Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh today said, India’s global supremacy will be determined by its scientific prowess.

He said that the recent twin achievements of Chandrayaan-3 and Covid vaccine have placed India’s scientific community at par with international benchmarks.

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh was briefing the media about the upcoming 9^th India International Science Festival (IISF) – 2023 to be held in Faridabad in January 2024.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, in the last over 9 years under the Government headed by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, scientific breakthroughs have been used to bring ‘Ease of Living’ for the common man.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, IISF is an outreach festival for those who could get benefitted by Science, Technology and Innovation. The role of science & technology has permeated in every aspect of our lives as almost all Ministries and Departments are having STI applications for sectoral development, he said.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, whether it is the Roads, Railways, Smart City project, Telemedicine, Deep Sea Exploration, Ground Water Mapping, Crop Imaging, the applications of S&T are quite visible to all.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, the Science Festival will be celebrated at three levels, – first, the number of success stories which are of global implications, will be shared with key stakeholders like Startups, Industry bodies, Innovators, Researchers, Students and scientific community from India and abroad; second, we are at the same page now in major global scientific breakthroughs as the National Quantum Mission recently announced, is having the R&D with an elite league of six other countries.

The Third reason mentioned by the S&T Minister is that India has set an example before the world that scientific research is meant for development purposes and more so, in the last almost ten years, almost all the Flagship Schemes have the footprint of Science, Technology and Innovation.

Speaking on the occasion, Principal Scientific Advisor to Govt of India, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood said that IISF will kindle the spirit of entrepreneurship in our young people and will provide an opportunity to showcase the marvels of science around us through exhibitions and Startup conclave.

Secretary, DST, Dr Abhay Karandikar said that more than 10,000 school children will participate in IISF, apart from 500 young researchers who will deliberate on new initiatives and cutting edge technologies. More than 100 Startups will exhibit their achievements and it is expected that over 12,000 delegates will be part of this grand event.

The 9^th edition of the India International Science Festival (IISF) 2023 will be held at Faridabad, Haryana from January 17^th-20^th, 2024.

India’s mega Science Fair will be held at the Campus of Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI) and Regional Centre for Biotechnology (RCB) of Department of Biotechnology in Faridabad.

The theme of the present edition is ‘Science and Technology Public Outreach in Amrit Kaal’. IISF 2023 aims to provide a platform for inspiring the public at large and individuals with diverse levels of interests like students, educators, scientists, researchers, industry professionals, entrepreneurs and science communicators.

IISF 2023 will have a total of 17 themes to showcase scientific achievements offering diverse benefits to participants and the general public.

During the IISF-2023, IISF Challenge will be a unique event wherein a new record will be created and put up at global level as a challenge. This year nearly 500 Satellites (WeMoSat) will be developed by the team of two students from Class 9^th. All such meteorological satellites will measure pressure, temperature, humidity etc. upto the height of 200 meter. All the assembled satellites will be taken to such height by paramotor.

Nearly 100 women scientists and successful entrepreneurs will participate in the festival and will showcase their achievements and successful stories among the delegates. Besides, nearly 40 to 50 international experts are likely to visit the festival and will deliver talks and interact with various stakeholders for the possible collaboration in various streams of S&T.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressed the program marking the celebrations of Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas, 2023 in Khunti, Jharkhand. During the programme, the Prime Minister launched ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’ and Pradhan Mantri Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups Development Mission. He also released the 15th installment of PM-KISAN. Shri Modi also laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation multiple development projects in Jharkhand worth Rs 7200 crores in multiple sectors like rail, road, Education, Coal, Petroleum and Natural Gas. He also took a walkthrough of the exhibition showcased on the occasion.

A video message from the President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu was played on the occasion.

The Prime Minister also led the Viksit Bharat Sankalp pledge on the occasion.

The Prime Minister began his address by recalling his visit to Ulihatu Village, the birthplace of Bhagwan Birsa Munda as well as the Birsa Munda Memorial Park cum Freedom Fighter Museum in Ranchi earlier today. He also mentioned inaugurating the Freedom Fighter Museum two years ago on this day. Shri Modi congratulated and conveyed his best wishes to every citizen on the occasion of Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas. He also conveyed his greetings on the occasion of the Foundation Day of Jharkhand and highlighted the contributions of Former PM, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee in its formation. He also congratulated the people of Jharkhand for the development projects of today in various sectors of rail, road, Education, Coal, Petroleum and Natural Gas. He expressed delight that Jharkhand now has 100 percent electrified rail routes in the state.

Referring to the inspiring struggle of Bhagwan Birsa Munda for tribal pride, the Prime Minister mentioned the association of the land of Jharkhand with the innumerable tribal heroes. He mentioned that many heroes like Tilka Manjhi, Sidhu Kanhu, Chand Bhairav, Phulo Jhano, Nilambar, Pitambar, Jatra Tana Bhagat and Albert Ekka have made this land proud. The Prime Minister said Adivasi warriors took part in the freedom struggle in every nook and corner of the country and mentioned Govind Guru of Mangarh Dham, Tantya Bhil of Madhya Pradesh, Bhima Nayak, Martyr Veer Narayan Singh of Chhattisgarh, Veer Gundadhur, Rani Gaidinliu of Manipur, Veer Ramji Gond of Telangana, Alluri Sitaram Raju of Andhra Pradesh, Rani Durgavati of Gond Pradesh. Lamenting the neglect of such personalities, the Prime Minister expressed satisfaction on remembering these heroes during the Amrit Mahotsava.

Dwelling on his personal connection  with Jharkhand, the Prime Minister recalled that Ayushman Yojana was started from Jharkhand. The Prime Minister said that two historic initiatives are being launched from Jharkhand today. First Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra which will be a medium of saturation goals of the government and PM Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan which will protect the tribes on the verge of extinction and nurture them.

Shri Modi emphasized the need to focus on the four ‘Amrit Stambhs of Viksit Bharat’ or pillars of a developed India namely, women power or Nari Shakti, food producers of India, youth of the country and lastly India’s neo-middle class and the poor. He said that the degree of development in India depends on our capability to strengthen these pillars of development. PM Modi expressed satisfaction with the amount of effort and work done to strengthen the four pillars in the last 9 years of the present government.

Prime Minister Modi highlighted the government’s momentous achievement in uplifting more than 13 crore people out of poverty. “Our seva kaal began when our government came to power in 2014”, he said pointing out that a large population of the country was deprived of basic amenities. He said that the poor had lost all hope due to the careless approach of the then governments. “The present government began work with a spirit of service”, he remarked as he highlighted that the poor and the deprived became the top priority of the government by delivering the amenities to their doorstep. He credited the approach of the government for the transformation. Before 2014, the Prime Minister informed that the scope of cleanliness in villages was merely 40 percent whereas today, the nation is aiming for saturation. Throwing light on other achievements post-2014, the Prime Minister informed about LPG connections rising from 50-55 percent of villages to approximately 100 percent today, administration of live-saving vaccines to 100 percent of children from 55 percent, tapped water connections to 70 percent of households from 17 percent in the ten decades after independence. “Modi has made the deprived his priority”, he remarked. The Prime Minister conveyed his affinity for the deprived people due to his personal experience with poverty and deprivation and said they have become the priority for the government. “I have come to this land of Bhagwan Birsa Munda to repay the debt that I owe to the deprived”, he said.

Shri Modi said that the government has resisted the temptation of going for the low-hanging fruits and attended to long pending issues. He gave the example of the electrification of 18,000 villages which were cursed to live in the dark ages. The electrification was done in a time-bound manner as per the declaration made from the ramparts of the Red Fort. Key parameters of education, health and ease of living were raised in 110 districts which were branded as backward. Aspirational District Programmed brought transformative changes in these districts. These districts had the maximum tribal population, he informed. “Success of the Aspirational District Programme is being expanded through the Aspirational Blocks programme”, he said.

The Prime Minister reiterated, “True secularism comes only when all possibilities of discrimination against any citizen of the country are eliminated”, adding that social justice is ensured only when the benefit of all the government schemes reaches everyone in the same measure. This is the spirit behind ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’ which will continue till 26th January next year starting today on the Jayanti of Bhagwan Birsa Munda. “In this journey, the government will go to every village of the country in mission mode and will make every poor and deprived person a beneficiary of government schemes”, the Prime Minister emphasized.

The Prime Minister recalled organizing the Gram Swaraj Abhiyan in 2018 where one thousand government officers were sent to the villages to create awareness about seven prime government schemes and expressed confidence that Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra will become equally successful. “I look forward to the day when every poor will have a ration card for free raion, gas connection from Ujjwala scheme, electricity supplied to the homes, tapped water connection, Ayushman Card and pucca house”, he said. PM Modi further elaborated on his vision of every farmer and labourer joining the pension schemes and the youth availing the Mudra Yojna to realize their dreams. “Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra is Modi’s guarantee for the poor, deprived, women, youth and farmers of India”, he said.

The Prime Minister underlined that a major foundation of the resolve for a developed India is PM JANMAN or PM Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan. He noted that it was Atal ji’s government which created a separate ministry for the tribal society and allocated a separate budget. He informed that the budget for tribal welfare has been increased by 6 times as compared to earlier. Under PM JANMAN, the Prime Minister said that the government will reach out to tribal groups and primitive tribes most of whom still dwell in the forests. He stated that the government has identified 75 such tribal communities and primitive tribes with a population of lakhs who reside in more than 22 thousand villages in the country. “Earlier governments did the work of connecting the figures, but I want to connect the lives, not the figures. With this goal, PM JANMAN has started today”, the Prime Minister said. He informed that the central government is going to spend Rs 24,000 crores on this mega campaign.

The Prime Minister expressed gratitude towards President Droupadi Murmu for her steadfast commitment to the development of the tribal communities. He called her an inspiring symbol of women-led development. The Prime Minister narrated the measures taken to ensure women-led development in recent years. “Our government made schemes for women, keeping in mind every stage of their lives”, he said and informed that initiatives like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, separate toilets for girls in schools, PM Awas Yojana, opening up Sainik School and Defence Academy, 70 percent Mudra beneficiaries are women, record assistance to self-help groups and Narishakti Vandan Adhiniyam are transforming lives. “Today is the holy festival of Bhai Dooj. This brother guarantees to all the sisters of the country that our government will continue to remove every obstacle in the development of our sisters. The Amrit Stambh of women power will play an important role in building a developed India”, the Prime Minister said.

Shri Modi said that PM Vishwakarma Yojana indicates that the Central Government is committed to harnessing the potential of every individual in the journey to a developed India. He said that the scheme will provide modern training and tools to the Vishwakarma friends. “13 thousand crore rupees will be spent on the scheme”, he informed.

Speaking about the 15th installment of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi which was released today, the Prime Minister informed that more than Rs 2,75,000 crores have now been transferred to the accounts of farmers so far. He also mentioned the Kisan Credit Card for cattle farmers and fishermen, the government expenditure of Rs 15,000 crores on free vaccination of livestock, financial assistance under Matsya Sampada Yojana to promote fish farming, and the formation of 10 thousand new Farmer Produce Unions in the country leading to a reduction in costs for farmers by making the market more accessible. PM Modi also touched upon the year 2023 being celebrated as the International Millet Year and the efforts of the government to take Shri Anna to foreign markets.

The Prime Minister credited the overall development of Jharkhand for the reduction in Naxalite violence in the state. Underling that the state will complete 25 years of formation soon, the Prime Minister urged to work towards the target of saturation of 25 schemes in Jharkhand. He said that it will give new impetus to the development of the state and boost ease of living. “Government is committed to expanding education and providing opportunities to the youth”, Shri Modi said as he highlighted the modern national education policy which enables the students to study medicine and engineering in their mother tongue. He informed that in the last 9 years, more than 300 universities and 5,500 new colleges have been established across the country. He also touched upon the Digital India campaign and India becoming the third largest ecosystem in the world with more than one lakh start-ups. PM Modi also mentioned the inauguration of new hostels at the IIM Campus in Ranchi and IIT-ISM, Dhanbad.

Concluding the address, the Prime Minister expressed confidence that the four Amrit Stambhs of Amrit Kaal i.e. India’s women power, youth power, agricultural power and the power of our poor and middle class will take India to new heights and make India a developed India.

Governor of Jharkhand, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Shri Hemant Soren, and Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, Shri Arjun Munda were present on the occasion among others.

Background

Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra

 It has been the constant endeavor of the Prime Minister to attain saturation of flagship schemes of the government by ensuring that the benefits of these schemes reach all targeted beneficiaries in a time-bound manner. In a major step towards the attainment of this aim of saturation of schemes, the Prime Minister launched ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’ on the occasion of Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas.

The focus of the Yatra will be on reaching out to people, creating awareness and providing benefits of welfare schemes like sanitation facilities, essential financial services, electricity connections, access to LPG cylinders, housing for the poor, food security, proper nutrition, reliable healthcare, clean drinking water, etc. Enrolment of potential beneficiaries will be done through details ascertained during the Yatra.

The Prime Minister flagged off IEC (Information, Education and Communication) vans in Khunti, Jharkhand, marking the launch of  ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’. The Yatra will start from districts with significant tribal populations initially and by 25th January 2024 and will cover all districts across the country.

PM PVTG Mission

During the programme, the Prime Minister also launched the first of its kind initiative – ‘Pradhan Mantri Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PM PVTG) Development Mission’. There are 75 PVTGs in 18 States & UTs living in 22,544 villages (220 districts) having a population of around 28 lakhs.

These tribes stay in scattered, remote & inaccessible habitations, often in forest areas and hence a mission with a budget of about Rs 24,000 crore is planned to saturate PVTG families and habitations with basic facilities such as road and telecom connectivity, electricity, safe housing, clean drinking water and sanitation, improved access to education, health and nutrition and sustainable livelihood opportunities.

In addition, separately, saturation will be ensured for  PMJAY, Sickle Cell Disease Elimination, TB Elimination, 100% immunization, PM Surakshit Matritva Yojana, PM Matru Vandana Yojana, PM Poshan, PM Jan Dhan Yojana etc.

15th installment of PM-KISAN and other development initiatives

In a step that will showcase yet another example of the commitment of the Prime Minister towards the welfare of farmers, the 15th installment amount of about Rs 18,000 crores under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), was released through direct benefits transfer to more than 8 crore beneficiaries. Under the scheme, till now, more than Rs. 2.62 lakh crores have been transferred to farmers’ accounts in 14 installments.

The Prime Minister inaugurated, dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone of projects worth around Rs. 7200 crores in multiple sectors like rail, road, Education, Coal, Petroleum and Natural Gas.

The projects whose foundation stones were laid by the Prime Minister include four laning of 52 km stretch of Mahagama – Hansdiha section of NH133; four laning of 45 Km stretch of Basukinath – Deoghar section of NH114 A; KDH-Purnadih Coal Handling Plant; new academic and administrative building of IIIT Ranchi.

The projects that will be inaugurated and dedicated to the nation include the new campus of IIM Ranchi; new Hostel of IIT ISM Dhanbad; Petroleum Oil and Lubricants (POL) depot in Bokaro; several railway projects viz doubling of Hatia-Pakra Section, Talgaria – Bokaro Section, and Jarangdih-Patratu section. Further, the achievement of 100% Railway Electrification in Jharkhand State was also dedicated to the nation by the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi visited the Bhagwan Birsa Munda Memorial Park cum Freedom Fighter Museum in Ranchi, Jharkhand today. Shri Modi paid floral tribute at the statute of Bhagwan Birsa Munda.

The Prime Minister tweeted:

“रांची में भगवान बिरसा मुंडा संग्रहालय जाकर उन्हें पुष्पांजलि अर्पित की।”

The Prime Minister was accompanied by the Governor of Jharkhand, C. P. Radhakrishnan, Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Shri Hemant Soren, and Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, Shri Arjun Munda

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has greeted people of Jharkhand on the foundation day of Jharkhand. He wished for bright future of the state.

Shri Modi said that Jharkhand has been famous for its mineral resources as well as the courage, bravery and self-respect of the tribal society. The people of Jharkhand have made an important contribution to the progress of the country.

In a X post, the Prime Minister said;

“झारखंड अपनी खनिज संपदाओं के साथ-साथ जनजातीय समाज के साहस, शौर्य और स्वाभिमान के लिए सुविख्यात रहा है। यहां के मेरे परिवारजनों ने देश की उन्नति में अपना अहम योगदान दिया है। राज्य के स्थापना दिवस पर मैं उन्हें अपनी शुभकामनाएं देता हूं, साथ ही प्रदेश के उज्ज्वल भविष्य की कामना करता हूं।”

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal, participated in the third in-person IPEF Ministerial meeting on 14^th November, 2023. During this Ministerial meeting, the first-of-its-kind IPEF Supply Chain Resilience Agreement was signed by the Minister along with the Ministers from other IPEF partner countries. The Agreement is expected to make IPEF supply chains more resilient, robust, and well-integrated, and contribute towards economic development and progress of the region as a whole.

Speaking at the event, the Shri Goyal emphasized enhanced collaboration to realize collective aims of the IPEF, particularly on the need for mobilizing affordable financing for clean economy transition and for enhancing technology cooperation. He also urged early implementation of the envisaged cooperative work under IPEF, including on bio-fuels alliance suggested by India.

Further, the Ministers from IPEF partner countries also had productive discussions on the substantial progress made by the IPEF partners on Pillar-III (Clean Economy) and Pillar-IV (Fair Economy). Speaking at the Ministerial meeting, the Minister suggestedenhanced collaboration among IPEF partners.

Also, on the sidelines of the IPEF Ministerial, the Minister held bilateral meetings with Her Excellency Ms. Gina Raimondo, United States Secretary of Commerce, His Excellency Mr. Tengku Zafrul Aziz, Minister of International Trade & Industry, Ministry of International Trade & Industry, Malaysia, and His Excellency Dr. (HC) IR. Airlangga Hartarto, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Republic of Indonesia.

During these Ministerial meetings, the Minister, inter-alia, discussedbilateral collaboration on trade, commerce and investment, enhanced business engagements, WTO matters, and other issues of mutual interest. During the interaction with his counterparts from ASEAN countries, the Minister suggested expedited conclusion of the AITIGA review.

The Minister and the US Secretary of Commerce co-chaireda kick-off industry roundtable titled, “Decoding the “Innovation Handshake”: U.S. – India Entrepreneurship Partnership”, which was co-hosted by the U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and supported by National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) and Startup India, CEOs from major ICT companies, executives from venture capital firms, and founders of startups in the critical and emerging technology space.

Capping off the day’s engagements, the Minister held an interaction with Indian entrepreneurs in the Western United States. The interaction was organized by the Consulate General of India in San Francisco in collaboration with IIT Alumni & TIE Global. Addressing the gathering, the Minister spoke about the immense potential that exists in India and the role that Indian diaspora, particularly the entrepreneurs, could play in accelerating India’s economic growth and development. He also exhorted them to support Hon’ble Prime Minister’s call for being vocal for local, and then turning local into global.

our country. Given your encouraging response to this scheme, I am confident that we are going in the right direction under Modi ji’s visionary leadership. I am also happy to know that the vendors of Assam have achieved a rate of 84% for repaying the loan. This will not only pave the way for business opportunities to grow and prosper but also create a positive culture of financial discipline.”

The PM Street Vendor’s Atma Nirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) is a special micro credit facility for street vendors launched by the prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide affordable loan to street vendors, with an aim to benefit over 50 lakh street vendors. With an working capital of up to Rs.10,000/- to resume work post COVID lockdown, the scheme provides incentives to vendors with timely repayment by providing 7% interest rate subsidy, eligibility for higher loan in next cycle, incentivising digital transactions with cash back (up to Rs. 1200 cash for conducting digital transactions in a year), provision for free QR code and handholding at the vending stall, wider base for lending institutions including Commercial banks, other banks, MFIs, NBFCs, and SHG Banks.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will visit Jharkhand on 14th-15th November, 2023. On 15th November, at around 9:30 AM, Prime Minister will visit Bhagwan Birsa Munda Memorial Park cum Freedom Fighter Museum in Ranchi. Thereafter, he will reach Ulihatu Village, the birthplace of Bhagwan Birsa Munda, where he will pay floral tribute at the statue of Bhagwan Birsa Munda. PM Narendra Modi would be the first PM to visit Ulihatu Village, the birthplace of Bhagwan Birsa Munda. Prime Minister will participate in a programme marking the celebration of third Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas, 2023 at around 11:30 AM in Khunti. During the programme, Prime Minister will launch ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’ and Pradhan Mantri Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups Mission. He will also release the 15th instalment of PM-KISAN and inaugurate, dedicate to nation and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects in Jharkhand.

Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra

It has been the constant endeavour of the Prime Minister to attain saturation of flagship schemes of the government through ensuring that the benefits of these schemes reach all targeted beneficiaries in a time bound manner. In a major step towards attainment of this aim of saturation of schemes, Prime Minister will launch ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’ on the occasion of Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas.

The focus of the Yatra will be on reaching out to people and create awareness and providing benefits of welfare schemes like sanitation facilities, essential financial services, electricity connections, access to LPG cylinders, housing for the poor, food security, proper nutrition, reliable healthcare, clean drinking water, etc. Enrolment of potential beneficiaries will be done through details ascertained during the Yatra.

Prime Minister will flag off IEC (Information, Education and Communication) vans in Khunti, Jharkhand, marking the launch of  ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’. The Yatra will start from districts with significant tribal population initially and by 25th January 2024, will cover all districts across the country.

PM PVTG Mission

During the programme, Prime Minister will also launch the first of its kind initiative – ‘Pradhan Mantri Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PM PVTG) Mission’. There are 75 PVTGs in 18 States & UTs living in 22,544 villages (220 districts) having a population of around 28 lakhs.

These tribes stay in scattered, remote & inaccessible habitations, often in forest areas and hence a mission with budget of about Rs 24,000 crore, is planned to saturate PVTG families and habitations with basic facilities such as road and telecom connectivity, electricity, safe housing, clean drinking water and sanitation, improved access to education, health and nutrition and sustainable livelihood opportunities.

In addition, separately, saturation will be ensured for  PMJAY, Sickle Cell Disease Elimination, TB Elimination, 100% immunisation, PM Surakshit Matritva Yojana, PM Matru Vandana Yojana, PM Poshan, PM Jan Dhan Yojana etc.

15th instalment of PM-KISAN and other development initiatives

In a step that will showcase yet another example of commitment of the Prime Minister towards welfare of farmers, the 15th instalment amount of about Rs. 18,000 crores under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), will be released through direct benefits transfer to more than 8 crore beneficiaries. Under the scheme, till now, more than Rs. 2.62 lakh crores have been transferred to famers’ accounts in 14 instalments.

Prime Minister will inaugurate, dedicate to nation and lay the foundation stone of projects worth around Rs. 7200 crores in multiple sectors like rail, road, Education, Coal, Petroleum and Natural Gas.

The projects whose foundation stone will be laid by the Prime Minister include  four laning of 52 km stretch of Mahagama – Hansdiha section of NH133; four laning of 45 Km stretch of Basukinath – Deoghar section of NH114 A; KDH-Purnadih Coal Handling Plant; new academic and administrative building of IIIT Ranchi.

The projects that will be inaugurated and dedicated to nation include new campus of IIM Ranchi; new Hostel of IIT ISM Dhanbad; Petroleum Oil and Lubricants (POL) depot in Bokaro; several railway projects viz doubling of Hatia-Pakra Section, Talgaria – Bokaro Section, and Jarangdih-Patratu section. Further, the achievement of 100% of Railway Electrification in Jharkhand State will also be dedicated to the nation by the Prime Minister.

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh held a telephonic conversation with UK Secretary of State for Defence Mr Grant Shapps on November 13, 2023. Both Ministers discussed a range of defence and security issues with particular emphasis on the Indo-Pacific. They briefly reviewed the ongoing engagements and discussed possible cooperation in new domains.

Both Ministers explored ways and means to develop closer defence relations. Mr Grant Shapps invited the Raksha Mantri to visit the UK in the near future. The Raksha Mantri congratulated Mr Shapps on his appointment as the Secretary of State for Defence.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressed brave jawans at  Lepcha, Himachal Pradesh on the occasion of Diwali today.

Addressing the jawans, the Prime Minister remarked that the amalgamation of the festival of Diwali and the echoes of acclamation of the courage of the jawans is a moment of enlightenment for every citizen of the country. He conveyed his best wishes on Diwali along with the jawans from the border areas of India, the country’s last village, which has now been deemed the first village.

Recounting his experience, the Prime Minister said that festivities are wherever the family is there and called the situation of being away from family on the day of the festival for safeguarding the border pinnacle of devotion to duty. He said that the feeling of treating 140 crore Indians as their family gives the security personnel a sense of purpose. “Country is grateful and indebted to you for this. That is why one ‘Diya’ is lit for your safety in every household”, he said. “The place where jawans are posted is not less than any temple for me. Wherever you are, my festival is there. This is going on for perhaps 30-35 years”, he added.

The Prime Minister paid tribute to the jawans and the tradition of sacrifice by the armed forces. “Our brave jawans have proven themselves to be the strongest wall on the border”, he said. “Our brave jawans have always won the hearts of the citizens by snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.” the Prime Minister said as he highlighted the contributions of the armed forces in nation-building. He mentioned natural calamities like earthquakes and tsunamis as well as international peace missions where the armed forces have saved numerous lives. “Armed forces have taken India’s pride to new heights”, he remarked. The Prime Minister also mentioned proposing a memorial hall for peacekeepers at the United Nations last year which was unanimously passed and said that it will immortalize their contributions towards establishing world peace.

Underlining the role of Indian armed forces in evacuation missions not only for Indians but for foreign nationals as well, the Prime Minister recalled the successful evacuation carried out from the turmoil in Sudan and the rescue mission after the earthquake in Turkiye. “From the combat field to rescue missions, Indian armed forces are committed to saving lives”, the Prime Minister said. He added that every citizen feels pride in the country’s armed forces.

Pointing towards the global expectations from India in the current world scenario, the Prime Minister reiterated the importance of the secured border, peace and stability in the country. “India is safe as its borders are protected by the brave jawans with Himalaya-like determination”, he said.

The Prime Minister narrated the achievements in the last one year since the last Diwali and mentioned Chandrayaan landing, Aditya L1, test related to Gaganyaan, indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, Tumkur helicopter factory, Vibrant Village campaign, and sporting achievements. Continuing further with global and democratic gains in the last one year, the Prime Minister talked about the new Parliament Building, Narishakti Vandan Adhiniyam, G20, biofuel alliance, preeminence in real-time payment in the world, crossing 400 billion dollars in exports, becoming 5th biggest economy of the world, strides in 5G roll out. “The past year is a milestone year in nation-building”, he said. He said India made great strides in infrastructure development and became the country with the world’s second-largest road network, longest river cruise service, rapid rail service Namo Bharat, Vande Bharat on 34 new routes, India-Middle East-Europe Corridor, two world-class convention centers in Delhi – Bharat Mandapam and Yashobhoomi, India became the country with the highest number of universities, best tourism village award for Dhordo village and inclusions of Shanti Niketan and Hoysala temple complex in UNESCO world heritage list.

The Prime Minister emphasized that the country can strive for a better future as long as its borders remain guarded. He credited the development of India to the strength, resolutions and sacrifices of the armed forces.

Noting that India has created possibilities from its struggles, the Prime Minister said that the nation has now stepped on the path of Atmanirbhar Bharat. He highlighted India’s unprecedented growth in the defence sector and its emergence as a global player and said that the strength of India’s armies and security forces is continuously increasing. He recalled how the nation was dependent on others for the smallest needs earlier, while it is meeting the needs of friendly nations today. He informed that India’s defence exports have increased more than 8 times since the PM visited the region in 2016. “Defence production worth more than Rs 1 lakh crore is taking place in the country today. This is a record in itself”, he added.

The Prime Minister touched upon the integration of high-tech technology and important systems like CDS and said that the Indian Army is continuously becoming more modern. He added that India will no longer have to look towards other countries in times of need in the near future. Amidst this increasing spread of technology, Shri Modi urged the armed forces to always keep human understanding paramount in the use of technology. He emphasized that technology should never overpower human sensibilities.

The Prime Minister said “Today, indigenous resources and top-class border infrastructure are also becoming our strength. And I am happy that Narishakti is also playing a big role in this.” He mentioned the commissioning of 500 Women Officers during the past year, women pilots flying Rafale fighter jets and the posting of women officers on warships. Speaking about the importance of taking care of the needs of the armed forces, the Prime Minister mentioned dresses suitable for extreme temperatures, drones to augment and protect jawans and payment of 90 thousand crore under the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme.

The Prime Minister concluded his address by reciting a couplet and said that every step by the armed forces determines the direction of history. He expressed confidence that the armed forces will continue to serve Mother India with the same determination and said, “With your support, the nation will continue to touch new heights of development. Together we will fulfill every resolution of the country.”

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has extended his greetings to everyone on the auspicious occasion of Diwali.

In a X post, the Prime Minister said;

“देश के अपने सभी परिवारजनों को दीपावली की ढेरों शुभकामनाएं।

Wishing everyone a Happy Diwali! May this special festival bring joy, prosperity and wonderful health to everyone’s lives.”

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi expressed satisfaction that several government schemes are bringing happiness to every household on Diwali.

MyGovIndia X handle posted a video informing about the benefits of the schemes like PM Awas Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, Pradhanmantri Mudra Yojana, Ayushman Bharat Yojana, UPI Digital Payments, Start Up India etc.

Responding to the X post of MyGovIndia, the Prime Minister posted on X;

“मुझे बहुत संतोष है कि दीपावली के त्योहार पर जनकल्याण की हमारी योजनाओं से आज देश का हर घर रोशन है। #VocalForLocal”

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with US Secretary of Defence Mr Lloyd Austin in New Delhi on November 10, 2023. The two Ministers comprehensively discussed a wide range of defence and strategic issues. There was particular focus on enhancing defence industrial cooperation and getting the defence industries from both sides together to cooperatively co-develop and co-produce defence systems.

The Ministers explored ways and means to advance their defence technology cooperation with joint research in critical areas. They reviewed the progress of the India-US Defence Industrial Ecosystem, INDUS-X, which was launched in June this year and aims to expand the strategic technology partnership and defence industrial cooperation between the governments, businesses and academic institutions of India and US.

Secretary Austin welcomed India’s decision to elevate to full membership of the Combined Maritime Forces, a multilateral construct headquartered in Bahrain.

The Raksha Mantri symbolically handed over to Secretary Austin some items recovered in Assam as part of the US Defence POW MIA Accounting Agency Mission. The items include parts of parachute, uniform and airplane of the US forces from the World War II-era. The Ministers, before concluding, drew up an agenda for future joint work for their teams.