THE HEADLINES::
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs 51st PRAGATI Meeting in New Delhi; Reviews seven critical infrastructure projects worth around 30 thousand crore rupees.
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah asks authorities to demolish all illegal structures within 15 km of international border.
- Heat wave conditions to continue over central and northwest India during next two days.
- Eid-ul-Azha being celebrated in different parts of the country today with religious fervor.
- In IPL Cricket, Rajasthan Royals beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 47 runs in eliminator match in New Chandigarh.
<><><>
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasised the need for effective implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 and underlined that the mission should move beyond infrastructure creation and ensure measurable outcomes through regular monitoring, citizen participation and convergence between various stakeholders. Chairing the 51st PRAGATI Meeting in New Delhi, Mr Modi asked States to expedite the completion of solid waste management-related infrastructure, including waste processing plants and GOBARdhan plants. During the meeting, the Prime Minister reviewed seven critical infrastructure projects across the Railways, Power and Road sectors covering nine States worth around 30 thousand crore rupees.
“While reviewing power sector projects, Prime Minister emphasized the need to accelerate rooftop solar adoption across urban areas, with a special focus on cities, residential clusters and public institutions. He underlined that rooftop solar should be taken up in mission mode to reduce electricity costs, improve energy security and promote clean energy at the household and community level. While reviewing road and port connectivity projects, it was emphasised that Vadhavan Port should be developed as a model of port-led, multi-modal development, where every major mode of transport is seamlessly integrated to create a future-ready logistics ecosystem. Mr Modi said, the project should not be seen merely as a port, but as a national gateway connected through coastal shipping, inland waterways, dedicated freight corridors, high-speed rail connectivity, highways and airport linkages. While reviewing Ken-Betwa River Inter-linking Project, Prime Minister observed that Ken-Betwa project should serve as a model for other States to resolve inter-State water issues through cooperation, timely clearances, technology-based monitoring and mission-mode execution. ANUPAM MISHRA, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI.”
<><><>
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the continuation of the scheme to modernise the public distribution system (PDS) including ration transport, dealer support and technology upgrades, till March 2031. The umbrella scheme called “Scheme for Assistance in Ration Transport and Handling-Income with Automation in PDS” (SARTHAK PDS) has been cleared in the 16th Finance Commission cycle award period, with an outlay of 25 thousand 530 crore rupees as Central share. Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw made the announcement regarding the Cabinet’s decision while briefing media in New Delhi.
<><><>
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has directed authorities to strictly enforce ‘zero tolerance’ policy towards illegal constructions within 15 km of the country’s borders and demolish all such structures that have come up over the years. Chairing a security review meeting in Bikaner, Mr Shah assessed security related issues concerning the border districts of Rajasthan along the India-Pakistan border. The Home Ministry has assigned enhanced responsibility to the district magistrates to ensure legal and financial compliance of banking transactions in the border areas by all banks, verify big business establishments, examine their funding sources, track mule accounts and false companies, identify fake Aadhaar cards and control cross-border smuggling.
<><><>
Home Minister Amit Shah will be on a visit to Gujarat today. During his visit, the Minister is scheduled to inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of nearly a dozen public utility, education, and rural infrastructure projects in Ahmedabad and Gandhinaagr districts.
“Beginning his tour in Kalol tehsil in Gandhinagar, the Minister will dedicate several public amenities developed under corporate social responsibility initiatives, including the Jedva village lake, three newly built libraries, and new primary school buildings. In the evening, Mr. Shah will attend programs in Ahmedabad to inaugurate a new hostel building at the Mata Umiya Dham complex in Sola and the ‘Bharat Mata Square’ at Bhimjipura. Later, the Home Minister will chair a high-level review meeting at the Shahibaug Circuit House to assess infrastructure readiness for the upcoming Olympic, Commonwealth, and World Police and Fire Games. Aparna Khunt, Akashvani News, Ahmedabad.”
<><><>
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has for the first time released the Provisional Answer Key for the Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2026. In a statement, the Commission said that the candidates who appeared for the examination can submit representations through the Online Question Paper Representation Portal till 6 PM on 31st May. The candidates have to submit representations along with brief explanations and supporting documents from three authentic sources.
The Commission said the final answer key will be released only after declaration of the final result, in line with the existing practice.
<><><>
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has cancelled the anticipatory bail of retired district judge Giribala Singh in the Twisha Sharma death case. A Bhopal sessions court had granted her this bail on May 15. The High Court said that the sessions court had ignored the victim’s family’s allegations while granting bail.
Meanwhile, Twisha’s husband Samarth Singh was handed over to the CBI by a local court on Wednesday. The family of Twisha’s husband claims it was suicide. But Twisha’s family says she was murdered. The CBI took over this case from the Bhopal Police SIT on May 25.
<><><>
India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that heat wave to severe heat wave conditions are expected to continue over central and northwest India during the next two days. The Weather Agency has issued red colour warning for heat wave to severe heat wave conditions over Vidarbha today. In Madhya Pradesh severe heatwave conditions are scorching the state, with temperatures crossing 45 degrees Celsius across multiple districts.
“This time, Nautapa in Madhya Pradesh is unusual. Along with extreme heat, dust storms and rain are also being seen. The weather department has warned of heatwave in 46 districts today. Khajuraho and Naugaon in Chhatarpur district are the hottest cities in the state. They have been topping the heat chart since May 18. Yesterday, both cities recorded 46.6 degrees Celsius. Bhopal was at 43.6, Gwalior at 44.5 and Jabalpur at 43 degrees. Good news is that the weather is likely to change from tomorrow, May 29. Rain is expected in many districts till May 31 due to a western disturbance. Abhinav Goel, Akashvani, Bhopal.”
Heat Wave Conditions are also expected over Delhi, Chandigarh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Konkan, Goa, Odisha, Punjab, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh today.
The Met Department also predicted heavy rainfall over parts of North East India, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry today. IMD said that Thunderstorms accompanied with Hailstorms are expected over Uttar Pradesh, Gangetic West Bengal, Haryana, Chandigarh and Uttarakhand during the next two days.
<><><>
The festival of sacrifice, Eid-ul-Azha or Baqraeed is being celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety in various parts of the country today. The faithfuls are offering Eid prayers in Eidgahs and grand mosques. In the national capital Delhi, main Eid prayers congregations are being held at Jama Masjid, Fatehpuri mosque and Shahi Eidgah.
Eid-ul-Azha is celebrated to commemorate the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his only son in obedience of God’s command.
President Droupadi Murmu has greeted the people on the occasion. In her message, the President said that the festival symbolizes devotion, sacrifice and selflessness.
In Uttar Pradesh, the administration has made elaborate arrangements and taken precautions for the smooth celebration of Bakrid today. Our correspondent has filed this reports:
“People are getting ready to reach the Mosques nearer to them to offer the prayers of Bakarid. Ritual of Qurbani will take place after namaz. State government has already issued an advisory directing all district police chiefs to ensure that no new tradition should start and no sacrifice of restricted animal should take place. After the directions of DGP Rajiv Krishna police flag marched in sensitive areas to ensure that the festival is celebrated peacefully. Police are keeping extra vigil at sensitive areas in cities like Kanpur, Moradabad, Sambhal Rampur, meerut and Mau. Sushil Chandra Tiwari, Akashvani News, Lucknow.”
<><><>
Home Minister Amit Shah today paid tribute to Swatantryaveer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar on his birth anniversary. In a social media post, Mr Shah said, the fearless warrior of the freedom struggle, Veer Savarkar, dedicated his entire life to the service of the motherland. He said, from the life and writings of Veer Savarkar, we can learn what unwavering devotion to the nation and ideology truly means.
<><><>
In IPL Cricket, Rajasthan Royals defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 47 runs in the eliminator match in New Chandigarh, last night. Rajasthan Royals set the target of 244 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad. In reply, Sunrisers Hyderabad could score only 196 runs in 19.2 overs.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been adjudged as the PLAYER OF THE MATCH.
Tomorrow, Rajasthan Royals will take on Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2, for a place in the final. The final match will be played on Sunday at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Earlier, Royal Challengers Bengaluru stormed into the final beating Gujarat Titans by 92 runs in the Qualifier one match at Dharamshala on Tuesday.
<><><>
Two-time Paralympic champion Sumit Antil shattered his own world record in the Men’s Javelin Throw F64 category at 8th Indian Open International Para Athletics Championships 2026 in Bengaluru yesterday, producing a throw of 74.82 metres. Representing Haryana, Antil delivered a sensational gold medal-winning performance to surpass his previous world record of 73.29m, which he had set at the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou.
<><><>
In Norway Chess, R Praggnanandhaa defeated the world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, gripping the contest to claim three full points in round three of the tournament. In contrast, world champion D Gukesh continued to endure a difficult run, suffering another setback after losing to Alireza Firouzja in the final game following a hard-fought classical draw.
<><><>
TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,
- The Supreme Court of India upholding the validity of the Special Intensive Revision conducted by the Election Commission of India, is the top news in many dailies today. “SIR valid, falls within ECI’s powers, says SC” is the headline in Hindustan Times.
- The observation of Madras High Court, defending free speech in a judgment on Tamil film Karuppu, that judges “need not be treated as holy cows” and that corruption within judiciary cannot be denied, finds front page mention in The Times of India.
- And finally, The Statesman mentions that a joint study by Banaras Hindu University, University of Colombo and others has revealed a 57,000-year-old human journey hidden in Sri Lankan DNA.
<><><>
THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN,
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs 51st PRAGATI Meeting in New Delhi; Reviews seven critical infrastructure projects worth around 30 thousand crore rupees.
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah asks authorities to demolish all illegal structures within 15 km of international border.
- Heat wave conditions to continue over central and northwest India during next two days.
- Eid-ul-Azha being celebrated in different parts of the country today with religious fervor.
- In IPL Cricket, Rajasthan Royals beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 47 runs in eliminator match in New Chandigarh.
<><><>
