THE HEADLINES::
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Karnataka and Telangana today; To launch multiple development projects worth around 9,400 crore rupees in Hyderabad and participate in 45th Anniversary Celebrations of The Art of Living in Bengaluru.
- TVK chief C Joseph Vijay to be sworn-in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu this morning.
- President Droupadi Murmu appoints N Rangasamy as Chief Minister of Puducherry.
- Centre operationalises four labour codes with publication of rules.
- DRDO achieves major breakthrough in hypersonic missile development by conducting long-duration test of scramjet combustor.
- Nine Indian boxers advance to finals of Asian Boxing U15 & U17 Championships in Tashkent.
<><><>
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Karnataka and Telangana today. At around 11 AM, the Prime Minister will participate in the 45th Anniversary Celebrations of The Art of Living in Bengaluru and also inaugurate the newly constructed Dhyan Mandir at the Art of Living International Centre. More from our correspondent:
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the devotees of Art of Living Foundation and inaugurate the newly constructed Dhyan Mandir or meditation hall at the premises. He will also launch the year long projects of the foundation on mental well being, rural development, nature conservation and social transformation. Before proceeding to the Art of Living international centre, the Prime Minister will address the BJP leaders and workers at HAL airport. The leader of the Opposition in Karnataka Legislative Assembly R Ashoka has informed that the Prime Minister will be honoured with Mysuru peta and silk shawl for the party’s recent electoral victory and around 15000 people will attend this meeting. The Bengaluru city police have imposed traffic restriction enroute to the Art of Living Ashram during the PM convoy movement. Sudhindra, Akashvani News Bengaluru.”
Thereafter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Hyderabad. At around 3 PM, he will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate multiple development projects worth around nine thousand 400 crore rupees in the state. Mr Modi will lay the foundation stone for the four-laning of National Highway-167 from Gudebellur to Mahabubnagar on the Hyderabad-Panaji Economic Corridor at a total project cost of over three thousand 175 crore rupees.
The Prime Minister will also inaugurate the PM MITRA Park at Warangal, also known as the Kakatiya Mega Textile Park, developed under the PM MITRA Scheme. In a major milestone for India’s healthcare infrastructure, Mr Modi will also dedicate Sindhu Hospital to the nation. The state-of-the-art institution in Hyderabad is a cancer-focused multi-super speciality quaternary care not-for-profit hospital.
<><><>
Founder of Tamil Nadu Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), C. Joseph Vijay, will be sworn in as the Chief Minister of the State today. The swearing-in ceremony will be held at Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai at 10 AM. Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar will administer the Oath of Office to Mr Vijay. According to Party sources, nine Ministers will also be sworn-in along with him. Elaborate arrangements have been made for the swearing-in ceremony as a huge crowd is expected to turn up for the event. More from our correspondent:
“With a mandate of more than 34 percent, Vijay who acted in several box office hits will become the Chief Minister. Vijay made the entry as a protagonist to the film world through Naalaiya theerpu. Later he went on to give several blockbusters including films which had political dialogues also. The songs which had josh beats are popular among children to the aged ones. TVK being the single largest party had to stop with 108, which is a fractured verdict but still Joseph Vijay managed to get the majority with the help of Congress, VCK, Left parties and IUML. With the charisma of a hero, Tamilnadu has seen the heartthrob of the youth who made history on the very first attempt and became the Chief Minister. Unga Vijay Naan Varen was the code word with which he won the elections. No doubt that the performance of this Government, which has a lot of young and new faces will be assessed by those who gave him the mandate. JOY, AKASHWANI NEWS, CHENNAI.”
<><><>
President Droupadi Murmu has appointed N Rangasamy as Chief Minister of Puducherry. Following the appointment, Lieutenant Governor K Kailashnathan invited Mr Rangasamy to form a new government in the union territory. More from our correspondent:
“With the approval of the President, decks are cleared for the swearing-in ceremony of N. Rangasamy as the new Chief Minister of Puducherry on May 13. Mr Rangasamy is set to assume office for a record fifth term after the AINRC-led National Democratic Alliance secured a comfortable victory in the Assembly elections. Seventy-six-year-old N. Rangasamy had earlier served as Chief Minister of Puducherry from 2001 to 2006 and again from 2006 to 2008 as a Congress leader. After founding the All India NR Congress, he served as Chief Minister from 2011 to 2016 and later headed the AINRC-BJP Alliance government from 2021 to 2026. In the recently held Assembly elections, Mr Rangasamy was elected from both the Thattanchavady and Mangalam constituencies. In the 30-member assembly, NDA has got the support of 18 MLAs, two more than the majority mark. Bibin S Nath, Akashvani News, Puducherry.”
<><><>
Assam BJP Legislature Party will meet in Guwahati today to elect its leader. The newly elected BJP MLAs will meet at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhawan at 9 this morning. Meanwhile, preparations are in full swing for the swearing-in of the NDA government for a third consecutive term in Assam. More from our correspondent:
“The BJP Legislature Party meeting will be held in the presence of BJP central observer Jagat Prakash Nadda and co-observer Nayab Singh Saini. Following the meeting, the NDA Legislature Party meeting will be held at the same venue. Thereafter, the NDA Legislature Party will meet Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya to stake claim to form the government. Meanwhile, preparations are being carried out on a war footing at the Veterinary College playground in Khanapara for the oath-taking ceremony scheduled to be held on May 12. The Kamrup (Metro) district administration has also issued a set of traffic regulations in the city for the day. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are expected to attend the Swearing-in Ceremony. Rakesh Doley, Akashvani News, Guwahati.”
<><><>
The top brass of the Congress party held a meeting in New Delhi yesterday to discuss government formation in Kerala. The meeting convened by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence was attended by senior party leader Rahul Gandhi, party general secretary in-charge of the state Deepa Dasmunshi, General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal and senior Kerala leaders Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan. The party said, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi will take the final decision on the new Kerala chief minister and the name will be announced very soon.
<><><>
For quick news updates, round the clock,follow us on our X handle @airnewsalerts. And for details of stories and more,log on to our website <<www.newsonair.gov.in>> and downloadNews On Air App.
<><><>
The Centre has moved to significantly strengthen protections for outsourced and contractual workers engaged across Central Ministries, Departments, autonomous bodies and Central Public Sector Enterprises through a new set of procurement-linked compliance measures under the labour codes. By linking labour law compliance directly with eligibility for government contracts and bidding, the measures seek to curb delays in wage payments and defaults in statutory dues affecting contract workers. A report:
“The new framework operationalizes worker protections envisaged under the four Labour Codes while introducing stricter penalties, including debarment and blacklisting, for firms violating timely wage and social security contributions. Under fresh instructions issued on Friday, Ministries, Departments, Statutory, Autonomous Bodies and Central Public Sector Enterprises have been directed to strictly ensure that contractors disburse wages within prescribed timelines and the Drawing and Disbursing Officers verify compliance every month. Daily wages should be paid by the end of shift, Weekly wages before weekly holiday, Fortnightly wages within two days of end of fortnight and Monthly wages within seven days of the succeeding month. The Government has further directed that, Wage payments should be made only through bank transfer or electronic mode and Contractors must electronically inform principal employers after payment. It said that contracts must contain penalty clauses for delayed wage payments and further asked Ministries to ensure adequate fund availability before awarding manpower contracts. With Anupam Mishra, Priya Mondal, Akashvani News, Delhi.
<><><>
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully conducted an extensive long-duration test of its Actively Cooled Full Scale Scramjet Combustor in Hyderabad. Ministry of Defence said that the test achieved a run-time of over one thousand 200 seconds, surpassing the earlier seven hundred seconds test held in January this year. The successful test positions India at the forefront of advanced aerospace capabilities and continuously emerging war technologies. It also validates both the combustor design and the capabilities of the state-of-the-art test facility, strengthening India’s hypersonic cruise missile development programme.
<><><>
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar Jointly handed over an agro-processing facility in South Trinidad along with the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Kamla Persad-Bissessar. In a social media post Dr Jaishankar said that the facility, powered by India’s SEEDS initiative will strengthen Trinidad and Tobago’s Small and Medium-sized Enterprises ecosystem, providing fresh impetus to its farming sector. He also launched a permanent Prosthetics Centre in Penal, Trinidad and Tobago. Dr Jaishankar said that the centre is a gift of mobility and dignity for the country and wider CARICOM region.
<><><>
The sacred Somnath temple is celebrating seventy-five years of its modern journey evolving into a global center of spirituality and sustainable tourism. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to grace the ‘Somnath Amrit parv’ , the temple has entered a ‘Golden Era’ under his leadership as the Chairman of the Somnath Trust. Beyond its religious significance, Somnath is emerging as a pioneer in environmental conservation, aiming to become India’s first ‘Net-Zero’ temple. We have a report from our correspondent:
“Under the ‘Mission LiFE’ initiative, the temple is setting benchmarks in sustainability by converting floral waste into compost and plastic waste into paver blocks. Furthermore, with advanced sewage treatment plants, rainwater harvesting system and Miyawaki forests, the trust is rapidly moving towards a ‘Net-Zero’ carbon footprint. Digital initiatives now allow devotees worldwide to book Pujas and receive Prasad at their doorsteps.Today, the shrine attracts over ninety-seven lakh devotees annually, supported by world-class infrastructure connectivity including Vande Bharat and international airports. Aparna Khunt, Akashvani News, Ahmedabad.”
<><><>
In Boxing, India’s U-15 girls delivered commanding performances in the semifinals at the Asian Boxing U15 and U17 Championships, with nine boxers advancing to the finals across weight categories in Tashkent. India enjoyed a strong outing as Akshita scored an RSC win in the 30-33kg category against Kazakhstan’s Ayazhan Marat. Tanvi in 43kg, Hanshika Attri in 46kg, Sunaina in 58kg and Bhumika in 61kg also registered RSC victories. While Anzee claimed a dominant 5-0 win in the 37kg category and Soniya cruised to a 5-0 victory in 40kg.
<><><>
TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS,
- The Statesman highlights ‘Suvendu Adhikari sworn in as Bengal CM’ while The Times of India adds NDA show of strength as Suvendu sworn in as first BJP CM of Bengal. Hindustan Times. “Prime Minister bows thanks voters “, notes The Pioneer.
- “Numbers in order, Vijay To be TN commander-IN- chief” notes Hindustan Times. The Statesman headlines “TVK crosses final hurdle for majority, secures IUML’s, VCK’s support for forming ‘Vijay Sarkar'”.
- “Agni-5 tested, capable of multiple nuclear strikes” cites Hindustan Times, “India tests advanced Agni missile from Odisha coast”, reports The Pioneer.
- The Asian Age reports ,”Lt. Gen. Raja Subramani appointed as next CDS, Swaminathan to helm Navy”. The Tribune reports “Pak-China affairs experts Lt Gen Raja Subramani picked up as next CDS , Swaminathan named Navy Chief.”
- Hindustan Times headline states,” Vinesh gets WFI notice, return set get delayed” while The Indian Express headlines, ”Vinesh comeback hits a hurdle, WFI bars her from competing until June 26”.
- In a Mothers Day special piece titled giving them roots The Indian Express mentions inspiring stories of Motherhood pointing “Motherhood may not give you awards but it certainly gives you battle scars and memories.
- Finally, Indian tourism waking up to its floral power, The Financial Express writes The demand for flower centric travel is witnessing strong growth.
<><><>
THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Karnataka and Telangana today; To launch multiple development projects worth around 9,400 crore rupees in Hyderabad and participate in 45th Anniversary Celebrations of The Art of Living in Bengaluru.
- TVK chief C Joseph Vijay to be sworn-in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu this morning.
- President Droupadi Murmu appoints N Rangasamy as Chief Minister of Puducherry.
- Centre operationalises four labour codes with publication of rules.
- DRDO achieves major breakthrough in hypersonic missile development by conducting long-duration test of scramjet combustor.
- Nine Indian boxers advance to finals of Asian Boxing U15 & U17 Championships in Tashkent.
<><><>
For details of these stories and more, log on to our website www.newsonair.gov.in and News On Air App.
<><><>
