Modi to visit UAE

Modi Welcomes UAE Prez At Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit

UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad on Tuesday evening to take part in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi received him at the airport and the two will hold a roadshow in the city today.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra and other officials were present at the airport to welcome the UAE President.

The UAE President was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour upon his arrival.

Apart from the UAE President, other world leaders including Timor Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta are attending the Vibrant Gujarat Summit.

PM Modi arrived in Ahmedabad on Monday for a two-day visit to inaugurate the 10th edition of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024 at Gujarat’s Mahatma Mandir.

Upon arrival in Gujarat, PM Modi in a post shared on X stated, “Landed in Ahmedabad a short while ago. Over the next two days, will be taking part in the Vibrant Gujarat Summit and related programmes. It is a matter of immense joy that various world leaders will be joining us during this summit. The coming of my brother, Mohamed Bin Zayed, is very special. I have a very close association with the Vibrant Gujarat Summit and I am glad to see how this platform has contributed to Gujarat’s growth and created opportunities for several people.”

The Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit was started in 2003 under the leadership of Modi when he was the state chief minister. The tenth edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit is being held from January 10-12 in Gandhinagar.

There are 34 partner countries and 16 partner organisations for this year’s Summit. Further, the Ministry of Development of the North-Eastern Region will utilise the Vibrant Gujarat platform to showcase investment opportunities in the North-Eastern regions.

The Summit will host various events including seminars and conferences on globally relevant topics such as Industry 4.0, Technology and Innovation, Sustainable Manufacturing, Green Hydrogen, Electric Mobility and Renewable Energy and Transition towards Sustainability.

In the Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show, companies are displaying products made from world class state of the art technology. E-mobility, Start-ups, MSMEs, Blue Economy, Green Energy & Smart Infrastructure are some of the focus sectors of the Trade Show. (ANI)

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Lakshadweep Modi

Google Searches For Beach Destination Lakshadweep Skyrocket After Modi’s Visit

Worldwide, Google searches for Lakshadweep are at their highest in the last 20 years, that too by a huge margin reflecting a hockey stick graph.

This huge spark in interest for Lakshadweep could be linked to the outcome of PM Modi’s overnight stay, followed by beach visits and some adventure activities he partook in the form of snorkelling.

A massive row that is triggered after Maldives deputy minister, along with other cabinet members and government officials, made disparaging and unsavoury references to PM Modi’s Lakshadweep visit, also is likely to have raised people’s interest in the archipelago.

Indians, including cricketers and film celebrities, have since come out in open support in promoting local beach destinations and other tourist spots. They also voiced support for PM Modi’s call for promoting beach tourism in Lakshadweep.

On January 2, PM Modi visited the Union Territory of Lakshadweep and shared several pictures, including an ‘exhilarating experience’ of him trying his hand at snorkelling.

In a series of posts on X, PM Modi shared pictures of the white beaches, the pristine blue skies and the ocean and tagged them with a message that read, “For those who wish to embrace the adventurer in them, Lakshadweep has to be on your list.”

It is to be noted a large part of Maldives inbound tourists are Indians.

Amid the Lakshadweep row, Maldives Envoy to India, Ibrahim Shaheeb was on Monday morning at the Ministry of External Affairs in the national capital’s South Block.

In a post that has now been deleted, the Maldivian Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, Shiuna, made a mocking and disrespectful reference to PM Modi.

The Maldives government has, however, distanced itself from the remarks made by its ministers. Maldivian Minister of Foreign Affairs Moosa Zameer said that these remarks against foreign leaders are “unacceptable” and do not reflect the official position of the Maldives government.

He stated that the Maldives remains committed to fostering a “positive and constructive dialogue” with all its partners, particularly its neighbours.

In a post shared on X, Moosa Zameer stated, “The recent remarks against foreign leaders and our close neighbours are unacceptable and do not reflect the official position of the Government of #Maldives. We remain committed to fostering a positive and constructive dialogue with all our partners, especially our neighbours, based on mutual respect and understanding.” (ANI)

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Aditya-L1

Aditya-L1 Enters Final Orbit; India Creates Another Landmark: Modi

In a significant scientific milestone, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Saturday injected Aditya-L1 spacecraft – the first dedicated solar mission – into its final destination orbit.

Prime Minister Narenendra Modi and Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh were among leaders who hailed the achievement.

Aditya-L1 has reached Lagrange Point L1, about 1.5 million km from earth.

The PSLV-C57.1 rocket carrying the Aditya-L1 orbiter lifted off successfully from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, in September.

The successful launch of the maiden solar mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) came on the heels of the historic lunar landing mission — Chandrayaan-3.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India will continue to pursue new frontiers of science for the benefit of humanity.

“India creates yet another landmark. India’s first solar observatory Aditya-L1 reaches it’s destination. It is a testament to the relentless dedication of our scientists in realising among the most complex and intricate space missions. I join the nation in applauding this extraordinary feat. We will continue to pursue new frontiers of science for the benefit of humanity,” he said in post on X.

Jitendra Singh said Aditya L1 will discover the mysteries of sun-earth connection

“From Moon walk to Sun Dance! What a glorious turn of year for Bharat! Under the visionary leadership of PM @narendramodi, yet another success story scripted by Team #ISRO. #AdityaL1 reaches its final orbit to discover the mysteries of Sun-Earth connection,” he said in a post on X.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal also congratulated the scientists and said India’s space journey is unstoppable.

“Wings of Fire! Congratulations to the dedicated scientists at @ISRO for successfully inserting Bharat’s first solar observatory #AdityaL1 into its intended destination. First the moon, now the sun… our space journey is unstoppable!

Aditya L1 has seven different payloads on board, to conduct a detailed study of the sun, four of which will observe the light from the sun and the other three will measure in-situ parameters of the plasma and magnetic fields.

The largest and technically most challenging payload on Aditya-L1 is the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph or VELC. VELC was integrated, tested, and calibrated at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics’ CREST (Centre for Research and Education in Science Technology) campus in Hosakote in collaboration with ISRO.

This strategic location will enable Aditya-L1 to continuously observe the sun without being hindered by eclipses or occultation, allowing scientists to study solar activities and their impact on space weather in real-time.

Also, the spacecraft’s data will help identify the sequence of processes that lead to solar eruptive events and contribute to a deeper understanding of space weather drivers.

Major objectives of India’s solar mission include the study of the physics of solar corona and its heating mechanism, the solar wind acceleration, coupling and dynamics of the solar atmosphere, solar wind distribution and temperature anisotropy, and origin of Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) and flares and near-earth space weather. (ANI)

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wrestler Bajrang Punia

I Am Returning My Padma Shri: Punia Writes To Modi

India’s ace wrestler Bajrang Punia on Friday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that he is returning his Padma Shri as a mark of protest over the results of the recent Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections where Sanjay Singh, an aide of former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, was elected as the president .

Punia shared a detailed post on X, stating, “I am returning my Padma Shri award to the Prime Minister. All I have to say is in this letter; this is my statement.”

“Dear Prime Minister, I hope you are healthy and busy serving the country. Amid your busy schedule, I want to draw your attention to our wrestling. You must be aware that in January this year, women wrestlers in the country made serious allegations of sexual harassment against Brij Bhushan Singh, who was in charge of the WFI,” the Olympic medalist expressed.

“When those women wrestlers started their movement in January, I also joined the agitating wrestlers. They returned home when the government told them to take concrete action. However, even after three months, when no FIR was filed against Brij Bhushan, we wrestlers took to the streets again in April. We wanted Delhi Police to take action against Singh and file an FIR, but things did not work out. Hence, we had to go to court and file an FIR,” he added.

Earlier, Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik, a face of the wrestlers’ protest against Brij Bhushan over sexual harassment allegations, announced on Thursday that she is quitting wrestling. Her decision came within an hour after Sanjay Singh was elected as the new WFI chief, replacing Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

In May this year, a scuffle broke out between ace wrestlers protesting against the WFI chief and Delhi Police at Jantar Mantar. Wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, and other top grapplers, alleged that Delhi Police personnel manhandled them when they tried to bring in mattresses after daylong rain.

“In January, the number of complainant women wrestlers was 19, which came down to 7 by April. In these three months, Brij Bhushan Singh left 12 women wrestlers behind in the fight for his position. The movement lasted for 40 days, during which a female wrestler further retreated. We all felt pitiful, our protest venue was destroyed, and we were chased out of Delhi, and our protest was banned. When this happened, we did not understand what to do, so we took our medals,” Punia added further in his post on ‘X.’

“When we went there, our coach and the farmers did not allow us to do so. At the same time, a call came from one of your responsible ministers, and we were told to go back; justice will be done to us. Meanwhile, we also met our Home Minister, and he assured us that he would support them in getting justice for the women wrestlers and will oust Brij Bhushan, his family, and his henchmen from the federation,” he said.

“We accepted their advice and ended our movement on the streets because the government would resolve the wrestling union, and the fight for justice would take place in court. These two things seemed logical to us,” Bajrang further wrote.

Talking about the win of Brij Bhushan-aide Sanjay Singh, the Olympic bronze medalist said under pressure, Sakshi retired from wrestling, and she spent the night crying.

“But in the wrestling association elections held on December 21, Brij Bhushan has once again won. He stated that ‘there is dominance and there will be dominance’,” he said.

“The accused of sexual exploitation of female wrestlers was again openly claiming his dominance over the body that manages wrestling. Under this mental pressure, Sakshi Malik, the only female wrestler to win an Olympic medal, retired from wrestling, and we all spent the night crying. I was not able to understand where to go, what to do, and how to live. The government had given me so much respect. Should I continue to decline under the burden of this respect?” the Olympic bronze medallist questioned further.

Talking about the honours he received, Bajrang wrote, “In 2019, I was awarded Padma Shri, also honoured with Khel Ratna and Arjun Awards. I was very happy when I got this honour. I felt that life had been successful, but today I am more unhappy in it, and respect is eluding me. There is only one reason in order to get respect for wrestling, our fellow women wrestlers have to give up wrestling for their safety.”

“Sports have brought tremendous changes in the lives of our female players. Earlier, in the villages, it could not be imagined that boys and girls would be seen playing together in the rural fields. However, due to the courage of the first-generation female players, this could happen. In every village, you will see girls playing here and going even to the country and abroad to play,” he said.

“But those whose dominance has been established or will remain so, even their shadow scares the women players, and now they have completely taken over again. The daughters who were supposed to become the board ambassadors of ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ were put in such a situation that they had to step back from their sport. These ‘respected’ wrestlers could not do anything. After the women wrestlers were humiliated, they became ‘respected’ and started their careers. Don’t live life; live moth. Such a life will spoil me; that is why I am returning you out of respect,” he concluded. (ANI)

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Modi Pays Tribute To Sardar Patel On His Death Anniv

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to the first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of independent India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, on his death anniversary on Friday.

PM Modi said that Sardar Patel’s visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to the nation’s unity laid the foundations of modern India.

In a post on X, PM Modi said, “Tributes to the great Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his Punya Tithi. His visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to the nation’s unity laid the foundations of modern India. His exemplary work guides us towards building a stronger, more united country. We continue to draw inspiration from his life and work towards realising his dream of a prosperous India.”

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also paid tribute to Sardar Patel saying “Heartfelt tribute to the Bharat Ratna awarded Iron Man Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his death anniversary. His tireless efforts to keep the integrity and sovereignty of the country intact with the feeling of one India and the nation being supreme will always remain an example for every countryman.”

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also paid tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

“When the people become united, then even the cruellest rule cannot stand before them’ ~’Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’…Tributes to the Iron Man of India, the first Deputy Prime Minister of the country, former Congress President and our idol, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who made independent India a complete nation, on his death anniversary. The personality and thoughts of Sardar Patel ji will always inspire the coming generations to serve the nation,” Kharge posted on X.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, also known as the Iron Man of India, was born on October 31, 1875, in Gujarat’s Nadiad.

He played a crucial role during the freedom struggle of India and was instrumental in the

integration of over 500 princely states into the Indian Union.

He was also the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of the independent India.

Patel died on December 15, 1950, after suffering a heart attack at Birla House in Mumbai.

He was conferred the Bharat Ratna Award posthumously in 1991. (ANI)

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Modi Palestinian

Modi Speaks To Palestinian Prez, Reaffirms Aid

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the President of Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday and expressed his condolences at the loss of lives at Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza.

PM Modi also reaffirmed India’s commitment to provide the Palestinian people with humanitarian assistance while reiterating India’s long-standing principled position on the Israel-Palestine issue.

“Spoke to the President of the Palestinian Authority H.E. Mahmoud Abbas. Conveyed my condolences at the loss of civilian lives at the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza. We will continue to send humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people,” posted PM Modi on X.

PM Modi in his conversation with Abbas also expressed his concern at terrorism and violence amid the ongoing war and also reiterated India’s position on the issue.

“Shared our deep concern at the terrorism, violence and deteriorating security situation in the region. Reiterated India’s long-standing principled position on the Israel-Palestine issue,” PM Modi’s post added.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi has said that India’s position concerning the Palestine issue has been “longstanding and consistent”.

“India has always advocated the resumption of direct negotiations towards establishing a sovereign, independent and viable state of Palestine living within secure and recognised borders side by side at peace with Israel. That position remains the same,” he said.

PM Modi on Wednesday condoled the loss of lives in an explosion at a hospital in Gaza, saying he was “deeply shocked” by the incident. Expressing concern over the mounting civilian casualties in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, the PM said that those behind such deaths should be “held responsible”.

Taking to his official handle on X, PM Modi posted, “Deeply shocked at the tragic loss of lives at the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza. Our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, and prayers for speedy recovery of those injured. Civilian casualties in the ongoing conflict are a matter of serious and continuing concern. Those involved should be held responsible.”

An explosion at the hospital in Gaza City on Tuesday claimed the lives of hundreds of people.

Earlier today, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Official Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India has strongly condemned the “horrific” terrorist attack on Israel and believes the international community must combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

“We have strongly condemned the horrific terrorist attack on Israel. The international community must stand together in combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations…” Bagchi said during the MEA weekly briefing on Thursday.

Bagchi further said, “There was also the issue of Palestine and on that, we have reiterated our position in favour of direct negotiations for establishing a two-state solution. We have also expressed our concern at the civilian casualties and the humanitarian situation. We would urge the strict observance of international humanitarian law…”

He added, “You would have seen the comments, the tweets as well as a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi” on the situation in Israel.

As the Israel-Hamas war enters its 13th day, global protests over deadly strike at Gaza hospital continue with arrests of Jewish anti-war demonstrators reported inside US Congress, according to CNN.

The Palestinian Mission to the UN in Geneva has denounced Israeli disinformation and propaganda after the deadly Gaza hospital explosion. At least 3,785 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since Hamas’s October 7 attack inside Israel, which killed more than 1,400 people, CNN reported. (ANI)

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Chandrayaan-3

Chandrayaan-3: India Lands On Moon, Creates History

It was a giant leap for India on Wednesday evening as the Chandrayaan-3 lander module successfully landed on the moon’s South Pole, making it the first country to have achieved the historic feat and bringing to an end the disappointment over the crash landing of the Chandrayaan-2, four years ago.

Officials at India’s space agency ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru broke into applause after the Vikram began its powered vertical descent towards its landing site.

“India is on the moon!” Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is currently attending the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg said. He watched the live telecast and as soon as the touchdown happened he sported a big smile and waved the tricolour. 

The countdown of the Vikram hovered at 150 metres, then 130 metres, 50 metres and decelerated as approached the moon’s service before finally touching down on the lunar surface.  

As the Vikram lander carrying the Pragyaan rover in its belly touched down on the lunar surface, it marked a giant leap in India’s spacefaring journey providing a well-deserved finale to ISRO’s long years of toil.

This makes India becomes the fourth country – after US, China, and Russia – to have successfully landed on the moon’s surface, it has earned a place in record books as the first to touchdown on the south side of Earth’s only natural satellite.

Billions of people across India and globally closely monitoring the much-awaited event. More so after Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft crashed on Sunday after spinning out of control.

In the run-up to the scheduled soft landing of Chandrayaan-3, people across the country prayed to God in all denominations of places of worship for a successful mission.

Special screenings of the soft landing were organized across the country, including schools and science centers, and public institutions. ISRO made the live actions available on the ISRO website, its YouTube channel, Facebook, and public broadcaster DD National TV.

The scheduled timing for the soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon’s south pole on August 23, 2023 (Wednesday), was 18:04 IST, with the powered descent of Vikram lander at 1745 IST.

ISRO had been releasing a series of up-close images of the moon, assisting the lander module in determining its position (latitude and longitude) by matching them against an onboard moon reference map.

Historically, spacecraft missions to the Moon have primarily targeted the equatorial region due to its favourable terrain and operating conditions. However, the lunar south pole presents a vastly different and more challenging terrain compared to the equatorial region

The spacecraft was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota on July 14.

A GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle was used for the launch of the spacecraft that was placed in the lunar orbit on August 5 and since then it was through a series of orbital manoeuvres been lowered closer to the moon’s surface.

Ever since the July 14 launch, ISRO had been maintaining that the health of the spacecraft remained “normal”.

On August 5, Chandrayaan-3 was successfully inserted into the lunar orbit with multiple key manoeuvres thereafter.

Then on August 17, the mission marked another giant leap in its lunar quest as the ‘Vikram’ lander module of the spacecraft successfully separated from the propulsion module on Thursday. The Chandrayaan-3 mission’s lander is named after Vikram Sarabhai (1919–1971), who is widely regarded as the father of the Indian space programme.

Then the deboosting of the Lander module was undertaken in two phases. Deboosting is the process of slowing down to position itself in an orbit where the orbit’s closest point to the Moon is.

The stated objectives of Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar mission, were safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, the rover moving on the moon’s surface, and in-situ scientific experiments.

Upon landing, the lander and the rover were to operate for one lunar day. One day on the Moon is equal to 14 days on Earth.

Chandrayaan-3’s development phase commenced in January 2020, with the launch planned sometime in 2021.

However, the Covid-19 pandemic brought an unforeseen delay to the mission’s progress. The approved cost of Chandrayaan-3 is Rs 250 crores (excluding launch vehicle cost).

Chandrayaan-2 mission was only “partially successful” since the lander lost contact after a hard landing, but the ISRO earlier this week successfully established two-way communication between the Chandrayaan-3 lander module and the still orbiting Chandrayaan-2 orbiter.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) founder Vikram Sarabhai, who is considered the father of the Indian space program, once said India must be second to none in the application of advanced technologies to the real problems facing society.

The establishment of the ISRO was one of Vikram Sarabhai’s greatest achievements. He successfully convinced the government of the day of the importance of a space programme for a developing country like India. (ANI)

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi

India Making Remarkable Progress On Achieving Equitable, Collective Prosperity: Modi

Stating that India is making remarkable progress on achieving equitable and collective prosperity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the weighted mean income has made a commendable leap in the last 9 years. 

Taking to the social media platform Linkedin, PM Modi cited two research pieces of SBI and a noted journalist Anil Padmanabhan, saying that these analyses shed light on something that should make us very happy. 

“Recently, I came across two insightful research pieces, which would interest all those passionate about India’s economy: one from SBI Research and another by Mr. Anil Padmanabhan, a noted journalist. These analyses shed light on something that should make us very happy- That India is making remarkable progress on achieving equitable and collective prosperity. I thought of sharing some interesting snippets from these research works,” PM said in the post. 

He said, “The research by SBI has pointed out (based on ITR returns) that the weighted mean income has made a commendable leap in the last 9 years, from Rs 4.4 lakh in AY14 to Rs 13 lakh in FY23.”

“Mr. Padmanabhan’s study of ITR data suggests a widening tax base, across various income brackets. Each bracket has seen a minimum threefold increase in tax filings, some even achieving a nearly fourfold surge,” he added. 

The Prime Minister observed that the research highlights the positive performance, in terms of increase in Income tax filings, across states. 

“Further, the research highlights the positive performance, in terms of increase in Income tax filings, across states. When comparing ITR filings between 2014 and 2023, the data paints a promising picture of increased tax participation across all states.

For instance, ITR data analysis shows the state of Uttar Pradesh has emerged as one of the top-performing states when it comes to ITR filings. In June 2014, Uttar Pradesh reported a modest 1.65 lakh ITR filings, but by June 2023, this figure had skyrocketed to an impressive 11.92 lakh,” he said. 

PM Modi also said that, according to the SBI report, the northeastern states– Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland– have exhibited admirable growth in ITR filings in the last 9 years.

“The SBI report also brings forth an encouraging note, highlighting that our smaller states and that too from the Northeast, namely Manipur, Mizoram, and Nagaland, have exhibited an admirable growth of over 20 per cent in ITR filings in the last 9 years,” the post read. 

“This shows that not only have incomes risen but so has compliance. And, this is a manifestation of the spirit of trust which the people have in our Government,” it added. 

The Prime Minister in his post noted that we are on course towards fulfilling our dream ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047. 

“These findings not only reflect our collective efforts but also reiterate our potential as a nation. Growing prosperity augurs well for national progress. Undoubtedly, we are standing at the cusp of a new era of economic prosperity and are on course towards fulfilling our dream ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047,” PM Modi said in the post. (ANI)

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modi about Hajj Pilgrimage

Hajj Pilgrimage Very Special For Muslim Women From India This Year: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the Hajj pilgrimage was especially special for Muslim women from India this year, as more than 4,000 such women went on the annual pilgrimage without a Mehram (male guardian).

Addressing the nation during the 103rd episode of his monthly radio broadcast. ‘Mann Ki Baat’, PM Modi termed the Hajj pilgrimage by Muslim women from India, without their male parents or custodians, as a ‘huge transformation’.
He said he received numerous letters from Muslim women, sharing their experiences from the Hajj this year.

“I received a lot of letters (ahead of his latest ‘Mann Ki Baat’ address), which brought me great joy. These letters have been written by Muslim women, who recently returned from the Hajj pilgrimage. Their journey this year was very special in many ways,” PM Modi said.

“These are the women, who performed their Hajj rituals with any male companion or Mehram. And, such pilgrims numbered not 50 or 100, but more than 4,000. This marks a huge transformation,” he added.

PM Modi also thanked the Government of Saudi Arabia for the unique Hajj experience for Muslim women this year.

“Earlier, Muslim women were not allowed to perform Hajj rituals without Mehram. Through ‘Mann Ki Baat’, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Government of Saudi Arabia for making this possible. Women coordinators were specially appointed for women pilgrims, who went on Hajj without male companions,” he said.

According to an official statement, 4,314 Muslim women from India performed the Hajj rituals at Mecca in Saudi Arabia, this year.

The annual pilgrimage was held between June 26 and July 1.

In October 2022, the Saudi Arabian government announced that (Mehram), a male blood relative with whom marriage is not permissible, will no longer be required to accompany a woman pilgrim from any part of the world.

Saudi Removes Restrictions On Hajj Pilgrim Numbers, Age Limit

Every year, millions of Muslims around the world embark on the sacred pilgrimage to Mecca. This spiritual journey holds immense significance in the lives of believers, offering an opportunity to connect with Allah, seek forgiveness, and strengthen their faith. The heartfelt desire to be among those walking to Mina, echoing the Labaik with the crowd, and performing the rituals of Hajj is a sentiment shared by countless Muslims across the globe.

Hajj is a unique manifestation of unity, as Muslims from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and nations gather in the sacred land of Makkah to perform the rituals together.

It draws people from different walks of life towards a common purpose — setting aside their differences, and embracing one another as equals before Allah. (ANI)

Samir Saran

Modi’s Visit To US Has Potential To Change Political, Tech Landscape For Future: Samir

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to US has the potential to change the political and technological landscape for the future, according to geopolitical expert Samir Saran.

In an exclusive interview with ANI Editor Smita Prakash, Observer Research Foundation (ORF) President Samir Saran said “As far as I am concerned and as I have written in my piece that appeared yesterday that you know this is a visit that has the potential to change the political landscape as well as the technology landscape for the future.”
Samir Saran who curates the Raisina Dialogue, India’s annual conference on cybersecurity and internet governance. His research focuses on issues of global governance, climate change and energy policy, technology and media, and India’s foreign policy.

Saran acknowledged that the US-India partnership is important. He noted that a lot has changed since PM Modi’s last visit to the US in 2016, the third bilateral meeting between Modi and US President Barack Obama. He said that PM Modi’s visit is aimed to transform India-US ties.

He further said, “So, this partnership is clearly important for all of this and what is it that is different this time, I think the last visit was in 2016, a good eight years ago or seven years and wasn’t a state visit and it was at a very different time. In seven years, a lot has changed, Europe is very different, it looks very different, what’s happening there.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the first-ever Indian PM to address the US Congress twice. He will be travelling to the US on a state visit which is seen as huge both in content and symbolism. He will get a 21-gun salute, will be hosted by US President Joe Biden at the White House and there will be extensive dialogue on the economy, strategy and climate change.

Moreover, Samir Saran stressed that India will have to focus on how to manage China and how to partner with the US.

Samir Saran said, “As far as Indians are concerned, two relationships – how we manage China and how we partner with the US, are the two equations we need to manage well if we need to ensure that we are in the position where we can shape outcomes, where we can contribute to global requirements, where we can serve the larger human needs and where of course we can meet the aspirations of a very young India, that is more demanding and louder and impatient in some ways.”

Saran further highlighted the continuity in the relationship between the two countries and called PM Modi’s visit to the US the future of the book that was written in the early 2000s.

“Look, we were just talking about the Manmohan Singh, Vajpayee years of the relationship and I was suggesting that, that was the period when we laid to the rest of the demons of the 20th century. We, perhaps, decided to script a new future. This is that future. This visit is that future,” Samir Saran said.

“So, if that was the preface of the book in the early 2000s, this is now the main book being written. This visit is where we are actually, after having heard everyone, you are good, he is bad, that is the issue, they are capable of doing this, they are capable of doing that we have heard everyone, we have assessed each other. We have played aloof, played warm, played friendly. We have played all the games with each other. This is it,” he added.

Samir Saran said that the visit of PM Modi is extremely different not only due to the different personalities of the leadership but due to the common convergence and determination to carve a relationship that will serve the future.

“There couldn’t be two dissimilar leaders driving this relationship and there couldn’t be greater convergence between these two leaders as it is happening. This visit, Biden and PM Modi is extremely different because of not only the personalities of the leadership. But, because, despite the different personalities, the common convergence and determination to carve a relationship that will serve the future and this is that relationship,” Samir Saran said.

ORF President further explained the importance of the India-US partnership in the backdrop Covid pandemic, disarray in Europe, climate change and China’s assertiveness. Samir Saran stressed that this is an era where India and US are deciding to do something “dramatic.”

“This is not a period when we are promising that we will work together. This is a period of great transition happening in the world. We have Europe in disarray, we have a China that is promising to upset everything, and we have just come out of a pandemic that has derailed economic futures. We have of course and most importantly a crisis such as climate change confronting all of us and we have a restless population within our country and outside. So, this is a very very different era, a different time frame, the time period where our two countries are deciding to do something dramatic,” he added.

PM Modi is set to visit the US at the invitation of US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. The visit will commence in New York where the Prime Minister will lead the celebrations of the International Day of Yoga at the United Nations Headquarters on June 21.

PM Modi will then travel to Washington DC, where he will receive a ceremonial welcome at the White House on June 22, and meet US President Biden to continue their high-level dialogue, according to a release issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

PM Modi will also address a Joint Sitting of the US Congress on June 22. On June 23, PM Modi will be jointly hosted at a luncheon by US Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of the State Antony Bilnken. In addition to official engagements, the Prime Minister is scheduled to have several curated interactions with leading CEOs, professionals, and other stakeholders. He will also meet members of the Indian Diaspora.

PM Modi will then travel to Cairo to pay a state visit to Egypt from June 24-25. (ANI)

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