Tag: India

India Suffers One Stroke Death Every 4 Minutes: Expert MV Padma Srivastava

India Suffers One Stroke Death Every 4 Minutes: Expert MV Padma Srivastava

By LokMarg

Brain stroke is the second most common cause of death in India with one patient succumbing to the disease every four minutes, a top health expert flagged on Thursday.
Padma Shri awardee Dr (Prof) MV Padma Srivastava, who is the most renowned neurologist in the country and is a Professor of Neurology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, participated in the celebration of International Women’s Day event at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital today.

Delivering a keynote address at the event titled, “Stroke care and its primary preventive methods in poor resource settings in India”, Dr Srivastava said, “Stroke is the second most common cause of death in India. About 1,85,000 strokes occur every year in India with nearly one stroke every 40 seconds and one stroke death every 4 minutes.”

She further referred to the Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) and said that most incidents of stroke were recorded in the country.

“India bore most of the burden of stroke with 68.6 per cent incidence of stroke. 70.9 per cent stroke deaths and 77.7 Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) lost. These figures are alarming for India with many living in poor resource settings. Another alarming and important finding of the GBD 2010 stroke project is 5.2 million (31 per cent) strokes were in children aged less than 20 years. The stroke burden is greater in India and more so among younger and middle-aged people,” she said.

The health expert flagged the lack of necessary infrastructure to deal with the alarming data in the country.

“In spite of these alarming figures, many Indian hospitals lack the necessary infrastructure and organization required to treat stroke patients quickly and efficiently and do not deliver adequate stroke care. The stroke services across the country especially in public sector hospitals are deficient in many aspects,” Dr Srivastava said.

The Padma Shri awardee further listed the solutions to boost the infrastructure needed to tackle the rising numbers.

“One of the solutions for this deficiency in rich and poor resource settings in India is to adopt Telestroke models in poor resource settings. Implementation of Telemedicine / Telestroke facilities is an important step for bridging the economically and geographically challenged and underprivileged sections of the society,” she said.

This program also included inspirational talks by three distinguished faculty members of the hospital.

The members included Dr Jayashree Sood, Chairperson, Institute of Anesthesiology, who spoke on how to maintain the balance between work and life, especially for women, Prof Kusum Verma, Advisor Cytopathology who spoke on her experiences mitigating professional challenges and Padma Bhushan Dr Neelam Kler Chairperson of Department of Neonatology who talked about her belief in the saying ‘Never say Never’.

This program was hosted by the department of Research and chaired by Prof NK Ganguly, former director general ICMR and Chairperson department of Research, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.

The department of research at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital has a robust PhD program and a state of art equipped laboratory with a focus on basic and translational research in varied fields including neurobiology, cancer biology, stem cell biology, immunology, autoimmune and infectious diseases. (ANI)

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Modi, Australian PM At Gujarat Stadium For India-Australia Test

Modi, Australian PM At Gujarat Stadium For India-Australia Test

By LokMarg

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, on Thursday arrived at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to watch the first day of the final Test match of the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2023.

PM Modi welcomed his Australian counterpart at the venue, the largest stadium in the world.
Albanese will watch the first hour’s play between India and Australia in the company of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Australia captain Steve Smith won the toss and opted to bat versus India at the toss for the fourth and final Test for the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.

Both the Prime Ministers were greeted with loud cheers as they did a lap of honour at the stadium prior to the match.

Earlier, PM Modi arrived at the venue and was received by Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, and state Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi. BCCI president Roger Binny and BCCI secretary Jay Shah were also present at the felicitation.

The Australian PM who arrived in India on Wednesday. Banners of Prime Minister Modi and his Australian counterpart went up at the Narendra Modi stadium ahead of the final Test.

India is currently leading the series 2-1. However, the hosts need to secure an outright victory in the final Test to qualify for the final of the ICC World Test Championship where they will be facing Australia in London from June 7 onwards.

“One of the things that bind both countries is cricket and it will be great to see the leaders of India and Australia on day one of the matches in Ahmedabad,” Australian High Commissioner Barry O’Farrell said.

Yesterday, Albanese participated in Holi celebrations along with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and the Governor of Gujarat Acharya Devvrat at Raj Bhawan in the state capital Gandhinagar.

“Honoured to celebrate Holi in Ahmedabad, India. Holi’s message of renewal through the triumph of good over evil is an enduring reminder for all of us”, tweeted Australian PM Anthony Albanese with colourful pictures of Holi celebrations with flowers and colours.

The Australian Prime Minister on the same day visited the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad and paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel accompanied the Australian PM on his visit to the Ashram. During the visit, Albanese took a complete tour of the Ashram.

The Australian PM, upon his arrival in India, tweeted: “An incredible welcome to Ahmedabad, India. The beginning of an important trip for Australia-India relations.” (ANI)

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Under Modi, India More Likely To Respond Militarily: US Intel

Under Modi, India More Likely To Respond Militarily: US Intel

By LokMarg

According to the Annual Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is more likely than in the past to respond with military force to perceived or real Pakistani provocations.

The report said the crises between India and Pakistan are more conderning because both are nuclear-armed states. However, Pakistan has a long history of supporting anti-India terrorist groups
But, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is more likely to respond with military force to perceived or real Pakistani provocations, than it was in the past, the threat assessment report said.

“Crises between India and Pakistan are of particular concern because of the risk of an escalatory cycle between two nuclear-armed states. New Delhi and Islamabad probably are inclined to reinforce the current calm in their relationship following both sides’ renewal of a cease-fire along the Line of Control in early 2021,” the Annual Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community report said.

It further said, “Pakistan has a long history of supporting anti-India militant groups, and under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is more likely than in the past to respond with military force to perceived or real Pakistani provocations.”

“Each side’s perception of heightened tensions raises the risk of conflict, with violent unrest in Kashmir or a militant attack in India being potential flashpoints,” it said.

Interstate conflict, state instability, and other governance challenges pose direct and indirect challenges to US interests at home and abroad, and to its allies and partners.

Rising tensions underpinned by intensifying strategic competition present numerous consequences for US and partners’ national security.

Countries’ increased military operations across a number of geographic hotspots risk the possibility of inadvertent escalation and the potential for interstate conflict, the statement.

Russia’s war in Ukraine coupled with the Covid-19 pandemic has increased poverty, hindered economic growth, and widened inequality, raising the conditions that are ripe for domestic unrest, insurgencies, democratic backsliding, and authoritarianism.

The war in Ukraine has demonstrated how interstate conflict affects not only the parties directly involved, but can have broader cascading security, economic, and humanitarian implications on a regional–and even global–scale. The following are a few of the potential conflicts between states that could spillover with repercussions that may require immediate U.S. attention, the Threat Assesment Report said.

This annual report of worldwide threats to the national security of the United States reflects the collective insights of the Intelligence Community, which is committed every day to providing the nuanced, independent, and unvarnished intelligence that policymakers, warfighters, and domestic law enforcement personnel need to protect American lives and America’s interests anywhere in the world.

This assessment focuses on the most direct, serious threats to the United States in the upcoming year. (ANI)

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Relations With India Top Priority: Saudi Foreign Minister

Relations With India Top Priority: Saudi Foreign Minister

By LokMarg

Terming the relationship with India a “top priority”, Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Farhan Al-Saud said that the relationship between both nations has grown exponentially, adding that there is a need for measurable progress in all sectors especially the economic and trade relationship.

Highlighting the strong relationship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the minister said that both leaders want to see actual results, progress in relationship between the countries.

“The relationship with India is a top priority and we need to have measurable progress in all sectors especially the economic and trade relationship,” the Saudi Foreign Minister said in an interview with President of Observer Research Foundation (ORF) Samir Saran at Raisina ‘Ideas Pod’.

Al-Saud said the relationship between India and Saudi Arabia in the last five years, has grown exponentially.

“Part of that is the very strong relationship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Crown Prince who have a very strong working relationship. Both of them are very similar in the sense that they both are very result oriented. They don’t want just a nice talk, they want to see actual results, they want to see progress and that means that we in the government have a very clear direction,” he said while defining the similarities between both the leaders who believe in action.

Emphasizing on India’s rising global stature, he said, “India is a fantastically dynamic country with huge potential and we’ve seen that especially in the last five years, the trajectory for India is fantastic. The potential that India holds is almost unmeasurable.”

Acknowledging the fact that India has played an important role in the developmental journey of the Kingdom for several decades given the large Indian diaspora in Saudi Arabia, he said, “The connection has existed even before that, you know hundreds of years given the trade relationship. We’re now building on that connection, on that relationship in a way that is not just benefiting both of us, it’s really benefiting the international Community.”

He also said that India’s huge size offers great potential as a huge amount of India’s trade to Europe passes through the Red Sea.

“We are of course India’s most important energy partner as that’s the case for traditional energies but we’re also looking to continue that into the renewable era,” he added.

Earlier, Saleh Eid Al Husseini, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to India, said that he wants to bring this relationship to the highest level. Speaking on the celebrations of the Kingdom’s founding day here, the envoy said he was happy to have a strong and friendly relationship between the two countries.

Underlining the strong relationship between the Kingdom and India, Husseini said, “We are very happy to have a strong relationship with our friendly country India. Also for a long time, we have had this relationship and we have been asked to bring this relationship to the highest level that we can.”

While speaking on the foundation day celebration, the envoy highlighted the Kingdom’s governance and how the youth has been its focus as the next generation.

“We are very proud to have a country that started in 1727 and this year as I said reflects good governance and we hold our future, our children and all our Saudi Arabia is now focussing on youth on the next generation”, said the Envoy.

“Our country is celebrating around 300 years and this reflects nations’ governance, reflects equity, to have the prosperity of their people. To bring modernization and at the same time to regain the culture of the society. It’s not by chance to be 300 years old unless the state is caring about its neighbours, caring about its people, seeking peace all over the world”, added the envoy. (ANI)

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Meghalaya, Nagaland CMs To Take Oath Today; PM To Attend Events

Meghalaya, Nagaland CMs To Take Oath Today; PM To Attend Events

By LokMarg

Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party’s Neiphiu Rio and National People’s Party (NPP) chief Conrad Sangma will take oath as a Nagaland and Meghalaya Chief Ministers respectively today in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Besides Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national President JP Nadda are likely to attend the swearing-in ceremony of both the Chief Ministers.
Nagaland political stalwart and its longest-serving chief minister Neiphiu Rio is set to assume office for a fifth consecutive term after the convincing win.

Rio on Saturday had tendered his resignation as Chief Minister of Nagaland to Governor La Ganesan and staked claim to form the new government in the state.

The ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party-Bharatiya Janata Party retained power in the Nagaland election, with the two parties having secured 37 seats in the 60-member assembly, as per the data by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Rio won the Northern Angami-II Assembly constituency, trouncing Seyievilie Sachu of the Congress by a mammoth margin of 15,824 votes. He bagged a total of 17,045 votes, which comes to 92.87 per cent of the total votes polled in the seat.

Notably, a history was scripted in Nagaland when the state elected its first women legislators in its 60 years of statehood. The state, which has had 13 Assemblies so far, never had a woman MLA before Thursday’s result.

The two women lawmakers – Hekhani Jakhalu and Salhoutuonuo Kruse of the ruling NDPP defeated the sitting MLAs in Western Angami and Dimapur-III seats respectively.

The Northeast state saw a triangular contest as Congress and CPIM, which have been arch rivals for years, stitched a pre-poll alliance to defeat the ruling BJP.

In Meghalaya, the NPP-led alliance, with the support of 45 MLAs two of the BJP has staked claim to form the government in the state.

Among the allies, the eight cabinet berths will go to the NPP, two to the United Democratic Party (UDP) and one each for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP).

Sangma’s NPP won 26 seats in the Assembly elections and is all set to form the government in as the chief minister for a second consecutive term.

The swearing-in ceremony will be held at Raj Bhawan in Shillong where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also be present.

Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma won from the South Tura constituency with a margin of 5,016 against Bharatiya Janata Party’s Bernard N Marak, as per the data shared by the Election Commission of India on March 2.

United Democratic Party (UDP) bagged 11 seats in the results of assembly polls announced on Thursday. Congress won five seats. Trinamool Congress, which had inducted all Congress MLAs in the previous assembly, also got five seats.

BJP, People’s Democratic Front and Hill State People’s Democratic Party bagged two seats each. Voice of the People Party got four seats. Two seats were won by independent candidates.

BJP and NPP were partners in the outgoing government but fought the assembly polls separately. (ANI)

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Jaishankar Doesn’t Understand China Threat: Rahul

Jaishankar Doesn’t Understand China Threat: Rahul

By LokMarg

Attacking the NDA government at the Centre, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar “does not understand the China threat,” adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement that “nobody has entered Indian territory” is an invitation to the Chinese that they can do it again.

In a conversation with members of the Indian Journalists’ Association in London, the Wayanad MP also said that he supports Indian foreign policy and doesn’t have a huge disagreement with it with regard to India’s position on the Russia-Ukraine war.
“As far as Indian foreign policy is concerned, I support the Indian foreign policy and I am okay with it. I don’t have a huge disagreement with it,” he said when asked a hypothetical question that if China or Pakistan invaded India and since India hadn’t taken a position on the Russia-Ukraine war, it could also be ignored by the World if an invasion into India happened.

Gandhi said, “With regards to an invasion, we have already been invaded. We have got 2000 square km of our territory that is in the hands of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the Prime Minister himself has stated that nobody has entered India, not a single inch of land has been taken and this destroyed our negotiation position because our negotiators are being asked what’s the fuss about.”

“Your Prime Minister says that no land has been taken. So that’s one aspect of it. The other aspect which I keep saying is India needs to be very, very careful with what the Chinese are doing at the border. The Chinese are acting in a hostile manner, in an aggressive manner and we need to be very very careful and I have been stating that again and again, I don’t think the penny has dropped in the government. I think there is a risk as you say,” added Gandhi.

Speaking about Congress’s China policy, Rahul Gandhi said that Congress’s policy was that they would not allow anyone to enter Indian territory.

“The Congress party’s policy on China is very clear, we do not accept anybody entering our territory and pushing us around and bullying us. It doesn’t matter who they are, that’s not acceptable to us and what has happened is that the Chinese entered our territory, killed our soldiers and the prime minister has denied it,” he said.

“That’s the problem. The idea, we have a relationship with the United States and we have a partnership with them and we have a shred democratic free idea. I think there is a coercive idea on a planet and there is a democratic idea on a planet and I think a democratic planet needs to be strengthened. But you will not strengthen the democratic idea unless you start to fundamentally think about things like production. The huge amount of inequality that is erupting in the West and India is a threat to the democratic idea. We have to think about that. We have to have a strategy for that and that’s not on the table,” he added.

When asked about how India should deal with military threats, the Congress leader said, “You have to deal with military threats militarily. But you have to understand the nature of the threat and you have to respond to the nature of the threat. I had one conversation with the Foreign Minister in my view he doesn’t understand the threat. The government is not understanding the actual threat from China. The Prime Minister stating that nobody has entered our territory demonstrates that he does not understand the threat because the message to China with that statement is you can do it again,” added Rahul Gandhi in an interaction at the Indian Journalists Association in London.

Earlier, hitting out at Rahul Gandhi who has been targeting the government over China’s aggression on the LAC in eastern Ladakh, Jaishankar said that it is not the Congress leader but Prime Minister Narendra Modi who sent the Army to the Line of Actual Control as a countermeasure to troop deployment by China and the opposition party should have honesty to look at what happened in 1962.

“When did that area actually come under Chinese control? They (Congress) must have some problem understanding words beginning with ‘C’. I think they are deliberately misrepresenting the situation. The Chinese first came there in 1958 and the Chinese captured it in October 1962. Now you are going to blame the Modi government in 2023 for a bridge which the Chinese captured in 1962 and you don’t have the honesty to say that it is where it happened,” said Dr Jaishankar in an interview to ANI.

“Rajiv Gandhi went to Beijing in 1988…signed agreements in 1993 and 1996. I do not think signing those agreements was wrong. This is not a political point I am making. I think those agreements were signed at that time because we needed to stabilise the border. And they did, stabilise the border,” said Jaishankar.

When asked that Rahul Gandhi thought S Jaishankar was insufficient. Jaishankar said that he was always open to listen. “I think he said this somewhere in a public meeting. It is probably in the context of China. All I can say in my defence is I have been the longest-serving ambassador in China. I have been dealing with a lot of these border issues for a very long time. I am not suggesting that I am necessarily the most knowledgeable person, but I would have a fairly good self-opinion of my understanding of what is up there. If he has superior knowledge and wisdom on China, I am always willing to listen. As I said, for me life is a learning process. If that is a possibility, I have never closed my mind to anything however improbable that may be,” said Jaishankar.

The External Affairs Minister stressed that when other countries’ demands are not reasonable, the government will not be able to come to an agreement.

Asked about the Congress party’s allegation that the Modi government is defensive and reactive on the China issue, Jaishankar dismissed the claims saying there is currently the largest peacetime deployment along the China border.

“If I would have to sum up this China thing, please do not buy this narrative that somewhere the government is on the defensive…somewhere we are being accommodative. I ask people if we were being accommodative who sent the Indian Army to the LAC (Line of Actual Control). Rahul Gandhi did not send them. Narendra Modi sent them. We have today the largest peacetime deployment in our history on the China border. We are keeping troops there at a huge cost with great effort. We have increased our infrastructure spending on the border five times in this government. Now tell me who is the defensive and accommodative person? Who is actually telling the truth? Who is depicting things accurately? Who is playing footsie with history?”,” added Jaishankar in an interview to ANI.

Asked about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks that S Jaishankar did not know much about foreign policy and needed to learn a little bit more, the External Affairs Minister took a veiled dig and said he is willing to listen to the Wayanad MP if he has “superior knowledge and wisdom” on China. (ANI)

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Annamalai on 2024 Election

Migrant Labourers Attack: TN BJP Chief Booked For Inciting Violence

By LokMarg

A day after Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party chief K Annamalai held the ruling DMK party responsible for the ongoing stir over alleged attacks on migrant labourers in the state, the police have booked him on charges of inciting violence and promoting enmity between groups.

The Cyber Crime Division have booked the BJP state unit chief under sections of inciting violence and promoting enmity between groups among others.
As per officials, a case is also registered against the BJP Bihar Twitter account holder over the incident.

Annamalai yesterday released a statement on the migrant labourers’ issue saying they are safe in Tamil Nadu but the Chief Minister Stalin led-Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and its alliance party leaders are the reason for the hate against them.

He also opposed the spread of false news on the attack on the people from Bihar in the state, saying that Tamils don’t support “separatism” and “vile hatred” against north Indians.

“It is disheartening to see fake news spread in social media about attacks on Migrant workers in Tamil Nadu. We, the Tamil people, believe in the concept of “The World is One” and do not endorse the separatism and vile hatred against our North Indian friends,” Annamalai said in a series of tweets.

Hitting out at the state government, he said, “DMK’s MPs’ vile comments on North Indians, DMK minister calling them Panipuri Wala, and their alliance partners demanding their exodus has triggered what we see today.”

He further said that the people, the Government and the police, do not endorse the views of DMK and their alliance partners.

Besides, Annamalai, the Tamil Nadu police have also booked four persons including a BJP spokesperson Prashant Umrao and two journalists.

Prashant Umrao, an Editor with Dainik Bhaskar, a Patna-based journalist, owner of ‘Tanvir Post’ Twitter handle Mohammad Tanvir, and Shubam Shukla were booked at different police stations on the charges of spreading “false” news regarding attacks on migrant labourers in Tamil Nadu.

A statewide panic was created among migrant workers, working in Tamil Nadu, after several purported videos, showing attacks on migrant workers, circulated on social media.

The panic was triggered after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday, raised concerns and took note of the purported videos of “attacks”.

The panic affected the industries in Tamil Nadu, which rely on migrant workers, badly as many workers stayed off work.

Taking cognizance of the panic, Tamil Nadu’s Director General of Police Sylendra Babu released a statement, saying that the video doing rounds of social media was “false” and “mischievous”.

“Somebody in Bihar posted false and mischievous videos saying that migrant workers were attacked in Tamil Nadu. Two videos were posted. Both are false as these incidents happened at an earlier date in Tiruppur and Coimbatore. One was a clash between two groups of migrant workers from Bihar while another was from a clash between two local residents in Coimbatore,” the top cop said.

The DGP also said that the persons behind this rumour-driven panic will not be spared. (ANI)

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United Arab Emirates food processing facilities India

India Targets Trillion Dollar Annual Experts Of Goods, Services: Goyal

By LokMarg

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal said that the export figure for last year already crossed in February and expressed confidence that merchandise and services exports would touch USD 750 billion this year. He was addressing the 8th edition of the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi today.

The Union minister said, “India is targeting annual export of a trillion dollars of goods and a trillion dollars of services by 2030.”
Responding to a question on India achieving the highest export figure in the past year, the Minister said that it was the result of a deep-dive analysis and extensive planning where India’s capabilities were thoroughly assessed, new markets were sought out, districts, especially remote ones were empowered to become export hubs and all Indian Missions abroad were effectively leveraged to promote trade, technology and tourism. The Minister noted that last year, merchandise and service trade had crossed USD 650 billion.

Goyal said that India would soon touch the mark of being a USD 5 trillion economy and said that it would emerge as the third-largest economy in the world by 2027-28. By 2047, India will be a developed economy with a USD 32 trillion economy, a prosperous economy where every last citizen would have access to a good quality life, he said and added that if the nation came together as one, India could even dream of building a USD 40 trillion economy by 2047.

Goyal opined that the transformational initiatives undertaken by the government over the last decade, such as the Swachh Bharat Mission, electrification of around 35 million homes in rural India, creation of a robust power grid, housing for all, free healthcare for over 500 million people had held India in good stead to overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic. He lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decisive leadership and said that all through the pandemic PM Modi constantly sought ideas not only to overcome the pandemic but to transform the challenges it posed into opportunities.

Responding to a query on global uncertainty caused due to conflict, Goyal said that these turbulent times had given India an opportunity to showcase its resilience. He explained that food security had emerged as a serious challenge before the world and said that PM Modi had the foresight to plan ahead to fortify India’s food security by ensuring an adequate supply of fertilizers.

Speaking of the time when fertiliser prices hit the roof, Goyal said that PM Modi had ensured that farmers, especially small and marginal farmers did not take a hit by taking the burden of the increased prices on the central government. “India is self-sufficient on food security, and we will continue to produce at greater levels than last year so that we can support some of our neighbours and other friendly nations,” he said.

The Minister stressed that the government had been creating an enabling environment to attract investment into India. He highlighted that India was a nation of 1.4 billion people who are both youthful and aspirational with excellent skills, including managerial skills. He observed that the government had been successful in meeting the basic requirement of life of the people, liberating them from he struggled to secure the basic amenities of life, thereby empowering them to aspire for better things in life.

These enhanced aspiration levels, the Minister said, presented a huge market opportunity to investors, in addition to sharpening India’s competitive edge in the world market due to the willingness people have to work harder and contribute more to India’s growth story. “Government has focused on greater Ease of Doing Business, reducing compliance burden, decriminalising laws, implementing PLI scheme in critical sectors, digitising the economy promoting Startups. The world will not get a better friend and trusted partner like India,” he noted.

The Minister responded to a query on semiconductors and said that many companies were already in dialogue for investing in India in the semi-conductor chain because of the India’s stability and investor-friendly business ecosystem.

Demystifying the reasons behind India’s trade deficit and import reliance, the Minister stressed that with the high levels of investments coming into manufacturing in India, India had been succeeding in producing high-quality goods and services at competitive prices, rapidly reducing reliance on imports.

He underscored that the government was focusing extensively on bringing in quality consciousness through various initiatives such as Quality Control Orders (QCOs).

The Minister also mentioned that the number of QCOs had grown by over four times and stands at about 440 products now and in the next two years, it would grow up to 2000 helping achieve India’s aspiration of achieving ‘Zero Defect, Zero Affect’.

The Minister spoke of India’s sustainability thrust and said that since time immemorial, respect for nature was deep rooted in India’s civilizational ethos. ‘Sustainability and quality are the two factors that will hold India in good stead in the times to come’, he added. (ANI)

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No Religious Minority Can Live In Pakistan Freely: India At UNHRC

No Religious Minority Can Live In Pakistan Freely: India At UNHRC

By LokMarg

India has slammed Pakistan on the issue of religious freedom of minorities at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

Using its right to reply, India’s representative Seema Pujani slammed her Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar saying, “No religious minority can freely live or practice its religion in Pakistan today. The Ahmadiya community continues to be persecuted by the state for simply practising their faith.”

Responding to the statement delivered by Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar, Pujani said, “Pakistan’s representative has once again chosen to misuse this august forum for its malicious propaganda against India.”

The Indian Representative also shed light on the issue of enforced disappearances.

“In the last decade, Pakistan’s own commission of inquiry on enforced disappearances has received 8463 complaints. The Baloch people have borne the brunt of this cruel policy. Students, doctors, engineers, teachers and community leaders are regularly disappeared by the state, never to return back,” said Pujani.

She also highlighted the plight of Christians in the country and how they are mistreated in the country.

“Equally worse is the treatment of the Christian community. It is frequently targeted through draconian blasphemy laws. State institutions officially reserve sanitation jobs for Christians,” said Pujani.

She also raised concern over a “predatory state and an apathetic judiciary,” regarding the conversion of underage minority girls.

“Underage girls from the community are converted to Islam abetted by a predatory state and an apathetic judiciary. Hindu and Sikh communities face similar issues of frequent attack on their places of worship and forced conversion of their underage girls. The state’s crackdown on those who wish to raise their voice against any of these heinous policies is also incomparable. A bill which proposes a five-year jail term for anyone who scandalizes or ridicules the military or the judiciary is currently on the table in Pakistan’s parliament,” said Pujani.

The Indian diplomat also slammed Pakistan for supporting terrorism, saying, that Pakistan’s “security agencies have nurtured and sheltered Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar for decades”.

“When it is not entirely focused on suppressing its own population, Pakistan actively lends its energies to aid, host and abet international terrorists. It has the unique distinction of hosting the most number of UNSC-designated terrorists and terror organizations. Allow me to recall that Osama bin Laden lived next to Pakistan’s premier military academy. Its security agencies have nurtured and sheltered Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azar for decades. These are but a few dreaded names from the annals of Pakistan’s history of supporting terrorism. Pakistan’s policies are directly responsible for the death of thousands of civilians around the world. Pakistan’s obsession with India while its population battle for their lives, livelihood and freedom is an indicator,” she added. (ANI)

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Medical Seats Doubled In Last Few Years: Modi

Northeast Neither Far From Delhi, Nor From Our Heart: Modi

By LokMarg

After the results of assembly polls of three northeastern states were declared on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the election results depict people’s faith in democracy, adding that the Northeast is neither far from Delhi nor from the heart.

Prime Minister Modi received a warm welcome at BJP headquarters in the national capital. PM urged the workers gathered at the occasion to turn on the flashlight of their phones in honour of the people of the northeast.

Addressing party workers at BJP headquarters, PM Modi said, “The Northeast is neither far from Delhi nor from our heart. The election results depict people’s faith in democracy. I humbly thank the people of Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya. These people have blessed the BJP and its allies. Besides, I congratulate the BJP workers of these three states. It is not easy to work in the northeast, and therefore a special thank is due to them.”

Today’s results, the PM said are the outcome of the hard work of all BJP workers. Today’s election and these election results have many messages for the country and for the world, he said.

In reference to earlier times, PM Modi said, “There was not much discussion in Delhi and other parts of the country when the results were out from the northeast region. The discussion was about the violence during the elections.”

The PM said winning the heart of the people of the northeast is a big win for him. He said the time has come for the northeast region’s peace, prosperity and development.

“By frequently visiting the northeast, I won their heart. And it is a big win for me. I was satisfied that the people of the northeast are no longer ignored. It is a time to create new history. When I visited the northeast recently, someone congratulated me on the half-century. When I inquired about it, I was told that I had visited the northeast 50 times,” he said.

The PM said BJP gave a new model of politics in India. For BJP, the country and the countrymen come first.

Many political analysts are trying to understand the reason for the victory of the BJP. Some of our well-wishers want to know the reason. The reason is ‘Triveni’. It means the combination of three streams. The first power is the work of the BJP governments, the second one is the work style of the BJP and the last one is the BJP work. The ‘triveni’ increases the power of the BJP by 1+1+1 = 111 times”

Earlier in Tripura, Prime Minister said there was a situation where even a flag of another party could not be hoisted. If someone tried to do it, he was made to bleed. “What a big change we have seen in these elections this time. Now we are seeing the Northeast moving in a new direction,” he said.

Prime Minister said BJP government is committed to the empowerment of women. Through various flagship schemes, he said the government ensured the empowerment of the women of the northeast.

After seven decades of independence, many villages of the northeast did not have electricity. Previous governments knew that it was a difficult task to electrify those villages, and therefore they turned a blind eye towards them, he stated.

Attacking the Congress party, PM Modi said, “Today’s results have exposed Congress’s thinking about the northeast. Congress claimed that these are small states and insignificant. It is an insult to the mandate and the people of the northeast states.”

“At such a time, some people are aspiring to dig Modi’s grave. But wherever there is a chance, the lotus keeps on blooming…It keeps on blooming. Some people are engaged in identifying fanatics…They also do dishonesty with fanaticism. These fanatics say – ‘Mar jaa Modi…mar jaa Modi…Desh keh raha hai mat jaa Modi,” Prime Minister added.

With the declaration of results for the Tripura Assembly polls on Thursday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) returned to power in the state by winning an absolute majority.

According to the Election Commission of India, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 32 seats with a vote share of around 39 per cent. Tipra Motha Party came second by winning 13 seats. Communist Party of India (Marxist) got 11 seats while Congress bagged three seats. The Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) managed to open its account by winning one seat.

The CPI(M) and the Congress, arch rivals in Kerala, came together in the Northeast this time in a bid to oust the BJP from power. The combined vote share of CPI(M) and Congress remained around 33 per cent.

Chief Minister Manik Saha defeated Congress’ Asish Kumar Saha from the Town Bordowali seat by a margin of 1,257 votes. In the 60-member Tripura assembly, the majority mark is 31.

The BJP, which had never won a single seat in Tripura before 2018, stormed to power in the last election in alliance with IPFT and had ousted the Left Front which had been in power in the border state for 35 years since 1978.

The BJP contested on 55 seats and its ally, IPFT, on six seats. But both allies had fielded candidates in the Ampinagar constituency in the Gomati district.

The Left contested on 47 and Congress on 13 seats, respectively. Of the total 47 seats, the CPM contested 43 seats while the Forward Bloc, Communist Party of India (CPI) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) contested one seat each.

The CPI(M)-led Left Front ruled the state for nearly four decades, with a gap between 1988 and 1993, when the Congress was in power but now both parties joined hands with the intention to oust BJP from power.

In Nagaland, BJP secured 12 seats, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) won 25 seats and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) bagged seven seats. National People’s Party (NPP) won five seats. Naga Peoples Front, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and Republican Party of India (Athawale) won two seats each. Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) got one seat.

The majority mark in 60 seat Nagaland Assembly is 31.

In Meghalaya, the National People’s Party (NPP) won 26 seats, United Democratic Party (UDP) bagged 11 seats and Trinamool Congress got five seats. BJP, People’s Democratic Front and Hill State People’s Democratic Party bagged two seats each. Congress managed to get five seats while the Voice of the People Party got four seats. Two seats were won by independent candidates. (ANI)

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