Page 9 - Modi Govt

Rahul Gandhi urges Centre to hike pay, gratuity for Anganwadi workers

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has urged the government to increase the honorarium of Anganwadi workers and help retiring workers and helpers get gratuity. He also nudged the government to lay out a path to "progressively improve their working conditions and social security". In a letter to Union Women and Child Development Minister Annpurna Devi, he said the Supreme Court had three years ago recognised Anganwadi workers and helpers as formal workers, entitling them to gratuity under the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972. "Yet, the government of India has taken no steps to implement this judgment," the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha said. Referring to his recent meeting with a delegation from the All India Anganwadi Workers' Committee to discuss the challenges they faced, the former Congress chief described Anganwadi workers and helpers as the backbone of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme who tirelessly served women and children by combating hunger and ...

Modi govt uplifted India's health infrastructure, says Amit Shah in Hisar

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said that the Narendra Modi government, over the past decade, has uplifted India's health infrastructure by taking a holistic approach to improve the health sector across the entire country. Shah stated that the health infrastructure has been improved from the primary to tertiary level. He was addressing a gathering after unveiling a statue of Maharaja Agrasen at the Maharaja Agrasen Medical College campus in Agroha here. On the occasion, he also inaugurated the newly built ICU and laid the foundation stone for the postgraduate hostel. Shah highlighted several initiatives of the Narendra Modi government taken in various fields. He mentioned that 25 crore people have been lifted out of poverty during the Modi government's tenure. Four crore houses have been built for the poor, providing shelter to 20 crore people, Shah said. He also discussed the Central government's provision of free food grains to over 81 crore beneficiaries under the Pradh

Centre slams 'X' for calling 'Sahyog' a censorship tool, defends IT Act

The Centre has strongly objected to social media platform X's characterisation of the 'Sahyog' portal as a censorship tool, calling the claim both unfortunate and condemnable. In a detailed response submitted before the Karnataka High Court, the Centre countered the claims made by X Corp in its petition challenging India's information-blocking framework. The government asserted that the petitioner had misinterpreted the provisions of the Information Technology (IT) Act, particularly Sections 69A and 79(3)(b). X Corp has argued that Section 79(3)(b) does not authorise the government to issue content-blocking orders in a manner that bypasses the safeguards outlined in Section 69A, its corresponding blocking rules, and the Supreme Court's ruling in the Shreya Singhal case. However, the government contended that Section 69A explicitly allows the Centre to issue blocking orders under specific conditions and provides multiple safeguards for online content restriction. It stated that thi

Govt turning banks into 'collection agents of loot': Kharge on ATM fee hike

The Congress on Saturday hit out at the Modi government after the RBI's decision to allow banks to increase charges on ATM cash withdrawals, and said banks have been reduced to "collection agents" to "loot" citizens. Giving a list of charges levied by banks, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said a "painful" price rise and "unbridled loot" was the BJP's mantra. "Our banks have been unfortunately made 'collection agents' by the Modi government! ATM withdrawal charges to be costlier," Kharge said in a post on X. "The Modi government has extracted at least Rs 43,500 crore due to non-maintenance of minimum balance from savings accounts and Jan Dhan accounts combined, between 2018 and 2024," he said. "Other bank charges to LOOT citizens - an inactivity fee, which is Rs 100-200 every year. Bank statement issuance fee is Rs 50-100. Rs 20-25 per quarter is charged for SMS alerts. Banks charge 1-3 per cent as loan processing fees," he added. The Congress chief also claimed that if a lo

'BJP doesn't like Gandhi, MGNREGA named after him': Stalin amid protests

As hundreds of party workers staged massive protests across Tamil Nadu on Saturday, Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin accused the BJP government at the Centre of being "unconcerned" over the plight of the MGNREGA workers. Flaying the BJP government for not releasing the salaries due for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) workers, he said they don't like Mahatma Gandhi and the 100 days work scheme named after him. The ruthless BJP has set out to destroy the #MGNREGA developed by the #UPA government as the backbone and lifeblood of the Indian rural economy. When lakhs of crores of rupees is waived off for the corporates by one signature, why is there no money to be released as salaries to the poor who have toiled with their sweat under the scorching sun? No money or no heart? Stalin asked in a post on the social media platform X. He further said the voices of DMK members and poor people should reach New Delhi through today's protest across .

BJP will be in power at Centre for 30 yrs due to its performance: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has exuded confidence the BJP will remain in power at the Centre for at least 30 years due to its consistent performance. In a democracy, he said, the victory of any party depends on its hard work and if it toils day in and and day out and "if you live not for yourself but for the country, victory will be yours". "When I was the national president of the BJP, I had said the BJP will remain in power for the next 30 years. Only 10 years have gone now," he said at the Times Now Summit 2025 Friday night. The senior BJP leader said when a party performs well, it gets the trust of the public and the confidence to win. "But those who do not perform do not have this confidence," he said. Asked about the Uniform Civil Code, the home minister said all BJP-ruled states will introduce the UCC one-by-one as it is one of the key agendas of the BJP since was formed. The home minister said since its inception, the BJP's resolve has been to introduce the UCC in the ..

BJP's loan write-offs hurting banking sector, economy, claims Rahul Gandhi

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi highlighted the impact on junior banking employees, stating that they bear the consequences through workplace stress and toxic conditions

Former ED chief Sanjay Kumar Mishra appointed full-time EAC-PM member

Sanjay Kumar Mishra, a retired officer of the 1984 batch of the Indian Revenue Service, is an economic expert who has overseen numerous high-profile cases

First JAC meet on Delimitation begins under Stalin; BJP calls it 'cover up'

The first Joint Action Committee (JAC) meeting on delimitation commenced here on Saturday with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin in the chair. The meeting witness the participation of 14 leaders from at least five states and they would deliberate on the 'threat' posed by the Lok Sabha seats delimitation exercise to states with high economic growth and literacy. The opposition BJP, which staged a black flag protest, slammed Stalin for not convening similar meetings on the Cauvery and Mullaiperiar water-sharing disputes with Karnataka and Kerala, respectively. BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan described the meeting as "corruption hiding meeting" by the respective leaders. Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar said, "at any cost, we cannot let down our country and our seats to be reduced." He claimed South India had always upheld the census regulations and family planning policies, making it a progressive region. "Economically and in terms of literacy, we have ...

'BJP tasting its own medicine': Saurabh Bhardwaj after Speaker's complaint

Bhardwaj's remarks followed Delhi Speaker Vijender Gupta's letter to Chief Secretary Dharmendra, highlighting concerns over officers ignoring Assembly members' letters, calls, and messages

Mizoram CM Lalduhoma urges Centre for 'peace bonus' amid state's challenges

Mizoram CM Lalduhoma emphasised the need for ongoing central support to to provide aid to around 41,000 displaced people from Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Manipur, requiring food, shelter, and education

Starlink to set up control center in India? Centre cites security concerns

According to a news report, the Starlink control center will help in maintaining law and order by enabling the suspension or shutdown of communication services when necessary

Central agencies being used to subdue political opponents, says CPI(M) MP

Central investigative agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are being used to subdue political opponents of the Centre, not just in Kerala but across India, CPI(M) MP K Radhakrishnan alleged on Friday. Radhakrishnan made the allegation while responding to reporters' queries on an ED notice received by him to appear before the agency in connection with the Karuvannur Cooperative Bank scam case. The MP said that the notice does not mention the Karuvannur case and instead it asks him to produce details of his assets, including bank accounts and land records. "I have sent a letter stating that I cannot appear before the agency now due to the ongoing Parliament session. I will appear before it after the session is over," he said. Radhakrishnan, the MP from Alathur Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala, said that he was ready to face any investigation. "They are looking for assets that I have earned. Let them investigate and find out," he said. The ED has summoned Radhakrishnan for

India, EU to resume FTA talks from March 10 amid Trump tariff concerns

India and the 27-nation European Union (EU) bloc will start the tenth round of negotiations for a proposed free trade agreement from Monday in Brussels amid Trump tariff threats, according to an official. The talks are expected to focus on resolving remaining issues so that the agreement can be finalised by the end of this year. During the recent visit of EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic, the two sides have discussed ways to accelerate efforts towards a balanced and mutually beneficial trade pact. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last month agreed to conclude the ambitious India-EU free trade deal by this year amid fears of the Trump administration's threat of higher tariffs. "The two sides are scheduled to hold the tenth round of negotiations for the FTA from March 10-14 in Brussels," the official said. In June 2022, India and the 27-nation EU bloc resumed the negotiations after a gap of over eight .

RG Kar case: Mother of murdered doctor seeks meeting with PM for justice

Mother of the RG Kar hospital medic who was raped and murdered on Saturday said she and her husband would like to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek justice for their daughter. Speaking on International Women's Day, the bereaved mother also raised a question over the safety and security of women in West Bengal. "I would like to meet the PM and appeal to him to intervene in the matter and look into our appeal for justice for our deceased doctor," she said. The 31-year-old junior doctor was raped-killed at the state-run hospital in Kolkata on August 9 last year, triggering national outrage. "Our daughter had dreamt big, and we never thought that she would have to die such a death. It's been seven months since she left us, but where is justice? We do not even have the death certificate," she claimed. "If a woman doctor is unsafe at her workplace, then where is the security?" she questioned. Reacting to the mother's wish to meet the PM, BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul said, "There is a

India should halt all talks with US, engage like other nations: GTRI

India should withdraw from all negotiations with the US and prepare to engage with the Trump administration in the same way as countries like China and Canada are doing, economic think tank GTRI said on Saturday. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) Founder, Ajay Srivastava said the US is exerting heavy pressure on India to accept trade demands that largely favour American interests. US President Donald Trump and his officials have criticized India mostly by using incorrect data, he said. "Trump is insulting India publicly using wrong data. No balanced outcome is possible in such circumstances. India should withdraw from all negotiations and prepare to deal with them like other countries are doing," Srivastava said. Against US tariffs, China and Canada have announced retaliatory measures. On Friday, Trump claimed that India had agreed to cut tariffs on American imports after his administration "exposed" what he called unfair trade practices. "This is patently incorrect and

India has signaled readiness to make deeper tariff cuts, says Donald Trump

Preserving India's access to the US market is a priority for Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he seeks to shield his country from reciprocal duties Trump has indicated will take effect next month

PM Modi interacts with 'Lakhpati Didis' in Gujarat on Intl Women's Day

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil accompanied the Prime Minister during the occasion on International Women's Day

'Unfortunate to reduce tariffs on US under Trump's pressure': Manish Tewari

Tiwari criticised the NDA-led government, saying that India has a history and a tradition of never buckling under any pressure and suggested that government should've accepted reciprocal tariffs

PM Modi inaugurates free benefit distribution under PMGKAY scheme

As a symbolic gesture of the PMGKAY benefits, the Prime Minister, Chief Minister, and other dignitaries distributed grain kits to the beneficiaries