Naidu to chair meeting of RS floor leaders ahead of Budget Session

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Naidu to chair meeting of RS floor leaders ahead of Budget Session
Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu will chair the meeting of the Rajya Sabha floor leaders on January 31, ahead of the Budget Session of the Parliament.

This meeting will take place virtually as a precautionary measure against the Covid-19 spread.

In the customary meeting ahead of the important session, the Chairman will ask for the co-operation of all political parties for the smooth running of the House.

Recently, the Rajya Sabha Chairman also tested positive for Covid-19 and now he has been recovering, sources said.

The government has called an all-party meeting on January 31 to discuss issues and legislative business for the budget session.

The all-party meeting of floor leaders will be held virtually.

Floor leaders of all the political parties in both the Houses of Parliament are invited for the meeting to discuss issues and legislative business in the ensuing smooth functioning of the Budget Session.

The meeting will be held virtually at 3 p.m.

The Budget session of parliament will be held in two parts.

First, part will be held from January 31 till February 11, and the second part will be held from March 14 to April 8.

Jagan Mohan Reddy launches Seva Portal 2.0 to speed up govt services in Andhra

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Jagan Mohan Reddy launches Seva Portal 2.0 to speed up govt services in Andhra

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday launched AP Seva Portal 2.0, an improved version of the Citizen Service Portal, to provide better services to the people.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister stated that all the officials right from village/ward secretariats to higher authorities will be using AP Seva Portal, a digitalized platform to provide citizen services in a transparent manner. The initiative will take governance much closer to the people where even those in remote villages can also avail citizen services right from their doorstep, without running from pillar to post.

With the new service, members of the public can track the status of their application by themselves without any hassles.

SMS alerts on the status of the application will also be sent to the applicants and the portal is also enabled with payment gateways to access paid services. All the applications can be approved online and the officials can also provide certificates and documents online with digital signatures. Further, he said that the applicants can avail of the services from any secretariat across the state.

The chief minister stated that the newly updated portal has over 30 services of Revenue and Land Administration, 25 services of Municipal Administration, 6 services of Civil Supplies, 3 services of Rural Development, and over 53 services of Energy departments.

He recalled that village/ward secretariat services along with a volunteer system were brought to deliver governance to the village level, where almost 4 lakh people are part of the delivery mechanism and offering over 540 services directly to the people.

Since 6 January 2020, as many as 3.46 crore government services have been provided to the public through village/ward secretariats, he said.

Ministers Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, Botsa Satyanarayana, chief secretary Dr. Sameer Sharma and other senior officials were present.

PM mourns demise of Kathakali exponent Milena Salvini

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PM mourns demise of Kathakali exponent Milena Salvini

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday mourned the demise of Milena Salvini, the Italy-born French exponent, and teacher of Indian classical dance form Kathakali, who was honored with the Padma Shri in 2019.

Salvini passed away on Tuesday at the age of 84.

The Indian Embassy in France tweeted on Wednesday: “One of the finest exponents of Kathakali, Padma Shri Milena Salvini passed away yesterday; As a founder director of ‘Centre Mandapa’ in Paris, she promoted & taught Indian dance & music for more than four decades in France. Deepest condolences.”

Mourning her demise, Modi tweeted, “Milena Salvini will be remembered for her passion towards Indian culture. She made numerous efforts to further popularise Kathakali across France. I am anguished by her passing away. My thoughts are with her family and well-wishers. May her soul rest in peace.”

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu also sent a condolence message, saying: “Saddened to learn about the passing away of Milena Salvini. An exponent of Kathakali, Milena Salvini played an important role in promoting Indian dance and music for over four decades in France. My deepest condolences to her family members. May her soul rest in peace.”

Salvini along with her husband had opened the Mandapa Center in Paris in 1975 to teach Indian classical dance to the western world. She had also arranged the famed Kutiyattam troupe’s Europe tour with the help of UNESCO in 1980 and again in 1999.

Good that Yogi did not contest from Ayodhya: Chief priest

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Good that Yogi did not contest from Ayodhya: Chief priest

At a time when all saints in Ayodhya wanted Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to contest the upcoming Assembly elections from Ayodhya, the chief priest of the Ram Temple, Acharya Satyendra Das, has said it is good that Adityanath is not contesting from this Assembly constituency as he would have faced a lot of opposition.

Das told media that he has suggested that the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister should contest elections from Gorakhpur instead, as people whose houses and shops were demolished in Ayodhya due to infrastructure projects in the wake of the construction of the Ram temple, were opposing him.

Acharya Satyendra Das said he advised that Yogi Adityanath should not contest from Ayodhya “after asking ‘Ram Lalla’ (Lord Ram)”.

“It is good that Yogi Adityanath is not contesting from here. I had suggested it earlier and advised that it will be better that he contest from any Assembly seat of Gorakhpur. I speak after asking Ram Lalla. I speak with Ram Lalla’s inspiration,” said Das, who is the chief priest of the makeshift Ram Lalla temple, which is now being replaced by a grand temple.

The 84-year-old priest added that the seers here are divided in their opinion and those whose houses and shops were demolished are against the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.

“This opposition is there. He ( Yogi Adityanath) would have won from here (Ayodhya) but could have also faced problems,” he said.

The priest, however, added that the ruling BJP will not let go the Ram temple issue and it will remain on their agenda.

“Earlier, there was Ram Lalla movement, then came the court’s order and the construction of the Ram temple started. This Ram temple issue will never go away. They will say firing was opened here on karsevaks, application was moved in the court to prevent the construction — but the temple construction is on. They (BJP) will certainly take the name of Ram temple. This will not go away,” Das said.

Das hopes to see the Ram temple completed in his lifetime.

“Let us see how many days it takes for the construction to complete. Majority of those who were with me have passed away. I will serve here till my last breath,” he said.

Das had joined as the priest of the makeshift Ram Lalla temple in 1992, the year the Babri Masjid was demolished.

When asked whether any party candidate had come to take his blessings, Das added, “Till now, wife of Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Pawan Pandey has come to me. He is a strong candidate from the SP.”

Ayodhya will go to the polls in the fifth phase on February 27.

PM Modi to virtually interact with over 5L Gujarat BJP cadres

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PM Modi to virtually interact with over 5L Gujarat BJP cadres

As part of a pre-poll preparedness drive for the BJP in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually interact with the party cadres at 11 am Tuesday.

Over five lakh BJP members will participate in the virtual meet using the NaMo application.

Apart from the five states going to the polls from next month, elections will also be held in Gujarat in the latter part of the year.

Around 5.25 lakh BJP members from Gujarat are registered on the NaMo app. According to party sources, the Gujarat page committees have 60 lakh registered members.

“This is the first time that over five lakh BJP members will be having a virtual interaction with the Prime Minister using the latest technology. The Prime Minister will guide us regarding the preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections,” said Yagnesh Dave, media convenor for Gujarat BJP.

Modi is scheduled to visit Gujarat in March, and the BJP is making all preparations to connect all the karyakartas (workers) and office-bearers of the party through the NaMo app.

The Prime Minister held similar discussions with the party cadres in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh on Monday using the NaMo app.

After Independence, many great personalities’ contributions were erased: PM

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After Independence, many great personalities’ contributions were erased: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that it is unfortunate that after Independence, along with the culture and tradition of the country, work was done to erase the contribution of many great personalities.

“The penance of lakhs of freedom fighters was sought to be diminished, but now these wrongs are being corrected.

“The freedom struggle involved the penance of lakhs of countrymen, but efforts were made to limit their history as well. But today, after decades of independence, the country is correcting those mistakes…,” he said, after unveiling a hologram statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on the occasion of his 125th birth anniversary.

Prime Minister Modi, who also gave the Subhas Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskars, said that ‘Azadi Ke Amrit Mahotsav’ resolved that India will revive its identity and inspirations.

“Netaji used to say, ‘Never lose faith in the dream of an independent India, there is no power in the world that can shake India’. Today we have a target to build a New India before we complete 100 years of independence in 2047.”

About his visit to Bose’s ancestral house in Kolkata, he said: “It is my good fortune that last year, on this very day, I had the opportunity to visit Netaji’s ancestral residence in Kolkata. The car in which he left Kolkata, the room in which he used to study, the stairs of his house, the walls of his house, seeing him, that experience is beyond words.

“I cannot forget the moment when I unfurled the flag at Red Fort on October 21, 2018, the day when the Azad Hind Government completed 75 years. It was my good fortune that our government got the opportunity to declassify the files related to Netaji.”

He said that the the hologram will be replaced by a granite statue. “The statue will not only remind us of our duties towards the nation but also inspire the generations to come,” he said.

The Prime Minister also said: “We have made all-round efforts to make disaster management more effective. We have not only focused on relief, rescue, rehabilitation but on reforms as well. We strengthened the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). From space management to planning and management, we adopted best practices.

“We have seen a lot of joint military exercises in different countries… But for the first time, India has started the tradition of joint drill for disaster management.”

PM Modi sets a new challenge for 142 districts to improve on all parameters

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PM Modi sets a new challenge for 142 districts to improve on all parameters

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the government has identified 142 districts that lag on one or two development parametres and set a new challenge for all governments to collectively work as has been done in case of aspirational districts.

“We have identified 142 districts that are otherwise progressive, developed but lacking in one or two parametres such as malnutrition or education. We now need to work collectively to improve the situation just as we have done for aspirational districts,” Modi said and added, “This is a new challenge for all of us. For the Central government, for the state governments, for the district administration everyone. We have to collectively work to achieve this.”

Modi was virtually addressing several Chief Ministers across India, District Magistrates of hundreds of districts and other officials from various ministries. Also in attendance was NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant.

The Prime Minister took direct feedback about the progress and present status of implementation of government schemes and programmes in various districts.

“Working in silos during decision making is problematic but working in silos while implementation is worse. Aspirational districts have shown how ending these silos in implementation has increased optimum utilization of resources,” the Prime Minister said and assured, “When silos are ended, 1 + 1 does not equal to 2 but actually, 1 plus 1 becomes 11. This community strength is visible in the aspirational districts.”

“The people in aspirational districts have spent a lot of time of their life in deprivation and had to struggle a lot for every single small thing. They are just eager to get out of this rut and therefore, they are ready to take risks whenever they get an opportunity,” he said.

“We need to understand their strength. The aspiration for progress brings people together.”

The Prime Minister also reiterated his wish of 100 per cent saturation of all services offered by the government in every district in next two years, be it roads, Ayushman Bharat facility, bank account, Ujjwala gas scheme, government insurance or pension or a house, and said, everything should be planned for a time bound competition.

He also appealed to all the attendees of the virtual session to identify traditional skills of the aspirational districts, which are mostly inhabited by tribals, and offer a value chain for them along with achieving the ‘Digital India’ dream for each and every village. Earlier, he also recounted the achievements in various fields achieved by scores of districts and improved targets achieved for a range of government services such as Jan Dhan accounts or construction of toilets etc along with improved health services delivery in rural areas.

Modi lauded the Chief Ministers for deputing excellent officers, giving them stable tenure and lending them all support and said, all CMs are working to bring the aspirational districts on par with rest of the states.

Modi ended the speech with an appeal to all DMs to recall their first day of joining service and asked them to renew their zeal and working with the same approach.

LS Privileges Committee summons Telangana officials on BJP MP’s complaint

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LS Privileges Committee summons Telangana officials on BJP MP’s complaint

Lok Sabha Committee of Privileges has served notices to Telangana chief secretary, home secretary, director general of police and four other police officials in connection with the breach of privileges complaint by BJP MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar.

The officials have been directed to appear before the panel on February 3 to give oral evidence on a complaint by the Lok Sabha member from Karimnagar.

Bandi Sanjay Kumar complained to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on January 3 against Karimnagar Police Commissioner V. Satyanarayana and three other police officials of Karimnagar district for ‘forcefully arresting him in an illegal manner and for attempting to produce him before the court for remand in connection with filing of alleges false cases against him’.

Sanjay appeared before the 15-member Privileges Committee on Friday and explained how the police manhandled him. He urged the panel headed by Sunil Kumar Singh to take action against the police officers involved.

The Lok Sabha Committee of Privileges has issued notices to Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, Principal Secretary (Home) Ravi Gupta, Director General of Police M. Mahendar Reddy, Karimnagar Police Commissioner V. Satyanarayana, ACP Srinivasa Rao, DSP Prakash and inspector Lakshmi Babu.

Sanjay Kumar, who is also the president of BJP’s Telangana unit, was arrested by police in Karimnagar on the night of January 2 when he along with his supporters were sitting on a ‘night vigil’ to protest against a Government Order relating to transfer of government employees and teachers.

As the police denied permission for the protest in view of the restrictions on rallies, meetings and public gatherings to curb Covid-19 in the state, the MP along with his supporters locked themselves in MP’s camp office to stage the protest. Police broke into the office to arrest the MP. He was booked for violation of Disaster Management Act and for attacking policemen.

The next day, Sanjay was produced before a magistrate, who remanded him to judicial custody. Telangana High Court later struck down the MP’s remand and ordered his release.

The MP had alleged that the police commissioner and other officials acted in a high-handed manner and manhandled him. The police officers denied the allegations.

Trinamool to go for organisational polls in next 2 months

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Trinamool to go for organisational polls in next 2 months

At a time when West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is going for her overzealous plan to reach beyond the boundaries of the state, Trinamool Congress for the first time since its inception in 1998 has decided to go for an organisational election – a move indicative enough that the party is trying to put up democratic face.

Recently the party general secretary Partha Chatterjee said that the party’s organisational polls will be conducted soon. This will be for the first time that the party would be selecting the members of the National Working Committee selected by the members of the party. The party sources indicated that there will be a huge reshuffle in the party hierarchy in the next three months.

“The delegates and voters’ list will be finalised by the end of January and the name of the poll observer will be announced. The entire process of the election and the formation of the new committee will be completed by March 31. A notification on the organisational polls will be issued soon,” a senior party leader told in an interview on condition of anonymity.

Political experts are of the opinion that Trinamool Congress established by Mamata Banerjee who owned her political lineage from Congress prior to the forming had its ideological roots on her genetic acceptability. “She was successful in creating an image that has been wholeheartedly accepted by the people of West Bengal but when she is trying to reach out to the people of the nation – the party image will become more important than her personal charisma and this is perhaps why Trinamool Congress is trying to give the party a democratic face,” a senior political expert said.

In the last few months Trinamool Congress after coming to power for the third time has tried to use the political vacuum created by Congress. The party has worked extensively not only to expand its base in the North-Eastern states but also in the Western tip of the country like Goa.

She has already roped in Sushmita Dev, the former Congress MP and ironically a close aide of Rahul, to enlarge TMC’s footprints in Assam and other northeastern states. So far Goa is concerned TMC is likely to use it as a launching pad in national politics and brand itself as a vibrant opposition against the BJP, expediting induction-spree across the country.

In Goa, where the TMC is eyeing to take a frog jump in national politics, it has inducted many influential faces including former CM Luizinho Fuleiro, tennis player Leander Peas, actor Nafisa Ali and Mirinalini Deshprabhu.

The Mamata Banerjee-led party also plans to traverse through all the prominent states of north India. “The TMC has a brain behind it to make it a national party with national and secular outlook and acts,” said a TMC leader.

In its south India move, the TMC’s first focus is on Karnataka and efforts are on to induct some Congress leaders. “There is also a plan to take the TMC into the next Assembly polls due in 2023 in the state. So, the party is zeroing on an influential face,” reliable source said.

Now some questions automatically arise. The first is what is going to be new in the organisational polls that will make Trinamool Congress more acceptable at the national level.

“Previously Trinamool Congress made some experiments to move beyond the state but that was not successful but now they are making serious attempts to take advantage of the political situation. In that case if the leaders from outside the state are not allowed to enter into the decision-making body and responsible posts, then the party is sure to lose its steam on the national platform. So, the party is bringing in major changes in the constitution to include the national leaders into the party-fold,” a senior political scientist said.

“The relevance of Mamata Banerjee or her family will never lose its relevance in the family but the party is now going for a makeover to get a democratic look so that it becomes acceptable to the people of the country,” he added.

After Modi became PM, psychological distance between NE and Delhi has reduced: Shah

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After Modi became PM, psychological distance between NE and Delhi has reduced: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that after Narendra Modi became Prime Minister, the mental distance between the northeastern region and the national capital Delhi has been narrowed down and the central government has committed to all round development of the region.

Shah said that now in 8 states of the NE region, the BJP and the NDA allies are in power, corruption has been removed and the central funds are being properly utilised.

The Union Home Minister in his virtual speech from Delhi at the function in Agartala on the occasion of the 50th statehood day celebrations, said that to make Tripura a gateway, waterway connectivity is being done with Bangladesh besides railway links are being established with the neighbouring country and these would attract more investments to the northeastern region.

Referring to the settlement of the long pending Reang tribal immigrants in Tripura and signing of the peace accord with the militant outfit, Shah said that peace and ethnic harmony was ensured in the state.

Appreciating the BJP led government in Tripura, Shah said that the state government has unleashed a war against misuse of drugs.

He said that Tripura’s per capita income has increased to Rs 1.30 lakh from Rs one lakh in three years.

Shah released a Vision Document – ‘Lakshya 2047′ – for making Tripura self reliant in all basic sectors in the next 25 years.

He said that during partition then king Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya was the first king who wanted to merge Tripura with the Indian Union.

On the request of the then regent Maharani Kanchan Prabha Devi, former Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel helped the erstwhile royal dynasty by providing the air force from Assam to fight against the British rulers.

Referring to the contributions of the then kings to the development of Tripura, Shah said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has renamed the Agartala airport after Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya.

He said that the Tripura kings helped the famous scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose for his scientific work and studies.

Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb highlighting the state’s successes in the last four years after the BJP led government came to power said that the present state government was able to invest Rs 11,000 crore for highway development, which was only Rs 1200 crore during the Left Front regime.

“Over 1.25 lakh jobs in various sectors including 10,000 in government departments have been provided to the youths,” the Chief Minister claimed.

Deb said the Tripura government would soon recruit 500 female constables in the police while a large number of women would be recruited in the Tripura State Rifles.

According to the Chief Minister involving over three lakh women the number of Women Self Help Groups has been increased to 26000 from 4000 in three years.

Crimes against women have substantially reduced and the conviction rate for various crimes improved three fold in three years, he said.

A postal stamp marking the 50th statehood day of Tripura was released on the occasion.

Amit Shah to release J&K good governance index on Saturday

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Amit Shah to release J&K good governance index on Saturday

The good governance index for 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir will be released on Saturday by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, making J&K the first Union Territory to have an index of this kind in the country.

Official sources said Union Minister of State for PMO, Jitendra Singh, will also address the event on Saturday. The event is being organised jointly by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) and J&K Institute of Management, Public Administration and Rural Development (IMPA) in association with the Centre for Good Governance, Hyderabad.

The district good governance index for J&K has been prepared by DARPG.

Official sources said the index is part of the ‘Behtar Hukumat — Kashmir Aelamia’ resolution adopted in Srinagar on July 2, 2021 in the regional conference on replication of good governance practices.

The index represents a major administrative reform in benchmarking good governance at the district level, providing an evidence-based assessment of the performance of each district.

At its inaugural function, 12 selected district development commissioners will showcase the achievements in various sectors in their respective districts.

J&K to be first UT to have Good Governance Index

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J&K to be first UT to have Good Governance Index

The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will be the first UT to have the ‘Good Governance Index’, the Department of Personnel said here on Friday.

The exercise on formulation of District Good Governance Index was set in motion in July, 2021, which has now been completed and Jammu and Kashmir will become the first Union Territory in the country to have Good Governance Index.

According to the official statement, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will release the District Good Governance Index for 20 Districts of UT of Jammu and Kashmir on January 22, organised jointly by the Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG), and Jammu & Kashmir Institute of Management, Public Administration & Rural Development in association with the Centre for Good Governance, Hyderabad.

Union Minister for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Dr Jitendra Singh and the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir Manoj Sinha, will also address the event.

The District Good Governance Index of Jammu and Kashmir was prepared by DARPG in collaboration with the Government of Jammu and Kashmir in pursuance of the announcements made in the ‘Behtar e-Hukumat – Kashmir elamia’ resolution adopted on July 2, 2021 in the Regional Conference on Replication of Good Governance Practices held at Srinagar.

The District Good Governance Index of Government of Jammu and Kashmir represents a major administrative reform in benchmarking good governance at District level and a significant step for timely collation and publication of statistics at State and District level.

The District Good Governance Index is a milestone and it is expected that it will provide a robust framework for evidence based assessment of the performance of all the districts in Jammu & Kashmir.

The Chief Secretary of J&K Arun Kumar Mehta and DARPG Secretary V. Srinivas will also be addressing the event while the event will be attended by senior officials of government of Jammu and Kashmir, district collectors and chief planning officers of Districts.

Secretaries of Planning and Secretaries of Administrative Reforms of all State/ UT governments and District Collectors of non-election bound states have also been invited to participate in the event by video conferencing.

During the occasion, a presentation on formulation of District Good Governance Index will be made by Centre for Good Governance, Hyderabad. This will be followed by district presentations by selected 12 District Development Commissioners, who will be showcasing achievements of various sectors.

Battle for UP: Yogi’s Hindu Vahini is back in action

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Battle for UP: Yogi’s Hindu Vahini is back in action

The Hindu Yuva Vahini (HYV), founded by Yogi Adityanath in 2002, is back in action.

The Vahini that had become dormant after Yogi Adityanath became chief minister, is springing back to activity.

Its members have already launched an intensive campaign to ensure Yogi Adityanath’s victory in Gorakhpur.

P.K. Mall general secretary, HYV, said that the Vahini members have decided to organise door-to-door meetings, digital meetings, and strengthen its organisation at the booth level across the assembly segment.

The office-bearers will hold a meeting with the chief minister over the election strategy and campaign when he arrives in Gorakhpur, Mall added.

A senior office-bearer of the Vahini said, “Political activities of the HYV were dormant for around five years, but the organisation has been reactivated with the announcement of Yogi Adityanath’s candidature from the city seat. The outfit will hold meetings in all the wards and also campaign for the BJP candidates in other Assembly segments on the direction of the chief minister.”

The Hindu Yuva Vahini had played an important role in Yogi Adityanath’s election campaigns in 2004, 2009 and 2014 and also propagated the message of Hindutva in the rural areas of eastern Uttar Pradesh.

In the 2017 Assembly elections, Vahini leader Raghvendra Pratap Singh successfully contested from Dumariaganj seat in Siddhartha Nagar.

After Yogi Adityanath became the chief minister in March 2017, units of the Vahini in various districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh were disbanded at the request of the BJP leadership over fears that it would function as a parallel political outfit.

Its office-bearers and members who protested this move were expelled from it. This included then state president Sunil Singh.

Yogi Adityanath had raised the Hindu Yuva Vahini in 2002 after his relationship with the BJP soured due to differences over ticket distribution in the Assembly election.

He challenged the BJP leadership by fielding Dr Radha Mohan Das Agarwal on a Hindu Mahasabha ticket against BJP candidate Shiv Pratap Shukla. Agarwal defeated Shukla, establishing Adityanath as the unchallenged leader of eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Soon, Vahini volunteers were also entrusted with the task of propagating the Hindutva agenda promoted by the Gorakhnath mutt headed by Yogi Adityanath.

From 300 members in 2002, the strength of the outfit increased to 1.5 million in 2017.

In the past five years, the Vahini withdrew from political activities to focus on social issues, including ration distribution, building awareness about Covid and Japanese Encephalitis, assisting migrant workers, and assisting local authorities in the implementation of development and welfare schemes.

Modi, Jugnauth inaugurate India-assisted Social Housing Units project in Mauritius

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Modi, Jugnauth inaugurate India-assisted Social Housing Units project in Mauritius

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth jointly inaugurated the India-assisted Social Housing Units project in Mauritius virtually on Thursday. The two dignitaries also launched the Civil Service College and 8 MW Solar PV Farm projects in Mauritius that are being undertaken under India’s development support.

An Agreement on extending a $190 mn Line of Credit (LoC) from India to Mauritius for the Metro Express Project and other infrastructure projects; and MoU on the implementation of Small Development Projects was also signed.

“I wish to recall the stellar contribution of late Anerood Jugnauth (former Mauritius President) to strengthen the India-Mauritius ties. We look forward to supporting the further extension of the metro, under the $190 million Line of Credit (LoC) extension today,” said the prime minister after the launch of these projects.

In the coming days, we will work on several important projects, such as the regional transplant unit, the forensic science laboratory, the national library & archives, the Mauritius police academy, & many others. India will always continue to stand by Mauritius, he added further.

“It was in Mauritius, during my 2015 visit, that I had outlined India’s maritime cooperation vision of SAGAR — ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region’. I am glad that our bilateral cooperation, including in maritime security, has translated this vision into action,” said Prime Minister Modi, referring to more than a half century diplomatic India-Mauritius bilateral relationships.

“To pay gratitude for India’s support to the metro express project, my government has decided to name one of the major metro stations as ‘Mahatma Gandhi’ station,” said Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth.

Andhra CM roots for ‘One district, One airport’ concept

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Andhra CM roots for ‘One district, One airport’ concept

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has said that the ‘one district-one airport’ concept is good, and instructed officials to expedite the works on Bhogapuram and Dagadarthi airports in Vizianagaram and Nellore districts.

At the review meeting on ports and airports held on Thursday, the chief minister instructed the officials to plan such that that all airports in the state are identical.

“Efforts should be made for developing the basic infrastructure for the airports, and the runways should be developed to allow even Boeing airplanes to land,” he said while telling the officials to put special focus on the development and expansion works on the existing six airports in the state along with the two new airports.

The chief minister said that special focus should be laid on the expansion works of Gannavaram airport catering to Vijayawada and Amaravati, keeping in view the growing traffic.

The officials appraised the chief minister of the work in progress at Tirupati, Kadapa, Rajahmundry, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Kurnool airports.

The chief minister also told the officials to take up on a priority basis the construction works of nine fishing harbours and three ports. Work on Bhavanapadu and Ramayapatnam ports will begin soon, the chief minister was informed by officials.

Works taken up on four fishing harbours in the first phase will be completed by October, the officials said. Of the nine fishing harbours, Uppada (East Godavari), Nizampatnam (Guntur), Machilipatnam (Krishna), and Juvvalpalem (Nellore) will be completed in the first phase, officials said.

Remaining five harbours will be taken in the second phase and will be completed in the specified timeline and tenders are to be finalized soon, officials said.

In the second phase, harbours will be coming up at Budagatlapalem (Srikakulam district), Pudimadaka (Visakhapatnam), Biyyaputhippa (West Godavari), Odarevu (Prakasam) and Kothapatnam (Prakasam).

Industries minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy, chief secretary Sameer Sharma, and other officials were present at the review meeting.

Make farmers aware of use of chemical-free fertilisers: PM to BJP workers from Varanasi

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Make farmers aware of use of chemical-free fertilisers: PM to BJP workers from Varanasi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday interacted with BJP workers from his parliamentary constituency Varanasi and urged them to make farmers aware of the use of chemical-free fertilisers.

In an audio interaction with BJP booth level workers, the Prime Minister reaffirmed the BJP’s commitment towards development. While interacting with party workers, he discussed several topics including, restoration of Kashi Vishwanath Dham corridor, women empowerment, infrastructure, healthcare development and other issues.

Interacting with one of the BJP workers, Prime Minister Modi asked him to expand the reach of the government’s welfare schemes to farmers. The Prime Minister said, “They (workers) should make farmers aware of the use of chemical-free fertilisers.”

The Prime Minister, also, talked about the several central schemes which are benefiting the people of Kashi at large.Prime Minister Modi urged people to contribute to a section, Kamal Pushp, in his NaMo app that features some inspiring party members.

“The NaMo App has a very interesting section known as ‘Kamal Pushp’ that gives you the opportunity to share and know about inspiring party workers,” he said.

The Prime Minister further talked about the BJP’s special micro-donation campaign, seeking to raise funds through small contributions from its members and others.

It is learnt that about 10,000 BJP workers participated in the interaction. It will be the first interaction of the Prime Minister with the party workers after the announcement of Assembly poll dates in five states.

It will also be the first virtual address with the party workers after the Election Commission of India (ECI) banned physical rallies and road shows till January 15 while announcing the poll dates. On January 15, the ECI extended the ban on the physical rallies and road shows till January 22.

The Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls will be held in seven phases in February-March starting from February 10. Counting of votes will be held on March 10.

Work out revenue potential from tourism, handicrafts: Stalin to State Planning Commission

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Work out revenue potential from tourism, handicrafts: Stalin to State Planning Commission

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K.Stalin on Tuesday urged the State Planning Commission to work out plans for the exchequer to earn revenue from tourism, handicrafts, small industries and others.

He also asked the Commission to come out with a detailed plan of action instead of merely making suggestions to the state government.

Addressing the meeting of the State Planning Commission here, Stalin said the state earns revenue mainly from document registration and excise duty.

Going beyond that, schemes have to be drafted to earn revenue from tourism, handicrafts, small industries and others, Stalin said.

He said industrial development should result in revenue and employment generation.

Stalin said the Commission members can travel, meet experts, industrialists and submit a detailed plan of action to the state government rather than merely making some suggestions.

The Chief Minister also said plans should be there so that the development happens equally across all regions in the state.

Chandrababu Naidu tests positive for Covid

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Chandrababu Naidu tests positive for Covid

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has tested positive for Covid-19.

The leader of opposition in Andhra Pradesh Assembly on Tuesday tweeted that he has tested positive.

He has isolated himself at his residence at Undavalli here.

“I’ve tested positive for COVID with mild symptoms. I have quarantined myself at home and taking all the necessary precautions,” he wrote.

Naidu requested those who came in contact with him to get themselves tested at the earliest.

The TDP chief tested positive a day after his son and party general secretary was found infected with Covid.

Lokesh revealed that he is asymptomatic and feeling fine but will be self-isolating until recovery.

“I request those who have come in contact with me to get tested at the earliest and take necessary precautions,” Lokesh said.

Meanwhile, another TDP leader and former minister Devineni Uma has also tested positive.

He tweeted that he has tested positive with mild symptoms and has quarantined himself at home.

BJP meet on Wednesday to finalise candidates for Assembly polls (10:00)

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BJP meet on Wednesday to finalise candidates for Assembly polls (10:00)

The BJP’s Central Election Committee (CEC) will meet on Wednesday to finalise candidates for Goa, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.

Shortlisted names of the candidates recommended to the CEC have been already discussed by the top leadership with the state units.

Sources said that the meeting will be held on January 19 and names for Goa, and Uttarakhand are to be approved. “Names for a few more phases of Uttar Pradesh will be approved by the CEC,” sources said.

On Monday, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh BJP leaders discussed the shortlisted names with the Central leadership before the CEC. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other senior leaders from Uttar Pradesh discussed the shortlisted names for the state with Nadda, Shah and others.

The BJP central leadership also discussed the names of probable candidates for Punjab on Monday. Union minister and party election in-charge for Punjab Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, election co-in-charge Meenakshi Lekhi, national general secretary and state in-charge Dushyant Gautam, Punjab BJP president Ashwani Sharma were present in the meeting.

On Sunday, Goa and Uttarakhand BJP leaders met the central leadership and discussed the names recommended by the state units. BJP chief Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah discussed the shortlisted names for Uttarakhand and Goa with respective states units. Both the chief ministers — Pushkar Singh Dhami and Pramod Sawant — attended the meeting with their respective state leaders.

In its first meeting last week, the BJP CEC finalised candidates for 172 Assembly seats of Uttar Pradesh where polling will be held in the first three phases. The BJP, however, released the first list of 107 candidates for Uttar Pradesh.

Last Thursday, the BJP CEC meeting w

as held in a hybrid mode as few of the CEC members, including party chief Nadda, have tested positive for Covid-19. Nadda, however, recovered from infection and attended meetings on Monday at party headquarters.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Assembly polls will be held in seven phases in February-March starting from February 10, while Goa and Uttarakhand elections will be held on February 14, and in Manipur, it will also be in two phases — on February 27 and March 3. Punjab assembly polls will be held on February 20. Counting of votes will take place on March 10.

‘State of the World’ address: Modi to speak on India-centric issues

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‘State of the World’ address: Modi to speak on India-centric issues

It seems that the World Economic Forum (WEF) Davos virtual summit has already set an agenda for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is scheduled to deliver his special address on Monday evening at 8.30 p.m.

From Covid-19 putting pressure on the Indian healthcare system to India’s struggle with climate change, specially mentioning the Mumbai floods, Covid’s impact of Indian school children from the rural areas to new emerging mental health problems among the public, the WEF has already mentioned all in its India-centric reports.

“India recently announced the establishment of a National Hydrogen Mission. India’s ambitious five-part Panchamrit pledge to reach net zero by 2070 was one of the most important announcements at Glasgow,” read one recent WEF report on India, just three days before PM Modi’s ‘State of the World’ special address in Davos.

Nearly 40 per cent of the students in underprivileged households in India have not been studying during school closures, according to a new report.

Only 1-in-4 children in India have access to a digital device, and nearly half of the children in rural India have no means to study online.

As a result, India is experiencing a significant drop in literacy levels.

It’s feared that this could cause more children to drop out, says ‘This is how Covid-19 lockdowns affected India’s school children’ WEF referring to a report. which explained the impact of lockdown on the underprivileged school children.

On gender inequality, the WEF has already raised serious questions about the Indian government’s claims, saying the government and industry are bringing think-tanks, civil society, and community networks to support women merchants in India.

For example, affordable mobile data, public digital infrastructure, and entrepreneurial innovations are all measures which have increased the amount of digital payments, but there are still several barriers which are specific to women and one of the most important challenges to overcome is trust.

Citing an example of grocery stores in India, WEF says the 12 million kirana stores employ 45 million people and account for 95 per cent of the country’s Rs 35 trillion market for food and groceries. However, only 2 per cent of the kirana stores have been digitized so far. The rate is much lower for women and rural merchants.

The Davos Agenda 2022 is bringing together world leaders to address the ‘state of the world’.

Starting Monday, the week-long virtual event will feature heads of state and government, CEOs and other leaders discussing the critical challenges facing the world today and presenting their ideas on how to address them.

In addition to PM Modi, the world leaders delivering “State of the World” special addresses will include Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, US Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen, and Nigeria’s Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.

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