News Analysis India

Tag: PMO

  • ‘People’s PMO, Not Modi’s PMO’: PM Voices Agenda In Inaugural Address |

    New Delhi: Asserting that every moment of his life is devoted to the progress of the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday laid thrust on value addition while reaching goals and said his office should be “people’s PMO and cannot be Modi’s PMO”.

    In his first address to the officials of PMO after assuming office of the Prime Minister for the third time, PM Modi also laid thrust on firm resolve and hard work to achieve targets.

    “Ten years ago the image in our country was that PMO is a power centre, a very big power centre and I was not born for power. I do not think of acquiring power. For me, it is neither my wish nor my path that PMO should become a power centre. The steps we have taken since 2014, we have tried to develop it as a catalytic agent,” he said.

    “Our aim is to keep generating new energy from here that provides new light to the whole system…PMO should be people’s PMO and it cannot be Modi’s PMO,” he added.
    The Prime Minister said he is dedicated to the welfare of 140 crore citizens.

    “There is no one in my heart other than 140 crore Indians. They are not just people but a form of the Almighty. When I take any decision in the government, I believe that with this, I have worshipped the 140 crore countrymen,” he said.

    PM Modi laid thrust on India becoming a developed country by 2047.

    “Together we have just one goal -Nation First; just one intention – 2047 Viksit Bharat. I have said this publically, mera pal pal desh ke naam hai. I have also promised the country – 24 X7 for 2047. I have such expectations from the team…fulfilling the task on time is a good thing, not complete, I still want to look for value addition…if we work with this aim, I am fully aware that we can fulfil our dreams and aspirations,” he said.

    “We are not the people for whom office starts at this time and ends at this time…we are not bound by time, we have no limits to our thinking…. Those who are beyond this are my team and the country trusts that team,” he added.
    President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Narendra Modi followed by other members of his team of ministers on Sunday.

    The oath ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan was attended by leaders from India’s neighbourhood and Indian Ocean region. 

  • ‘PM Modi’s Office Plotting Attack Against Arvind Kejriwal’: AAP’s Sanjay Singh Levels Shocking Allegations On BJP |

    Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh has made serious allegations against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Narendra Modi government. In a press conference on Monday, Singh alleged that a conspiracy is being hatched by the PMO to attack Arvind Kejriwal. Sanjay Singh said that the BJP has tried to attack Arvind Kejriwal many times. Now he is being openly threatened. Threats of attacks are being made at Patel Nagar metro station and Rajiv Chowk metro station. It is being run by the BJP and the PMO. Modi ji’s level of hatred for Delhi CM has gone so far that he can go to any extent. “If anything happens to Kejriwal, BJP and PMO are responsible.”

    “I want to tell the government, the administration and the Election Commission that if anything happens to Kejriwal, the BJP and the PMO will be directly responsible for it. “Patel Nagar is a photo of the Metro. The threat is written by a person named Ankit Goyal. If you read its language, it is the same language that the BJP speaks. Threats are being written to attack Arvind Kejriwal at Patel Nagar metro station and inside the metro. A similar threat has been written on the Rajiv Chowk Metro.

    बड़ा खुलासा! भाजपा CM @ArvindKejriwal पर हमले की योजना बना रही है l Important Press Conference l LIVE https://t.co/5pO23PX4U9
    — AAP (@AamAadmiParty) May 20, 2024

    “On behalf of all party MPs and MLAs, we are also writing to the Election Commission and will also seek an appointment with them. This is the language of the BJP. The Election Commission should take cognizance of this matter and take immediate action,” he said.

  • PMO holds review meeting on new Covid-19 variants; states asked to monitor influenza-like illness cases

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Citing the World Health Organization (WHO), Union Health Secretary Sudhansh Pant on Monday noted that the new Covid-19 variant EG.5 (Eris) has been reported in over 50 countries. He also said that another variant BA.2.86 (Pirola) has been reported in four countries. 

    He was participating in a high-level review meeting convened by Prime Minister’s Office. 

    The meeting highlighted that while globally, a total of 2,96,219 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in the past seven days, India, which contributes to nearly 17% of the global population, has reported only 223 cases (0.075% of global new cases) in the past week. 

    Pant also informed the PMO that the daily average of new Covid-19 cases continues to be below 50 in the country.

    “The country has managed to maintain weekly test positivity rate of less than 0.2%,” a statement issued by the union health ministry said.

    The statement said an overview of the Genome Sequencing of different variants circulating in India was also provided. 

    Dr PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who chaired the meeting, said after detailed deliberations, that while the Covid-19 situation in the country remains stable and public health systems in the country remain geared up, there is a need for states to monitor trends of ILI/SARI (influenza-like illness (ILI) and (severe acute respiratory infections) cases.

    Mishra pointed out that states should be directed to send sufficient samples for testing Covid-19 while ramping up Whole Genome Sequencing and maintaining a close watch on the new global variants.

    The meeting was attended by Dr Vinod Paul, NITI Aayog member; Rajiv Gauba, Cabinet Secretary; Amit Khare, Advisor PMO; Sudhansh Pant, Union Health Secretary; Rajiv Bahl, Secretary Department of Health Research (DHR) and DG Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR); Rajesh S. Gokhale, Union Biotechnology Secretary, and Punya Salila Srivastava, Additional Secretary to PM. 

    NEW DELHI: Citing the World Health Organization (WHO), Union Health Secretary Sudhansh Pant on Monday noted that the new Covid-19 variant EG.5 (Eris) has been reported in over 50 countries. He also said that another variant BA.2.86 (Pirola) has been reported in four countries. 

    He was participating in a high-level review meeting convened by Prime Minister’s Office. 

    The meeting highlighted that while globally, a total of 2,96,219 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in the past seven days, India, which contributes to nearly 17% of the global population, has reported only 223 cases (0.075% of global new cases) in the past week. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Pant also informed the PMO that the daily average of new Covid-19 cases continues to be below 50 in the country.

    “The country has managed to maintain weekly test positivity rate of less than 0.2%,” a statement issued by the union health ministry said.

    The statement said an overview of the Genome Sequencing of different variants circulating in India was also provided. 

    Dr PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who chaired the meeting, said after detailed deliberations, that while the Covid-19 situation in the country remains stable and public health systems in the country remain geared up, there is a need for states to monitor trends of ILI/SARI (influenza-like illness (ILI) and (severe acute respiratory infections) cases.

    Mishra pointed out that states should be directed to send sufficient samples for testing Covid-19 while ramping up Whole Genome Sequencing and maintaining a close watch on the new global variants.

    The meeting was attended by Dr Vinod Paul, NITI Aayog member; Rajiv Gauba, Cabinet Secretary; Amit Khare, Advisor PMO; Sudhansh Pant, Union Health Secretary; Rajiv Bahl, Secretary Department of Health Research (DHR) and DG Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR); Rajesh S. Gokhale, Union Biotechnology Secretary, and Punya Salila Srivastava, Additional Secretary to PM.
     

  • PMO holds high-level meet on Joshimath crisis; relief, rescue operations intensified

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI/DEHRADUN: Relief and rescue efforts were intensified in Joshimath after it was declared a landslide and subsidence-hit zone, with the Centre on Sunday stressing that the immediate priority is the safety of people and asking experts to prepare short and long-term plans for conservation and rehabilitation.

    Amid a mounting sense of urgency, senior Uttarakhand government officials including Chief Secretary Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, DGP Ashok Kumar and Secretary to the Chief Minister R Meenakshi Sundaram visited the worst-hit Manohar Bagh, Singdhar and Marwari areas and appealed to people to shift to temporary relief centres.

    Officials said 13 more families living in houses with huge cracks were moved by the administration to safe locations on Sunday.

    The number of families evacuated to temporary relief centres now stands at 68, Chamoli district disaster management office said.

    The number of houses developing cracks in the town has risen from 561 to 610, Garhwal Commissioner Sushil Kumar told PTI.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and reviewed the situation, including the steps taken so far for the safety and rehabilitation of residents, and assured him of necessary assistance.

    The Uttarakhand chief secretary has said that state and district officials with the support of central experts have assessed the situation on the ground and informed that a strip of land with a width of around 350 metres is affected, the Prime Minister’s Office said on Sunday after holding a high-level review meeting.

    ALSO READ | Joshimath sinking: Plea in SC seeks to declare land subsidence as national disaster

    Central government agencies and experts are assisting Uttarakhand to prepare plans to deal with the Joshimath situation and the immediate priority is the safety of the people, it said.

    Affected families are being shifted to safe locations, a PMO statement said, noting that Prime Minister Modi is concerned and has taken stock of the situation with Chief Minister Dhami.

    One team of the National Disaster Response Force and four teams of the State Disaster Response Force have already reached Joshimath.

    P K Mishra, the prime minister’s principal secretary who held the meeting, stressed that the immediate priority should be the safety of people living in the affected area and said the state government should establish a clear and continuous communication channel with the residents.

    WATCH | 

    The Border Management secretary and members of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) will visit Uttarakhand on Monday and assess the situation A team of experts from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), National Institute of Disaster Management, Geological Survey of India, IIT Roorkee, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, National Institute of Hydrology and Central Building Research Institute will study the situations and give recommendations, the PMO said.

    The Uttarakhand chief secretary briefed the PMO about the ground situation during the meeting, officials said.

    Central government agencies and experts are assisting Uttarakhand to prepare short, medium and long-term plans to deal with the Joshimath situation, they added.

    “Immediate efforts should be made to arrest the deterioration in the situation through practical measures that may be feasible,” Mishra said.

    He said an interdisciplinary investigation of the affected area should be undertaken.

    Experts from a range of central institutions- NDMA, NIDM, Geological Survey of India, IIT Roorkee, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, National Institute of Hydrology and Central Building Research Institute should work closely with Uttarakhand in the spirit of “Whole of Government” approach.

    IN PHOTOS | Joshimath crisis: The sinking town in Uttarakhand

    A clear time-bound reconstruction plan must be prepared and continuous seismic monitoring must be done, he said, adding that a risk-sensitive urban development plan for Joshimath should also be developed.

    The review meeting was attended by the cabinet secretary, other senior officials of the central government and members of the NDMA besides the chief secretary and the DGP of the state through video conference.

    District officials of Joshimath also attended the meeting.

    Experts from IIT Roorkee, the Geological Survey of India and the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology also participated.

    Dhami had visited Joshimath on Saturday to assess the situation on the ground, a day after he directed the immediate evacuation of around 600 affected families.

    Giving details of the relief and rescue efforts, Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana said 229 rooms with capacity to accommodate 1,271 people have been identified at different locations within the town.

    Ration kits were distributed to affected families besides an ex gratia of Rs 2.30 lakh among 46 of them at the rate of Rs 5,000 per family for buying essential household items.

    DM Khurana went door-to-door requesting people living in damaged houses to vacate them and move to temporary relief centres.

    Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Sukhbir Singh Sandhu during his visit to the town made a similar appeal to people: “You should take no risks. The safety of residents is an immediate priority and the district administration is working continuously to ensure that”.

    Geological experts are exploring the causes of land subsidence.

    Based on their recommendations whatever treatment is needed will be done in Joshimath, the CS said.

    Considering the extent of damage at least 82 more families will have to be evacuated to temporary relief centres as soon as possible, Garhwal Commissioner Sushil Kumar told PTI.

    Kumar heads a committee tasked with monitoring the situation on the ground level and has been camping in Joshimath since Thursday.

    There are a total of 4,500 buildings in Joshimath out of which 610 have developed huge cracks and are unfit for habitation, he said, adding that a survey is still underway and the number of affected buildings might go up.

    “Land subsidence has been going on slowly in Joshimath for quite sometime but it has increased over the past one week with huge cracks appearing in houses, fields and roads,” the Garhwal Commissioner said.

    “The situation worsened apparently after a water channel beneath the town erupted last week,” he said.

    Chief Minister Dhami who visited the affected areas in Joshimath on Saturday held a meeting with officials in Dehradun on his return and asked them to relax the norms to expedite relief operations.

    They were asked not to get entangled in long procedural complexities and take direct clearance from him for works related to treatment of drainage and sewage systems in Joshimath, he said.

    ALSO READ | Anthropogenic, natural factors responsible for Joshimath’s vulnerable foundations: Expert

    The National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad and the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun have been asked to conduct a study of the Joshimath area through satellite imagery and submit a detailed report with photographs.

    A petition has been filed in the Delhi High Court seeking a direction to the Centre to constitute a committee headed by a retired judge to look into the issue of sinking of Joshimath and rehabilitate the affected families.

    Earlier, a seer had moved the Supreme Court seeking that the Joshimath crisis be declared a national disaster.

    Experts have claimed that the land subsidence in Joshimath is primarily due to the National Thermal Power Corporation’s Tapovan Vishnugad Hydro Power Project and is a very grave reminder that people are messing up with the environment to an extent that is irreversible.

    NEW DELHI/DEHRADUN: Relief and rescue efforts were intensified in Joshimath after it was declared a landslide and subsidence-hit zone, with the Centre on Sunday stressing that the immediate priority is the safety of people and asking experts to prepare short and long-term plans for conservation and rehabilitation.

    Amid a mounting sense of urgency, senior Uttarakhand government officials including Chief Secretary Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, DGP Ashok Kumar and Secretary to the Chief Minister R Meenakshi Sundaram visited the worst-hit Manohar Bagh, Singdhar and Marwari areas and appealed to people to shift to temporary relief centres.

    Officials said 13 more families living in houses with huge cracks were moved by the administration to safe locations on Sunday.

    The number of families evacuated to temporary relief centres now stands at 68, Chamoli district disaster management office said.

    The number of houses developing cracks in the town has risen from 561 to 610, Garhwal Commissioner Sushil Kumar told PTI.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and reviewed the situation, including the steps taken so far for the safety and rehabilitation of residents, and assured him of necessary assistance.

    The Uttarakhand chief secretary has said that state and district officials with the support of central experts have assessed the situation on the ground and informed that a strip of land with a width of around 350 metres is affected, the Prime Minister’s Office said on Sunday after holding a high-level review meeting.

    ALSO READ | Joshimath sinking: Plea in SC seeks to declare land subsidence as national disaster

    Central government agencies and experts are assisting Uttarakhand to prepare plans to deal with the Joshimath situation and the immediate priority is the safety of the people, it said.

    Affected families are being shifted to safe locations, a PMO statement said, noting that Prime Minister Modi is concerned and has taken stock of the situation with Chief Minister Dhami.

    One team of the National Disaster Response Force and four teams of the State Disaster Response Force have already reached Joshimath.

    P K Mishra, the prime minister’s principal secretary who held the meeting, stressed that the immediate priority should be the safety of people living in the affected area and said the state government should establish a clear and continuous communication channel with the residents.

    WATCH | 

    The Border Management secretary and members of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) will visit Uttarakhand on Monday and assess the situation A team of experts from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), National Institute of Disaster Management, Geological Survey of India, IIT Roorkee, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, National Institute of Hydrology and Central Building Research Institute will study the situations and give recommendations, the PMO said.

    The Uttarakhand chief secretary briefed the PMO about the ground situation during the meeting, officials said.

    Central government agencies and experts are assisting Uttarakhand to prepare short, medium and long-term plans to deal with the Joshimath situation, they added.

    “Immediate efforts should be made to arrest the deterioration in the situation through practical measures that may be feasible,” Mishra said.

    He said an interdisciplinary investigation of the affected area should be undertaken.

    Experts from a range of central institutions- NDMA, NIDM, Geological Survey of India, IIT Roorkee, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, National Institute of Hydrology and Central Building Research Institute should work closely with Uttarakhand in the spirit of “Whole of Government” approach.

    IN PHOTOS | Joshimath crisis: The sinking town in Uttarakhand

    A clear time-bound reconstruction plan must be prepared and continuous seismic monitoring must be done, he said, adding that a risk-sensitive urban development plan for Joshimath should also be developed.

    The review meeting was attended by the cabinet secretary, other senior officials of the central government and members of the NDMA besides the chief secretary and the DGP of the state through video conference.

    District officials of Joshimath also attended the meeting.

    Experts from IIT Roorkee, the Geological Survey of India and the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology also participated.

    Dhami had visited Joshimath on Saturday to assess the situation on the ground, a day after he directed the immediate evacuation of around 600 affected families.

    Giving details of the relief and rescue efforts, Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana said 229 rooms with capacity to accommodate 1,271 people have been identified at different locations within the town.

    Ration kits were distributed to affected families besides an ex gratia of Rs 2.30 lakh among 46 of them at the rate of Rs 5,000 per family for buying essential household items.

    DM Khurana went door-to-door requesting people living in damaged houses to vacate them and move to temporary relief centres.

    Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Sukhbir Singh Sandhu during his visit to the town made a similar appeal to people: “You should take no risks. The safety of residents is an immediate priority and the district administration is working continuously to ensure that”.

    Geological experts are exploring the causes of land subsidence.

    Based on their recommendations whatever treatment is needed will be done in Joshimath, the CS said.

    Considering the extent of damage at least 82 more families will have to be evacuated to temporary relief centres as soon as possible, Garhwal Commissioner Sushil Kumar told PTI.

    Kumar heads a committee tasked with monitoring the situation on the ground level and has been camping in Joshimath since Thursday.

    There are a total of 4,500 buildings in Joshimath out of which 610 have developed huge cracks and are unfit for habitation, he said, adding that a survey is still underway and the number of affected buildings might go up.

    “Land subsidence has been going on slowly in Joshimath for quite sometime but it has increased over the past one week with huge cracks appearing in houses, fields and roads,” the Garhwal Commissioner said.

    “The situation worsened apparently after a water channel beneath the town erupted last week,” he said.

    Chief Minister Dhami who visited the affected areas in Joshimath on Saturday held a meeting with officials in Dehradun on his return and asked them to relax the norms to expedite relief operations.

    They were asked not to get entangled in long procedural complexities and take direct clearance from him for works related to treatment of drainage and sewage systems in Joshimath, he said.

    ALSO READ | Anthropogenic, natural factors responsible for Joshimath’s vulnerable foundations: Expert

    The National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad and the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun have been asked to conduct a study of the Joshimath area through satellite imagery and submit a detailed report with photographs.

    A petition has been filed in the Delhi High Court seeking a direction to the Centre to constitute a committee headed by a retired judge to look into the issue of sinking of Joshimath and rehabilitate the affected families.

    Earlier, a seer had moved the Supreme Court seeking that the Joshimath crisis be declared a national disaster.

    Experts have claimed that the land subsidence in Joshimath is primarily due to the National Thermal Power Corporation’s Tapovan Vishnugad Hydro Power Project and is a very grave reminder that people are messing up with the environment to an extent that is irreversible.

  • PMO reviews Covid-19 situation, focus on tracking new variant 

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The centre on Saturday held a high-level meeting, which was chaired by P K Mishra, principal secretary to the Prime Minister, with health officials and experts to review the Covid-19 situation in the country.

    In the meeting, it was also reviewed whether compliance with earlier directions issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure preparedness and effective management of the pandemic was taken. 

    In the wake of a surge in Covid cases in China and other East Asian countries, the PM held a high-level meeting last week, in which he directed to increase vigilance and surveillance and to step up testing and genome sequencing. 

    Officials said genome sequencing of around 500 samples collected in December is being done at INSACOG labs across the country. In the meeting, new emerging variants, including BF.7, which is driving a surge in China, were discussed. 

    In the meeting, it was also informed that strengthening whole genome sequencing (WGS) and ensuring that a more significant number of samples are sent from across the country to INSACOG Network is being done, according to the directions of the PM.

    As many as 1,716 international flights have been screened, and 5,666 samples have been collected for Covid-19 testing.  Around 53 international travellers tested positive for Covid-19 during two per cent random testing at airports across the country.

    Mishra has been apprised of the evolving global scenario of the pandemic with the surge in Covid observed in some countries, including China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Brazil etc.

    India has already announced that travellers from China, Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea would need an RT-PCR report from January 1. They have to upload Covid negative report on Air Suvidha, and the test has to be done 72 hours before their travel.

    In the meeting, the focus was on enhancing awareness about Covid-appropriate behaviour, strengthening surveillance, including ramping up testing across the country, and uptake of coronavirus precautionary doses, officials said.

    It was informed that according to the prime minister’s directions, mock drills across all health facilities were conducted on December 27.

    All states and union territories participated in the drills to ensure operational readiness of Covid-dedicated facilities with a specific focus on oxygen plants, ventilators, logistics and human resources.  

    Official sources said 21,097 facilities conducted the mock drill, of which 16,108 were government facilities. 

    Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who has also held separate review meetings with pharma companies to ensure adequate stock, and availability, had personally reviewed the mock drill at the centre-run Safdarjung Hospital. He had also chaired a virtual review meeting with state health ministers on Covid-19 on December 23.

    According to the directions, the Ministry of Commerce has been asked to monitor ongoing exports of medicinal products and equipment to China, official sources said.

    NEW DELHI: The centre on Saturday held a high-level meeting, which was chaired by P K Mishra, principal secretary to the Prime Minister, with health officials and experts to review the Covid-19 situation in the country.

    In the meeting, it was also reviewed whether compliance with earlier directions issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure preparedness and effective management of the pandemic was taken. 

    In the wake of a surge in Covid cases in China and other East Asian countries, the PM held a high-level meeting last week, in which he directed to increase vigilance and surveillance and to step up testing and genome sequencing. 

    Officials said genome sequencing of around 500 samples collected in December is being done at INSACOG labs across the country. In the meeting, new emerging variants, including BF.7, which is driving a surge in China, were discussed. 

    In the meeting, it was also informed that strengthening whole genome sequencing (WGS) and ensuring that a more significant number of samples are sent from across the country to INSACOG Network is being done, according to the directions of the PM.

    As many as 1,716 international flights have been screened, and 5,666 samples have been collected for Covid-19 testing.  Around 53 international travellers tested positive for Covid-19 during two per cent random testing at airports across the country.

    Mishra has been apprised of the evolving global scenario of the pandemic with the surge in Covid observed in some countries, including China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Brazil etc.

    India has already announced that travellers from China, Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea would need an RT-PCR report from January 1. They have to upload Covid negative report on Air Suvidha, and the test has to be done 72 hours before their travel.

    In the meeting, the focus was on enhancing awareness about Covid-appropriate behaviour, strengthening surveillance, including ramping up testing across the country, and uptake of coronavirus precautionary doses, officials said.

    It was informed that according to the prime minister’s directions, mock drills across all health facilities were conducted on December 27.

    All states and union territories participated in the drills to ensure operational readiness of Covid-dedicated facilities with a specific focus on oxygen plants, ventilators, logistics and human resources.  

    Official sources said 21,097 facilities conducted the mock drill, of which 16,108 were government facilities. 

    Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who has also held separate review meetings with pharma companies to ensure adequate stock, and availability, had personally reviewed the mock drill at the centre-run Safdarjung Hospital. He had also chaired a virtual review meeting with state health ministers on Covid-19 on December 23.

    According to the directions, the Ministry of Commerce has been asked to monitor ongoing exports of medicinal products and equipment to China, official sources said.

  • Ukraine crisis: PM Modi speaks to Putin, calls for immediate cessation of violence

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the Ukraine conflict and appealed for immediate cessation of violence as well as concerted efforts from all sides to return to the path of diplomatic negotiations.

    During their telephonic conversation, President Putin briefed Prime Minister Modi about the recent developments regarding Ukraine, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

    The prime minister reiterated his long-standing conviction that the differences between Russia and the NATO group can only be resolved through honest and sincere dialogue, the PMO said.

    Prime Minister Modi appealed for an immediate cessation of violence, and called for concerted efforts from all sides to return to the path of diplomatic negotiations and dialogue, it said.

    Modi also sensitised the Russian President about India’s concerns regarding the safety of the Indian citizens in Ukraine, especially students, and conveyed that India attaches the highest priority to their safe exit and return.

    The leaders agreed that their officials and diplomatic teams would continue to maintain regular contacts on issues of topical interest, the PMO said.

  • MP woman duped of Rs 42,000 by caller from ‘PMO’ who offered help to bring her daughter from Ukraine

    By Express News Service

    BHOPAL: Families of Indian students stranded in Ukraine following an invasion by Russia have to be wary as there is the likelihood of fraudsters targetting them. 

    In a case reported on Thursday, a female staffer of a government hospital in Madhya Pradesh’s Vidisha district lodged a complaint with the local police stating that a stranger rang her up, introduced himself as calling from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Delhi, and offered his help to bring her daughter, who is doing medicine in Ukraine, home from the war-torn country.

    The lab technician with the blood bank at Vidisha District Hospital, Vaishali Wilson, informed the Vidisha City Kotwali police that the caller told her that the government is working for the safe return of all Indian students and asked her to transfer Rs 42,000 into a bank account for urgently arranging the air tickets for bringing her daughter home on a flight bound for India on February 27.

    “We promptly transferred Rs 42,000 into the bank account on Wednesday. But neither I nor my daughter received any air ticket from Ukraine to India,” Vaishali Wilson said.

    “After repeated phone calls, the caller repaid Rs 5,000. He also assured to return the entire sum soon. But we don’t believe in him. Hence we lodged a police complaint,” she pointed out.

    Importantly, the two cell phone numbers from which the government hospital staffer received the calls on Wednesday are displayed as “Central Government of India” and “Prince Ji PMO CVC” on the Truecaller app.

    Vidisha City Kotwali inspector in charge Ashutosh Singh Rajput said, “we’ve launched a probe into the matter. We’ve also approached the bank to which the money was transferred.”

    Earlier, when she rang up the Chief Minister’s Helpline in MP seeking the CM’s intervention to help bring her daughter back from Ukraine, the staff who attended the call asked her to lodge a complaint with the police in Ukraine.

  • Ministries work on coal crisis across states, PMO keeps watch

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Steps are being taken to ramp up the supply of coal to two million tonnes per day from the current overall dispatch of 1.95 MT for meeting the demand of power producers, Union Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Tuesday.

    In the backdrop of shortage of supplies, the Prime Minister’s Office also reviewed the coal supply and power generation scenario. Power Secretary Alok Kumar and Coal Secretary AK Jain made a presentation on coal and power availability, sources said, adding that ways to increase transportation of coal were also discussed during the meeting.

    The shortage of coal — which makes up 70 per cent of India’s electricity mix — has forced rotational power cuts in various states. For example, Maharashtra is facing a shortage of 3,500 to 4,000 MW of electricity supply for which it blames the Coal India Ltd (CIL)    

    “We at the ministry and CIL are making full efforts to meet the coal demand… We supplied around 1.95 MT of coal (on Monday). Around 1.6 million tonnes from CIL and the remaining from Singareni Collieries Company Ltd. All put together, 1.95 MT we have supplied,” Joshi said. “I think that in the history of India… this is the highest-ever supply we have made and I am assuring that this supply will continue throughout.” 

    As part of the various measures,  CIL was asked to augment the coal supply to 1.55-1.6 million tonnes per day this week and to scale it up to 1.7 million tonnes daily after October 20. The Power Ministry, meanwhile, asked states to utilise unallocated power of the central generating stations to meet the requirements of their own consumers for the time being.

    ALSO WATCH:

  • Step up genome sequencing to monitor mutants: PM Modi

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  Amid a continued surge of Covid-19 cases in Kerala and Maharashtra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday stressed the need to ensure adequate testing across the country and genome sequencing to monitor emergence of virus mutants. Reviewing the Covid situation in the country, Modi said the entire ecosystem to ensure increased oxygen availability, including oxygen concentrators, cylinders and PSA plants, need to be rapidly augmented.

    The states have been asked to maintain buffer stock of medicines in every district, an official statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said. Officials apprised the PM that around 58% of India’s adults have received the first dose and around 18% the second. 

    “It was discussed that across the world, there are countries where the number of active Covid cases continues to remain high. Figures from states like Maharashtra & Kerala indicate that there can be no room for complacency. However, the weekly positivity was at less than 3% for the 10th consecutive week,” the statement said.

    The prime minister was also briefed about the concentration of cases in a few geographies, districts with high test positivity as well as the week on week test positivity rate in the country. “The PM spoke about the need for constant genome sequencing to monitor emergence of mutants,” the statement said. Modi was informed that INSACOG,  a genome sequencing government consortium of laboratories, now consists of 28 labs across the country. This is also linked with a hospital network for clinical correlation. Sewage sampling is also done for genomic surveillance.

    “The prime minister was apprised that states have been requested to share SARS COV2 positive samples with INSACOG regularly,” it said. Modi also reviewed the status of augmentation of bed capacity for pediatric care and augmentation of facilities supported under ‘COVID Emergency Response Package II’.

    States asked to be on alertAccording to a statement from Prime Minister’s Office, states have been advised to redesign & orient primary care & block level health infrastructure in these areas to manage the situation.

  • Senior bureaucrat in Prime Minister’s Office resigns

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A senior bureaucrat in the Prime Minister’s Office, Amarjeet Sinha, has resigned from his post, sources said on Monday.

    A retired IAS officer, Sinha was an advisor in the PMO and handled projects related to the social sector.

    A Bihar-cadre IAS officer of 1983 batch, Sinha had superannuated as the rural development secretary in 2019 and was then appointed to the PMO.

    He is the second top officer to quit the PMO in recent months after former cabinet secretary P K Sinha, who worked there as principal advisor, resigned in March.