Page 3 - Smriti Irani

Reorienting policy towards West Asia, chasing the Hindu vote at home

India's alignment with the US-Israel axis, especially after October 7, has been difficult for the Arab world to swallow. Hence, the pressure felt by India to modify its international stance

Smriti Irani challenges Rahul Gandhi for debate on UPA rule vs Modi govt

Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani has dared Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to have a debate on the "difference" between the 10 years of UPA rule and the Narendra Modi government

Rahul Gandhi, Smriti Irani to visit UP's Amethi on Monday for public events

Union minister Smriti Irani will pay a four-day visit to her parliamentary constituency of Amethi beginning Monday, on a day Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is set to enter the Uttar Pradesh town. Gandhi had represented Amethi in the Lok Sabha for 15 years before he was defeated by Irani in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. This will perhaps be the only second time since 2019 that the two leaders will be in Amethi at the same time. They had been in the town at the same time in February 2022 to attend different campaign events in the run-up to the assembly polls. Irani's representative Vijay Gupta said the minister will be in her constituency for four days, during which she will hold interactions with residents of several villages and attend her house-warming ceremony on February 22. Prior to her election from Amethi, she had promised the electorate that she would build a house in the town and become a resident. According to Congress leaders, the Bharat Jodo Nyay

830,000 women have received help from one-stop centres: Smriti Irani

About 8.3 lakh women have been helped through the one stop centres, which have been established to provide integrated support and assistance under one roof to women affected by violence, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday said. Speaking at the 32nd foundation day of the National Commission for Women (NCW), Irani highlighted various steps taken by the government to ensure the safety and security of women. She said one stop centres have been established in over 700 districts to help the women and added that more than 8.3 lakh women have received help through these centres. The aim of the one stop centres (OSCs) is to provide aid and assistance to the women. They are required to have a centre administrator, case workers, medical personnel, police facilitation officer, psycho-social counsellor, legal counsellor, security guard, IT staff and multi-purpose workers. The Women and Child Development (WCD) minister also said that 30 crore calls have been managed .

President Murmu to present Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar on Monday

President Droupadi Murmu will on Monday present the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar to 19 children for their exceptional achievements, an official statement said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with the award winners on Tuesday, it said. The children, comprising nine boys and 10 girls, hail from 18 states and Union Territories, including 2 aspirational districts. The Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, 2024 will be given in six categories -- art and culture (7), bravery (1), innovation (1), science and technology (1), social service (4), and sports (5), according to the statement. Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Irani will also interact with the children in the presence of Minister of State, Dr. Munjpara Mahendrabhai, the WCD ministry said. The Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, a government initiative, aims to recognise and celebrate the exceptional achievements of children aged 5 to 18 years. Each awardee will receive a medal and a ...

Indian economy has transformed in last one decade: Union ministers at WEF

Asserting that the Indian economy has undergone a significant transformation in the last one decade, three union ministers on Thursday said the country's economic growth now is not only high but also inclusive. Speaking at a session on 'Can India seize its moment' at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2024, union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said India has already seized the moment. "I say so because of the GDP growth we are clocking and the expectations from all quarters for a continued growth momentum," he said. Speaking in the same session, his Cabinet colleague Ashwini Vaishnaw said the last decade has seen a significant transformation in the Indian economy. "Major investments have happened in physical and digital infrastructure. That has had a huge impact on manufacturing and overall economic activity," he said. Smriti Irani, Minister for Women and Child Development, said she agrees with minister Puri that India has already seized the moment. She said India used to have

India's G20 Presidency ensured gender issue not reduced to sidelines: Irani

While representing the Confederation of Indian Industry at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Minister noted India's growth in the technological sector and mentioned the launch of the COWIN app

India, Saudi Arabia ink Haj agreement with 1,75,025 pilgrim quota for 2024

India and Saudi Arabia on Sunday signed a bilateral agreement under which New Delhi has been allocated a quota of 1,75,025 pilgrims for the annual Haj pilgrimage in 2024. Minority Affairs Minister Smriti Irani accompanied by Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan signed the Bilateral Haj Agreement 2024 with Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan in Jeddah. According to an official statement, a total quota of 1,75,025 pilgrims from India has been finalised for Haj 2024 with 1,40,020 seats being reserved for pilgrims to proceed through Haj Committee whereas 35,005 pilgrims would be permitted to proceed through private operators. "Pleased to announce the formalisation of the Bilateral Haj Agreement 2024 between India and Saudi Arabia. I, along with Hon'ble MoS for External Affairs, Shri @MOS_MEA, presided over the signing. Also engaged in productive discussions on matters of mutual interest with @tfrabiah, Saudi Minister of Haj and Umrah Affairs, Irani .

WCD ministry launches several projects in 2023, impact to be seen next year

From establishing G20's working group on women's empowerment to integration of the child helpline with the Emergency Response Support System 112, 2023 saw the beginning of several initiatives by the Women and Child Development Ministry. These initiatives aim to address key issues concerning the well-being of women and children across the country. The National Commission for Women (NCW) also remained in the limelight during the year. The NCW found itself in a soup over not acting in the incident of public assault of women in Manipur despite receiving the complaint a month before a video of the incident went viral. NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma had accepted receiving the complaint from the activists. "We had to verify the authenticity. And also, the complaints were not from Manipur, some were not even from India. We reached out to authorities but no response was received from them but then we took suo motu cognisance when the video (of women being paraded naked) went viral," she had

Venture capital funds backing fewer women startups than men-led ones: Irani

Union Minister Smriti Irani on Friday hit out at venture capital funds for not backing women-led innovative startups, and instead taking bets on entities founded by men. The Union Minister for Women and Child Development said there are many women innovators in science and technology, but rued that their strides are not getting translated into commercial ventures. "Even today, risk taking by VCs for women-led initiatives which are based on innovation is far lower as compared to those by men," Irani said, addressing an event organised by MentorMyBoard. One has to check how many women do not become a part of the corporate boardrooms despite being innovative, she said. Irani acknowledged that her recent statement in Parliament opposing period leaves for women has caused an "uproar", but stuck to her stance saying allowing so will have deep concerns on privacy. "Can you imagine a scenario where the HR head of your company knows your menstrual cycle every month. Can you imagine the scen

Smriti Irani opposes menstruation leave policy, says it's 'not a handicap'

Union Minister Smriti Irani warned that menstrual leave could lead to discrimination against women in the workforce

Dharmendra Pradhan to move Central Universities Amendment Bill in RS today

The Winter Session, 2023 of Parliament commenced on December 4 and will continue till December 22 and will be having 15 sittings spread over 19 days

Union ministers Vaishnaw, Irani, Puri, 2 CMs likely to attend WEF meet

Union ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw, Smriti Irani and Hardeep Singh Puri as well as Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah are likely to visit the snow-laden picturesque Swiss resort town Davos next month for the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting. RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, India's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant and some ministers from Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana may also be in Davos for the annual gathering of rich and powerful from across the world. More than 100 Indian business leaders, including Gautam Adani, Mukesh Ambani, Kumar Mangalam Birla, N Chandrasekaran, Sajjan Jindal, Sunil Mittal, Rishad Premji and Adar Poonawalla, will also be in attendance. Also, more than 50 heads of states and governments from across the world are expected to attend the five-day annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), which describes itself as an international organisation for public private cooperation committed to improving the state

Centre committed to making Haj inclusive, accessible: Smriti Irani

Minority Affairs Minister Smriti Irani on Tuesday held talks with Saudi Arabia's Minister of Haj and Umrah Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah as both countries vowed to work together to make the Haj process as convenient and as seamless as possible with best provision of services for pilgrims. Irani asserted that the government is committed to making Haj inclusive and accessible towards all segments of society. She made the remarks in a press statement with Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah alongside her. "We today held productive discussions on how to further deepen our engagements and especially our cooperation for Haj. Both nations have agreed to continue to work together to make the Haj process as convenient and as seamless as possible with best provision of services for all Haj pilgrims," Irani said. "We are deeply appreciative of the help that we have received from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for extending special help and cooperation for the smooth conduct of Haj not only every year, but

CM Baghel using hawala transactions for Assembly elections: Smriti Irani

Union minister Smriti Irani said that the Congress in Chhattisgarh has been utilising funds from hawala transactions to fund its election campaign in the poll-bound state

Baghel will now be operated by remote from Dubai: Irani in Chhattisgarh

Union minister Smriti Irani has alleged that Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel will now be operated by a remote control from Dubai, apparently hinting at his alleged connection with the UAE-based promoters of Mahadev' betting app. Addressing a rally in Kondagaon assembly constituency of the poll-bound state on Sunday, she said the Congress has cheated the women of Chhattisgarh by not fulfilling its promise of banning liquor. I am surprised. I did not know that for the sake of securing power, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel will now be operated by the remote control of Dubai. Till now it was said that the remote was from Italy, but now it has come to light that a remote is also lying in Dubai A phone rings, the man runs fast and is caught with crores of rupees, she said. She was referring to a man recently arrested by the Enforcement Directorate along with cash in connection with the agency's probe into the alleged Mahadev betting app scam. The ED had on Friday claimed that a

Madhya Pradesh polls: PM Modi, Amit Shah in BJP's star campaigners' list

The BJP released a list on Friday, featuring names of prominent party leaders for the upcoming Madhya Pradesh elections

Congress leader Deepak Singh booked for remarks against Smriti Irani

A case has been registered against local Congress leader Deepak Singh here for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Union Minister Smriti Irani. On the complaint of BJP leader Keshav Singh, the case was registered against Singh in Gauriganj police station area for his remarks against the local MP, Superintendent of Police, Ilamaran said on Thursday. Singh held a two-day dharna against the suspension of licence of Sanjay Gandhi Hospital here which ended on Wednesday evening with a candle march. A decision to resume the dharna outside the office of the chief medical officer here will be taken after the Allahabad High Court hears the plea against suspension of licence of the facility on October 3, party sources said. However, the dharna by employees and doctors of the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital against suspension of its license continued on Thursday. Sanjay Gandhi Employees Union president Sanjay Singh said they have faith in the judiciary but dharna of employees and doctors will

Upcoming polls battle between 'dharma' and 'adharma': Smriti Irani in MP

Union Minister Smriti Irani on Saturday said the upcoming election will not be a fight for votes but a battle between "dharma" and "adharma" (righteousness and non-righteousness). She was speaking at a public rally in Sehore as part of the Bharatiya Janata Party's 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra'. MP Assembly polls are set to be held at the end of the year. "This is not a fight for votes. This is a battle between dharma and adharma," she said. In an apparent reference to the remarks against Sanatan Dharma by some DMK leaders, she said, "The British came and went back, the Mughal empire ended but we (Sanatan Dharma) are still here and will continue to be there tomorrow as well." Referring to the upcoming polls, Irani said this fight is between those who take the name of Lord Ram and those who, with the blessings of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, whose party was in power at the Centre at the time, submit documents in court claiming Lord Ram does not exist. "This is not going to be an ordinary ..

'446,000 missing children found since 2015, most reunited with families'

Most of the 4.46 lakh missing children found since 2015 have been reunited with their families, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said on Saturday. Speaking at the inaugural session of the national annual stakeholders consultation on children in conflict with law, Irani said the children were found through the ministry's Khoya Paya portal, launched in 2015. "Today, we can proudly say that close to 4,46,000 missing children have been found, of which 3,97,530 children have been successfully matched and reunited with their families," she said. Irani said since the amendment of the Juvenile Justice Act in 2021, under which district magistrates instead of courts have been given the responsibility to issue adoption orders, as many as 2,600 children have been adopted. Irani warned stakeholders against profiteering from institutionalising children, saying, "If profit becomes the core of our efforts, then many children will not find the loving homes they deserve." During th