Page 31 - Modi Govt

Govt resolved to make 30 million women 'lakhpati didi', says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said his government has resolved to make three crore women in the country "lakhpati didi" and asserted that women's welfare is their priority. The PM was speaking after virtually inaugurating the 'Mahtari Vandan' scheme in Chhattisgarh to provide monetary assistance to women. "It is fortunate that today I got an opportunity to dedicate the Mahtari Vandan scheme aimed at empowering 'nari shakti'. Under the scheme, we had promised to give Rs 1,000 per month to more than 70 lakh women and today, the BJP government has fulfilled it," Modi said addressing the function via video conference. The first installment of Rs 655 crore was deposited into the bank accounts of beneficiaries (married women) under the scheme on Sunday, he said. "I should have been among you today for this programme, but due to some other engagements I am in Uttar Pradesh. I am speaking from Kashi, the land of Baba Vishwanath, who is also showering his blessings on you," he ...

India-EFTA deal symbolises shared commitment to equitable trade: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the India-EFTA trade agreement symbolises our shared commitment to open, fair and equitable trade. He also said that the global leadership of EFTA countries in innovation and R&D across diverse spheres like digital trade, banking and financial services, and pharma will open up new doors of collaboration. "Heartiest Congratulations and best wishes to the negotiators and signatories involved in the signing of India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA)," Modi said in a written message. The Prime Minister's statement was read by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal here in the presence of ministers and officials of EFTA countries. "In the last 10 years, India's economy has taken a quantum leap, moving from being the world's eleventh largest economy to the fifth largest. Our next goal is to make India's economy in the world," the Prime Minister said. They are here for the signing of the FTA. The European Free Trade ...

PM Modi virtually inaugurates 15 airport projects worth Rs 9,800 crore

Once completed, the combined passenger handling capacity of these three airports will increase to 9.5 million passengers per annum

Uddhav, Sharad Pawar factions slam govt over Arun Goel's resignation

A day after Election Commissioner Arun Goel resigned, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday claimed the Election Commission of India is no longer an autonomous watchdog, but works as an extended branch of the ruling BJP. The opposition NCP faction led by Sharad Pawar said Goel's sudden resignation ahead of the Lok Sabha polls appeared suspicious. Election Commissioner Arun Goel resigned on Saturday, days before the expected announcement of the schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. His tenure was till December 5, 2027, and he would have become Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) after incumbent Rajiv Kumar's retirement in February next year. "Whether the ECI exists or not, it has no meaning especially after how it has given orders under BJP's pressure in the cases of Shiv Sena and NCP splits, completely in violation of the 10th schedule," Raut claimed while talking to reporters. "The ECI is not the autonomous watchdog it used to be in the time of TN Seshan, but works as an ..

People faced bullets for Ram Temple, PM transformed India in 10 yrs: Birla

Kota-Bundi MP Om Birla on Sunday slammed the previous opposition parties' governments and said people had to face bullets for Ram Temple and wait for more than seven decades for the abolition of Article 370. Birla, who is contesting on a BJP ticket from the Bundi parliamentary constituency, said the country has largely changed in the past 10 years of the Narendra Modi government and is set to further transform over the next five. Birla, also the Lok Sabha Speaker, was addressing a gathering in the Khel Sankul in Bundi city, where he inaugurated a swimming pool costing Rs 5.50 crore. The lawmaker said this is the time of "religious and spiritual renaissance" in the country and India will become a developed nation under the current dispensation. He also praised the central government for ridding the nation of colonial-era penal laws and replacing them with three recently passed criminal-justice laws. "The day those colonial laws were scrapped and changed, the country was set free fr

PM Modi unveils, lays foundation of projects worth over Rs 34,000 cr in UP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of several development projects worth more than Rs 34,700 crore across the state. The PM was accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other BJP leaders as he visited the Manduri area of the district. Modi inaugurated Azamgarh, Shravasti, Chitrakoot, and Aligarh airports and a new terminal of Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Lucknow. The PM also inaugurated Maharaja Suhel Dev State University, Azamgarh, constructed at a cost of 108 cr. He inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of five major National Highway projects worth Rs 11,500 cr. More than 5,342 km of roads built in 59 UP districts under the PM Gram Sadak Yojna worth Rs 3,700 cr were also inaugurated by him. The PM inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 12 railway projects across UP worth Rs 8,200 cr. He also inaugurated three sewage projects built under Namami Ganga Yojna worth Rs 1,114 cr in Praya

Women's day: PM Modi announces Rs 100 cut in price of cooking gas cylinders

Price of domestic LPG cylinder to be Rs. 803 in Delhi

Highlights: Interest rate on small savings scheme to remain unchanged

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On Women's Day, PM Modi announces Rs 100 discount on LPG cylinder prices

PM Narendra Modi said the step would "empower" women and aid in environmental protection. A day before, the Centre announced an extension on the Ujjwala scheme subsidy as well

Modi govt always keeps in mind long-term benefits of FTAs for India: Goyal

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday said that the Modi government always keeps in mind commensurate and long-term benefits for the domestic industry while negotiating free trade agreements. He stressed that "gone" are the days when India used to accept the terms of the world. "We crystal gaze into the future to make sure that its (FTAs) impact in the future will also be positive and we also look at balanced, fair and equitable FTAs," he told PTI in an interview. "So we can see the big Indian opportunity that we are offering and we want to make sure that we get commensurate benefits (from these pacts) for the country," he said. He indicated "some good news" on this front in the days to come. The remarks assume significance as India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) bloc concluded the talks for an FTA. EFTA members are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. The minister said that the free trade pacts of the Modi government involve a huge am

It would be privilege to contest upcoming Lok Sabha elections: Piyush Goyal

Union Minister Piyush Goyal, whose is among the high run ministers in the Modi government that are being speculated for contesting upcoming general elections, on Friday said he is ready to take the plunge but it is for the party to decide on the issue. Goyal, son of former BJP treasurer Ved Prakash Goyal, has been a three time Rajya Sabha member and if nominated, this will be his first Lok Sabha contest. In an interview to PTI, he said it would be a privilege to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, but a decision in this regard has to be taken by the BJP party leadership. On whether he would like to contest the elections from Maharashtra, he said it would depend upon the party. Goyal holds three portfolios - commerce and industry, textiles, and food and consumer affairs. At present, the minister is a Rajya Sabha member from Maharashtra. "Of course, I am very excited, I am looking forward to a decision being made by the party leaders and I do hope that I (will) get an opport

LS polls: After 'Yuva Nyay', Congress' 'Nari Nyay' push on Women's Day

Lok Sabha elections: The Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge reaffirmed the party's resolve to ensure "justice" for women, if the party is voted to power in the upcoming general elections

Farmers' protest nears a month, women-led stir planned today: Top updates

Farmers' protest: 200 farm union bodies have been camping on the Punjab-Haryana and Delhi borders since February 13 as they seek to enter the national capital to press the Centre for their demands

PM Modi to embark on Assam visit today, to inaugurate several projects

PM Modi will also inaugurate the Tinsukia Medical College and lay the foundation stone of Sivasagar Medical College under the PM-DIVINE scheme on Saturday

Landmark day for tech, innovation: PM Modi after govt nod to AI Mission

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hailed the government's nod to the India AI Mission as a landmark for technology and innovation. The Cabinet has approved the mission with an outlay of Rs 10,372 crore for five years to encourage the development of artificial intelligence in the country. The approved corpus will be used to build a high-end scalable AI ecosystem in public-private partnership mode. "A landmark day for tech and innovation! The Cabinet's approval for the IndiaAI Mission will empower AI startups and expand access to compute infrastructure, marking a giant leap in our journey towards becoming a global leader in AI innovation," he said on X. Reacting to other Cabinet decisions, Modi said the extension of Rs 300 per LPG cylinder subsidy to poor women under the Ujjwala Yojana for the next fiscal is an important step which will benefit women and ensure smoke-free kitchens. The government on Thursday also raised the minimum support price (MSP) for raw jute by Rs 285 to

PM Modi launches Rs 5,000 cr project for Jammu and Kashmir's agri economy

He dedicated to the nation about Rs 5000 crore worth 'Holistic Agriculture Development Programme' (HADP)- for boosting agri-economy in Jammu and Kashmir

Modi-led govt believes in capabilities of India in defence sector: Rajnath

Union Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said the Narendra Modi-led government "believes in the capabilities of India and Indians" in the defence sector, while the previous dispensations were in some way "sceptical" about their capabilities. In his address at an event here, the defence minister also said that if any criticism comes from the media on any government scheme, "We accept it and try to bring a change accordingly". Delivering an address at the NDTV Defence Summit here, Singh said when the government led by Modi came to power in 2014, "We made the defence sector one of our main priorities". "We took a step towards 'atmanirbharta' (self-reliance) in defence. From establishing the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) to the creation of the post of CDS (Chief of Defence Staff), issuing of positive indigenisation lists for manufacturing of weapons in India...they naturally strengthen it (defence sector)," he said. The DMA with CDS as secretary was created to facilitate optimal

Nation seeks, Modi hides, says Congress over electoral bonds issue

The Congress hit out at the Centre on Thursday over the State Bank of India (SBI) seeking more time from the Supreme Court to disclose details of electoral bonds and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "absolutely terrified" of revealing his corporate donors to people. The SBI moved the Supreme Court on Monday, seeking an extension till June 30 to disclose the details of each electoral bond encashed by political parties. In its verdict last month, the top court directed the bank to furnish the details to the Election Commission (EC) by March 6. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh hit out at the government, saying, "Hide and seek in New India: Nation seeks, Modi hides!" "The Pradhan Mantri Chanda Chipao Yojana, implemented by the SBI, is built on lies," he said on X. The Supreme Court had asked the SBI to provide the details of the electoral bond donors and recipients within three weeks, the former Union minister noted. The SBI has asked the

PM meets entrepreneurs, craftsmen at local products exhibition in Srinagar

Posters welcoming the Prime Minister dotted Srinagar ahead of his visit which comes close to the Lok Sabha elections 2024

PM's first visit to J-K since Article 370 abrogation; 10 things to know

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Srinagar on Thursday, a first since the abrogation of Article 370. The visit is a part of his ongoing tour to multiple states ahead of the Lok Sabha elections