Budget 2018-19

  PM Modi was addressing a public meeting after inaugurating the Rs 8,600-crore Gorakhpur fertiliser factory Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday reached out to farmers, claiming the Centre had insulated them from the sudden spurt in international fertiliser and urea prices by providing subsidies worth Rs 76,000 crore. Addressing a public meeting after inaugurating the Rs 8,600-crore  Gorakhpur fertiliser factory , Modi said soil nutrients NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium) and urea accounted for central subsidies worth Rs 43,000 crore and Rs 33,000 crore, respectively this year. “Since our government is pro-farmer, we decided not to pass on the impact of higher prices of fertilisers to farmers. While the global prices are ruling at Rs 60-65 per kg, the prices for our farmers are 10-12 times cheaper,” he said. Sharpening his attack on the Opposition, he equated the red caps worn by  Samajwadi Party  workers with laal batti (red beacons) that suggest a hunger f...

  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 @...

  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 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...

  According to reports, Modi is likely to take the vaccine in the second phase when it is the turn of front-line workers to get the shot India reached the 1-million mark in Covid vaccinations within six days of the exercise as the government stepped up measures to encourage people to take the jab and tackle vaccine hesitancy — from updating the CoWIN application to roping in health experts with vaccine safety messages. Sources said the government may also sign up celebrities to drive home the message of vaccine safety. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also interact with the beneficiaries and vaccinators in Varanasi on Friday via videoconference to share their first-hand experience. According to reports, Modi is likely to take the vaccine in the second phase when it is the turn of front-line workers to get the shot. CMs and MPs over 50 years of age could also be added to this list. Among adverse events, one hospitalisation was reported in Udaipur in Rajasthan where a health worker ...

From Rahul Gandhi calling Congress-BJP contest as Pandava-Kaurava battle to Urjit Patel offering to make RBI Neelkantha of Indian banking's Samudra Manthan, leaders are resorting to myths too often While Congress President Rahul Gandhi recently referred to his party's contest with the Bharatiya Janata Party as being like the Kurukshetra battle between the Pandavas and Kauravas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier termed his critics as Shalya. Similarly, while Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel recently said the Samudra Manthan required to cleanse the Indian banking system would also need a Neelakantha to swallow the poison so that the larger economy could avail of the benefits of the nectar that would follow, his deputy Viral acharya had earlier said the Indian banking system needed a Sudarshan Chakra more than an Indradhanush. A K Bhattacharya reads into these allusions and their implied meanings and assesses what else these might mean in the light o...