Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet women lawmakers of the BJP over breakfast at his official residence today, sources said on Thursday. This will be the prime minister's fifth such interaction with party lawmakers as part of series of meetings planned by the BJP, a source said. In total, seven meetings of BJP lawmakers with the prime minister have been planned.

PM Narendra Modi said that those criticizing his government's vision of making India a $5 trillion economy were "professional pessimists". "There are certain people who are questioning why the government has set such a target, what is the need, why all this is being done? These people should be called professional pessimists," said Modi while inaugurating a BJP membership drive in Uttar Pradesh.

In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's concerted efforts to push for Yoga, Haryana School Education Board on Thursday made sit-ups compulsory during the morning assembly, contending that it will be a "super yoga for the brain". As a part of the State School Education Board pilot project, students will now have to do 14 sit-ups every day.