The Global Maritime India Summit (GMIS), 2023, one of the biggest maritime summits in the world, recorded major investment of ₹2.37 lakh crores on the second day of the three day summit held here. As many as 70 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) were signed in the various industries of maritime sector such as Port Development and modernisation, green hydrogen & ammonia, port led development, business & commerce, ship building, knowledge sharing & Port connectivity during the day. Today’s MoUs with focus sustainable development were signed in presence of the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal, the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Shripad Naik and the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Shantanu Thakur.

Post MoU signing ceremony, the Union Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, said, “Today, at the Global Maritime India Summit, 2023 has ushered a new age in sustainable development of the country with a record number of 70 MoUs with an investment of ₹2.37 lakh crores. The maritime sector is playing an instrumental role as it has paved the way for India set sail towards Green Sustainability Transportation. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, India has experienced a historic growth in the last 9 years. Maritime sector is no exception as we are giving major thrust to the future growth multipliers. Under Modi ji’s inspired leadership, India has scaled new heights to become fifth largest economy in the world. Now, Modi ji has given us another target to further scale the growth story of India. To achieve, GMIS plays a pivotal role and I am happy to share the mammoth of exchange of ideas as well as understandings with clear vision to make India a developed country by 2047.”

The Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also held Ministerial level bilateral meetings with Ministers from Italy, Tanzania and Sri Lanka. The first meeting was with the Deputy Minister, Infrastructure and Transport (Minister of Ports), Italy, Edoardo Rixi. The meeting was also attended by the Secretary of Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, TK Ramachandran.  Both the ministers agreed to enhance maritime cooperation on identified industries in order to build on the robust maritime relationship between the two countries. During the second meeting, the Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal met the Minister of Blue Economy and Fisheries, Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, Tanzania, Suleiman Masoud Madame. In the third meeting, the Minister of Ports, Shipping & Aviation, Sri Lanka, Siripala De Silva met with the Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal where the two discussed multiple issues to further strengthen and deepen the maritime relationship between the two countries.

The second day of the GMIS featured a series of insightful sessions, each addressing critical aspects of the maritime industry ranging from green shipping and ports to the latest trends in shipping and maritime logistics. The first session chaired by Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State, Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Government of India initiated the discussion around the role of the shipping sector in aligning with the goals set by the Ministry of Environment and Forests for a sustainable and environmentally responsible future. This was followed by sessions related to the latest trends in shipping & maritime logistics and dredging chaired by Shantanu Thakur, Minister of State for Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Government of India.  Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India, Nitin Gadkari deliberated virtually on developing inland waterways as an integrated element of multimodal economic corridors and Strategies and roadmap to promote coastal shipping as preferred mode of transport were discussed.

Shripad Yesso Naik, Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Tourism, Government of India highlighted the various measures and initiatives to promote cruise tourism during his session.

The day 2 of the GMIS 2023 concluded with a roundtable on Chabahar Post and its role in enhancing regional connectivity and its inclusion in INSTC (International North-South Transport Corridor) co-chaired by Sarbananda  Sonowal and Meenakshi Lekhi, Minister of State for External Affairs & State for Culture, Government of India.

In a boost to amp up maritime trade and commerce via National Waterways 2 (Brahmaputra), a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between India Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IBCCI) and A to Z Exit here today. The memorandum has set the framework to explore the possibility of transportation of various cargo between various destinations of the Northeast region of India and Bangladesh. This endeavour will provide support by facilitating with adequate volume of trade that needs to be shipped or imported into Bhutan from India, Bangladesh and any other countries using the ports operated in India.

Earlier, on day one of the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stones for 21 projects worth ₹18,800 crores with 34 MoUs worth ₹3.24 lakh crore was inked during the Inaugural session. This included Green Projects having share of ₹1.8 lakh crore and Projects of Port Development and Modernisation worth ₹1.1 lakh crore. PM Modi also launched Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 – a roadmap for maritime sector development for the next 25 years, the Amrit Kaal to make India Atmanirbhar by 2047. At the roundtable on Global Economic Corridors, as many as 60 representatives from various countries attended, which included CEOs from 33 international companies and 17 Indian companies. The inaugural session also witnessed 10 ministers from different countries joined the Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on the dais at the event. 21 ministers from 10 countries participated in various sessions at the GMIS, 2023.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the third edition of Global Maritime India Summit 2023 in Mumbai via video conferencing today. The Prime Minister also unveiled ‘Amrit Kaal Vision 2047’, a blueprint for the Indian maritime blue economy. In line with this futuristic plan, the Prime Minister inaugurated, dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone for projects worth more than Rs 23,000 crores that are aligned with the ‘Amrit Kaal Vision 2047’ for the Indian maritime blue economy. The summit provides an excellent platform for attracting investment in the country’s maritime sector.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister welcomed everyone to the 3rd edition of the Global Maritime India Summit 2023. He recalled how the entire world was marred by the uncertainties of the Covid pandemic when the Summit took place in 2021, and emphasized that a new world order is taking shape today. In the changing world order, the Prime Minister underlined that the world is looking towards India with new aspirations. He stated that India’s economy is constantly strengthening in a world dealing with economic crisis, and the day is not far when India will become one of the top 3 economies in the world. Underscoring the role of sea routes in global trade, the Prime Minister emphasized the need for a reliable global supply chain in the post-Corona world.

The Prime Minister said that history bears testimony that India’s maritime capabilities have always benefited the world. The Prime Minister listed the systematic steps undertaken to strengthen the sector in the last few years. He underlined the transformative impact of the historic G20 consensus on the  proposed India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor. He said that as the Silk Route of the past changed the economy of many countries, this corridor too will transform the picture of global trade.  He said that Next Generation Mega Port, International Container Trans-shipment port, island development, inland waterways, and multi-modal hub will be undertaken under this leading to a reduction in business cost and environmental degradation will improve logistical efficiency and create jobs. The Prime Minister reiterated that investors have a great opportunity to become part of this campaign and join India.

Prime Minister Modi reiterated that the India of today is working to fulfill the resolve of becoming a developed nation in the next 25 years. He underlined that the government is bringing about revolutionary changes in every sector and mentioned the work done to strengthen the maritime sector of India. In the last decade, the Prime Minister informed that the capacity of major ports in India has doubled, and turnaround time for big vessels has come down to less than 24 hours as compared to 42 hours in 2014. He also mentioned the construction of new roads to increase port connectivity and touched upon the SagarMala Project to strengthen the coastal infrastructure. These efforts, the Prime Minister said, are increasing employment opportunities and Ease of Living manifold.

“Government’s vision of ‘Ports for Prosperity and Ports for Progress’ is bringing transformational changes at the ground level”, the Prime Minister said as he noted that the mantra of ‘Ports for Productivity’ is also being encouraged. Shri Modi informed that the government is taking major steps to enhance economic productivity by making the logistics sector more efficient and effective. He underlined that Coastal Shipping Modes are also being modernized in India and informed that the coastal cargo traffic has doubled in the last decade, thereby providing a cost-effective logistic option for the people. Regarding the development of inland waterways in India, the Prime Minister informed that cargo handling of national waterways grew by four times. He also mentioned India’s improvement in the Logistics Performance Index in the last 9 years.

The Prime Minister talked about the government’s focus on the ship-building and repair sector. He said that indigenous aircraft Carrier INS Vikrant is proof of India’s capacity. “India is going to become one of the top five ship-building nations in the coming decade. Our Mantra is ‘Make in India – Make for the world’”, the Prime Minister said. He informed that the government is working to bring together all stakeholders in the sector through maritime clusters. Ship-building and repair centers will be developed in many places. He mentioned that India is already at second place in the field of ship recycling. He also informed about the effort to make the major ports in India carbon-neutral via a net-zero strategy for the sector. “We are moving towards a future where the Blue Economy will be the medium to create a Green Planet”.

The Prime Minister underlined that work is underway in India for the big players in the maritime sector to enter the country and mentioned GIFT City in Ahmedabad which has launched ship leasing as a financial service while offering discounts at the same time. Shri Modi expressed delight that 4 global ship leasing companies of the world have also registered with GIFT IFSC. He also called upon other ship leasing companies present at this summit to join GIFT IFSC.

“India has a vast coastline, strong riverine eco-system and rich cultural heritage which create new possibilities for Maritime Tourism ”, the Prime Minister remarked. He mentioned the nearly 5 thousand-year-old Lothal Dockyard in India which is a world heritage and called it the ‘Cradle of Shipping’. He informed that a National Maritime Heritage Complex is also being built in Lothal near Mumbai to preserve this world heritage and urged the citizens to visit upon completion.

The Prime Minister mentioned the world’s  longest river cruise service to promote maritime tourism in India. He informed about the upcoming International Cruise terminal in Mumbai and modern cruise terminals in Visakhapatnam and Chennai. “India is moving towards becoming a global cruise hub through its state-of-the-art infrastructure”, he added.

Concluding the address, the Prime Minister remarked that India is one of the few countries which has such a combination of Development, Demography, Democracy and Demand. “At a time when India is moving towards the goal of becoming a developed India by 2047, this is a golden opportunity for you”, Shri Modi said and sent out an open invite to investors from all over the world to come to India and join the path of development.

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal was present on the occasion.

Background

During the programme, the Prime Minister unveiled ‘Amrit Kaal Vision 2047’, the long-term blueprint for the Indian maritime blue economy. The blueprint outlines strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing port facilities, promoting sustainable practices, and facilitating international collaboration. In line with this futuristic plan, the Prime Minister inaugurated, dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone of projects worth more than Rs 23,000 crores that are aligned with the ‘Amrit Kaal Vision 2047’ for the Indian maritime blue economy.

The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of Tuna Tekra all-weather deep draft terminal, to be built at a cost of more than Rs 4,500 crores at Deendayal Port Authority in Gujarat. This state-of-the-art greenfield terminal will be developed in PPP mode. The terminal, which is likely to emerge as an international trade hub, will handle next-gen vessels exceeding 18,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and will act as a gateway for Indian trade via the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC). The Prime Minister also dedicated more than 300 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) worth more than 7 lakh crore for global and national partnerships in the maritime sector.

The summit is the biggest Maritime Event in the country and will witness the participation of Ministers from across the globe representing countries from Europe, Africa, South America, and Asia (including central Asia, Middle East and BIMSTEC region). The summit is also to be attended by Global CEOs, Business leaders, Investors, Officials, and other stakeholders worldwide. Further, several Indian states will also be represented at the summit by the Ministers and other dignitaries.

The three-day summit will discuss and deliberate key issues of the maritime sector including ports of the future; decarbonisation; coastal shipping and inland water transportation; shipbuilding; repair and recycling; finance, insurance & arbitration; maritime clusters; innovation & technology; maritime safety and security; and maritime tourism, among others. The summit provides an excellent platform for attracting investment in the country’s maritime sector.

The first Maritime India summit was held in 2016 in Mumbai while the Second Maritime Summit was held virtually in 2021.

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh, on October 17, 2023, felicitated medal winners, participants and support staff from the Armed Forces, who took part in the recently concluded 19^th Asian Games at Hangzhou, China. The Raksha Mantri interacted with a total of 76 players and staff, who attended the event in New Delhi, and congratulated them for their excellent display at the Games.

LIST OF PERSONNEL FELICITATED BY RAKSHA MANTRI

On behalf of the Ministry of Defence, Shri Rajnath Singh announced cash prizes to the Armed Forces personnel, who brought laurels to the country and once again proved their mettle at an international event, by bagging 16 individual medals (03 Gold, 06 Silver & 07 Bronze) and eight team medals (02 Gold, 03 Silver & 03 Bronze) at the Games. Gold medal winners will be given Rs 25 lakh; Silver medal winners will get Rs 15 lakh and Bronze medal winners will be awarded Rs 10 lakh. A contingent of 88 soldiers, including three sportswomen, participated in 18 disciplines at the Games, which were held from September 23 to October 08, 2023.

In his address, the Raksha Mantri lauded the efforts of the players, including those who gave their best, but could not win the medals. He reminded them of Flying Sikh Milkha Singh, who missed a medal in the 400-metre race in the 1960 Olympics in Rome by a whisker, but became a guiding star of Indian athletics. Milkha Singh is an inspiration for all even today, he said.

Shri Rajnath Singh exuded confidence that these medals and performance will inspire the country’s youth to come forward in sports. “You are not just representing a medal, but are also representing a narrative of excellence of Indian society. You are a great medium to provide inspiration to the youth,” he told the players.

The Raksha Mantri commended the Armed Forces personnel for always being among the medal winners at different Games. “Be it a battlefield or a playground, a soldier always performs because of dedication, discipline, hard work and the desire to do something for the nation. These virtues help in bringing medals for us in sports. Within a soldier, there is a player; within a player, there is a soldier,” he said.

Shri Rajnath Singh also pointed out that the performance of the players reflected the image of a rapidly growing and powerful ‘New India’. “Many studies show that the progress in sports of any nation is more or less proportional to the economic prosperity of that country. In this context, as India is becoming an economically strong nation, our medals are also increasing in every field,” he said.

The Raksha Mantri emphasised that, under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India is witnessing growth in every field such as defence, infrastructure, health and education. “Be it the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund, India’s development journey is being discussed everywhere. Recently, American financial company JP Morgan Chase released the ‘Government Bond Index – Emerging Markets’ which guides investors. It has included India for the first time. It is the result of our growing economic strength. Now, there is an ambition to become the best; a vision to create the best and action to take the country to greater heights. The world is today recognising India’s growth story,” he stated.

Shri Rajnath Singh asserted that the government is making relentless efforts to develop sports culture in India. “On one hand, we have worked to increase awareness about sports among the youth through Fit India and Khelo India campaigns; on the other, through the Target Olympic Podium Scheme, we are committed to increasing India’s medal count in the Olympics. Today, our country is taking steps to host the Olympic Games in 2036. I am confident that with the support of the Government, our athletes will take India to the top of the medals tally through their hard work, dedication and passion,” he said.

The felicitation ceremony was attended by Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande, Vice Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh and senior officers of Sports Control Board of respective services.

Union Minister for Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan launched the IndiaSkills 2023-24 and felicitated the World Skills 2022 Winners today at an event held at Kaushal Bhawan, New Delhi. India has secured 11th position in the global competition, the best-ever ranking so far. A short video depicting the journey of World Skills 2022 was also shown in the programme. Some of the winners also shared their experiences in the competition.

Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Shri Atul Kumar Tiwari; Chairman, AICTE, Prof. T. G. Sitharam; Chairman, UGC, Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar; Additional Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Shri Krishna Kumar Dwivedi; CEO, NSDC & MD, Shri Ved Mani Tiwari; Additional Secretary/Director General (Training), Ms. Trishaljit Sethi; Head, WorldSkill India, Dr. Maneesh Mishra; officials, dignitaries and students were also present in the function.

While addressing the event, Shri Pradhan reminded everyone of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s call for enhancing competency over acquiring degrees alone. He also highlighted the importance of introducing employable skills, which will increase market acceptance of the workforce. He stressed that we have to give equal importance to competencies, applied knowledge and hands-on training to lead in the 21st century.

Shri Pradhan also highlighted the need for mapping skill gaps to reduce the gap between degrees earned and skills acquired. He mentioned how NEP 2020 has taken steps to introduce a blended model by merging degree and competency, making it flexible and as per the choice of the students.

He also urged policymakers, academia, and industry to come together, making it a Janandolan to make India a developed nation by 2047, as envisioned by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The blending of learning and earning leads to skill development, he highlighted.

WorldSkills Competition is the largest skill competition in the world, held once every two years. It is conducted by WorldSkills International, which has 86 member countries. These competitions provide both a benchmark for high performance and an objective way to assess vocational excellence. The duration of the competition duration is 4 days spanning 16 to 22 hours.

WorldSkills competition 2022 was conducted from September to November 2022 across Europe, North America, and East Asia comprising over 1,000 competitors from 58 countries in 61 skills. The competition was hosted by 15 countries in more than 20 cities. India participated in 50 skills and secured 11th position with 2 Silver Medals, 3 Bronze Medals and 13 Medallions for Excellence at the WSC 2022, its best ranking so far at the WorldSkills Competition. Indian Competitors, who represented the country at WorldSkills Competition 2022, were selected via IndiaSkills Competition 2021.

A total of 165 IndiaSkills National Competition winners were trained for the WorldSkills Competition at designated training venues developed in line with WorldSkills standards under the mentorship of WorldSkills India Experts and trainers. More than 200 Industry and Academic Partners like Toyota Kirloskar, Mahindra, Saint Gobain, Larsen & Toubro, Maruti Suzuki, Infosys, IIT-Palakkad, Government Tool Room and Training Centre, National Institute of Fashion Technology, Lincoln Electric, CISCO, BMW, Volkswagen, Berger Paints and others collaborated to train India’s competitors, sponsoring approximately Rs. 20 Crore in terms of training infrastructure, subject matter expertise, international training, raw material and tool kits.

Fifty-six competitors, 50 Experts and 11 Interpreters participated among which 19% were female (11 competitors). Some of the competitors also participated in new-age skills like Robot System Integration, Additive Manufacturing, Industry 4.0, Digital Construction, Mobile Application Development and Renewable Energy.

Winners’ details:

The ASICS report provided the first nation-wide analysis of local governance in Indian cities, and has since, expanded on the scope of city-based analysis and evaluation of municipal performance through a citizen-centric lens, said Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs and Petroleum & Natural Gas. The Minister released today the sixth edition of the Annual Survey of India’s City-Systems, i.e., ASICS 2023 report at an event, co-hosted by Janaagraha and Rainmatter Foundation at Hotel Imperial, New Delhi.

Calling the report a meticulous and praise-worthy effort, the Minister noted that this report includes the study of 82 municipal legislations, 44 town and country planning acts, 176 allied acts, rules and notifications, 32 other policy/scheme documents, and 27 additional datasets pertaining to urban development in India.

As regards the 10 key recommendations made in the report, The Minister said that these 10 ‘instruments of change’ can deepen the principles of decentralisation and devolution in urban governance and revitalize the spirit of the 74^th Constitutional Amendment Act.

Shri Puri noted that the report has acknowledged the unprecedented actions taken by Government under visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, in working towards this agenda of decentralization and devolution in urban governance. He mentioned about the six-fold increase in the Finance Commission grants to Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) from the 13^th Finance Commission to the 15^th Finance Commission. He stressed that the 15th Finance Commission distinguished between million-plus urban agglomerations and other cities, providing for 100 per cent outcome-based funding of approximately Rs 38,196 crores to 50 urban agglomerations with incentives for air quality, water supply and sanitation.

Adding further, he said that the AMRUT programme instituted 11 mandatory reforms in ULBs, including improving creditworthiness of cities, operationalising municipal bonds, and the professionalisation of the municipal cadre. 12 cities have already raised more than Rs. 4,384 crores through municipal bonds, he emphasised.

The government has disbursed unprecedented funds to undertake urban planning reforms such as modernisation of building bye laws; transit-oriented development; adoption of Transferable Development Rights; integration of blue and green infrastructure through nature-based solutions; affordable Housing through in-situ rehabilitation; GIS-based master planning; and Online Building Permission Systems (OBPS).

Treating our cities as an opportunity rather than a challenge, Shri Puri said that the Prime Minister has brought about a revolution in India’s urban development paradigm. More than Rs. 18 lakh crores have been invested since 2014 in the transformation of our cities and towns, he emphasised.

Since 2014, the Minister said that the Government has undertaken the most comprehensive and planned urbanisation programme anywhere in the world. He talked about the initiatives/missions such as PMAY (Urban), Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban, AMRUT, Smart Cities Mission, PM SVANidhi mission and DAY-NULM, that have turned out to be transformational in growth and development of the urban spaces.

The Minister said that under PMAY (Urban), almost 1.19 crore houses have been sanctioned. More than 1.13 crore houses have already been grounded and 77 lakh delivered, he said.

Speaking about Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban, the Minister said that the mission has brought about a pan-India behavioural shift towards Swachhata. Solid waste processing has gone up from 17% in 2014 to 76% today. He expressed the confidence of achieving 100 percent waste processing in coming years.

The Minister said that AMRUT has addressed basic social infrastructure such as water and sewerage in 500 cities by providing more than 1.72 crore water tap connections and 1.35 crore sewer connections. Now, AMRUT 2.0 is aiming further ahead by aspiring to make our cities ‘Water Secure’, he said.

Under the Smart Cities Mission, he said that 6,069 projects worth over Rs. 1.1 lakh crores have been completed.

The Minister highlighted that at present we have the fifth-largest metro network in the world with around 871 kms of metro lines laid and after the construction of 905 kms of metro network more, India will become the second-largest metro network in the world.

“More than 34.2 lakh livelihoods have been created under the DAY-NULM mission. The mission imparted skill training to 14.9 lakh candidates”, he added further.

Referring to the Urban Areas as Spaces of aspiration and opportunity, the Minister said that the Cities are the hubs of economic growth and innovation. Much of India’s economic progress lies in the productivity of its cities.  In harnessing the potential for high growth that exists in our cities, he said that we need to focus on the ULBs which are the primary interface of governance for our citizens. ULBs provide the political avenue for citizens to raise their issues, he observed.

Wherever local elected leaders, Mayors, Municipal Commissioners and state governments have worked in tandem, we have seen incredible results, he noted. He added, “in the Swachh Bharat Mission, Mayors were seen leading advocacy and awareness campaigns in every ward and colony across the country”.

The Minister said, “We must look to empower our Mayors and City Councils because they have successfully demonstrated that they are capable of driving global action at the local level”, he said. He mentioned about the first-ever Mayors’ Conference held in Varanasi in December 2021 as a confidence-building measure towards this direction.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting to assess progress of India’s Gaganyaan Mission and to outline the future of India’s space exploration endeavours.

The Department of Space presented a comprehensive overview of the Gaganyaan Mission, including various technologies developed so far such as human-rated launch vehicles and system qualification. It was noted that around 20 major tests, including 3 uncrewed missions of the Human Rated Launch Vehicle (HLVM3) are planned. First demonstration flight of the Crew Escape System Test Vehicle is scheduled on 21 October. The meeting evaluated the mission’s readiness, affirming its launch in 2025.

Building on the success of the Indian space initiatives, including the recent Chandrayan-3  and Aditya L1 Missions, Prime Minister directed that India should now aim for new and ambitious goals, including setting up ‘Bharatiya Antariksha Station’ (Indian Space Station) by 2035 and sending first Indian to the Moon by 2040.

To realize this Vision, the Department of Space will develop a roadmap for Moon exploration. This will encompass a series of Chandrayaan missions, the development of a Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV), construction of a new launch pad, setting up human-centric Laboratories and associated technologies.

Prime Minister also called upon Indian scientists to work towards interplanetary missions that would include a Venus Orbiter Mission and a Mars Lander.

Prime Minister Modi expressed confidence in India’s capabilities and affirmed the nation’s commitment to scaling new heights in space exploration.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has greeted National Security Guard (NSG) personnel on their Raising Day.

On this occasion, the Prime Minister lauded all the brave personnel of the force who, in the course of their duty, displayed unwavering professionalism, a deep love for our nation and indomitable courage.

In a X post, the Prime Minister said;

“Best wishes to all NSG personnel as they mark their Raising Day.

The @nsgblackcats have firmly established themselves as a distinguished force, safeguarding us from various threats.

On this special occasion, I laud all the brave personnel of the force who, in the course of their duty, displayed unwavering professionalism, a deep love for our nation and indomitable courage.”

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah today inaugurated a Shri Ram Temple-themed Durga Puja pandal in Sealdah, West Bengal.

In his address on this occasion, Shri Amit Shah said that today he has come here only to seek the blessings of Maa Durga. He said that Maa Durga always fought to protect the truth and has killed many demons from Raktabeej to Shumbha-Nishumbha. Shri Shah said that these nine days are the days of festival for West Bengal when all the pandals across the Bengal are immersed in the devotion of the Maa Durga.

Union Home Minister said that during Navratri the entire country worships Maa Durga in different forms. In Gujarat, worship is done by decorating the Mandap of Maa Durga, in Eastern India, people worship Shakti in Durga Puja pandals and in North India also people worship Shakti through many rituals. Shri Amit Shah said that he has come to pray to Maa Durga for happiness, peace and prosperity for the people of the entire country including Bengal. He said that he also pray to Maa Durga to give the strength to end corruption, injustice and atrocities from Bengal soon. He added this Durga Pandal is spreading the message of Ram Mandir all across the world even before its completion in Ayodhya.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate the third edition of the Global Maritime India Summit (GMIS) 2023 on 17th October, 2023 at around 10:30 AM via video conferencing. The summit will be held from 17th to 19th October at MMRDA Grounds in Mumbai.

During the programme, Prime Minister will unveil ‘Amrit Kaal Vision 2047’, the long term blueprint for the Indian maritime blue economy. The blueprint outlines strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing port facilities, promoting sustainable practices, and facilitating international collaboration. In line with this futuristic plan, Prime Minister will inaugurate, dedicate to nation and lay the foundation stone of projects worth more than Rs 23,000 crore, that are aligned with the ‘Amrit Kaal Vision 2047’ for the Indian maritime blue economy.

Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of Tuna Tekra all-weather deep draft terminal, to be built at a cost of more than Rs. 4,500 crore at Deendayal Port Authority in Gujarat. This state-of-the-art greenfield terminal will be developed in PPP mode. The terminal, which is likely to emerge as an international trade hub, will handle next-gen vessels exceeding 18,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), and will act as a gateway for Indian trade via  India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC). Prime Minister will also dedicate more than 300 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) worth more than 7 lakh crore for global and national partnership in the maritime sector, during the programme.

The summit is the biggest Maritime Event in the country. It will witness participation of Ministers from across the globe representing countries from Europe, Africa, South America, Asia (including central Asia, Middle East and BIMSTEC region). The summit will also be attended by Global CEOs, Business leaders, Investors, Officials, and other stakeholders from across the world. Further, several Indian states will also be represented in the summit by the Ministers and other dignitaries.

The three day summit will discuss and deliberate key issues of the maritime sector including ports of the future; decarbonisation; coastal shipping & Inland water transportation; shipbuilding; repair and recycling; finance, insurance & arbitration; maritime clusters; innovation & technology; maritime safety and security; and maritime tourism, among others. The summit will also provide an excellent platform for attracting investment in the maritime sector of the country.

The first Maritime India summit was held in 2016 at Mumbai. The Second Maritime Summit was held virtually in 2021.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi congratulated Prime Minister elect Christopher Luxon for his party’s win in the New Zealand’s General election.

In a X post, the Prime Minister said;

“Heartiest congratulations to Prime Minister-elect @chrisluxonmp for his party’s win in the General Elections. Look forward to working together to further strengthen India-New Zealand ties.”

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah inaugurated Samau Shaheed Memorial and Library in Gandhinagar, Gujarat today.

At the beginning of his address, Shri Amit Shah wished all the countrymen a happy Navratri festival. He said that he had come to Samau during the last Navratri and performed Bhoomi Pujan of Shaheed Memorial and today, on the first day of Navratri, this Shaheed Memorial has been inaugurated. Shri Shah said that during the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji started initiatives to build memorials of countless unsung martyrs across the country who sacrificed their lives in the 90 years of freedom struggle from 1857 to 1947 and revive their history so that the youth and the new generation could draw inspiration from them. He said that 12 valiant heroes had sacrificed their lives during the freedom struggle in Samau in November, 1857, but there was no memorial for them till 2022-23. The memorial inaugurated today will serve to immortalize their stories of bravery. He said that he wrote a letter to the Chief Minister of Gujarat at that time that the Youth and Cultural Activities Department of the Gujarat Government should build a beautiful memorial with 12 pillars in the memory of those martyrs, so that when the national flag hoisting takes place on 15 August and 26 January every year, these martyrs are also respected. Along with this, a library should also be built to connect the youth with the history, language and culture of the country.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that Youth & Cultural Activities Department of the Government of Gujarat has created a library of complete Gujarati grammar books, for which they deserve applaud. He said that by bringing children and youth towards this library, the future of Gujarat and the entire country will be improved. Shri Shah said that countless martyrs have made supreme sacrifice for the freedom of the country and Gujarati language will keep that culture and spirit alive with pride. He said that this modern library also houses many books related to computer education in digital form.

Shri Amit Shah said that it is the responsibility of teachers to direct students, youth and children towards this library. He said that teachers should work towards making children knowledgeable about the subject in which they are interested, which will provide good citizens to Gujarat and the country. Shri Shah said that Shri Narendra Modi had started the Vanche Gujarat campaign here and at that time had planned to enrich all the libraries of entire Gujarat, with the same inspiration the library of Samau village has been built. Along with this, reading facility for 100 students has been provided in the library.

Union Home Minister said that when the national flag will be hoisted here on every 15th August and 26th January, the souls of those 12 martyrs will find eternal peace. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India of the dreams of martyrs will occupy the highest position in the world. Shri Shah said that recently many works like G20 conference, construction of new Parliament building, landing of India’s Chandrayaan on the Moon, 33 percent reservation for ‘matrishakti’ in Parliament and Legislative Assemblies have been done in the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

Shri Amit Shah told the youth of Samau that the government can provide facilities but the work of maintaining those facilities will have to be done by the villagers and local youth. He said that a beautiful garden, martyr memorial and library have been built by the Gujarat government at an expense of about Rs.2 crore and a committee of youth can be formed to take care of them. Shri Shah said that if the youth do not take up this responsibility then this entire system will not be able to function properly. He said that if the youth take up this responsibility, it will be a true tribute to those martyrs who made the supreme sacrifice for the freedom of the country. He said that we should carry forward the legacy of all those martyrs.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has greeted people on the auspicious occasion of Navratri. Prime Minister also prayed to Maa Durga to bring happiness, prosperity, good fortune and good health in everyone’s life.

Moreover Shri Modi also bows at the feet of Maa Shailputri on the first day of Navratri. He has also sought the strength and prosperity for the citizens.

In a series of X posts, the Prime Minister said;

“देशवासियों को नवरात्रि की ढेरों शुभकामनाएं। शक्ति प्रदायिनी मां दुर्गा हर किसी के जीवन में सुख-समृद्धि, सौभाग्य और उत्तम स्वास्थ्य लेकर आएं। जय माता दी!”

“नवरात्रि के पहले दिन मां शैलपुत्री के चरणों में कोटि-कोटि वंदन। उनसे प्रार्थना है कि वे देश के जन-जन को शक्ति और समृद्धि का आशीर्वाद दें।”