Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met H.E. Mr. David Hurley, Governor-General of Australia on 24 May 2023 at Admiralty House in Sydney, Australia.

Prime Minister recalled his meeting with the Governor-General in 2019 during the latter’s visit to India as Governor of New South Wales.

Both leaders discussed ways to strengthen the long-standing bilateral partnership.

Prime Minister recalled the positive contributions of the Indian community in Australia, and their role in fostering closer links between the two countries.

Prime Minister, along with H.E. Mr. Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia, addressed and interacted with a large gathering of Indian community members on 23 May 2023 at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.

The Indian diaspora, consisting of students, researchers, professionals and business persons, participated in the event with great enthusiasm. A number of Ministers, Members of Parliament and other dignitaries from Australia also participated in the event.

Both Prime Ministers jointly unveiled the foundation stone for a ‘Little India’ Gateway to be built in Harris Park in Parramatta, Western Sydney, which is home to a large Indian community.

In his address, Prime Minister Modi highlighted “Mutual Trust and Mutual Respect” as the foundation of the close historical ties between India and Australia, and underscored the numerous elements that bind the two countries. He lauded the contribution and success of the Indian community in Australia, calling them cultural and brand Ambassadors of India.

Prime Minister outlined India’s growing achievements on a global scale, and noted that the world was increasingly interested in India’s success stories. He highlighted the deepening engagement between India and Australia, and announced that an Indian Consulate would be opened in Brisbane.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah inaugurated a workshop on the ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’ in New Delhi today. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Nityanand Rai, Shri Ajay Kumar Mishra and Shri Nishith Pramanik, Union Home Secretary, DG, ITBP, District Collectors and District Development officers of the border districts under VVP and senior officers from M/o Home Affairs and several other Central ministries attended the workshop.

In his address, Shri Amit Shah said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has conceptualized ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’ with a lot of devotion and in spirit of the Constitution that every border village should get all facilities, similar to any other village in mainland. He said that since 2014, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi made a lot of efforts to improve the border infrastructure, followed by introducing several public welfare schemes for border villages and now launching the ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’ to stop migration from border villages.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the District Collectors in border districts under VVP should take at least 5 initiatives every year in every border village to give impetus to the Vibrant Villages Programme. These include–

1. 5 initiatives related to tourism
2. 5 initiatives related to generation of employment opportunities
3. 5 initiatives related to agriculture, handicrafts and cooperatives
4. 5 initiatives related to increasing basic facilities, and,
5. 5 initiatives to achieve 100% saturation of Central and State schemes.

Shri Shah said that VVP can truly be promoted and encouraged by giving emphasis on home stay facilities.

Shri Amit Shah said that there is ample scope for employment generation through Cooperatives in villages under VVP. He said that at least 30% of the daily expenditure of ITBP should be linked with rural employment opportunities. He said regular reviews at all levels regarding this should be held. Shri Shah said that special efforts should be made to establish connectivity with 168 unconnected border villages in 4 states and UTs.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the Government of India has spent more than Rs 25,000 crore on border infrastructure in the last 9 years. He said that 1134 kilometer long border road has been constructed and almost all check-posts have been completed. The Union Home Minister said that there are 3 main ways to develop the border villages, like, ensuring 100% saturation of public welfare schemes of the Government of India in villages, promoting financial inclusion and encouraging digital and sentimental connectivity of the villages with the rest of the country. He said that priority should be given to Vibrant Villages in mapping of schemes, both at Central and State level.

Shri Amit Shah said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has always maintained that the border villages are not the last villages of the country but the first villages. He said that security of our borders is the priority of the Modi government and it is linked with the national security and, without keeping the villages secured, we cannot keep our borders safe. Shri Shah said that developing Vibrant Villages will add an extra layer to the border security of the country. He said that the concept of VVP came into being with focus on 2 main aspects-

1. To stop migration from border villages situated at far-flung areas and with tough climatic conditions with a view at security, and, developing these villages and adding an extra layer of security.
2. According to the spirit of the Constitution of India, every village has equal right on resources of the country and no village should be deprived of such resources.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that an ‘I’ should be added to VVP, an acronym for ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’, to make it ‘VVIP’, which stands for ‘Very Very Important Programme’. He said that for decades after Independence, the citizens in border villages were left behind in the developmental process.

Shri Amit Shah said that now, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, time has come to provide all-inclusive development to all citizens of the country by providing them basic facilities like drinking water, electricity, healthcare facilities etc.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh and Union Minister of Culture, Tourism and the Development of the North Eastern Region, Shri G Kishan Reddy today addressed the side event on the theme ‘Promoting Incredible India through Film Tourism’ on the sidelines of 3^rd Tourism Working Group Meeting in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. The side event was also attended by Secretary Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India, Shri Apurva Chandra.

The side event on Tourism was aimed at furthering the scope of the Film Tourism sector and highlighting all the aspects of Incredible India.

During the event, Dr. Jitendra Singh said India is not far from getting an Oscar, having the best film production policies in place like the film facilitation process. India has no dearth of talent having the century old film legacy with leading names of Guru Dutt and Satyajit Ray who have been acknowledged for their art work despite no avenues and facilities, Dr. Singh added.

Dr. Singh hoped that the business community will help in scaling up the efforts already taken by the Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of I&B.

Dr. Jitendra Singh said, ease of film making and upgradation of the existing studios has to be pursued rigorously to support the film industry. Liberalisation of state regulations has to be taken up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to encourage film making throughout India, Dr. Singh added.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with H.E Mr. Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan, on 20 May 2023 on the sidelines of the G-7 Summit in Hiroshima.

This was their second meeting in 2023, following the visit of Prime Minister Kishida to India in March this year.

Prime Minister thanked Prime Minister Kishida for planting in Hiroshima the Bodhi sapling that had been gifted by Prime Minister Modi in March 2023.

Prime Minister recalled that the Indian Parliament commemorated every year the Hiroshima Day, and noted that Japanese diplomats were always present on the occasion.

The leaders discussed ways to synergise efforts of their respective G-20 and G-7 Presidencies. Prime Minister stressed the need to highlight the concerns and priorities of Global South.

The two leaders exchanged views on contemporary regional developments. They also discussed deepening cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

The leaders agreed on ways to further strengthen the bilateral Special Strategic and Global Partnership. Discussions focused on areas of education, skill development, tourism, Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE), green hydrogen, high technology, semiconductors and digital public infrastructure. Combating terrorism and reform of the United Nations was also discussed.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Mr. Emmanuel Macron, President of the Republic of France, on 20 May 2023 in Hiroshima on the sidelines of the G-7 Summit.

Prime Minister thanked President Macron for the invite as the Guest of Honour for Bastille Day on 14 July 2023.

The leaders reviewed with satisfaction the progress in their Strategic Partnership in various areas, including cooperation in trade & economic spheres; civil aviation; renewables; culture; co-production and manufacturing in defence sector; as well as civil nuclear cooperation. They agreed to expand the partnership to newer domains.

Prime Minister thanked President Macron for France’s support to India’s G20 Presidency. The leaders exchanged views on regional developments and global challenges.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi unveiled the bust of Mahatma Gandhi in Hiroshima, Japan on 20 May 2023.

Dignitaries present during the unveiling ceremony included H.E Mr. Nakatani Gen, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister and Member of Parliament; Mr. Kazumi Matsui, Mayor of Hiroshima City; Mr. Tatsunori Motani, Speaker of the Hiroshima City Assembly; Members of Parliament from Hiroshima and senior government officials; members of the Indian community; and followers of Mahatma Gandhi in Japan.

The Mahatma Gandhi bust has been gifted by the Government of India to the city of Hiroshima as a symbol of friendship and goodwill between India and Japan, on the occasion of the visit of the Prime Minister for the G-7 summit from 19-21 May 2023.

The 42 inches tall bronze bust has been sculpted by Padma Bhushan awardee Shri Ram Vanji Sutar. The bust site, adjacent to the Motoyasu River, is close to iconic A-Bomb Dome that is visited by thousands of people – locals and tourists alike – every day.

The location has been chosen as a mark of solidarity for peace and non-violence. Mahatma Gandhi dedicated his life to peace and non-violence. The location truly resonates with the principles and life of Gandhiji, which continue to inspire the world and its leaders.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah today laid the foundation stone of the permanent campus of National Academy of Coastal Policing (NACP) at Dwarka, Gujarat, to be built at a cost of Rs. 470 crore. Several dignitaries including Union Home Secretary and Director General of Border Security Force were present on the occasion.

In his address, Shri Amit Shah said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the work of  National Coastal Police Academy has been started today on more than 450 acres of land in order to further strengthen coastal security. He said that under the guidance of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the security of the country and the country’s borders has been strengthened and the citizens of the country feel safe. Shri Shah said that in order to strengthen the border security, it is necessary that the living and working facilities of our border guards improve, they get state-of-the-art equipment and taking care of the health of their family members. He said that the central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has left no stone unturned in these three areas and has tried to provide all kinds of facilities and state of art equipment to our security forces.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that recently the Indian Navy and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), with the help of India’s intelligence agencies, have seized drugs worth Rs. 12,000 crores off the coast of Kerala. He said that while drugs worth Rs. 680 crores were seized during the 10-year rule of the previous government, but Indian security agencies have seized drugs worth Rs 12,000 crore in a single consignment now, showcasing the preparedness of our agencies.

Shri Amit Shah said that today is the death anniversary of Shri Bipin Chandra Pal, one of the greatest freedom fighters among the Lal-Bal-Pal. Today is also the birth anniversary of Martyr Piru Singh, awarded with the Param Vir Chakra. Shri Piru Singh showcased immense bravery and protected the country without caring for his life. He said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has also named an island in Andaman and Nicobar as Shaheed Piru Singh Island in the memory of the martyr.

Union Home Minister said if the borders of a country are not secure, there is no meaning of development. He said that a country can remain secure only through foolproof security of its borders. Shri Shah said that India has 15,000 km long land border and 7,516 km long sea border. He said that out of 7,516 km long maritime border, 5,422 km is the mainland border and over 2,000 km is the border of the islands. There are 1,382 islands, 3,337 coastal villages, 11 major ports, 241 non-major ports, and 135 establishments including those of space, defense, atomic energy, petroleum, shipping etc. He said that earlier there was no special training system for all these security personnel, but after the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, the need for coherent response from jawans at every coastal police station, border security and Coast Guard was felt. Shri Shah said that this is possible only when the training for coastal security is arranged in a planned manner. He said that in 2018, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the National Coastal Police Academy and it was decided to establish it in the city of Lord Shri Krishna. He said that Dwarka means the gateway of the country and at that time Lord Shri Krishna came to this place from Mathura and built a big trade center across our sea border. Today, with the imagination of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the training for the coastal security of the entire nation is being provided in Okha, the land of Lord Shri Krishna.

Shri Amit Shah said that the total number of Coastal Police personnel in the entire country is around 12,000 and once this academy becomes fully operational, there will be arrangement for training of 3,000 people in an year. In this way, within 4 years, 100% training of all the personnel involved in the coastal security of India will be completed. He said that because of the vision and determination of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, an important task of ensuring coastal security is being initiated today.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that with about 56 crores cost, five different BSF company outposts and one observation post tower of 18th Corps were inaugurated today and our vigilant guards posted on the border will be able to live here with convenience and ensure the security of the country. He said that the people of the country sleep peacefully and consider the country safe because the BSF is deployed on the border. Shri Shah said that BSF has glorious history and  till the last drop of their blood was shed, BSF jawans have fought bravely for every inch of the country’s land. He said that on many occasions when the army takes over during the war, the BSF has to go back but there are many such occasions when the BSF jawans did not think it appropriate to go back, and they fought the enemies shoulder to shoulder with the army. Shri Shah said that this heroic story of BSF is known to every child of the country.

Shri Amit Shah said that a policy of maritime security has been adopted by the government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to make the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, Marine Police, Customs and fishermen a complete Sudarshan Chakra of security ring for India. He said that in the open sea, security is provided by the ships and aircraft of the Indian Navy. The security is handled by the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard in the middle seas, and in the territorial waters by the water wing of the BSF, whereas the patriotic fishermen in the village ensure the country’s security by acting as a channel of information. Shri Shah said that on all these dimensions, the Government of India has adopted a well-coordinated Coastal Security Policy and has worked to secure the country’s coasts through an integrated approach. He said that our country has suffered many consequences due to negligence in coastal security. No patriotic citizen can forget the 2008 Mumbai attack in which 166 innocent lives were lost due to a slight mistake. He said that after the policy of coastal security developed by the government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi if the enemy tries to carry out such incidents, he will get a befitting reply from here. Shri Shah said that this training is very important for this.

Union Home Minister said that this coastal security policy is based on several pillars. It includes coordination and communication in the matter of coastal security and intelligence, joint coastal patrols by setting protocols for patrolling at fixed time intervals, security of fishermen, giving more than 10 lakh Aadhaar cards with QR codes to fishermen, ensuring security arrangements at 1537 fish leading points and security at all fishing harbors built for Blue Economy. He said that by adding all these things an impregnable fort for coastal security has been established by the government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

Shri Amit Shah said that during the tenure of the previous government, Porbandar Jail had to be closed after issuing a notification and Porbandar had become the center of all kinds of thefts. He said that ever since the government led by Shri Narendra Modi came, the jail started again and the thieves fled from here. He said that Shri Narendra Modi secured Gujarat, be it the land border of Kutch, Sir Creek, Haraminala or the sea coast of Porbandar, or the sea coast of Dwarka-Okha-Jamnagar-Salaya. Shri Shah said that today by keeping all the state governments together Shri Narendra Modi, as the Prime Minister of the country, has established this training academy here to secure the country’s sea coasts.

The provisional payroll data of EPFO released on 20th May, 2023 highlights that EPFO has added 13.40 lakh net members in the month of March, 2023. During the financial year 2022-23, around 1.39 crore net members have been added by EPFO with an increase of 13.22% compared to the previous financial year 2021-22 wherein EPFO had added approximately 1.22 crore net members.

Out of 13.40 lakh members added during the month, around 7.58 lakh new members have come under ambit of EPFO for the first time. Among the newly joined members, highest enrolment is registered in the age-group of 18-21 years with 2.35 lakh members, followed by the age-group of 22-25 years with 1.94 lakh members. The age-groups of 18-25 years constitutes 56.60% of total new members added during the month. This age-wise comparison of payroll data indicates that majority of the members joining organised sector workforce of the country are first-time job seekers.

The data also highlights that approximately 10.09 lakh members re-joined EPFO membership. These members switched their jobs and re-joined the establishments covered under EPFO and opted to transfer their accumulations instead of applying for final settlement thus, extending their social security protection.

Gender-wise analysis of payroll data reflects that enrolment of net female members has been 2.57 lakh in March, 2023, which is around 19.21% of the net member addition for the month. Of these, 1.91 lakh female members are the new joinees. This is around 25.16% addition of all the new joinees.

State-wise payroll figures highlight that month-on-month growing trend in net member addition is reflected in the states of Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Mizoram, etc. In terms of net member addition, top 5 states are Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Haryana and Gujarat. These states together constitute 58.68% of net member addition during the month. Of all the states, Maharashtra is leading by adding 20.63% of net members followed by the state of Tamil Nadu with 10.83% during the month.

The classification of industry-wise payroll data indicates that ‘expert services’ (consisting of manpower suppliers, normal contractors, security services, miscellaneous activities etc.) constitutes 43.72% of total member addition during the month. Comparing industry-wise data with that of previous month, higher enrolments have been noticed in industries namely, ‘expert services’, ‘hotels’, ‘medical practitioners’, ‘banks other than nationalised banks’ etc.

The payroll data is provisional since the data generation is a continuous exercise, as updating employee record is a continuous process. The previous data hence gets updated every month. From the month of April-2018, EPFO has been releasing payroll data covering the period September, 2017 onwards. In monthly payroll data, the count of members joining EPFO for the first time through Aadhaar validated Universal Account Number (UAN), existing members exiting from coverage of EPFO and those who exited but re-joining as members, is taken to arrive at net monthly payroll.

EPFO is country’s principal organization responsible for providing social security benefits to the organized/semi-organized sector workforce covered under the statute of EPF & MP Act, 1952.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has lauded India’s Defence production crossing Rs 1 lakh crore mark for the first time ever.

In reply to a tweet by the Defence Minister, the Prime Minister tweeted:

“This is a feat that will bring a smile on every Indian’s face.

Congratulations to the people of India for showing unparalleled zeal in this sector. We are well on our way to grow even more in this sector.”

I will leave for Hiroshima, Japan to attend the G7 Summit under the Japanese Presidency at the invitation of H.E. Mr. Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan. It will be a pleasure to meet Prime Minister Kishida again after his recent visit to India for the India – Japan Summit. My presence in this G7 Summit is particularly meaningful as India holds the G20 Presidency this year. I look forward to exchanging views with the G7 countries and other invited partners on challenges that the world faces and the need to collectively address them. I would also be holding bilateral meetings with some of the leaders attending the Hiroshima G7 Summit.

From Japan, I will be visiting Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. This will be my first visit, as also the first ever visit by any Indian Prime Minister, to Papua New Guinea. I will host on 22 May 2023 the 3rd Summit of the Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC III Summit) jointly with H.E. Mr. James Marape, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea. I am grateful that all 14 Pacific Island Countries (PIC) have accepted the invitation to attend this important Summit. FIPIC had been launched during my visit to Fiji in 2014, and I look forward to engaging with the PIC Leaders on issues that bring us together, such as climate change and sustainable development, capacity building and training, health and well-being, infrastructure and economic development.

Apart from the FIPIC engagements, I look forward to my bilateral interactions with Papua New Guinea Governor General Sir Bob Dadae, Prime Minister Marape and some of the other PIC Leaders participating in the Summit.

Thereafter, I will be travelling to Sydney, Australia at the invitation of Prime Minister Albanese. I look forward to our bilateral meeting, which will be an opportunity to take stock of our bilateral ties and follow up on our first India-Australia Annual Summit held in New Delhi in March this year. I will also interact with Australian CEOs and business leaders, and meet the Indian community in Sydney at a special event.

“25% of the global energy demand growth in the next two decades is going to emanate out of India”, said the Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Housing & Urban Affairs  Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, while talking on the theme, ‘Ushering in a Sustainable Future’ at the Asian Petrochemical Industry Conference, at New Delhi, today.

Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers graced the occasion as the other speaker at the coveted Ministerial Panel of the two day International Petrochemical Industry Conference. Shri Pankaj Jain, Secretary (MoP&NG) apart from other senior functionaries from the Government, organizing members of CPMA, members from APIC partner countries – Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore Taiwan and Thailand were part of the august gathering.

Talking on energy availability, affordability and security for all, the Petroleum Minister said, “The market size of the Indian Chemicals and Petrochemicals sector is currently USD 190 Billion. This sector supports the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s initiative of Make in India and Make for the World, as it can transform India into a global manufacturing hub”. “India is not only the sixth largest chemicals producer in the World and the fourth in Asia but also exports Chemicals to more than 175 countries. It accounts for 13% of India’s total exports”, added Shri Puri.

(Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Housing & Urban Affairs Shri Hardeep Singh Puri along with other dignitaries at APIC -2023)

Talking about the growth of Petrochemical Sector in India, the Petroleum Minister said that it is governed by several factors, the most important of these is the increasing demand for petrochemical products from a growing population and a rapidly expanding economy. “The India petrochemical industry has come a long way from inception in the 1970s and is poised for transformational growth. It is expected to contribute almost 10% to the incremental growth in the global petrochemical demand in the coming years”, added Shri Hardeep Singh Puri.

Sharing some staggering facts, Shri Puri said, “Indian chemical sector continues to grow at a rate of 1.2-1.5 times the GDP.  Going forward, as the chemical market in India grows to USD 300 billion from the current valuation of USD 178 billion, we are expecting the coming decade to bring in investments worth more than USD 87 billion. India is expected to account for more than 10% of the world’s growth in petrochemicals”.

Highlighting the ease of doing business policies of Government of India, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri said, “The Government has instituted several policies to boost this sector including 100% FDI through automatic routes, PCPIR (Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Region) zones and set up of infrastructure such as 10+ plastic parks”.  Informing about the proposed new PCPIR policy, the Minister said that it would be implemented between 2020–35 and is expected to attract an approximate combined investment of over INR 34 lakh crores (USD 420 billion) for the sector.

Speaking on the promising investment opportunities in the Petrochemical Sector, the Petroleum Minister said that there are potential investment opportunities of USD 30 Billion in the decade to come and the Government of India is proactively addressing the present challenges and implementing several flagship initiatives to improve the overall competitiveness, quality and output of the industry. “The Chemicals & Petrochemicals demand in India is expected to nearly triple and reach USD 1 trillion by 2040”, shared Shri Puri.

In his concluding remarks the Petroleum Minister said, “About 80% of India’s petrochemicals capacity is integrated with petroleum refineries. This gives India an edge in terms of petrochemical feedstock certainty. We have increased India’s refining capacity from 215 MMTPA in 2013-14 to 251.2 MMTPA – the fourth largest in the world after the United States, China and Russia”.