Sun Jan 12 11:00:00 UTC 2025: **The Hindu: Top News Stories for January 12, 2025**
**New Delhi, January 12, 2025** – Three Maoists were killed in a Sunday encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, police reported. The gunfight occurred during an anti-Naxalite operation in Indravati National Park. Separately, the Maha Kumbh Mela, billed as the world’s largest gathering, is set to begin Monday in Prayagraj.
The Delhi political scene heated up as the Congress promised ₹8,500 in annual financial assistance to unemployed educated youth under its “Yuva Udaan Yojana,” while AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal accused the BJP of planning to demolish all Delhi slums if elected. In sporting news, Devajit Saikia and Prabhtej Singh Bhatia were unopposed elected as secretary and treasurer of the BCCI respectively.
On the international front, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar will represent India at U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto will be the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations, a visit that may be shortened due to concerns raised by New Delhi regarding a planned subsequent trip to Pakistan.
First Piper 