Tag: Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav

  • Railways conducts test run of its longest freight train carrying 27,000 tonnes of coal

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Railways conducted a test run of the 3.5-km-long freight train, Super Vasuki, with 295 loaded wagons carrying over 27,000 tonnes of coal between Korba in Chhattisgarh and Rajnandgao in Nagpur on August 15, as part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations.

    The train run by the South East Central Railway left Korba at 13:50 and took 11.20 hours to cover the distance of 267 km.

    This is the longest and heaviest freight train ever run by the Railways, the national transporter said, adding the train takes about four minutes to cross a station.

    The amount of coal carried by Super Vasuki is enough to fire 3000 MW of power plant for one full day, officials said.

    This is three times the capacity of existing railway rakes (90 cars with 100 tonnes in each) which carries about 9,000 tonnes of coal in one journey.

    The train was formed by amalgamating five rakes of goods trains as one unit.

    The Railways plans to use this arrangement (longer freight trains) more frequently, especially to transport coal in peak demand season to prevent fuel shortages of power stations, the officials said.

    Earlier this year, coal shortages had pushed the country into a severe power crisis.

    NEW DELHI: The Railways conducted a test run of the 3.5-km-long freight train, Super Vasuki, with 295 loaded wagons carrying over 27,000 tonnes of coal between Korba in Chhattisgarh and Rajnandgao in Nagpur on August 15, as part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations.

    The train run by the South East Central Railway left Korba at 13:50 and took 11.20 hours to cover the distance of 267 km.

    This is the longest and heaviest freight train ever run by the Railways, the national transporter said, adding the train takes about four minutes to cross a station.

    The amount of coal carried by Super Vasuki is enough to fire 3000 MW of power plant for one full day, officials said.

    This is three times the capacity of existing railway rakes (90 cars with 100 tonnes in each) which carries about 9,000 tonnes of coal in one journey.

    The train was formed by amalgamating five rakes of goods trains as one unit.

    The Railways plans to use this arrangement (longer freight trains) more frequently, especially to transport coal in peak demand season to prevent fuel shortages of power stations, the officials said.

    Earlier this year, coal shortages had pushed the country into a severe power crisis.

  • ‘Bankipore Jail, Patna Collectorate should have been saved, celebrated on Azadi fest’

    By PTI

    PATNA: A historic jail in which numerous freedom fighters were imprisoned, Dutch-era Patna Collectorate that witnessed the 1857 Mutiny and other landmarks in the city associated with India’s struggle for ‘Azadi’ should have been preserved and celebrated today, many heritage lovers said on the eve of Independence Day.

    As India is all geared up to mark the 75th anniversary of Independence on Monday, many people, including commoners and domain experts, on Sunday lamented that the 19th-century Bankipore Central Jail, 1885-built Anjuman Islamia Hall, centuries-old Collectorate, among other heritage buildings, in the Bihar capital, have been demolished in the last decade or so.

    Identified with its characteristic red-brick structure and turrets serving as watchtowers, the landmark jail, located on Fraser Road near the Patna Junction, was razed in 2010 to make way for the sprawling Buddha Smriti Park.

    Amid an outcry from a few quarters, a small portion of it was preserved in the verdant surroundings of the park.

    A plaque installed near it reads, “Remains of the Bankipore Jail – First reference in archival records 1895. Shifted in the year 1994. Many freedom fighters were imprisoned here.”

    Many nationalist leaders and freedom fighters were incarcerated in it from time to time, including during the Quit India movement that began in August 1942 on Mahatma Gandh’s call.

    Congress leader Rajendra Prasad, who later became India’s first president in 1950, was also kept in this jail by the British government.

    His granddaughter Tara Sinha in his biography, has a chapter on his life in Bankipore Jail, and says Prasad was imprisoned there from “August 9, 1942 to June 5, 1945”.

    “Prison life is bound to be irksome in so far as it deprives one of freedom, but I should say that I did not, after all, have a bad time in Bankipore Jail,” Rajendra Prasad: A Brief Biography quotes Prasad in the chapter.

    According to the book ‘Builders of Modern India – Rajendra Prasad’ by renowned scholar Kali Kinkar Datta, when members of an official committee visited the old jail in Patna and asked if he wanted to be released, Prasad had replied, “Not, until and unless all the others were released”.

    Heritage lovers from Delhi to Patna, including scholars and conservation architects, said the preservation of built heritage is essential to “keep these stories of freedom struggle alive” and demolishing the jail or other structures having an association with it, was a “grave mistake”.

    Some suggested that the Bankipore Central Jail could have been turned into a tourist attraction on the lines of the historic Cellular Jail in Port Blair.

    Patna native and research scholar Pushkar Raj said he felt distressed over a “wave of demolition” of heritage buildings that have taken place in the city in the last 10-12 years, the latest being the historic centuries-old Patna Collectorate, a cluster of old buildings from Dutch era as well as British period, located on the banks of Ganga.

    “The Collectorate’s buildings had seen the Dutch trade and the British rule here. Its walls, literally have heard those stories and seen and witnessed so much history in the past few centuries. These buildings should have been preserved and celebrated today by both the government as well as people, especially when India is celebrating 75 years of Independence and the legacy of freedom fighters, ” he said.

    The Collectorate has also been a silent witness to the 1857 Mutiny — India’s First War of Independence; it has seen the birth of Bihar and Orissa as a separate province when Patna turned into its capital; its buildings have seen two World Wars, weathered deadly earthquakes and witnessed the “dawn of Independence on August 15, 1947”, when the Union Jack on its top was replaced with the Indian tricolour, heritage lovers said.

    On this 75th anniversary of Azadi, citizens must also pledge to work together to “reverse this trend of demolition” in Patna, they said.

    But, it was not just the central jail where so much of history happened during the freedom struggle that Patna has lost, as the Anjuman Islamia Hall on the Ashok Rajpath was demolished in December 2018 for a new complex.

    “Anjuman Islamia Hall was a historic building, established when even the modern province of Bihar was not born. So, many legendary personalities associated with the freedom movement have visited the Hall and addressed people, and many key conferences and other events had taken place in it. It was a priceless heritage. The new building will carry its name, but not its legacy,” said Bihar-born Md Umar Ashraf, a heritage enthusiast.

    A senior government official said Independence Day will be celebrated with great patriotic fervour and spirit, and many public buildings will be lit up such as Patna DM House, Patna Commissioner’s Office Building, both British-era structures; Gyan Bhawan, Bapu Sabhagar, and S K Memorial Hall.

    Short videos on some of the freedom fighters from Bihar have also been released by the state government on the occasion.

    Conservation architect Amrita Jena said Patna is a historic city, and built heritage has to be preserved as they are our “windows to the past” and “tangible remains of an era gone by”, and demolishing them means closing those windows forever.

    “Demolition of the historic jail or the Patna Collectorate was definitely a lost opportunity, as these could have been preserved, restored, reused and showcased today when India marks 75 years of its Independence. New projects could have been built elsewhere, but not at the cost of heritage, ” she said.

    PATNA: A historic jail in which numerous freedom fighters were imprisoned, Dutch-era Patna Collectorate that witnessed the 1857 Mutiny and other landmarks in the city associated with India’s struggle for ‘Azadi’ should have been preserved and celebrated today, many heritage lovers said on the eve of Independence Day.

    As India is all geared up to mark the 75th anniversary of Independence on Monday, many people, including commoners and domain experts, on Sunday lamented that the 19th-century Bankipore Central Jail, 1885-built Anjuman Islamia Hall, centuries-old Collectorate, among other heritage buildings, in the Bihar capital, have been demolished in the last decade or so.

    Identified with its characteristic red-brick structure and turrets serving as watchtowers, the landmark jail, located on Fraser Road near the Patna Junction, was razed in 2010 to make way for the sprawling Buddha Smriti Park.

    Amid an outcry from a few quarters, a small portion of it was preserved in the verdant surroundings of the park.

    A plaque installed near it reads, “Remains of the Bankipore Jail – First reference in archival records 1895. Shifted in the year 1994. Many freedom fighters were imprisoned here.”

    Many nationalist leaders and freedom fighters were incarcerated in it from time to time, including during the Quit India movement that began in August 1942 on Mahatma Gandh’s call.

    Congress leader Rajendra Prasad, who later became India’s first president in 1950, was also kept in this jail by the British government.

    His granddaughter Tara Sinha in his biography, has a chapter on his life in Bankipore Jail, and says Prasad was imprisoned there from “August 9, 1942 to June 5, 1945”.

    “Prison life is bound to be irksome in so far as it deprives one of freedom, but I should say that I did not, after all, have a bad time in Bankipore Jail,” Rajendra Prasad: A Brief Biography quotes Prasad in the chapter.

    According to the book ‘Builders of Modern India – Rajendra Prasad’ by renowned scholar Kali Kinkar Datta, when members of an official committee visited the old jail in Patna and asked if he wanted to be released, Prasad had replied, “Not, until and unless all the others were released”.

    Heritage lovers from Delhi to Patna, including scholars and conservation architects, said the preservation of built heritage is essential to “keep these stories of freedom struggle alive” and demolishing the jail or other structures having an association with it, was a “grave mistake”.

    Some suggested that the Bankipore Central Jail could have been turned into a tourist attraction on the lines of the historic Cellular Jail in Port Blair.

    Patna native and research scholar Pushkar Raj said he felt distressed over a “wave of demolition” of heritage buildings that have taken place in the city in the last 10-12 years, the latest being the historic centuries-old Patna Collectorate, a cluster of old buildings from Dutch era as well as British period, located on the banks of Ganga.

    “The Collectorate’s buildings had seen the Dutch trade and the British rule here. Its walls, literally have heard those stories and seen and witnessed so much history in the past few centuries. These buildings should have been preserved and celebrated today by both the government as well as people, especially when India is celebrating 75 years of Independence and the legacy of freedom fighters, ” he said.

    The Collectorate has also been a silent witness to the 1857 Mutiny — India’s First War of Independence; it has seen the birth of Bihar and Orissa as a separate province when Patna turned into its capital; its buildings have seen two World Wars, weathered deadly earthquakes and witnessed the “dawn of Independence on August 15, 1947”, when the Union Jack on its top was replaced with the Indian tricolour, heritage lovers said.

    On this 75th anniversary of Azadi, citizens must also pledge to work together to “reverse this trend of demolition” in Patna, they said.

    But, it was not just the central jail where so much of history happened during the freedom struggle that Patna has lost, as the Anjuman Islamia Hall on the Ashok Rajpath was demolished in December 2018 for a new complex.

    “Anjuman Islamia Hall was a historic building, established when even the modern province of Bihar was not born. So, many legendary personalities associated with the freedom movement have visited the Hall and addressed people, and many key conferences and other events had taken place in it. It was a priceless heritage. The new building will carry its name, but not its legacy,” said Bihar-born Md Umar Ashraf, a heritage enthusiast.

    A senior government official said Independence Day will be celebrated with great patriotic fervour and spirit, and many public buildings will be lit up such as Patna DM House, Patna Commissioner’s Office Building, both British-era structures; Gyan Bhawan, Bapu Sabhagar, and S K Memorial Hall.

    Short videos on some of the freedom fighters from Bihar have also been released by the state government on the occasion.

    Conservation architect Amrita Jena said Patna is a historic city, and built heritage has to be preserved as they are our “windows to the past” and “tangible remains of an era gone by”, and demolishing them means closing those windows forever.

    “Demolition of the historic jail or the Patna Collectorate was definitely a lost opportunity, as these could have been preserved, restored, reused and showcased today when India marks 75 years of its Independence. New projects could have been built elsewhere, but not at the cost of heritage, ” she said.

  • Union Minister Subhas Sarkar accuses Mamata government of ‘not allowing’ him to hoist national flag

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Union Minister Subhas Sarkar on Saturday alleged that he was “not allowed” by the West Bengal government to hoist the national flag at a correctional home in Paschim Medinipur district as part of the Centre’s ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ initiatives.

    He claimed that the state officials were initiated about his visit to the Midnapore Central Correctional Home but he found “no arrangements were made to hoist the tricolour” there.

    “When I stepped into the premises, I found no arrangements were made to hoist the national flag.

    It shows the West Bengal government’s apathy and indifference towards the sacrifice of our heroes,” he told reporters outside the jail compound.

    Sarkar, the union minister of state for education, said he would not blame the correctional home authorities as they “followed the directives of the state government and there was apparently no communication about the August 13 programme”.

    “Despite all official communication, including my telephonic talk with the chief secretary, I was not given permission to celebrate the event and pay my tributes to the martyrs of West Bengal at the Midnapore Central Jail (Midnapore Central Correctional Home),” he posted on his official Facebook page.

    ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and ‘Har ghar tiranga’ initiatives have been taken by the Centre to celebrate 75 years of Independence.

    Responding to Sarkar’s comments, TMC spokesperson Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said “nothing could be more ridiculous than such a statement on his part.”

    The TMC’s Rajya Sabha MP claimed that Sarkar created the controversy to show the state government in poor light as “everywhere in the state, arrangements are made to hoist the tricolour”.

    “We should not learn about patriotism or how to show respect to the country’s freedom fighters from the BJP,” he added.

    KOLKATA: Union Minister Subhas Sarkar on Saturday alleged that he was “not allowed” by the West Bengal government to hoist the national flag at a correctional home in Paschim Medinipur district as part of the Centre’s ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ initiatives.

    He claimed that the state officials were initiated about his visit to the Midnapore Central Correctional Home but he found “no arrangements were made to hoist the tricolour” there.

    “When I stepped into the premises, I found no arrangements were made to hoist the national flag.

    It shows the West Bengal government’s apathy and indifference towards the sacrifice of our heroes,” he told reporters outside the jail compound.

    Sarkar, the union minister of state for education, said he would not blame the correctional home authorities as they “followed the directives of the state government and there was apparently no communication about the August 13 programme”.

    “Despite all official communication, including my telephonic talk with the chief secretary, I was not given permission to celebrate the event and pay my tributes to the martyrs of West Bengal at the Midnapore Central Jail (Midnapore Central Correctional Home),” he posted on his official Facebook page.

    ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and ‘Har ghar tiranga’ initiatives have been taken by the Centre to celebrate 75 years of Independence.

    Responding to Sarkar’s comments, TMC spokesperson Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said “nothing could be more ridiculous than such a statement on his part.”

    The TMC’s Rajya Sabha MP claimed that Sarkar created the controversy to show the state government in poor light as “everywhere in the state, arrangements are made to hoist the tricolour”.

    “We should not learn about patriotism or how to show respect to the country’s freedom fighters from the BJP,” he added.

  • Chhattisgarh: Civic contract labourer electrocuted while setting up Tricolour in Koriya 

    By PTI

    KORBA: A 36-year-old contract labourer with the local civic body was electrocuted on Saturday in Chhattisgarh’s Koriya district while erecting the Tricolour as part of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations, a police official said.

    The incident took place at Pratiksha bus stand in the morning when the deceased, identified as Suman Tigga, was erecting the national flag on a mast along with another labourer, said Manendragarh Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Rakesh Kurre.

    “His colleague Ramkripal Singh (35) suffered injuries and is hospitalised. A group of labourers protested the death of Tigga. The situation was brought under control after Rs 1 lakh was paid as compensation to the deceased’s kin,” the SDOP said.

    KORBA: A 36-year-old contract labourer with the local civic body was electrocuted on Saturday in Chhattisgarh’s Koriya district while erecting the Tricolour as part of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations, a police official said.

    The incident took place at Pratiksha bus stand in the morning when the deceased, identified as Suman Tigga, was erecting the national flag on a mast along with another labourer, said Manendragarh Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Rakesh Kurre.

    “His colleague Ramkripal Singh (35) suffered injuries and is hospitalised. A group of labourers protested the death of Tigga. The situation was brought under control after Rs 1 lakh was paid as compensation to the deceased’s kin,” the SDOP said.

  • Constitution Day to be celebrated in Parliament’s Central Hall on November 26

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: As part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the Constitution Day will be celebrated in the Central Hall of Parliament on November 26 and President Ram Nath Kovind will preside over the event, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Tuesday.

    Addressing a press conference about the event, Joshi said the main event will be attended by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and various other dignitaries.

    The event is being organised by the Lok Sabha Secretariat and Speaker, the parliamentary affairs minister said.

    According to Joshi, the preamble of the Constitution will be recited during the event.

    A call has been made to the public to read the preamble en masse along with the president through various modes such as radio, TV, and social media, he said.

    He further said to make the celebrations a public campaign and ensure Jan Bhagidari, the ministry has developed two portals on — “online reading of the preamble to the Constitution” in 23 languages and “online quiz on Constitutional democracy”.

    Celebration of Constitution Day was started in 2015 by Modi.

    This time, the main function in the central hall will be organised by Lok Sabha Secretariat, Joshi said.

    Asked about the bill to be tabled by the government in the upcoming winter session of Parliament for repealing the three agri laws, Joshi said the prime minister has already made the announcement and the agriculture ministry is deliberating on it.

    Modi on Friday announced his government’s decision to repeal the three farm laws over which the farmers have been protesting for almost a year at Delhi’s borders.

    Despite the climbdown by the government, farmer unions have said they will continue their agitation on other demands, including an MSP law and the dismissal of Union minister Ajay Mishra over last month’s violence in Lakhimpur Kheri.

  • India 2.0 postcard: Campaign to seek views of youths on India at 100 years of freedom

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The Central government will launch the ‘India 2.0 postcard’ campaign to seek views of youths and students on how they want to see the nation in 2047 – when the country completes 100 years of independence.

    The government will encourage them to send suggestions through postcards printed specially for the purpose. Officials of the Culture Ministry, which is leading the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav programme, said that the initiative would also enable youths and students to discuss the struggle made for freedom by the countrymen.

    Dates haven’t been decided yet, but the campaign will run sometime in January. “We will request children to write postcards to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on discussions related to freedom that took place around them, in their families. And what kind of development do they want in the country. They will send us postcards and the government will collate their ideas and process them through artificial algorithms and pull out things that people want to happen for 2047,” said an official.

    This campaign is called ‘Ideas at 75’, which is one of themes of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, launched to celebrate 75 years of independence. Officials said that suggestions from youths would help the government understand how to work on development and sustainability.

  • Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav: Portal on unsung heroes of freedom movement

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  With Centre holding various activities to celebrate 75th anniversary of India’s Independence, the culture ministry is creating a digital repository of ‘unsung heroes’ who participated in the freedom struggle at local levels.

    The ministry has asked district collectors in all states to send details of freedom fighters from their areas who have remained ‘unknown’ and found no mention in history books. Ministry officials said seeking names from each district is done to enhance public participation in the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, as sought by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    “To identify unknown people who are part of our glorious history, the process has been expanded. We have written to district collectors across states and sought information on unsung heroes,” said the official.

    The ministry is also seeking names and histories of small monuments or historical sites related to the freedom struggle.

    All information collected will be uploaded on the portal and mobile application — Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav — developed by the ministry. The 75-week celebrations began in March. The programme will continue till August 15, 2023.

    “If any incident happened in their district or there exists a small monument, which has association with the Independence struggle but it is felt that references about them are not available in history records and people don’t have knowledge about them, we are creating a repository on the portal,” said Rohit Kumar Singh, additional secretary, ministry of culture, last week.

    The ministry has received responses from over 100 districts.

  • Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav: Jury to pick 75 creative minds for film festival

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  To select 75 creative and budding filmmakers, the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has set up a grand jury and selection jury. Selected youngsters will be invited to attend the India International Film Festival in Goa.  

    The grand jury comprises prominent Hindi film personalities — lyricist Prasoon Joshi (also the chairman of Central Board of Film Certification), Ketan Mehta (director), Shankar Mahadevan (composer and singer), Manoj Bajpayee (actor), Rasul Pookutty (sound recordist), and Vipul Amrutlal Shah (producer and director).

    Under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and with an endeavour to encourage young filmmakers, the IFFI had invited applications to pick 75 creative minds’.  

    Those chosen will also be given access to the master classes or in-conversation sessions and get an opportunity to interact with industry leaders along with other activities. The IFFI will bear the cost of their travel and accommodation, said a statement issued by the ministry.

    The selection jury has Vani Tripathi Tikoo (producer and actor,  also member of CBFC), Anant Vijay (writer), Yatindra Mishra (author and writer), Sanjay Puran Singh (filmmaker) and Sachin Khedekar (actor/director).

    Last month, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur had said that the 52nd edition of IFFI would provide a platform to young budding talent.

  • 75 years of India’s Independence: Azadi celebration plan gets Centre’s approval

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The mega celebrations to commemorate 75 years of India’s independence — Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav — is set to gather pace in coming months with the Central government appointed a committee, set up for the purpose of approving the event calendar for the next 12 weeks.

    The government officials said besides multiple cultural and literary functions in states, five ‘big’ events are planned for every month, starting November 15.

    Highlight of the series of programmes will be Birsa Munda anniversary and tribal festival (November 15-22) being curated to acknowledge contribution of tribes in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha, three-day Kashi Utsav in Varanasi (November 16-18), Northeast festival in Guwahati or Shillong (27 November-3 December), commemoration of first war of independence in Meerut (December 17), Mahaparinirvan Diwas — death anniversary of Bhim Rao Ambedkar (December 6), Good governance week (December 20-26) across states, Golden Jubilee anniversary of Indo-Pak 1971 war (December 13-19) and tribute to martyrs on January 26.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend at least five events including the event scheduled to commemorate first war of independence, Mahaparinirvan Diwas, National Girl Child Day on January 24, and Kashi Utsav.

    The committee headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah accorded approval to the proposed events which will have dignitaries such as the President of India and ministers in attendance.    

    The ministries and Indian missions abroad have been entrusted with responsibility of different programmes for effective execution, said officials.

    ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ is an initiative of the Government of India to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of progressive India and the glorious history of its people, culture and achievements. The ministry of culture is the nodal agency for the same and has been leading several events.

    To ensure public participation in the celebrations and enhance their scale, categories of citizens such as students, youth, child rights activists, academicians, and families of martyrs have also been clearly defined for each event.

    The Panchayati Raj Ministry has been requested to popularise events at grass root level and Ministry of External Affairs will ensure diaspora participation and social media outreach abroad.

    The first set of programmes — celebrate contribution of tribes of India — is starting from November 15, which will be led by the ministry of tribal affairs.

    Event around tribal entrepreneurship with focus on tribal and forest ecosystems is planned for week-long celebrations. The high point of the series will be the inauguration of Birsa Munda Museum in Ranchi.     

  • Consumption of generic medicines up by 10 per cent: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya

    By Express News Service

    BENGALURU : In all, 8,361 Jan Aushadi Kendras have been set up till date that provide good quality medicines to the poor at affordable prices, said Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, here on Sunday.

    At an event, ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, organised by the Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Bureau of India, which falls under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Central Government, he said that prices of medicines at these Kendras are 50-90 per cent lower than that of branded drugs in the open market.

    The scheme was launched in 2008 and reinvented in 2013. The number of people consuming generic medicines has increased from 2 per cent to 10 per cent in the country, he said. A generic drug is the same as a branded drug in terms of dosage, safety, efficacy, route of administration, quality and performance.

    “The rich can afford treatment easily, but the poor cannot purchase medicines that run into thousands of rupees. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, these Kendras were improved to give patients lifelong medications for diseases such as BP, diabetes and cancer,” he said.

    Opening these centres is a business opportunity and a way to serve the poor as well. The store owners get a commission of 20 per cent and financial assistance of Rs 3 lakh to set up the shop.

    The incentive provided to Kendra owners has been enhanced to Rs 5 lakh to be given at 15 per cent of monthly purchases made, subject to a ceiling of Rs 15,000 per month. “These norms are in place so that the centre does not shut down due to poor profit margin,” said Mandaviya. 

    Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said there are 62 Jan Aushadi Kendra in MP Tejasvi Surya’s Bengaluru South constituency that will be increased to 100. MLA Ravi Subramanya said the scheme was the goal of former Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers Ananth Kumar. 

    Senior citizens were given health kits at the event and Jan Aushadi Mitras were felicitated. These Mitras deliver medicines at people’s doorsteps.