Press Release: Prime Minister's Office

The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today paid homage to the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh. He remarked that the coming generations will always remember their indomitable spirit.

The PM wrote in a post on X:

“We pay homage to the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh. The coming generations will always remember their indomitable spirit. It was indeed a dark chapter in our nation’s history. Their sacrifice became a major turning point in India’s freedom struggle.”

Press Release: Ministry of Finance

The 21st Director-General Level Talks on Customs Cooperation was held between India and Nepal in Kathmandu, Nepal on 10th-11th April, 2025. Both the sides discussed a host of bilateral issues for enhancing Customs Cooperation between the two countries. The Indian delegation was led by Mr. Abhai Kumar Srivastav, Director-General, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government of India and Nepali delegation was led by Mr. Mahesh Bhattarai, Director-General, Department of Customs, Ministry of Finance, Government of Nepal.

The agenda items of the meeting covered measures to check smuggling;  review progress on MoU on Pre-arrival Exchange of Customs Data and Electronic Origin Data Exchange System (EODES); finalization of Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement (CMAA); facilitation of movement of transit cargo under Electronic Cargo Tracking System (ECTS); automation and digitisation of transit processes; upgradation of border infrastructure; knowledge sharing program and support for capacity development, among others.

Issues related to trans-border criminal activities and smuggling of gold; narcotics; Fake Currency Notes (FCN), prohibited/restricted category of goods, such as e-Cigarettes, e-lighters, certain varieties of garlic and other cases of commercial frauds, including sensitive goods were also deliberated.

It was acknowledged that smuggling of goods has been a common challenge and both sideslooked forward towards cooperation in preventing smuggling across the borders with active engagement and exchange of intelligence. Both the nations agreed to take necessary measures to control the unauthorised trade and work in tandem.

Nepal is a priority partner of India under its ‘Neighbourhood First’ Policy. India accounts for two-thirds of Nepal’s exports and is the largest trade partner of Nepal. The bilateral talks on Customs cooperation are an important mechanism to facilitate genuine trade as well as to prevent illicit trade along the border in an interconnected world.

The meeting concluded on an optimistic note. The Nepali side expressed their gratitude to the Government of India, particularly the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) for knowledge sharing and capacity enhancement programmes for Nepal Customs officials at different levels.

Both sides emphasised on collaborating in areas that can enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of trade and Customs operations across the border that deliver significant economic benefits to both the countries. It was mutually agreed to consider new technologies for facilitating trade and preventing smuggling of goods.

News Shorts: India - Italy Bilateral Ties

By: Amit kumaR Agarwal

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy, Antonio Tajani calls on the President of India, Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi

News Shorts: 75th Foundation Day celebration

By: Amit kumaR Agarwal

The Union Minister for Home Affairs and Cooperation, Amit Shah attends the 75th Foundation Day celebration of a Gujarati weekly at Mumbai, in Maharashtra

78th Festival de Cannes: Official Selection Unveiled

Press Release: APRIL 10, 2025

The Official Selection for the 78th Festival de Cannes is unveiled. President Iris Knobloch and General Delegate Thierry Frémaux announced the Official Selection of the 78th Festival de Cannes at a press conference on April 10, 2025.

Opening Film

PARTIR UN JOUR 

Amélie Bonnin

1st film - Out of Competition

Competition

THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME

Wes Anderson

EDDINGTON

Ari Aster

JEUNES MÈRES

Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne

ALPHA

Julia Ducournau

RENOIR

Hayakawa Chie

THE HISTORY OF SOUND

Oliver Hermanus

LA PETITE DERNIÈRE

Hafsia Herzi

SIRAT

Oliver Laxe

NEW WAVE

Richard Linklater

TWO PROSECUTORS

Sergei Loznitsa

FUORI

Mario Martone

O SECRETO AGENTE (THE SECRET AGENT)

Kleber Mendonça Filho

DOSSIER 137

Dominik Moll

UN SIMPLE ACCIDENT

Jafar Panahi

THE MASTERMIND

Kelly Reichardt

EAGLES OF THE REPUBLIC

Tarik Saleh

SOUND OF FALLING

Mascha Schilinski

ROMERÍA

Carla Simón

SENTIMENTAL VALUE

Joachim Trier

Un Certain Regard

LA MISTERIOSA MIRADA DEL FLAMENCO (THE MYSTERIOUS GAZE OF THE FLAMINGO)

Diego Céspedes

1st film

MÉTÉORS

Hubert Charuel

MY FATHER'S SHADOW

Akinola Davies Jr

1st film

L'INCONNU DE LA GRANDE ARCHE

Stéphane Demoustier

URCHIN

Harris Dickinson

1st film

HOMEBOUND

Neeraj Ghaywan

TÔI YAMANAMINO HIKARI (A PALE VIEW OF HILLS)

Ishikawa Kei

ELEANOR THE GREAT

Scarlett Johansson

1st film

KARAVAN

Zuzana Kirchnerová

1st film

PILLION

Harry Lighton

1st film

AISHA CAN'T FLY AWAY

Morad Mostafa

1st film

ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA

Arab and Tarzan Nasser

THE PLAGUE

Charlie Polinger

1st film

PROMISED SKY

Erige Sehiri

LE CITTÀ DI PIANURA (THE LAST ONE FOR THE ROAD)

Francesco Sossai

TESTA O CROCE? (HEADS OR TAILS?)

Matteo Zoppis, Alessio Rigo de Righi

Out of Competition

 

COLOURS OF TIME

Cédric Klapisch

LA FEMME LA PLUS RICHE DU MONDE

Thierry Klifa

HIGHEST 2 LOWEST

Spike LEE

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING

Christopher McQuarrie

VIE PRIVÉE

Rebecca Zlotowski

Midnight Screenings

DALLOWAY

Yann Gozlan

EXIT 8

Kawamura Genki

FENG LIN HUO SHAN (SONS OF THE NEON NIGHT)

Mak Juno

Cannes Première

 

AMRUM

Fatih Akin

SPLITSVILLE

Michael Angelo Covino

LA OLA (THE WAVE)

Sebastián Lelio

CONNEMARA

Alex Lutz

ORWELL: 2+2=5

Raoul Peck

DAS VERSCHWINDEN DES JOSEF MENGELE (LA DISPARITION DE JOSEF MENGELE)

Kirill Serebrennikov

Special Screenings

STORIES OF SURRENDER

Bono

TELL HER THAT I LOVE HER

Romane Bohringer

A MAGNIFICENT LIFE

Sylvain Chomet

Bruyne might play alongside Messi: Report

By: Aanya

If reports are to be believed, the game of soccer might see the unprecedented - Kevin de Bruyne might play alongside Lionel Messi because Inter Miami have a chance to sign Kevin de Bruyne as the Manchester City midfield maestro has already announced that he will leave the 2023-24 Premier League champions after this season.

Bruyne's contract at City will end at the end of the season which will allow other teams to sign him as a free agent. The Belgian midfielder is expected to make a get out of Europe in the fag end of his career to make a big money move.

According to a report on a popular sports website, Inter Miami holds the discovery rights of De Bruyne in MLS, which might help them form a duo with arguably the greatest footballer ever Lionel Messi. The Major League Soccer has a rule where clubs have to sign up up to five players to their discovery list at any given time. The club then holds the exclusive rights of the players they listed to start negotiations with them without competition from other MLS clubs.

Inter Miami have already assembled a star-studded line-up by signing four Barcelona legends: Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets. If they add De Bruyne to the list, it will only help Messi add more titles to Miami's cabinet.

Bruyne, 33, has won 14 major trophies since joining City from Wolfsburg in 2015, including six Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2023. Nothing about this is easy to write, but as football players, we all know this day eventually comes. That day is here - and you deserve to hear it from me first - Bruyne said in a post on social media.

ब्रिटेन का प्रतिष्ठित सैंड मास्टर सम्मान, रेत कलाकार सुदर्शन को

By: Rani S

सुदर्शन पटनायक, जो की विश्व प्रसिद्ध रेत कलाकार हैं, उनको फ्रेड डारिंगटन सैंड मास्टर पुरस्कार से सम्मानित किया गया।

पटनायक को इस प्रतिष्ठित पुरस्कार का विजेता घोषित किया जाना इस लिहाज से खास है कि वर्ष 2025 दिग्गज ब्रिटिश रेत कलाकार फ्रेड डारिंगटन की 100वीं वर्षगांठ है।

दक्षिणी इंग्लैंड के वेमाउथ में शनिवार से शुरू हुए अंतरराष्ट्रीय रेत कला महोत्सव सैंडवर्ल्ड-2025 के दौरान पटनायक ने विश्व शांति के संदेश के साथ भगवान गणेश की 10 फुट ऊंची रेत की मूर्ति बनाकर एक और उपलब्धि हासिल की। पटनायक ने कहा, मैं फ्रेड डारिंगटन ब्रिटिश सैंड मास्टर पुरस्कार प्राप्त करने वाला पहला भारतीय कलाकार बनकर सम्मानित महसूस कर रहा हूं।

ओडिशा के मुख्यमंत्री मोहन चरण माझी ने पुरी निवासी पटनायक को इस बड़ी उपलब्धि के लिए बधाई दी है।

तिब्बत के धार्मिक नेता की चीनी हिरासत में संदिग्ध अवस्था में मौत, हत्या की आशंका

By: Monu Kumar

तिब्बती धार्मिक नेता तुलकु हंगकर दोरजे की चीनी हिरासत में संदिग्ध अवस्था में मौत हो गई है । तुलकु हंगकर दोरजे को चीनी अधिकारियों ने लंबे समय से हिरासत में रखा था।

केंद्रीय तिब्बती प्रशासन ने हंगकर के निधन की पुष्टि की है। 

केंद्रीय तिब्बती प्रशासन ने  बताया कि चीनी अधिकारियों ने तिब्बत के गाडे काउंटी स्थित लुंगनगोन मठ के अधिकारियों को दो अप्रैल को हंगकर की मौत के बारे में सूचना दी। सूत्रों के मुताबिक दोरजे की हत्या की आशंका जताई गयी है। 

अमेरिका हमले में चार लोग मारे गए: हूतियों का दावा

By: Monu Kumar

हूतियों ने स्वीकार किया है कि अमेरिकी हमले में उनके दो नहीं चार लोग मारे गए हैं। 

इससे पहले रविवार को हूतियों ने दो लोगों की मौत की बात स्वीकारी थी, लेकिन अब चार की मौत होने की बात कही है। हालांकि अमेरिका ने जो हमले की वीडियो जारी की है, उसे देखकर लग रहा है कि हमले में हूतियों को भारी नुकसान हुआ होगा।

शनिवार को राष्ट्रपति ट्रंप ने सोशल मीडिया पर एक वीडियो पोस्ट किया था, उसमें लोगों के एक समूह पर हवाई हमला होते दिख रहा है। ट्रंप ने उन्हें हूती बताया था। हालांकि जगह का खुलासा नहीं किया था।

पेरिस में ली पेन ने दिखाई ताकत

By: Monu Kumar

फ्रांस की धुर दक्षिणपंथी नेता मरीन ली पेन ने रविवार को राजधानी पेरिस में एक बड़ी रैली आयोजित कर अपनी ताकत दिखाई। मरीन ली पेन घोटाले के आरोप में चुनाव लड़ने से प्रतिबंधित की गईं है।

इस रैली में हजारों की संख्या में लोग जुटे। ली पेन ने लोगों को संबोधित करते हुए कहा कि उन्होंने हमेशा अन्याय के खिलाफ लड़ाई लड़ी है और वे आगे भी लड़ाई लड़ती रहेंगी। इस दौरान प्रदर्शनकारियों ने नारे लगाए और कहा कि ये लोग 2027 हमसे नहीं छीन सकते।

फ्रांस में 2027 में राष्ट्रपति चुनाव होने जा रहे हैं। ली पेन को प्रतिबंधित किए जाने के बाद से फ्रांस का राजनीतिक पारा चढ़ा हुआ है। 

Press Release: Ministry of Women and Child Development

The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) is set to celebrate the 7th edition of Poshan Pakhwada from 8th April to 22nd April 2025, as part of the Government of India’s ongoing commitment to address malnutrition. This year's Poshan Pakhwada will emphasize four key themes: Focus on the First 1000 Days of Life, Popularization of the Beneficiary/Citizen Module of Poshan Tracker, Management of Malnutrition through CMAM, and Healthy Lifestyle to Address Obesity in Children.

Poshan Abhiyaan, a flagship initiative launched by the Prime Minister, continues its mission to combat malnutrition, improving nutritional outcomes for pregnant women, lactating mothers, adolescent girls, and children under the age of 06. This year’s Poshan Pakhwada will be instrumental in strengthening content, delivery, outreach, and outcomes. As part of the broader Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, the initiative focuses on fostering health, wellness, and immunity against diseases and malnutrition.

On the inaugural day of Poshan Pakhwada Minister of State for WCD, Smt. Savitri Thakur will be addressing officers of 18 partner Ministries, officers of State WCD Department, and Anganwadi workers of all States/UTs through a webcast.

The Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt. Annpurna Devi will visit Arunachal Pradesh in the first week of the Pakhwada to assess the ongoing initiatives aimed at strengthening support for women and children in the state. This visit is in line with the government’s continuous efforts to improve welfare services and promote the safety and well-being of vulnerable groups.

This Poshan Pakhwada will be outcome oriented. It will aim to bring together various stakeholders to improve nutrition outcomes at the grassroots through home visits, community outreach programs, identification drives and camps at the village, block, and district levels. The focus will be on educating the community about holistic nutrition, promoting exclusive breastfeeding and complementary feeding, and popularising the beneficiary/citizen module of the Poshan Tracker as a tool for community empowerment and involvement.

Since the inception of Poshan Abhiyaan, six successful Poshan Pakhwada events have already been held across the country. The Jan Andolan Activities conducted during Poshan Pakhwada are not limited to this Ministry but also have a strong convergence element where partner Ministries viz; Ministry of Rural development, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Education, etc also conduct various events/drives during this period. The various activities/events planned by the States/UTs across the country under Poshan Pakhwada 2025 will also strongly reflect the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’.

Through extensive community engagement, the Poshan Pakhwada 2025 will continue its mission to raise awareness on the importance of nutrition at every level - individual, community, and national - and work towards fostering a Suposhit Bharat in alignment with the Prime Minister's vision.

Press Release: Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation

Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI) launched a revamped Microdata Portal during the recently held Conference of State Government Ministers, marking a significant step in enhancing data accessibility, user experience, and the integration of advanced technologies in the Official Statistical System. The new portal, which serves as a centralized repository for extensive statistical data collected from national surveys and economic census overcomes technological limitations faced by the previous portal. In collaboration with the World Bank Technology Team, MOSPI has adopted a modern, scalable technology stack that not only ensures compliance with the latest security standards but also supports a responsive design and data access mechanism.

On this occasion the web site of National Statistical System Training Academy was also launched. It will facilitate ease of access of information regarding capacity building initiative of the ministry by making them available at one place. The website can be accessed at www.nssta.gov.in.The portal & the website have been developed in-house by Data Informatics & Innovation Division of the ministry.

MoSPI also presented a Proof of Concept (PoC) for an AI/ML-based classification tool designed to ease the use of the National Industrial Classification (NIC) in production of official statistics. The tool leverages natural language processing to allow stakeholders to enter text queries, subsequently suggesting the top five relevant NIC codes. This innovation not only reduces manual effort but also increases the productivity of enumerators, leading to more accurate data collection and ultimately better planning and policy-making. This has been the outcome of the recently concluded Hackathon organized by the ministry.

The launch of these portals and website along with innovative AI-driven tools underscores commitment of the ministry to leverage the latest technological advancements for data management leading to strengthening of the statistical system. These initiatives are set to foster a more data-driven approach to policymaking, ensuring that government interventions are both precise and context-specific, ultimately contributing to goal of Viksit Bharat.