Infra development should be above politics: Modi

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Infra development should be above politics: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asserted that the development of infrastructure should be kept above politics and if there has to be a competition among political parties on infrastructure, it should be on its quality, speed, and scale.

Modi was speaking after inaugurating the 351-km New Bhaupur-New Khurja section of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) and Operation Control Centre (OCC) at Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh through videoconference.

“Our past experiences tell us that the infrastructure projects related to the country’s development should be kept out of politics. The country’s infrastructure is not tied to any party’s ideology. It is not meant for five years, but a mission to benefit the people of the country.”

He added: “If any political party has to do a competition on the issue, it should be on the infrastructure’s quality, speed, and scale.”

Pointing out that public property is damaged during protests or agitations on a number of occasions, the Prime Minister said that one should remember that this infrastructure does not belong to any political party or anyone, but to every citizen of India.

Highlighting the role of the Railways as the country’s lifeline, he said that it helped transport food, essential commodities, and other help across the country during the coronavirus pandemic.

“The country will always remember the help the Railways extended to the people. It ferried lakhs of people to their homes and also provided employment of more than one lakh hour Mondays,” he said.

Citing the reforms in the Railways in the last six years, Modi said: “After 2014, we have done away with a separate rail budget. We ended the politics of ‘announcing and forgetting’, we eliminated thousands of unmanned level crossings, increased the speed of trains, did electrification and doubling of railway tracks.”

He said that the national transporter also started ‘Vande Bharat’ Express trains, India’s first semi-high speed trains, and made rail travel safer.

“In the last few years, reforms have been carried in all aspects of railway operations, whether it is cleanliness or safety, etc. Even in manufacturing, we took a big leap towards ‘self-reliant India’ as we are now manufacturing coaches and also exporting the same to other countries,” the Prime Minister said.

Highlighting the importance of EDFC, Modi said: “After Independence, we are witnessing the inauguration of the most advanced rail section in the country. The first goods train on the New Bhaupur-Khurja section will give out a message of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India). The new operation control center in Prayagraj is one of the best in the world.”

The Prime Minister pointed out that at a time when India is moving towards becoming an economic power in the world, the best connectivity is its priority.

“With this ideology, we have worked on every aspect of modern connectivity in the country over the last six years,” Modi said.

The Dedicated Freight Corridor is one of the largest rail infrastructure projects undertaken by the government, entailing a cost of around Rs 81,459 crore.

The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) has been set up as a Special Purpose Vehicle to plan, develop, mobilize financial resources, construct, maintain, and operate the EDFC.

In the first phase, the organization will construct the Western DFC (1,504 route km) and Eastern DFC (1,856 route km), a total of 3,360 route km.

The Prime Minister said that special corridors for freight trains would ensure that passenger trains run on time. “It will also ensure that carriage trains run at thrice the speed and carry double their load capacity,” Modi said.

He said that the ‘Kisan rail’ would also benefit from these freight corridors.

Meanwhile, Alain Sphor, Alstom Managing Director for India and South Asia, said that the company teams had done an outstanding job, with many firsts in India on this first fully electrified section of DFC.

“This is a good reference for Alstom’s commitment to ‘Make in India’ initiative. The design and engineering for OHE electrification, civil, power supply, and signaling have been done indigenously. This begins a new era of freight rail revolution that all stakeholders have envisioned jointly. It is indeed an honor to be partnering in India’s Make in India mission,” Sphor added.

In 2015, Alstom won a contract worth over 200 million euros for electrification, signaling, and telecommunications system work on the 343-km eastern portion of the DFC.

Rajinikanth decides not to enter politics

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Rajinikanth decides not to enter politics

In an anti-climax to his much expected political plunge, actor Rajinikanth on Tuesday announced his decision to back out citing his health condition.

In a three-page letter posted on his Twitter handle, Rajinikanth said despite severe precautions taken at the shooting of “Annatthe” movie four persons tested positive for coronavirus.

The actor said while he tested negative for coronavirus, his blood pressure fluctuated, and hence was hospitalized in Hyderabad.

Rajinikanth said the doctors had advised him that fluctuating blood pressure will affect his transplanted kidney.

He said the movie shooting got postponed resulting in the loss of crores of rupees and jobs for many.

“All because of my health condition. I am looking at this as a warning given to me by God,” Rajinikanth said.

The actor also said it is not possible to bring out an uprising amongst the people campaigning via social media after floating a party.

“I have to address public meetings, meet lakhs of people,” he said.

According to him, even in a group of 120 persons (movie shooting team) he was in the hospital for three days owing to some people testing positive for coronavirus. And now there is a new virus mutant.

Rajinikanth said as he is taking immunosuppressants, the anti-coronavirus vaccine may not be effective and if his health gets affected his fellow political passengers might face various problems.

“Hence with much regret I am saying that I am not in a position to start a political party and enter politics. Only I know the pain when I announce this,” Rajinikanth said. The actor said without entering politics he will serve the people.

Work on to develop 21st century attractions in Delhi: Modi

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Work on to develop 21st century attractions in Delhi: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said efforts were being made to modernize the national capital so that it could reflect the grandeur of 21st century India.

The Prime Minister also said that “each and every city of the country, big or small, is going to be the hub of India’s economy”.

The Prime Minister was speaking after inaugurating the first-ever driverless Metro operation and launched the expansion of the National Common Mobility Card to the Airport Express Line of the Delhi Metro via video conference.

“Old infrastructure of the capital is being transformed into infrastructure based on modern technology. This thinking is reflected in the provision of better living conditions to slum dwellers through regularization of hundreds of colonies and in turning old government buildings into environment-friendly modern structures,” the Prime Minister said.

“Along with Delhi being an old tourist destination, work is on for developing 21st-century attractions in the city.”

The Prime Minister said as Delhi is becoming a favored destination of international conferences, international exhibitions and international business tourism, the country’s largest center is being constructed in the Dwaraka locality of the capital.

Similarly, work for the new Parliament building has commenced along with a very big Bharat Vandana Park, said Modi, adding this will not only give employment to thousands of people from Delhi but will also change the face of the city.

While congratulating the citizens of the national capital for the first-ever driverless Metro operations and launching of the expansion of the National Common Mobility Card to the Airport Express Line of Delhi Metro, the Prime Minister said “Delhi is the capital of a big economic and strategic power of more than 130 crore people, its grandeur should be evident here.”

Metro service in more than 25 cities by 2025: Modi

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Metro service in more than 25 cities by 2025: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated India’s first-ever driverless train operations on Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line, along with the fully operational National Common Mobility Card service, and said that India will have the metro service in more than 25 cities by 2025, as against in 18 cities currently.

A fully automated driverless train will run on the 37-kilometer long Magenta Line from Janakpuri West to Botanical Garden. It will eliminate the possibility of human error. After the start of driverless services on the Magenta Line, the Pink Line of the Delhi Metro is expected to have driverless operations by the mid of 2021.

“The first metro in the country was started with the efforts of Atal Ji. When our government was formed in 2014, only five cities had metro services and today 18 cities have metro rail services. By 2025, we will take this service to more than 25 cities,” the Prime Minister said after virtually inaugurating the driverless metro.

He further said that the country had a metro network of 248 kilometers when his government was formed in 2014, which has tripled today and will expand further to 700 kilometers by 2025. “In 2014, 17 lakh people used to travel by metro. Today, the footfall has increased by five times. This is the evidence of ease-of-living.”

He also inaugurated the National Common Mobility Card, which will be fully operationalized on the Airport Express Line to enable anyone carrying a RuPay-Debit Card issued from any part of the country to travel on the Airport Express Line using that card. This facility will become available on the entire Delhi Metro network by 2022.

“This shows how India is fast moving towards a smart system. Urbanization should not be thought of as a challenge but an opportunity, which can be used to have better infrastructure in-country and increase ease-of-living,” he added.

Alluding to the erstwhile United Progressive Alliance government, he added, “That time, no one paid heed to the future’s requirement, work used to be done half-heartedly and there was a delusion. The result was such that in various parts of the country, a huge gap came in the infrastructure demand and fulfillment.”

The Prime Minister said that his government was able to overcome these challenges despite having the same bureaucracy and people. “How did this change come about? We thought of urbanization, not as a challenge but an opportunity. Earlier, our country did not have any policy regarding the metro. Politicians and governments used to make false promises. Our government made policy and implemented it.”

Sonia expels Assam MLA Ajanta Neog for anti-party activities

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Sonia expels Assam MLA Ajanta Neog for anti-party activities

Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Friday expelled Assam MLA Ajanta Neog for allegedly indulging in anti-party activities.

Her expulsion from the party comes amid reports that former Assam Public Works Department minister Neog plans to join the ruling BJP during the visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

In a statement, Congress General Secretary K. C. Venugopal said, “Congress President has approved the proposal of the expulsion of Neog from the primary membership of the party for indulging in anti-party activities, with immediate effect.”

If Neog joins the BJP, it will be a major setback for the Congress in Assam.

Before the 2016 assembly elections in the state, senior Congress leader and former Minister in the Tarun Gogoi government Himanta Biswa Sarma had also joined the BJP along with several of his party colleagues.

The Grand Old Party is yet to recover from the setback it received in 2016.

Rakesh Tikait: You can’t expect Rahul Gandhi to resolve the farmers issues

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Rakesh Tikait: You can’t expect Rahul Gandhi to resolve the farmers issues

Even as demonstrations against farm laws continued on the borders of the national capital, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed farmers of several states and said that canards are being spread over the agricultural laws. Speaking about the PM’s address, Bharatiya Kisan Union national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait told IANS, “Of course the Prime Minister and the government of India will have to find a solution to this issue. You can’t expect the opposition or Rahul Gandhi to do it. It has been a month and the farmers won’t return home. First, sit down and resolve the issue by withdrawing farm laws.”

Tikait further said, “We are ready to discuss the agricultural laws, but they haven’t said they will repeal the agricultural laws. We are also ready for talks, but they are putting up a condition that they won’t repeal the contentious laws.”

“Nobody is misleading farmers. The only motive of farmers gathered here is to have a legislation on MSP and repeal of these agricultural laws.”

“The Prime Minister mentioned farmers in his address. The government must farmers sit down and have discussions with farmers sitting on the borders of Delhi.”

In fact, under the PM-Kisan scheme, Prime Minister Modi transferred an amount of 18,000 crore rupees into the accounts of nine crore farmers on the occasion of the birth anniversary of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The PM also attacked the opposition by accusing them of running a political agenda.

Mayawati demands dropping of ‘politically motivated cases’ in UP against opposition

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Mayawati demands dropping of ‘politically motivated cases’ in UP against opposition

The Yogi government of Uttar Pradesh has filed a petition to withdraw “politically motivated cases” against three Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs which has turned into a political slugfest since the decision was announced by the U.P government.

The opposition Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Chief Mayawati has now raised the demand to withdraw cases of ‘political vendetta’ against the leaders of all opposition parties in the state.

Mayawati on Friday tweeted, “With the withdrawal of politically motivated cases filed against the BJP leaders in U.P, similar cases slapped on all opposition party leaders must also be withdrawn. This is the BSP’s demand.”

The Yogi government has filed a petition to withdraw cases of ‘political malice’ filed against its three-party MLAs including several other party leaders. Some of the BJP leaders include Sangeet Som, Suresh Rana, Kapil Dev Agarwal, including firebrand Hindutva leader Sadhvi Prachi, were slapped with alleged charges of making inflammatory speeches and confronting the state administration, etc.

Government counsel, Muzaffarnagar, Rajeev Sharma said the current BJP government has filed a petition in the court to withdraw the case registered against all its leaders.

Trinamool claims Mamata not invited at Vishva Bharati centenary

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Trinamool claims Mamata not invited at Vishva Bharati centenary

West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress on Thursday claimed that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was not invited by the authorities of Visva Bharati University on the occasion of centenary celebrations of the central varsity founded by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

West Bengal Minister for Science and Technology Bratya Basu said that Banerjee was not invited at the centenary celebrations which were virtually addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Mamata Banerjee is the Chief Minister of West Bengal and inviting her at the occasion is very much under the official protocol. We have not received any official communication from the university authorities. Is this the way to treat the Chief Minister of a state?” Basu said.

Asked about the letter that was signed by the vice-chancellor and sent to the CM’s office, the minister said: “Do they have the receipt copy of the letter? The vice-chancellor signed the letter and kept it with him only.”

Meanwhile, the CM tweeted on the occasion of centenary celebrations at the Visva Bharati this morning and said the vision and philosophy of Tagore at Santiniketan must be preserved.

“Visva Bharati University turns 100. This temple of learning was Rabindranath Tagore’s greatest experiment on creating the ideal human being. We must preserve the vision and philosophy of this great visionary,” Banerjee said.

Located at Santiniketan in West Bengal’s Birbhum district, Visva Bharati was established in 1921 and it received the status of a central university by an Act of Parliament in 1951.

Tagore’s vision was the essence of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’: Modi

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Tagore’s vision was the essence of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the founder of Visva Bharti University Rabindranath Tagore’s vision was the essence of “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” (self-reliant India) and said the varsity embodied Indian nationalist sentiment during Independence with his guidance.

Modi made the remarks while addressing the centenary celebrations of the iconic Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, which is among the premium centers of learning and is closely associated with Rabindranath Tagore.

Modi said, “Guided by Gurudev (Rabindranath Tagore) Visva Bharati presented a strong image of Indian nationalist sentiment during Independence. Gurudev wanted the entire humanity to benefit from India’s spiritual awakening. Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) vision is also a derivative of this sentiment.”

“Be it the Visva Bharati University, Banaras Hindu University, Aligarh Muslim University, Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia University, Andhra University, Anna Malai University, and several others premier institutions, these came up around the same time, in the same era, and gave momentum to India’s thirst for knowledge,” he said.

The Prime Minister said that today, as more and more people are getting a good education, we now have to work to build a strong and wise nation – one that is self-reliant.

“We must take inspiration from all those who have contributed to making India great over the centuries and millennia. We must also keep in mind the India that our freedom fighters envisioned when they fought for our independence. That is why we are now at the stage to create an Aatmanirbhar Bharat,” the Prime Minister further said.

He also said that one must remember the circumstances which led to the establishment of this university. It was not just British rule but, in the background, were our rich ideas and history of hundreds of years of the movement, he said.

He also said that ‘Bhakti Andolan’ brought us all together, then the ‘Gyan Andolan’ gave us knowledge, and finally the ‘Karm Andolan’ helped us execute our plans to take the nation forward beginning with our struggle for independence.

“Learning not just from what is happening in India, India has always been open to learning from the world over. Take your university’s name for example. That itself shows India’s approach and views on education – Visva Bharati – which joined ‘Maa Bharati’ (motherland India) with the Visva (world) and we as a people have always pursued education and greatly valued it,” Modi said.

Modi said, “India is playing a huge role in the world for environmental protection through the International Solar Alliances. India is the only major country in the world which is moving fast on the right track to meet the Paris Accord’s environmental goals.”

He also said that Visva-Bharati’s milestone is a moment of pride for all of us.

“Its 100-year journey is historic. Visva-Bharati is a true embodiment of Gurudev’s contemplation, vision, and hard work for Mother Bharati,” Modi said.

Modi said, “Visva-Bharati was a true embodiment of Gurudev’s contemplation, vision, and hard work for motherland India. For India, the dream that Gurudev had seen, is a kind of adorable place to give continuous energy to the country to embody that dream.”

The Prime Minister further stated that the work of ‘Gramodaya’ of Visva-Bharati has always been admirable. “The Yoga department that was started in 2015 is also growing in popularity. Visva-Bharati University campus is an example of both study and life together with nature,” Modi said.

In May 1951, Visva-Bharati was declared a central university and an institution of national importance by an Act of Parliament.

Govt committed to development without religious discrimination: PM

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Govt committed to development without religious discrimination: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that his government was committed to ushering in development in the country without any discrimination on the basis of religion.

“I assure you that nobody will be left out and not discriminated against on religious lines. Everyone will move forward by enjoying the Fundamental Rights given in the Constitution,” Modi said while addressing through videoconference the centenary celebrations of the Aligarh Muslim University in Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh.

Modi is only the second Prime Minister to address an AMU function after Lal Bahadur Shastri 56 years ago.

The Prime Minister pointed out that during the nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Union government did not discriminate against anyone and gave free food grains to 80 crore poor.

He said that the Union government had also got opened 40 crore bank accounts, given houses to 2 crore persons, and built toilets for 10 crore others under the ‘Clean India Mission’.

“Developmental issues should not be looked at from the political angle. The new India will shun the narrow political outlook,” Modi remarked.

Due to government policies, the dropout rate among Muslim women, which was 70 percent in the last many decades, had now dropped to only 30 percent due to an increase in the number of toilets constructed in educational institutions, he added.

During his speech, Modi recalled the AMU’s rich heritage of 100 years.

Modi quoted Sir Syed Ahmed Khan — who set up the Muhammadan-Anglo Oriental College that later became the AMU — that a person who loved his country will think of the welfare of the people without any prejudice.

He said that there may be ideological differences but the new India will offer a common ground to all, as was the case during the freedom struggle.

The Prime Minister congratulated the university for increasing the number of female students to 35 percent, adding that the government had provided 1 crore scholarships for such students.

Education leads to employment and entrepreneurship which in turn results in economic independence, he pointed out.

Modi said that during the pandemic, the AMU served the needy and even donated money in the PM-CARES fund to show their responsibility towards the nation.

Hailing the university for promoting diversity, the Prime Minister also said that it was one of the strengths of the country.

The AMU had helped India strengthen its relations with Muslim countries and nearly 1,000 foreign students were currently on its rolls. The Prime Minister said that the university should strengthen its soft power.

Modi said that the country was moving ahead after the ban on instant Triple Talaq.

The Prime Minister also released a postal stamp at the event, where University Chancellor Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin and Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank were also present.

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