THE HEADLINES::
- Prime Minister and senior BJP leader Narendra Modi says, Budget session of Parliament being reconvened to ensure implementation of 33 per cent quota for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies from 2029.
- 345 Indian fishermen stranded in Iran return to Chennai via Armenia.
- US President Donald Trump gives 48-hour ultimatum to Iran to open Strait of Hormuz; Says, massive US strike on Tehran killed top Iranian military leaders.
- Western disturbance sweeps north India; Hills experience fresh snowfall, while rain lashes plains.
- Payal Nag stuns Sheetal Devi to bag Gold medal at World Archery Para Series in Bangkok.
- In IPL Cricket, Rajasthan Royals beat Gujarat Titans by 6 runs in Ahmedabad.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the Budget session of Parliament has been extended for three days so that the law enacted in 2023 for providing 33 per cent reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies can be implemented from 2029. Addressing an election rally at Thiruvalla in Kerala, Mr Modi said the government has extended the Budget session and it will meet again for three days — April 16, 17, and 18. The Prime Minister said, the government will ensure a legal stamp that no state, whether it is Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, or Telangana, will see a reduction in Lok Sabha seats.
The prime minister said that the NDA government has given 33 per cent reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and legislative assemblies through a law in 2023. The prime minister urged all parties that this is an issue related to women’s empowerment, so they should, with an open mind and without any political calculations, fully support it and become partners in winning the trust of the country’s mothers and sisters. Asking people to take this commitment from the opposition parties, Mr Modi also said that this “right of the country’s mothers and sisters” has been pending for 40 years, and it should not be delayed again.
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The campaigning for Kerala Assembly elections has reached its peak. Candidates across all 140 constituencies are leaving no stone unturned to connect with the voters. More from our correspondent:
With the last weekend before the campaign deadline underway, candidates and party workers are focusing on meeting as many voters as possible in person in Keralam. Door to door outreach and local interactions are expected to dominate the final stretch of campaigning. Senior leaders from major political parties are also actively participating in the concluding phase through public meetings and roadshows across Keralam. Senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to attend a roadshow in Beypore and a public rally in Kattakada, among other engagements.
Meanwhile, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge will participate in campaign events in Peerumedu and Kottarakkara.
CPIM General Secretary M. A. Baby is taking part in campaign programmes in constituencies including Vamanapuram and Varkala today. As the countdown to the end of campaigning begins, political parties are making their final push to sway voters in Keralam. Smithy M Palluruthy, Akashvani News, Thiruvananthapuram.”
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Cooch Behar in West Bengal today for election campaigning. At the Cooch Behar Ras Mela ground, he will campaign in support of BJP candidates contesting on eight seats of Cooch Behar district and five seats of the Alipurduar district. More from our correspondent:
This rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is considered very important. This rally will intensify and boost the party election campaign in the region and also strengthen its strong hold in Rajbanshi, Koch, Mech, Rabha communities. The beginning of Mr.Modi’s election campaign from Coochbehar is aimed to change the TMC regime and ensure the BJP government in the state. North Bengal has 54 assembly seats and BJP is contesting on all these seats. BJP sources informed that Mr.Modi may hold 15 rallies in the state. On April 10 he will hold a mega road show in Siliguri of Darjeeling District. Ashok Chaurasia, Akashvani News, Kurseong.”
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The BJP has released its fifth list of five candidates for the West Bengal Assembly polls. Anupam Biswas will contest from Kalyani (SC), Taraknath Chatterjee from Krishnanagar Uttar, Saurav Sikdar from Dum Dum Uttar, Anindya Raju Banerjee from Madhyamgram and Rudraprasad Banerjee from the Uluberia Purba assembly constituency. The party also revised names from its previous list. Now, Kaushik Sidharth will contest from Basirhat Uttar, Abhijit Sardar from Bishnupur (SC), and Shankar Sikdar will contest from Behala Purba assembly constituency.
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As part of our special series on key constituencies ahead of the Legislative Assembly elections in four states and one Union Territory, today we focus on the Mahe constituency in the Union Territory of Puducherry. Though politically part of the Union Territory of Puducherry, the Mahe enclave, located within the State of Kerala, has often been influenced by the political trends of the neighbouring state. From 1964 to 2011, the region had two Assembly constituencies – Mahe and Palloor. The Palloor constituency was abolished ahead of the 2011 Assembly elections, merging both segments into a single Mahe constituency. More from our correspondent:
The constituency has a total electorate of 30,237, comprising 14,049 male and 16,188 female voters. There are no registered transgender voters in Mahe. Similar to Kerala’s political landscape, the constituency has alternated between the Indian National Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) over the years. In the 2021 Assembly elections, Ramesh Parambath of the Congress won the seat by a margin of 300 votes. In the closely contested poll, Independent candidate N. Haridasan Master, backed by the Left Democratic Front, finished second. In this election, incumbent MLA Ramesh Parambath is seeking re-election, while the Left Democratic Front is backing Independent candidate Advocate T. Ashok Kumar. Making the contest triangular, the NDA has fielded A. Dineshan. Interestingly, while the Indian Union Muslim League is an ally of the Congress in neighbouring Kerala, it has fielded its own candidate, Mohamed Sameel, in Mahe. Prijesh M of Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam, and three other Independents are also in the fray. Bibin S Nath, Akashvani News, Puducherry.”
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A total of 345 Indian fishermen stranded in Iran amid the ongoing West Asia conflict arrived safely in Chennai yesterday evening after being evacuated through Armenia. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the fishermen were brought back as part of India’s continued efforts to ensure the safety of its nationals in the conflict-affected region. Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in a social media post, expressed gratitude to the Armenian government for facilitating the evacuation and thanked his counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan for enabling the safe transit of Indian nationals from Iran to India amid the conflict.
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US President Donald Trump has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. In a social media post on March 26, Mr. Trump warned that Iran had 10 days to either “make a deal” or “open up the Hormuz Strait.” He reiterated the warning yesterday, stating that Iran now has just 48 hours left before facing severe consequences. The ultimatum was followed by a military strike on Iran late last night. Sharing a video of the US military strike in Tehran, Mr. Trump said in a social media post that several Iranian military leaders, whom he accused of leading the country poorly and unwisely, had been eliminated in the attack. However, he did not provide further details regarding the specific targets or the technical aspects of the strike.
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The higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir witnessed fresh snowfall as a spell of wet weather, driven by a Western Disturbance, gripped north India, bringing rainfall to parts of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. Rains and hailstorms have continued to lash the northern states intermittently this week, with wheat growers in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan staring at major losses due to crop damage. In Jammu and Kashmir, the snowfall also led to the closure of many important inter-district roads.
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Easter is being celebrated across the globe today. It signifies the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion and death at Calvary on Good Friday. The event marks the culmination of the Holy Week of prayers, penitence and recalling the final phase of Jesus Christ’s life.
President Droupadi Murmu has greeted the countrymen on the occasion of Easter. In her message, President Murmu urged citizens to renew their resolve to promote harmony, peace and brotherhood, and strive collectively for a better future.
Vice President C P Radhakrishnan also extended his greetings to the countrymen on the occasion of Easter.
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In the World Archery Para Series, teenage quadruple amputee archer Payal Nag defeated world No. 1 Sheetal Devi to win gold in the compound women’s final, in Bangkok. The 18-year-old secured a 139-136 victory in the compound women’s final, as India signed off with 16 medals including seven gold, five silver and four bronze.
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In IPL Cricket, Rajasthan Royals defeated Gujarat Titans by 6 runs in a last over thriller at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad last night.
In today’s fixture, Sunrisers Hyderabad will face Lucknow Super Giants at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad at 03:30 PM, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Chennai Super Kings in the second match of the day at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru at 07:30 PM.
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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS,
Hindustan Times writes, ‘Trump gives new ultimatum, hunt for US pilot intensifies,’ while The Sunday Tribune says, ‘All hell will rain: Trump’s forty eight hour warning to Iran for Hormuz deal as war spirals.’ The Asian Age carries a picture of Israeli demonstrators protesting against the war with Iran.
On the home turf, ‘Indian refiners are procuring Iranian crude, says Centre,’ writes The Hindu.
In the run up to assembly elections in Keralam and West Bengal, Sunday Pioneer writes, ‘In Kerala, PM sends strong message on delimitation, women’s quota bill.’ The paper also writes, ‘Bhadralok signals West Bengal polls may redefine state’s political balance.’
The Sunday Express on its editorial page writes, ‘One cause for the Congress’s continuing decline is the absence of a political secretary or advisor to the party president. Indira Gandhi had valuable interfaces such as RK Dhawan and M L Fotedar even if they did not have the official designation. Jitender Prasad was political advisor to both Rajiv Gandhi and PV Narsimha Rao. Sonia Gandhi relied on Ambika Soni initially and later depended on Ahmed Patel who worked quietly behind the scenes. The all powerful Congress Secretary, KC Venugopal who has Rahul Gandhi’s ear , does not want any rival power centre even though he himself is a complete failure at his job.
Finally, The astronauts aboard the Orion Spacecraft, on Artemis II mission have passed halfway point between the earth and moon.
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HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN
- Prime Minister and senior BJP leader Narendra Modi says, Budget session of Parliament being reconvened to ensure implementation of 33 per cent quota for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies from 2029.
- 345 Indian fishermen stranded in Iran return to Chennai via Armenia.
- US President Donald Trump gives 48-hour ultimatum to Iran to open Strait of Hormuz; Says, massive US strike on Tehran killed top Iranian military leaders.
- Western disturbance sweeps north India; Hills experience fresh snowfall, while rain lashes plains.
- Payal Nag stuns Sheetal Devi to bag Gold medal at World Archery Para Series in Bangkok.
- In IPL Cricket, Rajasthan Royals beat Gujarat Titans by 6 runs in Ahmedabad.
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For details of these stories and more, log on to our website www.newsonair.gov.in and News On Air App.
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