News Analysis India

Tag: Nirmala Sitharaman

  • Defence Minister nudges DRDO to get ‘nimble’ in R&D

    Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday asked the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) to “introspect” and energise its research and development initiatives.

    Launching Mission ‘Raksha Gyan Shakti’, an initiative that encourages scientists and technicians to register their intellectual property, she said: “DRDO should become nimble. Refocus on R&D and be on your toes.”

    She urged the Ministry officials to use their “imagination” to translate these innovations into success stories for the defence industry and fulfilment of defence needs by taking them to “logical conclusion”.

    She said innovations should not be allowed to slide into oblivion, slackened by a sense of satisfaction just by achieving numbers in registering IPR.

    Mission ‘Raksha Gyan Shakti’ focuses on training officials in IPR (intellectual property rights) registrations and encouraging IPR culture in defence as a lesson from the past where in spite of great technological contributions to the industry, due credit was not given to the innovators.

    She also asked the Ministry hierarchy to break traditional barriers to innovations in the defence sector by bringing in transparency and bridging the existing gaps.

  • PM post aspirants must not blend ignorance, falsehood: Arun Jaitley blasts Rahul Gandhi

    Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s speech during the Lok Sabha debate on the Opposition’s no-confidence motion was “embarrassing” and “ignorant”, Union minister Arun Jaitley has said.

    “If a participant happens to be a President of a national political party nourishing Prime Ministerial aspirations, every word he speaks should be precious. His facts should convey credibility. Facts are always sacrosanct. None should ever trivialise the debate. Those who desire to be Prime Minister never blend ignorance, falsehood and acrobatics,” said Jaitley in a Facebook post on Saturday, commenting on Gandhi’s allegations against the Narendra Modi government.

    “Regrettably, the President of the Congress Party missed a great opportunity. If this was his best argument for 2019, God help his party,” said Jaitley. “To hallucinate after an embarrassing performance that he has won future election or to hallucinate that he is the reincarnation of Mark Antony being complemented by friends and foes alike, may give him self-satisfaction but for serious observers it is more than just self-praise – in fact a serious problem.”

    He said Gandhi’s allegations about India’s deal with France to buy Rafale fighter planes showed that he was “ignorant of facts”. Alleging corruption in the deal to purchase the planes, Gandhi had said Prime Minister Narendra Modi took away the contract to manufacture the planes from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and gave it to “one of his businessmen friends”.

    Gandhi claimed that defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said that the government would reveal the price of the deal for purchase of Rafale, but later refused on the grounds that there was a secrecy agreement between India and France.

    Jaitley rejected the allegations and accused Gandhi of “concocting” a conversation with France’s president Emmanuel Macron. He said the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government had entered a secrecy pact with France about the Rafale deal, but Gandhi was “wholly unaware” of it.

    “…to insist on disclosure of financial details, which indirectly involves the disclosures of the strategic equipment on the aircraft, is to hurt national interest. Cost gives away a clue to the weaponry in the aircraft,” said Jaitley.

  • Editorial: – Sushma Swaraj did the block on Twitter.

    Trolling case: Nitin Gadkari said – Sushma Swaraj has no relation with passport dispute, Troll is wrong.
    Before that, Home Minister Rajnath Singh has also said that it is not appropriate to troll Sushma ji.
    I am unable to understand why the dispute between the ministers of Modi Government and the fans of the Modi Government is going on in connection with the passport dispute. We are biased towards democracy and press freedom. On the contrary, the family members and their leaders behave against it.
    Sushma ji also made a poll on this troll topic. Trolling more than 50 percent in it is inappropriate and less than 50 percent of the people are rightly told.
    Encouraged by this, the responses from the government side seem like the views of the family members.
    When a young Indian child from Modi ji in London asked, what is the secret of his good health? Then PM Modi called criticism the secret of his fitness. He said, ‘I eat 1-2 kg of rituals every day for almost 20 years.’
    On the contrary, their ministers are hurt by hearing their criticisms of their own ideologies, and critics of their government, whether they are Mehbooba Mufti or journalist Swati Chaturvedi, or any leader of the Congress, gets stunned by their praise. It is reasonable to say so far.
    PDP President Mehbooba wrote: If the Foreign Minister could not even escape from the troll, what other people in the country should be expected?
    Commenting on Mehbooba’s tweet, journalist Swati Chaturvedi wrote: Deer Nirmala Sitharaman, Maneka Gandhi, Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari, when your former colleague Sushma Swaraj can condemn a fierce attack, why are you silent? He further wrote that I did not name Irani in this because they have their own troll army.
    Following the tweet of Swati Chaturvedi, there was a comment from Gadkari and Rajnath Singh. Nirmala Sitharaman and Maneka Gandhi have also received comments.
    Is the woman’s insult to women troll? Is Swati Chaturvedi’s remarks regarding Smriti Irani not insulting women?
    Sushil (former Youth Congress leader), who is serving the sentence in the Tandoori Kand, has been out of jail today. While forgetting this, the Congress has also been enjoying the passport dispute.
    Passport Officer Vikas Mishra was then transferred and sentenced. But what punishment was given to an officer who was imprisoned by Mohammad Anas Siddiqui and Tanvi Sethani in an imprisonment?
    External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj blocked blogger Sonam Mahajan for his criticism of Twitter. Indeed, Sushma Swaraj has been constantly running trolling for a few days, for issuing a passport to a Hindu-Muslim couple.
    Sushma, who is fighting alone against Trolls, blocked Sonam Mahajan on Twitter for criticizing her. Sonam Mahajan had asked Sushma on Twitter to question him.
    Sonam tweeted, “They came to give good governance. These lo brothers, good days have come. Sushma Swaraj, I was your fan and fought against those who spoke against you. Now you can also reward me by blocking me too. Will wait. “