Tag: Government

  • Modi 3.0: Akhilesh Yadav takes jibe at Modi 3.0, says “government stuck in limbo…”

    LUCKNOW: Ahead of Narendra Modi being sworn in as Prime Minister for the third consecutive term on Sunday, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav took a dig at Modi 3.0, stating that a government stuck in limbo is not a government.In a post in Hindi on social media platform X the SP chief Akhilesh Yadav wrote, “Upar se juda koi taar nahin, neeche koi adhaar nahin, adhar mein joh ataki hue woh toh koi sarkaar nahin (The government stuck in limbo is not a government).”Newly elected members of parliament who are among those probable to be included in the new Cabinet and Council of Ministers of Narendra Modi-led government were on Sunday afternoon invited for high tea at the Prime Minister’s residence ahead of the oath-taking ceremony later this evening.Modi will be sworn in as the Prime Minister of India for a historic third time today at 7:15 pm.AllUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduWest BengalBiharKarnatakaAndhra PradeshTelanganaKeralaMadhya PradeshRajasthanDelhiOther StatesBJP leaders Nirmala Sitharaman and Sarbananda Sonowal were seen arriving at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, the residence of Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi to attend the tea meeting.BJP leaders Amit Shah, JP Nadda, Rajnath Singh, Kiren Rijiju, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Manohar Lal Khattar, Shivraj Singh Chouhan were among others who arrived for the tea meeting.The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) unanimously passed a resolution to elect Narendra Modi as their leader on June 5.Earlier on June 9, according to sources in the Samajwadi Party, seven SP MLAs, including Chief Whip Manoj Pandey, surprised the party by supporting the BJP’s candidate during the Rajya Sabha elections.

    Following this, Yadav has initiated steps to revoke the membership of these seven MLAs, for which an official letter is also being prepared by the party, which will soon be submitted to the UP Legislative Assembly Speaker by the Samajwadi Party.

    The list of these seven MLAs includes Rakesh Pratap Singh from Amethi Gauriganj, Manoj Pandey from Raebareli Unchahar, Rakesh Pandey from Ambedkarnagar, Pooja Pal from Prayag, Vinod Chaturvedi, Ashutosh Verma, and Abhay Singh.

    According to the Election Commission of India, the Samajwadi Party (SP) won 37 seats, the BJP won 33, Congress won 6, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) won 2, and Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) and Apna Dal (Soneylal) won 1 seat each in the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh. (ANI)

  • NDA starts govt formation; Nitish, Tejashwi share flight: Key highlights from day after Lok Sabha election results

    Government formation preparations commenced on Wednesday, as the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) unanimously elected Narendra Modi as its leader. Concurrently, the opposition INDIA bloc indicated its intention to take necessary actions to reflect the people’s desire for a change in governance. Separate meetings were held by both ruling and opposition alliances at the Prime Minister’s residence and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence, respectively, in the evening. These meetings followed the clear majority secured by the BJP-led NDA in the recent election results.Clear majority secured by NDA, INDIA bloc’s notable performanceThe BJP won 240 Lok Sabha seats, contributing to the NDA’s total of 293 seats. This tally comfortably surpasses the majority mark of 272 in the 543-member House, paving the way for Modi to assume office for a third consecutive term—an unprecedented achievement for any ruling alliance since 1962. Similarly, the opposition INDIA bloc is energised by its notable performance, having secured 234 seats. Nitish, Tejashwi on same flight, spark speculationAllUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduWest BengalBiharKarnatakaAndhra PradeshTelanganaKeralaMadhya PradeshRajasthanDelhiOther States

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    Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar and former Deputy CM Tejashwi Prasad Yadav of RJD were spotted on the same flight from Patna to Delhi on Wednesday, heading to their respective NDA and INDIA bloc meetings. Their presence together on the flight, with Nitish Kumar greeting his former deputy seated behind him, sparked speculation about potential shifts in political alliances. Images of the encounter circulated widely on social media, leading to discussions about Nitish possibly rejoining the INDIA bloc, which he helped form before leaving the JD(U)-RJD-Congress coalition earlier this year to rejoin the BJP-led NDA. While spokespeople for both parties dismissed the encounter as a coincidence, Tejashwi hinted at future developments, urging patience and suggesting that observers wait and see how things unfold.NDA meeting on June 5, 2024Setting the tone for his third straight term as the head of a coalition government, Prime Minister Modi chaired a meeting of the leaders of NDA parties who unanimously elected him as its leader.”Met our valued NDA partners. Ours is an alliance that will further national progress and fulfil regional aspirations. We will serve the 140 crore people of India and work towards building a Viksit Bharat,” Prime Minister Modi said on X after the meeting. At the NDA meeting at PM’s residence, TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, LJP(R) leader Chirag Paswan, JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, Jana Sena’s Pawan Kalyan, AGP’s Atul Bora and NCP’s Praful Patel were among the 21 leaders from 16 parties present. The meeting was also attended by BJP’s Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and J P Nadda.

    Asked by a reporter if he is in the NDA, Naidu shot back,”We contested the elections together. Why do you doubt.”

    NDA MPs to formally elect Modi as leader on June 7The NDA MPs will meet on June 7 to formally elect Modi as their leader and the alliance leaders will then meet the President of India to submit their letters of support, HAM (Secular) leader and former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi said after attending the meeting.

    Modi’s oath ceremony The new government may be sworn in over the weekend, sources said, adding that there is a view to wrap up the formalities quickly to not allow any mood of uncertainty to build up, something a buoyant opposition may push.

    INDIA bloc in “wait and watch” modeWith the numbers stacked in favour of the ruling NDA, the INDIA bloc indicated a “wait and watch” approach after its old allies Nitish Kumar and N Chandrababu Naidu, who are now in the NDA, did not reciprocate to overtures and threw their weight behind Modi.

    After nearly two-hour deliberations with other INDIA bloc parties, Kharge said the opposition leaders resolved to continue their fight against the “fascist rule of the BJP led by Modi” even as they thanked the people for their overwhelming support to the bloc.

    “We will take appropriate steps at the appropriate time to realise people’s desire not to be ruled by the BJP’s government,” Kharge said while reading out a statement adopted by all the alliance constituents after the deliberations at his residence.

    He said the decision has been taken by all constituents of the INDIA bloc in one voice.

    The joint statement indicated that the alliance is keeping its options open while choosing not to stake a claim at government formation for now.

    The Congress president had convened the meeting to discuss the political situation and the election results, explore any possibility of government formation and whether to reach out to their old partners Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu.

    Kharge said that the opposition would continue to work together and would definitely stand by the promises made to the people and keep them.

    “The constituents of the INDIA bloc thank the people of India for their overwhelming support. The people’s mandate has been a befitting reply to the BJP and their politics of hate, corruption and deprivation,” Kharge said.

    “This is a mandate in defence of the Constitution of India, and against price rise, unemployment and crony capitalism and also to save democracy,” Kharge added while announcing the decision of the alliance partners.

    In his opening remarks, Kharge said the alliance welcomes all parties that share its fundamental commitment to the values enshrined in the Preamble to the Constitution and to its many provisions for economic, social and political justice.

    Kharge, flanked by former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, NCP (SCP) president Sharad Pawar, TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and other leaders including Sharad Pawar, Sitaram Yechury, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, Champai Soren, Raghav Chadha, Sanjay Singh, D Raja and Sanjay Raut, said the grouping will continue to fight against the “fascist rule” of the BJP.

    “The people’s mandate has given a befitting reply to the BJP and their politics of hate, corruption and deprivation. This is a political and moral defeat of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Kharge said.

    A resolution was passed at the NDA meeting which said the alliance government will continue working to lift people’s living standards for the country’s all-round development while conserving its heritage.

    “We are all proud that the NDA fought the 2024 Lok Sabha polls unitedly under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and won. We all NDA leaders unanimously elect Narendra Modi as our leader,” it added.

    NDA resolves to continue development agenda under Modi’s leadershipThe resolution also said that people have seen the country being developed in every sector in the last 10 years due to the pro-people policies of the NDA government under Modi.

    Janata Dal (United) leader Sanjay Jha, who was present in the meeting, said the formalities related to the formation of the government at the Centre under Modi are expected to be over soon.

    However, it will be a different act for him this time as the BJP has fallen well short of the majority and depends on allies for the government-formation after enjoying a comfortable majority on its own in the previous two terms of his government.

    Hosting the meeting, the BJP presented a picture of collective partnership with its allies with Naidu, Kumar and Shinde seated to the left of Modi while Nadda, Singh and Shah flanked the prime minister on his right.

    In terms of their parties’ strength, Naidu, Kumar and Shinde are the three biggest NDA constituents in that order after the BJP.

    The parties of Naidu and Kumar, who together command the support of 28 MPs, have rubbished speculation on their future moves.

    Naidu has reiterated his support to the BJP, a view echoed by JD(U)’s Jha as well.

    All leaders congratulated the PM for his leadership and the strides our nation has made under him. They appreciated the PM’s hard work and efforts in nation-building, he said.

    Modi hails historic NDA mandateDuring the meeting, Modi emphasised the significance of the historic mandate for the NDA’s third consecutive government, highlighting that such a mandate hadn’t been seen in the country for over 60 years. His allies commended Modi for his vision of “Viksit Bharat” and affirmed their partnership in this endeavour. Additionally, they praised his efforts in enhancing India’s global stature and tackling poverty, expressing their commitment to sustaining these initiatives.

    Inputs from PTI

  • Karnataka: CM Siddaramaiah asks banks not to adjust drought relief funds against farm loan dues

    Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday asked banks not to adjust drought relief funds the government has released to individual farmers through a direct benefit transfer (DBT) against the dues of their agriculture loans.

    The CM, who chaired a meeting of deputy commissioners and zilla panchayat CEOs in the presence of ministers and department secretaries, said officials must ensure farmers got loans for the oncoming crop season on time. The government had already sent this year’s agriculture credit plans, and officials must now act by coordinating with bankers in districts, he said.

    Siddaramaiah disapproved of the way insurance firms were handling the crop loss insurance claims. Such conduct would bring bad name to the government, he said, and asked officials to discuss with insurance firms and make life easy for farmers.The monsoon had begun, and the deputy commissioners could not pay attention to development activities as they were busy with the conduct of Lok Sabha election. The state had received higher than normal rainfall in May and sowing operations had also begun. The government has targeted sowing in 68,000 hectares of land. The code of conduct was still in force. In view of this, all officials must work in close coordination and attend to priority work.AllUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduWest BengalBiharKarnatakaAndhra PradeshTelanganaKeralaMadhya PradeshRajasthanDelhiOther States

  • pm modi: ‘Modi govt is Adani govt’: Rahul Gandhi slams PM Modi at a rally in Tamil Nadu

    Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that the current government actually is Adani govt.

    At a rally in Tamil Nadu, the Congress leader said, “Modi govt actually is Adani government, it should be called Adani government and not Modi government.”

    “Be it airport, highway, any infra project; somehow Govt of India just gives it to Adani,” he added.More to come.

  • Farmers protest: ‘Will wait for Feb 18 meeting outcome, nothing will be done till then’, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal – The Economic Times Video

    The marathon talks between three Union ministers and leaders of protesting farmer unions concluded without a resolution here late Thursday while Union minister Arjun Munda termed the discussion as “positive” and said that another meeting will be held on Sunday. The farmer leaders said they will continue to stay put at the two borders of Punjab and Haryana. Union Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Munda, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai represented the Centre at the meeting over the farmer unions’ various demands, including a law guaranteeing a minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

  • hemant soren arrest: “Blow to Federalism”: Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi, Tejashwi assails Centre over Hemant Soren’s resignastion

    Reacting sharply to the resignation of Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Hemant Soren, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that forcing Hemant Soren to resign is a blow to Federalism. In a post on ‘X’, Mallikarjun Kharge said, “One who will not go with PM Modi will go to jail. Imposing ED against Jharkhand Chief Minister, Hemant Soren and forcing him to resign is a blow to Federalism. Intimidating opposition leaders by making the provisions of PMLA draconian is part of the BJP’s tool kit.”He further said that the BJP’s work of destabilising the opposition governments one by one as part of a conspiracy was continuing. “Whoever went into the BJP’s washing machine is clean as white; who didn’t go was tainted. If democracy has to be saved from dictatorship, then the BJP will have to be defeated. We will not be afraid, Will continue to fight from Parliament to the streets,” he added.

    Meanwhile, reacting to the same, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that the aim of the BJP government was an opposition-free parliament, a democracy-free India, a question-free media, and a harmony-free public.

    “Opposition-free parliament, democracy-free India, question-free media and harmony-free public, this is the aim of the BJP government. Governments are being toppled one by one in all the states,” she said in a post on X, adding, “Opposition leaders are being harassed. Whoever does not join BJP will go to jail. Harassing Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren ji by imposing ED and forcing him to resign is a part of this malicious campaign.”She further said that the BJP has this illusion that it can crush the voice of 140 crore people. The public will answer for every atrocities, she added.Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav also sharply reacted to the ED’s move: “Bihar, Chandigarh and now Jharkhand! BJP has ruined democracy and federalism in a single week. It is not hidden from anyone what the central government is doing by destroying the impartiality of the investigating agencies due to the fear of electoral defeat and by making the agencies cells of the BJP,” he said.

    He further went on to say that the public will break the arrogance of the BJP. RJD is standing with Hemant Soren, he asserted.

    Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren resigned on Wednesday evening after over six hours of questioning by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in connection with a money laundering probe linked to the alleged land scam case.

    Champai Soren, the state transport minister and a loyalist of Hemant Soren, will step into his role as the Chief Minister.

    (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)

  • ‘CAA will begin before 2024 elections…’: BJP State President Sukanta Majumdar – The Economic Times Video

    North 24 Parganas (WB): West Bengal BJP State President Sukanta Majumdar on January 30 said that CAA will begin before the 2024 elections. Sukanta Majumdar said, “The CAA will begin before the 2024 elections. We have complete faith in our Union Home Minister… If Amit Shah has said he will implement the CAA, then he will definitely do it. It is not under Mamata Banerjee’s jurisdiction.” The CAA, introduced by the Narendra Modi government, aims to confer Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants, including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians, who migrated from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and arrived in India before December 31, 2014. Following the passage of the CAA by Parliament in December 2019 and its subsequent presidential assent, significant protests erupted in various parts of the country.

  • Report info on accounts of 10 terrorists to government: RBI tells banks 

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank on Thursday asked banks and other financial institutions to report to the government details about accounts resembling 10 individuals who have been designated as terrorists by the Union home ministry earlier this month.

    On October 4, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) designated a total of 10 members of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and other proscribed outfits as terrorists under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). 

    Those designated as terrorists include Habibullah Malik alias Sajid Jutt, a Pakistani national, Basit Ahmad Reshi, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla but is currently based in Pakistan, Imtiyaz Ahmad Kandoo alias Sajad, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir’s Sopore but now lives in Pakistan, Zafar Iqbal alias Salim, who is from Poonch but presently residing in Pakistan, and Sheikh Jameel-ur-Rehman alias Sheikh Sahab, who hails from Pulwama.

    The others are Bilal Ahmad Beigh alias Babar, who hails from Srinagar but is currently based in Pakistan, Rafiq Nai alias Sultan of Poonch, Irshad Ahmad alias Idrees from Doda, Bashir Ahmad Peer alias lmtiyaz of Kupwara and Showkat Ahmad Sheikh alias Showkat Mochi of Baramulla, currently based in Pakistan.

    In separate notifications, the MHA said Habibullah Malik was the key handler of the terrorists who carried out an attack on Indian soldiers in Poonch and has been involved in air-dropping of arms and communication systems through drones in the Jammu region for terrorists based in Jammu and Kashmir.

    “Regulated Entities (REs) are advised to take note of the aforementioned Gazette notifications issued by MHA for necessary compliance,” the RBI said in a notification.

    As per the RBI’s master direction on know your customer: “Details of accounts resembling any of the individuals/entities in the lists shall be reported to FIU-IND apart from advising Ministry of Home Affairs”.

    The Reserve Bank’s REs include, banks, all-India financial institutions (viz.Exim Bank, NABARD, NHB, SIDBI, and NaBFID), and NBFCs.

    MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank on Thursday asked banks and other financial institutions to report to the government details about accounts resembling 10 individuals who have been designated as terrorists by the Union home ministry earlier this month.

    On October 4, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) designated a total of 10 members of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and other proscribed outfits as terrorists under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). 

    Those designated as terrorists include Habibullah Malik alias Sajid Jutt, a Pakistani national, Basit Ahmad Reshi, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla but is currently based in Pakistan, Imtiyaz Ahmad Kandoo alias Sajad, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir’s Sopore but now lives in Pakistan, Zafar Iqbal alias Salim, who is from Poonch but presently residing in Pakistan, and Sheikh Jameel-ur-Rehman alias Sheikh Sahab, who hails from Pulwama.

    The others are Bilal Ahmad Beigh alias Babar, who hails from Srinagar but is currently based in Pakistan, Rafiq Nai alias Sultan of Poonch, Irshad Ahmad alias Idrees from Doda, Bashir Ahmad Peer alias lmtiyaz of Kupwara and Showkat Ahmad Sheikh alias Showkat Mochi of Baramulla, currently based in Pakistan.

    In separate notifications, the MHA said Habibullah Malik was the key handler of the terrorists who carried out an attack on Indian soldiers in Poonch and has been involved in air-dropping of arms and communication systems through drones in the Jammu region for terrorists based in Jammu and Kashmir.

    “Regulated Entities (REs) are advised to take note of the aforementioned Gazette notifications issued by MHA for necessary compliance,” the RBI said in a notification.

    As per the RBI’s master direction on know your customer: “Details of accounts resembling any of the individuals/entities in the lists shall be reported to FIU-IND apart from advising Ministry of Home Affairs”.

    The Reserve Bank’s REs include, banks, all-India financial institutions (viz.Exim Bank, NABARD, NHB, SIDBI, and NaBFID), and NBFCs.

  • No important docu on WhatsApp, no use of smartphones in meetings: Centre’s new guidelines

    All ministries have been asked to take 'urgent steps' to prevent such violations and to follow the communication security policies and guidelines strictly.

  • More than 72.77 crore COVID vaccine doses provided to states, UTs so far: Government

    More than 4.49 crore balance and unutilised COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with the states and UTs to be administered.