Page 6 - Modi Govt

Congress urges Centre to clarify third-party mediation in Kashmir issue

The Congress on Monday urged the Centre to clarify whether it is open to third-party mediation on the Kashmir issue, warning that such as stance could potentially violate the Simla Agreement. The grand old party pointed to US President Donald Trump's daily statements, claiming that he was intervening in the matter, and said a clarification from the union government on the matter was inevitable. While addressing a party programme here, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said the party wants to know whether there has been a shift in the country's foreign policy, and therefore the matter has to be taken up in the Parliament at the earliest. Questions are now being raised if the Simla Agreement has been violated. "Was the Simla Agreement, which rejects any third-party involvement in the Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan, violated? Trump has been making statements daily, claiming that he has intervened in the matter. We need the government's clarification," Venugopal said. "Th

PM Modi chairs high-level meet with defence brass amid Pak conflict

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday chaired a high-level meeting with the top defence establishment to take stock of the emerging security situation amid the intensifying military conflict with Pakistan. Modi met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, the three service chiefs and Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan to review the security scenario and chalk out strategies for the future course of action, officials said. The conflict with Pakistan has intensified with the armed forces responding proportionately and adequately to Pakistani attempts to target Indian installations. Pakistan's military is moving its troops in the forward areas, India said on Saturday, as the two countries continued to attack each other's military facilities. "The Pakistan military is observed to be moving their troops to the border areas," Colonel Sofiya Qureshi said at a press briefing along with Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.

Operation Sindoor: Government calls for all-party meeting on May 8

The meeting will be convened to brief the leaders about the strikes under 'Operation Sindoor' that were carried out in the early hours of Wednesday

Parl panel seeks action plan against 'anti-national' social media platforms

A parliamentary panel has sought details from two key ministries overseeing information flow on the action they have planned against social media platforms and influencers who "seem to be working against national interest", following the Pahalgam terror attack. The parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, headed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey, has noted that some social media influencers and platforms in the country seem to be working against national interest, which is likely to incite violence, sources said. The committee, in a communication to the ministries of Information and Broadcasting and Electronics and Information Technology, has sought details of the "contemplated action to ban such platforms under IT Act, 2000 and Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021". The letter, the sources said, has been sent to the secretaries of the two ministries and they have been asked

PM Modi announces $200 million for modernisation of Angolan armed forces

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced a USD 200 million defence credit line for Angola and expressed commitment to act firmly and decisively against terrorists and their backers, an assertion that came days after the Pahalgam terror strike. Modi made the remarks after holding wide-ranging talks with Angolan President Joao Manuel Goncalves Laurenco that focused on ramping up overall bilateral ties, including in areas of digital public infrastructure. In his media statement, the prime minister said Laurenco's visit to India not only gives a new direction to the bilateral relations but also strengthens the India-Africa partnership. "I am pleased to announce India's USD 200 million defence credit line to support modernisation of Angola's defence forces," he said. The prime minister also said that there was a discussion on repair, overhaul and supply of defence platforms as well. India will also share its capabilities with Angola in the areas of digital public infrastructu

Sanjay Raut slams PM for Mumbai visit, Bihar campaign amid Pahalagm row

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for attending events in Mumbai and campaigning in Bihar even as the Central government is talking about giving a "befitting" reply to Pakistan over the Pahalgam terror attack. Raut also demanded Union Home Minister Amit Shah's resignation for a "security lapse". "A big massacre took place in Kashmir. Our Prime Minister said Pakistan will be taught a lesson, but just days later, he was in Mumbai, spending nine hours with Bollywood celebrities. He also campaigned in Bihar and inaugurated a port belonging to Gautam Adani (in Kerala)," Raut told reporters. The prime minister was in Mumbai on Thursday at the inauguration of the first World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES). Raut alleged the prime minister's demeanour does not reflect the seriousness of someone preparing to retaliate against Pakistan. "While he is in a 'khush mijaaz' (cheerful) mood, we are worried about how to respon

Caste Census: Tejashwi Yadav urges PM Modi to review reservation policies

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him for a "comprehensive review of the social protection and reservation policies" once the exercise to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census is completed. Yadav, the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar assembly, shared the letter on X on Saturday. It was written on Friday. "Conducting the caste census is merely the first step of the long journey towards social justice. The census data must lead to a comprehensive review of social protection and reservation policies. The arbitrary cap on reservations will also have to be reconsidered," the letter said. The upcoming delimitation exercise should reflect the social realities uncovered by the census, ensuring proportional political representation for marginalised groups, it read. "The redrawing of constituencies should be sensitive to and reflective of the census data," Yadav wrote to the PM. Special provisions must be there for adequate politica

98% ED cases against politicians target Oppn leaders, claims TMC's Gokhale

Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale on Saturday said 98 per cent of the cases filed by the Enforcement Directorate against politicians were against opposition leaders. "The remaining two per cent are those who went and joined the BJP's 'washing machine,'" he said. Gokhale referred to Thursday's statement of ED Director Rahul Navin, to claim that the surge in cases post-2014 was at the behest of Narendra Modi, who came to power the same year. Speaking at an event on ED Day, Navin said the anti-money laundering law had been "largely ineffective" before 2014 and there has been a significant step-up in enforcement activity since then. In a post on X, Gokhale said, "Yesterday, the head of central agency ED admitted that there's been a surge of cases filed after Modi Government came to power in 2014." "In the last 11 years, a total of 5,297 cases were filed by ED. How many were taken to court for trial? Only 47," he said. The TMC Rajya Sabha MP said the conviction rate in ED cases

PM Modi commissions Vizhinjam seaport, calls it key to economic growth

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday officially commissioned the Vizhinjam International Seaport, here, which was completed at an estimated cost of Rs 8,867 crore, and said the facility will bring economic stability to Kerala and India. Speaking after commissioning the port, Modi referred to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as a "pillar" of the opposition INDIA bloc and told him and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, both of whom were on the dais, that the inauguration event will give "sleepless nights" to many. However, the person translating his speech did not translate it properly and it prompted the PM to say -- "the message has gone across to whom it was meant". Giving details of the development in the country, Modi said that India was among the top three nations globally on the number of seafarers and in the last 10 years, the capacity of our ports has doubled, their efficiency improved and the turnaround time there decreased by 30 per cent. Modi further said that the seaport has b

Colonialism suppressed pluralism, traditions need to get voice: Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said pluralism has been in the past suppressed by colonialism and big power dominance, and it was essential to give voice to traditions, heritage and ideas amid attempts to democratise the world order. Addressing the Global Media Dialogue along with Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) here, he also made a strong pitch for smoother mobility for talent to contribute to stronger creativity. Amid increasing influence of artificial intelligence, the External Affairs Minister cautioned that irresponsible use of emerging technologies will be an increasing preoccupation and reducing bias, democratising content, and prioritising its ethics were all part of the emerging discourse. "The truth is that the world is essentially, intrinsically and essentially diverse, and that pluralism has been suppressed in the past by both colonialism and big power dominance," Jaishanka

Creative economy can further increase its share in GDP, says PM Modi

The PM said that Indian films are now reaching every corner of the world, with they being released in more than 100 countries

Caste census: Allocate sufficient funds, fix time limit, Kharge tells govt

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday urged for allocation of sufficient funds and fixing of a time limit for the caste enumeration in the next census, which has been announced by the Central government. The Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha said, Congress and other opposition parties demanded for caste census and had staged agitation for it throughout the country, and now they are happy that they have achieved what they intended for. "I had written a letter two years back on caste census along with general census, they did not agree then, but now the government has taken a decision to conduct a caste census along with general census. It is a good thing and we will fully cooperate for this, but they (BJP) should not comment unnecessarily on Jawaharlal Nehru saying he was opposed to it, this and that," Kharge said. Speaking to reporters here, he said, Jan Sangh and RSS by birth are against reservation, and such people are talking about Congress not being in favour of ..

Govt using caste census to deflect attention from Pahalgam attack: AAP MP

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh said the caste enumeration in the forthcoming census was announced by the government to deflect attention from the Pahalgam terror attack. Singh told reporters at the residence of AAP national spokesperson Sarvesh Mishra in Panditpura village on Wednesday that the Aam Aadmi Party supports the caste census but the BJP government will forget about it after the Bihar elections. Questioning the government's intent behind the caste census decision, the AAP leader compared it to the Women's Reservation Bill, saying "nothing has been done to implement it". "Similarly, you've announced the caste census, but there is no budget allocation, no timeline. Once Bihar elections are over, you will forget about it," Singh said. "The entire nation was waiting to see how the government would act to reclaim Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and eliminate terrorists. Instead, 26 unarmed and innocent tourists were killed. Terrorists challenged us on our own soil, and

CCS reviews J&K security amid buzz over India's response to Pahalgam attack

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is understood to have deliberated on the overall security situation in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday amid speculations about India's possible retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack in view of its cross border linkages. The CCS meet was held at the prime minister's Lok Kalyan Marg residence, a day after he held a meeting with the top military brass and accorded operational freedom to the armed forces on the "mode, targets and timing" of India's response to the April 22 attack that killed 26 people. It was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, people familiar with the matter said. There is no official word yet on the CCS, held against the backdrop of growing indications of a retaliation against Pakistan. It was the second meeting of the CCS after the Pahalgam attack. In the first meeting on April 23, it decided a raft of punit

CCPA to decide on Oppn's demand for special session of Parliament: Meghwal

Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Wednesday said the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs will take a call on the demand of several opposition parties, including the Congress, for a special session of Parliament over the Pahalgam terror attack. Meghwal, who is a state minister in the parliamentary affairs department and also holds the independent charge in the law ministry, told reporters that the decision of the CCPA, which takes a call on convening the session, will be conveyed once it decides. The Union Cabinet is meeting on Wednesday. Several opposition leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi of the Congress, have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking a session of Parliament to present a collective resolve following the April 22 terror strike which left 26 people, mostly tourists, killed. At the press conference, Meghwal slammed Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav over a picture showing one-half each of B R Ambedkar's and the former Yadav'

Elaborate arrangements in place for PM Modi's Amaravati visit on May 2

According to a press release, Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary K Vijayanand reviewed the arrangements for the Prime Minister's visit with the officials at the CS camp office in Vijayawada on Monday

Govt ensuring employment opportunities keep growing for youth: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Saturday that his government is taking several measures to ensure that the opportunities for employment and self-employment keep growing. Addressing the 15th edition of Rozgar Mela after distributing over 51,000 appointment letters to recruits in different departments of the central government, he said it is a time for unprecedented opportunities for the youngsters. In the virtual event, he noted that the International Monetary Fund has said India will remain the fastest-growing major economy, asserting that employment opportunities will be rising in every sector. The production and export in automobile and footwear industries have hit new records, generating employment in huge numbers, Modi said. Citing the difference his government has made, the prime minister listed out that cargo being handled through inland water transparent has surged to 145 million tonnes from 18 million tonnes before 2014 while national waterways have increased from

India will give a befitting reply to those behind Pahalgam attack: Nadda

BJP president J P Nadda on Saturday said India will give a "befitting" reply to those responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 persons lost their lives earlier this week. Speaking to reporters here after offering prayers to Shrimant Dagadusheth Ganapati, Nadda said the entire country hopes that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will give a strong response to the attack. At least 26 people were killed when terrorists opened fire on tourists in the popular Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam in one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in Kashmir in recent years. The Union minister said, "I came here to seek blessings of Ganpati Bappa. The way a cowardly attack took place in Jammu & Kashmir, the entire country is angry, and they are hoping that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will give a strong reply to this attack." He said that he sought blessings that the country should face the situation strongly and give a "befitting" reply to those responsible for the attack. "I am sure that with

Negligence, security failure behind Pahalgam attack: Andhra Cong chief

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president YS Sharmila has alleged that the Pahalgam terror attack is a result of "negligence and security failure", which the "BJP is deviating". Taking out a candle light rally in solidarity with the 26 people who were gunned down by terrorists, she accused the RSS of allegedly creating the impression that a religion is being attacked. "This is an attack on our countryand there is negligence and security failure behind it. The BJP is diverting this matter," Sharmila in a release on Friday, adding that "Muslims were also there among the deceased victims". According to the Congress leader, this is not an attack on a religion but against India. She noted that the BJP is "building a narrative that this attack is against a religion" and called it sad. Meanwhile, BJP leader S Yamini Sharma criticised Sharmila for her comments and told her to "control her tongue". Throwing a challenge to Sharmila, Sharma dared her to debate with her about how "sa

Kapil Sibal urges PM Modi to pass resolution to express national sentiment

Sibal further suggested sending a delegation of ruling and Opposition MPS to countries such as Africa, the US, Europe, and other countries to raise awareness about the situation