Combined Defence Services Examination (I) 2016 

The following are the lists, in order of merit, in respect of  199 (153 Men + 46 Women) candidates  who have finally qualified on the basis of the results of the Combined Defence Services Examination (I)-2016 conducted by the Union Public Service Commission and interviews held by the Services Selection Board of the Ministry of Defence for admission to the (i) Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai  for 105th Short Service Commission Course (for Men); and (ii) 19th  Short Service Commission  Women (Non-Technical) Course,  commencing in April, 2017.  The list of 105th Short Service Commission Course (for Men) also includes the names of the candidates who were recommended earlier on the basis of the result of the same examination for admission to the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun;  Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala  and Air Force Academy, Hyderabad (Pre-Flying ) Training Course(s).

 

The number of vacancies as intimated by the Government, for (i) 105th Short Service Commission Course (for Men) is 175 and for (ii) 19th Short Service Commission Women (Non-Technical) Course is 05.

 

The result of Medical Examination of candidates has not been taken into account in preparing the merit list. The candidature of all the candidates is Provisional. Verification of Date of Birth and Educational Qualification of these candidates will be done by AHQ.

 

Candidates can also obtain information regarding results by accessing to UPSC web-site http://www.upsc.gov.in .  However, marks of the candidates will be available within 15 days from the date of declaration of final result on Commission’s web-site for 60 days.

 

Union Public Service Commission have a Facilitation Counter near Examination Hall Building in its Campus. Candidates may obtain any information/clarification regarding their examination  on working days between 10.00 AM to 5.00 PM, in person or over telephone No. 011-23385271, 011-23381125 and 011-23098543.  Candidates can also obtain information regarding results by accessing to UPSC web-site http.//www.upsc.gov.in

 

Click here for full list

 

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KSD/PK/BK/sk

Sports Minister Vijay Goel reconstitutes committee to identify athletes under TOP Scheme 

The Union Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Vijay Goel has reconstituted TOP committee with the objective of identifying and supporting potential medal prospects for 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games under the “Target Olympic Podium” scheme. The committee will select elite athletes to provided financial assistance for their customized training at Institutes having world class facilities and other necessary support. 

 

The reconstituted committee is as follows:

 

1

Shri Abhinav Bindra, Olympic Gold Medalist

Chairman

2

Shri Anil Khanna, Sports Administrator

Member

3

Shri Prakash Padukone, Renowned Ex Badminton Player and Coach

Member

4

Ms. Karnam Malleshwari, Olympic Medalist (Bronze/ Weightlifting)

Member

5

Ms. P. T. Usha Renowned Olympian

Member

6

Shri Murlidhar Raja, President, Sports Administrator

Member

7

Ms. Anjali Bhagwat, Renowned Shooter

Member

8

Ms. Rekha Yadav, Secretary Railway Sports Promotion Board

Member

9

Dr. S.S. Roy, ED (Teams) SAI

Member

10

Shri Inder Dhamija, Joint Secretary (Sports)

Member Secretary

 

According to the Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Vijay Goel Committee will decide on its own procedures and will be competent to invite subject experts as and when required. The Initial tenure of the committee will be one year from the date of notification.

 

A programme, namely TOP (Target Olympic Podium) Scheme was formulated within the overall ambit of National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) with the objective of identifying and supporting potential medal prospects for 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games. Under the scheme the selected athletes are provided financial assistance for their customized training at Institutes having world class facilities and other necessary support which is expected to result in improved performance and a higher position in medals tally for the country.  Benchmark for selection of athletes under the scheme is in relation to international standards. 

 

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Clarification regarding Utilisation of Nirbhaya Fund 

Some reports have appeared in a section of the press stating that the Nirbhaya Fund is underutilised. The correct position regarding the utilisation of the Nirbhaya Fund is given below. 

The Ministry of Finance, Government of India had set up a dedicated fund called Nirbhaya Fund in 2013, for implementation of initiatives aimed at enhancing the safety and security for women in the country. It is a non-lapsable corpus fund.
 

Recognising the need to strengthen the mechanism for scrutiny and sanction of the proposals under Nirbhaya Fund, Ministry of Finance (DEA) has issued guidelines from time to time for administration and operationalization of the Fund. As per the guidelines issued by Ministry of Finance dated 25.03.2015, Ministry of Women and Child Development is the nodal Ministry to appraise schemes under Nirbhaya Fund and also to review and monitor the progress of sanctioned Schemes in conjunction with the line Ministries/Departments. Ministry of Finance (DEA) has issued guidelines on 26.10.2015 by which an Empowered Committee of Officers was constituted under the Chairmanship of Secretary, WCD for appraising and approving various schemes/projects proposed by the Ministries/Departments to be funded from the Nirbhaya Fund.
 

The Empowered Committee of Officers, which is an inter-ministerial committee appraises and recommends various proposals/projects proposed by different Ministries/Departments/States. This Committee regularly reviews the implementation of projects from time to time. So far the Empowered Committee has met seven times i.e. on 26.11.15, 06.01.16, 18.2.16, 27.4.16, 19.7.16, 30.9.16 and 20.12.16.
 

Under Nirbhaya fund, 18 proposals amounting to Rs.2195.97 Crores have been received so far, out of which 16 proposals amounting to Rs. 2187.47 Crores have been appraised and recommended by the Empowered Committee.
 

Schemes of Ministry of Women and Child Development under Nirbhaya Fund
 

Keeping in mind the need to have schematic interventions and proper mechanism for handholding of women in distress, 3 schemes i.e. ‘ One Stop Centre’, ‘Universalisation of Women Helpline’ and ‘Mahila Police Volunteer’ were initiated by the Ministry of Women and Child Development from the Nirbhaya Fund as follows:
 

i. Popularly known as Sakhi Centres, the One Stop Centre Scheme is being implemented across the country since 1st April 2015. It aims at establishing Centres to facilitate women affected by violence. It provides First aid, Medical aid, Police assistance, Legal aid and counselling support. 186 OSCs are approved to be set up in the country. So far, 79 One Stop Centres have become operational. All the 186 centres are expected to be operational by July, 2017.
 

ii. Helpline specifically for women with a common number across the country will link the One Stop Centres being established by the Ministry of Women & Child Development. The Department of Telecommunication has allocated the number 181 to all States/UTs for Women Helpline. So far, Women Helplines are already operational in 18 States/UTs although funds have been released by Govt. of India to 33 States/UTs.
 

iii. Mahila Police Volunteers (MPVs) will act as a link between police and community and help women in distress. Haryana has become the first state to start the Mahila Police Volunteer scheme. It was launched at Karnal on 14th December, 2016 for the districts of Karnal and Mahendragarh in Haryana. Other States are expected to implement the scheme soon.
 

Schemes of other Ministries/Departments under Nirbhaya Fund
 

i) Ministry of Home Affairs:
 

a) Emergency Response support System- For creation of an Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) with a total cost of Rs.321.69 crores which aims to integrate all emergency numbers to 112 with state of art technology. ERSS envisages an integrated computer aided emergency response platform to respond to distress calls and ensure speedy assistance to the distressed persons. 

b) Central Victim Compensation Fund -A Corpus Fund of Rs.200 crores to be disbursed to States/UT for Central Victim Compensation Scheme (CVCF) framed under section 357A CrPC. This will support States/UTs in providing fund towards compensation to the victim or her dependents who have suffered loss or injury as a result of the crimes (including survivors of rape and acid attack).
 

ii) Ministry of Railways:
 Integrated Emergency Response Management System: This project of Railways at a cost of Rs.500 crores has been approved to provide round the clock security to women passengers in 983 Railway Stations by strengthening of Security Control Rooms of Railways with 182 Security Helpline, Medical Facilities, RPF and police, installation of CCTV cameras, etc. 

iii) Abhaya Project Proposal (Andhra Pradesh):
 This proposal is for ensuring the safety of Women and Girl child during the transport (auto rickshaw) has been proposed by Andhra Pradesh with a cost of Rs. 138.49 Crores. 

iv) CHIRALI: Friends Forever (Rajasthan)
 is a scheme to constitute Community Action Groups in 7 districts of Rajasthan covering a total of 2071 Gram Panchayats for a period of three years i.e from 2016-17 to 2018-19 with an objective to create an enabling environment that would support girls and women to move freely and make use of choices, spaces and opportunities for their overall well being. The cost of the Project is Rs. 10.20 Crores. 

The amount allocated to different projects is approximately Rs.1530 Crores so far and the expenditure incurred is approximately Rs.400 Crores (as per the information available in the Ministry of Women and Child Development).
 

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Water level of 91 major Reservoirs of the Country goes down by Two Per cent 

The Water storage available in 91 major reservoirs of the country for the week ending on January 25, 2017 was 80.597 BCM, which is 51% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. This was 127% of the storage of corresponding period of last year and 100% of storage of average of last ten years.  

The total storage capacity of these 91 reservoirs is 157.799 BCM which is about 62% of the total storage capacity of 253.388 BCM which is estimated to have been created in the country. 37 Reservoirs out of these 91 have hydropower benefit with installed capacity of more than 60 MW.

 

REGION WISE STORAGE STATUS:-

 

            NORTHERN REGION

The northern region includes States of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan. There are 6 reservoirs under CWC monitoring having total live storage capacity of 18.01 BCM. As per Reservoir Storage Bulletin dated 25.01.2017, the total live storage available in these reservoirs is 7.02 BCM which is 39% of total live storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 46% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 47% of live storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the corresponding period of last year and is also less than the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period.

 

            EASTERN REGION

The Eastern region includes States of Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and Tripura. There are 15 reservoirs under CWC monitoring having total live storage capacity of 18.83 BCM. As per Reservoir Storage Bulletin dated 25.01.2017, the total live storage available in these reservoirs is 13.73 BCM which is 73% of total live storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 54% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 61% of live storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is better than the corresponding period of last year and is also better than the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period.

 

            WESTERN REGION

The Western region includes States of Gujarat and Maharashtra. There are 27 reservoirs under CWC monitoring having total live storage capacity of 27.07 BCM. As per Reservoir Storage Bulletin dated 25.01.2017, the total live storage available in these reservoirs is 17.25 BCM which is 64% of total live storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 36% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 60% of live storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is better than the storage of last year and is also better than the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period.

 

CENTRAL REGION

The Central region includes States of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. There are 12 reservoirs under CWC monitoring having total live storage capacity of 42.30 BCM. As per Reservoir Storage Bulletin dated 25.01.2017, the total live storage available in these reservoirs is 27.67 BCM which is 65% of total live storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 50% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 46% of live storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is better than the storage of last year and is also better than the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period.

 

SOUTHERN REGION

The Southern region includes States of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, AP&TG(Two combined projects in both states) Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. There are 31 reservoirs under CWC monitoring having total live storage capacity of 51.59 BCM. As per Reservoir Storage Bulletin dated 25.01.2017, the total live storage available in these reservoirs is 14.93 BCM which is 29% of total live storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 27% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 49% of live storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is better than the corresponding period of last year but is less than the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period.

 

            States having better storage than last year for corresponding period are Punjab, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, AP&TG (Two combined projects in both states) and Telangana. States having equal storage than last year for corresponding period are Uttarakhand and Karnataka. States having lesser storage than last year for corresponding period are Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

 

Samir/jk

CWC Signs MoU with IIT Madras and IIS Bengaluru to Support Their Dam Safety Capacity Building 

Central Water Commission (CWC) under the Ministry of Water Resources River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation signed two separate MoUs with IIT Madras and IIS Bengaluru in New Delhi today. This will help them for the procurement of specified equipment and software for enhancing their capability to support dam rehabilitation efforts of CWC.

The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has taken on board selected premier academic and research institutes, for capacity building in the areas of dam safety through World Bank assisted Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP). The scope includes strengthening the testing laboratories, enhancing analytical capabilities, exposure visits to best global institutions and on ground exposure to dam safety concerns to the faculty of these institutions. 

DRIP is assisting rehabilitation of 250 dams in seven States which are experiencing different levels of distress. Owners of these dams require technical support for the investigation of site conditions and supporting rehabilitation efforts. The Government of India has decided to enhance the capability of select premier institutes in dam safety areas so that they, in turn, carry out field investigations at dam sites and provide training and consulting services to assist the dam owners in their dam rehabilitation efforts. It is a holistic effort of the Government of India to equip our national institutions to develop capability and expertise at par with global institutions in the times to come.

Samir/JKD/jk

UD Ministry takes serious views of delays in execution of NCRPB aided projects 

Directs review of loan for Kakardooma Multi-story Office  complex in Delhi for cancellation due to delay

Haryana asked to resolve issues relating to ADB funded road projects before new  projects are considered

Rajasthan gets Rs.1,664 cr loan assistance for infrastructure projects in Jaipur

Pink city asked to promote cycling and walking

            Ministry of Urban Development has taken a serious view of delay in execution of projects in the National Capital Region that were extended financial support by the NCR Planning Board. Conveying this to the member States, Shri Rajiv Gauba, Secretary(Urban Development) made it clear that  further sanction of loan support would be based on progress on projects extended such support in the past.

            Chairing a meeting of the Project Sanctioning and Monitoring Group here today, Shri Gauba directed review of the loan sanctioned for the Rs.100 cr ‘Construction of Multi-storied office building at Kakardooma institutional area’ in East Delhi for cancellation on account of lack of any progress since the sanction of first instalment of Rs.20 cr loan in 2013.

            Haryana Government was also told that NCRPB support for various infrastructure projects would be considered only after the long pending issues relating to ADB funded road projects sanctioned in the past were resolved.

            The Project Sanctioning and Monitoring Group informed the Haryana Government that loan assistance of Rs.168 cr sanctioned for the Rs.223 cr Manesar Water Supply Project would be reviewed if project works were not started at the earliest. The first instalment of Rs.31.13 cr was released for this project in March last year and the Haryana State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation has not submitted any progress report so far. The Group also declined to consider loan of Rs.270 cr as sought by the Haryana Metro Rail Transport Corporation for extension of Metro Link from Mudka to Bahadurgarh stating that it was not in conformity with the original financing plan.

            The Project Sanctioning & Monitoring Group of NCR Planning Board today approved financial assistance of Rs.1,664  cr for various infrastructure projects costing a total of Rs. 2,377 cr.

            Approvals include Rs.1,098 cr for Rejuvenation of Amanishah Nallah (Dravyavati River) including area development in Jaipur city based on the concept of watershed rehabilitation, flood prevention, pollution treatment and landscaping. Another Rs.379 cr was sanctioned for six Road Over Bridges at level crossings at Goner Road, Jhotwara, Sitapura, Bassi, Jahota and Road Under Bridge on Jaipur –Sikar line at Bridge No.107 to address traffic congestion issues at railway level crossings.

            Rs. 187 cr has been approved for the Elevated Road from Sodala Tri-junction to LIC Office near Ambedkar Circle. This 3 km long elevated stretch is a part of NH-11 which will facilitate vehicular movement in the East-West direction of Jaipur and provides a high capacity corridor helping in decongestion of the central areas.

            Shri Gauba has asked Rajasthan and Jaipur City Governments to ensure promotion of non-motorised transport including cycling and pedestrianisation under Comprehensive Mobility Plan of the pink city which is being developed as a smart city.

            With today’s approvals, NCR Planning Board has sanctioned over Rs.4,500 cr of financial assistance for infrastructure development in NCR during the last two years.

AAR/MK

National Entrepreneurship Awards 2016 to be presented by Home Minister Rajnath Singh on 30th January 2017 

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MoSDE) has instituted the “National Entrepreneurship Awards” to encourage a culture of entrepreneurship across the country. These premier awards seek to recognise and honour young entrepreneurs and their entrepreneurship ecosystem builders for their outstanding efforts in the field of entrepreneurship development. The Awards also seek to highlight models of excellence for youth of India and encourage them to take entrepreneurship as a preferred career option.

The National Entrepreneurship Awards will be presented annually in a public function beginning 2016. The first Award Ceremony will take place on 30th January 2017 where awards in 11 categories will be given. Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh will be the chief guest.Minister of State (I/C) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy will preside over the function.

Involvement of youth is at the heart of this Award Scheme, to ensure the involvement of youth, the Ministry has partnered with premier institutes of higher learning across the country, including IIT Delhi, IIM Ahmedabad, IIT Mumbai, TISS Mumbai, IIT Chennai, XLRI Jamshedpur and IIT Kanpur, to implement the scheme. The applicants have undergone two levels of rigorous assessment, followed by selection of winners by a National Level Jury. Top three entries under each category were recommended to the National Jury for the final selection of the winners. The National Jury comprised of eminent persons drawn from academia/research, industry, social sector, banking etc.

Pioneering this national initiative will provide models of excellence in the entrepreneurship ecosystem that would inspire the youth, specially the first generation entrepreneurs to improve and excel in their entrepreneurial pursuits, and at the same time, this would give a tremendous encouragement and inspiration to the ecosystem builders in excelling in their commitment towards spearheading a cultural shift in youth entrepreneurship through education and capacity building that includes teaching, training, practice, handholding, mentoring, networking, funding and scholarly and/or creative activities.

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AD/MB 

Rural Roads Target well within reach- Ministry of Rural Development 

Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), a flagship scheme of the Ministry of Rural Development will achieve the annual targeted length of 48,812 kilometers of rural roads by 31st March, 2017, as the construction work picks up from January to May every year. As on 27.01.2017, a total of 32,963kms. has been completed which is 67.53% of the annual target.   This translates to 111 kms. of roads getting constructed every day.  According to the annual target (48,812 kms.), the average per day construction should be 133kms per day.  It is important to realize that September to December are lean months for road construction, whereas the construction picks up from January to May every year.  It is also important to underline that from April to August, 2016 PMGSY had achieved an average per day construction of 139 kms. per day and therefore by 31stMarch, 2017 it will achieve the annual targeted length of 48,812 kms. 

 

The annual target of habitations in 2016-17 is 15,000 habitations, against which, as on date (27.01.2017) 6,473 habitations have been connected.  PMGSY would also by 31st March, 2017, achieve the habitation target also.

 

Another major achievement has been the focus of using “green” technologies and non-conventional materials (waste plastic, cold mix, geo-textiles, fly ash, copper and iron slag etc.) in construction of PMGSY roads because these are locally available, low cost, non-polluting, labour friendly and fast construction technologies / materials.  In the first 14 years of PMGSY (from 2000 to 2014), only 806.93 kms. of roads were constructed using these technologies / materials.  In the last 2 years (2014-2016), 2,634.02 kms. of PMGSY roads have been constructed using these technologies /materials.  In the present year (2016-17) till date (27.01.2017), 3,000 kms. have been constructed using these technologies / materials.

 

It is also important to note that the progress achieved so far till 27th January, in 2016-17 is far more than what was achieved in the comparable period, in each one of the last 5 years (i.e. 2011 to 2016).

 

 

Achievement in respect of Length and Habitations

 

Year (s)

Length completed (in km)  upto January

Habitations connected (in Nos.) upto January

1

2

3

2011-12

21750

4142

2012-13

18080

5491

2013-14

16914

4670

2014-15

26650

8368

2015-16

25709

5903

2016-17

32963

6473

Total:

142067

35047

 

 

 

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SNC

National MSME Policy to be formulated for the First Time in India 

Dr.Prabhat Kumar submits Report on National MSME Policy to Shri Kalraj Mishra
 

Dr.Prabhat Kumar, former Cabinet Secretary and Chairman One Member Committee for formulating National MSME Policy today presented its report to Shri Kalraj Mishra, Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. The One Member Committee under the chairmanship of Dr. Prabhat Kumar was constituted by the Ministry of MSME on 31.12.2015 to help in formulating National MSME Policy. The country does not have an MSME policy till date.

Dr.Prabhat Kumar while submitting the report also thanked the Hon’ble Minister for the support of the Ministry. Shri Mishra also appreciated the efforts made by Dr.Prabhat Kumar in meeting various stakeholders in different parts of the country before submitting the report. Shri Mishra also desired that this report should be examined by the Ministry for further action.

Shri Giriraj Singh, Hon’ble Minister of State for MSME and other senior officials of the Ministry were present on the occasion.

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Clarifications on implementation of GAAR provisions under the Income Tax Act, 1961 

  The General Anti Avoidance Rule (GAAR) provisions shall be effective from the Assessment Year 2018-19 onwards, i.e. Financial Year 2017-18 onwards.  The necessary procedures for application of GAAR and conditions under which it shall not apply, have been enumerated in Rules 10U to 10UC of the Income-tax Rules, 1962.The provisions of General Anti Avoidance Rule (GAAR) are contained in Chapter X-A of the Income Tax Act, 1961.  

Stakeholders and industry associations had requested for clarifications on implementation of GAAR provisions and a Working Group was constituted by Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to examine the issues raised. Accordingly, CBDT has issued the clarifications on implementation of GAAR provisions today.    

Amongst others, it has been clarified that if the jurisdiction of FPI is finalized based on non-tax commercial considerations and the main purpose of the arrangement is not to obtain tax benefit, GAAR will not apply.  GAAR will not interplay with the right of the taxpayer to select or choose method of implementing a transaction. Further, grandfathering as per IT Rules will be available to compulsorily convertible instruments, bonus issuances or split / consolidation of holdings in respect of investments made prior to 1st April 2017 in the hands of same investor. It has also been clarified that adoption of anti-abuse rules in tax treaties may not be sufficient to address all tax avoidance strategies and the same are required to be tackled through domestic anti-avoidance rules. However, if a case of avoidance is sufficiently addressed by Limitation of Benefits (LoB) provisions in the tax treaty, there shall not be an occasion to invoke GAAR. 

It has been clarified that if at the time of sanctioning an arrangement, the Court has explicitly and adequately considered the tax implications, GAAR will not apply to such an arrangement. It has also been clarified that GAAR will not apply if an arrangement is held as permissible by the Authority for Advance Rulings. Further, it has been clarified that if an arrangement has been held to be permissible in one year by the PCIT/CIT/Approving Panel and the facts and circumstances remain the same, GAAR will not be invoked for that arrangement in a subsequent year.

The proposal to apply GAAR will be vetted first by the Principal Commissioner of Income Tax / Commissioner of Income Tax and at the second stage by an Approving Panel headed by a judge of High Court. The stakeholders have been assured that adequate procedural safeguards are in place to ensure that GAAR is invoked in a uniform, fair and rational manner. 

Government is committed to provide certainty and clarity in tax rules. Further clarifications, if any, on doubts of stakeholders regarding GAAR implementation, will also be provided.

 

*****

 

UIDAI Achieves 111 Crore Mark on Aadhaar Generation Unique Identity Covers to Over 99 Percent Adult Residents of India 

Following is the statement by Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Electronics & IT and Law & Justice: “With 68th Republic Day, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has achieved another landmark by generating 111 crore Aadhaar in a population of 125 crore plus.

The World’s largest and unique biometrics based identification programme with a real time online authentication infrastructure – the Aadhaar has been recognized in the recent UN Report on World Social Situation, 2016 as a developmental tool with “tremendous potential to foster inclusion by giving all people, including the poorest and most marginalized, an official identity” and a wonderful “critical step in enabling fairer access of the people to government benefits and services”, thereby enhancing social and economic distributive justice leaving no one behind.

“Aadhaar generation has crossed the 111+ crore mark. It’s a great achievement towards inclusion of everyone into national development fabric. It has come a long way in less than six and a half years of its journey from being a unique identification programme to transform itself into a critical development tool of public–centric good governance and targeted delivery of services/benefits/subsidies; Such a transformation became possible, because of the unique initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, to use Aadhaar, for the financial and social inclusion.

Aadhaar enrolment ecosystem with 135 registrars and 612 enrolment agencies working at 47,192 enrolment stations has been enrolling and updating7-8 lakhs requests per day. Aadhaar generation as on 31stMay 2014 was 63.22 crore with a per day enrolment/update trend of about 3-4 lakh which remained around 5-6 lakh per day till October 2016.However, since demonetization the Aadhaar enrolment and update requests are in the range of 7-8 lakhs per day. With over 47.8 crore Aadhaars generated since June 2014, Aadhaar now stands at 111+ crore. UIDAI has 28,332 Permanent Enrolment Centres where people may go for enrolment, updation and other Aadhaar related services. UIDAI has a capacity of generating and dispatching over 15 lakh Aadhaars every day.

 

“Aadhaar which began in its first phase as a unique identification programme with an authentication infrastructure grew into its second phase as the tool of public sector delivery reforms by becoming the permanent financial address of the Aadhaar holder;and as a tool for de-duplication, e-KYC anddirect benefit transfer in its third phase, it started contributing to the management of the fiscal budget by generating saving to the Government exchequer to the tune of 36,144 crore in a few welfare schemes only in just two years”. (Details in Annexure)

“Now in its fourth phase, with demonetisation and Digital India drive towards less-cash economy, Aadhaar is all set to be the game changer with Aadhaar Pay – a non-traditional digital payment system without a need of card, pin, password or mobile with the consumer”,

Aadhaar has empowered people by increasing convenience and making their life hassle-free towards a presenceless, paperless and cashless environment.

Dispelling apprehensions on privacy and data security, Prasad said, “The Government is vigilant towards privacy protection and database security which is our paramount concern. We have Aadhaar Act 2016 which has strict provisions for protection of data and privacy.”

As on date, Aadhaar’s total saturation percentage is 91.7% (as per Census 2011) while over 99% adult population above the age of 18 have been assigned Aadhaar numbers. Twenty two States/UTs have more than 90% saturation.

Aadhaar has become an extraordinary institution to connect the ordinary people of India into the banking system in a flawless manner.

Firstly, Aadhaar Enabled Payment System ( AEPS ) on which 119 banks are live. This helps the Banking Correspondents to go to the doorsteps in rural villages, facilitating banking transactions, with the help of Micro-ATMs, linked with Aadhaar. More than 33.87 crore transactions have taken place through AEPS, which was only 46 lakhs in May 2014. While only 7,406 AEPS points were available in May 2014, we now have over 1,65,000 agents available in the villages.

Secondly, the opening of bank accounts with Aadhaar eKYC, in which 97 banks are live and 4.47 crore bank accounts have been opened till now, which was only 1 lakh in May 2014.

Thirdly, Aadhaar Payment Bridge (APB), a seamless payment facility, which enables disbursal of benefits /other payments directly to the beneficiary’s account, popularly known as Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT),  has shown considerable growth in the past two years. Total number of transactions on the APB were logged at 167.36 crore worth Rs.44,967 crore which has risen by ten folds in value since 31st May 2014 ( 7 crore transactions, worth 4000 crores ).

Fourthly, with the Aadhaar Pay, soon to be launched, any person with his Aadhaar number linked to Bank account, can make and / or receive payment, with his thumb impression alone. There is absolutely no need for him to have any phone, debit card etc.. This will be available to all the persons having Aadhaar linked bank accounts, whose number stands at 39 crores now, which was only 6.7 crores in May 2014. About 2 crore Aadhaar numbers are linked to Bank accounts every month.”

 

Annexure

Benefit accrued on account for DBT/ Aadhaar since 2014

For FY 2014-15 *

S.NO.

Central Ministry /Department

Scheme / Area

Savings

1

MoPNG

PAHAL

14,672 crore

S.NO.

State/UT

Scheme / Area

Savings

1

Rajasthan

NSAP (IGNOAPS, IGNWPS, IGNDPS)

19.85 Lakh

2

UP

Social Security Schemes

520 cr.

Total Savings in FY 2014-15 = Rs. 15,192.2 crore

 

For FY 2015-16 *

S.NO.

Central Ministry /Department

Scheme / Area

Savings

1

MoPNG

PAHAL

6,912 crore

2

D/o Food & Public Distribution

Food subsidy

10,191 crore

3

KendriyaSainik Board- M/o Defence

Prime Minister Scholarship Scheme

1.01 Lakh

RMDF scheme

10.95 Lakhs

4

M/o Culture

Scheme on International Relations

20 Lakhs

S.NO.

State/UT

Scheme / Area

Savings

1

Rajasthan

NSAP (IGNOAPS, IGNWPS, IGNDPS)

41.07 Lakh

2

Himachal Pradesh

NSAP (IGNOAPS, IGNWPS, IGNDPS)

1 crore

3

Kerala

NSAP (IGNOAPS, IGNWPS, IGNDPS)

7.05 crore

4

Haryana

NSAP (IGNOAPS, IGNWPS, IGNDPS)

240 crore

5

Chandigarh

NSAP (IGNOAPS, IGNWPS, IGNDPS)

2.58 Lakh

6

Kerala

Education System

600 cr

7

Across country

MGNREGS

3000 crore

Total Savings in FY 2015-16 = Rs. 20,951.8 crore

 

Navy’s Theatre Level Exercise, TROPEX 17, gets underway 

The Indian Navy’s Annual Theatre Readiness Operational Exercise (TROPEX) got underway on 24 Jan 17. The month long exercise will have ships and aircraft of both the Western and Eastern Naval Commands, as also assets from the Indian Air Force, Indian Army and the Indian Coast Guard exercising together. The exercise is being conducted off the Western Seaboard. The last edition of the exercise was conducted in January 2015.

TROPEX has grown in scale and complexity over the years and will see participation of major surface combatants and air assets of the Indian Navy including the aircraft carrier Vikramaditya, nuclear submarine Chakra, Landing Platform Dock (LPD) Jalashwa, the recently commissioned destroyer Chennai, the P-8I long range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft operating alongside SU-30 MKI, Jaguars, AWACS, IL-78 Flight Refuelling Aircraft of the Indian Air Force and Infantry units of the Indian Army. The exercise will be conducted in various phases, both in harbour and at sea encompassing the various facets of war-fighting and combat operations.

TROPEX 17 assumes special significance in the backdrop of the current security scenario. The exercise is aimed at testing combat readiness of the combined fleets of the Indian Navy, and the assets of the Indian Air Force, Indian Army and the Indian Coast Guard. It will also strengthen inter-operability and joint operations in a complex environment.

DKS/AC

Rabi Crops Sowing Crosess 637 Lakh Hactare 

 

          As per preliminary reports received from the States, the total area sown under Rabi crops as on 27thJanuary 2017 stands at 637.34 lakh hectares as compared to 600.02 lakh hectare this time in 2016.

             Wheat has been sown/transplanted in 315.55 lakh hectares, rice in 21.77 lakh hectares, pulses in 159.28 lakh hectares, coarse cereals in 56.90 lakh hectares and area sown under oilseeds is 83.84 lakh hectares. 

            The area sown so far and that sown during last year this time is as follows:

                                                                                                                              Lakh hectare 

 

Crop

Area sown in 2016-17

Area sown in 2015-16

Wheat

315.55

292.52

Rice

21.77

25.64

Pulses

159.28

143.05

Coarse Cereals

56.90

60.24

Oilseeds

83.84

78.58

Total

637.34

600.02

 

            

Shri Radha Mohan Singh announces the setting up of KVKs in Mungeli and Bemtara of Chhattisgarh under 12th Plan 

Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister inaugurates Krishi Samridhi-Rashtriya Krishi Mela in Raipur 

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Radha Mohan Singh said that the regular organization of agriculture fairs in large nos. across the country has invigorated farmers with new energy. Shri Singh said agriculture fairs play important role to reach the farmers directly. Agriculture Minister also announced the setting up of KVKs in Mungeli and Bemtara of Chhattisgarh under 12th Plan. Shri Radha Mohan Singh further said that keeping this in view, 7 new Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) have been proposed under 12th Plan in Chhattisgarh. Shri Singh stated this at the inauguration of Krishi Samridhi-Rashtriya Krishi Mela, Chhattisgarh, 2017 in Raipur, today. The Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Dr. Raman Singh was also present on this occasion.

Shri Radha Mohan Singh further added that Government of India is committed for the betterment of agriculture sector and prosperity of the farmers. An unprecedented increase of almost Rs. 500 crore was included in the budget of agriculture research in the year 2016-17. Likewise agriculture extension was reinforced with a sum of Rs. 750 crore with an increase of Rs. 90 crore as compared to the previous year.

Shri Singh opined that keeping in view meager potentialities of extension of cultivable area, it is imperative to increase the productivity in view of rising population of the country. The productivity can be enhanced through active use of available resources which include high yielding, seed varieties, fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation, as well as agriculture machines. Agriculture Minister further said institutes of ICAR are unabatedly researching on the effects of climate change. They are also doing research on varieties that yield higher production and on ways of saving water. They are giving their best contribution to develop agriculture sector by improved techniques.

Shri Singh said that for the last two years, new programmes have been initiated in research and education institutes. In order to increase liaison between farmers and scientists for technological development and its utilization ‘Mera Gaon-Mera Gaurav’ and ‘Farmers First’ programmes have initiated. Initiatives such as Student Ready, Attracting and Retaining Youth in Agriculture (ARYA),  Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Krishi Unnati Shiksha Yojana, Consortia Research Platform, External Finance Assistance, National Agriculture Science Fund, National Agriculture Project and Agricultural Education in the schools have been  taken up.

The Minister further told that Government of India has taken a number of initiatives for the betterment of the farmers amongst them being Soil Health Card Scheme is worth mentioning for bringing about improvement in natural resource utilization skill. Under this scheme, 14 crore Soil Health Cards are to be given away to all the farmers in a period of two years. So far, under this scheme, more than 4 crore Soil Health Cards have been distributed amongst the farmers. The infrastructure under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana has been chalked out to enhance the water use efficiency and to provide water for irrigation in the country to achieve the target of “More Crop – Per Drop”. Apart from this, National Agriculture Market has also been established to cope with the effects of natural calamities. Contingencies plans have been made for more than 600 districts. The contingency plans have been prepared for 27 districts of Chhattisgarh.

Agriculture Minister , thereafter, inaugurated Dau Kalyan Singh Agriculture University’s building and its Girl Hostel in Bhatapara, Distt. Boloda Bazaar. Shri Singh said that Chhattisgarh has taken a fast track in agricultural sector. Chhattisgarh have recorded 33% enhancement in foodgrains production, 58% in milk production, 92% in eggs production and 245% enhancement in fisheries for the last 13 years.

Shri Radha Mohan Singh unveiled the statue of Dau Kalyan Singh Ji in the University. Agriculture Minister assured that this University will take a leap in the time to come and the students coming out from this university will bring name and fame to Chhattisgarh in the world. The Chancellor of the Agriculture University Dr. S.K. Patil was also present on this occasion.

 

SS/AK

Northeast to develop as favourite 'youth destination': Dr Jitendra Singh 

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said here today that the focus with which the Ministry of DoNER under the Union Government led by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has launched a series of new initiatives over the last two years, the day is not far when the Northeast Region (NER) will develop as the favourite 'youth destination' for youngsters. 

Dr Jitendra Singh was addressing a gathering of students, as chief guest, at an Inter-College "Northeast" cultural event, in which around 25 colleges of Delhi University participated in different categories. Referring to the large number of Northeast student community in the national capital and other metros, Dr Jitendra Singh said, in the earlier decades, the Northeast did not receive the kind of attention it deserved, as a result of which there has been an exodus from the region to the other parts of India. The primary reason behind this, he observed, is lack of employment opportunities and deficit of quality education.
 

Dr Jitendra Singh said, on the one hand, the Northeast has a huge natural resource which has remained unexplored and on the other hand, there is huge youth potential which has remained unutilized. He said, the Organic Farming Mission focusing primarily on Northeast and the thrust on other areas like bamboo trade, etc. will help in creating job avenues.
 

Dr Jitendra Singh referred to special impetus given by the Ministry of DoNER to Prime Minister’s “Startup India, Standup India” by introducing Venture Capital Fund for those young startups who wish to start an establishment or entrepreneurship in Northeast. If this succeeds, startups from all over India will make a beeline for Northeast India, he added.
 

Referring to some, first of its kind initiatives, Dr Jitendra Singh mentioned the decision to set up a Sports University considering the high athletic potential of the youth and also the Brahmaputra Study Centre in the Guwahati University. He said, Delhi has been enriched by some of the best faculty hailing from Northeast and appealed them to go back to their State of origin and serve the cause of academics.
 

Earlier, Principal of Daulat Ram College, Dr Savita Roy delivered the welcome address. The programme was attended by senior faculty members from Delhi University and students from different colleges.
 

***

PM congratulates Mr. Adama Barrow, the new President of Gambia



The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has congratulateed Mr. Adama Barrow, the new President of Gambia.
 

"Congratulations to Mr. Adama Barrow. India stands with him for the rapid and all-round development of The Gambia", the Prime Minister said.

***

Press Communique 

The President has accepted the resignation of Shri V. Shanmuganathan, as Governor of Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh.

The President of India is pleased to appoint Shri BanwarilalPurohit, Governor of Assam to discharge the functions of the Governor of Meghalaya and Shri PadmanabhaBalakrishna Acharya, Governor of Nagaland to discharge the functions of the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, in addition to their own duties, until regular arrangements for the offices of the Governor of Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh are made.

****

President of India condoles the loss of lives of army personnel in an avalanche in Kashmir 

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee has condoled the loss of lives of a number of Army personnel in an avalanche in Kashmir. 

In a message to General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Army Staff, the President has said “I am sad to learn about the avalanche in Kashmir in which a number of Army personnel lost their lives and some are reported missing.
 

I understand rescue and relief operations are currently underway. I am sure that concerned Army authorities and the State Government are providing all possible aid to the bereaved families and medical assistance to the injured.
 

Please convey my heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased. My prayers for an early and speedy recovery of all injured personnel”.
 

*****

28 jan

2-day North East Investors’ Summit in Shillong from tomorrow 

Union Textiles Minister to inaugurate first ever North East Investors’ Summit
 

The first ever “Investors Summit” exclusively for North Eastern Region (NER), organized jointly by the Ministry of Textiles and the Ministry of DoNER during 29-30 January, 2017, would be inaugurated by the Union Textiles Minister, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani in Shillong, at the State Convention Centre, on 29th January, 2017. Other key dignitaries addressing the Summit are Dr. Arvind  Panagariya, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog; Dr Mukul Sangma, Chief Minister of Meghalaya; Dr. Jitendra Singh, Chairman, NEC and Minister of State (I/C) for DONER; Shri Ajay Tamta, Minister of State for Textiles, Government of India; Shri Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Government of India; Shri H Rohluna, Minister for Industries, Government of Mizoram, and Shri Tamiyo Taga, Minister for Industries, Government of Arunachal Pradesh.

The Ministry of Textiles has taken the initiative to organize the first ever “Investors Summit” exclusively for NER, in association with Ministry of DONER and the Industry Associations FICCI and CII on 29-30 January 2017 at Shillong. Focussed on manufacturing in textiles and allied sectors, the theme of the Summit is “Exploring Opportunities in North East Region”. The summit aims to showcase the NER as a global destination for investment, and to explore the possibility of bringing in convergence of efforts of various central Ministries and North Eastern States to attract investment in NER.

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The Summit will be attended by all North Eastern States, Export Promotion Councils, industries from North Eastern Region and leading investors across the country. The entire textile value chain from fibre to garment, including raw materials shall be represented in the Summit. The meet would witness participation of over 400 delegates from across the country. It is expected to unlock the huge potential of the NER in textile manufacturing and generate new avenues for employment in the region.

The event will showcase the unique opportunities in textile manufacturing that the NER offers to the business world. It is expected to usher in a new era of collaboration, not only for investments but also for new skills and advanced production technology. The states of the NER would put up exclusive stalls and make presentations on investment opportunities in textile manufacturing in these states. The summit will have focussed sessions on Showcasing Opportunities in Textiles in North East, Entrepreneurship Development and Start-ups, Enhancing Reach of North East Textiles through Textile Design and Marketing, Ease of Financing of Textiles Industry in North East and Improving Infrastructure in NER.

The Summit will also witness signing of MoUs in various areas, among local entrepreneurs, Institutes and State Governments. Over 15 MoUs are expected to be signed during the summit, in the presence of Union Minister of Textiles. Buyer-Seller meets and exhibitions would also be held on both days of the summit.

Background

North Eastern Region has huge potential for investments, particularly in the field of textiles and handicrafts, due to its inherent strength for skilled work force and locally available raw materials. Ministry of Textiles is implementing projects worth Rs. 1,050 crore for handlooms, handicrafts, sericulture, apparel & garmenting, technical textiles etc. in the eight states of North Eastern Region, in line with the “Act East” policy of the Government.

These projects have created a foundation for further growth of manufacturing in textile sector. Other line Ministries too have schemes, where various incentives/ concessions are available for investments in NER. However, this information is mostly in silos and does not provide a comprehensive picture to the investors about the opportunities in North East. The Investors’ Summit seeks to address this concern as well.

The decision to hold the summit was announced by the Union Textiles Minister, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, at the Annual Conference of State Textiles Ministers, held in New Delhi, on 10th November, 2016. 

***

GG/DJM

Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship’s maiden tableau entry at the Republic Day parade adjudged the best Tableau amongst Ministerial representations 

The best of Skill Development & Entrepreneurial efforts were on display at the Republic Day parade. The 68th Republic Day was the first outing for a MSDE tableau. And the outstanding efforts by its creators helped it being adjudged the best tableau amongst Ministerial representations. From imparting skill to drivers, technicians, beauticians, to photographers, carpenters and chefs showcasing the best state of the art ITI classrooms, the MSDE tableau was created to highlight efforts in imparting the best of skill development to the people of India.

The credit for this novel idea to represent MSDE at the Republic Day parade goes to the Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy. The Skill India Tableau was an effort to showcase Skill India program’s initiatives. The Minister had taken the regulation and the monitoring of the tableau as his personal onus and was monitoring its making on a daily basis. He had been personally visiting the Rashtriya Rangshala in the Delhi Cantonment area giving his inputs for the tableau.

According to Shri Rudy tableau was an attempt to portray skill initiatives by the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship to make Indians ready for job opportunities. MSDE made an effort to display flagship programs like Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna (PKKVY), Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKK) and ITIs. Since the inception of MSDE, there has been a constant effort in trying to reach out to the masses and let skilling be aspirational. It has been observed that since last two years many youngsters have been associated with our skilling and training initiatives.

While inspecting the tableau, the Minister had given a vision that through this tableau Ministry would try and give an overall view of the different opportunities which MSDE has to offer to the youngsters of this country. There is an attempt to make skilling aspirational and create an ecosystem which would provide quality skill education in the country. MSDE is trying to cater to the aspiration of a modern vibrant competitive workforce. The Ministry tried to exhibit a skill ecosystem that will be strengthened and modernised in line with the current scientific and industrial development in the country.

Minister Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy congratulated that entire team which worked hard to make their Republic Day outing a memorable and proud moment.

****

Union Govt has taken decisive steps against Pak sponsored terrorism: Dr Jitendra Singh 

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh has said that the Union Government led by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has taken decisive steps against Pakistan sponsored terrorism and the two most recent examples are the decision of Remonetization which has drastically reduced terror related transactions, preceded by the military strike inside the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.

Addressing the 2nd Round-Table Conference on the subject of “Countering Pakistan State Terror” organized by Global Counter Terrorism Council (GCTC) here today, Dr Jitendra Singh said Pak sponsored terrorism in the context of Jammu & Kashmir is a cumulative effect of a series of misdoings of the past six decades. He said, if only the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had allowed the then Home Minister Sardar Patel to handle J&K, the history of the Indian subcontinent would have been different.

When the NDA Government took over on May 26, 2014, Dr Jitendra Singh said, it bequeathed a huge baggage of cumulative liabilities from the past. There was a feeling of pessimism all over the country, but within two years, he said, not only the common man in India is feeling proud to be an Indian, but the Indians settled abroad are also looking forward for an opportunity to return to their motherland. This itself is a vindication of the kind of redemption which the government under the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has succeeded in bringing about in just two-and-a-half years, he added.

As per the reports, Dr Jitendra Singh said, following Remonetization, there is a 60% dip in terror related activities and 50% reduction in terror-related Hawala transactions being funded by Pakistan. Not only this, at least two printing press units in Pakistan which were printing fake Indian currency and pumping into India have been compelled to shut down, he added. Similarly, the incidents of stone-pelting in J&K have also gone down drastically, he said.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, decisions like the surgical strike and Remonetization have hit the “Achilles’ heel” of Pakistan and these are some of the decisive steps which no government in the past dared to take. He also referred to the Government’s stand on Baluchistan and said, for the first time, the Indian forces have had the opportunity to give befitting retaliatory response to every act of mischief from Pakistan.

Dr Jitendra Singh reiterated that the Union Government follows a policy of zero tolerance to Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and will never compromise with the honour and dignity of the security forces of India or the sovereignty of the Republic of India.

Among the eminent panelists at the Round-Table Conference were noted analyst Shri Sushil Pandita, former Foreign Secretary Shri Kanwal Sibal, retired Vice-Chief of Army Staff Gen Phillip Campose, the Head Imam, Imam Illiyasi and well known activist Shri Tarek Fatah.

****

I&B Secretary Launches Film Condition Assessment Project under NFHM NFHM to enable creation of global facilities of film preservation in India 

Government is committed towards film preservation of the country’s filmic heritage: Shri Ajay Mittal, Secretary I&B
 

“Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is committed to safeguarding the country’s filmic and non-filmic heritage and is taking all necessary steps to preserve films and non-filmic material for posterity as per global standards,” said Shri Ajay Mittal, Secretary, Information and Broadcasting Ministry. He was speaking on the occasion of the launch of Film Condition Assessment, which is the first phase of implementation of National Film Heritage Mission, NFHM here today at Pune.

 

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Secretary I&B, Shri Ajay Mittal launching Film Condition Assessment project at NFAI, Pune

                                                                                                                       

Elaborating further, Shri Mittal said, “This is a one-of-its-kind project in the world, wherein the Government is spending huge amount of money towards the aspect of film preservation, in order to make rich filmic heritage available for the future generations to come. The condition of about 1,32,000 film reels at NFAI would be assessed and necessary measures would be taken to prolong their life. Each film reel will be tracked and monitored through RFID tagging, during the first phase”.

 

On the sidelines of the occasion, Shri Mittal also launched NFAI’s initiative of digitization of non-filmic material. Secretary said, “this is a step in the direction of Government’s Digital India initiative, wherein non-filmic heritage of the country would be digitized, restored and made available to the people at large”. NFAI has been the custodian of a large number of film ancillary material like posters, photos, song booklets, pamphlets, press clippings, slides / transparencies, glass negatives etc, which would be digitized and restored during the process.

 

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Secretary I&B reviewing the Digitisation process

 

NFHM is the prestigious mission of Government of India, for preservation, conservation, digitization and restoration of rich cinematic heritage of the country. National Film Archive of India (NFAI) is the nodal organization for the implementation of this project. Rs.597.41 crore has been allotted towards implementation of the project, which was kick-started with launch of the first phase of the mission, Film Condition Assessment.

****

 

North East Film Festival platform for cultural integration – Ajay Mittal, Secretary I&B

Secretary I&B inaugurates North East Film Festival – Fragrances from the North East at NFAI, Pune

Three-day festival to be held from 28th to 30th January
 

 

Secretary, I&B, Shri Ajay Mittal has said the North East Film Festival (NEFF), Fragrances from the North East served as a unique window to the films, food, culture and handicrafts diversity of North East and enabled the cultural amalgamation of the region with the rest of the country. By organizing the current edition of the festival at Pune, the objective was to sensitise people from other regions to the culture of the North East as envisaged in the “Ek Bharat Shreshta Bharat” programme of the Hon’ble Prime Minister. A decision had now been taken to organize the festival in different cities every year as part of the “Ek Bharat Shreshta Bharat” vision. Shri Mittal stated this while delivering his address at the inaugural ceremony of the festival at National Film Archive of India (NFAI), Pune today.

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Secretary, I&B with cinestars from the North East region and the opening film “Kothanodi”

 

 

Highlighting some of the initiatives taken by the Ministry of I&B to promote cinema in the North East, Shri Mittal said the focus has been to provide multiple platforms through workshops, film festivals, interactive sessions and special screenings at IFFI focusing on the region. As part of the new initiative, the Ministry sponsored 10 film makers from the North East for the first time to attend the IFFI in Goa. The objective was to give an opportunity to young and emerging film makers from the region to interact with the foreign delegates attending IFFI and also explore collaborations with international film production houses, ensuring wider reach and audience for NE films. The Directorate of Film Festivals organized a special session on the North East film industry at the Indywood Film Carnival in Hyderabad. It also took the initiative to organize the first edition of the IFFI chapter of North East in Imphal in December 2016 in partnership with Manipur Film Development Corporation.

 

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Secretary, I&B honouring eminent actress Seema Biswas

 

Regarding the excellence of the films of the region, Shri Mittal said that the National Film Awards and Indian Panorama over the years had been discovering and honouring the talents from the North East, specially in languages which were not specified other than the Schedule VIII of the Constitution. Some of the films had won accolades in the International Film Festivals all over the world. The Indian Panorama had eight films selected from the North East region this year.

 

During his address, the Secretary complimented the students of Pune from the North East region who had taken the pain and efforts to participate in the three-day festival by showcasing the culture and cuisine of the region. Taking into account, the enthusiastic response from the city, Shri Mittal assured that the festival and such screenings would be organized henceforth regularly in Pune.

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Secretary I&B delivering the address

 

The opening film for this festival “Kothanodi” by the debut director Bhaskar Hazarika has wowed the international audience with his poetic film depicting folk stories. The festival is also screening “Loktak Lairambi” which is part of the Indian Panomara selection. The film has already been making waves in the International film circuit after being premiered in Busan and has now been selected for forthcoming Berlin film festival.

 

The three-day festival is being held at NFAI campus, from 28th to 30th January.

 

President launches countrywide Pulse Polio Programme for 2017 

Shri J P Nadda: Have strengthened immunization programme through introduction of several new vaccines
 

The President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee launched the Pulse Polio programme for 2017 by administering polio drops to children less than five years old, at the Rahstrapati Bhawan, in the presence of the Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare Shri J P Nadda and Ministers of State (Health) Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste and Smt. Anupriya Patel, here today. Tomorrow is the National Immunization Day. Around 17 crore children of less than five years across the country will be given polio drops as part of the drive of Government of India to sustain polio eradication from the country.

Speaking at the function on the eve of the National Immunization Day, the Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare Shri J P Nadda stated that polio-free certification of the entire South-East Asia Region of WHO including India on 27th March 2014 is a huge accomplishment in the history of public health. He added that as the risk of importation still persists from remaining three countries (Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria) where poliovirus is still circulating, the need still persists for the country to maintain the population immunity and sensitive surveillance till global polio eradication happens. This is maintained through National and Sub National Polio rounds along with sustained high quality polio surveillance.

The Health Minister added that ‘We are conducting continuous polio vaccination at the international borders with India. A travel advisory has also been issued to vaccinate all travelers who are travelling between India and eight other countries. Also, an Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan (EPRP) is in place under which Rapid Response Teams (RRT) have been formed in all States/UTs to respond urgently to any importations of poliovirus”. Shri Nadda said that to provide double protection to our children, Government of India has also introduced the injectable Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) into its routine immunization program.

Shri Nadda pointed out that India has reduced under-5 mortality rate from 75 per 1000 live births in 2005 to 45 per 1000 in 2014 as per recent SRS estimates. Noting that immunization is one of the key interventions in reducing child deaths in country, he said that to expand the scope of immunization in country, Rotavirus virus vaccine has been introduced as part of the UIP last year and the Ministry is soon to introduce Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine that will help to reduce the burden of diarrhea, pneumonia and meningitis, and a countrywide campaign with Measles-Rubella vaccine in phased manner. Shri Nadda said that the innovative initiative of the Government, Mission Indradhanush, launched in 2014 has strengthened our immunization coverage and ensured that all vaccines reach our targeted beneficiaries even in remotest areas.

The Union Health Minister applauded the efforts of the thousands of volunteers, frontline workers, health officials across the states and development partners for their tireless efforts in keeping the country polio-free.

Also present at the function were Shri C K Mishra, Secretary (HFW), senior officers of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and representatives of development partners.

*****

MV 

Republic Day Parade – 2017 Awards announced 

Madras Engineer Group Adjudged Best Marching Contingent amongst Services
 

The results of different competitive presentations in the Republic Day Parade – 2017 have been announced by the Ministry of Defence. Among the Services category, Madras Engineer Group has been adjudged the best marching contingent. In the category of Para-Military Forces and other auxiliary marching contingents, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) contingent has been adjudged the best marching contingent.

In the tableau category, in total 23 tableau including six from Union Ministries / Departments took part in this year’s Republic Day Parade, out of which first position has gone to Arunachal Pradesh tableau, which depicted the Yak dance, one of the most famous pantomimes of the Mahayana sect of Buddhist tribes of Arunachal Pradesh. Tripura’s tableau based on ‘Hojagiri’ dance, depicting the magnificent Reang tribal dance was adjudged the second best, while the third position was shared by Maharashtra and Tamilnadu. The tableau of Maharashtra depicted the commemoration of 160th birth anniversary of the honoured freedom fighter, Lokmanya Balgangadhar Tilak. The Tamilnadu tableau portrayed the popular folk dance ‘Karagattam’ which forms an important event in temple festival celebrations, especially in Amman temple festivals in the rural areas of Tamilnadu.

In the category of tableaux representing Union Ministries/Departments, the first prize has been awarded to the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship which depicted the theme ‘Transforming India through Skill Development’, and highlighted the achievements of the Ministry and its programmes. The tableau presented by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) depicting the concept of ‘Green India-Clean India’ was selected for a special prize by the jury.

In the competitive category of school children items, the dance presented by Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pitampura, Delhi has been adjudged the best children item for their performance to express how our National Flag has been a witness to the glorious tales of our freedom fighters, establishment of Indian democracy, the endless affection of Indians, women’s empowerment and such countless achievements. A Consolation Prize has also been awarded to South Central Zone Cultural Centre, Nagpur for their performance of the ‘Saila Karma’ dance which is a popular dance of the Gond Tribe of Dindori district in Madhya Pradesh.

As in previous years, this year also Ministry of Defence had appointed three panels of judges for assessing the marching contingents from three Services, Para-Military Forces and Tableau from various States/Ministries/Departments and School Children items from Schools of Delhi as well as outside Delhi. The panels of judges today announced their results here.

****

NAo/DM/Ranjan 

Curtain Raiser – Beating The Retreat 2017 

This year, spectators at the Beating the Retreat ceremony will be enthralled with the mesmerising and foot tapping music of the bands from the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the State Police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). As many as 26 performances on the historic Vijay Chowk, mostly composed by Indian musicians will thrill the audience with patriotic fervour. The tunes to be rendered are ‘Singarh’, ‘Patni Top’, ‘Mony Musk’, ‘Jak Wilson’, ‘General Tappy’, ‘The Gael’, ‘ Scotland the Brave’, ‘Jal Nidhi’, ‘Yaman’, ‘Sky Lark’, ‘Veer Bharat’, ‘Pyari Bhumi’, ‘Take to the Sky’, ‘Victory Dhun’, ‘Air Force Colours’, ‘Benihal’, ‘Indian Fleet’, ‘Admirals Ensignia’, ‘Jai Bharti’, ‘Appu’, ‘Call of the Heart’, ‘Gulmarg’, ‘Drummers Call’, ‘Army Star’, ‘Abide with Me’ and lastly the ever-popular ‘Sare Jahan Se Acha’. While the tunes are a mix of Indian and Western compositions the dominance of the Desi tunes will add special flavour to the ceremony.

The ceremony at the Vijay Chowk on January 29th every year marks the culmination of the four-day-long Republic Day celebrations. This year, 16 Military Bands, 16 Pipes and Drums Bands from Regimental Centres and Battalions are participating in Beating the Retreat ceremony. Besides one each of Indian Navy and Indian Air Force band will also form part of the event. Another band of the State Police and CAPF comprising Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force and Delhi Police will also take part.

The principal conductor of the Beating Retreat ceremony will be Sqn Ldr G Jayachandran while Army bands conductor will be Subedar Major Hemraj and the Navy and Air Force band commanders will be Master Chief Petty Officer (Musician-I) Ramesh Chand and Junior Warrant Officer Ashok Kumar respectively. The conductor of the State Police and CAPF bands will be Inspector Lal Singh. Buglers will perform under the leadership of Sub Parbat Singh and pipes and drums bands will play under the instructions of Sub Maj Gopal Singh.

‘Beating the Retreat’ has emerged as an event of national pride when the Colours and Standards are paraded. The ceremony traces its origins to the early 1950s when Major Roberts of the Indian Army indigenously developed the unique ceremony of display by the massed bands. ‘Beating Retreat’ marks a centuries old military tradition, when the troops ceased fighting, sheathed their arms and withdrew from the battlefield and returned to the camps at sunset at the sounding of the Retreat. Colours and Standards are cased and flags lowered. The ceremony creates nostalgia for the times gone by.

‘India Pharma 2017’ & ‘India Medical Device 2017’: for responsible Healthcare 

Aim to Project India as an Attractive Investment Destination and Global Hub for Pharma and Medical Devices Sector: Shri Ananth Kumar 

Online Media Registrations open till 31st January 2017 

The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, along with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), is organising India Pharma & India Medical Device 2017, with the Vision - For Responsible Healthcare, the 2nd International exhibition and conference on Pharmaceutical & Medical Device sector from 11th-13thFebruary, 2017 in Bengaluru. 

 

Addressing the media during the Curtain Raiser for the event in Bengaluru today, Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Ananth Kumar, informed that the International event would not only provide a platform to tap global potential for the Indian Pharmaceutical and Medical Device sector, but also provide an opportunity to project India as an attractive investment destination for this sector and bring in foreign investment to new areas such as Research & Developments, Clinical Trials by promoting Joint Ventures with the Indian Manufacturers and bringing in best practices in the sector from around the world.

 

Further, the Minister informed that this year the ‘India Pharma & Medical Device 2017’ Conference is based around the Themes: Medical Devices- 'Shaping the Future-Making the Right Choices' and Pharma -'Shaping the future of India Pharma'. This initiative will be a platform to give a push to the Indian Pharma & Medical Devices sector in becoming globally competitive. It would play the role of a meeting point for International Drug Regulators, International Buyers, Investors and CEOs from the Global Pharma & Medical Devices sector that will provide ample opportunities to the participating stakeholders to network and learn amongst themselves. The Conference will be a Pharma Kumbh and the highlight would be the International Drug Regulators meet, Shri Kumar added.  

 

The initiatives in this three day programme are designed to focus on contemporary Policy Interventions, Ease of Doing Business, sharing best practices & fostering collaborations with the global Regulatory Framework and to deliberate on sectoral reforms which shall bring India on forefront of global attractiveness for Investments in Manufacturing and R&D in the sector.  

 

Shri Ananth Kumar stressed upon the need for India to have a lion’s share in manufacturing of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) and bulk drug formulations with special emphasis on indigenous manufacturing of Medical devices. Further, he said that there is a need to have more researchers in this sector and hence the Government is constantly working in this direction by setting up National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPERs) across the country. Also, there is a need to increase collaboration with the Industry in the field of Pharma & Medical Devices Innovation. In this direction, the Department of Pharmaceuticals is working on a scheme to establish Pharma parks & clusters in various States that will help bringing down the production costs significantly, he added. 

 

The Minister stressed upon the need to encourage the Small & Medium Enterprise (SME) sector to increase exports in the Pharmaceuticals & Medical Device sector. He also invited the Karnataka based Pharmaceutical & Medical device manufacturers to participate at the event and get benefited by the possibilities to collaborate with their prospective clients.

Shri Ananth Kumar was pleased to note that with the joint efforts made by Department of Pharmaceuticals and FICCI, the 2nd edition of the event will witness a 25% growth in number of Exhibitors, number of Delegates & Business Visitors and International Delegations participation. Over 250 exhibitors from the Pharmaceuticals & Medical Device sector, Buyers from over 24 countries, International Regulators from 6 countries
 (USFDA-USA, PMDA-Japan, MoH-Malaysia etc), over 29 Embassy officials and over 10,000 Business Visitors will participate during the three days of the event. Karnataka will be participating as the Host State of the event while Chhattisgarh will be the Partner State. 

 

The India Pharma exhibition will cover all the segments of the pharmaceutical industry starting from finished formulations, APIs, bio-pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals & intermediates, natural extracts and excipients. India Medical Device exhibition will showcase med-tech innovations in India across segments from preventive to therapeutic care. Leading Pharmaceutical & Medical Device companies will showcase their expertise and products to Indian and International Healthcare community at the exhibition that will result in creating new business opportunities. Sessions on Biopharmaceuticals will include The New Engine of Growth, Scaling Med-Tech Manufacturing and the Investors Meet, which will be a step forward to the Make in Indiamission of the Government of India. 

 

Other dignitaries present on the occasion were Shri Jai Priye Prakash, Secretary, DoP, Shri Sudhansh Pant, JS, DoP, Shri Vinay Mathur, Dy. Secretary General, FICCI along with senior officials of the Ministry, FICCI and Industry Stalwarts.

 

Online Media Registration for covering the India Pharma 2017&India Medical Device 2017 have been opened on the following links (Last Date for Online Registration is 31st JANUARY 2017):

 

http://indiapharmaexpo.in/media-registration.php &

http://www.indiamediexpo.in/media-registration.php

 

The Social Media Pages for ‘India Medical Device 2017’ are as follows:

https://www.facebook.com/indiamedicaldevice/

https://twitter.com/Indiamedical17

https://www.linkedin.com/company/india-medical-expo

 

#indiamedicaldevice

 

The Social Media Pages for ‘India Pharma 2017’ are as follows:

https://www.facebook.com/indiapharma2017/
https://twitter.com/indiapharma2017

https://www.linkedin.com/company/indiapharmaexpo

 

#indiapharma2017

 

For more information about the event kindly visit the Webpages: www.indiamediexpo.in & www.indiapharmaexpo.in

 


*****

Text of PM’s address in the Prime Minister’s NCC Rally, New Delhi



देश के कोने-कोने से आए हुए सभी युवा साथि‍यों,
 

गणतंत्र के पावन पर्व पर देश के कोने-कोने से आए हुए NCC के Cadets ने लोकतंत्र के प्रति‍ अपनी श्रद्धा, भारत की एकता के प्रति‍ हमारी प्रति‍बद्धता, वि‍वि‍धता में एकता के सामर्थ्‍य की अनुभूति‍, देश और दुनि‍या ने आपके माध्‍यम से महसूस की है। मैं आपसब को हृदय से बहुत-बहुत बधाई देता हूं और भारत के उत्‍तम नागरि‍क के नाते, आने वाले कालखंड में भी आप अपने व्‍यक्‍ति‍गत जीवन में भी, सामान्‍य जीवन में भी, राष्‍ट्र जीवन में भी और मानवता के उच्‍च आदर्शों के प्रति‍ भी वैसी ही प्रति‍बद्धता, वैसी ही समर्पण की मि‍साल कायम करते रहेंगे। जो भारत की वि‍श्‍व में एक अनोखी पहचान बनाने का कारण बन सकती है।
 

NCC के Cadet के रूप में सि‍र्फ यूनि‍फॉर्म नहीं होती है, सि‍र्फ परेड नहीं होती, सि‍र्फ कैम्‍प नहीं होते हैं, NCC के माध्‍यम से एक sense of mission का बीजारोपण होता है। हमारे भीतर एक जीवन जीने का मकसद उसके संस्‍कार का और वो भी सामूहि‍क संस्‍कार का ये कालखंड होता है। NCC के कारण अपनी शि‍क्षा-दीक्षा के अलावा, भारत की वि‍वि‍धता के, भारत की अंतर-ऊर्जा के, भारत के वि‍राट सामर्थ्‍य के हमें दर्शन होते हैं। दुनि‍या के लोगों को आश्‍चर्य होता है कि‍ ये कैसा देश है, 1500 से ज्‍यादा बोलि‍यां हों, 100 से ज्‍यादा भाषाएं हों, हर 20 कोस के बाद बोली बदलती हों, वेशभूषा अलग हों, खानपान अलग हों, उसके बावजूद भी एकता के सूत्र से बंधे हुए रहते हैं और चोट हि‍मालय में आएं, आंसू कन्‍याकुमारी में टपक करके नि‍कल आते हैं। ये भाव, राष्‍ट्रीय एकात्‍मकता का भाव। भारत के कि‍सी भी कोने में अच्‍छा हो और देशवासी खुशी से फूला नहीं समाता और भारत के कि‍सी भी कोने में या भारतीय के द्वारा कहीं पर भी कुछ गलत हो जाएं तो हमें उतनी ही पीड़ा होती है जैसे हमारे सामने कोई घटना घटी हैं। देश के कि‍सी भी कोने में प्राकृति‍क आपदा आईं हों, देश ने एकता के रूप में उस संवेदना को साझा कि‍या है, दर्द बांटने का प्रयास कि‍या है। देश के सामने कोई चुनौती आई हो तो सवा सौ करोड़ देशवासि‍यों ने उस चुनौती को अपना माना है। अपने पुरुषार्थ से और पराक्रम से उसे परि‍पूर्ण करने का भरसक प्रयास कि‍या है।
 

ये हमारे देश की अपनी ताकत हैं। कोई देश राजा-महाराजाओं से नहीं बनते हैं। देश शासकों से नहीं बनते हैं। देश सरकारों से नहीं बनते हैं। देश बनते हैं सामान्‍य नागरि‍कों से, शि‍क्षकों से, कि‍सान से, मजदूर से, वैज्ञानि‍कों से, ज्ञानि‍यों से, आचार्यों से, भगवंतों से। एक अखंड तपस्‍या होती हैं जो राष्‍ट्र का ये वि‍राट रूप अर्जि‍त करती है और हम भाग्‍यवान लोग है कि‍ हजारों साल की इस महान वि‍रासत के हम भी एक जीवंत अंश है और हमारे जि‍म्‍मे भी उसमें कुछ न कुछ जोड़ने का दायि‍त्‍व आया है। उस दायि‍त्‍व को नि‍भाने के लि‍ए जो संस्‍कार चाहि‍ए, जो training चाहि‍ए, जो अनुभव चाहि‍ए वो NCC के माध्‍यम से हमें प्राप्‍त हुआ है।
 

मेरा भी सौभाग्‍य रहा है। बचपन में NCC के Cadet के रूप में ये sense of mission, ये अनुभूति‍ इसकी समझ वि‍कसि‍त हुई। मैं आप जैसा होनहार नहीं था, उतना तेजस्‍वी Cadet नहीं था और इसलि‍ए दि‍ल्‍ली की परेड में कभी मेरा selection नहीं हुआ। लेकि‍न आपको देखकर के मुझे गर्व होता है कि‍ बचपन में मेरे पास जो शक्‍ति‍ थी, अनुभूति‍ थी, अनुभव था उससे आप कई गुना आगे हो, ये देखकर के मुझे और खुशी होती है। इसलि‍ए ये भी भरोसा बैठता है कि‍ आपमें आगे जाने का सामर्थ्‍य भी मुझसे कई गुना ज्‍यादा है। ये युवा शक्‍ति‍ में देश को आगे ले जाने का भी सामर्थ्‍य मुझसे भी कई गुना ज्‍यादा है और तब जाकर के देश के उज्‍ज्‍वल भवि‍ष्‍य के लि‍ए आश्‍वस्‍त हो जाते हैं, नि‍श्‍चि‍न्‍त हो जाते हैं।
 

NCC ने, उसके Cadets ने स्‍वच्‍छता के अभि‍यान को अपना बना लि‍या। देश में जहां भी जाने का अवसर मि‍ला NCC के द्वारा योजनापूर्वक स्‍वच्‍छता के अभि‍यान को चलाया गया है। जि‍स संगठन के पास 13 लाख से ज्‍यादा Cadets हो, वो Cadets स्‍वयं organized way में स्‍वच्‍छता का अभि‍यान चलाएं, औरों को प्रेरणा देते हैं। लेकि‍न एक नागरि‍क के रूप में, स्‍वयं के जीवन में, अपने परि‍वार के जीवन में, अपने आस-पास के परि‍सर में, अपने दोस्‍तों में, दोस्‍तों के परि‍वारों में; स्‍वच्‍छता, ये स्‍वभाव बने उसमें catalytic agent के रूप में NCC का हर Cadet काम कर सकता है। NCC की व्‍यवस्‍था के तहत स्‍वच्‍छता एक प्रेरक है लेकि‍न एक Cadet नागरि‍क के रूप में समाज में स्‍वच्‍छता को स्‍वभाव बनाने के लि‍ए, भारत का स्‍वच्‍छता एक चरि‍त्र बन जाए, और 2019 में महात्‍मा गांधी की 150वीं जयंती जब मनाएं तब देश में गंदगी के प्रति‍ भरपूर नफरत हो, स्‍वच्‍छता के प्रति‍ प्रेम हो, स्‍वच्‍छता हर व्‍यक्‍ति‍ के जीवन की अपनी जि‍म्‍मेवारी बन जाएं, उस बात को आगे बढ़ाने के लि‍ए हर कि‍सी को बहुत कुछ करने की आवश्‍यकता है। NCC के Cadet इतनी बड़ी तादाद में है और देश के हर कोने-कोने में फैले हुए नौजवान है, ऊर्जा है, उमंग है, उत्‍साह है, training है, वो तो शायद सबसे बड़ी ताकत के रूप में इस स्‍वच्‍छता के आंदोलन को आगे बढ़ा सकते हैं।
 

युवा मन और वैसे भी भारतीय मन technology को बहुत जल्‍दी adopt कर लेता है। इस देश के अंदर 18 उम्र से ऊपर के करीब-करीब सभी नागरि‍कों का ‘आधार’ कार्ड हो, ‘आधार’ नंबर हो, बायोमेट्रि‍क से उसकी पहचान हो, ये कि‍सी भी देश की बहुत बड़ी संपत्‍ति‍ है जो आज भारत के पास है। ये वि‍शि‍ष्‍ट पहचान हमारी सब योजनाओं का आधार बन सकती है।
 

इन दि‍नों लोग Digital Currency की ओर कैसे जाएं, उसका एक अभि‍यान चल रहा है। NCC के Cadets ने उसको आगे बढ़ाया है। नोट, नोट की छपाई, छपाई करने के बाद नोट को गांव-गांव पहुंचाना, अरबों रुपयों का खर्च होता है। एक–एक ATM को संभालने के लि‍ए पांच-पांच पुलि‍स वाले लगते हैं। अगर हम डि‍जि‍टल की ओर चले जाएं तो देश के कि‍तने पैसे बचा सकते हैं और वो पैसे गरीब को घर देने के लि‍ए, गरीब को शि‍क्षा देने के लि‍ए, गरीब को दवाई देने के लि‍ए, गरीब के बच्‍चों को अच्‍छे संस्‍कार देने के लि‍ए वो धन काम में आ सकता है। हमारी जेब से कुछ भी दि‍ए बि‍ना, खुद की पॉकेट से कोई अलग खर्चा कि‍ए बि‍ना, अगर हम देश में Digital Payment की आदत डाल दें।
 

BHIM app, बाबा साहेब अम्‍बेडकर का स्‍मरण करते हुए BHIM app अपने मोबाइल फोन पर डाउनलोड करे और BHIM app से लोगों को कारोबार करने की आदत डालें, अपने परि‍वार के हर व्‍यक्‍ति‍ को आदत डालें, जहां से हम खरीद-बि‍क्री करते हैं उस दुकानदार को आदत डालें, आपको कल्‍पना नहीं होगी, उतनी बड़ी सेवा देश को कर पाएंगे और हि‍न्‍दुस्‍तान का हर नागरि‍क इस काम को कर सकता है।
 

बदलते हुए युग में बदलती हुई व्‍यवस्‍थाओं को और जब technology driven society है तब भारत वि‍श्‍व में कहीं पीछे नहीं रह सकता है। जि‍स देश के पास 65 प्रति‍शत जनसंख्‍या 35 साल से कम उम्र की हो, Demographic Dividend के नाम पर दुनि‍या में हम सीना तानकर के, आंख से आंख मि‍लाकर के बात करते हो, उस देश के 800 million youth अगर एक बार ठान लें कि‍ अर्थव्‍यवस्‍था में इतना बड़ा बदलाव लाने के लि‍ए हमें योगदान करना है, कोई कल्‍पना भी नहीं कर सकता है कि‍ प्रधानमंत्री से भी ज्‍यादा या वि‍त्‍तमंत्री से भी ज्‍यादा बहुत बड़ा काम हि‍न्‍दुस्‍तान का नौजवान कर सकता है। बदलाव ला सकता है। NCC ने भी इस जि‍म्‍मेवारी को उठाया है। मुझे वि‍श्‍वास है कि‍ वो इसे परि‍पूर्ण करते रहेंगे।
 

NCC के Cadet देशभक्‍ति‍ से भरे हुए होते हैं। अनुशासन इनकी वि‍शेषता होती है। मि‍लकर के काम करना इनका स्‍वभाव होता है। कदम से कदम मि‍लाकर के चलना, कंधे से कंधा मि‍लाकर के चलना लेकि‍न साथ-साथ मि‍लकर के सोचना, सोचकर के चलना, चलकर के पाना, ये NCC की वि‍शेषता होती है। इसलि‍ए आज जब वि‍श्‍व आतंकवाद की चुनौती को झेल रहा है, तब हमारी युवा पीढ़ी में समाज के प्रति‍, देश के प्रति‍ अपनेपन का भाव नि‍रंतर जगाते रहना पड़ता है। हमारे यहां कहावत है, ‘राष्‍ट्रम जाग्रयाम व्‍यं’। नि‍रंतर जागरूक। इसके लि‍ए चौकन्‍ना रहना होता है। हमारे आस-पास का कोई नौजवान कहीं गलत रास्‍ते पर तो नहीं चल पड़ रहा है, उसको रोकना होगा। जीवन में कोई ऐसी बुराइयां तो नहीं आ रही हैं जो उसको तो तबाह करें, उसके पूरे परि‍वार को तबाह करें और समाज के लि‍ए वो बोझ बन जाएगा। अगर हम जागरुक होंगे तो अपने अगल-बगल के परि‍सर को, अपने साथि‍यों को भी, भले वो NCC में हों या न हों, हम उसे भी, जि‍स sense of mission को हमने पाया है, जि‍स जीवन के मकसद को हमने जाना है, उसको भी उसका प्रसार प्राप्‍त हो सकता है और वो भी हमारी राह पर चल सकता है।
 

आज गणतंत्र की इस परेड में इतने दि‍न आप लोगों ने बहुत-सी चीजें सीखी हैं, बहुत से नए मि‍त्र पाएं हैं, भारत के कोने-कोने को जानने-समझने का अवसर मि‍ला है। बहुत ही उम्‍दा स्‍मृति‍यों के साथ आप अपने घर लौटने वाले हैं। आपके स्‍कूल-कॉलेज के students, आपके साथी इस बात का इंतजार करते हैं कि‍ आप कब पहुंचे और अपने अनुभव बताएं। आपने उनको अपनी फोटो भी मोबाइल फोन से भेज दी होगी, share कि‍या होगा कि‍ मैं परेड में यहां था और आपके साथि‍यों ने भी परेड को बड़ी बारीकी से देखा होगा कि‍ पूरी परेड दि‍खे या न दि‍खे, अपने गांव वाला लड़का दि‍खता है कि‍ नहीं दि‍खता है। अपने स्‍कूल वाला बच्‍चा दि‍खता है कि‍ नहीं दि‍खता है। पूरे हि‍न्‍दुस्तान के हर कोने में हरेक की नज़र आप पर थी। ये कोई छोटा गौरव नहीं है। ये कि‍तने बड़े आनंद का पल होता है। उन स्‍मृति‍यों को लेकर के जब आप लौट रहे हैं तब ये एक अनमोल खजाना आपके पास है। इसे कभी बि‍खरने मत देना, वि‍सरने मत देना, इसे संजोकर रखना और उसको पनपाने की कोशि‍श करना। ये अच्‍छी चीजें जि‍तनी पनपाएंगे, जीवन भी उतना खि‍ल उठेगा। वो पूरी की पूरी महक आपके जीवन के भीतर से प्रकट होती रहेगी जो आसपास के पूरे परि‍सर को पुलकि‍त करती रहेगी।
 

मेरी आप सब को हृदय से बहुत-बहुत शुभकामनाएं हैं। आज वि‍जयी हुए Cadets को भी हृदय से बहुत-बहुत बधाई देता हूं, अभि‍नंदन करता हूं। NCC को बहुत-बहुत शुभकामनाएं देता हूं, बहत-बहुत धन्‍यवाद।
 

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PM pays tributes to Lala Lajpat Rai, on his birth anniversary



The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has paid tributes to Lala Lajpat Rai, on his birth anniversary.
 

"Tributes to Lala Lajpat Rai on his birth anniversary. He was respected for his fearlessness, impeccable integrity and fight against injustice", the Prime Minister said.

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PM addresses NCC Rally



The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today said that the life of a NCC cadet is beyond the uniform, the parade and the camps; and added that the NCC experience provides a sense of mission. He was addressing the NCC rally in New Delhi.
 

The Prime Minister said that the NCC experience offers a glimpse of India, its strength and its diversity. He said that emperors, rulers, governments do not make a nation, but a nation is made by its citizens, youth, farmers, scholars, scientists, workforce, and saints.
 

He said that NCC cadets inspire confidence about the future of India, and instill pride about the strength of our youth.
 

The Prime Minister appreciated the role of NCC in furthering the cause of cleanliness. He also called for continuing the movement towards digital transactions.
 

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