HIGHLIGHTS

New Delhi, Aug 15 (PTI) Following are the top stories at 2 pm:

    NATION

    DEL138 IDAY-PM-2NDLD-SPEECH
    * Economic selfishness rising globally, self-reliance must for 'Samriddh Bharat': PM Modi on I-Day
    New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday made an impassioned call for "Samriddh Bharat" by making the country ''aatmanirbhar' in fields ranging from fighter jet engines to electric vehicles and Artificial Intelligence, asserting that India must draw a bigger line when "economic selfishness" is rising globally. *

    DEL134 IDAY-PM-LD REFORMS
    * Modi announces task force to consider next generation reforms
    New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced formation of a task force for 'next-generation reforms' and revision of GST laws, as he devoted a major part of his 103 minute Independence Day speech on making India self-reliant in host of sectors ranging from semiconductors to fertilsers. *

    DEL136 IDAY-PM-LD GST
    * PM Modi says GST rates will be cut by Diwali; drastic reforms on the anvil
    New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Friday that the GST rates will be lowered by Diwali, bringing down prices of everyday use items, as his government looks to reform the eight-year old regime that has been plagued by litigations and evasions. *

    DEL151 IDAY-PM-SUDARSHANCHAKRA
    * PM Modi announces 'Sudarshan Chakra' project to boost defence shield
    New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced a project to develop an indigenous air-defence system to protect India's vital military and civilian installations and deliver a decisive response to any enemy threat, a move that came amid concerns over security challenges emanating from Pakistan and China. *

    DEL111 IDAY-PM-EMPLOYMENT
    * Modi rolls out PM Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana to create 3.5 cr jobs in two years
    New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced the launch of PM Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana which is expected to create 3.5 crore jobs in next two years. *

    DEL100 IDAY-PM-LD SEMICONDUCTOR
    * First made-in-India semiconductor chip to come in market by this year end: PM
    New Delhi: First made-in-India semiconductor chip will be launched in the market by the end of this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday. *

    DEL129 IDAY-PM-CRITICAL MINERALS
    * India moving ahead to become self-sufficient in critical minerals: PM
    New Delhi: India is moving ahead to become self-sufficient in critical minerals, and exploration campaigns are underway at more than 1,200 locations, Prime Narendra Modi said on Friday. *

    DEL106 IDAY-PM-DEMOGRAPHY
    * India to launch demography mission to tackle illegal infiltration: PM Modi
    New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday warned people of a pre-meditated conspiracy to change the country's demography through illegal infiltration and said no nation can tolerate intruders, as he announced a high-powered demography mission to tackle the problem. *

    DEL131 IDAY-PM-LD FARMERS
    * Modi standing like a wall to protect interests of farmers, livestock rearers, fishermen: PM
    New Delhi: Amid uncertainty over the next round of talks with the US on a proposed trade pact, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he will stand like a wall to protect the interests of farmers and fishermen and India will never compromise on their interests. *

    DEL135 JK-CLOUDBURST-OMAR-PM
    * J-K CM Omar Abdullah briefs PM Modi on Kishtwar cloudburst, says calamity claimed 60 lives
    Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said he has briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a devastating cloudburst in a remote village in Kishtwar district that has claimed 60 lives and injured more than 100. *
    
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    * J-K: Cloudburst survivors recall 'miraculous' escape
    Chositi: Nine-year-old Devanshi was among the hundreds of pilgrims who had gathered here for the last leg of the yatra to Machail Mata temple when tragedy struck on Thursday. Buried under mud and debris when a Maggi-point shop was hit by flash floods, she emerged hours later, rescued by her uncle and other villagers. By Anil Bhatt *

    DEL150 IDAY-PM-CONG
    * PM's praise of RSS in I-Day speech troubling, his desperate attempt to appease Sangh: Cong
    New Delhi: The Congress on Friday termed as "most troubling" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's praise for the RSS in his Independence Day speech, saying it is a "breach" of the spirit of constitutional and secular republic and a desperate attempt to appease the Sangh in the run-up to his 75th birthday. *

    DEL132 IDAY-JK-LD OMAR
    * Will Pahalgam killers decide whether JK will be a state, asks CM Omar Abdullah
    Srinagar: In a hard hitting Independence Day speech, Chief minister Omar Abdullah on Friday strongly criticised the practice of linking Jammu and Kashmir's political future to acts of terror, asserting that Pakistan cannot be allowed to influence decisions on the region's statehood through terrorism. *

    CAL26 OD-IDAY-LD BHAGWAT
    * Indians need to make sacrifices to keep independence ‘alive’: RSS chief
    Bhubaneswar: Noting that Indians should not be complacent about independence, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Friday said they need to work hard and make sacrifices to keep it "alive" and also contribute to the world’s prosperity and peace. *

    CAL28 BH-IDAY-NITISH
    * Nitish pledges to provide govt jobs, employment opportunities to one crore youth 'in coming years'
    Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday pledged to provide government jobs and other employment opportunities to one crore youth in the state "in the coming years". *

    MDS39 I DAY-TL-2NDLD CM
    * Telangana CM demands Centre to approve state govt's BC quota bills
Hyderabad, Aug 15 (PTI) Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Friday demanded the Centre to approve the BC quota bills passed by the state legislature. *

    MDS40 IDAY-AP-LD CM
    * 'Super Six' poll promises in Andhra superhit, says CM Naidu
    Amaravati: Slamming the previous YSRCP Government for allegedly pushing the state into debts, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said the "Super Six" set of poll promises made by the TDP-led NDA in the state was a superhit. *

    LEGAL

    LGD1 IDAY-SCBA
    * Citizens must inculcate symbolic qualities represented by Indian flag: Union law minister
    New Delhi: Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said on Friday that citizens must inculcate the symbolic qualities, including equality, compassion and brotherhood, represented by the tricolour. *

    FOREIGN

    FGN19 IDAY-GLOBAL-GREETINGS
    * Global partners, neighbours extend greetings to India on 79th Independence Day
    Washington/Singapore: India’s neighbours and global partners extended greetings to New Delhi on the 79th Independence Day on Friday while reaffirming strong bilateral ties with India. *

    FGN18 PAK-RAINS
    * 24 killed as heavy rains lash Pakistan
    Peshawar/Islamabad: At least 24 people were killed and many went missing as heavy rains lashed several parts of Pakistan, officials said on Friday. *

    FGN5 US-TRUMP-INDIA-RUSSIA
    * Tariffs on India over Russian oil prompted Moscow to seek talks with US: Trump
    New York/Washington: US President Donald Trump has claimed that the tariffs imposed on India for purchasing oil from Russia have influenced Moscow's decision to seek a meeting with Washington, as the country was losing its “second largest customer". By Yoshita Singh * NSD
NSD

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)