Budget 2018-19

  The COP26 is being held from October 31 to November 12 under the presidency of the UK which is partnering with Italy for the event India has not only exceeded the Paris commitments but has now also set an ambitious agenda for the next 50 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday after he took part in two days of intense discussions with world leaders at the climate summit on the future of the planet. Prime Minister Modi said this in a tweet while leaving for home after concluding his five-day official visit to Rome and Glasgow where he attended the G-20 Summit and the  COP26 UN Climate Change  Conference respectively. “Departing from Glasgow after two days of intense discussions about the future of our planet. India has not only exceeded the Paris commitments but has now also set an ambitious agenda for the next 50 years,” Modi tweeted. “It was wonderful to see many old friends in person after a long time, and meet some new ones. I am thankful to our host PM @...

  After making its mark as a trusted source in pharmaceuticals, IT, among others, Modi said India is now ready to play a role in the supply chain for clean technology. Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlined three critical aspects ‘3Ts — Trusted Source, Transparency and Time frame for improving global supply chains at the Summit on Global Supply Chain Resilience’ on the sidelines of the  G20 Summit  at Rome. After making its mark as a trusted source in pharmaceuticals, IT, among others, Modi said India is now ready to play a role in the supply chain for clean technology. The Summit on ‘Global Supply Chain Resilience’ was convened by US President Joe Biden to discuss the ways in which governments can alleviate pressure points in the global supply chain ecosystem. Recalling the initial months of the Covid-19 pandemic when all countries faced paucity of medicines, health equipment and raw materials for preparing vaccines, Modi said, “Now when the world is on path to economic...

  India’s focus at the  COP26  Summit will be on the country’s “ambitious” NDC goals for the post-2020 period under the Paris Agreement Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Glasgow on Sunday for the COP26 climate summit and bilateral talks with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the sidelines of the United Nations (UN) meet. “Leaving for Glasgow after a fruitful G20 Summit in Rome. During the Summit, we were able to have elaborate deliberations on issues of global importance such as fighting the pandemic, improving health infrastructure, boosting economic cooperation and furthering innovation,” Modi said on Twitter. The Prime Minister, who flew into Glasgow from the  G20 Summit  in Italy, is scheduled to begin the UK leg of his European tour with a meeting with community leaders and Indologists based in Scotland on Monday morning. He will then proceed for the opening ceremony of the World Leaders’ Summit (WLS) at the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) to...

  The carrier’s sale could pique interest in a number of state-run firms in which the government intends to divest stake. India’s move to privatize flag carrier  Air India Ltd.  in its first big-ticket sale in almost two decades promises to further boost the appeal of the nation’s booming equity market just when China is intensifying its crackdown on private firms. The high-profile sale puts investor spotlight on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s aggressive reform agenda, as it shows that his plans to tap the private sector for the country’s assets are gaining traction. It could also pique interest in a number of state-run firms in which the government intends to divest stake, providing another potential catalyst to a market that’s rallied to successive all-time highs. “Air India’s sale is a landmark that shows India is the place to be in emerging markets amid reforms and the painful overhaul in China,” said Sumeet Rohra, a fund manager at Smartsun Capital Pte. in Singapore....

  NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s Trade Minister Piyush Goyal will have a one-on-one meeting with his Chinese counterpart on Tuesday at the G-20 summit in Italy, the government said in a statement. NEW DELHI (Reuters) –  India’s Trade Minister  Piyush Goyal will have a one-on-one meeting with his Chinese counterpart on Tuesday at the G-20 summit in Italy, the government said in a statement. Goyal will also meet other trade ministers, including those from the United States, South Korea, Australia, South Africa, Brazil, and Canada, among others, the statement said on Monday. Relations between India and China have been strained due to border related issues.

  US Vice President Kamala Harris said that there were terror groups working in the country and asked Islamabad to take action so that it does not impact on America and India’s security US Vice President  Kamala Harris , during her maiden meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has “suo moto” referred to Pakistan’s role in terrorism, saying that there were terror groups working in the country and asked Islamabad to take action so that it does not impact on America and India’s security. Prime Minister Modi held the meeting with Vice President Harris at the White House on Thursday during which they decided to further cement the Indo-US strategic partnership and discussed global issues of common interest, including threats to democracy, Afghanistan and the Indo-Pacific. When the issue of terrorism came up, the Vice President suo moto referred Pakistan’s role in that regard (of terrorism), Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla told reporters when asked if the issue of Pakist...

  Prime Minister Narendra Modi has commended Indian Diaspora for distinguishing itself across the world as he received a warm welcome from the community on his arrival here. Prime Minister  Narendra Modi  has commended Indian Diaspora for distinguishing itself across the world as he received a warm welcome from the community on his arrival here. He was greeted by groups of Indian Americans at the airport soon after his plane landed here Wednesday and later at the hotel where he had an interaction with the members of the community. Grateful to the Indian community in Washington DC for the warm welcome. Our diaspora is our strength, Modi said in a tweet along with a set of pictures of his interaction with the Indian American CEOs. It is commendable how the Indian diaspora has distinguished itself across the world, Modi said. One of the signature events of the Prime Minister’s overseas visit has been his meetings with the diaspora community in large gatherings. However, due ...

  Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital on Monday to discuss the Assam-Mizoram border issue. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital on Monday to discuss the Assam-Mizoram border issue. The Assam Chief Minister, accompanied by BJP MPs from Assam, is likely to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the border dispute with the neighboring state Mizoram. Sarma, who is in New Delhi since Saturday, was unable to meet Shah earlier due to some reasons. However, the two states in a joint statement agreed to take forward the Centre’s initiative of letting neutral forces patrol the disputed areas of the inter-state border for maintaining peace. All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief and Lok Sabha MP Badruddin Ajmal, who is currently in the national capital, said he will be meeting Union H...

  Mandavia gets Health portfolio; Scindia gets aviation; Puri gets additional charge of petroleum In the most comprehensive reshuffle of his council of ministers in his seven-year tenure, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday sacked many senior colleagues, elevated some, and infused the government with new, young faces. A new ministry of cooperation was also created. In all, 43 ministers were sworn in, taking the strength of the council of ministers to 77. The reshuffle had politics at its heart, but the inclusion of several technocrats and former bureaucrats suggested that governance and efficiency were the immediate priorities after the devastation left behind by the  Covid-19 pandemic . The government seemed to have accepted responsibility for lapses, but signalled the intention to move ahead aggressively. Battling the optics of Covid-19 mismanagement – the crisis faced by migrants that drew the ire of the judiciary; the oxygen and hospital bed shortages; and the extend...

  Prime Minister   Narendra Modi  will launch the Customized Crash Course programme for COVID-19 frontline workers on Friday at 11 AM via video conferencing Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the  Customized Crash Course programme  for COVID-19 frontline workers on Friday at 11 AM via video conferencing. According to the Prime Minister’s office, the launch will commence the programme in 111 training centres spread over 26 states. The launch will be followed by the Prime Minister’s address. Union Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Mahendra Nath Pandey will also be present on the occasion. The programme aims to skill and upskill over one lakh COVID warriors across the country. The training will be imparted to COVID warriors in six customised job roles namely Home Care Support, Basic Care Support, Advanced Care Support, Emergency Care Support, Sample Collection Support, and Medical Equipment Support. The programme has been designed as a specia...

  The government may not have to tap the bond market for the funds to finance free inoculation. India will need to spend an additional 800 billion rupees ($11 billion) to provide free vaccines and food to millions of people devastated by the deadly coronavirus wave, people with knowledge of the matter said. The government will earmark an additional 700 billion rupees for providing food to the poor and other eligible groups until November, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the numbers aren’t public. The administration will need an extra 100 billion rupees to provide free vaccinations, they said. Prime Minister  Narendra Modi  agreed Monday to provide free inoculations, reversing a policy where states ended up competing for supplies for certain age categories, leading to severe shortages. His administration also has been criticized for its handling of the second wave of the virus, which has killed thousands of people in India. In an address on national tele...

  Around 300 students of Class XII on Tuesday sent a letter petition to the Chief Justice of India NV Ramana to quash the decision of CBSE to conduct physical examination amid the pandemic Around 300 students of Class XII on Tuesday sent a letter petition to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana to quash the decision of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to conduct physical examination amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The students asked the top court to direct the Central government to provide alternative assessment scheme to the students. This comes days after a high-level meeting chaired by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reached a consensus on conduct of board exams. However, the government had sought a detailed list of suggestions from all the states.The CBSE Class XII examination is likely to be conducted and its date and format to be announced by Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on May 30, according to sources. Earlier on April 14, the CBSE ...

  Over 7,000 submissions have already come in for Prime Minister  Narendra Modi ‘s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ scheduled for May 30 Many citizens have expressed anguish over weak healthcare infrastructure and slow vaccination to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his monthly radio show  ‘Mann Ki Baat ‘ scheduled for May 30. More than 7,000 submissions have already come in for the 77th edition, coinciding with seven years of the Modi government. Along with complaints and disappointments are suggestions to scale up hospital facilities, vaccinate faster and have daily press briefings by the PM on the Covid19 situation in the country. “Please build government hospitals all over India and even in small villages…. focus on health infrastructure… everyone is blaming the government about medical facilities and infrastructure, so please focus on health infrastructure,” writes a young professional. The absence of confidence in the healthcare system is making things worse and therefore the ne...

  Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Gujarat and Diu on Wednesday to review the situation and damage caused by   Cyclone Tauktae Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Gujarat and Diu on Wednesday to review the situation and damage caused by Cyclone Tauktae. The Prime Minister will leave Delhi at 9.30 am today and land at Bhavnagar from where he will proceed for an aerial survey of Una, Diu, Jafarabad and Mahuva. He will also hold a review meeting at Ahmedabad after the aerial survey. “PM Narendra Modi will visit Gujarat on Wednesday to conduct an aerial survey of the areas of Amreli, Gir Somnath and Bhavnagar districts hit by Cyclone Tauktae. The PM will also hold a review meeting with CM Vijay Rupani and top officials of the State later in Ahmedabad”, informed Gujarat CMO as well in a tweet. Tauktae stands to be the strongest storm to impact  Gujarat  since 1998 as it battered parts of the state and left behind a trail of destruction along the coast, uprootin...

  All businesses, except essential services, to remain shut; Rs 5,400 cr package announced Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday announced 15-day curfew in the state and sought central help in airlifting medical oxygen as Covid-19 cases continue to spike in the state, putting a burden on its health infrastructure. Public transport will continue but travel in suburban trains and buses will be only for people giving essential services. The tightening of curbs comes into effect on Wednesday night. On Tuesday a record 60,212 cases were reported in the state and the number of active cases has increased to over 500,000. While the state is getting oxygen by road,  Uddhav Thackeray  has requested the Indian Air Force help to airlift supplies. “If we do not break the chain now we will get strangled by the chain,” he said while announcing the new measures. Last week the state government had closed cinema halls, malls, multiplexes, and places of religious worship. T...

  Modi announces vaccination festival between April 11 and 14 Conceding that India was in the grip of a serious public health crisis that had surpassed the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged state governments to test more even if that meant higher reporting of the infection. Armed with experience of managing the first wave, better health infrastructure and a locally manufactured vaccine, lockdowns should be avoided altogether, the PM told chief ministers at the virtual meet on Covid. “In the last phase of the infection, we had to impose lockdowns because at that time, we did not have the infrastructure to control the infection: no PPE suits, not enough sanitisers, masks… we are no longer facing those shortages. So micro-containment zones should be the strategy,” he said. Sounding a note of caution, the PM asked states to check the rise in cases on a war footing, while stressing that efforts must be strengthened in the next three to f...

  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended birthday wishes to Union Minister Smriti Irani and recalled her noteworthy efforts to transform the textiles sector and further women’s empowerment Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended birthday wishes to Union Minister Smriti Irani and recalled her noteworthy efforts to transform the textiles sector and further women’s empowerment. “Birthday greetings to Union Minister @smritiirani Ji. She is making noteworthy efforts to transform the vital textiles sector and further women empowerment. May she lead a long and healthy life,” PM Modi wrote on Twitter. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also extended birthday wishes to Smriti Irani and prayed for her long and healthy life. “Warm wishes to Union Minister @smritiirani Ji on her birthday. May she continue to work relentlessly towards the development and progress of our nation. Praying for her long and healthy life,” Amit Shah tweeted Railway Minister Piyush Goyal also wished Smri...

  The PM said the V Narayanasamy-led dispensation in Puducherry had ‘different priorities’ than public welfare Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday attacked the Congress and its erstwhile government in Puducherry, saying the V Narayanasamy led dispensation had ‘different priorities’ than public welfare and flayed party leader Rahul Gandhi over his recent ‘north-south’ remarks. Hitting out at the “Congress culture,” at a public meeting in the poll-bound union territory, he said people were witness to it in the last five years. “Our colonial rulers had the policy of divide and rule. Congress has a policy of divide, lie and rule. Sometimes their leaders put region against region… community against community,” he said in an apparent reference to Gandhi’s recent ‘north-south’ remarks which the  BJP  opposed strongly. During his Kerala visit on Tuesday, Gandhi had said he was used to a “different type of politics” in north India and coming to the southern state was “very re...

  Urges them to look beyond valuations and exits, and create world-class products in order to become globally competitive in the field of technology When the chips were down, your code kept things running,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, lauding India’s information technology (IT) industry on Wednesday. The resilience displayed by the tech industry amidst the ongoing global crisis was a shining example of “New India,” Modi said, while addressing the opening session of the three-day National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) Technology & Leadership Forum (NTLF) 2021. “When the whole world was restricted to the four walls of their homes, our IT sector ran their projects with the same commitment and dedication,” he said. Modi, who addressed the industry leaders virtually at the 29th edition of NTLF, also said that while the Indian IT industry had spread its footprints globally long ago, a digital divide continued to exist in the vast domestic market. Call...

  Noting that India imports over 85% and 53% of its oil and gas requirements, respectively, the PM says the country is working to meet growing energy demand and prune imports The Government of India is planning to spend around Rs 7.5 trillion to build oil and gas infrastructure over the next five years, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.After dedicating the Ramanathapuram–Thoothukudi natural gas pipeline and Gasoline desulfurisation unit at Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd and laying the foundation stone for the Rs 31,500 crore Cauvery basin Refinery at Nagapattinam, the Prime Minister said that in 2019-20, India imported over 85 per cent of oil and 53 per cent of gas to meet its domestic demands. “Can a diverse and talented nation like ours be so energy-dependent,” he asked. “It is our collective duty to work towards clean and green sources of energy and reduce energy-dependence,” said the Prime Minister, adding that his Government is sensitive to the concerns of the middle class...