<p><strong>Watch live:&nbsp;Jordan&#39;s King Abdullah II addresses conference on &lsquo;Islamic Heritage&#39;</strong></p>

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, diplomats, representatives from a wide range of Islamic institutions, academicians and think-tanks are attending the event

Watch live: Jordan's King Abdullah II addresses conference on ‘Islamic Heritage'

Watch live: Jordan's King's speech on 'Islamic Heritage' from Vigyan Bhawan

<p>Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday declined an&nbsp;invitation to participate in the meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the selection committee of the Lokpal.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Kharge in his letter to the Prime Minister stated that there was no point attending the meeting as &#39;&#39;special invitee&#39;&#39; as it does not have the power to vote, record dissent and participate, he said in the letter.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The government could have chosen to address him as Leader of Opposition of the single largest party, he said and added that to this effect, an amendment was made, and select committee too had put its seal on the change but the ruling dispensation neither introduced the bill nor showed any inclination to pass it.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">INC COMMUNIQUE<br />
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Letter by LS LoP <a href="https://twitter.com/MallikarjunINC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MallikarjunINC</a> to the Prime Minister declining invitation to the &#39;Selection Committee&#39; of the Lokpal as a &#39;Special Invitee&#39;. <a href="https://t.co/zQgf0WL8HC">pic.twitter.com/zQgf0WL8HC</a></p>
&mdash; INC Sandesh (@INCSandesh) <a href="https://twitter.com/INCSandesh/status/969076611516547072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;<br />
Centre had been under pressure to speed up the work on the appointment of Lokpal post Supreme Court&rsquo;s observations. The Lokpal bill was passed in December 2013 and brought into effect on 2014 January but incumbent government has not been able to appoint Lokpal for past 4 years. The matter has been complicated because of the strained relationship between Congress and BJP and also former&rsquo;s much-reduced size in Lok Sabha which led to the denial of the status of leader of Opposition, he said in the letter.</p>


Kharge says that the government could have chosen to address him as the leader of opposition of the single largest party.

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday declined an invitation to participate in the meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the selection committee of the Lokpal. Kharge in his letter to the Prime Minister stated that there was no point attending the meeting as ''special invitee'' as it does not have the power to vote, record dissent and participate, he said in the letter. The government could have chosen to address him as Leader of Opposition of the single largest party, he said and added that to this effect, an amendment was made, and select committee too had put its seal on the change but the ruling dispensation neither introduced the bill nor showed any inclination to pass it. INC COMMUNIQUE Letter by LS LoP @MallikarjunINC to the Prime Minister declining invitation to the 'Selection Committee' of the Lokpal as a 'Special Invitee'. pic.twitter.com/zQgf0WL8HC — INC Sandesh (@INCSandesh) March 1, 2018 × Centre had been under pressure to speed up the work on the appointment of Lokpal post Supreme Court’s observations. The Lokpal bill was passed in December 2013 and brought into effect on 2014 January but incumbent government has not been able to appoint Lokpal for past 4 years. The matter has been complicated because of the strained relationship between Congress and BJP and also former’s much-reduced size in Lok Sabha which led to the denial of the status of leader of Opposition, he said in the letter.

Mallikarjun Kharge declines PM's invite to attend Lokpal meet as 'special invitee'

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among the top politicians leading tributes to Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati who passed away on Wednesday morning in a private hospital at Kancheepuram. He was 82.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jagadguru Pujyashri Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya was at the forefront of innumerable community service initiatives. He nurtured institutions which transformed the lives of the poor and downtrodden. <a href="https://t.co/s1vTpSxbbl">pic.twitter.com/s1vTpSxbbl</a></p>
&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/968721909633507329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The PM tweeted he was deeply anguished by the passing away of Acharya of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/kanchi-shankaracharya-jayendra-saraswathi-passes-away-at-82-34290">Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam Jagadguru Pujyashri</a> Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya. He will live on in the hearts and minds of lakhs of devotees due to his exemplary service and noblest thoughts. Om Shanti to the departed soul.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I&rsquo;m saddened to hear about the death of Jagadguru Pujyashri Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham.<br />
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He was revered by lakhs of believers all over the world for his teachings.<br />
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May his soul rest in peace.</p>
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/968741529530585091?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The PM also posted a picture of him interacting with the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/who-was-kanchi-shankaracharya-jayendra-saraswathi-of-kanchi-kamakoti-peetham-kanchipuram-life-biography-34309">chief pontiff of Kanchi Mutt</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Congress president Rahul Gandhi also took to Twitter to pay his respects to the departed soul.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Deeply anguished by the passing away of Acharya of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam Jagadguru Pujyashri Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya. He will live on in the hearts and minds of lakhs of devotees due to his exemplary service and noblest thoughts. Om Shanti to the departed soul. <a href="https://t.co/pXqDPxS1Ki">pic.twitter.com/pXqDPxS1Ki</a></p>
&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/968721674286895104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>In a Twitter post from his official Twitter handle, Rahul Gandhi said that he was saddened to hear about the death of Jagadguru Pujyashri Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&#39;&#39;I&rsquo;m saddened to hear about the death of Jagadguru Pujyashri Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham.&#39;&#39; &nbsp;</p>

<p>He was revered by lakhs of believers all over the world for his teachings, he added.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I pay my respects to Kanchi peethadhipathi Shri Jayendra Saraswati who attained moksha. His contribution for the welfare of mankind and in promoting spirituality will always be an inspiration for others. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JayendraSaraswathi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JayendraSaraswathi</a> <a href="https://t.co/2gcjDFgJmV">pic.twitter.com/2gcjDFgJmV</a></p>
&mdash; VicePresidentOfIndia (@VPSecretariat) <a href="https://twitter.com/VPSecretariat/status/968710033872695296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">My respectful Pranaam to the pious soul of Acharya Shri <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JayendraSaraswathi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JayendraSaraswathi</a> Shankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. His contributions towards enriching the Hindu spiritual traditions and service for poorer sections of society shall always be remembered. Om Shanti!</p>
&mdash; Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) <a href="https://twitter.com/rsprasad/status/968724241989488640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Deeply saddened by the demise of Jayendra Saraswati ji, the Shankaracharya of the Kanchipuram Kamakoti Peetam math. With his demise we have lost a great saint of present times, who has been a guiding force for the millions. My prayers for the liberated soul.</p>
&mdash; Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) <a href="https://twitter.com/arunjaitley/status/968708254292471808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Paying tributes to Jagadguru <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JayendraSaraswathi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JayendraSaraswathi</a>, the seer of Kanchi Mutt. Pujya Swami ji will be remembered for his immeasurable contribution to the society. A great loss to the Spiritual World. <a href="https://t.co/6abIngrqK2">pic.twitter.com/6abIngrqK2</a></p>
&mdash; Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) <a href="https://twitter.com/PiyushGoyal/status/968735500914880512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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The PM tweeted he was deeply anguished by the passing away of Acharya of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam Jagadguru Pujyashri Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among the top politicians leading tributes to Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati who passed away on Wednesday morning in a private hospital at Kancheepuram. He was 82. Jagadguru Pujyashri Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya was at the forefront of innumerable community service initiatives. He nurtured institutions which transformed the lives of the poor and downtrodden. pic.twitter.com/s1vTpSxbbl — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 28, 2018 × The PM tweeted he was deeply anguished by the passing away of Acharya of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam Jagadguru Pujyashri Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya. He will live on in the hearts and minds of lakhs of devotees due to his exemplary service and noblest thoughts. Om Shanti to the departed soul. I’m saddened to hear about the death of Jagadguru Pujyashri Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. He was revered by lakhs of believers all over the world for his teachings. May his soul rest in peace. — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) February 28, 2018 × The PM also posted a picture of him interacting with the chief pontiff of Kanchi Mutt. Congress president Rahul Gandhi also took to Twitter to pay his respects to the departed soul. Deeply anguished by the passing away of Acharya of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam Jagadguru Pujyashri Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya. He will live on in the hearts and minds of lakhs of devotees due to his exemplary service and noblest thoughts. Om Shanti to the departed soul. pic.twitter.com/pXqDPxS1Ki — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 28, 2018 × In a Twitter post from his official Twitter handle, Rahul Gandhi said that he was saddened to hear about the death of Jagadguru Pujyashri Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. ''I’m saddened to hear about the death of Jagadguru Pujyashri Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham.'' He was revered by lakhs of believers all over the world for his teachings, he added. I pay my respects to Kanchi peethadhipathi Shri Jayendra Saraswati who attained moksha. His contribution for the welfare of mankind and in promoting spirituality will always be an inspiration for others. #JayendraSaraswathi pic.twitter.com/2gcjDFgJmV — VicePresidentOfIndia (@VPSecretariat) February 28, 2018 × My respectful Pranaam to the pious soul of Acharya Shri #JayendraSaraswathi Shankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. His contributions towards enriching the Hindu spiritual traditions and service for poorer sections of society shall always be remembered. Om Shanti! — Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) February 28, 2018 × Deeply saddened by the demise of Jayendra Saraswati ji, the Shankaracharya of the Kanchipuram Kamakoti Peetam math. With his demise we have lost a great saint of present times, who has been a guiding force for the millions. My prayers for the liberated soul. — Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) February 28, 2018 × Paying tributes to Jagadguru #JayendraSaraswathi, the seer of Kanchi Mutt. Pujya Swami ji will be remembered for his immeasurable contribution to the society. A great loss to the Spiritual World. pic.twitter.com/6abIngrqK2 — Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) February 28, 2018 ×

Prime Minister Modi leads tributes to Kanchi Shankaracharya

<p>Amidst questions over invitation of Khalistani terrorist for Justin Trudeau&#39;s reception in India, reports have emerged that the Indian Government authority was also denied access to the guest list, reports CTV News.</p>

<p>On that note, the Prime Minister&#39;s Office in Canada does not allow even the security services to track their guest list.</p>

<p>Earlier, Canada&#39;s Public Safety Minister hailed the security services in relation to the visit.</p>

<p>Opinion: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/opinion-khalistan-is-history-amarinder-singh-should-state-to-trudeau-33592" target="_blank">Khalistan is history, Amarinder Singh should state to Trudeau</a></p>

<p>&quot;All Canadians can be assured that our police and our security agencies have done their job in relation to this visit and they have done it very well&quot;, said Ralph Goodale, Canada&#39;s Public Safety Minister, in the assembly, as quoted by CTV News.</p>

<p>Pro-Khalistan&nbsp;terrorist <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/canadian-pm-justin-trudeau-cancels-dinner-invite-to-convicted-khalistani-terrorist-jaspal-atwal-33681" target="_blank">Jaspal Atwal was invited to dine</a> with Prime Minister Trudeau at a formal event hosted by Canadian High Commissioner to India Nadir Patel. The invite was later rescinded.</p>

<p>Prime Minister Trudeau also received backlash over his wife Sophie Trudeau&#39;s photo with convicted pro-Khalistani terrorist Jaspal Atwal.</p>

<p>Canadian Member of Parliament (MP) Randeep S. Sarai however took responsibility for inviting Atwal to Trudeau&#39;s reception dinner in New Delhi.</p>

<p>Jaspal Atwal was convicted of the attempted murder of Punjab minister, Malkiat Singh Sidhu, on Vancouver Island in 1986. (ANI)</p>


Pro-Khalistan terrorist Jaspal Atwal was invited to dine with Prime Minister Trudeau at a formal event hosted by Canadian High Commissioner to India Nadir Patel. The invite was later rescinded

Amidst questions over invitation of Khalistani terrorist for Justin Trudeau's reception in India, reports have emerged that the Indian Government authority was also denied access to the guest list, reports CTV News. On that note, the Prime Minister's Office in Canada does not allow even the security services to track their guest list. Earlier, Canada's Public Safety Minister hailed the security services in relation to the visit. Opinion: Khalistan is history, Amarinder Singh should state to Trudeau "All Canadians can be assured that our police and our security agencies have done their job in relation to this visit and they have done it very well", said Ralph Goodale, Canada's Public Safety Minister, in the assembly, as quoted by CTV News. Pro-Khalistan terrorist Jaspal Atwal was invited to dine with Prime Minister Trudeau at a formal event hosted by Canadian High Commissioner to India Nadir Patel. The invite was later rescinded. Prime Minister Trudeau also received backlash over his wife Sophie Trudeau's photo with convicted pro-Khalistani terrorist Jaspal Atwal. Canadian Member of Parliament (MP) Randeep S. Sarai however took responsibility for inviting Atwal to Trudeau's reception dinner in New Delhi. Jaspal Atwal was convicted of the attempted murder of Punjab minister, Malkiat Singh Sidhu, on Vancouver Island in 1986. (ANI)

Indian government was denied access to guest list for Trudeau's reception

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi mocked Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today while addressing a farmer&#39;s rally at Karnataka&#39;s Davanagere.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;It is not Siddaramaih&#39;s government but &#39;Seedha Rupaiyya&#39; governance,&quot; PM Modi exclaimed saying that the government requires money for everything, then only things get done. &quot;It is a money first government,&quot; the PM noted.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">Some people believe that there is Siddaramaiah governance in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Karnataka?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Karnataka</a>, but in reality, it is &#39;Seedha Rupaiyya&#39; governance. Har cheej mein &#39;Seedha Rupaiyya&#39; hota hai, tabhi kaam hota hai. Ye &#39;Seedha Rupaiyya&#39; jaana chahiye: PM Modi in Davanagere <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Karnataka?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Karnataka</a> <a href="https://t.co/9XHxIPpb5B">pic.twitter.com/9XHxIPpb5B</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/968448218152366080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Prime Minister said that there is severe public anger against Congress&#39; rule in Karnataka, &quot;people have decided the government will go,&quot; he noted.</p>

<p>&quot;People have realised that the root cause of all ills is the Congress culture,&quot; the PM said.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">One family ruled the country for 48 years &amp; one tea seller ruled for 48 months. Born in rich houses, they could not care for farmers in 48 years. But in 48 months, we multiplied Minimum Support Price (MSP) by 1 &amp; half for the farmers: PM Modi <a href="https://t.co/i77xT1PapX">pic.twitter.com/i77xT1PapX</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/968446606872686592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Prime Minister talked about the political dynasty of the Gandhi family and said that the family ruled the country for 48 years and &quot;could not care for the farmers&#39; plight&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;One tea seller ruled for 48 months and we multiplied Minimum Support Price (MSP) by one and a half for the farmers,&quot; noted PM Narendra Modi.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Karnataka Government is certain to be defeated. Their misdeeds have made the Government unpopular. Election after election what are the people doing? They are removing Congress. When Congress goes, the harmful Congress culture also goes: PM Narendra Modi in Davanagere <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Karnataka?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Karnataka</a> <a href="https://t.co/bW5YjtLipl">pic.twitter.com/bW5YjtLipl</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/968443441985146880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Prime Minister said that he is certain of Congress&#39; defeat in the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Their misdeeds have made the government unpopular. Election after election what are the people doing? They are removing Congress. When Congress goes, the harmful Congress culture will also go,&quot; noted PM Modi.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>


The Prime Minister said that there is severe public anger against Congress' rule in Karnataka

Prime Minister Narendra Modi mocked Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today while addressing a farmer's rally at Karnataka's Davanagere. "It is not Siddaramaih's government but 'Seedha Rupaiyya' governance," PM Modi exclaimed saying that the government requires money for everything, then only things get done. "It is a money first government," the PM noted. Some people believe that there is Siddaramaiah governance in #Karnataka, but in reality, it is 'Seedha Rupaiyya' governance. Har cheej mein 'Seedha Rupaiyya' hota hai, tabhi kaam hota hai. Ye 'Seedha Rupaiyya' jaana chahiye: PM Modi in Davanagere #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/9XHxIPpb5B — ANI (@ANI) February 27, 2018 × The Prime Minister said that there is severe public anger against Congress' rule in Karnataka, "people have decided the government will go," he noted. "People have realised that the root cause of all ills is the Congress culture," the PM said. One family ruled the country for 48 years & one tea seller ruled for 48 months. Born in rich houses, they could not care for farmers in 48 years. But in 48 months, we multiplied Minimum Support Price (MSP) by 1 & half for the farmers: PM Modi pic.twitter.com/i77xT1PapX — ANI (@ANI) February 27, 2018 × The Prime Minister talked about the political dynasty of the Gandhi family and said that the family ruled the country for 48 years and "could not care for the farmers' plight". "One tea seller ruled for 48 months and we multiplied Minimum Support Price (MSP) by one and a half for the farmers," noted PM Narendra Modi. Karnataka Government is certain to be defeated. Their misdeeds have made the Government unpopular. Election after election what are the people doing? They are removing Congress. When Congress goes, the harmful Congress culture also goes: PM Narendra Modi in Davanagere #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/bW5YjtLipl — ANI (@ANI) February 27, 2018 × The Prime Minister said that he is certain of Congress' defeat in the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections. "Their misdeeds have made the government unpopular. Election after election what are the people doing? They are removing Congress. When Congress goes, the harmful Congress culture will also go," noted PM Modi.

Siddaramaiah runs 'money first' government: PM Modi at farmers' rally in Karnataka

<p>Trump is reported to have mimicked -- not for the first time -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Trump was at the time speaking to a gathering of US governors at the White House at which he brought up -- not for the first time -- <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/harley-davidson-issue-after-india-reduces-import-duty-by-half-trump-says-us-gets-nothing-34174" target="_blank">the Harley Davidson issue</a>. (Trump had earlier in February complained about the 100% import duty companies in India have to pay on high-end motorcycles.)&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/harley-davidson-issue-after-india-reduces-import-duty-by-half-trump-says-us-gets-nothing-34174" target="_blank">After India reduces import duty by half, Trump says </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/harley-davidson-issue-after-india-reduces-import-duty-by-half-trump-says-us-gets-nothing-34174" target="_blank">US</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/harley-davidson-issue-after-india-reduces-import-duty-by-half-trump-says-us-gets-nothing-34174" target="_blank"> gets &#39;nothing&#39;</a></p>

<p>&quot;When they (Harley Davidson) send a motorcycle to India, as an example, they have to pay 100 per cent tax -- 100 per cent,&quot; PTI reported Trump as saying to the gathering of governors.</p>

<p>&quot;Now, the prime minister, who I think is a fantastic man, called me the other day and said we are lowering it to 50 per cent. I said okay, but so far we&#39;re getting nothing. So we get nothing. He gets 50 (per cent), and they think we&#39;re doing -- like they&#39;re doing us a favour. That&#39;s not a favour,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Trump then, ANI reported, went on to fold his hands, take on a soft and serious tone, and say: &quot;He said it beautifully, he is a beautiful man and he said I just want to inform you that we have reduced it to 75 and we have further reduced it to 50. And I further said, huh, what do I say? Am I supposed to be thrilled?&quot;</p>

<p>Trump, while taking on the soft and serious tone, is thought to have been imitating Modi.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It is not the first time Trump is thought to have done so.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In January this year too Trump was reported to have <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/donald-trump-reportedly-imitates-pm-modi-report-30436" target="_blank">mimicked Modi and his accent</a>.</p>

<p>Back then, Trump was reported to have mimicked Modi as telling him, &quot;Never has a country given so much away for so little in return.&quot; (The reference was to US troop deployment in Afghanistan.)&nbsp;</p>

<p>This time Trump did not copy Modi&#39;s accent.&nbsp;</p>


In January this year too Trump was reported to have mimicked Modi and his accent

Trump is reported to have mimicked -- not for the first time -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Trump was at the time speaking to a gathering of US governors at the White House at which he brought up -- not for the first time -- the Harley Davidson issue. (Trump had earlier in February complained about the 100% import duty companies in India have to pay on high-end motorcycles.) Also read: After India reduces import duty by half, Trump says US gets 'nothing' "When they (Harley Davidson) send a motorcycle to India, as an example, they have to pay 100 per cent tax -- 100 per cent," PTI reported Trump as saying to the gathering of governors. "Now, the prime minister, who I think is a fantastic man, called me the other day and said we are lowering it to 50 per cent. I said okay, but so far we're getting nothing. So we get nothing. He gets 50 (per cent), and they think we're doing -- like they're doing us a favour. That's not a favour," he said. Trump then, ANI reported, went on to fold his hands, take on a soft and serious tone, and say: "He said it beautifully, he is a beautiful man and he said I just want to inform you that we have reduced it to 75 and we have further reduced it to 50. And I further said, huh, what do I say? Am I supposed to be thrilled?" Trump, while taking on the soft and serious tone, is thought to have been imitating Modi. It is not the first time Trump is thought to have done so. In January this year too Trump was reported to have mimicked Modi and his accent. Back then, Trump was reported to have mimicked Modi as telling him, "Never has a country given so much away for so little in return." (The reference was to US troop deployment in Afghanistan.) This time Trump did not copy Modi's accent.

Watch: Trump complains about Harley-Davidson import duties in India, calls Modi 'beautiful man', then mimics him

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Shri Aurobindo as a man of action, a philosopher, a poet. There were so many facets to his character and each of them was dedicated to the good of the nation and humanity, he s&aacute;id.</p>

<p>Modi was speaking at the golden jubilee celebrations of Auroville International township. It is important today to remember the vast extent of action and thought of Shri Aurobindo, he told the gathering.</p>

<p>Auroville brought together men, women, young, old, cutting across boundaries and identities, he said and added Auroville&rsquo;s Charter was handwritten in French by Divine Mother herself.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Mother set five&nbsp;high principles for Auroville, he added.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">It is important today to remember the vast extent of action and thought of Shri Aurobindo. A man of action, a philosopher, a poet, there were so many facets to his character. And each of them was dedicated to the good of the nation and humanity: PM Narendra Modi in Puducherry <a href="https://t.co/VSmGsQ7Sf9">pic.twitter.com/VSmGsQ7Sf9</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/967675915571548160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>India has always allowed mutual respect and co-existence of different religions and cultures.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Modi went on to add that India is home to the age-old tradition of Gurukul, where learning isn&#39;t confined to classrooms. &#39;&#39;Auroville too has developed as&nbsp;a place of un-ending and life-long education: PM in #Puducherry</p>

<p>On his maiden visit to Puducherry after assuming office, Modi is expected to visit the room where Aurobindo carried out his spiritual experiments, sources in the Ashram said.<br />
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<br />
Later, the Prime Minister would interact with children of Sri Aurobindo International School of Education and then proceed to Auroville by road to participate in its golden jubilee celebrations.<br />
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<br />
Modi will also address a public meeting organised by BJP&#39;s local unit later in the day.<br />
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</p>


Modi will also address a public meeting organised by BJP's local unit later in the day.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Shri Aurobindo as a man of action, a philosopher, a poet. There were so many facets to his character and each of them was dedicated to the good of the nation and humanity, he sáid. Modi was speaking at the golden jubilee celebrations of Auroville International township. It is important today to remember the vast extent of action and thought of Shri Aurobindo, he told the gathering. Auroville brought together men, women, young, old, cutting across boundaries and identities, he said and added Auroville’s Charter was handwritten in French by Divine Mother herself. The Mother set five high principles for Auroville, he added. It is important today to remember the vast extent of action and thought of Shri Aurobindo. A man of action, a philosopher, a poet, there were so many facets to his character. And each of them was dedicated to the good of the nation and humanity: PM Narendra Modi in Puducherry pic.twitter.com/VSmGsQ7Sf9 — ANI (@ANI) February 25, 2018 × India has always allowed mutual respect and co-existence of different religions and cultures. Modi went on to add that India is home to the age-old tradition of Gurukul, where learning isn't confined to classrooms. ''Auroville too has developed as a place of un-ending and life-long education: PM in #Puducherry On his maiden visit to Puducherry after assuming office, Modi is expected to visit the room where Aurobindo carried out his spiritual experiments, sources in the Ashram said. Later, the Prime Minister would interact with children of Sri Aurobindo International School of Education and then proceed to Auroville by road to participate in its golden jubilee celebrations. Modi will also address a public meeting organised by BJP's local unit later in the day.

Shri Aurobindo was dedicated to good of nation and humanity: Modi

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on Sunday in the 41st edition of his monthly radio address, Mann Ki Baat.</p>

<p>Here is the full text of the Prime Minister&#39;s address to the nation:</p>

<p>My dear countrymen, Namaskar.</p>

<p>My young friends have asked me many questions related to Science; they keep writing on quite a few points. All of us have seen that the sea appears blue, but we know from routine life experiences that water has no colour at all. Have we ever thought why water acquires colour in rivers and seas? The same thought occurred to a young man in the 1920s. The same question gave rise to a great scientist of modern India. When we talk about Science, the first name that strikes us is that of Bharat Ratna Sir C.V.Raman. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for his outstanding work on light scattering. One of his discoveries is famous as the Raman Effect.</p>

<p>&nbsp;We celebrate the 28th of February as National Science Day since, on this very day, he is said to have discovered the phenomenon of light scattering, for which the Nobel Prize was conferred upon him. This land has given birth to many a great scientist. On the one hand, there has been a tradition of great Mathematicians like Bodhayan, Bhaskar, Brahmagupt and Aryabhatt; on the other, in the field of medicine, Sushrut &amp; Charak have bestowed upon us a place of pride. Right from Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose and Hargobind Khurana to Satyendranath Bose have brought laurels to India. The famous particle BOSON has been named after Satyendranath Bose. Recently I got an opportunity to take part in a programme in Mumbai &ndash; the inauguration of the Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence. It was interesting to know about the ongoing miraculous accomplishments in the field of Science. Artificial Intelligence aids in making robots, Bots and other machines meant for specific tasks. Through self-learning, machines today can enhance their intelligence to a smarter level. This technology can be harnessed to better the lives of the underprivileged, the marginalized and the needy. In that programme on Artificial Intelligence, I urged the scientific community to deliberate on how Artificial Intelligence could help us make life easier for our divyang brothers &amp; sisters. Can we make better predictions of natural disasters using Artificial Intelligence? Can we use it to provide assistance to farmers on crop yield? Can Artificial Intelligence be used as tool to simplify the outreach of health services and modernize medical treatment?</p>

<p>A few days ago, I got an opportunity to accompany the Prime Minister of Israel to Ahmedabad, Gujarat for the inauguration of &lsquo;I create&rsquo;. There a young person referred to developing a digital instrument that converts the written word into voice. This is to aid those who are incapable of speech to converse normally like any other person. I feel we can harness Artificial Intelligence in many such fields.</p>

<p>Science and Technology are value neutral. They don&rsquo;t possess any value in themselves. Any machine will work the way we want it to. It entirely depends on us what task we want it to perform. Here human objectives assume significance; the use of Science for the sole purpose of human welfare, with the endeavour to assist human lives to touch the greatest heights.</p>

<p>Thomas Alva Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, failed many a time in his experiments. Once, on being asked about it, he quipped, &ldquo;I have devised ten thousand ways of how NOT to make a light bulb&rdquo;. What I mean to say is, Edison transformed even his failures into his own strength. Coincidentally, I am fortunate today to be in Auroville, the land, the karmabhoomi of Maharshi Arvind. As a revolutionary, he challenged British rule, fought against them and questioned subjugation. Thus, as a great sage, he questioned every facet of life. Extracting answers, he showed the right path to humanity. The relentless quest to ask questions for knowing the truth is very important. And this is the very essence, the real inspiration behind scientific inventions and discoveries. Never rest till every &lsquo;why&rsquo;, &lsquo;what&rsquo; &amp; &lsquo;how&rsquo; are answered. I congratulate our scientists, and all those connected with Science on the occasion of National Science Day. May our young generation be inspired for the quest of truth &amp; knowledge; may they be motivated to serve society through Science. I wish them the best.</p>

<p>Friends, safety in the times of crises, disasters are topics on which many messages keep coming in- people keep writing to me. In a comment posted on Narendra Modi Mobile App, Shriman Ravindra Singh from Pune has referred to occupational safety. He writes that in our country, safety standards at factories and construction sites are not upto the mark. Since the 4th of March is National Safety Day, the Prime Minister should include safety in the Mann Ki Baat programme in order to raise awareness on safety. When we refer to public safety, two aspects are very important- proactiveness and preparedness. Safety is of two kinds &ndash; one is safety during disasters and the other is safety in everyday life. If we are not aware of safety in daily life, if we are not able to attain a certain level, it will get extremely difficult during the time of disasters. We often read signboards on streets bearing lines such as &ndash; satarkta hati, durghatna ghati &ndash; &lsquo;Lose alertness &ndash; invite mishaps&rsquo; or ek bhool kare nuksaan, chheene khushiyaan aur muskaan &ndash; &lsquo;One mistake can cost you dearly - rob you of your joy &amp; smile&rsquo; or Itni jaldi na duniya chhodo, suraksha se ab naate jodo&ndash; &lsquo;Don&rsquo;t be in a hurry to leave this world &ndash; embrace the culture of safety&rsquo; or sukaksha se na karo koi masti varna zindagi hogi sasti &ndash; &lsquo;Don&rsquo;t play around with safety, your life will be treated cheap&rsquo;. Beyond that, these sentences serve no purpose in our lives. Leave aside natural disasters; most of the mishaps are a consequence of some mistake or the other on our part. If we stay alert, abide by the prescribed rules &amp; regulations, we shall not only be able to save our own lives but we can prevent catastrophes harming society. There are times when we come across many slogans on safety at the work place but none following their letter and spirit. I urge the fire brigade under corporations and municipalities to visit school children once a week or once a month and perform mock drills for them. This will have a dual benefit &ndash; the fire brigade will undergo an exercise in readiness and the new generation will get lessons in alertness. And all this at no added cost. In a way it will a natural part of the overall learning curve. India is a land of geographic and climatic diversities. As far as disasters are concerned, this country has borne the brunt of many a natural as well as man made disaster, such as chemical &amp; industrial mishaps. Today, the National Disaster Management Authority, NDMA is the vanguard when it comes to dealing with disasters in the country. During earthquakes, floods, cyclones, landslides, NDMA reaches the area within no time. They have issued guidelines; simultaneously they keep imparting training on a regular basis for capacity building. In Districts prone to floods and cyclones, an initiative names &lsquo;Aapada Mitra&rsquo; has been launched for training Volunteers. Training and awareness have a very important role to play. Two- three years ago, thousands of people would lose their lives every year due to heat-wave. After that, NDMA organized workshops on heat wave management as part of a campaign to raise awareness in people. Mass participation led to good results. In 2017, the death toll on account of heat wave remarkably came down to around 220 or so. This proves that if we accord priority to safety, we can actually attain safety. I laud the role played by innumerable individuals, citizens who immediately embark upon rescue and relief operations wherever a disaster strikes. And there are numerous such unnamed, unsung heroes. Our Fire &amp; Rescue services, National Disaster Response Forces Armed Forces, Paramilitary Forces&hellip; these brave hearts go beyond the call of duty to help people in distress, often risking their own lives. Organisations like NCC and Scouts are also contributing in this task; they are getting trained too. Recently we have made an attempt to have joint exercise for disaster management between countries on the lines of joint military exercise involving different countries of the world. India has made a pioneering effort &ndash; BIMSTEC, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan &amp; Nepal &ndash; a joint disaster management exercise involving these countries was undertaken. It was a novel humanitarian experiment on a large scale. We&rsquo;ll have to turn ourselves into a risk conscious society. In our culture, we often talk of safety of values; we now need to realize the values of safety. We&rsquo;ll have to make it part of our life, our being. In day to day life, during air travel, we must have frequently come across air hostesses giving out a rather longish speech, safety instructions at the beginning of a flight. We must have heard it hundreds of times. But today if one of us is taken inside an aircraft and asked about the location of equipments, say life jackets, and how to use them, I can say for sure that none of us will be able to give the right answer. So, was there a provision for giving our information? Yes, there was. Was there a scope of direct visibility when the information was given? Of course there was. But we did not respond actively. WHY? Because by nature, we are not conscious. And that is why our ears hear when we sit in the aircraft, but no one realizes that &lsquo;these instructions are for me&rsquo;. We experience this in all walks of life. Let us not think that safety is only meant for someone else. If all of us become conscious and aware of our own safety, the essence of safety of society will be inbuilt.</p>

<p>My dear countrymen, in the current budget, emphasis has been laid on turning &lsquo;waste to wealth&rsquo; and &lsquo;waste to energy&rsquo; through Bio gas, under the Swachch Bharat Campaign. An effort was initiated which was named GOBAR-Dhan - Galvanizing Organic Bio Agro Resources. The aim of this GOBAR- DHAN scheme is ensuring cleanliness in villages and generating wealth and energy by converting cattle dung and solid agricultural waste into Compost and Bio Gas. India is home to the highest cattle population in the world, close to 300 million in number, with a daily output of 3 million tonnes of dung. Some European countries and China use animal dung and other Bio-waste to produce energy. But India was lacking full capacity utilization. Under the Swachch Bharat Mission (Rural), we are taking rapid strides in this direction. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>A target has been set to use cattle dung, agricultural waste, kitchen waste to produce Bio gas based energy. Under the Gobardhan Scheme our farmer brothers &amp; sisters in rural India will be encouraged to consider dung and other waste not just as a waste but as a source of income. Under the aegis of &#39;GobarDhanYojana&#39;, many benefits will accrue to rural areas. It will be easier to keep the village clean and sanitized, livestock health will improve and farm yields will increase. Biogas generation will increase self-reliance in energy utilized for cooking and lighting. Farmers and cattle herders will be helped in augmenting their income. There will be novel opportunities for newer jobs linked to waste collection, transportation, biogas sales etc. An online trading platform will be created for better implementation of &#39;Gobar Dhan Yojana&#39;, it will connect farmers to buyers so that farmers can get the right price for dung and agricultural waste. I urge entrepreneurs, especially our sisters residing in rural India, to step forward, and through creation of self-help groups and cooperative societies extract full advantage from this opportunity. I invite you to become part of the movement comprising clean energy and green jobs, to become a part of the initiative to convert waste in your village to wealth and by converting dung into &lsquo;Gobar dhan.&rsquo;</p>

<p>My dear countrymen, till date, we have been hearing about the myriad types of festivals - be it music festivals, food festivals, film festivals and many other kinds of festivals. But in a unique endeavor in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, the state&#39;s first &#39;Trash Mahotsav&#39; was organized. The objective behind this festival sponsored by Raipur Municipal Corporation was to generate awareness about cleanliness and the methods using which city&#39;s waste can be creatively used and inculcate awareness about various ways to recycle the garbage. A plethora of activities were organized during this festival, which found full participation of students and adults. Different types of artifacts were made utilizing garbage. Many Workshops were organized to inform people on the entire aspects of waste management. Music performances linked to the theme of hygiene were held and art works were created. Raipur inspired various types of such garbage or trash festivals in other districts too. Many individuals taking initiative on their own behalf shared innovative ideas, held discussions, conducted poetry recitals. A festive atmosphere regarding cleanliness got geared up. The way the school children took part in the entire endeavor was amazing. For the innovative manner in which importance of waste management and cleanliness were displayed in this festival, I congratulate the people of Raipur Municipal Corporation, the entire populace of Chhattisgarh, its government and administration.</p>

<p>Every year on March 8, &#39;International Women&#39;s Day&#39; is celebrated. There are many programs that are held in our country and the world. On this day, women are also felicitated with &#39;Nari Shakti Puraskar&#39; who have performed exemplary tasks in different sectors in the past. Today the country is moving forward from the path of Women development to women-led development. On this occasion, I remember the words of Swami Vivekananda. He&rsquo;d said &#39;The idea of perfect womanhood is perfect independence&#39; - This idea of Swami ji about one hundred and twenty five years ago expresses the contemplation of woman power in Indian culture. Today, it is our duty to ensure the participation of women in every field of life, be it social or economic life, it is our fundamental duty. We are part of a tradition where men were identified due to women-Yashoda-Nandan, Kaushalya-Nandan, Gandhari-Putra, these were identities of a son. Today our woman power has shown inner fortitude and self-confidence, has made herself self-reliant. Not only has she advanced herself but has carried forward the country and society to newer heights.</p>

<p>After all, our dream of &#39;New India&#39; is the one where women are strong and empowered and are equal partners in the development of the country. A few days ago, a gentleman had given me a very sound proposition. He had suggested that on 8th March myriad events herald &#39;Women&#39;s Day&#39; Why cannot we felicitate mothers and sisters who have completed 100 years in every Indian village or city,? Can a program of paying respect for such centenarians be held and cannot we reflect upon a life lived long? I liked the idea and I&rsquo;m bouncing it with you will find many examples of what woman power can achieve, If you look around near yourself many such inspiring stories will appear. I just received news from Jharkhand wherein under the &#39;Swachh Bharat Abhiyan&#39;, about 1.5 million women in Jharkhand &ndash; and this figure is not a small one organized a hygiene campaign for an entire month! Under the auspices of this campaign starting from January 26, 2018, these women constructed 1 lakh 70 thousand toilets in just 20 days and made a record of sorts. There were about one lakh &lsquo;Sakhi Mandals,&rsquo; 14 lakh women, 2 thousand women Panchayat representatives, 29 thousand water carriers, 10 thousand female cleaners and 50 thousand women masons were involved in this campaign. You can imagine what a mammoth undertaking it was! These women of Jharkhand have shown that women power is an integral component of &lsquo;Swachh Bharat Abhiyan&rsquo;, which will change the course of the campaign of cleanliness in general life, the effective role of hygiene in the nature of the people ingeneral.</p>

<p>My dear Brothers and sisters, I was just watching the TV news two days ago that electricity has reached three villages of the Elephanta island after 70 years of independence, and this has led to much joy and enthusiasm among the people there. You all know very well, that Elephanta is located 10 kms by the sea from Mumbai. It is a very important tourist destination. The caves of Elephanta are marked as the World Heritage sites by UNESCO and draw tourists from all over the country and abroad. I was surprised to know that despite being such a prominent center of tourism its close proximity from Mumbai, electricity hadn&rsquo;t reached Elephanta after so many years of independence. For 70 years, the lives of the denizens of three villages of the Elephanta Island, Rajbunder, Morbandar and Centabandar, were engulfed by darkness, which has got dispelled now and there is brightness in their lives. I congratulate the administration and the populace there. I am glad that now the villages of Elephanta and the caves of Elephanta will be lighted due to electrification. This is not just electricity, but a new beginning of a period of development. There is no greater contentment and joy than the fact that the lives of the countrymen be full of shine and there be happiness in their lives.</p>

<p>My dear brothers and sisters, we just celebrated the festival of Shivaratri. And now the month of March beckons us with ripe crops in the fields, playful golden earrings of wheat and the captivating blossom of mango pleasing to the mind are the highlights of this month. But this month is also very special to all of us because of the festival of Holi. On 2nd March the entire country immersed in joy will celebrate the festival of Holi. &nbsp;In The festival of Holi, the importance of colors is as important as the ceremony of &#39; HolikaDahan&#39; because it is the day when we burn our inherent vices in the fire. Holi makes us forget our rancours and gives us an opportunity to be a part of each other&#39;s happiness and glad tidings, and it conveys the message of love, unity and brotherhood. I wish a very joyous festival of Holi to all my countrymen, I further wish you colour laden felicitations. I wish and hope that this festival forever remains a festival of colourful cheer in the lives of all the countrymen- this is my wish. My dear countrymen, thank you very much.</p>


Modi urged women in rural areas to become a part of an initiative for "clean energy and green jobs" through the "Gobar dhan"

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on Sunday in the 41st edition of his monthly radio address, Mann Ki Baat. Here is the full text of the Prime Minister's address to the nation: My dear countrymen, Namaskar. My young friends have asked me many questions related to Science; they keep writing on quite a few points. All of us have seen that the sea appears blue, but we know from routine life experiences that water has no colour at all. Have we ever thought why water acquires colour in rivers and seas? The same thought occurred to a young man in the 1920s. The same question gave rise to a great scientist of modern India. When we talk about Science, the first name that strikes us is that of Bharat Ratna Sir C.V.Raman. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for his outstanding work on light scattering. One of his discoveries is famous as the Raman Effect. We celebrate the 28th of February as National Science Day since, on this very day, he is said to have discovered the phenomenon of light scattering, for which the Nobel Prize was conferred upon him. This land has given birth to many a great scientist. On the one hand, there has been a tradition of great Mathematicians like Bodhayan, Bhaskar, Brahmagupt and Aryabhatt; on the other, in the field of medicine, Sushrut & Charak have bestowed upon us a place of pride. Right from Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose and Hargobind Khurana to Satyendranath Bose have brought laurels to India. The famous particle BOSON has been named after Satyendranath Bose. Recently I got an opportunity to take part in a programme in Mumbai – the inauguration of the Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence. It was interesting to know about the ongoing miraculous accomplishments in the field of Science. Artificial Intelligence aids in making robots, Bots and other machines meant for specific tasks. Through self-learning, machines today can enhance their intelligence to a smarter level. This technology can be harnessed to better the lives of the underprivileged, the marginalized and the needy. In that programme on Artificial Intelligence, I urged the scientific community to deliberate on how Artificial Intelligence could help us make life easier for our divyang brothers & sisters. Can we make better predictions of natural disasters using Artificial Intelligence? Can we use it to provide assistance to farmers on crop yield? Can Artificial Intelligence be used as tool to simplify the outreach of health services and modernize medical treatment? A few days ago, I got an opportunity to accompany the Prime Minister of Israel to Ahmedabad, Gujarat for the inauguration of ‘I create’. There a young person referred to developing a digital instrument that converts the written word into voice. This is to aid those who are incapable of speech to converse normally like any other person. I feel we can harness Artificial Intelligence in many such fields. Science and Technology are value neutral. They don’t possess any value in themselves. Any machine will work the way we want it to. It entirely depends on us what task we want it to perform. Here human objectives assume significance; the use of Science for the sole purpose of human welfare, with the endeavour to assist human lives to touch the greatest heights. Thomas Alva Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, failed many a time in his experiments. Once, on being asked about it, he quipped, “I have devised ten thousand ways of how NOT to make a light bulb”. What I mean to say is, Edison transformed even his failures into his own strength. Coincidentally, I am fortunate today to be in Auroville, the land, the karmabhoomi of Maharshi Arvind. As a revolutionary, he challenged British rule, fought against them and questioned subjugation. Thus, as a great sage, he questioned every facet of life. Extracting answers, he showed the right path to humanity. The relentless quest to ask questions for knowing the truth is very important. And this is the very essence, the real inspiration behind scientific inventions and discoveries. Never rest till every ‘why’, ‘what’ & ‘how’ are answered. I congratulate our scientists, and all those connected with Science on the occasion of National Science Day. May our young generation be inspired for the quest of truth & knowledge; may they be motivated to serve society through Science. I wish them the best. Friends, safety in the times of crises, disasters are topics on which many messages keep coming in- people keep writing to me. In a comment posted on Narendra Modi Mobile App, Shriman Ravindra Singh from Pune has referred to occupational safety. He writes that in our country, safety standards at factories and construction sites are not upto the mark. Since the 4th of March is National Safety Day, the Prime Minister should include safety in the Mann Ki Baat programme in order to raise awareness on safety. When we refer to public safety, two aspects are very important- proactiveness and preparedness. Safety is of two kinds – one is safety during disasters and the other is safety in everyday life. If we are not aware of safety in daily life, if we are not able to attain a certain level, it will get extremely difficult during the time of disasters. We often read signboards on streets bearing lines such as – satarkta hati, durghatna ghati – ‘Lose alertness – invite mishaps’ or ek bhool kare nuksaan, chheene khushiyaan aur muskaan – ‘One mistake can cost you dearly - rob you of your joy & smile’ or Itni jaldi na duniya chhodo, suraksha se ab naate jodo– ‘Don’t be in a hurry to leave this world – embrace the culture of safety’ or sukaksha se na karo koi masti varna zindagi hogi sasti – ‘Don’t play around with safety, your life will be treated cheap’. Beyond that, these sentences serve no purpose in our lives. Leave aside natural disasters; most of the mishaps are a consequence of some mistake or the other on our part. If we stay alert, abide by the prescribed rules & regulations, we shall not only be able to save our own lives but we can prevent catastrophes harming society. There are times when we come across many slogans on safety at the work place but none following their letter and spirit. I urge the fire brigade under corporations and municipalities to visit school children once a week or once a month and perform mock drills for them. This will have a dual benefit – the fire brigade will undergo an exercise in readiness and the new generation will get lessons in alertness. And all this at no added cost. In a way it will a natural part of the overall learning curve. India is a land of geographic and climatic diversities. As far as disasters are concerned, this country has borne the brunt of many a natural as well as man made disaster, such as chemical & industrial mishaps. Today, the National Disaster Management Authority, NDMA is the vanguard when it comes to dealing with disasters in the country. During earthquakes, floods, cyclones, landslides, NDMA reaches the area within no time. They have issued guidelines; simultaneously they keep imparting training on a regular basis for capacity building. In Districts prone to floods and cyclones, an initiative names ‘Aapada Mitra’ has been launched for training Volunteers. Training and awareness have a very important role to play. Two- three years ago, thousands of people would lose their lives every year due to heat-wave. After that, NDMA organized workshops on heat wave management as part of a campaign to raise awareness in people. Mass participation led to good results. In 2017, the death toll on account of heat wave remarkably came down to around 220 or so. This proves that if we accord priority to safety, we can actually attain safety. I laud the role played by innumerable individuals, citizens who immediately embark upon rescue and relief operations wherever a disaster strikes. And there are numerous such unnamed, unsung heroes. Our Fire & Rescue services, National Disaster Response Forces Armed Forces, Paramilitary Forces… these brave hearts go beyond the call of duty to help people in distress, often risking their own lives. Organisations like NCC and Scouts are also contributing in this task; they are getting trained too. Recently we have made an attempt to have joint exercise for disaster management between countries on the lines of joint military exercise involving different countries of the world. India has made a pioneering effort – BIMSTEC, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan & Nepal – a joint disaster management exercise involving these countries was undertaken. It was a novel humanitarian experiment on a large scale. We’ll have to turn ourselves into a risk conscious society. In our culture, we often talk of safety of values; we now need to realize the values of safety. We’ll have to make it part of our life, our being. In day to day life, during air travel, we must have frequently come across air hostesses giving out a rather longish speech, safety instructions at the beginning of a flight. We must have heard it hundreds of times. But today if one of us is taken inside an aircraft and asked about the location of equipments, say life jackets, and how to use them, I can say for sure that none of us will be able to give the right answer. So, was there a provision for giving our information? Yes, there was. Was there a scope of direct visibility when the information was given? Of course there was. But we did not respond actively. WHY? Because by nature, we are not conscious. And that is why our ears hear when we sit in the aircraft, but no one realizes that ‘these instructions are for me’. We experience this in all walks of life. Let us not think that safety is only meant for someone else. If all of us become conscious and aware of our own safety, the essence of safety of society will be inbuilt. My dear countrymen, in the current budget, emphasis has been laid on turning ‘waste to wealth’ and ‘waste to energy’ through Bio gas, under the Swachch Bharat Campaign. An effort was initiated which was named GOBAR-Dhan - Galvanizing Organic Bio Agro Resources. The aim of this GOBAR- DHAN scheme is ensuring cleanliness in villages and generating wealth and energy by converting cattle dung and solid agricultural waste into Compost and Bio Gas. India is home to the highest cattle population in the world, close to 300 million in number, with a daily output of 3 million tonnes of dung. Some European countries and China use animal dung and other Bio-waste to produce energy. But India was lacking full capacity utilization. Under the Swachch Bharat Mission (Rural), we are taking rapid strides in this direction. A target has been set to use cattle dung, agricultural waste, kitchen waste to produce Bio gas based energy. Under the Gobardhan Scheme our farmer brothers & sisters in rural India will be encouraged to consider dung and other waste not just as a waste but as a source of income. Under the aegis of 'GobarDhanYojana', many benefits will accrue to rural areas. It will be easier to keep the village clean and sanitized, livestock health will improve and farm yields will increase. Biogas generation will increase self-reliance in energy utilized for cooking and lighting. Farmers and cattle herders will be helped in augmenting their income. There will be novel opportunities for newer jobs linked to waste collection, transportation, biogas sales etc. An online trading platform will be created for better implementation of 'Gobar Dhan Yojana', it will connect farmers to buyers so that farmers can get the right price for dung and agricultural waste. I urge entrepreneurs, especially our sisters residing in rural India, to step forward, and through creation of self-help groups and cooperative societies extract full advantage from this opportunity. I invite you to become part of the movement comprising clean energy and green jobs, to become a part of the initiative to convert waste in your village to wealth and by converting dung into ‘Gobar dhan.’ My dear countrymen, till date, we have been hearing about the myriad types of festivals - be it music festivals, food festivals, film festivals and many other kinds of festivals. But in a unique endeavor in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, the state's first 'Trash Mahotsav' was organized. The objective behind this festival sponsored by Raipur Municipal Corporation was to generate awareness about cleanliness and the methods using which city's waste can be creatively used and inculcate awareness about various ways to recycle the garbage. A plethora of activities were organized during this festival, which found full participation of students and adults. Different types of artifacts were made utilizing garbage. Many Workshops were organized to inform people on the entire aspects of waste management. Music performances linked to the theme of hygiene were held and art works were created. Raipur inspired various types of such garbage or trash festivals in other districts too. Many individuals taking initiative on their own behalf shared innovative ideas, held discussions, conducted poetry recitals. A festive atmosphere regarding cleanliness got geared up. The way the school children took part in the entire endeavor was amazing. For the innovative manner in which importance of waste management and cleanliness were displayed in this festival, I congratulate the people of Raipur Municipal Corporation, the entire populace of Chhattisgarh, its government and administration. Every year on March 8, 'International Women's Day' is celebrated. There are many programs that are held in our country and the world. On this day, women are also felicitated with 'Nari Shakti Puraskar' who have performed exemplary tasks in different sectors in the past. Today the country is moving forward from the path of Women development to women-led development. On this occasion, I remember the words of Swami Vivekananda. He’d said 'The idea of perfect womanhood is perfect independence' - This idea of Swami ji about one hundred and twenty five years ago expresses the contemplation of woman power in Indian culture. Today, it is our duty to ensure the participation of women in every field of life, be it social or economic life, it is our fundamental duty. We are part of a tradition where men were identified due to women-Yashoda-Nandan, Kaushalya-Nandan, Gandhari-Putra, these were identities of a son. Today our woman power has shown inner fortitude and self-confidence, has made herself self-reliant. Not only has she advanced herself but has carried forward the country and society to newer heights. After all, our dream of 'New India' is the one where women are strong and empowered and are equal partners in the development of the country. A few days ago, a gentleman had given me a very sound proposition. He had suggested that on 8th March myriad events herald 'Women's Day' Why cannot we felicitate mothers and sisters who have completed 100 years in every Indian village or city,? Can a program of paying respect for such centenarians be held and cannot we reflect upon a life lived long? I liked the idea and I’m bouncing it with you will find many examples of what woman power can achieve, If you look around near yourself many such inspiring stories will appear. I just received news from Jharkhand wherein under the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan', about 1.5 million women in Jharkhand – and this figure is not a small one organized a hygiene campaign for an entire month! Under the auspices of this campaign starting from January 26, 2018, these women constructed 1 lakh 70 thousand toilets in just 20 days and made a record of sorts. There were about one lakh ‘Sakhi Mandals,’ 14 lakh women, 2 thousand women Panchayat representatives, 29 thousand water carriers, 10 thousand female cleaners and 50 thousand women masons were involved in this campaign. You can imagine what a mammoth undertaking it was! These women of Jharkhand have shown that women power is an integral component of ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’, which will change the course of the campaign of cleanliness in general life, the effective role of hygiene in the nature of the people ingeneral. My dear Brothers and sisters, I was just watching the TV news two days ago that electricity has reached three villages of the Elephanta island after 70 years of independence, and this has led to much joy and enthusiasm among the people there. You all know very well, that Elephanta is located 10 kms by the sea from Mumbai. It is a very important tourist destination. The caves of Elephanta are marked as the World Heritage sites by UNESCO and draw tourists from all over the country and abroad. I was surprised to know that despite being such a prominent center of tourism its close proximity from Mumbai, electricity hadn’t reached Elephanta after so many years of independence. For 70 years, the lives of the denizens of three villages of the Elephanta Island, Rajbunder, Morbandar and Centabandar, were engulfed by darkness, which has got dispelled now and there is brightness in their lives. I congratulate the administration and the populace there. I am glad that now the villages of Elephanta and the caves of Elephanta will be lighted due to electrification. This is not just electricity, but a new beginning of a period of development. There is no greater contentment and joy than the fact that the lives of the countrymen be full of shine and there be happiness in their lives. My dear brothers and sisters, we just celebrated the festival of Shivaratri. And now the month of March beckons us with ripe crops in the fields, playful golden earrings of wheat and the captivating blossom of mango pleasing to the mind are the highlights of this month. But this month is also very special to all of us because of the festival of Holi. On 2nd March the entire country immersed in joy will celebrate the festival of Holi. In The festival of Holi, the importance of colors is as important as the ceremony of ' HolikaDahan' because it is the day when we burn our inherent vices in the fire. Holi makes us forget our rancours and gives us an opportunity to be a part of each other's happiness and glad tidings, and it conveys the message of love, unity and brotherhood. I wish a very joyous festival of Holi to all my countrymen, I further wish you colour laden felicitations. I wish and hope that this festival forever remains a festival of colourful cheer in the lives of all the countrymen- this is my wish. My dear countrymen, thank you very much.

PM's Mann Ki Baat: Full speech

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on Sunday through his monthly radio program, Mann Ki Baat.</p>

<p>In 41st edition of Mann ki Baat radio address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the Gobar Dhan Yojana aims to generate wealth for farmers through compost and will lead to job generation in rural areas.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Modi urged women in rural areas to become a part of an initiative for &quot;clean energy and green jobs&quot; through the &quot;Gobar Dhan&quot;.</p>

<p>PM Modi concluded his speech with Holi greetings to people across the country.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Holi gives the message of spreading peace, brotherhood &amp; unity among all. It is because it is a day of burning evil hence the importance of Holika Dahan as strong as the importance of colours on this festival.</p>


Modi urged women in rural areas to become a part of an initiative for "clean energy and green jobs" through the "Gobar dhan".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on Sunday through his monthly radio program, Mann Ki Baat. In 41st edition of Mann ki Baat radio address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the Gobar Dhan Yojana aims to generate wealth for farmers through compost and will lead to job generation in rural areas. Modi urged women in rural areas to become a part of an initiative for "clean energy and green jobs" through the "Gobar Dhan". PM Modi concluded his speech with Holi greetings to people across the country. Holi gives the message of spreading peace, brotherhood & unity among all. It is because it is a day of burning evil hence the importance of Holika Dahan as strong as the importance of colours on this festival.

Gobar Dhan Yojana aims to generate wealth through waste in rural areas, says PM

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing the nation in his monthly radio show Mann ki Baat today. This is the 41st edition of the Mann Ki Baat programme.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This month, PM Modi&#39;s show has already been in the news as Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has sent in his suggestions.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Here is live streaming of his speech:</strong></p>

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<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="550" id="frmwion" scrolling="no" src="http://wionews.dittotv.com/?header=no" width="100%"></iframe></p>


This is the 41st edition of the Mann Ki Baat programme, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing the nation in his monthly radio show Mann ki Baat today. This is the 41st edition of the Mann Ki Baat programme. This month, PM Modi's show has already been in the news as Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has sent in his suggestions. Here is live streaming of his speech:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses nation in 'Mann ki baat'

<p>PM Modi on Sunday talked about leveraging Artificial Intelligence for the betterment of all humans in his monthly programme &#39;Mann Ki Baat&#39;.</p>

<p><strong>Here are the highlights of his speech:&nbsp;</strong></p>

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<h5>On 2nd March, the nation will celebrate Holi. I wish all of you on this occasion, I hope it brings happiness in the lives of all of you. Holi gives the message of spreading peace, brotherhood &amp; unity among all.</h5>
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<h5>Until recently, there was no electricity in Elephanta Caves despite being so close to Mumbai. I would like to congratulate the administration there that they have been able to provide electricity there. What can be better than bringing happiness to the lives of people living there.</h5>
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<h5>We hear of music festivals, food festivals &amp; film festivals but in a unique move Chhattisgarh celebrated &#39;Trash Mahotsav&#39;. the objective behind it was to utilise waste creatively &amp; to spread awareness about ways to reuse garbage.</h5>
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<h5>New jobs would be created through #waste collection and transportation. Online trading platform would be set up to run &#39;Gobar Dhan Yojana&#39; smoothly; it will connect farmers to buyers.</h5>
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<h5>Under &#39;Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin&#39;, dung, farm waste, kitchen waste will be used for biogas energy.</h5>
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<h5>In this budget, the emphasis was laid on &#39;waste to wealth&#39; &amp; &#39;waste to energy&#39; through bio-gas for villages under &#39;Swacch Bharat&#39; initiative called &#39;GOBAR-Dhan&#39; (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources) has been rolled out.</h5>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Moving from Women Development to Women Led Development.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MannKiBaat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MannKiBaat</a> <a href="https://t.co/eA4ROFOA86">pic.twitter.com/eA4ROFOA86</a></p>
&mdash; PMO India (@PMOIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/PMOIndia/status/967638607820349441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<h5>We must become a risk-conscious society, understand values of safety. In our culture, we often speak about the protection of values, but we also have to understand values of safety. We must make it a part of our lives.</h5>
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<h5>Most of the accidents barring national disasters in some way or the other occur due to our negligence. If we remain vigilante &amp; follow rules then we can avoid such situations.</h5>
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<h5>I urge the scientists to find ways in which we can enhance lives of our &#39;divyang&#39; brothers &amp; sisters through artificial intelligence.</h5>
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<h5>On one hand, there are great mathematicians like Baudhayana, Bhaskara &amp; Aryabhatta. On the other hand, great such as Sushruta and Charaka in the field of medicine are our pride.</h5>
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<h5>Science and Technology is value neutral. It depends on us what work we want a machine to do. Hence, human objectivity becomes important.</h5>
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<h5>Spirit of inquiry is the real inspiration behind scientific discoveries. One must not rest till one gets answers to all the questions.</h5>
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"Science and technology are value neutral. It is up to us what we want the machine to do for us," said PM Modi.

PM Modi on Sunday talked about leveraging Artificial Intelligence for the betterment of all humans in his monthly programme 'Mann Ki Baat'. Here are the highlights of his speech: On 2nd March, the nation will celebrate Holi. I wish all of you on this occasion, I hope it brings happiness in the lives of all of you. Holi gives the message of spreading peace, brotherhood & unity among all. × Until recently, there was no electricity in Elephanta Caves despite being so close to Mumbai. I would like to congratulate the administration there that they have been able to provide electricity there. What can be better than bringing happiness to the lives of people living there. × We hear of music festivals, food festivals & film festivals but in a unique move Chhattisgarh celebrated 'Trash Mahotsav'. the objective behind it was to utilise waste creatively & to spread awareness about ways to reuse garbage. × New jobs would be created through #waste collection and transportation. Online trading platform would be set up to run 'Gobar Dhan Yojana' smoothly; it will connect farmers to buyers. × Under 'Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin', dung, farm waste, kitchen waste will be used for biogas energy. × In this budget, the emphasis was laid on 'waste to wealth' & 'waste to energy' through bio-gas for villages under 'Swacch Bharat' initiative called 'GOBAR-Dhan' (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources) has been rolled out. × Moving from Women Development to Women Led Development.#MannKiBaat pic.twitter.com/eA4ROFOA86 — PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 25, 2018 × We must become a risk-conscious society, understand values of safety. In our culture, we often speak about the protection of values, but we also have to understand values of safety. We must make it a part of our lives. × Most of the accidents barring national disasters in some way or the other occur due to our negligence. If we remain vigilante & follow rules then we can avoid such situations. × I urge the scientists to find ways in which we can enhance lives of our 'divyang' brothers & sisters through artificial intelligence. × On one hand, there are great mathematicians like Baudhayana, Bhaskara & Aryabhatta. On the other hand, great such as Sushruta and Charaka in the field of medicine are our pride. × Science and Technology is value neutral. It depends on us what work we want a machine to do. Hence, human objectivity becomes important. × Spirit of inquiry is the real inspiration behind scientific discoveries. One must not rest till one gets answers to all the questions. ×

PM Narendra Modi's Mann Ki Baat: Highlights

<p>Continuing to target the prime minister in his campaign in poll-bound Karnataka, Congress president Rahul Gandhi today asked why Narendra Modi, who had described himself as the country&#39;s &quot;chowkidar&quot; (watchman), was &quot;silent&quot; on the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud.</p>

<p>He also asked Modi as to why he was not taking any action regarding the alleged sudden increase in turnover of a company owned by BJP president Amit Shah&#39;s son Jay Shah.</p>

<p>&quot;Modi ji comes to Karnataka and speaks about corruption. He had told the country not to make him prime minister but make him the chowkidar (watchman) of the country,&quot; Gandhi said.</p>

<p>In a Congress rally here, he said, &quot;On one side there is his party&#39;s (former) chief minister (B S Yeddyurappa) who had gone to jail and on the other side are the other four former ministers of the BJP government who had gone to jail; sitting in between them, Modi speaks about corruption.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;Shah&#39;s son converts Rs 50,000 to Rs 80 crore in three months and the chowkidar of the country doesn&#39;t get it? inquired and doesn&#39;t even utter a word,&quot; he alleged.</p>

<p>The BJP chief has rejected allegations of corruption against his son Jay Shah, who has filed a criminal defamation suit against a news portal which claimed his business fortunes had zoomed after the BJP came to power in 2014.</p>

<p>Rahul Gandhi is on the second leg of his three-day tour of northern parts of Karnataka. This is his second visit to the state in less than a fortnight.</p>

<p>Karnataka is slated to go to polls in a few months.</p>

<p>Hitting out at Modi on demonetisation, the Congress president said, &quot;Modi ji told the country to stand in line (queues at banks) for the fight against corruption. You would have not seen a single rich person or someone wearing suit-boot in the line.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>He alleged that all the &quot;thieves&quot; in India had converted their black money into white with the help of PM Modi.</p>

<p>Attacking the prime minister on the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud issue involving jewellery designer Nirav Modi, Gandhi questioned his silence.</p>

<p>&quot;Nirav Modi has indulged in the theft of Rs 22,000 crore, he runs away from the country, but the chowkidar of this country does not even utter a word,&quot; he said.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Rahul Gandhi continued to target the prime minister in his campaign in poll-bound Karnataka

Continuing to target the prime minister in his campaign in poll-bound Karnataka, Congress president Rahul Gandhi today asked why Narendra Modi, who had described himself as the country's "chowkidar" (watchman), was "silent" on the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud. He also asked Modi as to why he was not taking any action regarding the alleged sudden increase in turnover of a company owned by BJP president Amit Shah's son Jay Shah. "Modi ji comes to Karnataka and speaks about corruption. He had told the country not to make him prime minister but make him the chowkidar (watchman) of the country," Gandhi said. In a Congress rally here, he said, "On one side there is his party's (former) chief minister (B S Yeddyurappa) who had gone to jail and on the other side are the other four former ministers of the BJP government who had gone to jail; sitting in between them, Modi speaks about corruption." "Shah's son converts Rs 50,000 to Rs 80 crore in three months and the chowkidar of the country doesn't get it? inquired and doesn't even utter a word," he alleged. The BJP chief has rejected allegations of corruption against his son Jay Shah, who has filed a criminal defamation suit against a news portal which claimed his business fortunes had zoomed after the BJP came to power in 2014. Rahul Gandhi is on the second leg of his three-day tour of northern parts of Karnataka. This is his second visit to the state in less than a fortnight. Karnataka is slated to go to polls in a few months. Hitting out at Modi on demonetisation, the Congress president said, "Modi ji told the country to stand in line (queues at banks) for the fight against corruption. You would have not seen a single rich person or someone wearing suit-boot in the line." He alleged that all the "thieves" in India had converted their black money into white with the help of PM Modi. Attacking the prime minister on the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud issue involving jewellery designer Nirav Modi, Gandhi questioned his silence. "Nirav Modi has indulged in the theft of Rs 22,000 crore, he runs away from the country, but the chowkidar of this country does not even utter a word," he said.

Why is chowkidar silent: Rahul Gandhi attacks PM Modi on PNB fraud

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday arrived in Daman to&nbsp;launch several development projects worth Rs 1,000 crore in the Union Territory of Daman and Diu.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the launch of various development projects in Daman. <a href="https://t.co/t2TpfRCG7P">pic.twitter.com/t2TpfRCG7P</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/967307214305165314?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The projects are aimed at boosting the economic development in the Union Territory.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">This public meeting in Daman is historic- not only in terms of the number of people who have joined us but also in terms of the development projects being launched from here: PM Narendra Modi in Daman <a href="https://t.co/kJaDWU2Cru">pic.twitter.com/kJaDWU2Cru</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/967316470777643013?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Prime Minister flagged off the Pawan Hans helicopter service for passengers travelling to and fro from Daman to Diu and a daily plane service between Diu to Ahmedabad.</p>

<p>While addressing the gathering, PM Modi stressed on the need for connectivity to boost tourism, saying &ldquo;Daman has now been connected to Diu with air services and therefore people from south India and other parts of the world who want to visit the UT and local destination will increase.&rdquo;</p>

<p>He also urged the people of Daman to focus on cleanliness, saying the prospects of tourism increases if the place is clean. Daman is a popular weekend getaway from Mumbai, and other parts of Gujarat. Famous for its black sand beaches, Daman also has several forts.</p>

<p>&ldquo;It is wonderful how Daman has become a mini-India. People from all over the country live and work here,&quot; he added.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I congratulate the people and local administration for making Daman open defecation free. This is a big step: PM Narendra Modi <a href="https://t.co/Eg9vkat15Z">pic.twitter.com/Eg9vkat15Z</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/967318159253495809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Meanwhile, he urged local fisherman to form small groups and register themselves to avail the benefits of blue revolution.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;The government is taking several steps for the welfare of fishermen. Our entire emphasis on the &lsquo;blue revolution&rsquo; is inspired by the commitment to bring a positive difference in the lives of fishermen,&rdquo; Modi said.</p>

<p>He even promised that the government will provide the fishermen with long boats with which they can venture in deep sea and can get a bigger catch of fish.</p>

<p>Later in the day, the Prime Minister is scheduled to fly to Chennai to launch the Amma Two-wheeler Scheme.</p>

<p>The scheme is the AIADMK government&#39;s ambitious project of providing 50 per cent subsidy to all working women to buy two-wheelers.</p>


The projects are aimed to boost the economic development

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday arrived in Daman to launch several development projects worth Rs 1,000 crore in the Union Territory of Daman and Diu. Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the launch of various development projects in Daman. pic.twitter.com/t2TpfRCG7P — ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2018 × The projects are aimed at boosting the economic development in the Union Territory. This public meeting in Daman is historic- not only in terms of the number of people who have joined us but also in terms of the development projects being launched from here: PM Narendra Modi in Daman pic.twitter.com/kJaDWU2Cru — ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2018 × The Prime Minister flagged off the Pawan Hans helicopter service for passengers travelling to and fro from Daman to Diu and a daily plane service between Diu to Ahmedabad. While addressing the gathering, PM Modi stressed on the need for connectivity to boost tourism, saying “Daman has now been connected to Diu with air services and therefore people from south India and other parts of the world who want to visit the UT and local destination will increase.” He also urged the people of Daman to focus on cleanliness, saying the prospects of tourism increases if the place is clean. Daman is a popular weekend getaway from Mumbai, and other parts of Gujarat. Famous for its black sand beaches, Daman also has several forts. “It is wonderful how Daman has become a mini-India. People from all over the country live and work here," he added. I congratulate the people and local administration for making Daman open defecation free. This is a big step: PM Narendra Modi pic.twitter.com/Eg9vkat15Z — ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2018 × Meanwhile, he urged local fisherman to form small groups and register themselves to avail the benefits of blue revolution. “The government is taking several steps for the welfare of fishermen. Our entire emphasis on the ‘blue revolution’ is inspired by the commitment to bring a positive difference in the lives of fishermen,” Modi said. He even promised that the government will provide the fishermen with long boats with which they can venture in deep sea and can get a bigger catch of fish. Later in the day, the Prime Minister is scheduled to fly to Chennai to launch the Amma Two-wheeler Scheme. The scheme is the AIADMK government's ambitious project of providing 50 per cent subsidy to all working women to buy two-wheelers.

PM Modi launches Rs 1,000 crore projects in Daman and Diu

<p>Tamil Nadu chief minister &nbsp;Edappadi K Palaniswami and deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam unveiled the statue of former Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa at the AIADMK office on the occasion of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa`s birth anniversary.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Chennai: Tamil Nadu CM E Palaniswami and Deputy CM O Panneerselvam unveiled statue of former TN CM <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Jayalalithaa?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Jayalalithaa</a> at AIADMK office on her birth anniversary. <a href="https://t.co/33NMG8cpbR">pic.twitter.com/33NMG8cpbR</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/967309187901399040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Later in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the Tamil Nadu government`s Amma Two-wheeler Scheme here.</p>

<p>The scheme, which aims at providing 50 percent subsidy to all the working women to buy two-wheelers, was a pet project of Jayalalithaa.</p>

<p>On Sunday, Prime Minister will be visiting Puducherry. He will offer floral tributes to Shri Aurobindo at Aurobindo Ashram and interact with students of Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education. He will also visit Auroville to release a commemorative postage stamp on the golden jubilee celebrations of Auroville followed by addressing a public meeting in Puducherry.</p>

<p>Later in the evening, the Prime Minister will be in Surat for the flagging off of the `Run for New India Marathon`. &nbsp;</p>


Later in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the Tamil Nadu government`s Amma Two-wheeler Scheme here

Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam unveiled the statue of former Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa at the AIADMK office on the occasion of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa`s birth anniversary. Chennai: Tamil Nadu CM E Palaniswami and Deputy CM O Panneerselvam unveiled statue of former TN CM #Jayalalithaa at AIADMK office on her birth anniversary. pic.twitter.com/33NMG8cpbR — ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2018 × Later in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the Tamil Nadu government`s Amma Two-wheeler Scheme here. The scheme, which aims at providing 50 percent subsidy to all the working women to buy two-wheelers, was a pet project of Jayalalithaa. On Sunday, Prime Minister will be visiting Puducherry. He will offer floral tributes to Shri Aurobindo at Aurobindo Ashram and interact with students of Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education. He will also visit Auroville to release a commemorative postage stamp on the golden jubilee celebrations of Auroville followed by addressing a public meeting in Puducherry. Later in the evening, the Prime Minister will be in Surat for the flagging off of the `Run for New India Marathon`.

Tamil Nadu CM, deputy unveil Jayalalithaa's statue at party office

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Gujarat&#39;s Surat on Saturday.</p>

<p>Here he will also hand over certificates to beneficiaries of various official schemes.</p>

<p>The Prime Minister will visit Chennai, Puducherry and Gujarat in the next two days.</p>

<p>Modi will inaugurate projects worth Rs 1,000 crore in Daman city on February 24 and flag off the marathon in Surat the next day.</p>

<p>&quot;On February 24, Modi will lay the foundation stones for projects including a water treatment plant, a gas pipeline, an electric sub-station, a municipal market, a footbridge among others,&quot; SS Yadav, Adviser to Administrator of</p>

<p>Daman, Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, said today.</p>

<p>The PM will also launch a helicopter service between Daman and Diu, and an Air Odisha flight service connecting Ahmedabad with Diu, he said.</p>


The PM will also launch a helicopter service between Daman and Diu, and an Air Odisha flight service connecting Ahmedabad with Diu, he said

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Gujarat's Surat on Saturday. Here he will also hand over certificates to beneficiaries of various official schemes. The Prime Minister will visit Chennai, Puducherry and Gujarat in the next two days. Modi will inaugurate projects worth Rs 1,000 crore in Daman city on February 24 and flag off the marathon in Surat the next day. "On February 24, Modi will lay the foundation stones for projects including a water treatment plant, a gas pipeline, an electric sub-station, a municipal market, a footbridge among others," SS Yadav, Adviser to Administrator of Daman, Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, said today. The PM will also launch a helicopter service between Daman and Diu, and an Air Odisha flight service connecting Ahmedabad with Diu, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaches Surat

<p>Amidst allegations by the opposition that Edappadi K Palaniswami led Tamil Nadu government is remote-controlled by the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to visit the state today to launch the scheme for Rs. 25,000 subsidy for women to buy two-wheelers.</p>

<p>Modi&#39;s visit comes days after Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam confirmed speculation that the BJP&#39;s top leadership, particularly PM Modi, had a role to play in the merger of the AIADMK&#39;s two factions; one led by him and another by Chief Minister E Palaniswami.</p>

<p>Panneerselvam, or OPS as he is called, last week told his supporters that it was the nudge from PM Modi that led him to agree to the merger of the two factions created after J Jayalalithaa&#39;s death in December 2016.</p>

<p>&quot;He (PM Modi) said that you (Panneerselvam) could join (merge the faction) to save the party and under the present circumstances, the two [factions] should merge to save the party,&quot; Panneerselvam had said.</p>

<p>According to reports, AIADMK Spokesperson C Ponnaiyan denied criticism that the ruling AIADMK has surrendered to the ruling BJP at the centre to escape from corruption allegations. &quot;We need friendly ties with the centre and even our Amma had she been alive would have felt happy,&quot; he added.</p>

<p>According to AIADMK officials, a statue of Jayalalithaa will be unveiled at the party headquarters here, followed by the launch of Tamil daily `Nammadhu Amma`.</p>

<p>In the evening, the state government will launch the scooter subsidy scheme wherein the government will provide 50 per cent subsidy subject to a maximum of Rs 25,000 for the purchase of scooters by working women</p>

<p>The launch of the scheme - Amma Two-wheeler Scheme - has been timed to coincide with the birth anniversary of J Jayalalithaa who had first promised the 50 per cent subsidy scheme in the run-up to the 2016 assembly elections.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


A statue of Jayalalithaa will be unveiled at the party headquarters here, followed by the launch of Tamil daily `Nammadhu Amma`.

Amidst allegations by the opposition that Edappadi K Palaniswami led Tamil Nadu government is remote-controlled by the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to visit the state today to launch the scheme for Rs. 25,000 subsidy for women to buy two-wheelers. Modi's visit comes days after Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam confirmed speculation that the BJP's top leadership, particularly PM Modi, had a role to play in the merger of the AIADMK's two factions; one led by him and another by Chief Minister E Palaniswami. Panneerselvam, or OPS as he is called, last week told his supporters that it was the nudge from PM Modi that led him to agree to the merger of the two factions created after J Jayalalithaa's death in December 2016. "He (PM Modi) said that you (Panneerselvam) could join (merge the faction) to save the party and under the present circumstances, the two [factions] should merge to save the party," Panneerselvam had said. According to reports, AIADMK Spokesperson C Ponnaiyan denied criticism that the ruling AIADMK has surrendered to the ruling BJP at the centre to escape from corruption allegations. "We need friendly ties with the centre and even our Amma had she been alive would have felt happy," he added. According to AIADMK officials, a statue of Jayalalithaa will be unveiled at the party headquarters here, followed by the launch of Tamil daily `Nammadhu Amma`. In the evening, the state government will launch the scooter subsidy scheme wherein the government will provide 50 per cent subsidy subject to a maximum of Rs 25,000 for the purchase of scooters by working women The launch of the scheme - Amma Two-wheeler Scheme - has been timed to coincide with the birth anniversary of J Jayalalithaa who had first promised the 50 per cent subsidy scheme in the run-up to the 2016 assembly elections.

Tamil Nadu: Modi to launch subsidy two-wheeler scheme for women amidst alliance rumour

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched the AIADMK government&#39;s ambitious scheme of providing 50 per cent subsidy to working women to buy two-wheelers in Chennai.</p>

<p>The prime minister said he was happy to launch one of former chief minister Jayalalithaa&#39;s dream projects on her 70th birthday.</p>

<p>&quot;I am glad to be able to launch one of her dream projects -- the Amma Two Wheeler Scheme. I am told that on Amma&#39;s (Jayalalithaa) 70th birthday, 70 lakh plants will be planted across Tamil Nadu. These initiatives will go a long way in the empowerment of women and protection of nature,&quot; PM Modi said.</p>

<p>The prime minister said that empowering women in a family led to the empowerment of the entire household.</p>

<p>&quot;When we empower women in a family, we empower the entire household. When we help with a woman&#39;s education, we ensure that the family is educated. When we facilitate her good health,we help keep the family healthy. When we secure her future, we secure future of the entire home,&quot; PM Modi said.</p>

<p>PM Modi said that his government had made changes in the Factory&#39;s Act and extended maternity leave from 12 to 26 weeks.</p>

<p>&quot;We have also made a change in the Factory&#39;s Act and suggested to States that they allow women to work in the night shift as well. We have also extended maternity leave from 12 to 26 weeks. Under the PM Awaas Yojana, the registry of the House is done in the name of the woman,&quot; the prime minister said.</p>

<p>PM Modi said that after the NDA government came to power, the allocation to Tamil Nadu increased from Rs 81,000 crore to Rs 1,80,000 crores.</p>

<p>&quot;When there was a Congress-led Government at the Centre, Tamil Nadu had received Rs 81,000 crore under the 13th Finance Commission. After the NDA came to power, Tamil Nadu received Rs 1,80,000 crore under the 14th Finance Commission,&quot; said the prime minister.<br />
<br />
Earlier in the day, PM Modi launched several development projects worth Rs 1,000 crore in<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/daman-diu-pm-modi-launches-rs-1000-crore-projects-flags-off-air-service-between-diu-to-ahmedabad-33921"> Daman and Diu</a>.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched the AIADMK government's ambitious scheme of providing 50% subsidy to working women to buy two-wheelers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched the AIADMK government's ambitious scheme of providing 50 per cent subsidy to working women to buy two-wheelers in Chennai. The prime minister said he was happy to launch one of former chief minister Jayalalithaa's dream projects on her 70th birthday. "I am glad to be able to launch one of her dream projects -- the Amma Two Wheeler Scheme. I am told that on Amma's (Jayalalithaa) 70th birthday, 70 lakh plants will be planted across Tamil Nadu. These initiatives will go a long way in the empowerment of women and protection of nature," PM Modi said. The prime minister said that empowering women in a family led to the empowerment of the entire household. "When we empower women in a family, we empower the entire household. When we help with a woman's education, we ensure that the family is educated. When we facilitate her good health,we help keep the family healthy. When we secure her future, we secure future of the entire home," PM Modi said. PM Modi said that his government had made changes in the Factory's Act and extended maternity leave from 12 to 26 weeks. "We have also made a change in the Factory's Act and suggested to States that they allow women to work in the night shift as well. We have also extended maternity leave from 12 to 26 weeks. Under the PM Awaas Yojana, the registry of the House is done in the name of the woman," the prime minister said. PM Modi said that after the NDA government came to power, the allocation to Tamil Nadu increased from Rs 81,000 crore to Rs 1,80,000 crores. "When there was a Congress-led Government at the Centre, Tamil Nadu had received Rs 81,000 crore under the 13th Finance Commission. After the NDA came to power, Tamil Nadu received Rs 1,80,000 crore under the 14th Finance Commission," said the prime minister. Earlier in the day, PM Modi launched several development projects worth Rs 1,000 crore in Daman and Diu.

PM Modi launches Amma Two Wheeler scheme in Chennai

<p>Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday took potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a Delhi-based diamond <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-diamond-exporter-booked-for-rs-389-crore-obc-loan-fraud-33878">jewellery exporter being booked</a> for an alleged bank loan fraud worth Rs 389.85 crore.</p>

<p>The Congress president wrote on Twitter that another scam had erupted under PM Modi&#39;s &quot;Jan Dhan Loot Yojana&quot; which had the same modus operandi as the 11,400 crore scam involving jewellery designer Nirav Modi -- fake LoUs (Letters of Undertaking).&nbsp;</p>

<p>Rahul Gandhi further alleged that like liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who is accused of financial crimes and faces extradition from UK and Nirav Modi, &quot;this promoter too has disappeared while the government looked the other way.&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Under Modi Ji&#39;s &quot;Jan Dhan Loot Yojana&quot;, another scam!<br />
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390 Cr., involving a Delhi based jeweller. Same Modus operandi as Nirav Modi. Fake LOU&#39;s.<br />
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Predictably, like Mallya and Nirav, this promoter too has disappeared while the Govt looked the other way.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ModiRobsIndia?
src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ModiRobsIndia</a></p>
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/967330168007163905?
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<p>Congress leader Kapil Sibal today questioned why people like Nirav Modi, who were indulging in the banking scam, were &quot;allowed to escape the country&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;Country has faced a loss of around Rs 21,000 crore as of now and other banking frauds will also come out in a few days. Another Rs 390 crore OBC (Oriental Bank of Commerce) scam has also emerged.</p>

<p>&quot;I am surprised that despite our prime minister being the most expensive &#39;chowkidar&#39; (watchman), why are all these (banking frauds) happening under his nose,&quot; Sibal told a press conference here, taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his refrain during poll rallies that he would act as a watchman for the country.</p>


The Congress president wrote on Twitter that another scam had erupted under PM Modi's 'Jan Dhan Loot Yojana'

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday took potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a Delhi-based diamond jewellery exporter being booked for an alleged bank loan fraud worth Rs 389.85 crore. The Congress president wrote on Twitter that another scam had erupted under PM Modi's "Jan Dhan Loot Yojana" which had the same modus operandi as the 11,400 crore scam involving jewellery designer Nirav Modi -- fake LoUs (Letters of Undertaking). Rahul Gandhi further alleged that like liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who is accused of financial crimes and faces extradition from UK and Nirav Modi, "this promoter too has disappeared while the government looked the other way." Under Modi Ji's "Jan Dhan Loot Yojana", another scam! 390 Cr., involving a Delhi based jeweller. Same Modus operandi as Nirav Modi. Fake LOU's. Predictably, like Mallya and Nirav, this promoter too has disappeared while the Govt looked the other way.#ModiRobsIndia — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) February 24, 2018 × Congress leader Kapil Sibal today questioned why people like Nirav Modi, who were indulging in the banking scam, were "allowed to escape the country". "Country has faced a loss of around Rs 21,000 crore as of now and other banking frauds will also come out in a few days. Another Rs 390 crore OBC (Oriental Bank of Commerce) scam has also emerged. "I am surprised that despite our prime minister being the most expensive 'chowkidar' (watchman), why are all these (banking frauds) happening under his nose," Sibal told a press conference here, taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his refrain during poll rallies that he would act as a watchman for the country.

Rahul Gandhi takes a dig at PM Modi over jeweller scam

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-narendra-modi-welcomes-canadian-pm-justin-trudeau-at-rashtrapati-bhavan-33767">PM Modi welcomes Canadian </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-narendra-modi-welcomes-canadian-pm-justin-trudeau-at-rashtrapati-bhavan-33767">PM</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-narendra-modi-welcomes-canadian-pm-justin-trudeau-at-rashtrapati-bhavan-33767"> Justin Trudeau at Rashtrapati Bhavan, to hold bilateral talks</a></p>

<p>Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was given a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on Friday morning, where he was received by President Ram Nath Kovind, PM Modi and members of the Union Cabinet.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/arvind-kejriwals-adviser-witness-to-delhi-chief-secretary-anshu-prakash-being-attacked-say-police-33764">Kejriwal&#39;s adviser witness to Delhi chief secretary being attacked, say police</a></p>

<p>The Delhi Police on Thursday quoting Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal&rsquo;s advisor VK Jain said that in a statement that he saw two Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs &ldquo;physically assaulting&rdquo; the Delhi chief secretary Anshu Prakash at the CM&rsquo;s residence late February 19.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/australian-deputy-prime-minister-resigns-from-cabinet-remains-in-parliament-33765">Scandal-hit Australian deputy prime minister resigns from Cabinet, remains in parliament</a></p>

<p>Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said on Friday he will resign as leader of his party and will move to the backbench after weeks of pressure over an extra-marital affair with his former media secretary.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/donald-trump-not-satisfied-with-progress-in-pakistan-white-house-33768">Donald Trump not satisfied with progress in Pakistan: White House</a></p>

<p>US President Donald Trump is &ldquo;not satisfied&rdquo; with the progress made by Pakistan in its fight against terrorism, the White House said on Friday.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/haiti-suspends-oxfam-operations-pending-investigation-into-sexual-abuse-33750">Haiti suspends Oxfam operations pending investigation into sexual abuse</a></p>

<p>Haiti on Thursday suspended the operations of British charity Oxfam pending the outcome of its investigation into allegations that its staff sexually exploited Haitians after a devastating 2010 earthquake.</p>


Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was given a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on Friday morning, where he was received by President Ram Nath Kovind, PM Modi and members of the Union Cabinet.

PM Modi welcomes Canadian PM Justin Trudeau at Rashtrapati Bhavan, to hold bilateral talks Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was given a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on Friday morning, where he was received by President Ram Nath Kovind, PM Modi and members of the Union Cabinet. Kejriwal's adviser witness to Delhi chief secretary being attacked, say police The Delhi Police on Thursday quoting Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s advisor VK Jain said that in a statement that he saw two Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs “physically assaulting” the Delhi chief secretary Anshu Prakash at the CM’s residence late February 19. Scandal-hit Australian deputy prime minister resigns from Cabinet, remains in parliament Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said on Friday he will resign as leader of his party and will move to the backbench after weeks of pressure over an extra-marital affair with his former media secretary. Donald Trump not satisfied with progress in Pakistan: White House US President Donald Trump is “not satisfied” with the progress made by Pakistan in its fight against terrorism, the White House said on Friday. Haiti suspends Oxfam operations pending investigation into sexual abuse Haiti on Thursday suspended the operations of British charity Oxfam pending the outcome of its investigation into allegations that its staff sexually exploited Haitians after a devastating 2010 earthquake.

WION Morning News Brief, February 23,2018

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said he is looking forward to the meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family on Friday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Taking to Twitter, Modi said: I look forward to meeting PM @JustinTrudeau tomorrow and holding talks on further strengthening India-Canada relations in all spheres. I appreciate his deep commitment to ties between our two countries.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I look forward to meeting PM <a href="https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JustinTrudeau</a> tomorrow and holding talks on further strengthening India-Canada relations in all spheres. I appreciate his deep commitment to ties between our two countries.</p>
&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/966676587662819328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>In a separate tweet, Modi said that he hoped Trudeau had an enjoyable visit to India so far and that he particularly looked forward to meeting Trudeau&#39;s three children Xavier, Ella-Grace and Hadrien.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I hope PM <a href="https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JustinTrudeau</a> and his family had a very enjoyable stay so far. I particularly look forward to meeting his children Xavier, Ella-Grace, and Hadrien. Here is a picture from my 2015 Canada visit, when I&#39;d met PM Trudeau and Ella-Grace. <a href="https://t.co/Ox0M8EL46x">pic.twitter.com/Ox0M8EL46x</a></p>
&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/966677556299624448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>He also posted a picture of him along with Trudeau and Ella-Grace during his visit to Canada in April 2015.</p>

<p>Modi&#39;s comments came even as a row broke out about an invitation being extended to convicted Khalistan separatist Jaspal Atwal by the Canadian High Commission here for a reception on Thursday night in honour of the visiting dignitary.</p>


The duo are expected to hold talks on defence and counter-terrorism cooperation during their meeting tomorrow.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said he is looking forward to the meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family on Friday. Taking to Twitter, Modi said: I look forward to meeting PM @JustinTrudeau tomorrow and holding talks on further strengthening India-Canada relations in all spheres. I appreciate his deep commitment to ties between our two countries. I look forward to meeting PM @JustinTrudeau tomorrow and holding talks on further strengthening India-Canada relations in all spheres. I appreciate his deep commitment to ties between our two countries. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 22, 2018 × In a separate tweet, Modi said that he hoped Trudeau had an enjoyable visit to India so far and that he particularly looked forward to meeting Trudeau's three children Xavier, Ella-Grace and Hadrien. I hope PM @JustinTrudeau and his family had a very enjoyable stay so far. I particularly look forward to meeting his children Xavier, Ella-Grace, and Hadrien. Here is a picture from my 2015 Canada visit, when I'd met PM Trudeau and Ella-Grace. pic.twitter.com/Ox0M8EL46x — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 22, 2018 × He also posted a picture of him along with Trudeau and Ella-Grace during his visit to Canada in April 2015. Modi's comments came even as a row broke out about an invitation being extended to convicted Khalistan separatist Jaspal Atwal by the Canadian High Commission here for a reception on Thursday night in honour of the visiting dignitary.

Look forward to meeting Justin Trudeau and his kids: PM Modi

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday disapproved the political instability experienced in Nagaland during last four years and said that the BJP-NDPP government will ensure the development of the state.</p>

<p>Addressing an election rally here, he also hoped that in &quot;few months&quot; an agreement and solution to the Naga political issue will be arrived at which will &quot;respectable and acceptable&quot; to the people of Nagaland.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Visuals of PM Narendra Modi&#39;s visit to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Nagaland?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Nagaland</a>&#39;s Tuensang. <a href="https://t.co/hlx2AhKtUC">pic.twitter.com/hlx2AhKtUC</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/966579553278689280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Prime minister added, &ldquo;This will strengthen democracy. We are having parleys with different groups and organisations.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;The NDA government is giving special priority to the north-east. We are making efforts to furthering prosperity in the Northeast,&quot; PM Modi said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Connectivity is a huge challenge in Nagaland. We are working relentlessly towards eliminating it. In less than 4 years, we have added 500 km of National Highways. We have also planned to invest more than Rs 10,000 crore in the roads of Nagaland,&quot; he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the run-up to polls, Core Committee of Nagaland Tribal Hohos and Civil Organisations (CCNTHCO) which was leading the movement for the solution to Naga problem before election asked political parties to refrain from the election.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In 2015 government of India and NSCN-IM inked a framework agreement.</p>


"The NDA government is giving special priority to the north-east. We are making efforts to furthering prosperity in the Northeast," PM Modi said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday disapproved the political instability experienced in Nagaland during last four years and said that the BJP-NDPP government will ensure the development of the state. Addressing an election rally here, he also hoped that in "few months" an agreement and solution to the Naga political issue will be arrived at which will "respectable and acceptable" to the people of Nagaland. Visuals of PM Narendra Modi's visit to #Nagaland's Tuensang. pic.twitter.com/hlx2AhKtUC — ANI (@ANI) February 22, 2018 × The Prime minister added, “This will strengthen democracy. We are having parleys with different groups and organisations.” "The NDA government is giving special priority to the north-east. We are making efforts to furthering prosperity in the Northeast," PM Modi said. "Connectivity is a huge challenge in Nagaland. We are working relentlessly towards eliminating it. In less than 4 years, we have added 500 km of National Highways. We have also planned to invest more than Rs 10,000 crore in the roads of Nagaland," he added. In the run-up to polls, Core Committee of Nagaland Tribal Hohos and Civil Organisations (CCNTHCO) which was leading the movement for the solution to Naga problem before election asked political parties to refrain from the election. In 2015 government of India and NSCN-IM inked a framework agreement.

Our govt is giving special priority to Northeast, says PM

<p>In another jibe, Congress President Rahul Gandhi targetted Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him why does he ask people to share topics for discussions when he knows exactly what issues plague a common India&#39;s mind.</p>

<p>&quot;Why ask for ideas when in your heart you know what every Indian wants to hear you speak about?&quot; tweeted Rahul Gandhi.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Modi Ji, last month you ignored my suggestions for your Mann Ki Baat monologue.<br />
<br />
Why ask for ideas when in your heart you know what every Indian wants to hear you speak about?<br />
<br />
1. Nirav Modi&#39;s 22,000 Cr. Loot &amp; Scoot<br />
<br />
2. The 58,000 Cr. RAFALE scam.<br />
<br />
I look forward to your sermon. <a href="https://t.co/jp0AnLePtU">pic.twitter.com/jp0AnLePtU</a></p>
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/966199270083842048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Gandhi noted every India would want the Prime Minister to talk about &quot;Nirav Modi&#39;s 22,000 crore loot &amp; scoot and the 58,000 crore Rafale scam&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;I look forward to your sermon,&quot; Gandhi further added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Congress President also added that last month the Prime Minister had &quot;ignored&quot; his suggestions for &quot;Mann Ki Baat monologue&quot;.</p>

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi is usually expected to address the nation every month on All India Radio in his &#39;Mann Ki Baat&#39;&nbsp;monologue. The programme is open to suggestions and topics of discussions from the citizens.&nbsp;</p>


Congress President also added that last month the Prime Minister had 'ignored' his suggestions for 'Mann Ki Baat monologue'

In another jibe, Congress President Rahul Gandhi targetted Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him why does he ask people to share topics for discussions when he knows exactly what issues plague a common India's mind. "Why ask for ideas when in your heart you know what every Indian wants to hear you speak about?" tweeted Rahul Gandhi. Modi Ji, last month you ignored my suggestions for your Mann Ki Baat monologue. Why ask for ideas when in your heart you know what every Indian wants to hear you speak about? 1. Nirav Modi's 22,000 Cr. Loot & Scoot 2. The 58,000 Cr. RAFALE scam. I look forward to your sermon. pic.twitter.com/jp0AnLePtU — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) February 21, 2018 × Gandhi noted every India would want the Prime Minister to talk about "Nirav Modi's 22,000 crore loot & scoot and the 58,000 crore Rafale scam" "I look forward to your sermon," Gandhi further added. Congress President also added that last month the Prime Minister had "ignored" his suggestions for "Mann Ki Baat monologue". Prime Minister Narendra Modi is usually expected to address the nation every month on All India Radio in his 'Mann Ki Baat' monologue. The programme is open to suggestions and topics of discussions from the citizens.

Let's talk about Nirav, Rafale scam: Rahul Gandhi to PM Modi

<p>India and Canada had historically enjoyed good relationships. On 15th August 1947, when India got Independence, many shop owners in Canada displayed banners on their establishments to celebrate this. Over the years, Canada became one of the biggest hubs of Indian community abroad, particularly the Punjabis.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>However, on 18th May 2017, when Mr Tejinder Singh Dhillon, a retired CRPF officer reached Vancouver Airport along with his wife, he was stopped by the immigration officials on the pretext that he belongs to a country which has indulged in &ldquo;Terrorism, Systematic or gross human rights violation, or Genocide&rdquo;. This diatribe was targeted towards suppression of the Khalistan movement by the Indian Government. Both were interrogated for over 12 hours by junior officials who used derogatory language and, finally, told them to leave the country even after a friend and ruling Liberal Party politician Surender Purewal intervened. This was an unexpected move but the seeds were sown much earlier.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>In November 2015, when the Liberal Party government under&nbsp; Juatin Trudeau took over, he appointed four hardliner Sikh as ministers in the government, which included Harjit Singh Sajjan as Defence Minister and Amarjit Sohi as Minister of Infrastructure. All four of these ministers have been known to be sympathetic to the Khalistan movement.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Another incident made the pro-Khalistan sentiment of the current government further evident when on 30th April 2017, PM Trudeau attended a Khalsa Day Celebration in Toronto where Khalistan Flags were openly hoisted and banners with photographs of known terrorists like Bhindrawale were displayed. Not only this, in the event, Mr Trudeau even felicitated some of the people who were known as notorious Khalistan supporters.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>India&rsquo;s reaction is obvious. No country will accept that its perpetrators are felicitated by the head of state of another PM and the effect is seen over the visit of Mr Trudeau to India. Unlike his hug diplomacy, Mr Modi did not break the protocol and went to receive him at the tarmac. None of the senior ministers were also present and the minister sent to receive him was Mr Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmer&rsquo;s Welfare. Protocol-wise he is much junior to receive the head of state of a country like Canada.&nbsp; The second message was indirectly conveyed when he visited Taj Mahal at Agra and the visit was totally ignored by Chief Minister Yogi Aditya Nath. And further to add, none of the ministers is accompanying him during his Gujarat Visit.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Earlier in April 2017, when Harjit Singh Sajjan, the Defence Minister of Canada visited India and then to his hometown in Hoshiarpur, he was not accompanied by any central or state minister. It was widely accepted that this was not liked by the Punjab CM Amarinder Singh who had been openly accusing the ministers in Trudeau cabinet for their wholehearted support to Khalistan separatists. The Canadian reaction was also immediate when Amarinder Singh was denied meeting with Punjabis in Toronto and Vancouver.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>India wants to convey its message loud and clear, we would not like you to harbour the elements deemed dangerous for the sovereignty of the nation. Canada and Punjab in India had been inseparable for so many decades. More than 3.5% of the Canadian population comes from Punjab and, over the last so many decades, Punjabis have contributed significantly to the development of the North American country. Their role in the future of Canada is also clearly visible to the global community and this is the reason that despite all odds, Trudeau visited India to take the first step towards re-defining the relationship.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Both the countries have a long way to go especially in the fields of nuclear energy, bilateral trade which is still hovering around 6-7 Billion US $ annually. There is a large scope in the field of bilateral cooperation in defence, agriculture, industries, IT and renewable energy on which both countries can mutually progress. Khalistan had been an issue of the past and claimed more than 21,000 lives. This needs to be buried forever which can be done by the strong will of both the leaders.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>On one hand, while Trudeau needs to curb the anti-India and pro-Khalistan activities in his regime, Modi also must understand the might of Punjabi community settled in Canada. Petty incidents like the ones mentioned above can sometimes derail the process and it is the responsibility of both leaders to get this moving.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)</p>


While Trudeau needs to curb the anti-India and pro-Khalistan activities in his regime, Modi also must understand the might of Punjabi community settled in Canada.

India and Canada had historically enjoyed good relationships. On 15th August 1947, when India got Independence, many shop owners in Canada displayed banners on their establishments to celebrate this. Over the years, Canada became one of the biggest hubs of Indian community abroad, particularly the Punjabis. However, on 18th May 2017, when Mr Tejinder Singh Dhillon, a retired CRPF officer reached Vancouver Airport along with his wife, he was stopped by the immigration officials on the pretext that he belongs to a country which has indulged in “Terrorism, Systematic or gross human rights violation, or Genocide”. This diatribe was targeted towards suppression of the Khalistan movement by the Indian Government. Both were interrogated for over 12 hours by junior officials who used derogatory language and, finally, told them to leave the country even after a friend and ruling Liberal Party politician Surender Purewal intervened. This was an unexpected move but the seeds were sown much earlier. In November 2015, when the Liberal Party government under Juatin Trudeau took over, he appointed four hardliner Sikh as ministers in the government, which included Harjit Singh Sajjan as Defence Minister and Amarjit Sohi as Minister of Infrastructure. All four of these ministers have been known to be sympathetic to the Khalistan movement. Another incident made the pro-Khalistan sentiment of the current government further evident when on 30th April 2017, PM Trudeau attended a Khalsa Day Celebration in Toronto where Khalistan Flags were openly hoisted and banners with photographs of known terrorists like Bhindrawale were displayed. Not only this, in the event, Mr Trudeau even felicitated some of the people who were known as notorious Khalistan supporters. India’s reaction is obvious. No country will accept that its perpetrators are felicitated by the head of state of another PM and the effect is seen over the visit of Mr Trudeau to India. Unlike his hug diplomacy, Mr Modi did not break the protocol and went to receive him at the tarmac. None of the senior ministers were also present and the minister sent to receive him was Mr Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare. Protocol-wise he is much junior to receive the head of state of a country like Canada. The second message was indirectly conveyed when he visited Taj Mahal at Agra and the visit was totally ignored by Chief Minister Yogi Aditya Nath. And further to add, none of the ministers is accompanying him during his Gujarat Visit. Earlier in April 2017, when Harjit Singh Sajjan, the Defence Minister of Canada visited India and then to his hometown in Hoshiarpur, he was not accompanied by any central or state minister. It was widely accepted that this was not liked by the Punjab CM Amarinder Singh who had been openly accusing the ministers in Trudeau cabinet for their wholehearted support to Khalistan separatists. The Canadian reaction was also immediate when Amarinder Singh was denied meeting with Punjabis in Toronto and Vancouver. India wants to convey its message loud and clear, we would not like you to harbour the elements deemed dangerous for the sovereignty of the nation. Canada and Punjab in India had been inseparable for so many decades. More than 3.5% of the Canadian population comes from Punjab and, over the last so many decades, Punjabis have contributed significantly to the development of the North American country. Their role in the future of Canada is also clearly visible to the global community and this is the reason that despite all odds, Trudeau visited India to take the first step towards re-defining the relationship. Both the countries have a long way to go especially in the fields of nuclear energy, bilateral trade which is still hovering around 6-7 Billion US $ annually. There is a large scope in the field of bilateral cooperation in defence, agriculture, industries, IT and renewable energy on which both countries can mutually progress. Khalistan had been an issue of the past and claimed more than 21,000 lives. This needs to be buried forever which can be done by the strong will of both the leaders. On one hand, while Trudeau needs to curb the anti-India and pro-Khalistan activities in his regime, Modi also must understand the might of Punjabi community settled in Canada. Petty incidents like the ones mentioned above can sometimes derail the process and it is the responsibility of both leaders to get this moving. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Why India and Canada need to look beyond Khalistan

<p>Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday calling him &#39;&#39;unfit to continue as a Prime Minister&#39;&#39;.</p>

<p>Siddaramaiah&#39;s comment followed PM Modi&#39;s statement made yesterday at a campaign rally for the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>PM Modi noted that new scams, corruption charges, and fresh allegations were emerging under him (Siddaramaiah) &quot;every day&quot;.</p>

<p>The Prime Minister addressed those who attended the rally and asked them if they want a &quot;commission government&quot;&nbsp;in Karnataka or &#39;&#39;mission government&#39;&#39;. He also called Siddarmaiah and his administration a &quot;10 per cent commission government&quot;.</p>

<p>Modi further alleged that &quot;central government funds under various schemes meant for the poor and middle class was not being properly utilised&nbsp;by the state.&quot;</p>

<p>Angered by Prime Minister&#39;s remarks on his administration, Siddaramaiah said, &quot;Prime Minister Modi is not speaking like a prime minister. There are so many issues concerning the state and the country but he has not opened his mouth&quot; adding, &quot;He is making politically motivated and irresponsible statements. He is unfit to continue as Prime Minister.&quot;</p>

<p>The Chief Minister also noted that the information shared by the Prime Minister at the rally was incorrect.</p>

<p>Taking to Twitter, the veteran Congress leader who is eyeing a second chief ministerial tenure in poll-bound Karnataka, further accused the PM Modi of making common men stand in queues during demonetisation while Nirav Modi is on the run with country&#39;s money.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dear PM <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@narendramodi</a> ರವರೆ, since you are fond of talking about commission let me ask you-<br />
<br />
You made common people stand in queues to deposit their money in the Banks &amp; then let <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NiravModi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NiravModi</a> run away with over 12,000 cr of people&rsquo;s money.<br />
<br />
What percent of people&rsquo;s money is that? <a href="https://t.co/whvsOIFYEi">pic.twitter.com/whvsOIFYEi</a></p>
&mdash; Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) <a href="https://twitter.com/siddaramaiah/status/965809203125374976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&ldquo;Dear PM Narendra Modi, since you are fond of talking about commission let me ask you- You made common people stand in queues to deposit their money in the Banks &amp; then let #NiravModi run away with over 12,000 cr of people&rsquo;s money. What percent of people&rsquo;s money is that?&rdquo; he asked.</p>

<p>This is not the first time that the Karnataka Chief Minister spoke out openly against the Prime Minister.</p>

<p>Earlier this month, Siddaramaiah had said Modi &ldquo;is morally not right to be the Prime Minister of the country&rdquo;. His comment came a day after PM Modi vowed to wipe Congress out of Karnataka at a rally in Bengaluru. He had further targeted BJP president Amit Shah, saying he is &ldquo;involved in murder case&rdquo; and attacked former Karnataka CM and BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa for being arrested in the past.</p>

<p>Both the Congress and BJP has been targetting each other on the social media and political rallies over the last two months ahead of the Karnataka Assembly polls, scheduled to be held later this year.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Siddaramaiah's comment came after PM Modi attacked him and his administration in a rally on Monday in a Mysuru

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday calling him ''unfit to continue as a Prime Minister''. Siddaramaiah's comment followed PM Modi's statement made yesterday at a campaign rally for the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections. PM Modi noted that new scams, corruption charges, and fresh allegations were emerging under him (Siddaramaiah) "every day". The Prime Minister addressed those who attended the rally and asked them if they want a "commission government" in Karnataka or ''mission government''. He also called Siddarmaiah and his administration a "10 per cent commission government". Modi further alleged that "central government funds under various schemes meant for the poor and middle class was not being properly utilised by the state." Angered by Prime Minister's remarks on his administration, Siddaramaiah said, "Prime Minister Modi is not speaking like a prime minister. There are so many issues concerning the state and the country but he has not opened his mouth" adding, "He is making politically motivated and irresponsible statements. He is unfit to continue as Prime Minister." The Chief Minister also noted that the information shared by the Prime Minister at the rally was incorrect. Taking to Twitter, the veteran Congress leader who is eyeing a second chief ministerial tenure in poll-bound Karnataka, further accused the PM Modi of making common men stand in queues during demonetisation while Nirav Modi is on the run with country's money. Dear PM @narendramodi ರವರೆ, since you are fond of talking about commission let me ask you- You made common people stand in queues to deposit their money in the Banks & then let #NiravModi run away with over 12,000 cr of people’s money. What percent of people’s money is that? pic.twitter.com/whvsOIFYEi — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) February 20, 2018 × “Dear PM Narendra Modi, since you are fond of talking about commission let me ask you- You made common people stand in queues to deposit their money in the Banks & then let #NiravModi run away with over 12,000 cr of people’s money. What percent of people’s money is that?” he asked. This is not the first time that the Karnataka Chief Minister spoke out openly against the Prime Minister. Earlier this month, Siddaramaiah had said Modi “is morally not right to be the Prime Minister of the country”. His comment came a day after PM Modi vowed to wipe Congress out of Karnataka at a rally in Bengaluru. He had further targeted BJP president Amit Shah, saying he is “involved in murder case” and attacked former Karnataka CM and BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa for being arrested in the past. Both the Congress and BJP has been targetting each other on the social media and political rallies over the last two months ahead of the Karnataka Assembly polls, scheduled to be held later this year.

Siddaramaiah says Narendra Modi 'unfit to continue as Prime Minister'

<p>In this era of global warming and climate change, everyone is striving towards a clean and safe India. The recent initiative led by the Indian government added to its up-scaling. My recent visit to Medh village for a SHG (self help group) meeting gave me an opportunity to analyse the impact of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan or Clean India Mission.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;A clean India would be the best tribute India could pay to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150 birth anniversary in 2019,&rdquo; said Shri Narendra Modi as he launched the Swachh Bharat Mission at Rajpath in New Delhi. On 2nd October 2014, Swachh Bharat Mission was launched throughout length and breadth of the country as a national movement.</p>

<p>Its aim is to provide sanitation facilities to every family, including toilets, solid and liquid waste disposal systems, village cleanliness, and safe and adequate drinking water supply by 2nd October, 2019. The campaign of Clean India movement is the biggest step taken ever as a cleanliness drive till date. On the day of the launch of the campaign, around 3 million government employees, including students from schools and colleges, had participated in the event to popularize it globally and make the common public aware of it. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had nominated the name of nine famous personalities from business industries, sports and Bollywood to drive the clean India campaign. He also had requested from all nine personalities to invite another nine persons individually and requested to continue the chain of nine people to take this campaign to every Indian living in any corner all around the country. While leading the mass movement for cleanliness, the Prime Minister exhorted people to fulfill Mahatma Gandhi&rsquo;s dream of a clean and hygienic India.</p>

<p>Lok Sahbhagi Sansthan (LSS), the organisation I am placed in, is working closely with the community with their signature project named &lsquo;SAMMAN&rsquo; which is aimed at transforming the lives of women SHG members by helping them build their own toilets. SAMMAN is the Hindi word for honour/dignity and therefore it is a suitable name for this project.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It was being carried out by LSS with the involvement of, none other than one of previous AIF Clinton Fellow &ndash; Adil. He helped construction of many toilets along with support from this organisation&rsquo;s staff and his mentor.</p>

<p>Our project seeks to transform and improve the quality of the life of the poor in rural Jaipur, Rajasthan, and largely, India, by motivating them to build personal toilets and helping them get loans from banks and the encouragement amount from the government under Swachh Bharat Campaign for construction costs. &nbsp;I carried a small case study of this SHG group named Ganga.</p>

<p>It consists of around 15-20 members. &nbsp;I was able to speak to all the members of this SHG individually and ask them to share their opinion towards sanitation and cleanliness. I was also able to document and record their achievement. For a big surprise, almost all the members in this SHG have constructed their own toilets and are now in a more comfortable situation. It was because they encouraged each other to build those toilets in or near their home. They have also received encouragement amount from the government to their respective bank accounts. Before having toilets they would have to walk miles away into the fields to get relieved, where they would feel insecure and also helpless. During winter seasons, due to the cold climate, it was again a big hurdle for them every day. But after getting the awareness for construction of toilets, they built their own toilets and are now free and happy. This was all possible because of the sincere efforts of LSS staff and the previous AIF Fellow.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Although the problems such as water availability etc. still persist, the women now feel more secure and way better than before having their own toilets at home.</p>

<p>Also, Jaipur district is now in the process of being declared as Open Defecation Free (ODF). It is having 100% ODF villages as of today.</p>

<p>Way ahead to go is to ensure that piped water supply to each and every single household is made available around these villages so that this initiative becomes completely successful and sustainable. Also, this is a major challenge for the government, as it requires a lot of budget and infrastructure to create this facility for all houses in the villages, due to their remoteness and various other issues.</p>

<p>A solution towards this issue can be the design of cost-effective toilets with low water usage and also if possible bio-toilets. Mainly, the poorest of the poor are unable to afford proper construction and maintenance of the toilets in the current design structure. It is also being said that the figures are manipulated since; many toilets are unconstructed or partially constructed with no real time usage at all. So, the challenge now is to ensure proper scrutinize and data collection. There have been efforts to make use of GPS to report the covered areas under this scheme but it needs to be dealt more accurately.</p>

<p>India consists of people of various faiths; Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis, Jains etc, and they follow their faiths very devotedly. But it is a sad reality of our country that all the cleanliness and piousness is only confined to religious activities or kitchen.</p>

<p>Also, many insights can be taken from the book &ldquo;Where India Goes&rdquo; authored by former AIF Clinton Fellow Diane Coffey, which talks about the connection between caste, toilet and development in India and how to address these related issues. It calls for the annihilation of caste and attendant prejudices, and a fundamental shift in policy perspectives to effect a crucial, much overdue change.</p>

<p>I learned that change is possible only if you seek it. Especially rural India needs more of awareness and encouragement from people dedicated to promote sustainable development. People in rural areas are easy to understand, more humble and responsive than urban population. If you are successful in convincing them about which is the right way to do things and how it would benefit all the community, then they will themselves come forward to join any initiative and work towards its success.</p>

<p>To sum up, I realised that &ndash; Real INDIA lies in this 6 lakh plus villages of our country.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)</p>


Although the problems such as water availability etc. still persist, the women, having their own toilets at home, now feel more secure and way better than before.

In this era of global warming and climate change, everyone is striving towards a clean and safe India. The recent initiative led by the Indian government added to its up-scaling. My recent visit to Medh village for a SHG (self help group) meeting gave me an opportunity to analyse the impact of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan or Clean India Mission. “A clean India would be the best tribute India could pay to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150 birth anniversary in 2019,” said Shri Narendra Modi as he launched the Swachh Bharat Mission at Rajpath in New Delhi. On 2nd October 2014, Swachh Bharat Mission was launched throughout length and breadth of the country as a national movement. Its aim is to provide sanitation facilities to every family, including toilets, solid and liquid waste disposal systems, village cleanliness, and safe and adequate drinking water supply by 2nd October, 2019. The campaign of Clean India movement is the biggest step taken ever as a cleanliness drive till date. On the day of the launch of the campaign, around 3 million government employees, including students from schools and colleges, had participated in the event to popularize it globally and make the common public aware of it. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had nominated the name of nine famous personalities from business industries, sports and Bollywood to drive the clean India campaign. He also had requested from all nine personalities to invite another nine persons individually and requested to continue the chain of nine people to take this campaign to every Indian living in any corner all around the country. While leading the mass movement for cleanliness, the Prime Minister exhorted people to fulfill Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of a clean and hygienic India. Lok Sahbhagi Sansthan (LSS), the organisation I am placed in, is working closely with the community with their signature project named ‘SAMMAN’ which is aimed at transforming the lives of women SHG members by helping them build their own toilets. SAMMAN is the Hindi word for honour/dignity and therefore it is a suitable name for this project. It was being carried out by LSS with the involvement of, none other than one of previous AIF Clinton Fellow – Adil. He helped construction of many toilets along with support from this organisation’s staff and his mentor. Our project seeks to transform and improve the quality of the life of the poor in rural Jaipur, Rajasthan, and largely, India, by motivating them to build personal toilets and helping them get loans from banks and the encouragement amount from the government under Swachh Bharat Campaign for construction costs. I carried a small case study of this SHG group named Ganga. It consists of around 15-20 members. I was able to speak to all the members of this SHG individually and ask them to share their opinion towards sanitation and cleanliness. I was also able to document and record their achievement. For a big surprise, almost all the members in this SHG have constructed their own toilets and are now in a more comfortable situation. It was because they encouraged each other to build those toilets in or near their home. They have also received encouragement amount from the government to their respective bank accounts. Before having toilets they would have to walk miles away into the fields to get relieved, where they would feel insecure and also helpless. During winter seasons, due to the cold climate, it was again a big hurdle for them every day. But after getting the awareness for construction of toilets, they built their own toilets and are now free and happy. This was all possible because of the sincere efforts of LSS staff and the previous AIF Fellow. Although the problems such as water availability etc. still persist, the women now feel more secure and way better than before having their own toilets at home. Also, Jaipur district is now in the process of being declared as Open Defecation Free (ODF). It is having 100% ODF villages as of today. Way ahead to go is to ensure that piped water supply to each and every single household is made available around these villages so that this initiative becomes completely successful and sustainable. Also, this is a major challenge for the government, as it requires a lot of budget and infrastructure to create this facility for all houses in the villages, due to their remoteness and various other issues. A solution towards this issue can be the design of cost-effective toilets with low water usage and also if possible bio-toilets. Mainly, the poorest of the poor are unable to afford proper construction and maintenance of the toilets in the current design structure. It is also being said that the figures are manipulated since; many toilets are unconstructed or partially constructed with no real time usage at all. So, the challenge now is to ensure proper scrutinize and data collection. There have been efforts to make use of GPS to report the covered areas under this scheme but it needs to be dealt more accurately. India consists of people of various faiths; Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis, Jains etc, and they follow their faiths very devotedly. But it is a sad reality of our country that all the cleanliness and piousness is only confined to religious activities or kitchen. Also, many insights can be taken from the book “Where India Goes” authored by former AIF Clinton Fellow Diane Coffey, which talks about the connection between caste, toilet and development in India and how to address these related issues. It calls for the annihilation of caste and attendant prejudices, and a fundamental shift in policy perspectives to effect a crucial, much overdue change. I learned that change is possible only if you seek it. Especially rural India needs more of awareness and encouragement from people dedicated to promote sustainable development. People in rural areas are easy to understand, more humble and responsive than urban population. If you are successful in convincing them about which is the right way to do things and how it would benefit all the community, then they will themselves come forward to join any initiative and work towards its success. To sum up, I realised that – Real INDIA lies in this 6 lakh plus villages of our country. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Women are building their own toilets in Rajasthan

<p>Maharashtra is on the verge of achieving a trillion dollar economy status. The state will be the first in India to achieve&nbsp;the milestone, said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.</p>

<p>Modi was addressing the inaugural address of&nbsp;Global Investors&#39; Summit - &#39;Magnetic Maharashtra: Convergence 2018&#39;&nbsp;in Mumbai on Sunday evening.</p>

<p>&quot;I am sure that Maharashtra will achieve the objective of being first trillion dollar economy state in India,&quot; he stated.</p>

<p>&quot;India&#39;s ranking in ease of doing business has increased. 51 per cent of Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) stems from Maharashtra,&quot; Modi added.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Our budget is not limited to outlay, focus of our budget is not limited to output, focus of our budget is on outcome: PM Modi at the Global Investors&#39; Summit-Magnetic Maharashtra: Convergence 2018 in Mumbai <a href="https://t.co/HTSynSfLT5">pic.twitter.com/HTSynSfLT5</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/965222502069882882?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Referring to Gujarat&#39;s model of development, PM Modi noted that the state&#39;s prosperity is visible across the nation; now &quot;there is competition among states to attract investment&quot;.</p>

<p>The Prime Minister shared that during his tenure the government repealed nearly 1400 laws and brought new laws to facilitate simplification and not complication.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Our budget is not limited to outlay, the focus of our budget is not limited to output, the focus of our budget is on the outcome,&quot; the Prime Minister noted.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited exhibition at the Global Investors&#39; Summit-Magnetic Maharashtra: Convergence 2018 in Mumbai <a href="https://t.co/NvM6v2fTFf">pic.twitter.com/NvM6v2fTFf</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/965232946079813632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>He further said that in the last three years the budget has been reformed and that these changes will transform the social and economic aspects. &quot;The time of the budget is also now fixed one month ahead, this all will lead to funds reaching departments in advance.&quot; &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;We believe potential, policy, planning and performance leads to progress,&quot; he further added.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We believe potential, policy, planning and performance leads to progress: PM Narendra Modi in Mumbai <a href="https://t.co/1xaFJzbtMT">pic.twitter.com/1xaFJzbtMT</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/965221494912667648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Prime Minister Modi also attended the ground-breaking ceremony of the Navi Mumbai International Airport and laid its foundation stone earlier today.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He dedicated the 4th container terminal at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust to the nation -- the country&#39;s largest container terminal.</p>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>


Referring to Gujarat's model of development, PM Modi shared that the state's prosperity is visible across the nation

Maharashtra is on the verge of achieving a trillion dollar economy status. The state will be the first in India to achieve the milestone, said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi was addressing the inaugural address of Global Investors' Summit - 'Magnetic Maharashtra: Convergence 2018' in Mumbai on Sunday evening. "I am sure that Maharashtra will achieve the objective of being first trillion dollar economy state in India," he stated. "India's ranking in ease of doing business has increased. 51 per cent of Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) stems from Maharashtra," Modi added. Our budget is not limited to outlay, focus of our budget is not limited to output, focus of our budget is on outcome: PM Modi at the Global Investors' Summit-Magnetic Maharashtra: Convergence 2018 in Mumbai pic.twitter.com/HTSynSfLT5 — ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2018 × Referring to Gujarat's model of development, PM Modi noted that the state's prosperity is visible across the nation; now "there is competition among states to attract investment". The Prime Minister shared that during his tenure the government repealed nearly 1400 laws and brought new laws to facilitate simplification and not complication. "Our budget is not limited to outlay, the focus of our budget is not limited to output, the focus of our budget is on the outcome," the Prime Minister noted. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited exhibition at the Global Investors' Summit-Magnetic Maharashtra: Convergence 2018 in Mumbai pic.twitter.com/NvM6v2fTFf — ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2018 × He further said that in the last three years the budget has been reformed and that these changes will transform the social and economic aspects. "The time of the budget is also now fixed one month ahead, this all will lead to funds reaching departments in advance." "We believe potential, policy, planning and performance leads to progress," he further added. We believe potential, policy, planning and performance leads to progress: PM Narendra Modi in Mumbai pic.twitter.com/1xaFJzbtMT — ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2018 × Prime Minister Modi also attended the ground-breaking ceremony of the Navi Mumbai International Airport and laid its foundation stone earlier today. He dedicated the 4th container terminal at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust to the nation -- the country's largest container terminal.

Maharashtra will become first trillion dollar economy state in India: PM Modi

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Hassan Rouhan held bilateral talks today during which trade, investment, energy, defence, security among other issues were discussed. The two sides also inked nine pacts, including one on double taxation avoidance.</p>

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Hassan Rouhan held a substantive and productive discussion on cooperation in trade and investment, energy, connectivity, defence and security and other regional issues, tweeted External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar.&nbsp;</p>

<p>India and Iran signed a total of nine agreements earlier in the day focussing on Iran&#39;s Chabahar port. Prime Minister Narendra Modi noted the significance of the Chabahar port stating that it helped in boosting trade between the two nations.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a>: PM Narendra Modi &amp; President of Iran Hassan Rouhani issue joint postal stamp. <a href="https://t.co/Q4RSmcF6tF">pic.twitter.com/Q4RSmcF6tF</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/964787849534083073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>PM Modi welcomed the Iranian President and noted that an Iranian president was visiting India after a decade. He also noted that the ties between Iran and India have strengthened significantly under Rouhani&#39;s leadership.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I thank you for the way you provided leadership in developing Chabahar Port: PM Narendra Modi to Iran President Dr <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HassanRouhani?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HassanRouhani</a> <a href="https://t.co/Tzavzxb6Lm">pic.twitter.com/Tzavzxb6Lm</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/964787343076012032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Prime Minister thanked his Iranian counterpart for developing the Chabahar port and noted: &quot;We want to enhance connectivity&quot;.</p>

<p>He further noted that the two countries want to see neighbouring Afghanistan safe, prosperous and free from terrorism.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The two countries want to see our neighbor Afghanistan safe and prosper. We want to see our neighbors free of terrorism: PM Narendra Modi <a href="https://t.co/98bYhcSERn">pic.twitter.com/98bYhcSERn</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/964787964470579200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Rouhani, after taking the stage, identified the relationship between India and Iran not just a diplomatic one but &quot;historical and civilisational&quot; as well.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He said that he&nbsp;discussed issues revolving around trade, tariffs, visa among others with his Indian counterpart.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;We are determined to combat terrorism and extremism,&rdquo; Rouhani noted adding further that regional conflicts must be resolved through diplomacy and political initiatives.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The relations between the two countries goes beyond trade &amp; business, it goes back in history: Iran President <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HassanRouhani?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HassanRouhani</a> <a href="https://t.co/hO07xY0DZf">pic.twitter.com/hO07xY0DZf</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/964788758167121920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Iranian president expressed his desire to boost&nbsp;railway relations between the two countries.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We share views on 2 crucial issues - transit &amp; economy. We want to develop railway relations between the 2 countries &amp; are seeing development of Chabahar Port: Iran President <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HassanRouhani?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HassanRouhani</a> <a href="https://t.co/EEIRD7kNnE">pic.twitter.com/EEIRD7kNnE</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/964789360875929602?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Rouhani is on a three-day visit to India. The Iranian President also interacted with President Ram Nath Kovind in New Delhi earlier today.</p>

<p>Rouhani&nbsp;received a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan after he reached the Capital from Hyderabad.</p>


We are determined to combat terrorism and extremism: President Rouhani

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Hassan Rouhan held bilateral talks today during which trade, investment, energy, defence, security among other issues were discussed. The two sides also inked nine pacts, including one on double taxation avoidance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Hassan Rouhan held a substantive and productive discussion on cooperation in trade and investment, energy, connectivity, defence and security and other regional issues, tweeted External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar. India and Iran signed a total of nine agreements earlier in the day focussing on Iran's Chabahar port. Prime Minister Narendra Modi noted the significance of the Chabahar port stating that it helped in boosting trade between the two nations. #Delhi: PM Narendra Modi & President of Iran Hassan Rouhani issue joint postal stamp. pic.twitter.com/Q4RSmcF6tF — ANI (@ANI) February 17, 2018 × PM Modi welcomed the Iranian President and noted that an Iranian president was visiting India after a decade. He also noted that the ties between Iran and India have strengthened significantly under Rouhani's leadership. I thank you for the way you provided leadership in developing Chabahar Port: PM Narendra Modi to Iran President Dr #HassanRouhani pic.twitter.com/Tzavzxb6Lm — ANI (@ANI) February 17, 2018 × The Prime Minister thanked his Iranian counterpart for developing the Chabahar port and noted: "We want to enhance connectivity". He further noted that the two countries want to see neighbouring Afghanistan safe, prosperous and free from terrorism. The two countries want to see our neighbor Afghanistan safe and prosper. We want to see our neighbors free of terrorism: PM Narendra Modi pic.twitter.com/98bYhcSERn — ANI (@ANI) February 17, 2018 × Rouhani, after taking the stage, identified the relationship between India and Iran not just a diplomatic one but "historical and civilisational" as well. He said that he discussed issues revolving around trade, tariffs, visa among others with his Indian counterpart. "We are determined to combat terrorism and extremism,” Rouhani noted adding further that regional conflicts must be resolved through diplomacy and political initiatives. The relations between the two countries goes beyond trade & business, it goes back in history: Iran President #HassanRouhani pic.twitter.com/hO07xY0DZf — ANI (@ANI) February 17, 2018 × The Iranian president expressed his desire to boost railway relations between the two countries. We share views on 2 crucial issues - transit & economy. We want to develop railway relations between the 2 countries & are seeing development of Chabahar Port: Iran President #HassanRouhani pic.twitter.com/EEIRD7kNnE — ANI (@ANI) February 17, 2018 × Rouhani is on a three-day visit to India. The Iranian President also interacted with President Ram Nath Kovind in New Delhi earlier today. Rouhani received a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan after he reached the Capital from Hyderabad.

Iran, India ink nine pacts after 'substantive' dialogues on wide range of issues

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for an International Airport in Mumbai on Sunday.</p>

<p>The foundation stone will be laid in Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA Ground) in Navi Mumbai at 3 pm.</p>

<p>The PM will also inaugurate a Summit and an Exhibition in the MMRDA Ground at 5:45 pm and 7:15 pm, respectively.</p>

<p>A meeting is also scheduled between the Prime Minister&nbsp;and the Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis&nbsp;where they will interact with the CEOs.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Prime Minister will conclude his day by attending a cultural event at 7:45 pm in the MMRDA Ground.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The foundation will be laid in Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA Ground) in Navi Mumbai at 3 pm

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for an International Airport in Mumbai on Sunday. The foundation stone will be laid in Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA Ground) in Navi Mumbai at 3 pm. The PM will also inaugurate a Summit and an Exhibition in the MMRDA Ground at 5:45 pm and 7:15 pm, respectively. A meeting is also scheduled between the Prime Minister and the Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis where they will interact with the CEOs. The Prime Minister will conclude his day by attending a cultural event at 7:45 pm in the MMRDA Ground.

PM to lay foundation stone for International Airport in Mumbai

<p>Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pinning the Punjab National Bank scam on him and said he is answerable to the nation as 90 per cent of the fraudulent transactions had taken place during his tenure.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;This is a 22,000 crore scam,&rdquo; he said, nearly doubling the fraud amount of Rs 11,400 crore that was revealed by the PNB to the Security Exchange Board of India on Wednesday. The bank has since then accepted that the fraud amount could be higher but has not disclosed the exact figure.&nbsp;</p>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">This Rs 22,000 Crore scam cannot have been done without a high level protection. It must have been known by the people in government beforehand otherwise it is not possible. PM will have to come forward and answer questions: Rahul Gandhi <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PNBFraudCase?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PNBFraudCase</a> <a href="https://t.co/tPDTpxBa7D">pic.twitter.com/tPDTpxBa7D</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/964837482796810240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Nirav Modi managed&nbsp;to take away Rs 22000 crore but&nbsp;PM is not able to tell us how he managed this scam, he added.</p>

<p>The scam of this magnitude cannot have been done without a high-level protection, Gandhi said and added that it must have been known by the people in government beforehand otherwise it is not possible.&nbsp;</p>

<p>PM will have to come forward and answer these questions, he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Linking the scam to PM Modi&rsquo;s decision to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, he said that the scam had started on November 8, 2016.</p>

<p>&ldquo;On that day, PM&nbsp;took the entire nation&rsquo;s money and put this into banks. Now, his friends and cronies have stolen that money from the banks,&rdquo; the Congress president said.</p>

<p>On allegations against the UPA government, he said that this is done to divert the attention from the real issue.</p>


This Rs 22,000 Crore scam cannot have been done without a high-level protection, Gandhi said

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pinning the Punjab National Bank scam on him and said he is answerable to the nation as 90 per cent of the fraudulent transactions had taken place during his tenure. “This is a 22,000 crore scam,” he said, nearly doubling the fraud amount of Rs 11,400 crore that was revealed by the PNB to the Security Exchange Board of India on Wednesday. The bank has since then accepted that the fraud amount could be higher but has not disclosed the exact figure. This Rs 22,000 Crore scam cannot have been done without a high level protection. It must have been known by the people in government beforehand otherwise it is not possible. PM will have to come forward and answer questions: Rahul Gandhi #PNBFraudCase pic.twitter.com/tPDTpxBa7D — ANI (@ANI) February 17, 2018 × Nirav Modi managed to take away Rs 22000 crore but PM is not able to tell us how he managed this scam, he added. The scam of this magnitude cannot have been done without a high-level protection, Gandhi said and added that it must have been known by the people in government beforehand otherwise it is not possible. PM will have to come forward and answer these questions, he added. Linking the scam to PM Modi’s decision to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, he said that the scam had started on November 8, 2016. “On that day, PM took the entire nation’s money and put this into banks. Now, his friends and cronies have stolen that money from the banks,” the Congress president said. On allegations against the UPA government, he said that this is done to divert the attention from the real issue.

Demonetisation a catalyst for Modi's friends and cronies to loot Indian banks: Rahul Gandhi

<p>Even a year ago, it would have been outlandish to suggest that the Bharatiya Janata Party had any prospect in the Tripura. The State has been a Left stronghold where the communists have been ruling for more than two decades. The only other major party, the Congress, has been pushed to the margins. Besides, its general demographic does not lend itself to the kind of political ideology the BJP pursues. However, the situation has changed dramatically over the last few months, and the BJP now senses a real chance at toppling the Left regime. Even those political observers who are doubtful of a BJP win in the State, concede that the party will emerge as a strong force in the Assembly election.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>What has brought about this change?&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The anti-incumbency factor is certainly one reason. In the absence of a viable opposition, the Left had a clear field and it made most of it in the last 20 years. With the BJP&rsquo;s emergence, the ground situation has altered. The second reason is the BJP&rsquo;s relentless focus on the North-East &mdash; politically and otherwise. Its victory in the Assam Assembly election, where it demolished the ruling Congress, had set the tone for its push in the region. It managed to form the Government in Arunachal Pradesh through deft manoeuvrings, and then in Manipur where it was not even the single largest party, when it outfoxed the Congress by stitching an alliance in double quick time.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The third reason is that the BJP has shown remarkable flexibility in dealing with ground realities in the region. For instance, while it aggressively pursues the cow agenda across the country, it has toned down the rhetoric in the North-East, saying that it does not want to interfere in the eating habits of the people there. The party has also been prompt in having an understanding with regional outfits that wield influence over tribes and communities specific to the region. And so, while it was at the helm of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) which it formed a couple of years ago, the real players are the regional parties. The BJP realises that it cannot make an impact on its own in many parts of the region.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The BJP&rsquo;s pre-poll surge in Tripura is even more remarkable when one looks back at its past performance. In the 2013 Assembly election, the party had less than two per cent of the vote-share. There was a significant improvement in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, when the party gained a six per cent share. But even that was less than half of the Congress&rsquo;s 16 per cent and the Left&rsquo;s overwhelming 65 per cent. Going by these figures, the BJP ought to have conceded the present contest even before it began. But the change in the public mood &mdash; at least the one gleans through media reports from the ground &mdash; has been so remarkable that the old numbers don&rsquo;t count.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>As has been its habit, the BJP has gone for the kill. Party president Amit Shah has camped in Tripura for long periods, overseeing the election campaign and, in his characteristic style, delving into the micro-management of the process. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invested politically too, addressing far more rallies than would be normally necessary for a small State such as this. The BJP in charge of the North-East, Ram Madhav, virtually resides in Tripura. Everybody understands that, for public sentiment against the Left regime to be converted into votes for the BJP, the party&rsquo;s poll machinery has to work without tripping &mdash; more so at the last moment.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The BJP is dependending heavily on the 30 per cent of the tribal votes, and keeping that in mind, is pushing the development agenda call. The tribal regions are among the most affected by non-development. It has tied up with a regional outfit, the Indigenous People&rsquo;s Front of Tripura, that commands some standing among the tribals. But the party is not ignoring the other voters, reminding them that decades of Left rule had pushed the State back while BJP-ruled parts of the country had surged ahead in the last four years of the NDA rule.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Left understands the challenge, and it has fallen back on the tried and tested formula of &lsquo;communism versus communalism&rsquo; narrative. The communists have warned the voters against the dangers of social unrest and communal strife that could come along with a BJP win. They have highlighted the various pro-poor measures that the Manik Sarkar Government has taken over the years. The Left&rsquo;s desperation to retain Tripura is understandable. It has lost its earlier citadel, West Bengal, and rules only in Kerala &mdash; and even there the BJP has begun breathing down its neck, although the Congress still remains the main opposition.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Left&rsquo;s track record of development in Tripura is being severely tested. Both the plains and hills have their own sets of problems. Unemployment, lack of road and rail connectivity, poor industrial development, and lack of avenues of opportunities for tribals to improve their living, are some of the major issues. But the communists have some positives going for them. Chief Minister Manik Sarkar enjoys a clean personal image. He has steered Tripura to political stability and has ensured that basic social indices remain decent. No major scandal has hit his regime in the two decades of its rule. Besides, the Left has a strong cadre in the State and its supporters have seeped into nearly every institution, and have the capacity to turn things around.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>On the personality front, the BJP is banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi&rsquo;s charisma, while the Left has its old warhorse and Chief Minister Sarkar. Left leaders on the national scene, such as Sitaram Yechury and Prakash Karat, hardly have any sway in Tripura. The BJP-led Government at the Centre has gone all out by way of its own contribution to the party&rsquo;s fortunes in the region. For instance, the Union Ministry of Textiles has planned a big push to textile manufacturing in the North-East, which would naturally include Tripura. Other Central ministries have promised loads of development work to the region. Underlying all these assurances is the thrust that a BJP regime in Tripura can gel better with the BJP-led Government at the Centre and, thus, expedite development.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>If the Left can stave off this new and unexpected challenge, it will not just retain power but also perhaps cause a dent in the BJP&rsquo;s drive to politically secure the North-East.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)</em>&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


In the upcoming Tripura election, BJP's trump card is development while Manik Sarkar's is that of a scandal-free clean image.

Even a year ago, it would have been outlandish to suggest that the Bharatiya Janata Party had any prospect in the Tripura. The State has been a Left stronghold where the communists have been ruling for more than two decades. The only other major party, the Congress, has been pushed to the margins. Besides, its general demographic does not lend itself to the kind of political ideology the BJP pursues. However, the situation has changed dramatically over the last few months, and the BJP now senses a real chance at toppling the Left regime. Even those political observers who are doubtful of a BJP win in the State, concede that the party will emerge as a strong force in the Assembly election. What has brought about this change? The anti-incumbency factor is certainly one reason. In the absence of a viable opposition, the Left had a clear field and it made most of it in the last 20 years. With the BJP’s emergence, the ground situation has altered. The second reason is the BJP’s relentless focus on the North-East — politically and otherwise. Its victory in the Assam Assembly election, where it demolished the ruling Congress, had set the tone for its push in the region. It managed to form the Government in Arunachal Pradesh through deft manoeuvrings, and then in Manipur where it was not even the single largest party, when it outfoxed the Congress by stitching an alliance in double quick time. The third reason is that the BJP has shown remarkable flexibility in dealing with ground realities in the region. For instance, while it aggressively pursues the cow agenda across the country, it has toned down the rhetoric in the North-East, saying that it does not want to interfere in the eating habits of the people there. The party has also been prompt in having an understanding with regional outfits that wield influence over tribes and communities specific to the region. And so, while it was at the helm of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) which it formed a couple of years ago, the real players are the regional parties. The BJP realises that it cannot make an impact on its own in many parts of the region. The BJP’s pre-poll surge in Tripura is even more remarkable when one looks back at its past performance. In the 2013 Assembly election, the party had less than two per cent of the vote-share. There was a significant improvement in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, when the party gained a six per cent share. But even that was less than half of the Congress’s 16 per cent and the Left’s overwhelming 65 per cent. Going by these figures, the BJP ought to have conceded the present contest even before it began. But the change in the public mood — at least the one gleans through media reports from the ground — has been so remarkable that the old numbers don’t count. As has been its habit, the BJP has gone for the kill. Party president Amit Shah has camped in Tripura for long periods, overseeing the election campaign and, in his characteristic style, delving into the micro-management of the process. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invested politically too, addressing far more rallies than would be normally necessary for a small State such as this. The BJP in charge of the North-East, Ram Madhav, virtually resides in Tripura. Everybody understands that, for public sentiment against the Left regime to be converted into votes for the BJP, the party’s poll machinery has to work without tripping — more so at the last moment. The BJP is dependending heavily on the 30 per cent of the tribal votes, and keeping that in mind, is pushing the development agenda call. The tribal regions are among the most affected by non-development. It has tied up with a regional outfit, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura, that commands some standing among the tribals. But the party is not ignoring the other voters, reminding them that decades of Left rule had pushed the State back while BJP-ruled parts of the country had surged ahead in the last four years of the NDA rule. The Left understands the challenge, and it has fallen back on the tried and tested formula of ‘communism versus communalism’ narrative. The communists have warned the voters against the dangers of social unrest and communal strife that could come along with a BJP win. They have highlighted the various pro-poor measures that the Manik Sarkar Government has taken over the years. The Left’s desperation to retain Tripura is understandable. It has lost its earlier citadel, West Bengal, and rules only in Kerala — and even there the BJP has begun breathing down its neck, although the Congress still remains the main opposition. The Left’s track record of development in Tripura is being severely tested. Both the plains and hills have their own sets of problems. Unemployment, lack of road and rail connectivity, poor industrial development, and lack of avenues of opportunities for tribals to improve their living, are some of the major issues. But the communists have some positives going for them. Chief Minister Manik Sarkar enjoys a clean personal image. He has steered Tripura to political stability and has ensured that basic social indices remain decent. No major scandal has hit his regime in the two decades of its rule. Besides, the Left has a strong cadre in the State and its supporters have seeped into nearly every institution, and have the capacity to turn things around. On the personality front, the BJP is banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s charisma, while the Left has its old warhorse and Chief Minister Sarkar. Left leaders on the national scene, such as Sitaram Yechury and Prakash Karat, hardly have any sway in Tripura. The BJP-led Government at the Centre has gone all out by way of its own contribution to the party’s fortunes in the region. For instance, the Union Ministry of Textiles has planned a big push to textile manufacturing in the North-East, which would naturally include Tripura. Other Central ministries have promised loads of development work to the region. Underlying all these assurances is the thrust that a BJP regime in Tripura can gel better with the BJP-led Government at the Centre and, thus, expedite development. If the Left can stave off this new and unexpected challenge, it will not just retain power but also perhaps cause a dent in the BJP’s drive to politically secure the North-East. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Modi vs Manik Sarkar battle about to start in Tripura

<p>From the outside, Number 2 Hoveniersstraat Street in Antwerp is a nondescript office block. Only the clusters of businessmen speaking in Gujarati on their mobile phones or with each other, give any indication of the hive of activity inside. In the lobby, streams of people shuttle back and forth through the electronic barriers while a queue of visitors waits to have their photo taken and their fingerprints scanned in order to receive a temporary ID card. The business is diamonds. It is a scene repeated elsewhere in the city, and it represents the remarkable and growing dominance of the Indian diaspora in a famous local industry.</p>

<p>As you look along the names on the office doors, what is striking are the names. Whereas a generation ago, the vast majority of them were Jewish, today, a significant majority are of Indian, and in particular, Gujarati origin. Names like Mehta and Patel are particularly common. Indeed, while the orthodox Jewish presence in Antwerp is still highly visible, the numbers have dwindled over time, as a new generation of young and dynamic entrepreneurs from the Gujarat have displaced them. It has been unexpected, so what is the secret to their success?</p>

<p>The diamond industry cannot enforce written contracts &ndash; diamonds are easily portable, universally valuable and virtually untraceable, and state courts are incapable of enforcing executory contracts for diamond sales. It operates on credit, relies on trust, and hence favours tightly knit community and family-based business networks. The Orthodox Jewish community in Antwerp had long relied on the effective social control mechanisms of their community in order to ensure trust, with anyone seeking to cheat seeing their reputation and hence ability to do business quickly destroyed. Gujarati business communities operate along similar lines, with strong family networks and a high incidence of marriage within their ethnic group. In the Gujarati case however, an additional source of community cohesion, support and solidarity comes from their caste community.</p>

<p><strong>Building from the bottom</strong></p>

<p>My interviews with Gujarati traders show that beginning in the 1960s, the first Gujaratis, from the Jain community and known as Palanpuri Jains, from the area of Palanpur in Gujarat, began to arrive in Antwerp, the world&rsquo;s biggest trading hub for rough diamonds. The Palanpuri Jains are a historic &ldquo;business community&rdquo; in India that has traditionally engaged in trade and hence their first foray into Antwerp was one based on capital and prior experience on the polishing side of the diamond trade in India.</p>

<p>The Gujarati Jains took advantage of two key factors to enter into the closed world of Antwerp&rsquo;s diamond industry: they started to specialise in smaller, lower-value stones, and used the cheap labour and excellent skill of Surat&rsquo;s diamond cutters and polishers to produce diamonds that had larger market potential. Thus, Gujaratis were able, as one trader put it: &ldquo;to polish in rupees and sell in dollars&rdquo;.</p>

<p>These two factors, along with others, such as initially buying from source and offering longer buying periods on credit in order to undercut the competition, enabled the Gujaratis to gain a foothold in Antwerp. Many of the early traders also mention English as the international language of diamonds further facilitating their entry into the field.</p>

<p>This foothold has now expanded to such an extent, that in the latest elections to the Antwerp World Diamond Centre in 2012, five out of the six representatives elected to the board were Gujarati. In 2014, a Gujarati businessman was nominated vice president.</p>

<p><strong>Dynasty</strong></p>

<p>However, when we speak about Gujaratis in the diamond industry in Antwerp, we are in fact referring to just two communities which have come to dominate the trade &ndash; the Palanpuri Jains and the Katiawadi Patels. The latter are a community that in just one generation has distinguished itself with a dizzying rate of social mobility. The Katiawadi Patels were once agricultural labourers who moved to Surat (Gurjarat&rsquo;s diamond polishing centre), in order to escape drought. They started off as cutters and polishers, but quickly moved up the ranks and over time accumulated enough capital to open their own factories. They were able to use their contacts with Palanpuri Jains in order to first establish themselves in Antwerp. Once they did, they rapidly expanded and now rival the Jain Gujarati traders there.</p>

<p>Although the Patels did not arrive with the same level of financial capital as the Jains, their control of diamond polishing in Surat means that their climb within the industry is secure, and indeed will continue to grow with time. Currently, most factory owners and managers in Surat are Patel, with workers now coming from other states. In contrast to the Jains, whose sons have more business opportunities available to them, the sons of the Patels, who rely more heavily on diamonds, continue to enter into the diamond business in large numbers, starting from a young age to visit their fathers&rsquo; offices to learn the trade. The growing prominence of the Katiawadi Patel community has led to tension in India&acute;s diamond trading centre of Mumbai. In a recent hotly contested decision to move operations to Surat, where rent is cheaper, the diamond community was divided between the Palanpuri Jains, who prefer to remain in Mumbai, versus the Patels who pushed strongly to shift to Surat.</p>

<figure class="align-left zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/61534/original/xkfhg8k4-1413204078.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/61534/original/xkfhg8k4-1413204078.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" /></a>

<figcaption>
<p><span class="caption">Modi presses the flesh in DC.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/speakerboehner/15224182070/in/photolist-nomtk8-oUoSsc-oUEyAn-oUCEHU-nGb7MK-bDAXVB-pbB5FQ-pt6KxR-pv25px-pbBRJx-pr4QnN-nY7uCq-ofzgbv-odxg1s-nExNwv-nb79JP-nb7tLz-nb7u74-nb7uva-nvj26p-ndPvyA-nmYMyV-pysv9V-oStUFZ-nbENeg-jcNm8u-6it5AR-pciUVL-nKRfzm-p9exDT-pqsq1M-p9ex5M-eLPE2i-jcKxHM-ooJ1pp-nKH9T5-nKRfTN-eM1ZdQ-ntrMMv-fSjRg9-mZPYSr-nHZC1W-nKRFA1-nHRbhh-ntoWeg-ntp17A-nKRhB7-nKTAGx-nKAwbt-nMF5XT">Speaker John Boehner</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></p>

<p>The Gujarati-dominated diamond industry has recently been receiving more attention from one of their own, India&rsquo;s new PM Narendra Modi. The 2014 budget passed by the Indian government gave a strong fillip to the diamond industry in the region, by raising custom duties on the import of polished and semi-polished stones, which will protect local polishing jobs (the diamond industry employs 500,000 people in Gujarat). The Modi government has also recently announced that it will be building a fast train linking Mumbai to Ahmedabad, which will cut the current travel time of seven hours to just over two hours. Gujarati traders in Antwerp eagerly await a visit from Modi, in whom they have invested high hopes for boosting the diamond industry. Although based in Antwerp, the diamond business is intricately linked to the Indian economy, immediately affected by Indian policy, and frequently connected to transnational family businesses that span multiple continents. The industry faces a number of challenges, from growing competition from the internet and from China/Hong Kong, to the rise of synthetic diamonds, and the decision by De Beers, the largest company by revenue, to move the sorting and trading of rough stones from London to Botswana.</p>

<p>However, in order to continue to shine, both Gujarati communities would do well to look towards a group that is currently completely overlooked in the diamond business: women. Daughters are not encouraged to enter the diamond trade, with many traders claiming that they are simply &ldquo;not interested&rdquo;, and the few that do, are not taken seriously and consequently drop out when they get married. The diamond industry in Antwerp is currently even more male dominated than most national armies. By not cultivating the talent and skills of their daughters, Gujaratis are losing out on even more sparkle.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>

<p>This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-rise-and-rise-of-belgiums-indian-diamond-dynasties-32332" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)</em>&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>


Although based in Antwerp, the diamond business is intricately linked to the Indian economy, immediately affected by Indian policy, and frequently connected to transnational family businesses that span multiple continents.

From the outside, Number 2 Hoveniersstraat Street in Antwerp is a nondescript office block. Only the clusters of businessmen speaking in Gujarati on their mobile phones or with each other, give any indication of the hive of activity inside. In the lobby, streams of people shuttle back and forth through the electronic barriers while a queue of visitors waits to have their photo taken and their fingerprints scanned in order to receive a temporary ID card. The business is diamonds. It is a scene repeated elsewhere in the city, and it represents the remarkable and growing dominance of the Indian diaspora in a famous local industry. As you look along the names on the office doors, what is striking are the names. Whereas a generation ago, the vast majority of them were Jewish, today, a significant majority are of Indian, and in particular, Gujarati origin. Names like Mehta and Patel are particularly common. Indeed, while the orthodox Jewish presence in Antwerp is still highly visible, the numbers have dwindled over time, as a new generation of young and dynamic entrepreneurs from the Gujarat have displaced them. It has been unexpected, so what is the secret to their success? The diamond industry cannot enforce written contracts – diamonds are easily portable, universally valuable and virtually untraceable, and state courts are incapable of enforcing executory contracts for diamond sales. It operates on credit, relies on trust, and hence favours tightly knit community and family-based business networks. The Orthodox Jewish community in Antwerp had long relied on the effective social control mechanisms of their community in order to ensure trust, with anyone seeking to cheat seeing their reputation and hence ability to do business quickly destroyed. Gujarati business communities operate along similar lines, with strong family networks and a high incidence of marriage within their ethnic group. In the Gujarati case however, an additional source of community cohesion, support and solidarity comes from their caste community. Building from the bottom My interviews with Gujarati traders show that beginning in the 1960s, the first Gujaratis, from the Jain community and known as Palanpuri Jains, from the area of Palanpur in Gujarat, began to arrive in Antwerp, the world’s biggest trading hub for rough diamonds. The Palanpuri Jains are a historic “business community” in India that has traditionally engaged in trade and hence their first foray into Antwerp was one based on capital and prior experience on the polishing side of the diamond trade in India. The Gujarati Jains took advantage of two key factors to enter into the closed world of Antwerp’s diamond industry: they started to specialise in smaller, lower-value stones, and used the cheap labour and excellent skill of Surat’s diamond cutters and polishers to produce diamonds that had larger market potential. Thus, Gujaratis were able, as one trader put it: “to polish in rupees and sell in dollars”. These two factors, along with others, such as initially buying from source and offering longer buying periods on credit in order to undercut the competition, enabled the Gujaratis to gain a foothold in Antwerp. Many of the early traders also mention English as the international language of diamonds further facilitating their entry into the field. This foothold has now expanded to such an extent, that in the latest elections to the Antwerp World Diamond Centre in 2012, five out of the six representatives elected to the board were Gujarati. In 2014, a Gujarati businessman was nominated vice president. Dynasty However, when we speak about Gujaratis in the diamond industry in Antwerp, we are in fact referring to just two communities which have come to dominate the trade – the Palanpuri Jains and the Katiawadi Patels. The latter are a community that in just one generation has distinguished itself with a dizzying rate of social mobility. The Katiawadi Patels were once agricultural labourers who moved to Surat (Gurjarat’s diamond polishing centre), in order to escape drought. They started off as cutters and polishers, but quickly moved up the ranks and over time accumulated enough capital to open their own factories. They were able to use their contacts with Palanpuri Jains in order to first establish themselves in Antwerp. Once they did, they rapidly expanded and now rival the Jain Gujarati traders there. Although the Patels did not arrive with the same level of financial capital as the Jains, their control of diamond polishing in Surat means that their climb within the industry is secure, and indeed will continue to grow with time. Currently, most factory owners and managers in Surat are Patel, with workers now coming from other states. In contrast to the Jains, whose sons have more business opportunities available to them, the sons of the Patels, who rely more heavily on diamonds, continue to enter into the diamond business in large numbers, starting from a young age to visit their fathers’ offices to learn the trade. The growing prominence of the Katiawadi Patel community has led to tension in India´s diamond trading centre of Mumbai. In a recent hotly contested decision to move operations to Surat, where rent is cheaper, the diamond community was divided between the Palanpuri Jains, who prefer to remain in Mumbai, versus the Patels who pushed strongly to shift to Surat. Modi presses the flesh in DC. Speaker John Boehner, CC BY The Gujarati-dominated diamond industry has recently been receiving more attention from one of their own, India’s new PM Narendra Modi. The 2014 budget passed by the Indian government gave a strong fillip to the diamond industry in the region, by raising custom duties on the import of polished and semi-polished stones, which will protect local polishing jobs (the diamond industry employs 500,000 people in Gujarat). The Modi government has also recently announced that it will be building a fast train linking Mumbai to Ahmedabad, which will cut the current travel time of seven hours to just over two hours. Gujarati traders in Antwerp eagerly await a visit from Modi, in whom they have invested high hopes for boosting the diamond industry. Although based in Antwerp, the diamond business is intricately linked to the Indian economy, immediately affected by Indian policy, and frequently connected to transnational family businesses that span multiple continents. The industry faces a number of challenges, from growing competition from the internet and from China/Hong Kong, to the rise of synthetic diamonds, and the decision by De Beers, the largest company by revenue, to move the sorting and trading of rough stones from London to Botswana. However, in order to continue to shine, both Gujarati communities would do well to look towards a group that is currently completely overlooked in the diamond business: women. Daughters are not encouraged to enter the diamond trade, with many traders claiming that they are simply “not interested”, and the few that do, are not taken seriously and consequently drop out when they get married. The diamond industry in Antwerp is currently even more male dominated than most national armies. By not cultivating the talent and skills of their daughters, Gujaratis are losing out on even more sparkle. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Nirav Modi and Antwerp's Indian diamond dynasties

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