Page 47 - Modi Govt

Protecting biodiversity top priority of Modi govt: Environment Min

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Saturday asserted that the protection of biodiversity is the top priority of the Narendra Modi government. Yadav, while addressing the 108th Foundation Day celebrations of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) as the chief guest, said that in the last 10 years, 45 wetlands were declared as Ramsar sites, including 11 in 2022 alone. "Rewilding and biodiversity restoration remain a top priority for our government. Our recent trans-continental reintroduction of cheetah in Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh received global acclaim," Yadav said. Seven decades after cheetahs became extinct in India, the Centre brought to the country eight members of the species from Namibia and released those in Kuno. In the second such translocation, 12 cheetahs were flown in from South Africa and released in the same national park. However, three cheetahs died later. "Climate change has busted the myth of human superiority. We are not superior to nature, we

PM Modi's US visit will create 'unmatched opportunities' for India: IAMAI

PM Modi's US state visit led to the two countries signing various deals on topics ranging from semiconductors to drones

Law Commission has received 850,000 responses so far on UCC: Chairman

Amid a raging debate over the issue of Uniform Civil Code, Law Commission Chairman Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi on Wednesday said the panel has received 8.5 lakh responses within just two weeks of initiating a public consultation process on the matter. The Law Commission had on June 14 invited views from all stakeholders, including people and recognised religious organisations, on the politically sensitive issue. "The responses we have received till yesterday are approximately 8.5 lakh," Awasthi told PTI. A uniform civil code (UCC) typically means having a common law for all citizens of the country that is not based on religion. Personal laws and laws related to inheritance, adoption and succession are likely to be covered by a common code. Implementation of a UCC has been part of BJP election manifestos. Uttarakhand is already in the process of framing its common code. The BJP had promised a uniform civil code in Karnataka ahead of the recent assembly elections. On Tuesday, Prime ...

When India speaks on international platforms now, people listen: Rajnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said India was earlier looked upon as "weak" and the "land of poor", while asserting that when the country speaks on international platforms now, people listen to it. Addressing a rally here, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader also said in the nine years of the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre, no one could level corruption charges against any of his cabinet colleagues. Singh also said a communal angle is being given when the government is trying to implement a Uniform Civil Code in the country. "Isn't there one country, one legislation?" he asked the gathering.

Govt nods to PM-PRANAM to incentivise promotion of alternative fertilisers

The Cabinet on Wednesday approved a new scheme PM-PRANAM to incentivise states to promote alternative fertilisers and reduce the use of chemical fertilisers. The scheme PM-PRANAM (PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Generation, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earth) was announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1 as part of the Budget for 2023-24. "Under the scheme, the Centre will incentivise states, which will promote alternative fertilisers and reduce chemical fertilisers," Fertiliser Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told reporters after the cabinet meeting. Citing example, suppose a state is using 10 lakh tonne of conventional fertiliser, and if it reduces its consumption by 3 lakh tonne, then the subsidy saving would be Rs 3,000 crore. Out of that subsidy savings, the Centre will give 50 per cent of it -- Rs 1,500 crore to the state for promoting the use of alternative fertiliser and other development works, he added.

Armed forces being equipped with latest weaponry, says Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said the armed forces of the country are being equipped with latest weaponry, asserting that national security is the government's topmost priority and it is committed to protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of the country. Singh also said the country does not want to depend on imported weapons. The government's aim is to "Make in India, Make for the world", he said addressing a National Security Conclave here. No stone is being left unturned to equip the military with latest weaponry and modern technology, he said, assuring the nation that the armed forces are fully capable of protecting the borders and the seas. Our goal is to bring our armed forces in the frontline of modern militaries, he said. Elaborating on the blueprint on national security, Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has been working on four directive principles which include enabling the country to deal with threats to its security and sovereignty

Modi govt opened new avenues for Jammu & Kashmir's youth: Jitendra Singh

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Monday said the Narendra Modi government has opened new avenues for Jammu and Kashmir's youth, particularly the residents of border villages. Addressing the National Security Conclave here in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who was the chief guest, Jitendra Singh said earlier, most of the defence equipment was imported from other countries, but after the government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi took over in 2014, it is now the other way round. The export of defence equipment from India has gone up six times in the last nine years, he asserted. Youths are India's biggest asset with people up to 40 years of age making up 60 per cent of our population. With avenues open for the elderly people, 60 years and above, India will emerge as a developed nation during the Amrit Kaal by the centenary year of the country's Independence, Singh, the minister of state for personnel, said. He said the Modi government has opened new avenues fo

'Standing on shoulders of UPA': Chidambaram's takes a dig at Modi govt

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Monday took on Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over her listing the Centre's achievements, saying that if the Modi government stands tall in some areas, it is because it is standing on the shoulders of its predecessor UPA. Chidambaram countered Sitharaman's comments made in an article about the achievements of the Modi government in the last nine years. "The Hon'ble Finance Minister has penned an article on the achievements of the Modi Government. Many examples she has cited are true as would be true of EVERY government that has ruled for 5 or 10 years," the former finance minister said on Twitter. The finance minister has cited five examples of the Opposition taking the government to court and losing the case, Chidambaram noted. "She is wrong at least in three: The SC had declared triple talaq illegal even before Parliament passed a law. The Article 370 case has not yet been heard by the Court. Numerous cases under the GST laws are ...

Puri to meet 25 Delhi school principals, share achievements of Modi govt

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri will on Monday meet the principals of 25 prominent public schools in Delhi to share the achievements of the Narendra Modi government. At the event, to be held at India Habitat Centre at 12.30 pm, Puri will brief the principals and their spouses about the various achievements of the Modi government during its nine years, BJP leader Neel Kant Bakshi said. The BJP is carrying out a month-long outreach campaign across the country during which senior leaders and Union ministers are interacting with different sections of society to inform them about the achievements of the party-led government at the Centre.

UP CM Yogi Adityanath hails PM Modi's tenure as 'full of achievements'

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday termed the nine years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "full of achievements in the history of independent India". He made the statement while addressing a gathering after inaugurating 41 projects worth Rs 121 crore and layinh the foundation stone of 39 projects worth Rs 86 crore. "Prime Minister's successful tenure of nine years has been full of achievements in the history of independent India," he said. Speaking of the Prime Minister's recent visit to America, Adityanath said the way Prime Minister Narendra Modi was accorded a rousing reception in the USA and the way he received compliments from senators, is not only unprecedented, but it is also a matter of pride for every Indian. The way the entire world, including top-class people from different countries, participated on the International Yoga Day on June 21, is a rich tribute to "rishi parampara" (ascetic tradition), the chief minister said. Referring to the project

'We want to fight together...': Kharge ahead of Opposition meet in Patna

Leaders of Opposition parties from across the country are set to meet in Patna to chalk out a strategy to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls

'All leaders are united to defeat PM Modi,' says JD(U) leader Neeraj Kumar

Meanwhile, Bihar Congress president Dr Akhilesh Prasad Singh said all opposition parties are coming together to defeat the ideology of BJP and RSS

200K jobs eliminated from PSUs, govt 'trampling upon hopes of youth': Rahul

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday claimed that over two lakh jobs have been "eliminated" from PSUs and alleged that hopes of lakhs of youth are being "trampled upon" by the government for the benefit of a few "crony capitalist friends". Gandhi said Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) used to be the pride of India and the dream of every youth for employment but today, they are "not the priority of the government". "Employment in PSUs of the country has come down from 16.9 lakh in 2014 to only 14.6 lakh in 2022. Do jobs decrease in a progressing country? 1,81,127 jobs lost in BSNL; 61,928 in SAIL; 34,997 in MTNL; 29,140 in SECL; 28,063 in FCI; 21,120 in ONGC," he said in a tweet in Hindi. Hitting out at the government, Gandhi said those who made false promises of providing two crore jobs every year, instead of increasing the jobs, "eliminated" more than two lakh jobs. "On top of this, almost doubled the contract recruitments in these institutions. Is increasing contract

Legislators' collective effort will help India scale heights of success: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said collective efforts by legislators in sharing best practices in good governance will help India scale remarkable heights of success. In a written message to the National Legislators' Conference here, the prime minister said it was remarkable that public representatives of different political parties have gathered here to strengthen democratic practices by keeping topics such as good governance, successful legislative studies and novel models of development at the forefront. The three-day National Legislators' Conference, organised by MIT-School of Governance and attended by more than 1,500 legislators from across the country, concluded here on Saturday. The prime minister's message was read out at the conference on Saturday. "In the Amrit Kaal of independence, I am confident that such collective efforts help a massive democracy such as ours scale remarkable heights of success, he said. Modi said continuous development at the grassroots level ..

Honour that awaits PM Modi in US, only few have got in past: EAM Jaishankar

Prime Minister Modi will be visiting the US from June 21-24 at the invitation of US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden

Nadda to address BJP's mega rally in Tripura to mark 9-years of Modi-govt

BJP president J P Nadda will address a mega rally at Santirbazar in South Tripura district on Saturday to mark the completion of nine years of the NDA government at the Centre. Nadda arrived here on Friday. Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, BJP state president Rajib Bhattacharjee and Rajya Sabha MP Biplab Kumar Deb received him at the airport. "BJP national president JP Nadda arrived in the state to address a rally to be organised to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nine years in power in Santirbazar of South Tripura district. We welcomed Nadda-ji," Saha said in a Facebook post. BJP's northeast coordinator Sambit Patra on Friday and held a meeting with the chief minister over the party's programme on Saturday. Security arrangements have been beefed up in the entire Santirbazar sub-division as part of precautionary measures, a senior police officer said, adding that more policemen are being deployed around the venue.

'Pettiness and Vengeance': Cong slams govt over renaming of Nehru Museum

The Congress on Friday hit out at the government over renaming of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society here as Prime Ministers' Museum and Library Society, calling it a "petty act" and asserting that legacies don't get erased by renaming buildings. Nearly a year after the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya was inaugurated on the premises of the Teen Murti Bhavan, the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society (NMML) has been renamed as Prime Ministers' Museum and Library Society. In a special meeting of the NMML, it was resolved to change its name to Prime Ministers' Museum and Library Society, the Culture Ministry said Friday. The meeting was presided over by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh who is the vice president of the Society, it said. Reacting to the development, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "Pettiness & Vengeance, thy name is Modi. For over 59 years Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML) has been a global intellectual lamdmark .

Congress slams Centre's decision to rename Nehru Memorial Museum, Library

The Congress on Friday slammed the Centre's decision to rename the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library as the Prime Ministers Museum and Society

Nine years of gati, pragati: PM hails govt works in infrastructure sector

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said his government in the last nine years has nurtured the roots of growth and development in India, shaping an infrastructure landscape that is unparalleled. He said every sector has witnessed swift advancement, setting the stage for a developed India. The prime minister's remarks on Twitter with the hashtag '9YearsOfGatiAndPragati' come amidst the BJP organising various programmes across the country as part of a mega public outreach to mark nine years of the Modi government. "In #9YearsOfGatiAndPragati, we nurtured the roots of growth and development in India, shaping an infrastructure landscape that is unparalleled. Every sector has witnessed swift advancement, setting the stage for a developed India," Modi said in a tweet. The prime minister also shared write-ups on his government's achievements in the infrastructure sector.

Cong slams govt over UCC, says attempt to seek opinion shows desperation

The Congress on Thursday said the Law Commission's latest attempt to seek fresh public opinion on a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) represents the Narendra Modi government's desperation for continuing with its agenda of polarisation and diversion from its failures. In a statement, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said it is strange that the Law Commission is seeking a fresh reference when it acknowledges that its predecessor, the 21st Law Commission, had published a consultation paper on the subject in August 2018. Ramesh said no reasons have been given by the Law Commission on why the subject is being revisited except for vague references to "the relevance and importance of the subject and also, various court orders". "The real reason is that the 21st Law Commission after carrying out a detailed and comprehensive review of the subject observed that it is 'neither necessary nor desirable at this stage' to have a Uniform Civil Code. "This latest attempt represents