- PM Modi on 2-day visit to Gujarat, to inaugurate various projects: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Gujarat on Friday morning on a two-day visit during which he is scheduled to launch a host of projects, including the seaplane service between Kevadiya and Ahmedabad, officials said. Modi is also expected to visit the grieving family of former Gujarat chief minister Keshubhai Patel in Gandhinagar. The BJP leader passed away on Thursday after prolonged illness.
2. Will even vote for BJP to defeat SP candidates: Mayawati: Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati on Thursday suspended seven legislators who opposed the nomination of her candidate Ramji Gautam for election to the Rajya Sabha. She vowed BSP MLAs would support any other dispensation, including the BJP, to ensure the defeat of the Samajwadi Party in the upcoming elections to Uttar Pradesh’s upper house.
3. Centre makes packaging of food grains, sugar in jute bags mandatory: In a decision aimed at benefitting farmers in states like West Bengal, Assam and Odisha, the Cabinet has decided to extend the norms for mandatory packaging of 100% food grains and 20% sugar in diversified jute bags to give an impetus to the industry, an official release said.
4. PM Modi condemns killing of BJP workers in J&K: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condemned the attack on local BJP leaders in Jammu and Kashmir. Three BJP leaders were shot dead by militants in Qazigund area in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Thursday evening.
5. Centre extends LTC cash voucher scheme to non-central government employees: In a bid to boost spending, the Centre on Thursday extended income tax exemption available under leave travel concession cash voucher scheme to non-central government employees. The move comes days before the festive season is set to begin.
6.Iran building underground nuclear facility: UN watchdog: Inspectors from the UN’s atomic watchdog have confirmed Iran has started building an underground centrifuge assembly plant after its previous one exploded in what Tehran called a sabotage attack over the summer, the agency’s head told The Associated Press.
7. Chinese Communist Party’s key conclave approves Xi’s Vision 2035: China’s ruling Communist Party on Thursday concluded its key annual conclave during which it approved the 14th Five-Year Plan and Vision 2035, a long-term development plan which observers say hints at the continuation of President Xi Jinping in power for the next 15 years.
8. AP bans online gaming, betting; asks Centre to block access to 132 apps: Andhra Pradesh has banned online gaming, online betting and gambling, and urged the Centre to direct all internet service providers to block access to 132 websites and apps, including Paytm First Game, Mobile Premier League and Adda52, that are providing such services in the state.
9.Siddaramaiah targets PM Modi for corruption remark: Congress leader K Siddaramaiah on Thursday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remarks about dynastic corruption during Bihar election campaign and said it seemed a clear reference to Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa and his sons.
10. Expert team finds loopholes in Karnataka’s handling of Covid-19: Failure on part of the Karnataka government to take strict measures to check the spreading of Covid-19 pandemic is one of the reasons for the increasing cases in the state, an expert team sent by the Centre said. The team was dispatched recently by the Union health ministry to visit five states, including Karnataka, to review the state government’s management of the pandemic.
