Breaking News Live: PM Modi to distribute 65 lakh SVAMITVA property cards tomorrow

Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to ignore the farmers' demands and to save the life of Jagjeet Singh Dallewal who has been on a hunger strike for the past 53 days. In a letter that would be sent to Modi through MPs and chief ministers, the SKM expressed concern over the "apathy" being shown by the Union government towards the farmers who have been demanding a legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP), among other things.

Dallewal, the convener of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political), has been on an indefinite hunger strike at the Khanauri border point between Punjab and Haryana since November 26 last year in support of various demands of the farmers.

Pakistan launched its first home-made observation satellite on Friday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northern China, Pakistan's space agency said. The PRSC-EO1 satellite will boost Pakistan's ability to monitor and manage natural resources, respond to disasters, and improve urban planning and agricultural development, the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) said in a statement.

This type of satellite uses electro-optical sensors to collect data and images of the Earth's surface by detecting and measuring reflected sunlight or emitted radiation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on January 18 distribute more than 65 lakh property cards under the SVAMITVA Scheme, the Panchayati Raj Ministry said. According to senior officials of the ministry, beneficiaries from more than 50,000 villages in 10 states -- Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh -- and two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh -- will receive the cards.

SVAMITVA, a scheme of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, provides a 'Record of Rights' to village household owners with the issuance of legal ownership cards to the property owners by mapping land parcels using drone technology, it said.

Over 40 Pakistanis are feared dead after a boat carrying 80 migrants, attempting to reach Spain, capsized near Morocco, according to officials.

Migrant rights group Walking Borders on Thursday said 50 migrants may have drowned. Moroccan authorities rescued 36 people a day earlier from a boat that had left Mauritania on January 2 with 86 migrants, including 66 Pakistanis. Forty-four of those presumed to have drowned were from Pakistan, Walking Borders CEO Helena Maleno said on X.

Twelve Indian nationals who were serving in the Russian army have died in the war against Russia, the government said on Friday. At least 14 others, recruited by the Russian army, are missing.

"As of today, of all the known cases that have come to us, we have had 126 cases. Of these Indians, who were/are serving in the Russian Armed Forces, 96 people have already returned after they were discharged. Of the 80 that remain, 12 Indians serving in the Russian army have died in the Russia-Ukraine conflict," said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

The Mumbai Police on Friday clarified that no person related to the case of actor Saif Ali Khan had been detained so far. Earlier it was reported that one person had been brought to the Bandra Police station for questioning, however the police have now ruled out that possibility saying that the person is not related to the Saif Ali Khan assault case.

It also said that the alleged accused involved in the attack on the Bollywood actor was last seen near Bandra railway station and that the search is on to nab him.

The Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal is expected to begin as originally scheduled on Sunday, the Israeli Prime Minister's office said, after hours of uncertainty over the timing of final cabinet approval of the deal.

"Pending approval by the Security Cabinet and the Government, and the agreement taking effect, the release of the hostages will be implemented according to the planned framework in which the hostages are expected to be released on Sunday," it said in a statement.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on January 17 released its three-part manifesto (Sankalp Patra) for the February 5 Delhi elections. Calling it a roadmap for 'Viksit Delhi', party president JP Nadda said that the mission of his party is to make Delhi corruption-free.

Key highlights:

- Rs 2,500 monthly aid for women in Delhi under 'Mahila Samridhi Yojana'

- Rs 500 cylinder subsidy for poor women

- Ayushman Bharat implementation in Delhi

- Additional health cover of Rs 5 lakh

- Rs 21,000 will be given to pregnant women

The Delhi High Court on Friday set March 21 to hear the enforcement directorate's plea against the bail granted to former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy-linked money laundering case. Justice Vikas Mahajan adjourned Friday's hearing on the request of the enforcement directorate's (ED) counsel. The senior counsel representing Kejriwal opposed the request for adjournment saying ED repeatedly took dates in the past several months.

"There is an impending election. Why should this sword be hanging over him? If bail is well given to all 15 accused, why should it be kept pending for him?" asked Kejriwal's counsel.

"I will set it down for hearing ... No prejudice is caused to him. List for hearing on March 21," said Justice Mahajan.

An 18-year-old NEET aspirant from Odisha allegedly hanged himself in his hostel room in Rajasthan's Kota, police said on Friday. Officials said that no suicide note was recovered from the room. The incident occurred in Ambedkar Colony, Vigyan Nagar area on Thursday night.

According to police, Abhijeet Giri, hailing from Mayurbhanj district in Odisha, had been preparing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) at a coaching institute since April, 2024.

Manu Bhaker, double Olympic-medalist shooter, received the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna from President Droupadi Murmu in a glittering National Sports Awards ceremony in Delhi. "It is an honour to receive the Khel Ratna. This will inspire me to work harder in the future and win more medals for the country," she said after being conferred with the award.

The 22-year-old became independent India's first athlete to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics with her bronze-winning show in the 10m air pistol individual and 10m air pistol mixed team events in August 2024.

On the BJP manifesto launch for Delhi elections, AAP national spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said, "The BJP always prepares a manifesto yet never fulfils even one of the promises they have made... BJP had the sole responsibility of law and order in Delhi, and it has only worsened through the years... The people of Delhi trust the guarantee man (Arvind Kejriwal)."

President Droupadi Murmu confers Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award, 2024, on Chess World Champion Gukesh D at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

President Droupadi Murmu confers Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award, 2024 on Olympic medallist shooter Manu Bhaker at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Former Pakistan premier Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi were convicted in the £190m Al-Qadir Trust case on Friday with the PTI founder being sentenced to 14 years in prison and a seven-year jail term handed to his wife, reports Pakistan's Dawn news.

PM Modi said, "Sale of around 2.5 crore cars in a year shows how rapidly the demand is increasing in India... We are in the third position in the world when it comes to the passenger vehicle market... Once, the reason for not buying cars in India was the lack of good-quality roads. This situation is changing. Ease of Travel is India's priority... In last year's budget, more than 11 lakh crore rupees were allotted for infrastructure development..."

"India's auto industry witnessed 12 per cent annual growth last year, exports rose too." PM Modi said. He added, "Rising middle class, rapid urbanisation and affordable vehicles is going to push auto sector in India."

At the Bharat Mobility Global Expo, Prime Minister Modi said, "25 crore people have moved out of poverty and this neo-middle class are the prospective buyers of vehicles."

At the global expo, PM Modi said, "I want to remember Ratan Tata Ji and Osamu Suzuki on this occasion. Both of them have a huge contribution to the growth of India's auto sector and in fulfilling the middle-class dream... I have faith that the legacy of Ratan Tata Ji and Osamu Suzuki will inspire the mobility sector..."

The Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025, with a theme ‘Beyond Boundaries: Co-creating Future Automotive Value Chain’, is scheduled from January 17-22.

It will bring the entire value chain of the mobility ecosystem — from automobile manufacturers to components, electronics parts, tyre and energy storage makers, and automotive software firms and material recyclers — under a single umbrella.

The global expo will be held across three venues — Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, Yashobhoomi at Dwarka, Delhi and India Expo Centre & Mart, Greater Noida.

At the inaugural event of the Bharat Mobility Global Expo in Delhi, PM Modi said, "The Bharat Mobility Global Expo has expanded this year. Last year, more than 800 exhibitors participated and more than 1.5 lakh people visited... This time, along with Bharat mandapam, it is being organised in Dwarka's Yashobhoomi and Greater Noida's India Expo Centre... Many new vehicles will be launched... There is positivity in India regarding the future of mobility... India's automotive industry is fantastic and future-ready."

On upcoming Delhi elections 2025, RJD leader Mrityunjay Tiwari said, "Non-BJP government will be formed in Delhi... Everyone knows what happened in liquor policy, and how Arvind Kejriwal was framed... This is what BJP does with the opposition in every state, but what happens in the end?..."

He also said, "... Tejaswi Yadav did developmental work in Bihar and created employment... You (Nitish Kumar) spend government funds, people's hard-earned money in the electoral period... People have seen Tejaswi Yadav's work in 17 months..."

"RJD has old relations with Congress and we have to fight the elections together in Bihar... INDIA bloc parties do fight separately in states, be it in Punjab, West Bengal, or Delhi, but the alliance is intact on national level," he further added.

Mumbai Police has detained one person in connection with the attack on Saif Ali Khan. The suspect has been brought to Bandra Police Station for questioning, reports ANI. Read more

At the opening of US Consulate in Bengaluru, EAM Dr S Jaishankar said, "Today, when we look at all the possibilities before us in an era of AI, EVs, space and drones...our relationships will be heavily based on technology, even more so than before. It will have a much bigger space component because the space domain is just beginning to open up. Defence is a crucial area. Two decades ago, there were virtually no American weapons in our inventory, very little defence collaboration. Today we fly the C17s, the C130s...The second is education and research. With the new education policy, I think the vistas for educational cooperation have also opened up. I hope to see collaborative campuses, exchange of students and a stronger American education presence in this region...Today, the formal opening of this consulate is one more sign that we are overcoming the hesitations of history."

The Mumbai Police has taken possession of the portion extracted from Saif Ali Khan’s back. Part of the blade is still to be recovered, Mumbai Police told ANI. Saif Ali Khan was admitted and is undergoing treatment at Lilavati Hospital after he was injured following an attack on him on Thursday.

BJP National President JP Nadda to release party's manifesto 'Sankalp Patra' ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections at 2 pm on Friday.

Cold wave continued in Jammu and Kashmir's winter capital, Srinagar, as chill intensified in parts of Northern India on Friday.

• A thin layer of fog covered the national capital on Friday morning amid a cold wave.
• The city witnessed light rains on Thursday.

Several labourers are feared trapped at a cement factory in Sundargarh's Rajgangpur after a part of the factory collapsed yesterday.