH  BHANU REPORT THIS IS ANKIT KUMAR, DELHI.”

 

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Prime Minister will inaugurate and launch Sadhna Saptah 2026 this morning to enhance civil servants’ capacity development. The Department of Personnel and Training, Capacity Building Commission, and Karmayogi Bharat will collectively organise a week-long Sadhna Saptah starting today in New Delhi. It aims to build the capacity, performance and efficiency of civil servants across the country. Employees and officers from all levels of Union ministries, departments, organizations, and states will participate in the week-long exercise, both on the iGOT platform and through other means. Chairperson of Capacity Building Commission S. Radha Chauhan said the whole effort during the Saptah will be to see how capacity building aligns itself with realizing the objectives of Viksit Bharat.

 

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The notification for the second phase of assembly elections in West Bengal will be issued today. 142 constituencies will go to polls in this phase on 29th April. Along with this, the process of filing nominations will begin. Candidates may submit their nominations until April 9. The submitted nomination papers will be scrutinized the following day. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is 13th April.

 

         

Meanwhile, the process of filing nomination papers for the first phase of elections is going on. Nominations can be submitted until April 6. Voting for the first phase will be held on 23rd April.

 

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The Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal has issued a notification imposing a complete ban on conducting, publishing, or publicizing exit polls, in compliance with the directives of the Election Commission of India following the announcement of elections on the 16th of last month. This prohibition applies to all forms of media-print, electronic, or any other means of dissemination-under subsection (1) of Section 126A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The restriction will remain in force from 7 AM on 9 April until 6:30 PM on 29th of this month. It has been imposed to ensure free and fair elections across all 294 Assembly Constituencies in West Bengal.

 

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Keralam has entered the final stage of electioneering for Assembly elections.

 

        

“With just one week left for polling, election campaigning in Keralam has intensified, with all fronts stepping up efforts to woo voters. Candidates are energising their campaigns by bringing in prominent national leaders to their constituencies. For the NDA, Prime Minister and senior BJP leader Narendra Modi will visit Thiruvananthapuram and Thiruvalla on Saturday as part of the campaign. Meanwhile, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi is scheduled to campaign for UDF candidates in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam today. In support of the LDF, CPI National Secretary D. Raja attended a public meeting at Pooppara in Idukki yesterday. The arrival of top leaders has added momentum to the campaign, as the state heads into the final phase before polling. Smithy M Palluruthy, Akashvani News, Thiruvananthapuram.”

 

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The Budget session of Parliament will conclude today. Rajya Sabha is likely to take up The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026 for consideration and passing today.

 

         

The first part of the Budget Session began on 28th January and continued till 13th of February, this year.  The second phase of Budget session commenced on 8th of last month.  During the first phase,  discussion took place on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address and the Union Budget for 2026-27. In the second phase, Parliament gave its nod to the Finance Bill 2026 and the Appropriation (No. 2) Bill 2026.

 

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US President Donald Trump has said that American forces will finish the job in Iran soon as core strategic objectives are nearing completion. In a televised address from White House, Trump touted the successes of the US campaign – Operation Epic Fury, saying the US is winning bigger than ever before. In his 20 minute speech, Trump said, every American can look forward to a day when they are finally free from the wickedness of Iranian aggression and the spectre of nuclear blackmail. The President promised that when the war is over, the United States will be safer, stronger, more prosperous and greater than it has ever been before.

 

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Nasa’s first crewed mission around the Moon in more that 50 years – Artemis II – has taken off. The Space Launch System rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, US at around 3:54 AM Indian Time today.

 

         

“The crew on the 10-day Artemis II mission will not land on the Moon, but plan to circle it, while travelling further from Earth than anyone has ever been before. They will do it all in a capsule the size of a minibus. Four astronauts – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen are taking part in the mission. Unlike the Apollo missions between 1968 and 1972, which sent only men to the Moon, Artemis II reflects greater diversity with a woman and a non-American astronaut on board.During the nearly 10-day mission, astronauts will test life-support, navigation, and other systems in deep space, evaluate spacecraft performance, practise emergency procedures, and capture images of the Moon’s far side.If successful, Artemis II is the first mission to send astronauts toward the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. The mission aims to test systems for future crewed lunar landings and will conclude with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. Ahead of the launch, US President Donald Trump said America is winning in space and added that the mission will take astronauts farther into deep space than ever before.  ashish Abraham for Akashvani News.”

 

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First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Denis Manturov will be on a two-day visit to India, beginning today. During the visit, Mr Manturov is scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi. The Russian Deputy Prime Minister will also meet National Security Advisor Ajit Doval at Seva Teerth 3 in the national capital.

 

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Hanuman Jayanti is being celebrated today in different parts of the country with religious fervor. The day commemorates the birth of Lord Hanuman. In the national capital, devotees are thronging the Hanuman temples since early morning to offer prayers. Heavy rush of people is being seen at the ‘Pracheen Hanuman Temple’ at Connaught Place in New Delhi. ‘Hanuman Chalisa’, ‘Sundar Kand ‘and ‘Akhand Ramayan’ are being recited at the temples on the occasion.

 

         

In Uttar Pradesh, devotees in large numbers have gathered at Hanuman Temples across the state. A long queue of people can also been seen at Ayodhya’s Hanuman Garhi temple on the occasion. Bhandara Bhoj have also been organised at several places.

 

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In the SAFF Men’s Under-20 Football Championship, defending champions India thrashed Bhutan 5-0 to storm into the final in Malé, Maldives last night.

 

         

Earlier, Bangladesh booked their place in the final with a 1-0 win over Nepal. Manik scored the decisive goal in the 11th minute. India will now face Bangladesh in the summit clash tomorrow.

 

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In IPL cricket, Delhi Capitals defeated Lucknow Super Giants by six wickets in Lucknow last night. Today, Kolkata Knight Riders will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at Eden Gardens in Kolkata at 7:30 PM.

 

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In Chhattisgarh, on the ninth day of the ongoing Khelo India Tribal Games, archery events will be held in Raipur, while athletics competitions will take place in Jagdalpur today.

 

         

In the women’s hockey final held in Raipur yesterday, Odisha defeated Mizoram by one goal to nil to win the gold medal. In the men’s hockey final, Odisha defeated Jharkhand by four goals to one to clinch the gold medal. In men’s football, Chhattisgarh will face West Bengal in the final match.

 

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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS

 

1. “Scaling up threat to pull out of NATO, US may exit Iran war soon, return for spot hits” a top front page headline in The Indian Express quotes US President.
2. All the dailies have noted Prime Minister chairing the second Cabinet Committee meeting on security to review measures taken by various ministries and departments calling for safeguarding citizens and ensuring supplies.
3. “Census 2027 kicks off in digital mode:President, PM , 55 thousand households in eight states, Union Territories self-enumerate” states The Asian Age.
4. “India’s economy puts up a brave front as GST hits ten month high, UPI transactions rise 23.5 percent, Car sales jump 16.3 percent” states The Economic Times.
5. The Editorial in The Indian Express under the headline “Indians give to save each other from free fall” states how a recent study reveals Indians give in cash or kind to help others even if they earned less than five thousand rupees a month. It concludes Indian philanthropy is not elite-led but at the household level.
6. “India receives first batch of light machine guns from Israel” under the ‘Make in India’ initiative with technology transfer, says a headline in The Pioneer.
7. “Punjab’s first drug census gets rolling: Survey to help government know the extent of problem, frame targeted policies” cites The Tribune.
8. Advancing the government’s push to decriminalise minor offenses and promote a trust based governance model to improve ease of living and doing business,The Statesman reports on Lok sabha passing the Jan Vishwas Bill 2026.
9. And finally, The Times of India writes about “Ravi Varma’s ‘Yashoda and Krishna’ painting fetching record-shattering 167 crore rupees landmark price” eclipsing the record held by MF Hussain’s painting.

 

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN

 

1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs special meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security; Calls for all-out effort to safeguard Indian citizens from impact of war in West Asia.
2. Prime Minister to inaugurate and launch Sadhana Saptah 2026 this morning to enhance civil servants’ capacity development.
3. Notification for second phase of assembly elections in West Bengal to be issued today. 
4. Budget Session of Parliament to conclude today.
5. US President Donald Trump says, American forces will ‘finish the job’ in Iran soon as core strategic objectives are nearing completion.
6. NASA launches its historic crewed mission around moon – Artemis II from Florida in US.
7. In football, defending champions India beat Bhutan 5-0 to storm into final of SAFF Men’s Under-20 Championship in Malé.

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