THE HEADLINES: –

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauds young innovators at Grand Finale of Smart India Hackathon 2024; Says their solutions are crucial for India’s future.

• President Droupadi Murmu honours 45 awardees with National Panchayat Awards in New Delhi; Odisha and Tripura receive maximum seven awards each.

• Lok Sabha passes Railways Amendment Bill 2024 to enhance power of Railways Board and improve its functioning.

• RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra emphasizes importance of maintaining stability in a dynamic global environment.

• Indian Women’s and Men’s teams reach quarterfinals of World Squash championship in Hong Kong.

• In Women’s Cricket, Australia beat India by 83 runs in third and final ODI in Perth winning the series 3-0. 

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today highlighted that as the country is becoming digitally connected on a large scale, the threat of cybercrime is also continuously increasing. During an interaction with the young innovators at the Grand Finale of the Smart India Hackathon 2024 via video conferencing, the Prime Minister said, India is one of the leading digital economies in the world. Lauding the young innovators, the Prime Minister said that all of them have a different vision for 21st-century India. He added that their solutions are crucial for India’s future and can transform the lives of millions. Mr. Modi also reiterated that today’s India can move ahead at a faster pace only with the collective efforts of all. He mentioned that he always learns and understands a lot of new things whenever he has the opportunity to engage with young innovators. 

 

Mr. Modi also highlighted that when the country faces new challenges, young innovators come up with extraordinary solutions.

 

The Prime Minister said that the solutions presented by past teams of the Smart India Hackathon are now being utilized by various ministries, making a significant impact across the country. The two-day Smart India Hackathon event is being held at 51 centers across the country.

 

 

In Jammu & Kashmir, Young participants from several states are attending the Smart India Hackathon at National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar. More from our Sringar correspondent:

 

“The extraordinary enthusiasm was seen during Grand Finale of Smart India Hackathon 2024 at NIT Srinagar. The student innovators comprising of 24 teams from nine states of the country are working with zeal and zest, who would come up with solutions to the problems related to software, hardware, hacking, cyber security and related issues. One team from NIT Srinagar is participating in Hackathon at Pune.

 

Speaking to Akashvani News, NIT Director Binod Kumar Kanojia talked about the aims and objectives of this Hackathon and the role of NIT Srinagar:

 

 

One of the participants Shrutika Yeole from Mumbai expressed her joyous experience to be part of grand finale of Smart India Hackathon, in bone chilling temperature right now in Srinagar Kashmir.

Another participant JyotiShree from Bangalore shared her experience.

 

 

The Hackathon at Srinagar is first of its kind in Jammu & Kashmir whileas same event is going on at Indian Institute of Technology in Jammu. TARIQ RATHER, Akashvani News Srinagar.”

 

 

 Assistant Director of All India Technical Education Council B. M. Tiwari who attended the function at Integral University in Lucknow Uttar Pradesh said that the objective of the hackathon is to make India self-sufficient in every sector.

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President Droupadi Murmu today conferred National Panchayat Awards 2024, organised by Ministry of Panchayati Raj at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. A total of 45 awardees were conferred this year under various categories, reflecting a wide spectrum of achievements in grassroots governance and community development.  Odisha and Tripura received maximum seven awards each. On the occasion, President Murmu congratulated and appreciated the efforts of all awardees saying that these awards are the symbol of the dedication and efforts of the panchayat, which will always motivate for best work in the future also.

 

President Murmu said that the foundation of a developed India could be laid only on the basis of self-reliant and capable local bodies. She expressed happiness that in the past one decade the government has made serious efforts for empowerment of panchayats, which aims to achieve concrete results.

 

 

This year nearly 1.94 lakh Gram Panchayats participated in the competition. 42 percent of the awardee panchayats are led by women.

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exchange of words between the Treasury and Opposition bench MPs on various issues. The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day, while the Lok Sabha witnessed multiple adjournments.

 

 

When the Upper House assembled after the first adjournment at 12 Noon, Leader of the House and Union Minister JP Nadda demanded a discussion in the House over the issue of alleged links of Congress leaders with US based George Soros Foundation. He said, this alleged link poses a serious threat to the sovereignty and security of the nation. He accused Congress led opposition of deviating the attention of the people from this issue by bringing a no-confidence motion against Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju condemned the opposition for their notices of no-confidence motion against the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Former Prime Minister and JD(S) MP HD Deve Gowda also criticized the opposition conduct in the House. Congress leader Pramod Tiwari accused the NDA government of making attempts to alter the Constitution. Deputy Chairman Harivansh urged the protesting members to go back to their seats and allow the House to function, but in vain. Later, the Deputy Chairman adjourned the House for the day.

 

 

When the Lok Sabha assembled in the morning, the Question Hour was taken up by the House without any disruptions. After completing the business, the House took up Zero Hour, in which Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi raised the law and order situation in Manipur. Responding to it, Union Minister Piyush Goyal accused the Congress of being responsible for the internal disturbances in the country. When the House met after first adjournment at 2 PM, the House passed the Railways (Amendment) Bill 2024 and later Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was taken up for consideration and passing. The Railways (Amendment) Bill 2024 seeks to amend the Railways Act 1989 and is intended to enhance the power of the Railways Board and improve its functioning. 

 

 

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urged the members to confine only to the discussion and avoid personal comments, but the allegation and counter allegation continued between two sides leading to adjournment of the House for the day after repeated adjournments.

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RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra today emphasized the importance of maintaining stability in a dynamic global environment marked by geopolitical tensions, climate change impacts, and political uncertainties.  Addressing the media in Mumbai after taking charge as the Governor of the RBI, he said that the RBI will continue to prioritize stability in policy matters, adding that the central bank will remain alert in response to the current global economic and political landscape. The Governor mentioned that the RBI will continue to collaborate with various stakeholders, including financial regulators and central and state governments, to ensure that the benefits of formal financial inclusion reach everyone.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today released the compendium of complete works of Tamil poet and freedom fighter Subramania Bharati in New Delhi. Addressing the gathering on the occasion, the Prime Minister paid tribute to Subramania Bharati stating that as the country is celebrating the birth anniversary of great poet, he bows to him with respect. Mr Modi said that he is honoured to release a compendium of Mahakavi Subramania Bharati’s works. The Prime Minister mentioned that Subramania Bharati’s vision for a prosperous India and the empowerment of every individual continues to inspire generations.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today met the family of legendary filmmaker Raj Kapoor to commemorate his life and legacy ahead of his birth centenary on 14th December in Delhi. The Kapoor family invited the Prime Minister to the Raj Kapoor Film Festival, which will be held from 13th to 15th of this month in 40 cities. Prime Minister hailed the filmmaker’s contribution to the nation, saying that he established India’s soft power in the world.

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India registered victories in their respective pre-quarterfinal ties in the men’s and women’s events at the World Squash Team Championships 2024 in Hong Kong today. The Indian women’s squash team delivered a stunning performance, defeating nine-time champions Australia. The victory was driven by dominant displays from Anahat Singh and Akanksha Salunkhe, who won their matches in straight games, securing a 2-1 win for India. The last time the women’s team made it to this stage was back in 2012 when the tournament was held in Nîmes, France. The Indian men’s squash team staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Malaysia 2-1, with Veer Chotrani and Velavan Senthilkumar securing crucial victories. The Indian men’s team will now face France in the quarter-finals tomorrow, while the women’s team will compete against the United States of America.

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In Women’s Cricket, Australia beat India by 83 runs in the third and final ODI at the W.A.C.A. Ground in Perth. With this victory, Australia completed a clean sweep of the series, winning 3-0. 

 

 

Chasing a target of 299 runs, India were bowled out for only 215 in 45.1 overs.

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In the FIDE World Chess Championship, the 13th game between Indian Grandmaster Dommaraju Gukesh and China’s defending champion Ding Liren ended in a draw after a five-hour battle on the board. After the draw, Gukesh and Liren have 6.5 points each.

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN: –

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauds young innovators at Grand Finale of Smart India Hackathon 2024; Says their solutions are crucial for India’s future.

• President Droupadi Murmu honours 45 awardees with National Panchayat Awards in New Delhi; Odisha and Tripura receive maximum seven awards each.

• Lok Sabha passes Railways Amendment Bill 2024 to enhance power of Railways Board and improve its functioning.

• RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra emphasizes importance of maintaining stability in a dynamic global environment.

• Indian Women’s and Men’s teams reach quarterfinals of World Squash championship in Hong Kong.

• In Women’s Cricket, Australia beat India by 83 runs in third and final ODI in Perth winning the series 3-0.