Page 8 - Modi Govt

PM Modi to discuss Hajj quota with Saudi Crown Prince, sign 6 pacts

India and Saudi Arabia are set to sign at least six memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on Tuesday during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Jeddah, with talks ongoing late Monday to finalise a few more agreements, according to sources. Highly placed sources told PTI that Modi will also discuss issues relating to Hajj including the quota for Indian pilgrims during his meeting with Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud in the evening. Among the deliverables, the two sides are expected to sign agreements in the fields of space, energy, health, science and scientific research, culture and advanced technology. "Meetings in Riyadh continued late Monday to finalise details, with over a dozen MoUs under discussion, some to be signed at the official level," an official told PTI. Sources added that efforts were underway 24 hours before Modi's arrival to conclude additional trade, investment, and defence agreements. Modi will arrive on Tuesday aftern

JD Vance faces diplomatic test in India amid trade tensions and tariffs

For Vance, this is an opportunity to soften a global image as Trump's attack dog. It is his first visit to India since taking office

BJP govt will reduce everything to 'zero' before its exit: Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday accused BJP governments in Uttar Pradesh and at the Centre of not delivering on their promises and alleged that the party was repackaging old schemes with new names to mislead the public. "Before they become zero themselves, everything around them is turning into zero," Yadav said in a swipe at the BJP in a post on X. "Just like their 'zero tolerance' has become zero, the slogan of 'zero poverty' will also turn out to be a BJP-style jumla," the former chief minister said. India gave the world the concept of zero in mathematics, "not for distributing lies among people", he added. "Poverty is eradicated through actions, not words. And when it comes to action, the BJP government stands at zero," Yadav said, claiming that the government will leave everything in a state of "shunya" (zero) before its exit. He also criticised the BJP for renaming rural development schemes. "They may continue their old tradition of deceit by renaming scheme

PM Modi flags off Hisar-Ayodhya flight, lays stone for new airport terminal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday flagged off a commercial flight from here to Ayodhya and laid the foundation stone of the new terminal building at the airport. In line with his commitment to make air travel safe, affordable and accessible to all, PM Modi laid the foundation stone of Maharaja Agrasen Airport's new terminal building to be built at an estimated cost of over Rs 410 crore. It will include a state-of-the-art passenger terminal, a cargo terminal and an ATC building. The project is targeted to be completed in two years. About Modi flagging off the inaugural flight from here to Ayodhya, a statement had earlier said that scheduled flights from Hisar to Ayodhya twice a week, and three flights in a week to Jammu, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, and Chandigarh will mark a significant leap in Haryana's aviation connectivity. Modi is in Haryana to launch several development initiatives worth Rs 10,000 crore in the state on Monday to mark the birth anniversary of Bhim Rao Ambedkar, an icon

TMC's Kunal Ghosh alleges Murshidabad violence linked to some conspiracy

There's an allegation that with BSF's help, a conspiracy is underway to malign Bengal and create unrest, which the BJP and Opposition can exploit for political gains, said TMC's Kunal Ghosh

Om Birla praises Modi govt for transforming rail connectivity for people

Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla attended the inaugural ceremony of the special train between Kota and Delhi from Kota Railway Station

From Daikin to Samsung, companies fight Indian govt over e-waste policy

Daikin, Hitachi and Samsung are among manufacturers raising concerns over new Indian government rules mandating significantly higher payments for recycling appliances like ACs, refrigerators and TVs

PM Modi lauds Delhi's joining of Centre's health schemes as 'revolutionary'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday lauded the implementation of twin central government health schemes, including an insurance cover programme, in Delhi as a revolutionary step in the national capital. "This mission of the double engine government is going to be very beneficial for lakhs of brothers and sisters in Delhi. I am delighted that people of Delhi, too, can now received treatment under the Ayushman scheme," he said on X. After signing a Memorandum of Understanding on April 5 to implement the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), the BJP government in Delhi signed another MoU with the Centre on Thursday for the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM). PM-ABHIM was launched in October 2021 to ensure that the public health infrastructure effectively manages future pandemics and outbreaks of diseases. The previous AAP dispensation had declined to adopt the schemes. Union Health Minister J P Nadda

Centre, NDMA can ask banks to waive loans of Wayanad landslide victims: HC

The Kerala High Court on Thursday said that while the RBI cannot ask banks to waive the loans of Wayanad landslides victims, the Union government and the National Disaster Management Authority can do so. A bench of Justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Easwaran S said it will pass orders "nudging" the Centre and the NDMA to ask the banks to waive off the loans. The bench pointed out that the Kerala Bank had waived off the disaster victims' loans and it had an exposure of around Rs five crore. The High Court observed that if the Kerala Bank can do it, then the other banks, which have lesser exposure, can also do the same. "It only requires a bit of goading from the NDMA and the Union government," it said. The observations came in the wake of the central government filing an affidavit earlier in the week stating that according to the RBI's Master Directions on Natural Calamities, the loans of the Wayanad landslides victims can only be restructured or rescheduled. The bench also dir

PM Modi pays tribute to Lord Mahavir, hails message of non-violence

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid tributes to Mahavir, the 24th and last 'tirthankar' in the Jain religion, on his birth anniversary, saying his ideals give strength to countless people all around the world. Modi said his government will always work to fulfil the vision of the reverted holy figure. He noted that the government last year conferred the status of classical language on Prakrit, a decision which received a lot of appreciation. He said, "We all bow to Bhagwan Mahavir, who always emphasised on non-violence, truth and compassion. His ideals give strength to countless people all around the world." "His teachings have been beautifully preserved and popularised by the Jain community. Inspired by Bhagwan Mahavir, they have excelled in different walks of life and contributed to societal well-being," he added.

PM Modi to visit UP, MP on April 11; to launch projects worth ₹3,880 crore

Prime Minister Modi will then visit Madhya Pradesh, perform darshan and pooja at Guru Ji Maharaj Temple in Isagarh around 3:15 pm, and attend a public programme at Anandpur Dham at about 4:15 pm

Centre releases over ₹4,200 crore to Andhra for Amaravati capital project

The Central Government has released over Rs 4,200 crore to Andhra Pradesh for Amaravati Capital Development project after it (centre) received the first disbursement of USD 205 million from the World Bank, a senior official has said. The World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) together committed to fund USD 1600 Million (Rs 13,600 crore), USD 800 Million each, for Amaravati capital city phase-I development, while the Centre will be contributing remaining Rs 1,400 crore, out of the Rs 15,000 crore committed by the Central Government for phase-I of the development. According to the World Bank documents the project became effective on January 22 this year and the first disbursement of USD 205 million for program advance was done last month. "Out of this total Rs 15,000 crore, there is a sharing between the World Bank, ABD and the centre. The also may have given same amount. I do not know exactly how much the has given to the Government of India. The Centre has also released its ...

Waqf Bill more dangerous than erstwhile black or jungle laws: Ulema board

The All India Ulema Board has called the Waqf Bill more dangerous than the erstwhile black laws or jungle laws, claiming that it endangers Islamic properties like mosques and madrasas. Allama Bani Nayeem Hasani, national president of the organisation, told reporters at the Mumbai Press Club here that the main problem with the new bill is that if a government employee makes a claim on a Waqf property, another government staffer will decide on the matter. Claiming that the decision taken by the government employee cannot even be challenged in the high courts or the Supreme Court, Hasani said the bill endangers the existence of Waqf properties like mosques, madrasas, and shelter homes. This way, he claimed, all Islamic properties would be wiped out, and even the assets of Sikh, Christian, and other communities would meet a similar fate in the future. This is not a Hindu-Muslim issue, but a matter of justice, he said. Hasani also claimed that all black laws are passed under the cover

'Going to devastate our economy': Rahul Gandhi on US reciprocal tariffs

Rahul Gandhi contrasted the foreign policy of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to that of the Bharatiya Janata Party

Waqf Amendment Bill will aid underprivileged Muslims, says AIMJ chief

The national president of All-India Muslim Jamaat, Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi, on Thursday welcomed the passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha, expressing hope that it will bring significant economic relief to the underprivileged Muslims. "I extend my gratitude to all the Lok Sabha members who voted in favour of the Bill, and congratulate the government of India for taking this commendable step," Razvi said in a statement. He also said the proposed amendments would curb the alleged irregularities in Waqf properties, which, according to him, were previously being misused by vested interests in collusion with land mafias. "The original intent of Waqf was to support the poor, weak, and the orphans. But its revenues were instead being pocketed by a select few. Now, with this Bill, we hope to see positive changes and economic upliftment of the underprivileged Muslims," Rizvi added. Expressing confidence that the Bill would be passed in the Rajya Sabha as well

Modi govt should approve bills enhancing BC quota in Telangana: CM Reddy

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday demanded that the Modi government approve state bills aimed at increasing reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) in education, employment and local bodies to 42 per cent. Addressing a protest organised by National BC Welfare Associations at Jantar Mantar, Reddy said the state government made several representations to the central government for early approval of the bills, but there has been no response. "Many representations were made to the Centre, but there was no response. Therefore, we are here to protest," he said. The state Legislative Assembly on March 17 passed two bills to increase BC reservation from from 23 per cent to 42 per cent in educational institutions, employment and elections to rural and urban local bodies. The bills require centre's approval as the proposed BC reservation would exceed the 50 per cent cap on quotas. "We have sent the reservation bill to the Centre. We are asking (Prime Minister Narendra) Mo

Only Left has conviction to counter Hindutva neo-fascism: Prakash Karat

Only the Left has the wherewithal and conviction to fight and counter Hindutva "neo-fascism", and the CPI(M) will work toward building a Left and democratic alternative to the BJP, CPI(M) interim coordinator Prakash Karat said at the 24th party congress that kicked off here on Wednesday. Speaking at the inaugural session of the party congress that will decide the CPI(M)'s line of action in the days to come, Karat said the nature of the government and the ruling party can be gauged by asking three questions -- Who claims to be friend of Donald Trump? Who is a close friend of Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani? Who owes loyalty to the RSS? "The answer to all three questions is the same -- Narendra Modi and the BJP," Karat said. Claiming that the Modi government represents the "Hindutva-corporate nexus that is closely allied to US imperialism", Karat said that in its third term, the government is displaying "neo-fascist characteristics", which entail the constant targeting of the Muslim ..

'Pasmanda Muslims will benefit,' says Waqf Bill JPC Chairman Jagdambika Pal

Labelling it as a "historic day", Pal said that the hard work of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), which took stakeholders in several states in confidence, has paid off

Oppn warns JD(U), TDP over backing Waqf Bill, says 'blame will be on them'

JD(U) and TDP, on whose NDA government majority largely depends, have expressed their support for the bill

Modi govt taking several steps to increase farm income: Shivraj Chouhan

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said the Modi government is taking several steps to increase farm income and has insulated farmers from high fertiliser prices in the international markets. "Our vision is to increase farm income and we will leave no stone unturned to achieve that vision. Farmer welfare is Modi government's guarantee," Chouhan said during the Question Hour in the Lok Sabha. He said the Modi government is giving Rs 6,000 per month to farmers under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme. To a question by SP member Anand Bhadauria on whether the government will waive farm loans, Chouhan said "several steps are being taken by the Modi government to increase farm income, as well as to increase production, to reduce the cost of production and helping them to sell their produce. Farm loans are increasing, and under Modi (government), income of farmers is continuously increasing." Chouhan further said that fertiliser prices have been increasing in the ...