Urban Development Minister Shri Venkaiah Naidu says Urban Renaissance is on in India, Even as the Country is on a move Towards Unprecedented Development 

Says Modi Government wants a shift from Populism to Peoplism 

The Minister for Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Information & Broadcasting Shri Venkaiah Naidu says urban renaissance is taking place in India now as the country is on move now towards unprecedented development. He was addressing a conference on Smart and Livable Cities at the Vibrant Gujarat Summit in Gandhinagar, Gujarat today. He said, even while government focuses on urban development, as about 65% of GDP comes from cities being engines of growth, it wants to benefit poor in the process. In the initial stage government identified 100 cities. Developmental work in sixty of them, including in Ahmedabad and Surat is going on at a fast pace now. He said Ahmedabad with an AA rating and Surat also with high ranking have already put Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV) in place for taking forward this work.  He said work is also expected to begin soon in four more cities in Gujarat including in Gandhinagar and Vadodara. The minister said that work on the 1st phase of Metro rail project in Ahmedabad, which would be of about 32 kms, is in full swing with an investment of about 11 thousand crore rupees. It is expected to be completed by 2018. Presently in 31 cities with over 20 lakh population, the metro rail projects are being implemented and cities with over 10 lakh population will be taken up later.  Shri Naidu said his government in future would also like select 500 more cities with populations over one lakh people under smart city programme. He said for such a programme to continue without any hindrances, the government had adopted the system of having the SPV system, for which an allocation of Rs 500 crores was made. The idea is to provide people in every city with better facilities- including clean water, power and better traffic management among others. He also referred to Schemes of AMRUT cities named after former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Heritage cities.

 

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Shri Naidu said that the Prime Minister is not for freebies and he wants ‘peoplism’ - better life to people, instead of populism. He said Gujarat model had been unique in this respect and all other states including Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are adopting such developmental models now. He said the focus is on Infrastructure development now with an aim to transform urban landscape with introduction of metro rail, BRTs and separate Cycling tracks etc. He said, Shri Narendra Modi also intends to bring in a behavioural change among people and adopt a path of inclusive growth through various policies like Make in India, Digital India and Clean India, among others. He pointed out that aspects like the propagation of ideas like beti bachao and the voluntary surrender of LPG gas cylinders by over one crore thirty lakh people are all bringing in a psychological transformation in our society.

 Shri Naidu referring to de-notification of Rs. 500 and Rs. 100 currency notes has said that it is like a bitter pill for tackling some ills of our society. He described this measure as a radical transformative measure. He said people have shown monumental resilience in the face of this challenge taken up by the Prime Minister against the black money. The minister expects this measure to lead to identification of those who deposited the black money leading to increased tax base.

 Shri Naidu said that the Prime Minister is preparing people for a massive transformation. The announcements by Shri Narendra Modi on interest rebates for housing loans and recent lowering of interest rates by banks are expected to lead to everyone owning a house by 2022.

 Pointing out that most economies have a downtrend currently and India is said to be the only bright spot. He said every rating agency including Moody’s is rating India very high now.   He invited Global investors to make more investments in Gujarat which is a powerhouse of economic growth and in other states of India. He said Gujarat is very peaceful and conducive for investments and it also evinces energy, motivation and inspiration as great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Morarji Desai and Shri Narendra Modi are from this land he added.

56.6% Growth in Foreign Tourists Arrival on E-Tourist Visa in December 2016 over the same period in 2015 

UK continues to occupy Top Slot followed by USA and Russian Fed amongst Countries availing E-Tourist Visa facility during December 2016 

A total of  1,62,250 foreign tourists arrived in December  2016 on e-Tourist Visa as compared to 1,03,617 during the month of December 2015 registering a growth of 56.6%. UK (22.4%) continues to occupy top slot followed by USA (16.4%) and Russian Fed (7.7%) amongst countries availing e-tourist visa facility During December 2016.

 

The facility of e-Visa has been made available by the Government of India to the citizens of 161 countries, arriving at 16 International Airports in India. The number of e-Tourist Visa availed by foreign tourists visiting India during the month of December, 2016 has registered a substantial growth rate over the corresponding month of 2015. The salient highlights of e-Tourist Visa for and upto the month of December, 2016 are as follows:-

 

(i)                 During the month of December 2016 a total of 1,62,250 foreign tourists arrived on e-Tourist Visa as compared to 1,03,617 during the month of December, 2015 registering a growth of 56.6%.

 

(ii)                  During January- December 2016, a total of 10,79,696 tourist arrived on e-Tourist Visa as compared to 4,45,300 during January-December 2015, registering a growth of  142.5% .

 

(iii)             This high growth may be attributed to introduction of e-Tourist Visa for 161 countries as against the earlier coverage of 113 countries.

 

(iv)             The percentage shares of  top 10 source countries availing e-Tourist Visa facilities  during  December, 2016  were as follows:

 

         UK (22.4%), USA (16.4%), Russian Fed (7.7%), China (5.3%), Australia (4.6%), France (4.1%), Germany (4.0%), South Africa (3.7%), Canada (3.7%) and Republic of Korea (2.0%).

 

(v)               The percentage shares of top 10 ports in tourist arrivals on e-Tourist Visa during  December, 2016  were as follows:-

 

New Delhi Airport (36.6%), Mumbai Airport (23.1%), Dabolim (Goa) Airport (13.6%), Chennai Airport (6.0%), Bengaluru Airport (5.1%),Kochi Airport (4.7%), Kolkata Airport (2.5%), Hyderabad Airport (2.4%), Trivandrum Airport (1.9%) and Ahmadabad Airport (1.7%).

 

*****

Meeting of Consultative Committee of Parliament of Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment held 

The Meeting of Consultative Committee of Parliament of Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) on the scheme of “Accessible India Campaign” held here today under the chairmanship of the Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot. The Minister of State Shri Ramdas Athawale and Shri Krishan Pal Gujjar were also present.

 

In his Address, Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot said that Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) was created on 12th May 2012. Persons with Disabilities are now being addressed as Divyangjan. The Department is responsible for administration of Person with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995. According to Census 2011, there are 2.68 crore Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) who constitute 2.21% of the total population of our country.   He said that the Prime Minister on 3rd December 2015 launched ‘Accessible India Campaign’ for creating universal accessibility for person with disabilities in built Environment, Transport System and Information & Communication Technology (ICT) eco-system. The Philosophy behind the campaign is the social model of disability, which proposes that what makes someone disabled, is not their medical condition, but the structure and attitude of the society.

 

The Strategy Paper of the campaign has been prepared and after consultation with various stakeholders defining key targets and their timeline as below. The Revised time lines given by co-ordination committed is given below:-

 

1.      Accessibility of Built up Environment: (i) Completing accessibility audit of 25-50 most important government buildings in 50 cities and making  them fully accessible in Phase-I by July 2016, (December 2017), (ii) Making 50% of all the government buildings of National Capital and all the State capitals fully accessible by Phase-II by July 2018, (December 2018), (iii) Completing accessibility audit of 50% of government buildings and making them fully accessible  in 10 most important cities/towns of States not covered in targets (i) and (ii) by Phase-III July 2019, (December 2019).

2.      Transport System Accessibility: (i) Completing accessibility audit of all the international airport and making them fully accessible by December 2016. (ii) Completing accessibility audit of all the domestic airports and making them fully accessible by March 2018. (iii) A1, A&B categories of railway stations to be made fully accessible by December 2016 and 50% of all railway stations to be made fully accessible by March 2018 (iv) 10% of Government owned public transport carries are to be made fully accessible by March 2018.

3.      Accessibility of Knowledge and ICT Eco-system: (i) At least 50% of Central and State Government websites are to meet accessibility standards by March 2017. At least 50% of public documents are to meet accessibility standard by March 2018. (ii) Training and developing 200 additional sign language interpreters by March 2018. (iii) Public television news- National standards on captioning and sing-language interpretation are to be created and adopted by July 2016. At least 25% of public television programmes on government channels are to comply with the standards by March 2018.

 

The Members of Parliaments who attended the meeting include: Dr. (Smt.) Mamtaz Sanghamita, Smt. Sakuntala Laguri, Shri Vinod Chavda, Shri Virender Kashyap (All Lok Sabha) and Shri Ahamed Hassan, Shri K.Somaprasad (All Rajya Sabha). Secretary, DEPwD, Ministry of SJ&E Shri N.S. Kang and senior officers of the Ministry were present in the meeting.

 

*****

Shri Gadkari Exhorts NGOs and the Public to participate in making Indian Roads Safe 

The Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Shri Nitin Gadkari has said that his Ministry would give a grant of upto Rs 2 lakh to NGOs to take up road safety activities. Addressing the national meet of NGOs working on road safety issues in New Delhi today, Shri Gadkari said   that citizen participation is most essential for making roads safe. He exhorted NGOs to create awareness about traffic rules and other road safety issues among the general public . He also called upon them to help the local MPs in identifying accident black spots in their constituencies and take steps to rectify them.

About 170 NGOs from all over the country  met in the capital today to deliberate upon  various aspects and issues relating to road safety. There was a brief presentation on the occasion to highlight the rather grim road safety scenario in the country. There were presentations and discussions on various engineering solutions to road safety and the initiatives being taken in this direction, motor vehicle engineering to ensure safety on roads and also effective trauma care. The role of NGOs in spreading public awareness about road safety issues and their participation in other road safety activities was also discussed in detail. The NGOs then shared their field experiences and suggestions with the forum.

The meet was part of the ongoing activities to mark the 28th Road Safety Week being observed by the Ministry from 9th to 15th January 2017, with the objective of spreading awareness about the issue. 

 

***

Minister of Railways Invites Non Railways StakeHolders to the Roundtable Discussion on Environment and Housekeeping Issues of Indian Railways 

Ministry of Railways organized a Roundtable discussion today i.e. 11.01.17 (Wednesday) inviting various non-railway stakeholders on Environmental and Housekeeping Issues. Minister for Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu was the Chief Guest and Minister of State for Railways Shri Rajen Gohain was the Guest of Honour. Chairman, Railway Board, Shri A. K. Mital, Member Rolling Stock, Railway Board Shri Ravindra Gupta, other Railway Board Members and senior officials were also present on the occasion at Rail Bhawan. Over 50 experts and professionals from various organizations like The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI), Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SHAKTI), Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL), Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Council for Energy Environment and Water (CEEW), RITES, World Resources Institute (WRI), Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), De3lhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), Triveni, in the relevant domain participated in the discussion and provided valuable inputs towards Indian Railways’ current programme and initiatives in the field of Environment and Housekeeping.

 

l2017011196845.jpg

 

Speaking at the Roundtable discussions, Minister of Railways, Shri Suresh Prabhu said that as a modern responsive organisation we cannot afford to work in isolation and we must tune ourselves to emerging trends in our economy and society. Roundtable discussions with external stakeholders will help in gaining perspectives, exchange knowledge and improving our workings. Managing operations with sustaining environment is a challenge, he added.

 Shri Prabhu also said that Ministry of Railways is working on mainstreaming sustainability in our strategy. Having set up a separate Directorate for Environment, it is no more a peripheral activity, and now integrated with and complements the core activity. Land use optimization, afforestation, water bodies restoration, cleanliness are just some of the activities that the Railways are working on to ensure sustainability. Ministry of Railways is giving a big push to use renewable energy, electrification for ensuring sustainability and cost efficiency. He also expressed pleasure in interacting with representatives of various organisations: Government organisations, NGOs, think tanks, etc

 Minister of State Shri Rajen Gohain said that Railway is the most environment friendly modes of transport. We are conscious of green issues and taking measures to go green wherever possible.

 Background:

Indian Railways, the lifeline of the country, carrying 23 million passengers every day is the largest passenger carrying system in the world.  Indian Railways is also the largest consumers of water as well as electricity. It is also considered as the “Green Transporter” due to reduced Greenhouse Gas emissions.

 In order to endorse its commitment towards environment protection, a Round Table discussion has been held by the newly created Environment Directorate of Railways with various stakeholders involved in Environment and Housekeeping issues of Indian Railways. The key programmes under the Environment & Sustainability initiatives of Indian Railways were put forth before non-railway stakeholders consisting of Environment bodies, Water NGOs and NGOs working in the field of Housekeeping and cleanliness to seek valuable inputs on these initiatives.

 The key programmes under the Environment & Sustainability initiatives of Indian Railways  are Energy conservation measures, Water Management, Automatic Coach Washing Plants, Solid Waste Management, Green Buildings, Use of Renewable Energy Resources, Afforestation and meeting INDC targets.

 Indian Railways has taken a series of steps to improve Station Cleanliness like Environment & Housekeeping Directorate set up at Board for focused planning & monitoring, Advised Zonal Railway to go for Integrated Housekeeping Contracts, Provision of increased number of Dustbins, Streamlining of Collection & disposal of Garbage from Trains, construction of more toilets at Railway Stations, Enforcement of Penalties under Anti-Littering Rules 2012, Use of CCTV for monitoring cleanliness work at Major stations and streamlining of station/division level service improvement groups.

 Indian Railways has also taken a series of steps to improve Train Cleanliness with introduction of different apps like “Clean my Coach” already introduced in 700 trains, On Board Housekeeping Service extended to about 750 Mail/Express trains, Clean Train Station, Mechanized cleaning of trains, Mechanized laundry, Integrated Pest & Rodent Control for Trains, Depots and Stations, Proliferation of Bio-toilets in Passenger Coaches to eliminate open discharge from Train and making Green Sections.

 ***

AKS/MKV/AK

Global Crude oil price of Indian Basket was US$ 53.22 per bbl on 10.01.2017 

The international crude oil price of Indian Basket as computed/published today by Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas was US$ 53.22 per barrel (bbl) on 10.01.2017. This was lower than the price of US$ 54.64 per bbl on previous publishing day of 09.01.2017.

In rupee terms, the price of Indian Basket decreased to Rs. 3622.66 per bbl on 10.01.2017 as compared to Rs. 3725.39 per bbl on 09.01.2017. Rupee closed stronger at Rs. 68.06 per US$ on 10.01.2017 as compared to Rs. 68.19 per US$ on 09.01.2017. The table below gives details in this regard:

Particulars     

Unit

Price on January 10, 2017 (Previous trading day i.e. 09.01.2017)                                                                  

Pricing Fortnight for 01.01.2017

(Dec 14, 2016 to Dec 28, 2016)

Crude Oil (Indian Basket)

($/bbl)

                  53.22              (54.64)        

53.05

(Rs/bbl

                 3622.66       (3725.39)       

3599.97

Exchange Rate

  (Rs/$)

                  68.06              (68.19)

   67.86

 

RG/SA/Daily Crude Oil Price

Regional conference of Labour Minister of Southern States held at Chennai

Regional Conference of State Labour Ministers and Principal Secretaries/Secretaries, Department of Labour of Southern States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telngana, Lashadweep and Puducherry was held under the chairmanship of Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Labour & Employment, Government of India, Shri Bandaru Dattatreyaji today at Chennai.

Shri Dattatreya said that Central Government is committed to inclusive growth where everyone, be it youth, women, rural poor, or minority backward class, should be made a stake holder and partner.

The Minister said that flagship programmes Make in India, Skilled India, Digital India have made the world to look at India positively.  Indian Labour market is becoming more vibrant and sought after Globally.  While tapping the resources, this Government is committed to Employment Generation and also to upgrade the status of work force of the country to make them more dignified, valued, financially sound with their safety as a priority.   

He elaborated the initiatives and reforms taken up by his government including the technology based initiatives such as Shram Suvidha Portal, NCS and UAN.  He expressed his happiness that the Southern States were willing and ready to join these initiatives.

Shri Dattatreya highlighted the recent initiatives/Schemes by Government such as PMRPY, the Ordinance for payment of wages, initiatives by MoLE in collaboration with States and Banks on financial inclusion of workers.

The day long conference consisted of four technical sessions on various legislative, administrative and technology based initiatives by the Ministry. The States welcomed the Central Government initiatives on Labour law reforms, technological interventions as well as the incentives related to the social security of the working class.    The sessions on Shram Suvidha Portal and NCS were very interactive with States showing keen interest to join these platforms. The discussions on Labour law reforms and Industrial relations and social security brought out specific area where States can collaborate with Central machinery for better results. Sharing of good practices by States was done on this occasion.

Shri Dattatreya in his concluding remarks, emphasised that Co-operative Federalism is a key vehicle to achieve rapid development in India. Strong states are the foundation of a strong India. He Congratulated States for their welfare measures and assured of every cooperation by the Central Government.  

****

On demonetization, Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley says that difficult decisions initially pass through difficult phases as historic decisions have temporary pain attached to them. Stressing the implementation of GST, FM says that most of the issues have been resolved; few critical issues are left which will be resolved in the next few weeks. 

The Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley reiterated the advantage of taking bold and courageous decisions to transform Indian economy. He said difficult decisions initially pass through difficult phases as historic decisions have temporary pain attached to them. Speaking about demonetization, Shri Jaitley said that India needs bold decisions as it is time now to clean up the table and demonetization is going to have an impact over the course of our present and future lives. Shri Jaitley was addressing a seminar on ‘GST: The game changer for Indian economy’ on the second day of vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar today.

Stressing the implementation of GST, FM said that most of the issues have been resolved; few critical issues are left which will be resolved in the next few weeks. He further added that GST Council is deliberative democracy in action and the impact of both GST and demonetization will be felt this year.

FM said, when GST merges all the taxes and makes India into one entity, it's an advantage to the assesse. Once the GST is implemented, the combination of a more digitized economy with a more efficient tax system will make India better. The Minister said that People want transparency. So, government is emphasizing on bringing transparency and elimination of discretion and Indian economy has opened up significantly in the last two years.

 About the Summit, Shri Jaitley said it has been branded as Vibrant Gujarat but it has become foremost economic conclave. It showcases both Indian economy and progress of Gujarat.

Shri Vijay Rupani, Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Nitin Patel, Dy. Chief Minister of Gujarat, Dr. Hasmukh Adhia, Revenue Secretary, Govt. of India, Shri Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure & Communities, Government of Canada were also present on the occasion.

 

*****

India-CERT Signs an MoU with US-CERT

 

India and USA have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT- In) under the Ministry of Electronics nd Information technology of the Government of India and the Department of Homeland Security, Government of the United States of America on cooperation in the field of cyber Security. The MoU was signed by Smt. Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Mr. Richard Verma, US Ambassador to India today.

 

The MoU intends to promote closer co-operation and the exchange of information pertaining to the Cyber Security in accordance with the relevant laws, rules and regulations of each economy and this Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and on the basis of equality, reciprocity and mutual benefit.

 

Earlier United States and India signed an MoU on 19th July, 2011 to promote a closer cooperation and timely exchange of information between the organizations of their respective Governments responsible for Cyber Security. Since, 19.07.2011 regular interactions between CERT-In and US CERT are taking place to share the information and discuss cyber security related issues.

 

In continuation to the cooperation in cyber security areas both have renewed the MOU.

 

NNK/MD

Curtain Raiser : DEFCOM – 2017

           

           A Curtain Raiser Ceremony for DEFCOM 2017 was held at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi today  wherein a Brochure on the theme, ‘Infrastructure and Skilled Human Resource for Digital Army’, was released by Lieutenant General Ashish Ranjan Prasad, Signal Officer-in-Chief and Senior Colonel Commandant, Corps of Signals. 

         

          The occasion was also graced by senior representatives of Indian Industry who are closely involved in shaping a strong, indigenous Defence Industrial Base for the Nation.  Addressing the esteemed gathering, Lieutenant General Ashish Ranjan Prasad brought out that the collaborative vision and spirit of DEFCOM 2017 should result in tangible outcomes in the form of a concerted National endeavor to equip the Network Centric ‘Digital Army’ capable of ‘Translating Information Superiority into Combat Power’ in times to come. 

 

          Mr Kiran KarnikChairman CII National Committee on Telecom and Broadband and CII National Mission on Digital India lauded the stellar role of DEFCOM in evolving the operational communication ‘Information-Structures’ for the Army.   

         

          DEFCOM 2017, an annual seminar organised jointly by the Corps of Signals of Indian Army and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is scheduled to be held on 23 and 24 March 2017 at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.  DEFCOM is the most seminal forum for interaction between the officers of the Armed Forces, Indian Industry, Academia and R&D organisations on matters related to operational communication systems for the Army. 

 

        

Col Rohan Anand, SM

PRO (Army)

Ministery of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare taken Steps to Promote Cashless Transactions 

Awards to be given to the Institutes/ KVKs/ Universities for Cashless Transactions under specific time limits 

Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has taken several decisions to promote cashless transactions in the entire country. It was decided in the meeting of higher officers of DARE/ ICAR in Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare that awards will be given to the Institutes/ KVKs/ Universities for cashless transactions under specific time limits.

Ministry has decided that award of Rs. 5 lakh meant for ICAR and a sum of Rs. 1 lakh to KVK will be given for achieving 100% cashless in a week. Similarly, ICAR will be bestowed upon Rs. 3 lakh and KVK Rs. 50,000 in the form of incentives on achieving 100% cashless within two weeks and similarly for cashless within a span of 3 weeks, ICAR will be awarded Rs. 2 lakh and KVK Rs. 25,000 as prize.

******

 

India and Israel committed to strengthen bilateral relations in the field of Agriculture

 

Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, Shri Radha Mohan Singh today met Israeli delegation led by the Agriculture and Rural Development Minister of Israel, Shri Uri Ariel to discuss issues relating to bilateral cooperation in agriculture between India and Israel.   Both sides expressed satisfaction over the progress made in cooperation in the agriculture and allied sectors between the two countries.

Both sides expressed their commitment to further strengthen bilateral relations   in the field of Agriculture which is manifested by the fact that the third phase of Action Plan for 2015-18 in the field of Horticulture has recently been finalized by the two countries.  Under this program, as many as 27 Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in the cultivation of various fruits and vegetables, in 21 states, are being set up, out of which 15 CoEs are complete.

Further, both sides expressed the hope that while continuing the two countries could embark upon newer areas of cooperation at the Government to Government and Business to Business levels between the two countries so as to further enhance the relationship.

 

SS

Two-day Digidhan Mela inaugurated in Guwahati

 

The Assam Chief Minister Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh and Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju inaugurated the Digidhan Mela organized in Guwahati today. The two-day Digidhan Mela is being organised with an aim to enable citizens and merchants to familiarize and adopt real time digital transactions.

 

On the occasion, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal launched “Toka Paisa” e-wallet for initiative towards cashless economy. The Mela is being organized by the Government of Assam in collaboration with IT Department and NITI Aayog.

 

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that demonetisation is a courageous decision taken by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The demonetisation decision has been taken in the interest of the poorest of the poor in the country, he added.   He also said that the North East Region has taken steps in the direction of cashless transactions after the demonetisation decision. The tea garden labourers are very happy to get exact wages without any cut in their earnings and they are happy to adopt cashless economy.  The cashless economy will also help to improve social behaviour as well as the economic management in the country, he said.

 

Shri Kiren Rijiju said that India is transforming and converting to digital transactions. The North East Region must give a hand to transforming India and for the development of nation. He said that the Digidhan Mela being organized in Assam is a historic movement in the North East Region along with entire India.

 

The Adviser to NITI Aayog, Shri Jitendra Kumar said the cashless transactions improve our economy and make it stronger. The Digidhan Mela will help motivate the common man towards cashless transactions.

 

More than a hundred stalls have been set-up by various Government departments, 
banks, mobile wallet operators and other vendors. The stalls have been set up to educate people about the cashless transactions and to help them undertake digital transactions.

 

The State Government has organized an online contest to encourage the local community participation in the overall initiative on digital payment in the following categories: 


 (i) Slogan: Prize Money (1st prize: Rs.10,000/-, 2nd prize: Rs.7,500/-, 3rd prize: Rs.5,000/-)

(ii) Audio Jingle: Prize Money (1st prize: Rs.50,000/-, 2nd prize: Rs.30,000/-, 3rd prize: Rs.25,000/-)

(iii) Digital Poster: Prize Money (1st prize: Rs.50,000/-, 2nd prize: Rs.30,000/-, 3rd prize: Rs.25,000/-)

***

KSD/MM/NK/PK/KM 

General Election to Legislative Assemblies of Goa, Punjab, Manipur, Uttarakhand & Uttar Pradesh 2017-Allotment of Broadcast/Telecast time to National/State Political Parties -regarding. 

A copy of the Order No.437/TA-LA/2017/Communication, dated 11th January, 2017 issued by the Commission regarding allotment of Broadcast/Telecast time to National/State political parties in the General Election to Legislative Assemblies of Goa, Punjab, Manipur, Uttarakhand & Uttar Pradesh 2017 is enclosed for the information of the general public.

 

Election Commission of India

New Delhi, 11 January, 2017

 

RM//RS

 

 

ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA

Nirvachan Sadan, Ashoka Road, New Delhi-110001

 

No. 437/TA-LA/2017/Communication                                             Dated: 11th January, 2017

 

ORDER

 

            At the time of General Elections to the Lok Sabha in 1998, a new initiative for State funding of recognized political parties through free use of the State owned Television and Radio was introduced under directions of the Commission vide its Order, dated 16th January, 1998. The said scheme was subsequently extended in all the General Elections to the State Assemblies held after 1998 and General Elections to the Lok Sabha in 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014.

           

With the amendments to the Representation of People Act, 1951 vide "Election and Other Related Laws (Amendment) Act, 2003" and the rules notified thereunder, equitable time sharing for campaigning by recognized political parties on electronic media now has statutory basis. In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (a) of the Explanation below section 39A of the Representation of People Act, 1951, the Central Government has notified all such broadcasting media which are owned or controlled or financed wholly or substantially by funds provided to them by the Central Government as the electronic media for the purposes of that section. Therefore, the Commission has decided to extend the said scheme of equitable time sharing on electronic media through Prasar Bharati Corporation to the ensuing General Election to the State Legislative Assemblies of Goa, Punjab, Manipur, Uttarakhand & Uttar Pradesh -2017.

           

The facilities of use of broadcast time and telecast time will be available only to ‘National Parties’ and ‘Recognized State Parties’ in respect of Goa, Punjab, Manipur, Uttarakhand & Uttar Pradesh.

 

THE SALIENT FEATURES OF THE SCHEME ARE AS FOLLOWS:

 

1.         The facilities will be available from the Regional Kendra of the All India Radio and Doordarshan and in the headquarters of Goa, Punjab, Manipur, Uttarakhand & Uttar Pradesh and relayed by other stations within the above mentioned States/UTs.

 

Time allotted for Telecast/Broadcast:

 

2.         A base time of 45 minutes will be given to each National Party and Recognized State Party (recognized in respect of Goa, Punjab, Manipur, Uttarakhand & Uttar Pradesh) uniformly on the Regional Kendras of Doordarshan network and All India Radio network in the above mentioned States/UTs.

 

3.         The additional time to be allotted to the parties has been decided on the basis of the poll performance of the parties in the last assembly election from the respective above mentioned States/UTs.

 

4.         In a single session of broadcast, no party will be allocated more than 15 minutes.

 

Date of Telecast/Broadcast:

 

5.         The period of broadcast and telecast will be between the last date of filing the nominations for the first phase of poll and two days before the date of poll (in each phase) in the respective of above mentioned States/UTs.

 

6.         The Prasar Bharati Corporation in consultation with the Commission will decide the actual date and time for broadcast and telecast. This will be subject to the broad technical constraints governing the actual time of transmission available with the Doordarshan and All India Radio.

 

            Submission of Transcripts in advance:

 

7.         The guidelines prescribed by the Commission for telecast and broadcast will be strictly followed. The parties will be required to submit transcripts and recording in advance. The parties can get this recorded at their own cost in studios, which meet the technical standards prescribed by the Prasar Bharati Corporation or at the Doordarshan/All India Radio Kendra. They can, in the alternative, have these recorded in the studios of Doordarshan and All India Radio by advance requests. In such cases, the recordings may be done at the State Capital and at timings indicated by Doordarshan/All India Radio in advance.

 

            Panel Discussions and Debate:

 

8.         In addition to the broadcast by parties, the Prasar Bharati Corporation will organize a maximum of two panel discussions and/or debates on the Kendra/Station of Doordarshan/All India Radio. Each eligible party can nominate one representative to such a programme.

 

9.         The Election Commission of India will approve the names of coordinators for such panel discussions and debates in consultation with the Prasar Bharati Corporation.

 

            Guidelines for observance in Telecasts/Broadcasts:

 

10.       The telecasts/broadcasts on Doordarshan/AIR will not permit:

 

a)         Criticism of other countries;

b)         Attack on religions or communities;

c)         anything obscene or defamatory;

d)         incitement of violence;

e)         anything amounting to contempt of court;

f)         aspersion against the integrity of the President and Judiciary;

g)         anything affecting the unity, socereignty and integrity of the Nation;

h)         any criticism by name of any person;

 

Time Vouchers for Parties:-

 

11.       will be available in the denomination of 5 minutes with one voucher having time allotment from 1 to 4 minutes and the parties will be free to combine them suitably. The allotment of time to different political parties is given in a statement enclosed herewith.

 

By order,

 

 

 

(Dhirendra Ojha)

Director

 

GENERAL ELECTION TO

THE STATE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF GOA 2017

 

Time available to National Parties on

Regional Kendras/State Capital Kendras of Doordarshan/All India Radio

 

Name of State

Name of National/ State Party

Total time allotted in minutes for

No. of Time Vouchers issued for

 

 

Broadcast

Telecast

Broadcast

Telecast

GOA

AITC

53

53

10 (5 minutes each) +1 (3 minute)

10 (5 minutes each) +1 (3 minute)

BJP

205

205

41 (5 minutes each)

41 (5 minutes each)

BSP

45

45

9 (5 minutes each)

9 (5 minutes each)

 

CPI

45

45

9 (5 minutes each)

9 (5 minutes each)

CPI (M)

45

45

9 (5 minutes each)

9 (5 minutes each)

INC

187

187

37 (5 minutes each) +1 (2 minutes)

37 (5 minutes each) +1 (2 minutes)

NCP

64

64

12 (5 minutes each) +1 (4 minutes)

12 (5 minutes each) +1 (4 minutes)

MG

76

76

15 (5 minutes each) +1 (1 minutes)

15 (5 minutes each) +1 (1 minutes)

Total

720

720

720

720

 

GENERAL ELECTION TO

THE STATE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANIPUR 2017

 

Time available to National Parties on

Regional Kendras/State Capital Kendras of Doordarshan/All India Radio

 

Name of State

Name of National/ State Party

Total time allotted in minutes for

No. of Time Vouchers issued for

 

 

Broadcast

Telecast

Broadcast

Telecast

MANIPUR

AITC

129

129

25 (5 minutes each) +1 (4 minute)

25 (5 minutes each) +1 (4 minute)

BJP

55

55

11 (5 minutes each)

11 (5 minutes each)

BSP

45

45

9 (5 minutes each)

9 (5 minutes each)

 

CPI

74

74

14 (5 minutes each) + 1 (4 minutes)

14 (5 minutes each) + 1 (4 minutes)

CPI (M)

45

45

9 (5 minutes each)

9 (5 minutes each)

 

INC

254

254

50 (5 minutes each) +1 (4 minutes)

50 (5 minutes each) +1 (4 minutes)

NCP

81

81

16 (5 minutes each) +1 (1 minutes)

16 (5 minutes each) +1 (1 minutes)

NPF

82

82

16 (5 minutes each) +1 (2 minutes each)

16 (5 minutes each) +1 (2 minutes)

PDA

45

45

9 (5 minutes each)

9 (5 minutes each)

 

Total

810

810

810

810

 


 

GENERAL ELECTION TO

THE STATE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF PUNJAB 2017

 

Time available to National Parties on

Regional Kendras/State Capital Kendras of Doordarshan/All India Radio

 

Name of State

Name of National/ State Party

Total time allotted in minutes for

No. of Time Vouchers issued for

 

 

Broadcast

Telecast

Broadcast

Telecast

PUNJAB

AITC

45

45

9 (5 minutes each)

9 (5 minutes each)

 

BJP

78

78

15 (5 minutes each) + 1 (3 minutes)

15 (5 minutes each) + 1 (3 minutes)

BSP

65

65

13 (5 minutes each)

13 (5 minutes each)

 

CPI

49

49

9 (5 minutes each) + 1 (4 minutes)

9 (5 minutes each) + 1 (4 minutes)

CPI (M)

46

46

9 (5 minutes each) + 1 (1 minutes)

9 (5 minutes each) + 1 (1 minutes)

INC

231

231

46 (5 minutes each) +1 (1 minutes)

46 (5 minutes each) +1 (1 minutes)

NCP

45

45

9 (5 minutes each)

9 (5 minutes each)

 

AAP

45

45

9 (5 minutes each)

9 (5 minutes each)

 

SAD

206

206

41 (5 minutes each) +1 (1 minutes)

41 (5 minutes each) +1 (1 minutes)

Total

810

810

810

810

 


GENERAL ELECTION TO

THE STATE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF UTTARAKHAND 2017

 

Time available to National Parties on

Regional Kendras/State Capital Kendras of Doordarshan/All India Radio

 

Name of State

Name of National/ State Party

Total time allotted in minutes for

No. of Time Vouchers issued for

 

 

Broadcast

Telecast

Broadcast

Telecast

UTTARA-KHAND

AITC

45

45

9 (5 minutes each)

9 (5 minutes each)

 

BJP

176

176

35 (5 minutes each) + 1 (1 minutes)

35 (5 minutes each) + 1 (1 minutes)

BSP

93

93

18 (5 minutes each) + 1 (3 minutes)

18 (5 minutes each) + 1 (3 minutes)

CPI

46

46

9 (5 minutes each) + 1 (1 minutes)

9 (5 minutes each) + 1 (1 minutes)

CPI (M)

46

46

9 (5 minutes each) + 1 (1 minutes)

9 (5 minutes each) + 1 (1 minutes)

INC

178

178

35 (5 minutes each) + 1 (3 minutes)

35 (5 minutes each) + 1 (3 minutes)

NCP

46

46

9 (5 minutes each) + 1 (1 minutes)

9 (5 minutes each) + 1 (1 minutes)

Total

630

630

630

630

 


 

GENERAL ELECTION TO

THE STATE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF UTTAR PRADESH 2017

 

Time available to National Parties on

Regional Kendras/State Capital Kendras of Doordarshan/All India Radio

 

Name of State

Name of National/ State Party

Total time allotted in minutes for

No. of Time Vouchers issued for

 

 

Broadcast

Telecast

Broadcast

Telecast

UTTAR PRADESH

AITC

47

47

9 (5 minutes each) + 1 (2 minutes)

9 (5 minutes each) + 1 (2 minutes)

BJP

117

117

23 (5 minutes each) + 1 (2 minutes)

23 (5 minutes each) + 1 (2 minutes)

BSP

169

169

33 (5 minutes each) + 1 (4 minutes)

33 (5 minutes each) + 1 (4 minutes)

CPI

46

46

9 (5 minutes each) + 1 (1 minutes)

9 (5 minutes each) + 1 (1 minutes)

CPI (M)

45

45

9 (5 minutes each)

9 (5 minutes each)

 

INC

101

101

20 (5 minutes each) +1 (1 minutes)

20 (5 minutes each) +1 (1 minutes)

NCP

47

47

9 (5 minutes each) + 1 (2 minutes)

9 (5 minutes each) + 1 (2 minutes)

RLD

56

56

11 (5 minutes each) +1 (1 minutes)

11 (5 minutes each) +1 (1 minutes)

SP

184

184

36 (5 minutes each) +1 (4 minutes)

36 (5 minutes each) +1 (4 minutes)

Total

812

812

812

812

 


LIST OF POLITICAL PARTIES (GOA, MANIPUR,

PUNJAB, UTTARAKHAND & UTTAR PRADESH)

 

Sl.No.

Abbreviation

Status

Name of Party

1

AITC

National Party

All India Trinamool Congress

2

BSP

National Party

Bahujan Samaj Party

3

BJP

National Party

Bharatiya Janata Party

4

CPI

National Party

Communist Party of India

5

CPI (M)

National Party

Communist Party of India (Marxist)

6

INC

National Party

Indian National Congress

7

NCP

National Party

Nationalist Congress Party

8

MG

State Party

Maharashtrawadi Gomantak

9

NPF

State Party

Naga Peoples Front

10

PDA

State Party

Progressive Democratic Alliance

11

AAP

State Party

Aam Aadmi Party

12

SAD

State Party

Shiromani Akali Dal

13

RLD

State Party

Rashtriya Lok Dal

14

SP

State Party

Samajwadi Party

 

 

Text of PM's statement to media, during the joint media briefing with President of Kenya

 

 

Your Excellency, President Uhuru Kenyatta, 
Distinguished delegates,
 
Members of the Media,
 
Friends,
 

Exactly six months ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Kenya. President Kenyatta and the people of Kenya received me with great warmth and genuine affection. And, today I am delighted to welcome President Kenyatta and his delegation in India. The close association between our two countries is, of course, much older. India and Kenya fought together against colonialism. Just last month, President Kenyatta recognized the contribution of Makhan Singh, an Indian born trade union leader, joining hands with his Kenyan brothers to help overthrow the colonial order in Kenya. Common belief in democratic values, our shared developmental priorities and the warm currents of the Indian Ocean bind our societies.
 

Friends,
 

In our discussions today, President and I reviewed the full range of our relationship. During my visit to Kenya last year, we had identified deepening of economic cooperation as one of the key focus areas of our efforts. In this context, expansion of bilateral trade, greater flow of capital between two economies, and stronger developmental partnership are a priority. Yesterday, President Kenyatta led a strong and high level delegation to the eighth Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit. Your participation in Vibrant Gujarat has generated a strong interest in Indian businesses to connect with commercial and investment opportunities in Kenya. We want, and will encourage, industry and business in both countries to take lead in exploiting opportunities in healthcare, tourism, information technology, agriculture, blue economy and energy. The Joint Business Council meeting tomorrow will work to build commercial engagement through specific projects in these areas. To boost trade, we are also cooperating on trade facilitation measures, including standardization and related areas. Broad based and wide ranging cooperation in agriculture and food security is our shared priority. We are collaborating to raise agricultural productivity in Kenya. The Line of Credit Agreement of $100 million signed for agricultural mechanisation today would open a new dimension of engagement. Long term arrangement with Kenya for production and import of pulses is being explored and discussed. We would also be happy to share best practises in organic farming with Kenyan farmers. In the health sector, Bhabhatron machine has been delivered to the Kenyatta National Hospital for cancer treatment. Related capacity building of the Kenyan doctors is being undertaken under our India Africa Forum Summit initiative. Partnership in Education is creating new connections between our people. We have a strong relationship with the University of Nairobi, where a Chair for Indian Studies has been established by ICCR, and renovation of its library is also being undertaken with Indian assistance. On energy, we value Kenya's support to the International Solar Alliance, and our joint efforts to harness the energy of the sun to power our economic growth.
 

Friends,
 

The challenges in the Maritime domain are a shared concern. But we would also explore opportunities in blue economy. We are focused on quick operationalization of our defence cooperation. Some of the specific areas of priority would be hydrography, communications networks, anti-piracy, capacity building, exchanges and defence medical cooperation. We are also partnering to strengthen our security cooperation and capacities. In this context, we have directed the Joint Working Group to meet early. It would focus on cyber security, counter terrorism, combating drugs, narcotics, human trafficking and money laundering.
 

Friends,
 

The large Indian-origin community of Kenya is a vital and energetic link between us. I have discussed with President Kenyatta ways to engage them with our trade, investments and cultural exchanges. In our meeting last year, President and I had also agreed to accord close and personal supervision of the implementation of our decisions. We need to ensure its continuing rigour .
 

Excellency,
 

Once again, on behalf of the people of India and on my own behalf, I thank you for accepting our invitation and honouring us with your presence, both in Gujarat and in Delhi.
 

Thank You.
 
Thank you very much.

12 jan

4 Day National Youth Festival with the theme Youth for Digital India begins at Rohtak, Haryana 

21st National Youth Festival with the theme “Youth for Digital India” begins in Rohtak, Haryana today. At the inaugural ceremony of the 4 day festival, the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed the Youths from across country who have come to Rohtak to participate in the event through video conference. The ceremony was inaugurated by Union Minister of state (I/C) for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Vijay Goel along with Chief Minister of Haryana Shri Manohar Lal. Sports Minister of Haryana Shri Anil Vij and several other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Vijay Goel paid glowing tributes to Swami Vivekanand and said since 1985 government of India is commemorating his birthday as National Youth Day as the life and teachings of Vivekananda is an inspiration for millions of Youth of this country. He said this year the theme of the Festival ‘Youth for Digital India’ reflects the most critical and crucial importance of the thrust accorded to the area of Digitalisation and Skill Development by Government of India and realise the proclaimed national goal for the PM’s vision of ‘Youth Led Development’.

He said that the Government under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has embarked on the mission of building a united, strong and modern India. ‘Digital India’ and skill India initiative seeks to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. Referring to the ban of currency notes of rupees 500 and 1000, the minister said that the decision was taken to eliminate black money, terror financing and fake currency. He said youth will play a crucial role in making India a less cash society by using digital mode of money transactions.

Shri Goel said the youth are indeed the most dynamic and vibrant segment of the population in any country. India is one of the youngest nations in the world, with about 28% population between 15 – 29 years of age group. He said, the Indian Youth have always been highly talented, hard-working and enterprising and therefore, the government wants participation of Youth in every aspect of country’s development through education and skill development. He urged the Youth of the Nation to strive and work endlessly in the process of nation building by following the path shown by Swami Vivekanand.

About 5000 participating youth delegates from different States/UTs will enrich their knowledge and exchange their experiences during the festival.

  A Defence exhibition with various aspects and initiatives of the defence forces, display of equipment and avenues for recruitment into Armed Forces is installed for the benefits of thousands of young participants in the festival. A performance on the life and ideology of Swami Vivekanand was highlight of the opening ceremony.  

During 13th to 16th January, 2017 the Festival will have a variety of cultural programmes (both competitive and non-competitive), Youth Convention, Suvichar (a lecture series), Exhibitions and adventure programmes, Hasya Kavi Sammelan, Haryanavi Nights etc. followed by Cultural Evening by Hansraj Hans and Raftaar.

***

AD/MB

MoUs worth Rs. 8,835 crore signed in textile sector during Vibrant Gujarat 2017 

Textile story of Gujarat has just begun: Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani 

Huge possibilities in Textile education in Gujarat: Union Textiles Minister 

Union Textiles Minister Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani said that given the entrepreneurial spirit of Gujaratis & the investment inflow, the textile story of Gujarat has just begun. She said that as an area with one of the largest concentrations of textiles in India, Gujarat is a one-point sourcing hub for all kinds of textiles. The Minister also said that there are huge possibilities in textile education in Gujarat. She said that the skill development programme in textile sector conducted at 28 ITIs of Gujarat running the Textiles courses has recorded a placement figure of 75%. The Minister said that two major institutes of Gujarat, namely, NIFT and NID, and various engineering colleges offer degrees in textile technology, textile processing and textile engineering. Smt. Irani was addressing the 'Make in Gujarat' theme seminar on “Trends & Innovation impacting the Textile Value Chain”, at Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in Gandhinagar, Gujarat today. 

The Minister witnessed signing of MoUs worth Rs. 8,835 crore in textile sector during the seminar.  MoUs have been signed in different sectors such as textile parks, textile processing, machinery, carpet development, etc. The Textiles Minister said that Gujarat produces 29% of India’s total cotton production; she said this indicates the trust of textile industries in the prospects of the state. Smt. Irani assured the support of her Ministry to the development of the textile value chain of Gujarat and to explore possibilities in technical textiles and research.

Shri Jayesh Radadiya, Minister of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Cottages Industry, Printing and Stationery, Government of Gujarat; Dr. Kavita Gupta, Textile Commissioner, Government of India; Shri Shishir Jaipuria, Chairman, FICCI Textile Committee; Smt. Sunaina Tomar, Principal Secretary, Education Department, Government of Gujarat and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.

 

http://pibphoto.nic.in/documents/rlink/2017/jan/i201711201.jpg 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

***

Consumer Price Index Numbers on Base 2012=100 For Rural, Urban and Combined for the Month of December 2016 

The Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has revised the Base Year of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) from 2010=100 to 2012=100 with effect from the release of indices for the month of January 2015.

2.         In this press note, the CPI (Rural, Urban, Combined) on Base 2012=100 is being released for the month of December 2016. In addition to this, Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) for all India Rural, Urban and Combined are also being released for December 2016. All India Inflation rates (on point to point basis i.e. current month over same month of last year, i.e., December 2016 over December 2015), based on General Indices and CFPIs are given as follows:

All India Inflation rates (%) based on CPI (General) and CFPI

Indices

December 2016 (Prov.)

November 2016 (Final)

December 2015 (Final)

Rural

Urban

Combd.

Rural

Urban

Combd.

Rural

Urban

Combd.

CPI (General)

3.83

2.90

3.41

4.13

3.13

3.63

6.32

4.73

5.61

CFPI

2.06

0.15

1.37

2.79

0.75

2.03

6.41

6.31

6.40

Notes: Prov.  – Provisional, Combd. - Combined

3.         Monthly changes in the General Indices and CFPIs are given below:

Monthly changes (%) in All India CPI (General) and CFPI: Dec. 2016 over Nov. 2016

Indices

Rural

Urban

Combined

Index Value

% Change

Index Value

% Change

Index Value

% Change

Dec.16

Nov.16

Dec.16

Nov.16

Dec.16

Nov.16

CPI (General)

132.8

133.6

-0.60

127.6

128.5

-0.70

130.4

131.2

-0.61

CFPI

133.9

136.1

-1.62

131.6

134.7

-2.30

133.1

135.6

-1.84

Note: Figures of December 2016 are provisional.

4.         Provisional indices for the month of December 2016 and also the final indices for November 2016 are being released with this note for all-India and for State/UTs. All-India provisional General (all-groups), Group and Sub-group level CPI and CFPI numbers for December 2016 for Rural, Urban and Combined are given in Annexure I. The inflation rates of important categories of items are given in Annexure II. State/UT wise provisional General CPI numbers for Rural, Urban and Combined are given in Annexure III. Inflation rates of major States, having population more than 50 lakhs as per population Census 2011, are given in Annexure IV. State/UT–wise Group CPIs are available on the Ministry’s website (www.mospi.gov.in).

5.         Price data are collected from selected towns by the Field Operations Division of NSSO and from selected villages by the Department of Posts. Price data are received through web portals, maintained by the National Informatics Centre.

Next date of release:  13th February 2017 (Monday) for January 2017.                    


Annexure I

All India Consumer Price Indices

(Base: 2012=100)

Group Code

Sub-group Code

Description

Rural

Urban

Combined

Weights

Nov. 16 Index
(Final)

Dec. 16 Index
(Prov.)

Weights

Nov. 16 Index
(Final)

Dec. 16 Index
(Prov.)

Weights

Nov. 16 Index
(Final)

Dec. 16 Index
(Prov.)

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

(10)

(11)

(12)

 

1.1.01

Cereals and products

12.35

132.0

132.6

6.59

130.2

131.6

9.67

131.4

132.3

 

1.1.02

Meat and fish

4.38

137.4

137.5

2.73

138.5

138.2

3.61

137.8

137.7

 

1.1.03

Egg

0.49

130.6

131.5

0.36

134.1

134.9

0.43

132.0

132.8

 

1.1.04

Milk and products

7.72

136.2

136.3

5.33

132.9

133.1

6.61

135.0

135.1

 

1.1.05

Oils and fats

4.21

121.1

121.6

2.81

112.6

113.5

3.56

118.0

118.6

 

1.1.06

Fruits

2.88

136.9

135.4

2.90

130.8

129.3

2.89

134.1

132.6

 

1.1.07

Vegetables

7.46

141.8

127.4

4.41

142.0

121.1

6.04

141.9

125.3

 

1.1.08

Pulses and products

2.95

170.0

168.0

1.73

174.9

170.3

2.38

171.7

168.8

 

1.1.09

Sugar and Confectionery

1.70

113.4

113.9

0.97

115.6

115.5

1.36

114.1

114.4

 

1.1.10

Spices

3.11

136.8

137.4

1.79

145.4

145.5

2.50

139.7

140.1

 

1.2.11

Non-alcoholic beverages

1.37

128.7

129.1

1.13

122.7

123.1

1.26

126.2

126.6

 

1.1.12

Prepared meals, snacks, sweets etc.

5.56

143.1

143.6

5.54

140.3

140.9

5.55

141.8

142.3

1

 

Food and beverages

54.18

136.6

134.7

36.29

135.2

132.8

45.86

136.1

134.0

2

 

Pan, tobacco and intoxicants

3.26

141.2

142.4

1.36

144.3

145.0

2.38

142.0

143.1

 

3.1.01

Clothing

6.32

139.9

140.4

4.72

129.6

130.0

5.58

135.8

136.3

 

3.1.02

Footwear

1.04

134.5

135.2

0.85

122.1

122.2

0.95

129.3

129.8

3

 

Clothing and footwear

7.36

139.2

139.6

5.57

128.5

128.8

6.53

135.0

135.3

4

 

Housing

-

-

-

21.67

129.1

128.5

10.07

129.1

128.5

5

 

Fuel and light

7.94

130.3

132.0

5.58

116.2

117.8

6.84

125.0

126.6

 

6.1.01

Household goods and services

3.75

132.1

132.8

3.87

124.7

125.0

3.80

128.6

129.1

 

6.1.02

Health

6.83

129.1

129.6

4.81

122.1

122.3

5.89

126.4

126.8

 

6.1.03

Transport and communication

7.60

118.2

118.6

9.73

113.4

113.7

8.59

115.7

116.0

 

6.1.04

Recreation and amusement

1.37

126.9

127.3

2.04

121.7

121.8

1.68

124.0

124.2

 

6.1.05

Education

3.46

133.7

134.3

5.62

132.1

132.3

4.46

132.8

133.1

 

6.1.06

Personal care and effects

4.25

123.5

121.8

3.47

121.3

119.9

3.89

122.6

121.0

6

 

Miscellaneous

27.26

126.1

126.2

29.53

121.3

121.4

28.32

123.8

123.9

General Index (All Groups)

100.00

133.6

132.8

100.00

128.5

127.6

100.00

131.2

130.4

Consumer Food Price Index

47.25

136.1

133.9

29.62

134.7

131.6

39.06

135.6

133.1

Notes:

1.                  Prov.   : Provisional.

2.                  -           : CPI (Rural) for housing is not compiled.

3.                   The weights are indicative to show relative importance of groups and sub-groups. However, all India indices have been compiled as weighted average of State indices.


Annexure II

All India annual inflation rates (%) for December 2016 (Provisional)

(Base: 2012=100)

Group Code

Sub-group Code

Description

Rural

Urban

Combined

 

Dec. 15 Index
(Final)

Dec. 16

Index
(Prov.)

Inflation Rate
(%)

Dec. 15 Index
(Final)

Dec. 16

Index
(Prov.)

Inflation Rate
(%)

Dec. 15 Index
(Final)

Dec. 16

Index
(Prov.)

Inflation Rate
(%)

 

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

(10)

(11)

(12)

 

 

1.1.01

Cereals and products

126.3

132.6

4.99

124.3

131.6

5.87

125.7

132.3

5.25

 

 

1.1.02

Meat and fish

131.3

137.5

4.72

131.7

138.2

4.94

131.4

137.7

4.79

 

 

1.1.03

Egg

123.3

131.5

6.65

127.1

134.9

6.14

124.8

132.8

6.41

 

 

1.1.04

Milk and products

129.8

136.3

5.01

128.6

133.1

3.50

129.4

135.1

4.40

 

 

1.1.05

Oils and fats

118.3

121.6

2.79

110.0

113.5

3.18

115.3

118.6

2.86

 

 

1.1.06

Fruits

131.6

135.4

2.89

120.8

129.3

7.04

126.6

132.6

4.74

 

 

1.1.07

Vegetables

145.5

127.4

-12.44

149.0

121.1

-18.72

146.7

125.3

-14.59

 

 

1.1.08

Pulses and products

162.1

168.0

3.64

190.1

170.3

-10.42

171.5

168.8

-1.57

 

 

1.1.09

Sugar and Confectionery

95.4

113.9

19.39

92.7

115.5

24.60

94.5

114.4

21.06

 

 

1.1.10

Spices

128.9

137.4

6.59

138.6

145.5

4.98

132.1

140.1

6.06

 

 

1.2.11

Non-alcoholic beverages

123.3

129.1

4.70

120.2

123.1

2.41

122.0

126.6

3.77

 

 

1.1.12

Prepared meals, snacks, sweets etc.

135.1

143.6

6.29

134.2

140.9

4.99

134.7

142.3

5.64

 

1

 

Food and beverages

131.4

134.7

2.51

131.5

132.8

0.99

131.4

134.0

1.98

 

2

 

Pan, tobacco and intoxicants

133.1

142.4

6.99

138.2

145.0

4.92

134.5

143.1

6.39

 

 

3.1.01

Clothing

132.5

140.4

5.96

125.4

130.0

3.67

129.7

136.3

5.09

 

 

3.1.02

Footwear

128.5

135.2

5.21

119.5

122.2

2.26

124.8

129.8

4.01

 

3

 

Clothing and footwear

131.9

139.6

5.84

124.5

128.8

3.45

129.0

135.3

4.88

 

4

 

Housing

-

-

-

122.4

128.5

4.98

122.4

128.5

4.98

 

5

 

Fuel and light

125.7

132.0

5.01

116.0

117.8

1.55

122.0

126.6

3.77

 

 

6.1.01

Household goods and services

126.0

132.8

5.40

121.0

125.0

3.31

123.6

129.1

4.45

 

 

6.1.02

Health

123.1

129.6

5.28

118.6

122.3

3.12

121.4

126.8

4.45

 

 

6.1.03

Transport and communication

114.0

118.6

4.04

109.3

113.7

4.03

111.5

116.0

4.04

 

 

6.1.04

Recreation and amusement

121.6

127.3

4.69

118.1

121.8

3.13

119.6

124.2

3.85

 

 

6.1.05

Education

125.6

134.3

6.93

126.6

132.3

4.50

126.2

133.1

5.47

 

 

6.1.06

Personal care and effects

114.1

121.8

6.75

113.2

119.9

5.92

113.7

121.0

6.42

 

6

 

Miscellaneous

119.8

126.2

5.34

116.7

121.4

4.03

118.3

123.9

4.73

 

General Index (All Groups)

127.9

132.8

3.83

124.0

127.6

2.90

126.1

130.4

3.41

 

Consumer Food Price Index

131.2

133.9

2.06

131.4

131.6

0.15

131.3

133.1

1.37

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes:

1.                   Prov.   : Provisional.

2.                   -           : CPI (Rural) for housing is not compiled.

 

 

Annexure III

State/UT wise General Consumer Price Indices

(Base: 2012=100)

State/UT Code

Name of the State/UT

Rural

Urban

Combined

Weights

Nov. 16 Index
(Final)

Dec. 16 Index
(Prov.)

Weights

Nov. 16 Index
(Final)

Dec. 16 Index
(Prov.)

Weights

Nov. 16 Index
(Final)

Dec. 16 Index
(Prov.)

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

(10)

(11)

01

Jammu & Kashmir

1.14

134.5

137.6

0.72

125.2

125.4

0.94

131.2

133.3

02

Himachal Pradesh

1.03

134.0

134.3

0.26

124.9

124.1

0.67

132.4

132.5

03

Punjab

3.31

129.8

129.0

3.09

126.7

125.5

3.21

128.4

127.4

04

Chandigarh

0.02

143.7

140.6

0.34

125.6

124.6

0.17

126.6

125.5

05

Uttarakhand

1.06

128.7

127.8

0.73

121.9

120.0

0.91

126.2

124.9

06

Haryana

3.30

131.4

131.1

3.35

124.5

123.8

3.32

128.2

127.7

07

Delhi

0.28

129.3

130.0

5.64

131.1

129.4

2.77

131.0

129.4

08

Rajasthan

6.63

135.7

135.0

4.23

130.3

129.6

5.51

133.8

133.1

09

Uttar Pradesh

14.83

131.7

130.1

9.54

128.9

127.6

12.37

130.7

129.2

10

Bihar

8.21

135.4

134.6

1.62

127.3

126.9

5.14

134.2

133.5

11

Sikkim

0.06

140.4

140.5

0.03

134.4

134.2

0.05

138.4

138.4

12

Arunachal Pradesh

0.14

140.8

140.1

0.06

--

--

0.10

--

--

13

Nagaland

0.14

142.9

141.9

0.12

129.0

129.3

0.13

137.0

136.5

14

Manipur

0.23

133.6

139.8

0.12

127.3

127.2

0.18

131.6

135.8

15

Mizoram

0.07

132.9

133.5

0.13

124.7

124.2

0.10

127.9

127.8

16

Tripura

0.35

139.9

139.8

0.14

134.7

133.6

0.25

138.6

138.2

17

Meghalaya

0.28

134.6

134.7

0.15

124.8

125.0

0.22

131.6

131.7

18

Assam

2.63

129.6

128.5

0.79

128.0

126.5

1.77

129.3

128.1

19

West Bengal

6.99

133.7

132.3

7.20

129.2

127.4

7.09

131.6

130.0

20

Jharkhand

1.96

138.1

136.9

1.39

127.8

126.1

1.69

134.2

132.8

21

Odisha

2.93

138.5

136.2

1.31

126.9

126.2

2.18

135.3

133.4

22

Chhattisgarh

1.68

138.3

136.4

1.22

127.2

125.7

1.46

134.0

132.3

23

Madhya Pradesh

4.93

129.9

129.4

3.97

128.6

127.2

4.48

129.4

128.5

24

Gujarat

4.54

135.8

134.8

6.82

125.1

123.4

5.60

129.7

128.3

25

Daman & Diu

0.02

147.4

149.9

0.02

128.7

127.4

0.02

139.6

140.5

26

Dadra & Nagar Haveli

0.02

136.1

133.5

0.04

124.7

124.5

0.03

128.5

127.5

27

Maharashtra

8.25

134.6

134.0

18.86

124.8

124.4

13.18

128.1

127.6

28

Andhra Pradesh

5.40

136.6

136.3

3.64

131.4

130.4

4.58

134.7

134.1

29

Karnataka

5.09

134.2

134.2

6.81

134.8

134.6

5.89

134.5

134.4

30

Goa

0.14

142.9

142.4

0.25

126.0

126.2

0.19

132.5

132.5

31

Lakshadweep

0.01

133.1

130.6

0.01

113.7

111.4

0.01

123.2

120.8

32

Kerala

5.50

130.8

130.7

3.46

131.1

130.9

4.55

130.9

130.8

33

Tamil Nadu

5.55

131.0

131.0

9.20

130.9

131.0

7.25

130.9

131.0

34

Puducherry

0.08

137.5

135.2

0.27

129.1

129.4

0.17

131.2

130.9

35

Andaman & Nicobar Islands

0.05

136.7

138.8

0.07

125.9

126.4

0.06

131.2

132.5

36

Telangana

3.16

134.7

134.3

4.41

130.4

129.6

3.74

132.3

131.7

99

All India

100.00

133.6

132.8

100.00

128.5

127.6

100.00

131.2

130.4

Notes: 

1.         Prov.   :  Provisional.

       2.         --         :  indicates the receipt of price schedules is less than 80% of allocated schedules and therefore indices are not compiled.

 

Annexure IV

Major State/UT wise annual inflation rates (%) for December 2016 (Provisional)

(Base: 2012=100)

State/UT Code

Name of the State/UT

Rural

Urban

Combined

Dec. 15 Index
(Final)

Dec. 16

Index
(Prov.)

Inflation Rate
(%)

Dec. 15 Index
(Final)

Dec. 16

Index
(Prov.)

Inflation Rate
(%)

Dec. 15 Index
(Final)

Dec. 16

Index
(Prov.)

Inflation Rate
(%)

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

(10)

(11)

01

Jammu & Kashmir

125.8

137.6

9.38

121.9

125.4

2.87

124.4

133.3

7.15

02

Himachal Pradesh

126.4

134.3

6.25

118.9

124.1

4.37

125.0

132.5

6.00

03

Punjab

122.8

129.0

5.05

121.4

125.5

3.38

122.2

127.4

4.26

05

Uttarakhand

122.8

127.8

4.07

117.7

120.0

1.95

120.9

124.9

3.31

06

Haryana

124.1

131.1

5.64

120.5

123.8

2.74

122.4

127.7

4.33

07

Delhi

121.2

130.0

7.26

122.5

129.4

5.63

122.4

129.4

5.72

08

Rajasthan

128.3

135.0

5.22

124.7

129.6

3.93

127.0

133.1

4.80

09

Uttar Pradesh

126.2

130.1

3.09

124.6

127.6

2.41

125.6

129.2

2.87

10

Bihar

130.0

134.6

3.54

124.1

126.9

2.26

129.1

133.5

3.41

18

Assam

126.2

128.5

1.82

123.7

126.5

2.26

125.7

128.1

1.91

19

West Bengal

125.5

132.3

5.42

123.0

127.4

3.58

124.3

130.0

4.59

20

Jharkhand

129.2

136.9

5.96

121.7

126.1

3.62

126.3

132.8

5.15

21

Odisha

132.9

136.2

2.48

123.0

126.2

2.60

130.1

133.4

2.54

22

Chhattisgarh

134.9

136.4

1.11

122.8

125.7

2.36

130.2

132.3

1.61

23

Madhya Pradesh

126.1

129.4

2.62

124.1

127.2

2.50

125.3

128.5

2.55

24

Gujarat

128.5

134.8

4.90

121.0

123.4

1.98

124.3

128.3

3.22

27

Maharashtra

128.6

134.0

4.20

120.9

124.4

2.89

123.5

127.6

3.32

28

Andhra Pradesh

132.5

136.3

2.87

128.2

130.4

1.72

130.9

134.1

2.44

29

Karnataka

131.6

134.2

1.98

130.4

134.6

3.22

131.0

134.4

2.60

32

Kerala

125.6

130.7

4.06

127.2

130.9

2.91

126.2

130.8

3.65

33

Tamil Nadu

129.3

131.0

1.31

128.9

131.0

1.63

129.1

131.0

1.47

36

Telangana

125.8

134.3

6.76

124.9

129.6

3.76

125.3

131.7

5.11

99

All India

127.9

132.8

3.83

124.0

127.6

2.90

126.1

130.4

3.41

Notes: 

1.      Prov.         :  Provisional.

 

 

Law Commission denies hiring of Law Firms 

The Law Commission of India has noted that certain newspapers and e-magazines are carrying news items which suggest the commission is hiring law firms to pursue the work assigned to it. The Commission would like to clarify that several advocates, research associates, academic institutions, faculty members of law schools, et al, approach the Commission from time to time with a request to get associated with the Commission and submit working papers on the subjects under its consideration.

 

The Commission operates according to its mandate and as per para 5 of the terms of reference, the Commission is expected to “develop partnership network with reputed law universities / law schools and policy research institutions in the country.” In view of this, the Commission is always open to accept any academic work from such institutions, in relation to the study undertaken by it. However, such an understanding with any research institution will in no way mean that the Commission is hiring any third party to perform its functions. The Commission also clarifies that it has not assigned any of its project to anyone. Therefore, the news articles stating that the Commission has hired anyone to perform its duties are incorrect and baseless.

 

NNK/MD

Demonetization resulted in decline in Terror Funding, Hawala Trade, Human Trafficking, says Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad 

Union Law, Justice and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Thursday said the government’s November 8 decision of demonetization had resulted in sharp decline in terror funding,  hawala trade, supari killings and human trafficking, particularly of young girls as sex slaves, mainly from Nepal and the North East.

Indicating that the government would not hesitate to take steps to widen the tax base, he said that development was not possible without enlarging the tax kitty. ``There is only about Rs.  Five lakh crore in the kitty of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for development and it needs to grow,’’ he said.

 

Addressing a seminar, jointly organized by the Press Club of India, Indian Women Press Corps and the Supreme Court Lawyers’ Conference, he said that a new India, much stronger in its unity and integrity, was emerging, transcending the barriers of caste, creed and religion.

 

Former Chief Justice of India M. N. Venkatachaliah who presided over the seminar on Fundamental Duties and Economic and Judicial Reforms stressed upon social evolution and education of young minds who can build a better India.

 

``Every government comes and goes. Our government is transformative government and tools of technology are actively aiding the good governance. There are 110 crore Aadhar cards and 104 crore mobile connections today. Digital governance means faster delivery and even poor and illiterate people in rural areas are showing a new confidence in embracing the digital technology which has given a new vision of hope,’’ the Law and IT Minister said. He also cited examples of Imran Khan, a mathematics teacher from a school in Alwar, Rajasthan whose mobile apps had benefitted 40 lakh children and a woman  Satama Devi, a beedi worker from Telangana who had learnt how to use Skype to talk to her grandson in Dubai. ``People like these are change agents. They believe in this new fast emerging India,’’ he said.

 

Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad said that Aadhar enabled bank payments through smart phone would prove to be a ``game changer’’ and a tool of empowerment. He said that out of 125 crore people only 3.7 crore pay taxes and 99 lakh file Income Tax returns but have no taxable income, two crore people show annual income of Rs. 6 lakh and only 24 lakh have an annual income of Rs. 10 lakh and above.

 

Mr. Prasad, himself an activist during JP movement, said the present government has leaders who were all student activists from the days of Emergency and reiterated that the commitment of the government for independence of judiciary is complete.

Admitting that there were issues of infrastructure and judicial appointments, he said that 126 appointments in the higher judiciary were made in the past two years which was the highest since 1999. He said that 131 High Court judges had also been confirmed.

 

``There is meaningful cooperation between the government and the new Chief Justice of India Justice Khehar and all concerns of judiciary will be addressed,’’ he added. The Minister asserted that independence of judiciary and media and individual liberty was sacrosanct for the government. He said that accountability of political establishment was a positive feature of the democracy. ``The strength of democracy lies in bringing in positive changes like eliminating poll violence from Bihar by the efforts of the Election Commission,’’ he said.

 

The Law and IT Minister said that a panel, led by Justice Sri Krishna, had been set up to give a report within three months on making India a hub of arbitration.

Veteran Congress leader Dr. Karan Singh, former Lok Sabha Secretary General Subhash Kashyap, former Chief Election Commissioner S Y Qureshi, former BSF chief Prakash Singh, former Governor A R Kohli, IWPC President Sushma Ramachandran, lawyer-activist Ashok Arora  and PCI Secretary-General Vinay Kumar also participated in the seminar.

 

NNK/MD

 

38th Meeting of Tripartite Committee on Convention (COC) 

The 38th meeting of the Tripartite Committee on Convention (COC) was held, on 10thJanuary, 2017, at New Delhi, under the chairpersonship of Smt.  M. Sathiyavathi, Secretary, Union Ministry of Labour and Employment.  Representatives of Central Trade Unions, Employers’ Organizations, State Governments, Central Ministries, ILO and officers from the Ministry of Labour & Employment participated in the meeting.

Secretary (Labour & Employment) informed the Committee that Tripartism has been integral to labour policy processes in India.  COC has a specific mandate of discussing the progress made so far in ratification of International Labour Standards and recommending the future road map.

COC took stock of the progress made in respect of ILO Convention No. 138 regarding Minimum Age for Entry to Employment and Work, Convention No. 182, concerning Worst Forms of Child Labour, Convention No. 87 regarding Freedom of Association and protection of Rights, Convention No. 98 regarding Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining, Maritime Labour Convention 2006, Convention No. 185 regarding Seafarers’ Identify Document, Convention No. 187 regarding promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health, Convention No. 153 regarding Hours of work and Rest Periods in Road Transport and Report on the Working Group on Standard Review Mechanism. 

The Committee expressed satisfaction on the progress made in respect C 187, C 153 and India’s contribution to ILO’s work in the Standard Review Mechanism and also on the decision of the Government of India to ratify the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 and C 185. 

The Committee lauded the efforts taken by the Union Ministry of Labour & Employment relating to the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2016, which was passed by the Parliament in July, 2016. This Amendment Bill clearly stipulates total and complete prohibition on employment of children below 14 years and proposed more stringent punishments for violations.  Amendment bill seeks to ensure the Right of Children to schooling and learning. Amendment also prohibits Adolescents in the age group of 14-18 years of their employment in hazardous occupations and permits their engagement in only certain occupations to be specified in due course.  With this amendment, India is now close to ratifying the ILO Conventions C 138 and C 182, for which steps are already being taken by the Ministry of Labour & Employment. 

COC also decided to constitute a committee comprising of representatives from Union Ministry of Labour & Employment, Department of Personnel & Training and ILO, New Delhi Office to examine issues relating to ratification of C 87 regarding Freedom of Association and protection of rights, C 98 regarding Right to Organize and collective bargaining.

******

BCK/AK

MoS Shri Hansraj Gangaram Ahir reviews promotion of Sports in J&K

 

The Minister of State for Home Affairs Shri Hansraj Gangaram Ahir reviewed the promotion of different sports in Jammu and Kashmir with the State Sports Council here today.

 

Shri Ahir asked the Council to explore the possibility of accelerating the promotion of  various sports in the State. He mentioned that the sports icon and winners of different games should be encouraged by different sports associations, Council and the central and state authorities and possibility of prizes and other promotional facilities may be extended to the sports persons.

 

The MoS mentioned that, in addition to, the development of infrastructure in the form of playgrounds and indoor stadia, the Council should also provide sports equipment for the budding players from the state and the Ministry of Home Affairs will extend necessary assistance in this regard.

 

 

*****

Kalvari Class Submarines a Key Milestone in Self-Reliance and Indigenisation for Country: Dr Subhash Bhamre 

Submarine ‘Khanderi’ Launched 

 

Khanderi, the second of Indian Navy’s Scorpene’ class stealth submarine, was ‘launched’ today by the Hon’ble Raksha Rajya Mantri, Dr Subhash Bhamre paving the way for her sea trials. Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of the Naval Staff and a host of other dignitaries witnessed the launch at Mazagon Dock Shipyard Limited today.

The submarine is expected to be delivered to Navy by the year end. She has been christened after her illustrious predecessor, an erstwhile ‘Foxtrot’ class submarine decommissioned in 1989, which is as per the traditions of Indian Navy. The construction of six Scorpene submarines is presently being progressed at Mazagon Dock Shipyard Limited (MDL), under Project 75 with Transfer of Technology from M/s DCNS, France as the Collaborator. The first of the class submarine, Kalvari is presently undergoing sea trials and likely to be commissioned into Navy by Mid 2017. These submarines, post induction, would form the core of Navy’s conventional Submarine Arm.

Speaking on the occasion Dr Subhash Bhamre said that Project 75 Kalvari is a key milestone in self reliance and indigenisation for the country. Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of the Naval Staff said during his address that the fact that Submarine ‘’Khanderi” compares with the best in the world, speaks highly of the experience and expertise our shipbuilders have gained over the years. He added that as Indian Navy celebrates Golden Jubilee of the submarine arm in 2017, the induction of Project 75 submarines would mark the beginning of a new chapter in our submarine capabilities.

The launching of Khanderi also marks a critical milestone event for the Shipyard which earlier has delivered two Shishumar class submarines in the 90’s and has now strengthened its position as a submarine building yard for Indian Navy. Started as a small dry dock facility for East India Company, MDL today has established itself as a forefront Defence Public Sector Undertaking, with indigenous construction of several ships and submarines for Navy such as P 15 B Destroyers and P 17 A class stealth Frigates being the latest.

 *****

DKS/RS/SDR/NPV

The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa PVSM AVSM YSM VM ADC Flies MiG-21 Type-96 Solo at a Forward Base 

The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa is on a visit to Air Force Station, Utarlai from 12 to 14 January 2017. This is his first visit to a forward operational base as the Chief of the Air Staff.

The Air Chief Marshal flew MiG-21 Type-96 aircraft solo, which is the oldest fighter fleet in the IAF inventory. Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa flew the same type of aircraft during Kargil Operations and carried out many night strike missions in the mountainous terrain. He was awarded Yudh Sewa Medal for these gallant acts

He is visiting the forward air base in the western sector to assess operational readiness and review the morale of the personnel stationed there.

 

**********

Successful Test Firing of Guided Pinaka 

The Pinaka Rocket converted to a Guided Pinaka was successfully test-fired from Launch Complex-III, ITR, Chandipur today. The Pinaka Rocket Mark-II, which evolved from Pinaka Mark-I is equipped with a navigation, guidance and control kit and has been transformed to a Guided Pinaka.  This conversion has considerably enhanced the range and accuracy of Pinaka.  The test-firing has met all mission objectives. The radars, electro-optical and telemetry systems at Chandipur tracked and monitored the vehicle all through the flight-path.  The Guided Pinaka is developed jointly by ARDE Pune, RCI Hyderabad and DRDL Hyderabad. ITR Chandipur provided the range and launch support.

 

Dr. K.M. Rajan, Director ARDE, Pune, Shri B.H.V.S. Narayana Murthy, Director, RCI, Hyderabad, Dr. B.K. Das, Director, ITR, Chandipur and Shri R.  Appavuraj, Director, PXE, Chandipur monitored the launch operations. An Armed Forces team witnessed the flight test. Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy, SA to Raksha Mantri was present during the test firing.

 

Raksha Mantri, Shri Manohar Parrikar has congratulated the DRDO, industry and the Armed Forces for the successful flight-test. Shri P.K. Mehta, DG (ACE) and Dr. S. Christopher, Secretary, Deptt. of Defence R&D and Chairman, DRDO, also congratulated all the teams that participated in the successful test firing.

NW/RAJ

Festival of India to be Organised in Ghana from January 25 to March 16, 2017 

A Festival of India is being organised in Ghana from January 25 to March 16, 2017.  The activities of the Festival include amalgamation of Indian classical dances, Sufi & Folk Music, and Saptarang – confluence of seven classical dance forms culminating in Vande Matram.     

To complete the experience, a Food Festival, Yoga and Meditation, Film Festival will also be organised during the Festival.         

The Festival events are being showcased in four cities of Accra, Kumasi, Cape Coast, Takoradi in Ghana.

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Since 2014, a total amount of 409.06 lakh has been sanctioned for implementing the schemes on coconut in Bihar by the Coconut Development Board: Shri Radha Mohan Singh 

 

The Farmers Training Centre and Regional Office building will strengthen the coconut cultivation and industry in the State: Shri Singh

 

37th Foundation day of Coconut Development Board.

 

Shri Radha Mohan Singh said that Central Government is bound to promote the coconut cultivation and related activities in Bihar. Shri Singh told that since 2014 a total amount of Rs 409.06 lakhs has been sanctioned for implementing the schemes on Coconut cultivation in Bihar. Union Agriculture Minister said this on the occasion of Foundation Stone laying ceremony of Farmers Training Centre and Regional Office building at Patna on the 37th Foundation day of Coconut Development Board. Coconut Development Board was established on 12 January 1981.

 

Union Agriculture Minister told that Regional Office of the Coconut Development Board was shifted to Guwahati, Assam from Patna, Bihar on the basis of recommendations of a committee constituted under the chairmanship of ICAR in 2009. A central team was constituted by the Central Government focussing on the productivity of coconut in Bihar. This team has recommended to open a new and fourth Regional Office of the Board at Patna in place of State Centre Patna which was agreed upon by the Coconut Development Board in its 119th Board meeting held on 30.01.2015.

 

Shri Radha Mohan Singh also said that India is the global leader in production and productivity of coconut. Coconut is cultivated in 16 states and three union territories in an extent of 2.14 million ha. The crop sustains more than one crore farmer families of the country through cultivation, processing, marketing and trade related activities. In Bihar, Coconut is grown in 14,900 hectares producing 141.38 million nuts. 

 

Shri Singh said that Kosi region in North Bihar which comprises places on either sides of the Kosi river is suitable for coconut cultivation. It is estimated that nearly 50,000 hectares of potential area in Bihar is available for coconut cultivation, mainly in North Bihar under irrigated condition. Union Agriculture Minister said that CDB aims to equip the coconut farmers in production, processing, marketing and export of coconut and its value added products thus making India the world leader in production, productivity, processing for value addition and export of coconut. Bihar belongs to nontraditional coconut cultivated area and special focus is being given for development of coconut sector in the state.

 

Shri Radha Mohan Singh further said that Establishment of a Farmers Training Centre, attached to the Regional Office, Patna has also been initiated. The Farmers Training Centre is expected to impart skills to farmers. The centre will strengthen coconut cultivation and industry in the state.

 

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PM pays tributes to Swami Vivekananda on his birth anniversary

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has paid tributes to Swami Vivekananda, on his birth anniversary. 

“We offer salutations to the great Swami Vivekananda and remember his powerful thoughts and ideals that continue shaping the minds of generations",
 the Prime Minister said.

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PM addresses inaugural event of Ramayana Darshanam Exhibition at Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari, via video conferencing

 

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today addressed the inaugural event of the Ramayana Darshanam Exhibition at Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari, via video conferencing.

He said that 12th January is no ordinary day, and Swami Vivekananda's powerful thoughts continue to shape several minds. He said India today is a young country, and it should develop both spiritually and materially. He said that the thoughts of Swami Vivekananda will always inspire the youth towards nation building.

The Prime Minister also paid homage to Saint Thiruvalluvar and Shri Eknath Ranade.He called upon the youth to ensure that the process of learning never stops.

 

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PM addresses inaugural event of National Youth Festival at Rohtak, via video conferencing

 

 



 

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today addressed the inaugural event of the National Youth Festival at Rohtak, via video conferencing.

 

He said that the life of Swami Vivekananda shows what one can achieve at a young age, and added that the work that the youth are doing today will impact the future of the nation.

 

He expressed happiness that the theme for this festival is 'youth for Digital India.’ He urged the youth to guide people on increased cashless transactions. Corruption and black money adversely affect the progress of our nation, he added.

 

The Prime Minister said that times have changed due to the influence of technology, and the need of the hour is collectivity, connectivity, and creativity. He said that the support from the youth in the fight against corruption convinces him that it is possible to bring a positive change in the nation.

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President’s greetings on the eve of Lohri, Makar Sankranti and Pongal 

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee has greeted his fellow countrymen on the eve of the festivals of Lohri (which falls on 13th January, 2017) and Makar Sankranti & Pongal, (which fall on 14th January, 2017).

In his message the President has said, "On the joyous occasion of Lohri, Makar Sankranti and Pongal, I convey warm greetings and best wishes to all fellow citizens inIndia and abroad.

Lohri, Makar Sankranti and Pongal are expressions of joy and prosperity ushered in by a fresh harvest.  May the celebrations of these festivals bind all sections of our society together with the spirit of love, compassion and joy.

May these festivals which celebrate the hard work of our farmers and offer gratitude to mother nature bring happiness, peace and prosperity in every one’s life.”

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Speech by The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee at the banquet hosted in honour his excellency Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta, The President of the Republic of Kenya 

Excellency, President Uhuru Kenyatta,

Honourable Ministers from Kenya,

Distinguished Guests,

Namaskar!

Habari Ya Jioni!

Mr. President,

We are delighted to welcome you today.

Not so long ago, in October last year, I had the pleasure of welcoming you to the Rashtrapati Bhavan when you participated in the Third India-Africa Forum Summit hosted in New Delhi.

 

 Your State Visit to India this year, the first State Visit from Kenya since February 1981, reflects a new momentum in our bilateral co-operation.

 

The initiatives announced during Honourable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi’s State Visit to Kenya last July and your current visit will go a long way in strengthening our long standing affinities and enhancing our ties in the diverse areas of our common interest.

 

Excellency,

You have experienced the famed hospitality of the vibrant State of Gujarat. Of course, the enterprising people of this ‘Jewel of Western India’ are no strangers to you. Over the centuries, the Muhindi in Kenya have been a bridge between our two countries - and today, they are as much a part of your society as your own tribes: they are even referred to as the 43rd  tribe of Kenya! Their active involvement in almost every sector of Kenya’s economy bears testimony to their dedication to your great country.

 

Excellency,

Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, the founding President of Kenya, was an esteemed friend of the leaders of India’s Freedom movement. During his famous Kapenguria trial in Kenya, independent India’s first Prime Minister, Shri Jawaharlal Nehru, had despatched Diwan Chaman Lal, an eminent lawyer, to represent and defend him in court.   Over the years, this mutual regard and understanding have deepened and evolved into a close relationship. We have made substantial progress in every sphere of our cooperation. Today,  India is one of Kenya’s leading trade partners and second largest foreign investor. The presence of more than forty premier Indian companies in Kenya bears testimony to the complementarities of our two economies. India welcomes Kenyan business houses to explore the opportunities that our flagship schemes offer for partnerships and investments in our country.

 

Excellency,

Under your visionary leadership, Kenya has become one of the fastest growing economies of Eastern Africa. It has established itself as a hub for financial, commercial, tourist and transportation services. India remains committed to her developmental partnership with Kenya. India’s Technical and Economic Co-operation programme and our training and scholarship initiatives under the India-Africa Forum Summit have benefited many young Kenyans. India stands ready to assist Kenya further in her human resource development and capacity building efforts.

 

In our discussions this evening, we shared a sense of satisfaction at our flourishing people-to-people contacts. This year, Indians represented the third largest tourist inflow into Kenya. Your beautiful country’s pristine beaches on the Indian Ocean and famed wild-life parks have always been major attractions. In turn, Kenyans favour India for business, education, medical treatment and also tourism. India has recently held the first-ever Festival of India in Kenya- Urafiki Utsav -  which was very well received. We look forward to hosting a Festival of Kenya in India; and we anticipate that before long, Kenyan food like ‘Ugaali’ and ‘Sukuma’ Wiki will be popular in India as well!  

 

It is for these reasons, Excellency, that India believes that as two old friends, and as developing nations with a ‘young’ population, there is much that we can do to build on our synergies.

In the 21st century, India looks forward to working with Kenya to fulfill the many shared aspirations of our respective peoples and contribute to global peace and stability. I have learned of a Swahili proverb saying -Shikamana kama pete na kidole , meaning, we must hold together like the finger and the ring.  Let this ancient adage inspire our joint efforts.

 

With these words, Mr. President, I wish you and your distinguished delegation a very fruitful visit to India.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, I request you to join me in raising a toast:-

·      to the health and success of the President of Kenya, His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta;

·      to the progress and prosperity of the people of Kenya, our neighbours across the Indian Ocean; and

·      to the everlasting friendship between India and Kenya.

Thank you !

 

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India looks forward to working with Kenya to contribute to Global Peace and Stability, says President 

 The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee yesterday (January 11, 2017) received His Excellency Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta, the President of the Republic of Kenya at Rashtrapati Bhavan. He also hosted a banquet in his honour.

Welcoming the President of Kenya, the President said India’s relationship with Kenya is centuries old.  India and Kenya fought together as brothers against colonialism.  The two countries are bound by common belief in democratic values and traditions. India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had a special relationship with Kenyan President’s father, President Jomo Kenyatta who laid the foundation of the Kenyan nation. 

The President said India and Kenya have made significant progress in cooperation since re-establishment of contacts at Head of Government level during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July 2016.  These high level exchanges are taking place after a gap of over three decades.  He expressed confidence that the Kenyan President’s visit will expand and deepen cooperation between the two countries. 

The President said trade is below potential and there is need for increasing and diversifying economic linkages.  India welcomes efforts by the industry and business on both sides to pursue opportunities in healthcare, tourism, IT, agriculture, blue economy and energy. 

Reciprocating the sentiments expressed by President Mukherjee, the Kenyan President lauded the role of the Indian community in Kenya whom he described as part and parcel of Kenyan society.  He said the Indian community, encouraged by Prime Minister Nehru were an integral part of Kenya’s freedom struggle.  He called for increased contacts at the highest level so that people and business leaders get inspired to take relations to a new level. 

Subsequently, in his banquet speech, President Pranab Mukherjee said under Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta’s visionary leadership, Kenya has become one of the fastest growing economies of Eastern Africa. It has established itself as a hub for financial, commercial, tourist and transportation services. India remains committed to its developmental partnership with Kenya. India’s Technical and Economic Co-operation programme and training and scholarship initiatives under the India-Africa Forum Summit have benefited many young Kenyans. India stands ready to assist Kenya further in its human resource development and capacity building efforts.

The President said India recently organized the first-ever Festival of India in Kenya- Urafiki Utsav - which was well received. We look forward to hosting a Festival of Kenya in India. In the 21st century, India looks forward to working with Kenya to fulfill the many shared aspirations of our respective peoples and contribute to global peace and stability.