Good Morning,
Yesterday’s top stories focused on PM Modi’s apology in Maharashtra and a new feature in digital payments. PM Modi apologized for the incident involving the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and a new UPI feature was announced to make the payment system even more user-friendly.
Here’s a summary of today’s major events:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off two Vande Bharat Express trains via video conferencing. One train will run between Chennai and Nagercoil, and the other between Madurai and Bengaluru Cantt.
- RSS will begin its All India Coordination meeting in Palakkad, Kerala. Leaders from the VHP, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, and BJP will be participating.
- Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar is on a two-day visit to Uttarakhand, where he will meet scientists and students at the CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum.
Now, let’s look at yesterday’s major news:
PM Modi Apologizes in Maharashtra: PM Modi inaugurated ₹76,000 crore worth of projects in Palghar, Maharashtra. Following this, he apologized for the incident where the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj fell. Modi said, “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is our ideal. Today, I apologize before his statue.”
The statue had fallen on August 26, and it was inaugurated by Modi on December 4, 2023. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, and Ajit Pawar had also apologized following the incident. The Congress has criticized Modi’s apology as a political stunt.
The contractor and structural consultant involved in the statue’s installation have been arrested. The Director of Maharashtra Art Directorate stated that permission was granted only for a 6-feet statue, but it was built 35 feet tall.
Assembly elections in Maharashtra could be held in October, as the term of the BJP-Shiv Sena government will end on November 26, 2024. In 2019, BJP won the highest number of seats and Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray became the Chief Minister. Later, in May 2022, Eknath Shinde rebelled and joined forces with BJP. Shinde took oath as Chief Minister on June 30, 2022.
Mamata Writes to Modi for the Second Time: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote a second letter to PM Modi regarding the Kolkata rape-murder case. Mamata said, “I wrote to seek punishment for the rapists on August 22, but there has been no response from your side.” She has urged the center to create stricter laws for heinous crimes.
Both TMC and BJP have protested on this issue. TMC’s student wing protested in colleges and announced a sit-in at all state blocks today. BJP’s women’s wing organized a march under the ‘Mahila Aayog Talab Bandh Abhiyan’.
India Wins 4 Medals at Paris Paralympics: On the third day of the Paris Paralympics, India won four medals. Avani Lekhara won gold and Mona Agarwal won bronze in women’s shooting. Avani Lekhara is the first Indian woman to win two gold medals at the Paralympics, having won gold at the Tokyo Paralympics as well. In men’s 10m air pistol shooting, Manish Narwal won silver, and Preeti Pal won bronze in women’s 100m T-35 category. Preeti is the first Indian to win a medal in Paralympic track events.
Hidden Camera Found in Andhra Pradesh Girls’ Hostel: A hidden camera was found in a girls’ washroom at an engineering college in Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh, causing uproar. Following this, students staged a protest. The police have arrested a final-year BTech student in connection with the case. According to the police, 300 photos and videos have been leaked.
Media reports suggest that a girl helped the accused, but the college administration has not provided clear information. The accused had previously made a video of his girlfriend in an OYO room and then blackmailed him into installing the camera in the hostel.
New UPI Feature Allows One Account to Handle Payments for 5 Users: The government has launched a new UPI feature called “UPI Circle Delegate Payment,” which allows a single UPI ID to be used on multiple mobile phones. A primary user can add up to five secondary users. Secondary users can make transactions up to ₹15,000 per month, but only up to ₹5,000 per transaction. Secondary users do not need a bank account.
There are two types of delegations in UPI Circle: Full Delegation, where secondary users will enter the UPI PIN, and Partial Delegation, where the primary user must enter the PIN for the transaction. The primary user will have full control over all secondary users.
Reliance and Disney Merger to Create Country’s Largest Network: The merger of Disney and Reliance Entertainment, pending CCI and NCLT approval, will create India’s largest entertainment company. After the merger, the company will have 75 crore viewers. Disney Star’s 80 channels combined with Reliance Viacom18’s 40 channels will total 120 channels. Additionally, Disney Hotstar and Jio Cinema will be part of the merger. The new company will have 2 lakh hours of digital content.
Gujarat Avoids Asna Cyclone Threat: The threat from Cyclone Asna in Gujarat has passed, and it is moving towards Pakistan. However, a warning for strong winds and heavy rain remains in effect for Saurashtra-Kutch. Rain-related incidents in Gujarat have resulted in 32 deaths, and 18,000 people have been rescued. In Himachal Pradesh, 40 roads are closed due to landslides and floods.
Headlines in Brief:
- Politics: Jharkhand’s former CM Champai Soren joins BJP; Shivraj says “Tiger is still alive,” JMM now a party of husband-wife and brokers
- Business: GDP growth drops to 6.7% for April-June quarter: Lowest in 15 months, down from 8.2% last year; Weakness in agriculture and services sectors
- Business: Vistara’s last flight on November 11; No tickets available from September 3; Final merger with Air India
- National: Former IAS trainee Pooja Khedkar demands 47% disability; Seeks reservation under disabled category in UPSC
- National: Supreme Court has 83,000 pending cases; Highest ever; 5 crore cases pending in High Courts and lower courts
- Politics: Sharad Pawar faction says NDA does not need Ajit Pawar; He will be expelled; Shinde minister criticizes NCP leaders
- Sports: Alcaraz out of US Open; World No. 74 Janskelep defeats him in straight sets; Former No. 1 Naomi Osaka also loses
- Sports: On the second day of Lord’s Test, Atkinson’s century; England all out for 427; Root’s 33rd century; Fernando takes 5 wickets