LIVE news: Centre announces Padma awardees on eve of Republic Day

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11:12 PM

Padma Vibhushan for Venkaiah Naidu, actor Chiranjeevi; Padma Bhushan for Mithun Chakraborty

The government today announced the prestigious Padma Awards on the eve of the 75th Republic Day celebrations.
 

The Padma Vibhushan has been awarded to Vyjayantimala Bali, Konidela Chiranjeevi, M Venkaiah Naidu, Bindeshwar Pathak (posthumous), and Padma Subrahmanyam.

 

BJP leader Ram Naik, singer Usha Uthup and actor Vijaykanth (posthumous) are among the 17 who have been awarded the Padma Bhushan.

The first woman judge of the Supreme Court Chief Justice M Fathima Beevi (posthumous), actor Mithun Chakraborty, and Bombay Samachar owner Hormusji N Cama are also among the Padma Bhushan awardees.

10:27 PM

Centre announces Padma awardees on eve of Republic Day

The Padma Awards for 2024 are set to honor 34 distinguished individuals with the nation's second-highest civilian honor. The prestigious awards, conferred by the Government of India, recognize exceptional contributions in various fields.

10:07 PM

LIC gets RBI go-ahead to acquire 9.99% stake in HDFC Bank

HDFC Bank on Thursday said in a regulatory filing that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has granted approval to Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) to acquire a 9.99 per cent stake in the private sector lender.

8:37 PM

US Q4 economy grows at 3.3% annual rate

8:16 PM

NEP puts adequate emphasis on bridging digital divide: Prez Murmu

The new National Education Policy puts adequate emphasis on bridging the digital divide and creating a uniform educational structure for the benefit of the underprivileged students, President Droupadi Murmu said on Thursday.

 

The President made the remarks in her address on the eve of the 75th Republic Day.

 

"The National Education Policy gives adequate thrust to bridge the digital divide and create a uniform educational structure for the benefit of the underprivileged students," she said.

 

The NEP was announced in 2020, replacing the National Policy On Education which was adopted in 1986.

 

The new policy bats for the extension of the Right to Education (RTE) Act to all schools -- from pre-school to standard 12 instead of Class 1-8. It redraws the schooling system on a 5+3+3+4 formula instead of the current 10+2 model.

 

Students in the age group of 3-8 years will be part of the foundation stage, 8-11 age group will be part of the preparatory schooling, 11-14 years for middle school and 14-18 for secondary level.

8:15 PM

Extraordinary performance of Indian economy to continue: President Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday exuded confidence that the extraordinary performance of the Indian economy witnessed in recent years will continue in 2024 and beyond.

 

The Indian economy grew by 9.1 per cent in 2021-22 and 7.2 per cent in 2022-23. The economy is projected to record a growth of 7.3 per cent in the current financial year. India has remained the fastest-growing major economy in the world.

 

"India is moving ahead with confidence," the President said in her address to the nation on the eve of the 75th Republic Day.

 

The country's GDP growth rate, she said, "has remained highest among major economies in recent years, and we have all reasons to believe that this extraordinary performance will continue in the year 2024 and beyond".

8:15 PM

Hope regions embroiled in conflicts find peaceful solution: Prez Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday expressed hope that regions embroiled in conflicts will find a peaceful way to resolve them.

 

Addressing the nation on the eve of the 75th Republic Day, Murmu noted that in recent times, many conflicts have emerged around the world and there have been a series of humanitarian tragedies.

 

"In recent times, many conflicts have emerged around the world and several parts of it have been suffering from violence. When each of the two conflicting sides believes that it is right and the other is wrong, the way out should be found in the light of reason.

 

"Unfortunately, instead of reason, fears and prejudices have fuelled passions, leading to relentless violence. There have been a series of humanitarian tragedies on a large scale, and we feel aggrieved over the human suffering," she said.

 

The President's comments came amid the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict and the fighting in the Gaza Strip.

8:08 PM

President Droupadi Murmu addresses the nation on the eve of Republic Day

"Tomorrow is the day when we celebrate the commencement of the Constitution. Its Preamble begins with the words “We, the People of India”, highlighting the theme of the document, namely, democracy. In India, the democratic system is much older than the concept of western democracy. That is the reason why India is called the “mother of democracy."

 

President Droupadi Murmu in her address on the eve of Republic Day says, "The nation is in the early years of Amrit Kaal. This is the time of transformation. We are given a golden opportunity to take the country to new heights. Contribution from every citizen will be crucial to achieve our goals."

8:08 PM

Sanctions targeted at houthi defence minister Mohamed Nasser Al-atifi: UK govt

Sanctions also target commander of Houthi naval forces Muhammad Fadl Abd Al-Nabi and Houthi coastal defence force Chief Muhamed Ali Al-qadiri, says UK govt.

8:08 PM

Microsoft lays off 1,900 activision Blizzard and Xbox Employees- Verge

8:06 PM

President Droupadi Murmu has approved Gallantry awards to 80 Armed Forces personnel

President Droupadi Murmu has approved Gallantry awards to 80 Armed Forces personnel, including 12 posthumous, on the eve of the 75th Republic Day. These include six Kirti Chakras, including three posthumous; 16 Shaurya Chakras, including two posthumous; 53 Sena Medals, including seven posthumous; one Nao Sena Medal (Gallantry) and four Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry).

8:06 PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifts a replica of Ram Mandir to French President Emmanuel Macron, in Jaipur.

7:45 PM

Flipkart to let go of 1,000 employees as part of annual performance review

Walmart-owned Flipkart will let go of 1,000 employees, which represents around 5 percent of its total workforce, as part of its annual performance review exercise, people aware of the developments told Moneycontrol.

 

The Bengaluru-based company had around 22,000 people on its payroll. The total strength does not include employees from e-commerce fashion portal Myntra.

 

The company did not immediately respond to Moneycontrol's queries.

 

To be sure, Flipkart undertakes these performance-based job cost cuts every year and the fresh reduction in workforce is along those lines, too.

7:44 PM

Ram temple will be marked as India's continued rediscovery of civilisational heritage: Prez in R-Day address

President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday said the Ram temple will be marked in history as "India's continued re-discovery of its civilisational heritage" and as a grand edifice, giving a befitting expression not only of people's faith but also as a testament to people's enormous trust in judicial process.

 

In her address to the nation on the eve of the 75th Republic Day, the president spoke on various issues including the welfare schemes initiated by the government and said it will be a proud day for the nation when it will be among those countries where homelessness "is a rarity".

 

She also touched on the conflicts that have emerged in several parts of the world and stressed at finding a way out in the light of reason.

7:38 PM

Prez Murmu hails women sportspersons, expects stronger show at Paris Olympics

Lauding women athletes for their contribution in India's impressive international performances, President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday said she expects the country to set new benchmarks at the Paris Olympics later this year.

 

In her address to the nation on the eve of the 75th Republic Day, the President particularly mentioned India's best-ever Asian Games performance last year.

 

Of the 107 medals won in Hangzhou, China, 46 were brought home by women athletes with shooter Esha Singh claiming four of them, including one gold, and compound archer Jyoti Surekha winning three golds.

 

It was the first time that India's medal tally touched the triple figure at the continental showpiece.