THE HEADLINES:
On World Environment Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says India is moving ahead with a clear road map for environment protection and climate change.
Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh holds talks with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin in New Delhi; Two leaders discuss various key aspects of India-US defence ties and regional security scenario.
Varanasi Court convicts gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari in Awadhesh Rai murder case.
President Droupadi Murmu to hold talks with her Suriname counterpart Chandrikapersad Santokhi in capital Paramaribo today.
Saudi Arabia to cut oil production by one-million barrels per day in July this year.
And, Indian shooters Abhinav Shaw and Gautami Bhanot win Gold medal in Mixed Team event at ISSF Junior World Cup in Germany.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that the poor and developing nations are paying the price for the wrong policies of some developed countries highlighting that India has been strongly raising the issue of climate justice with such developed countries. He stated this in a video message at the World Environment Day event in New Delhi. Mr. Modi said the model of development of advanced countries was contradictory for a long time as under this model the thinking of these countries was to develop themselves first and then can think about the environment. Mr. Modi said, there was no one to object to this attitude of the developed countries for decades but now India has raised the question of climate justice with all these countries.
The Prime Minister asserted that India is focussing on the environment in a big way just like any other area for its growth. He said the government has emphasized green and clean energy in the last nine years. Mr Modi added that India in the 21st century is moving forward with a clear roadmap on climate change and environment protection. He also highlighted the initiatives including Green Hydrogen Mission, focus on natural farming and green economy.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav emphasised on adopting environment friendly lifestyle to live on earth. He informed that the government has launched the International Big Cat Alliance for conservation and protection of big cats like tiger, lion and Cheetah as well as conserving their biodiversity areas. He also said India has banned single use of plastic items.
Electric vehicles (EVs) today are playing a key role in driving green growth by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Our correspondent reports that electric vehicles are more efficient as they reduce dependence on conventional fuels and play an important role in decreasing carbon footprint.
With this in mind, the Government of Gujarat is promoting the use of electric vehicles to combat these challenges by providing a host of incentives in its EV policy. The state government launched the Gujarat State Electric Vehicle Policy in 2021 with the aim of making Gujarat a manufacturing hub for electric vehicles and its related industries. From a mere 7240 EVs before the launch of EV Policy, the total number of registered EVs in Gujarat now stand at 1,18,086. Around 8858 EVs are being registered every month since the last five months. Bharat Devmani, Akashvani News, Ahmedabad.
Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh held talks with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin in New Delhi today. The two leaders held wide-ranging talks focusing on various key aspects of India-US defence ties and the regional security scenario including in the Indo-Pacific.
In a tweet, Mr Singh emphasised that the India-US partnership is critical for ensuring a free, open and rules-bound Indo-Pacific region. He said India is looking forward to closely work with the US across the domains for capacity building and further consolidating their strategic partnership.
The US Defence Secretary arrived in New Delhi yesterday on a two-day tour that comes over two weeks ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington.
Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari has been convicted by a Varanasi court in Uttar Pradesh in connection with the 1991 Awadhesh Rai murder case. The quantum of punishment will be announced this afternoon. Congress leader and brother of former MLA Ajay Rai, Awadhesh Rai, was shot dead outside Ajay's house in Varanasi in August 1991. Ajay had lodged an FIR against Mukhtar Ansari, Bhim Singh and former MLA Abdul Kalim.
The Railway Safety Commissioner Shailesh Kumar Pathak today reached Bahanaga station in Odisha and visited the signal and control room. Mr Pathak said a probe is underway and the exact cause of the train accident will be known after the probe is over. Sources said the Assistant Station Master of Bahanaga Bazar was quizzed for several hours. Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw earlier said the investigation will help find the root cause of the accident. He also asserted the train collision happened due to a change in electronic interlocking.
Meanwhile, train services have resumed at Bahanaga train accident site. We have a report from our correspondent:
Barely two hours after the restoration of the down line, the up line was also restored. Restoring train services marks a significant step towards recovery after the tragic accident. Railway sources said long-distance trains, including Howrah-Puri Vande Bharat Express passed through Bahanaga. Railways have started running passenger trains on the tracks which were affected due to the train accident. Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw congratulated all those who have worked relentlessly to restore services. For Akashvani this is SN Pattnaik from Cuttack.
The Ministry of Education today announced the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranking for the year 2023. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has been declared the best educational institute under the overall category. Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore got second position and Indian Institute of Technology, IIT-Delhi was awarded third position in the same category.
As the Narendra Modi Government has completed nine years in office, Akashvani News brings a series of special stories on the initiatives taken by the government. Today we look at the giant strides taken by the start ups in the defence sector. The country which was the biggest defence importer for decades is now exporting defence equipment to 75 countries. India’s defence exports have increased six times in the last five years, crossing 1.5 billion US dollars last year. The winner of Asian Aerospace Media awards in Singapore and the Technology Editor of Singapore based Asian Defence Technology and Asian Airlines and Aerospace magazine Atul Chandra who is working in Bengaluru speaks about the exponential growth of startups in the defence sector in India.
President Droupadi Murmu will hold delegation level talks with her Suriname counterpart Chandrikapersad Santokhi. She will also participate in events commemorating the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Indians in Suriname. Thereafter, President Murmu will pay visit to sites of historical significance and also witness the Cultural procession from the Presidential Palace.
President Murmu reached Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname late last night. She is visiting the country at the invitation of Suriname President Chandrikapersad Santokhi. On her arrival at the Johan Adolf Pengal International Airport, President Murmu was given Guard of Honor and met the Surinamese delegation. Our correspondent reports that the visit assumes historical significance as President Murmu will be the Chief Guest at the 150th anniversary celebrations of the arrival of Indians in Suriname,to be celebrated today.
Located at the North-Eastern coast of South America, Suriname is the smallest country of the South American continent. India-Suriname relations are warm and friendly and acquire special significance on account of a large Indian diaspora which despite the passage of time, has preserved the customs and traditions it carried from India. President Droupadi Murmu’s visit not only highlights India's growing stature on the global stage but also underscores the importance attached by the Indian Government to its diaspora around the world. For Akashvani News, Himani Rana.
During her visit, President Murmu will also interact with the Indian diaspora in Suriname.
Saudi Arabia has announced to cut oil production by one million barrels per day in July. The announcement came after a meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Vienna. However, the extra cuts announced by Saudi Arabia are being done unilaterally.
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said that the cut, which is announced for the month of July could be extended. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy said that it will now produce 9 million barrels of crude oil per day which is 1.5 million barrels less than it was producing per day earlier this year. The move is considered to be an attempt to prop up oil prices in response to global economic uncertainty and concerns that international demand could drop.
Russia has said that its forces thwarted a major Ukrainian offensive at five points along the front in the southern Ukrainian region of Donetsk. It claimed to have killed 250 troops and destroy 16 tanks. Russia's defence ministry released a video of what it said showed several Ukrainian armoured vehicles in a field blowing up after being hit. There has been no comment from Ukraine as it called for a silence.
Indian shooters Abhinav Shaw and Gautami Bhanot have its India their second gold at the ISSF World Cup Junior after winning the final of 10 meter Air Rifle Mixed Team event in Suhl, Germany. The Indian team of Shaw and Bhanot registered a 17-7 win over the French pairing of Oceanne Mueller and Romain Aufrere in the gold medal match yesterday.
The Indian pair had qualified second to the French pair but turned the tables on them in the final. India now has two gold medals, one silver and one bronze from the World Cup after two days of competition.
India started its 2023 Asian under 20 Athletics Championships campaign by winning three medals, including two gold, on the opening day in Yecheon, South Korea yesterday.
Rezoana Mallick Heena and Bharatpreet Singh kicked off their campaigns by clinching gold medals in women’s 400 meter race and men’s discus throw respectively. Sprinting sensation Henna clocked 53.31 seconds to take the top position on the podium in women's 400 meter race.
In our bilingual live phone-in programme “Public Speak” at 9.30 tonight, we will bring a discussion on “Importance of Solar Energy in Daily Life and its Environmental Benefits" with Arun Tripathi, former Director General, National Institute of Solar Energy.
Listeners can seek answers from the expert on Solar Power Potential, Uses in daily life, Government Schemes and other queries related to the solar energy.Listeners can dial telephone numbers 011 - 23717106 and 011-23314444 from 9.30 pm onwards. You may also send your queries on whatsapp number 9289094044.
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