Fact or fiction? 'Folk' tales to tom-tom govt schemes on radio

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not the only one talking about the government's initiatives on air. The government has roped in veteran author, lyricist and scriptwriter Neelesh Misra to narrate the experiences of young people who have benefitted from the Skill India initiative. A programme titled Inn Haathon Se Bann Raha Bharat is set to air twice a week on a private radio station. However, the officials at the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship did not clarify if the stories would be based on real people, or would be mere works of fiction, as Misra’s many other tales usually are.

Election season

As the gathering of non-resident Indians, persons of Indian origin and foreign nationals at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Varanasi waited for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to arrive, the emcee of the event welcomed the foreign delegates and urged them to be seated. In one of her announcements, she also urged visitors to download the NaMo app — a mobile application handled by the Bharatiya Janata Party. The app, she said, could be downloaded from special digital booths at the venue, which in turn stood beside a photobooth to click selfies with a virtual cutout of the prime minister. Election season seems to be 

officially open. 

Chasing cows

Stray cows and bulls have become quite a menace in large parts of northern India, particularly Uttar Pradesh. Varanasi, the venue of this year's Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, has always had its share of stray cows. In the run up to the event, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had instructed the local administration to prevent stray cows from sauntering inside the sprawling venue. However, a cow entered the makeshift venue on Tuesday afternoon when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was inside the auditorium for the opening ceremony of the event. Fortunately, the cops could chase the docile animal away without much effort.