Page 52 - Modi Govt

Kharge slams BJP, asks why is ruling party pained if fugitives criticised

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday slammed the BJP over its charge that Rahul Gandhi insulted OBCs with his remark for which he has been convicted in a criminal defamation case, and said why is the ruling party pained if fugitives such as Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi are criticised. Addressing a gathering at the day-long "Sankalp Satyagraha" of the Congress right outside Rajghat, Kharge also thanked all Opposition parties for standing with Rahul Gandhi and the Congress to save democracy. "This is just one satyagraha but there will be several such satyagrahas throughout the country. We will give any sacrifice that is needed to save Constitution, democracy and freedom of speech," he said. Kharge slammed the BJP for accusing Gandhi of insulting Other Backward Classes (OBCs) through his remark in 2019. Gandhi was on Thursday sentenced to two years in jail by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remark. "They talk of OBC now, is Lalit Modi

Congress cannot think beyond one family: Nadda at BJP event in Haryana

BJP president J P Nadda on Sunday lashed out at the Congress, saying it does not have any ideology and cannot think "beyond one family". At the same time, he said, BJP is a party with ideology, "so we have to move forward by working with 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas'". "They (Congress) cannot think beyond one family," Nadda said addressing BJP's 'Shakti Kendra Samagam' at Samalkha in Panipat, according to a party release. BJP workers of six Lok Sabha segments in the state were among those present at the event, which was also addressed by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and state BJP chief O P Dhankar. Earlier in the day, after virtually inaugurating the 'National Youth Parliament' of his party's youth wing Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha being held in Chennai, Nadda had accused Rahul Gandhi of overstepping all bounds of democracy and said he should be sent packing "lock, stock and barrel" in a democratic manner. The Congress has become mentally bankrupt, the

New NEP accepted by all, whole country working to implement it: Amit Shah

The new National Education Policy (NEP) has been accepted by all and the whole country is working to implement it, unlike the NEPs in the past which created controversies owing to ideological links, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said here on Sunday. Addressing graduating students at the 4th convocation of the Central University of Gujarat, Shah said the NEP 2020 will work to bring education out of the scope of narrow thinking, and teachers must read it "between the lines" to understand its implications. "Normally, education policies have a history of being mired in controversies. There were two NEPs in the past and were always surrounded by controversies. Many commissions were also formed in between for the implementation of educational reforms, but they were always surrounded by controversies," Shah said. Referring to controversies, he said, unfortunately, we had a tradition of linking education policy with ideology and turning it into the mould of that ideology. "But nobody could

Oppn-govt logjam over Rahul vs Adani likely to continue in Parliament

The opposition will on Friday press for the demand of a JPC in the Adani-Hindenburg row while the BJP is demanding an apology from the former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on his remarks in London

Rahul to be in Parliament, impasse between opposition, govt unlikely to end

Opposition MPs from both the houses have given adjournment notices on demand of JPC in Hindenburg Adani row

Came to Karnataka for Bharat Jodo, spoke about Bharat Todo in London: Sarma

Urging the people of Karnataka to vote the BJP back to power in the upcoming Assembly elections, the Assam CM said under the leadership of PM Modi, the country will become a 'Visva Guru'

Both houses of Parliament adjourned till 2 pm amidst protests by Opposition

Shortly after Parliament reconvened the second leg of the Budget Session, Lok Sabha was adjourned till 2 pm, after the protesting Opposition leaders rushed to the Well of the House leading to a ruckus

Second leg of Budget session begins today, Govt aims to pass pending bills

The second leg of the Budget session of Parliament will begin today and it will continue till April 6

Oppn to meet at Kharge's office ahead of 2nd phase of Budget session Monday

Opposition leaders will hold a meeting on Monday morning to firm up their floor strategy for the second leg of the Budget session as they gear up to corner the government on issues such as alleged misuse of probe agencies and the Adani row. The opposition leaders are expected to meet at Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge's office in the Parliament complex at around 10 am, sources said. The Congress MPs will gather at the Congress Parliamentary Party office before the meeting to deliberate on the party's strategy, they said. The Congress is also set for a duel with the BJP over Rahul Gandhi's remarks in the UK over which the saffron party's leaders have been continuously attacking the former AICC chief. Opposition parties are gearing up to corner the government on issues such as alleged misuse of probe agencies to target their leaders, allegations against the Adani Group, border standoff with China, price rise and unemployment. The Congress continues to demand a

Modi govt's zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism will continue: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday asserted that PM Narendra Modi government's policy of zero-tolerance towards terrorism will continue in the times to come. Speaking at the 54th Raising Day Parade of CISF here, he said separatism, terrorism and anti-national activities in any part of the country will be dealt with firmly. Noting that NDA government has successfully tackled internal security challenges in the last nine years, the union minister affirmed that violence is coming down substantially in Kashmir, while insurgency in Northeast and Left Wing Extremism-affected areas has also reduced and the people's confidence is increasing. The number of people involved in terror activities is declining and many are laying down arms and joining the mainstream, he said. For the first time, the CISF is holding its annual Raising Day celebrations out of Delhi national capital region (NCR) at the CISF National Industrial Security Academy (NISA) at Hakimpet here.

Chenab Valley put on speedy development under Modi govt: Jitendra Singh

The Chenab Valley, ignored by the previous dispensations, has been put on fast-track development under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday. He visited Jammu and Kashmir's Doda, which is a part of his Udhampur parliamentary constituency, and chaired a meeting to assess the pace of development works on mega projects being executed by National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL), NHPC and General Reserve Engineering Force. Interacting with reporters after addressing a BJP workers' meeting, Singh said a revolutionary change has taken place in the entire Chenab Valley which comprises Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts after Modi took over as the prime minister of the country. "Unfortunately, the region, despite being bestowed with natural resources, was ignored by the successive regimes for nearly seven decades. Many of the political leaders reached Delhi, became union ministers and also served Jammu and Kashmir but t

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Kharge slams ED searches at Yadav family premises, hits out at Modi govt

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday accused the Narendra Modi government of making "sinister attempts to kill democracy" by misusing probe agencies against Opposition leaders, as he slammed the Centre over the ED searches on the premises of former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav's family. The Enforcement Directorate on Friday conducted searches in multiple cities of Bihar and other locations, including premises of Yadav's family and other RJD leaders, in connection with a money laundering investigation into the land for jobs 'scam' case. The ED in its raids seized Rs 53 lakh, USD 1,900, about 540 grams of gold and bullion and 1.5 kg of gold jewellery, sources in the agency said. One of the locations searched was a house in south Delhi where Lalu Prasad's son, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister, Tejashwi Yadav was present, they said. Reacting to the searches, Kharge in a tweet in Hindi said, "For the last 14 hours, Modi ji has kept ED at the house of Deputy Chief Minister

Adani-Hindenburg row: SC order a 'tight slap' on Modi govt, says AAP

The Aam Aadmi Party said Thursday the Supreme Court's order for setting up a committee to look into various regulatory aspects of the stock markets, including the recent Adani Group shares crash, is a "tight slap" on the Modi government. "This has today proved that the Modi government is corrupt and useless," AAP national spokesperson Sanjay Singh said at a press conference. The apex court on Thursday ordered the setting up of a six-member committee headed by former top court judge A M Sapre to investigate the recent Adani Group shares crash triggered by the Hindenburg Research's fraud allegations and other regulatory aspects related to the stock markets. A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala said the panel will make an overall assessment of the situation, suggest measures to make investors aware and strengthen the existing regulatory measures for the stock markets. The bench also directed the Centre, financial statutory bodies and th

12 cheetahs brought from SA served first meal at Kuno National Park in MP

Twelve cheetahs brought from South Africa to the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh two days ago have been served their first meal in their new home, an official said on Monday. The seven male and five female felines, brought as part of the Indian government's ambitious cheetah reintroduction programme, were served 65 to 70 kg of buffalo meat at around 5.30 pm on Sunday in the 10 quarantine bomas and they ate it all, KNP Divisional Forest Officer PK Verma told PTI. Before being brought to India on Saturday, they were fed at around 6 am on February 15 at the bomas in Rooiberg and Phinda Reserves in South Africa, officials said. The 12 cheetahs brought on Saturday will be kept in the quarantine enclosures for at least a month before they are moved into the acclimatisation enclosures. A decision on it will be taken by the task force on cheetahs, they said. According to experts, the cheetahs go in for the kill once in three to four days. They eat the prey fast at one go, fearin

Govt forms cabinet secretary-led panel to monitor Mission Karmayogi

Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba will head a top panel comprising a senior official from the Prime Minister's Office, seven secretaries, among others, to monitor the implementation of the government's ambitious Mission Karmayogi programme for training of government employees. Envisioned as one of the largest capacity-building initiatives in government organisations anywhere in the world, Mission Karmayogi aims to create a competent civil service rooted in Indian ethos with a shared understanding of the country's priorities, and working in harmonisation for effective and efficient public service delivery. The mission seeks to keep the civil service at the centre of all change, empowering them to deliver in challenging environments. Thus, by design, Mission Karmayogi adopts a citizen-centric approach for civil service reforms. The government has recently approved setting up a Cabinet Secretariat Coordination Unit or CSCU as part of the institutional framework under the National Programme

Will make every effort to make life in Ladakh easier, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asserted that his government will leave no stone unturned to make life easier for the people of Ladakh. He made the comment tagging a tweet by Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal in which he said the Modi government approved Rs 1681.51 crore for the construction of the 4.1-km-long Shinkun La tunnel to be completed by 2025 to provide all-weather connectivity to Ladakh. "The residents of Lungnak Valley of Zanskar, the most backward region of Ladakh, welcomed and thanked Modi ji for this decision," the Lok Sabha MP from the Union Territory said. Tagging his tweet, Modi, in a tweet in Hindi, said, "We will leave no stone unturned to make life easier for the people of Ladakh.

Cheetah translocation to India result of S Africa's changed eco laws

The translocation of 12 cheetahs to India from South Africa on Saturday could be made possible because of changed eco laws after Nelson Mandela was elected president following 27 years as a political prisoner of the white minority apartheid government. Before that, India had ended all relations with South Africa for nearly four decades as it led the international fight against apartheid. In South Africa, the transition to democracy had substantial implications for wild cheetah conservation. The Game Theft Act (No. 105 of 1991) was responsible for a major change in land use from agriculture to ecotourism," the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) said in a statement on Saturday. Since 1994 (when Mandela was installed as President) cheetahs have been reintroduced into 63 newly established game reserves that currently support a combined metapopulation of 460 individuals, it said. The Department of Fisheries, Forestry and the Environment has approved the expor

Government going to those considered remote earlier, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Thursday that the country is working for the tribal population with a pride that was not seen earlier, stressing that their welfare is a matter of "personal relations and sentiments" for him. Modi inaugurated 'Aadi Mahotsav', a mega national tribal festival to showcase the tribal culture on a large scale, and listed steps taken by his government since 2014 to boost progress of the community. For the first time, a tribal in Droupadi Murmu has occupied the top constitutional post in the country, he said, adding the budgetary allocation for the community has risen manifold since 2014. He called upon the people of Delhi and neighbouring states to visit the festival to witness the rich tribal culture and nutritious food products being showcased from across the country. Let's ensure that they sell all their products, the prime minister said. The government is now going from Delhi to those considered remote and bringing them in the mainstream, he

Jaishankar, Fiji Deputy PM discuss further advancing India-Fiji ties

Jaishankar on Wednesday inaugurated the 12th Vishwa Hindi Sammelan in Nadi, Fiji