Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will on Sunday embark on his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from violence-hit Manipur as the party looks to set the narrative in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls by putting the spotlight on issues such as unemployment, price rise and social justice. A day before the yatra, the Congress asserted that the yatra is an ideological yatra and not an electoral one, and it was being taken out against the "anyay kaal" (period of injustice) of 10 years of the Narendra Modi government. The yatra will be flagged off from a private ground in Thoubal district, instead of Imphal, the party's initial choice. The state government had given the Congress conditional approval to flag off the yatra from the Palace Grounds in the state capital, restricting the number of participants. Therefore, the Congress decided to opt for another venue. The Thoubal district administration has also imposed some restrictions such as the duration should not exceed an hour and the number of ...
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday described India's present-day youth as the most fortunate generation of the 21st century, poised to take the country to greater heights during Amrit Kaal, and urged them to participate in the electoral process to "reduce" the influence of dynastic politics. Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the 27th National Youth Festival here, Modi said dynastic politics has caused immense harm to the country and urged the youth to get themselves enrolled as voters as soon as possible. India is the mother of democracy. If youth express their political views by casting their votes, the future of the country will be good," he said. First-time voters can bring new energy and power to India's democracy, he said. Invoking Sri Aurobindo and Swami Vivekananda, he said the youth have the calibre to create history in Amrit Kaal because of their commitment and intellect. The National Youth Festival is organised every year from January 12 to 16. Swami ...
This year, National Youth Day will be celebrated by all field organisations of the Department of Youth Affairs in districts pan India in collaboration with multiple government departments
The 21.8 kilometer bridge, India's longest, will also ease access to the satellite city of Navi Mumbai, where a new airport is under construction by the Adani Group
The Congress on Thursday alleged that the country's "jobs famine" has worsened in the last ten years of Modi government, and accused the prime minister of miserably failing to fulfil his promise of creating two crore jobs every year. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said India's youth deserve growth that delivers them good quality jobs not joblessness and 'pakora' shops. According to data from Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, unemployment for youth aged 25-29 was the highest in almost four years, at 15.5 percent in December 2023, he said. "This means that unemployment now is worse than it was during the COVID-19 pandemic," he alleged. For youth aged 20-24, he said the unemployment rate hit a peak of 45.5 percent. Even for those between ages 30 and 34, the unemployment rate is at a three-year high, he claimed. "The crisis is especially bad in rural areas, and more and more families are turning to MGNREGA as there are no other jobs available," he said. "It is absolute
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday came out with a slew of suggestions, including laws to regulate ownership of news organisations by a political or business entity, to ensure responsible journalism and a free press in the country. Speaking at the N Ramachandran Foundation award ceremony here, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said India was one of the few countries in the world where there were no regulations with regard to the ownership of media by a private individual. "The government must introduce laws and regulations that limit control of multiple news organisations by a single business or political entity whereby encouraging a robust and independent press in the country," he said. Tharoor said media in India largely had a "cavalier attitude towards facts" and was "reluctant to issue corrections". Referring to his own personal experiences with the media and his decision to opt for legal recourse over allegations in the press against him, Tharoor said, "Once character can be ...
Bihar's political landscape has witnessed a shift, with the BJP now in opposition while the JDU is part of the Mahagathbandhan government
Union minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday highlighted the contribution of West Bengal in the upcoming phase of growth as India moves towards becoming a developed nation. He also predicted that the support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi will increase in the next polls. "In the last election, Bengal provided substantial support. Now, with greater backing, we believe that Bengal aspires to foster rapid growth for India and exercise control over inflation," Goyal pointed out at a programme. Over the last 10 years, significant reforms have been implemented transforming a weak economy into one of the top five globally, the union commerce and industry minister said. "Previously, corruption had plagued the nation, eroding confidence and trust," Goyal said. "The GDP, which previously grew at a rate of 4-4.5 per cent, now exceeds 7 per cent, establishing us as the fastest-growing large economy worldwide. International agencies predict that in the coming years, India will become the 3rd larg
The Union Cabinet on Friday approved the proposal to name Ayodhya airport as 'Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, Ayodhyadham'. Besides, at the Cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it was also decided to declare the airport as an international airport. Modi inaugurated the airport on December 30. "The airport's name 'Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, Ayodhyadham' pays homage to Maharishi Valmiki, the sage attributed to composing the epic Ramayana, adding a cultural touch to the airport's identity," an official release said. According to the release, elevating the Ayodhya airport to international status is paramount for realising Ayodhya's economic potential and its significance as a global pilgrimage site, opening doors to foreign pilgrims and tourists. "Ayodhya, with its deep cultural roots is strategically positioned to become a key economic hub and pilgrimage site. "The airport's potential to attract international pilgrims and businesses aligns
S&P expects India, currently the world's fifth-largest economy, to grow at 6.4% this fiscal and estimates growth will pick up to 7% by fiscal 2027
A key agenda of the conference is deliberations on the road map for the implementation of the new criminal laws recently passed by Parliament
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday targeted the Modi government for not reducing the prices of petrol and diesel even when crude oil prices were falling globally. In a post on X, Kharge also put out a chart, which said crude oil has reduced by 31 per cent in 19 months but the minister says there will be no reduction in the prices of petrol and diesel. "Crude oil prices are falling, but there is no control on the looting of the Modi government. Modi ji's ministers themselves are saying that 'there has been no talk with oil companies about reducing prices'. Oil companies are earning Rs 8 to Rs 10 profit from the public on every litre of petrol and Rs 3 to Rs 4 profit on diesel," he said in his post. "The country is looking for an account of lowest 'public savings' in 50 years, ... in BJP's false speeches of 'Acche Din' and in their hollow advertisements," Kharge added.
Reaching out to the people of the Muslim-dominated Lakshadweep, which witnessed massive protests against reforms introduced by his government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the archipelago is small, but its heart is large. The Prime Minister was here to inaugurate and lay the foundation for various projects worth Rs 1,150 crore in the Union Territory. "The area of Lakshadweep may be small, but its heart is huge. I am overwhelmed by the love and blessings I am receiving here. I express my gratitude to you all," said the Prime Minister who reached the islands on Tuesday. The projects were launched at a function attended by hundreds of islanders including women and children. Addressing the gathering after launching the projects, Modi took a dig at the previous non-BJP governments at the Centre, stating that their only priority for decades was the development of their own political parties. "Far-off states, border areas, or those in the middle of the ocean were not gi
Personal income and corporate tax collections are likely to rise to more than Rs 19 lakh crore in 10 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, providing more leeway to come out with people-friendly tax measures. Driven by the increasing income of individuals, net direct tax collections after adjusting for refunds increased from Rs 6.38 lakh crore in FY 2013-14 to Rs 16.61 lakh crore in FY 2022-23. In the current financial year, the collections from net direct taxes -- personal income tax and corporate tax -- have so far grown by 20 per cent and at this pace, the mop-up is likely to be around Rs 19 lakh crore in the fiscal ending on March 31, 2024. The projected amount will exceed the estimate of Rs 18.23 lakh crore in the 2023-24 Budget. Over the years, the government has been trying to make the tax regime simpler with lower rates and fewer exemptions. In 2019, the government offered a lower rate of tax for corporates who forego exemptions. Similar scheme was introduced
The key focus of the National Conference of Chief Secretaries this year will be 'Ease of Living'
The BJP has set its sights on an "overwhelming" win in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking key organisational leaders to work towards boosting the party's vote share by 10 per cent, sources said. Addressing the BJP's national office-bearers and state presidents on the concluding day of the two-day brainstorming meet on Saturday, Home Minister Amit Shah said that the BJP's performance should leave the opposition "stunned", the sources said. With the opposition INDIA bloc planning to put up a one-on-one fight against the BJP, Modi called for raising the BJP's vote share by 10 per cent from its show in the 2019 polls when the ruling party had fetched over 37 per cent of votes while the National Democratic Alliance led by it had bagged around 45 per cent votes. Since coming to power at the Centre in 2014, the BJP has continuously striven to raise its vote share to 50 per cent in state assembly polls and succeeded in this feat in many elections. Shah,
The country is making its border infrastructure robust with the seriousness it deserves to strengthen national security, with the construction of roads, bridges and tunnels along the China border at a much faster pace compared to what was achieved in previous decades, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said here Saturday. Despite the setback India faced in 1962, in the war with China, due to complacency and neglect for infrastructure along the border areas, it failed to learn a lesson until the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi started approaching the domain of security with the seriousness it deserves, he said. Speaking at the third convocation of Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU), the Union minister said India has deeply embedded security factors into its diplomatic strategy. Acquiring and developing weapons, and building related capacities have not only been at the core of our defence policies, but also of our diplomacy, he said. Even when logistics has been a key
Republic Day celebrations: If Emmanuel Macron accepts the invitation, this will be the sixth time that a French President will be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations
Just this week, more than 140 opposition lawmakers - two-thirds of the opposition's entire contingent - were suspended