THE HEADLINES::

1. US President Donald Trump announces two-week ceasefire with Iran if shipping is allowed to move through Strait of Hormuz; Iran agrees to cease military operation for 2 weeks and allow safe passage via Hormuz.
2. Global crude oil prices fall sharply following the agreement.
3. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to hold talks with his Bangladesh counterpart Khalilur Rahman in New Delhi this afternoon.
4. RBI to announce its first bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement for financial year 2026-27 this morning.
5. Centre announces regularisation of unauthorised colonies in Delhi on ‘as is, where is’ basis.
6. Indian shooters Palak and Mukesh win Gold medal in 10-metre air pistol mixed team event at ISSF World Cup in Granada, Spain.

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US President Donald Trump has agreed to a proposed two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran if shipping traffic is allowed to move through the Strait of Hormuz. We have a report:

“In a statement released by the White House, Mr Trump said that the US has agreed to suspend the bombing and attack on Iran for a period of two weeks. He said that the ceasefire is subject to Iran agreeing to the complete, immediate, and safe opening of the Strait of Hormuz. He further said that US received a 10 point proposal from Iran, which is a workable basis on which to negotiate.

Earlier, Mr Trump had warned Iran that he could target important infrastructure like power plants and bridges if Tehran did not agree to his demands, which include reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

On the other side, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also announced that Iran will agree to a ceasefire if attacks against Iran are halted. He announced that for a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via co-ordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations. WITH MAYUR JAIN, THIS IS CHIRAG JHA, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI.”

Meanwhile, Global oil prices have fallen sharply and stock markets have jumped after US and Iran agreed a conditional two-week ceasefire deal. The price of benchmark Brent crude dropped below 100 US Dollar to 92.30 US Dollar a barrel, while US-traded oil was almost 16.5 percent lower at 93.80 US Dollar.

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External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar will hold a meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman this afternoon in New Delhi. Mr Rahman arrived here last evening on a three day visit to India. During his visit, Mr Rahman is also expected to meet National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. This marks the first visit to New Delhi by a Bangladeshi Minister since the BNP-led government took office in February.

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Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will be on a three day visit to Washington D.C. in the United States, beginning today. During his visit, the Foreign Secretary will hold discussions with senior officials of the U.S. Administration on a wide range of issues, including trade, defence, science and technology, as well as regional and global developments of mutual interest. The External Affairs Ministry said that this visit will provide an opportunity to review the full spectrum of India and U.S. bilateral relations and advance the ongoing cooperation across key areas.

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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will announce its bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement today. RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra will announce the decisions taken by the Monetary Policy Committee in its first meeting of the financial year 2026-27 at 10 this morning. Led by the RBI Governor, the six-member committee is deliberating on key aspects such as interest rates, inflation outlook, and growth projections since Monday.

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Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal has announced the regularisation of Unauthorised Colonies of Delhi on ‘as is, where is’ basis. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi along with Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, he said that existing structures will be recognised, while future constructions must adhere strictly to Municipal Corporation norms. We have more from our Correspondent:

“Union Minister Manohar Lal stated that with the decision to regularise colonies, residents will be encouraged to come forward for registration of their properties. The Minister stated that the people of Delhi have faced long-standing urban challenges, many of which remained unresolved due to a lack of coordination between agencies and governments in the past. He reaffirmed that the government remains committed to systematic and phased urban reforms for Delhi’s residents.

The Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has taken various steps to address the unauthorised colonies issue. This includes Land use of all plots and buildings in these colonies will be treated as residential. It added regularisation will apply to existing built-up structures on an as-is where-is basis and 1511 unauthorised colonies which do not fall under exclusion criteria, will be regularised without requiring approved layout plans.

Mr Manohar Lal further stated that under the leadership of the Prime Minister, Delhi is witnessing a new phase of planned and inclusive urban development, aimed at addressing legacy issues while building a future-ready city.

Welcoming the move, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that with support from the central government, efforts are underway to transform these colonies into organized urban spaces. Mrs Gupta said that 700 crore rupees was allocated last year for the development of unauthorized colonies, while 800 crore has been earmarked in the current budget. She added that Regularisation of Unauthorised Colonies in Delhi marks a new chapter of relief, dignity, and rights in the lives of 45 lakh people of Delhi. AKSHIT KUMAR VEDYAN, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI.”

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Polling for all 140 Assembly constituencies in Keralam, 126 in Assam, and 30 seats in Puducherry will be held in a single phase tomorrow. Authorities have tightened security and administrative measures to ensure a free, fair, and peaceful polling.

Let us move to our Thiruvananthapuram Correspondent to know more about polling arrangements in Keralam:

“Extensive measures have been put in place to ensure strict compliance with green protocol guidelines across all polling booths and related centres in Keralam. Single use plastics and thermocol items have been completely banned, with steel utensils and glassware provided through Kudumbashree units. A scientific waste management system has been arranged with the support of the Haritha Karma Sena.A “Green Button” campaign has been conducted for the past three weeks to promote awareness. Strict inspections have led to fines exceeding ₹8 lakh statewide. Notably,  green protocol initiatives in Keralam, during last year’s local body elections had drawn national attention. Smithy M Palluruthy, Akashvani News, Thiruvananthapuram.”

We have more details on the polling arrangements from Assam:

“The stage is set for over 2.5 crore voters to decide the fate of 722 candidates on April 9th. To ensure a transparent process, Chief Electoral Officer Anurag Goel has announced that all 31,490 polling stations will be under live webcasting surveillance. Beyond security, the Commission has  tried prioritized voter comfort-introducing mobile phone storage, rest areas, and ramps at every center. A significant milestone has already been reached, with over 34,000 elderly and specially-abled citizens exercising their franchise from home via postal ballots. With 1.5 lakh polling personnel and over 43,000 VVPAT machines deployed, the administration is leaving no stone unturned for a smooth election. Saswati Bhattacharjee, Akashvani, Silchar.”

Now we go on to our Puducherry Correspondent for more updates:

“The strong rooms at Women’s Engineering College, Motilal Nehru Government Polytechnic College, and Tagore Government Arts and Science College were opened around 8 AM today under tight security. Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and VVPATs are being dispatched to polling stations, with priority given to remote and far-flung areas. Reserve EVMs have been kept ready under the custody of Returning Officers and are securely stored at designated locations, including Bahour and Nettapakkam. Tomorrow, reserve machines will be handed over to Sector Officers to address any technical issues. After polling, all used EVMs will be brought back and stored constituency-wise in the same strong rooms under strict security. Unused and defective reserve EVMs will be stored separately at secure locations in Puducherry, Mahe, and Yanam. In Puducherry district alone, a total of 4,116 polling personnel have been deployed for election duty. Security arrangements include over 3,000 police personnel, 45 companies of Central Armed Police Forces, and a special unit from the Karnataka Police. Additionally, 155 micro-observers have been appointed across 137 sensitive polling stations to ensure close monitoring. Bibin S Nath, Akashvani News, Puducherry.”

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Indian shooters Palak Gulia and Mukesh Nelavalli won gold medal with a new junior world record, in the 10 meter air pistol mixed team event, at the ISSF World Cup at Granada in Spain yesterday. A report:

“The duo scored a total of 487.7 points in the final eclipsing the previous record of 481.3 created by Uzbekistan’s Nigina Saidkulova and Mukhammad Kamalov at the Asian Shooting Championships in New Delhi earlier this year. Palak scored 243.0, while Mukesh making his senior debut scored 244.7, This was Nelavalli’s maiden medal at the ISSF World Cups. Earlier, they performed well in the qualification round too, finishing second and reaching the medal match. Chinese team won silver with 484.8 points, and Hungary took bronze with 414.9 points. SANYUKTA YADAV, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI.”

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The 25th All India Police Water Sports Cluster Championship will begin today at Tehri Lake in Uttarakhand. Organized under the aegis of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the event will continue until 12th of April. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami will inaugurate the competition. More from our Correspondent:

“In this national-level championship, more than 440 athletes from 19 police teams across the country are participating. A total of 52 events, including canoeing, rowing, and kayaking, will be organized, providing a platform for state police and central armed forces personnel to showcase their sporting talent. All preparations for the event have been completed. The event at Tehri Lake is expected to promote not only sports but also tourism in the region. Sakshi Singh, Akashvani News, Dehradun.”

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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS-

1. While people in India rose from their sleep to a sigh of relief with the ceasefire announcement in the War in Gulf, newspapers reflect the worrying anxiety as the deadline approached. 
2. As Trump raised the stakes to civilisational level, Government of India advising all Indian nationals currently in Iran to ‘shelter in place’ and avoid unnecessary movement amid escalating tensions in the region has been noticed by all the dailies.
3. The Hindu headline quoting US President Trump warning, writes “A civilisation will die in Iran if deal not accepted on ‘deadline’ day.”
4. “Law for women’s quota set to add more MLA seats too” as the government is working on delinking the bill to provide quota to women in Lok Sabha and State assemblies from the census, states Hindustan Times.
5. A headline in The Times of India writes “Over ninety lakh deleted, SIR trims Bengal electorate by twelve percent.”
6. The Economic Times reports “Electronics sector sees women outspace men in employability.”
7. The Statesman in its editorial page writes how PM Mudra has transformed India’s credit architecture becoming the country’s pillar of economic transformation. It has empowered 57 crore entrepreneurs and shifted the labour narrative towards self-reliance. By ‘funding the unfunded’, the scheme ensures moving away from a historically top-heavy banking model towards a decentralised, inclusion-driven framework making it the privilege of the many, not the few.
8. Finally, The Asian Age informs about India’s first driverless pod taxi system developed between Kurla and BKC in Mumbai to provide last mile connectivity for daily commuters.

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1. THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN
2. US President Donald Trump announces two-week ceasefire with Iran if shipping is allowed to move through Strait of Hormuz; Iran agrees to cease military operation for 2 weeks and allow safe passage via Hormuz.
3. Global crude oil prices fall sharply following the agreement.
4. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to hold talks with his Bangladesh counterpart Khalilur Rahman in New Delhi this afternoon.
5. RBI to announce its first bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement for financial year 2026-27 this morning.
6. Centre announces regularisation of unauthorised colonies in Delhi on ‘as is, where is’ basis.
7. Indian shooters Palak and Mukesh win Gold medal in 10-metre air pistol mixed team event at ISSF World Cup in Granada, Spain.

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