3 Things Express Audio

First, Indian Express' Arun Sharma joins us to talk about the terrorist attack that happened in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district, where 9 pilgrims were killed and 33 were left injured when fire was opened on a bus which then plunged into a gorge. 

Next, Indian Express’ Amrita Nayak Dutta speaks to us about the Agnipath scheme that was introduced by the government for recruitment of young individuals in the armed forces. She talks about the scheme, the opposition it faced and how the government responded to it. (9:16)

And in the end, we talk about a fraud that is being investigated by the CBI in Odisha. It pertains to the submission of forged class 10 certificates for recruitment in postal services. (20:00)

Hosted by Niharika Nanda
Produced and written by Niharika Nanda and Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.
It’s the 13th of June and here are today's headlines.

BJP leader Pema Khandu was sworn in as Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister for the third consecutive term at Itanagar today. The BJP returned to power in the northeastern state for the third time in a row, winning 46 seats in the 60-member Assembly. Chowna Mein secured the Deputy Chief Minister’s position again and a total of 10 other ministers were inducted into the Cabinet.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan dismissed all reports of paper leaks in NEET UG 2024 today and came out in support of the National Testing Agency who has announced a retest for the 1563 candidates who were awarded grace marks due to ‘loss of exam time’. As per the decision announced by NTA today, the affected candidates will now be given two options — either to accept the score that they were originally awarded, without the grace marks, or re-appear for the exam on the 23rd of June. Meanwhile, the Opposition demanded an SC-monitored investigation into the NEET UG case.

The Indian Express has learnt the Army is conducting an internal survey on the Agnipath scheme to assess its impact on its recruitment process so far. Based on the findings, it is likely to draw up recommendations for the incoming government on possible changes to the scheme. One of the changes being discussed is a hike of retention percentage from the current 25 per cent to 60-70 per cent for regular troops and nearly 75 per cent for technical and specialist soldiers, including Special Forces.

At least five workers were killed and five others injured in an explosion at an explosives manufacturing factory in Nagpur today. ANI news agency quoted the Police Commissioner saying, quote, “About four-five people died in this incident, including 4 women. Our investigation is ongoing. Our team, crime branch and senior officers are present on the spot, and action is being taken.” Unquote. The incident took place at Chamundi Explosive Pvt Ltd at Dhamna when the workers were packing explosives.

Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya assured full support to the Indians affected in the fire at an apartment housing foreign workers and vowed to promptly investigate the tragedy that killed 49 people, including about 40 Indians. He gave this assurance after meeting Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, who landed in the country this morning. About 24 people from Kerela and 5 from Tamil Nadu are among the 40 Indian casualties.

This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

First, Indian Express’ Kiran Parashar tells us about the murder case involving popular Kannada actor Darshan, who has been taken into police custody.

Next, Indian Express’ Sujit Bisoyi talks about Odisha’s new Chief Minister, the reasons behind the BJP's choice, and the challenges that lie ahead for him (09:22).

And in the end, we provide a quick update on a massive fire that broke out in a building in Kuwait yesterday, killing at least 49 people, most of whom were Indian nationals (18:58).

Hosted, written, and produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

his is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.
It’s the 12th of June and here are today's headlines.

Hours after a Central Reserve Police Force personnel died following an encounter with militants during a search operation in Kathua, the Jammu and Kashmir Police today killed a second militant hiding in the area. The slain militant had managed to flee on Tuesday night after the death of his accomplice. The police and paramilitary forces had then launched a search operation in the Kootah area. The two militants had entered a house in the village last night and asked for water, following which they opened fire and injured a civilian.

Calling the newly-sworn National Democratic Alliance dispensation “crippled”, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have to change his attitude. Rahul told voters at Ernanad assembly constituency under Wayanad, which has voted him as MP for the second consecutive time. This is his first visit to the constituency since his election, quote “The Opposition has dealt a fatal blow to the BJP. Even Prime Minister Modi’s attitude will have to change, because the people of India have sent him a clear message." Unquote.

On Tuesday, Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa and his friend Pavithra Gowda were arrested over the recent murder of a 33-year-old man in Bengaluru. The victim has been identified as Renukaswamy, a resident of Chitradurga district and a fan of the actor. Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B Dayananda said their investigations so far suggest that Darshan was upset with Renukaswamy for allegedly sending “abusive comments and messages” to Pavithra on Instagram.

A fire broke out in a building housing workers in the city of Mangaf in southern Kuwait early on Wednesday, killing at least 41, including several Indians, and injuring more than 50. The building reportedly had nearly 160 people living in it, who are workers of the same company. The Kuwaiti health ministry said about 43 people were hospitalized due to the fire, and four of those people had died. Posting about the incident on the social media site X, External Affairs of India, Dr S Jaishankar expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. The Indian ambassador visited the Al-Adan hospital in Kuwait, where the injured are undergoing treatment.

A day after Chinese Premier Li Qiang congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his re-election for a third term, spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi today said that Beijing was willing to work with India to push forward bilateral relations in the right direction. A post on X stated and I quote, “#China and India are important neighbouring countries. Relevant border issues should be handled properly. A sound and stable #ChinaIndia relationship is in the interest of both countries, and conducive to the peace and development in this region and beyond,” Unquote.

This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.

First, Indian Express' Vikas Pathak joins us to talk about the new cabinet that has been formed under the Modi government 3.0. With some changes and some similarities, the new cabinet is signaling towards continuity. 

Next, Indian Express’ Rural Affairs Editor Harish Damodaran speaks to us about the appointment of Shivraj Singh Chouhan as the Union Agriculture minister and what makes this appointment particularly important. (12:34)

And in the end, we talk about US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's possible visit to India to discuss projects and initiatives that India and the US are taking up together. (22:14)

Hosted by Niharika Nanda
Produced and written by Niharika Nanda and Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.It’s the 11th of June and here are today's headlines.

The Supreme Court today issued notice to the Centre and National Testing Agency (NTA) on a plea seeking cancelling of NEET-UG 2024 exams over allegations of leak of question papers. The bench said the “sanctity has been affected” and that they need answers. However, the court refused to stay the counselling process for admission of those who have cleared the exam. Two days after the NEET-UG 2024 results were declared, The Indian Express reported that out of the 67 top scorers, 44 got a basic Physics question wrong but were awarded “grace marks” because of an error in an older version of the NCERT Class 12 textbook. More than 13,000 NEET-UG 2004 candidates challenged it, citing information in the textbook indicating a different answer, even though the provisional answer key released by the NTA selected the correct answer from the choices given.

Two days after the swearing-in of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Council of Ministers, S Jaishankar assumed charge as the Minister of External Affairs once again. Expressing confidence in Modi 3.0’s foreign policy, Jaishankar highlighted key priorities such as addressing challenges posed by China’s tactics along the frontier and safeguarding India’s interests amidst developments in West Asia and the conflict in Ukraine.

The national capital today witnessed massive power cuts, following a fire at UP’s power grid, Delhi minister Atishi said. She wrote on X, quote, “This is due to a fire at a sub-station of Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) in Mandola, UP,” Unquote. However, she said that the process of restoration had begun and power had returned in some areas. While highlighting that Delhi has a very limited production of power, the AAP minister said that she would speak to the Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and the Chairman of PGCIL to ensure that such a major failure is not repeated.

In his first public remarks on the outcome of the elections in which the BJP fell short of a majority in Lok Sabha, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said that a true sevak (one who serves the people) does not have “ahankar” (arrogance) and works without causing any hurt to others. Referring to the bitter poll campaign, he said “decorum was not maintained”.

Malawi’s vice president and nine others were killed in a plane crash, the country’s president said today. The wreckage of the military plane carrying Vice President Saulos Chilima was located in a mountainous area in the north of the country in a search that lasted more than a day. There were no survivors of the crash, Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera said in a live address on state television. Hundreds of soldiers, police officers and forest rangers searched a missing military plane carrying Malawi's vice president, a former first lady and eight others.

This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.