by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : As the BJP-led Central government completed four years in office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said development has become a vibrant mass movement and he will continue to serve the people as it is always “India First” for him.
“On this day in 2014, we began our journey of working towards India’s transformation,” said Modi.
Modi took oath as the Prime Minister on May 26, 2014.
“Over the last four years, development has become a vibrant mass movement, with every citizen feeling involved in India’s growth trajectory, 125 crore Indians are taking India to great heights!” Modi said in a series of tweets.
In another tweet, he thanked the people and said: “I bow to my fellow citizens for their unwavering faith in our government.”
“This support and affection is the biggest source of motivation and strength for the entire Government. We will continue to serve the people of India with the same vigour and dedication,” the Prime Minister said.
Modi also appreciated his government for taking people-friendly decisions and said, “For us, it is always India First.”
“With the best intent and complete integrity, we have taken futuristic and people-friendly decisions that are laying the foundations of a new India. ‘Saaf Niyat Sahi Vikas’ (clean intention, perfect development),” he said, adding the government is gaining confidence of people.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Business Summit, Corporate, Corporate Governance, Events, News, Politics, Social Round-up
Santiniketan : The Prime Ministers of India and Bangladesh on Friday discussed a number of bilateral issues, including security and politics, in the sylvan surroundings of the Visva-Bharati University here founded by Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore – the composer of both countries’ national anthems.
The half-hour talks were preceded by two events – the 49th convocation of the university, as also the inauguration of the Bangladesh Bhawan on its campus by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina.
The two leaders, accompanied by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, spent over three hours at this campus housing the university and located in Birbhum sub-division of West Bengal’s Birbhum district, 160 km from Kolkata.
Modi set the tone for the talks during his address at the inauguration of the Bhawan, when he remarked that the two countries have scripted the golden chapter in their relations over the past few years.
He mentioned the Land Boundary Agreement and the resolution of the sea border dispute, saying “complex bilateral issues which seemed impossible to be resolved even some time back, have been solved now. In roads, rail, waterways, coastal shipping, we are moving fast in the areas of connectivity.”
On the other hand, Hasina paid glowing tributes to India, and its then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for its role during her Bangladesh’s liberation struggle, and the shelter that she provided to her after the assassination of her father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman – the leader of the Bangladesh liberation war and first president of independent Bangladesh.
She also expressed happiness over the two countries implementing the LBA, after the Indian parliament “unanimously passed the bill concerned”, and thanked Modi and Banerjee.
Asked about the talks at the Bangladesh Bhawan after the inauguration ceremony, a Bangladesh minister said bilateral issues were discussed.
“I was not there when they held the talks. But, suffice to say bilateral issues, issues related to regional security and politics were discussed,” said Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed Shahriar Alam.
On Hasina seeking cooperation from everybody to put pressure on Myanmar to take back the 1.1 million Rohingya refugees, who have taken shelter in Bangladesh, he said his country was on the “same page” with India on the issue.
Alam referred to the assurances from Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during her visit to Myanmar and said “she articulated India’s views so that the Rohingya refugees could return safely and in a dignified manner”.
He said track two dialogue was on regarding the Teesta water sharing issue.
Earlier, during her speech at the Bangladesh Bhawan, Hasina did not mention the contentious Teesta water sharing issue, but hoped that the two countries will be able to resolve all their problems amicably.
“We always want to walk together as neighbours. There can be issues between neighbouring countries,” she said in the presence of Banerjee, known for her firm opposition to the treaty.
“We have resolved many issues. Maybe there are a few left. I don’t want to raise the issue and spoil this beautiful function. But I do hope whatever the problem is, it can be solved amicably,” Hasina said.
Both Modi and Hasina repeatedly referred to the shared cultural ties between the two nations, with Tagore coming up repeatedly in their speeches.
Modi thanked Hasina for building the Bangladesh Bhavan here, and said India on its part was renovating the Kuthibari – the house of Tagore – in Kushthia district of Bangladesh.
Praising Hasina and the people of Bangladesh “from my heart”, Modi referred to the country launching its first satellite ‘Bangabandhu’.
He said India was now using space technology to improve the standard of living of the poor and introduce more transparency and exuded confidence the sector will open new vistas of cooperation with Bangladesh.
Averring that the constant connect between him and Hasina was giving a further momentum to the bilateral relations, Modi also referred to challenges like climate change.
“Climate change is before us, if the burning sun is a challenge for us it can also be of advantage to us. PM Hasina has come up with a vision of ‘power for all’ by 2021, while in India we have set up a target of electricity to every home by next year.”
Comparing the journey of development of the two countries to a beautiful garland with which both are attached, Modi said: “In the last few years the eternal truth emerged before us is that the friendship between India and Bangladesh is must for progress, prosperity, peace and stability, happiness and cooperation.”
Banerjee expressed her government’s desire to build a Bangabandhu Bhavan in the memory of Mujibur Rahman.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Governance, News, Politics
Venkaiah Naidu
Agartala : Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday said that the GST and demonetisation were “revolutionary steps” taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, adding that many international institutions were highly appreciative of India’s growth.
“With the introduction of GST (Goods and Services Tax) and demonetisation, the Prime Minister took revolutionary steps. The GST revenue in April has crossed Rs 1.4 lakh crore, indicating high hopes for the new tax regime,” Naidu said in his convocation address at the Tripura University here.
He said: “Due to such reforms,India’s growth was projected around 9 per cent in 2022. Now is the era of LPG — Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation. The mantra of our Prime Minister is Reform, Perform and Transform.”
Asking the students to learn and promote their mother tongue, the Vice-President said that if they wanted to go abroad they should study there but return to India to enrich its human resource.
“For higher education and any other purposes, English is not necessary. Respect your mother, mother tongue and motherland. British cheated our minds. People of many countries do not speak English. You can learn English, but not at the cost of your mother tongue.”
“Do not celebrate any festival in memory of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Respect and celebrate the real “guru” (teacher) of your life. Don’t always go for Google search, replace Google by “guru.”
He also emphasised that horticulture, floriculture and cultivation of medicinal plants could hold great prospects for northeastern states.
The 11th convocation of the Tripura University was held after five years. As many as 142 scholars received Ph.D. degrees and around 400 students from many streams received gold and silver medals.
Vice-Chancellor Anjan Kumar Ghosh said that since 2015, the central varsity had decided to admit international students.
“Nearly a dozeen students from Bangladesh applied online and were admitted to various programmes. Now, students from Bangladesh are joining our Ph.D courses,” he added.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi : In a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the resignation of Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa ahead of the trust vote, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday termed him “corruption” and that Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and the RSS considered no institution “worthy of respect”.
Addressing the media here shortly after Yeddyurappa’s resignation, he said the Congress will work with other opposition parties to defeat the BJP in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Gandhi said Modi’s model of leadership is not that of democratic person but that of a dictator and “even Supreme Court knows that”.
Accusing Modi of promoting corruption in Karnataka to gain support for the BJP, which had emerged the single-largest party amid split verdict in by the May 12 assembly election, he cited attempts at horse-trading, including purported telephonic conversations of some BJP leaders to get support of Congress and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) legislators, who formed a post-poll coalition.
People saw “how the Prime Minister authorised directly buying MLAs in Karnataka from our party and from the JD-S”, he said, adding Modi’s talks of fighting corruption are a “blatant lie”.
“He is corruption. He is doing everything to subvert this nation and he is doing it across the board. There are phone conversations of MLAs being approached for purchase by the BJP and that was directly authorised from Delhi,” he said.
He alleged that RSS, the BJP’s ideological patron, wants to capture every institution “and that is what we are fighting” and will “work with the opposition to defeat the BJP”.
He hoped that the BJP and RSS will learn a lesson from the developments in Karnataka where Governor Vajubhai Vala had invited the BJP to form government, “that the institutions of this country, the will of the people of this country cannot be disrespected”.
The Congress had moved the Supreme Court following th3e Governor inviting Yeddyurappa to form government and giving him 15 days to prove majority. The apex court had slashed the time for trust vote and fixed it for Saturday.
Contending that the Prime Minister is not bigger than people of India, the Supreme Court or members of parliament and assemblies, Gandhi said: “I am doubtful that Prime Minister will understand that because he had been trained throughout his life by the RSS never to respect another institution except the RSS. But that is the message that people of Karnataka and the people of India have given to the Prime Minister.”
“I am very proud to say that they have been shown that in India, power is not everything, money is not everything, corruption is not everything. In India, the will of the people is everything. We have explained to the people in the BJP and the RSS that there are limits to your arrogance, there are limits to how you are trying to run this country,” he said.
Accusing Modi, Amit Shah and RSS of believing “that every institution can be destroyed”, he said:
“You can disrespect anybody in this country simply because you happen to be in power? And the BJP and the RSS does it again and again. That there is no institution in this country that is worthy of the respect of the Prime Minister, Amit Shah and the RSS.”
He also accused the BJP of disrespecting the proceedings of the Karnataka Assembly, saying the national anthem was not played after Yeddyurappa announced his resignation and the BJP legislators and the Pro-tem Speaker left the house. “In a way, this is what we are fighting today… The idea that you can rubbish every single institution in this country.”
Asked if the state Governor should resign, Gandhi said the power was completely controlled by the Prime Minister and the RSS. “So, it is a good idea to resign, but I can guarantee you that, under the BJP regime, the next man will do exactly the same thing,” he said.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Governance
Bhubaneswar : Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to establish a dedicated Defence Industry Corridor and Aeronautical University in the state.
In a letter to Modi, Patnaik said Odisha provides a comprehensive ecosystem and state-of-the-art industrial infrastructure facilities for indigenous design, development, and manufacturing in defence and aerospace sector.
Odisha is the largest producer of steel, stainless steel, and aluminium in the country with the availability of defence and aerospace grade products from the mother plants of the SAIL, the Tata Steel, the Hindalco industries and the NALCO, he added.
Patnaik also mentioned the existing manufacturing, O&M, testing and research ecosystem in the form of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) Aero Engine Facility at Koraput, the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, the DRDO Laboratory at Balasore and the Ordnance Factory at Bolangir.
He further added that Odisha has more than 100,000 acres of industrial land bank and dedicated industrial region to support downstream industries in aerospace and defence sector.
The Chief Minister also mentioned about the large pool of skilled manpower and presence of national institutes of higher learning such as IIT, NIT, IIM, IIIT, NISER, and XIMB.
“The state is also in advanced stages of promulgating a dedicated defence and aerospace manufacturing policy to promote cluster based development of the industry. In view of these unique advantages in the state, the overall cost of production of defence and aerospace products would be very clearly competitive,” Patnaik wrote in the letter.
Patnaik requested to set up a dedicated defence industry corridor in the state and aeronautical university in collaboration with the HAL.
“The Odisha Government will ensure unmatched facilitation support for quick and successful establishment of both the Defence Industry Corridor and Aeronautical University in the state,” the Chief Minister said.
—IANS
