Tag: Prakash Javadekar

  • India will raise its climate ambitions but not under pressure: Javadekar

    Javadekar said India is the only G-20 country to walk the talk on the Paris climate agreement and quot;we have done more than we promised quot;.

  • Maharashtra has got 1.10 crore doses of COVID vaccine, will get 1100 ventilators: Prakash Javadekar

    By PTI
    PUNE: Maharashtra has received 1.10 crore doses of anti-COVID 19 vaccines so far, Union minister Prakash Javadekar said on Saturday amid reports that the state is facing an acute shortage of the doses which is hampering its vaccination drive.

    Speaking to reporters, Javadekar said apart from Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajashtan are the two other states that have received more than 1 crore doses. He also said over 1,100 ventilators will be made available for Maharashtra, which is worst-affected by COVID-19 pandemic, in the next three days.

    He said that oxygen supply has also been routed from the industrial production units. “As per the statewide report till 6 pm on Friday, Maharashtra has received 1.10 crore doses. There are only three states that have received over 1 crore vaccine doses in the country. They are Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajashtan,” Javadekar told reporters after attending a review meeting with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar here.

    When asked about the blame game between the Centre and the state government over the availability of vaccine doses, the BJP leader said this is not the right time to do politics. “When we will have to do politics, we will give a proper answer to that allegations. There is nothing greater than the interest of the people in the current situation,” he said.

    Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope had alleged that many states, which are smaller than Maharashtra in terms of population and the number of patients, have received more doses of vaccine. The state government had feared that the healthcare system will be overwhelmed if the cases continue to rise.

    A shortage of ventilator beds is being reported from various parts in Maharashtra, which has 5,34,603 active cases at present.

    Acknowledging the shortage of ventilators in Maharashtra, the Information and Broadcasting minister said, “I held a detailed discussion with concerned officials and ministers. 1,121 ventilators will be made available for Maharashtra in the next three to four days. 700 ventilators would be coming from Gujarat and 421 from Andhra Pradesh.”

    Javadekar also said that oxygen supply has also been routed from the industrial production units and the Centre would help the state to get this oxygen supply. He said that the Centre would provide funds for the manpower required for testing, tracking, tracing and treating patients from the National Health Mission.

    “We consider this (pandemic) as a national calamity. All the states and people belong to us, so attention and solutions will be provided to those areas where the situation is critical,” he said.

    Javadekar said more than 30 teams were sent to Maharashtra for reviewing the pandemic situation in various districts and they are considering measures to tackle the prevailing situation. “In Pune also, a team under IAS officer Kunal Kumar has arrived and held a meeting with officials,” he added.

    Maharashtra’s cumulative caseload reached 32,88,540 on Friday, while the death toll stood at 57,329, as per the state health department. The state has been recording more than 55,000 cases over the past few days.

    In a bid to tackle the spike in cases, the state government had imposed various restrictions, including night curfew which will remain in force till April 30, besides weekend lockdowns from Friday night to Monday morning every week.

  • US special envoy John Kerry meets Javadekar, discusses ‘climate finance’, joint research

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday met the United States’ Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, here and the two leaders discussed a range of issues including climate finance, joint research and collaboration.

    “Had an engaging and fruitful discussion with Mr.@JohnKerry, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate. We discussed a range of issues including #ClimateFinance, joint research and collaboration, etc,” Javadekar, who led an eight-member Indian team at the meeting, tweeted.

    Kerry was accompanied by a seven-member US delegation in the talks, an environment ministry official said.

    Kerry is on a four-day visit to India, from April 5 to April 8, during which he will meet representatives from the Union government, the private sector and NGOs.

    This is also Kerry”s first visit to India as the US Special Envoy for Climate Change. In January, the Biden administration had re-joined the Paris Agreement.

    The visit aims at consultations on increasing climate ambition ahead of Biden”s Leaders” Summit on Climate scheduled for April 22-23 and the COP26 meet to be held later this year.

    US President Biden has invited 40 world leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to a US-hosted virtual summit on climate to underscore the urgency and the economic benefits of stronger climate action.

    This will be the second time PM Modi and US President Biden will be together at a virtual summit after last month”s Quad meeting.

    “As one of the world”s largest economies and a global leader in science and innovation, India is a critical part of the solution to the climate crisis. We see India as an important partner on future clean energy research, development, and deployment, not least because of their successful domestic agenda in this area,” a spokesperson at the US Embassy had said on Monday.

    “A key focus for our administration is supporting and encouraging India”s decarbonization efforts through clean, zero, and low-carbon investment, and supporting India in mitigating its fossil energy use,” he had said.

    According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), India is the third-largest global emitter of carbon dioxide, after China and the US, despite extremely low per capita CO2 emissions.

    It has set a target of achieving 175GW (gigawatt) of renewable energy capacity by 2022 and 450GW by 2030. 

  • Javadekar, Tope engage in Twitter spar over Maharashtra vaccination numbers

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government and the Centre indulged in a Twitter spat on Friday over the vaccination drive in the state.

    While Union Minister Prakash Javadekar asked the Maharashtra government to increase the number of doses administered per day, MVA health minister Rajesh Tope hit back claiming his state had vaccinated the most number of people in the country so far.

    Tope also said the state could do even better and achieve a target of covering three lakh beneficiaries per day if the Centre helped with a continuous supply of vaccine doses.

    In a tweet on Friday, Javadekar had said, “Discussed with Union Health Minister Dr Harshvardhan and Chairman of National Task Force on Covid Dr V K Paul. They have assured increased supply of vaccine to Maharashtra depending upon actual use. I request Maharashtra Govt to double vaccination from tomorrow.”

    Tope, in a tweet in Marathi, said, “Maharashtra is leading in vaccination in the country. So far, 52 lakh people have received it and we have set a target of inoculating three lakh people daily. State can achieve the feat only if centre ensures uninterrupted supply vaccine dosages.”

    While Javadekar had recently said Maharashtra was “under-utilising vaccine stock”, the state government claimed its vaccine wastage rate is 6 per cent, while the permissible limit is 9 per cent.

    The state government had also sent a list of small hospitals to the Centre seeking permission to allow them to vaccinate people, as Maharashtra is not only the worst hit in terms of numbers, but the death toll was also rising.

  • All those above 45 years of age can get vaccinated from April 1: Javadekar

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday approved Covid-19 vaccination for all citizens above 45 years across the country beginning April 1, adding an estimated 18-19 crore people to the beneficiary list. 

    By expanding the ambit, about 30% of the India’s 1.3 billion population can expect to shield themselves against the pandemic. The vaccines can be taken free of cost in government hospitals or by paying `250 per dose in private facilities. 

    “I appeal to every citizen who is 45 or above to register for vaccination,” Union information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar said after the Cabinet meeting. “This decision has been taken by the Cabinet on the basis of the advice of the coronavirus task force and experts,” he said, assuring there is enough supply of vaccine to ensure immunisation of all eligible beneficiaries.  

    The expansion of the vaccination drive comes in wake of what looks like a second wave of the pandemic in several states with chief ministers of Maharashtra, Delhi and Punjab, asking the Centre to let all above 40 or 45 years take the jab.  So far, nearly 4.85 crore  across categories have got the shots, of whom 80 lakh have completed the two-dose regimen. 

  • Digital publishers say Javadekar meet constructive, others not that happy 

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  Information & Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar met representatives of Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) through video conferencing on Thursday. This comes after the government notified the  IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.  

    “DNPA made suggestions that preserve freedom of the press and emphasised that all its members are bound by, and follow, the regulations of Press Council of India and/or NBSA,” DNPA tweeted.

    It added that the meeting was constructive.

    Digital rights activist Nikhil Pahwa felt the statement hinted at ‘something problematic’, describing how new rules give the government ‘disproportionate power’.  

    Jency Jacob, managing editor at BOOM wrote, “Large print publishers and TV channels who also have websites have formed DNPA. None of the standalone websites who have formed @DigipubIndia were at this meeting.”

    Javadekar told DNPA about the Code of Ethics, like norms of journalistic conduct framed by Press Council of India and the Programme Code under the Cable Television Network Act.

    The minister said he held an interaction through video-conference with the representatives of the DNPA, including from India Today, Dainik Bhaskar, Hindustan Times, Indian Express, Times of India, ABP, Eenadu, Dainik Jagran and Lokmat, in the backdrop of the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

    “In a follow-up to meeting with OTT platforms, held an interaction with Digital News Publishers Association today. Discussed the new rules for digital media. They welcomed the new rules and offered few suggestions which I have noted,” he said in a tweet.

    Addressing the participants virtually, Javadekar informed them that the new rules placed certain responsibilities on digital news publishers.

    “These include adherence to a code of ethics such as the norms of journalistic conduct framed by the Press Council of India and the Programme Code under the Cable Television Network Act.”

    “Further, to redress grievances of citizens, the rules have provided for a three-tier grievance redressal mechanism, of which the first and second tier would be of the digital news publishers and self-regulatory bodies constituted by them,” he was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the information and broadcasting ministry.

    According to the new rules, digital news publishers would also be required to furnish some basic information to the ministry in a simple form, which is being finalised, and periodically, they would be required to place the details of the grievance redressal measures undertaken by them in the public domain.

    Javadekar said the print media as well as television channels have a digital presence, where the content is almost the same as that on the traditional platforms.

    “However, there are contents which appear exclusively on the digital platform. This apart, there are several entities which are only on the digital platform. Accordingly, the rules seek to cover the news on digital media so as to bring them at par with the traditional media,” he said.

    The participants, while welcoming the new rules, stated that the audio-visual and the print media have been following the laid down norms of the Cable Television Network Act and the Press Council Act for a very long time, the statement said.

    They said for publishing the digital content, the publishers follow the existing norms of the traditional platforms and felt that it should be treated differently than those news publishers who are only on a digital platform.

    Javadekar thanked the participants for expressing their views and stated that the government will take note of the same and continue with this consultative process for the overall growth of the media industry, the statement said.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • Prakash Javadekar gets his first jab of COVID -19 vaccine in Pune

    By PTI
    PUNE: Union minister Prakash Javadekar received a first shot of COVID-19 vaccine at a private hospital here on Friday.

    “Received my first shot of COVID-19 vaccine today at Dinanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune. The vaccination Process is easy & #MadeinIndia vaccine are fully safe,” the Minister for Information & Broadcasting tweeted.

    Received my first shot of #Covid19 vaccine today at Dinanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune.Vaccination process is easy & #MadeinIndia vaccine are fully safeI appeal all citizens to get vaccinated as & when they become eligibleटीका है सुरक्षा कवच #Covishield #LargestVaccineDrive pic.twitter.com/s2h3qauG34
    — Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) March 5, 2021

    “I appeal all the citizens to get vaccinated as & when they become elibigle,” he added.

  • Rule on blocking content been around since 2009: Government defends digital media guidelines

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry on Saturday clarified that the provision in the new digital media guidelines to block internet content in a case of emergency nature has been around as a rule since 2009 and was not recently introduced.

    Certain misgivings are being raised regarding Rule 16 under Part III of the guidelines which mention that in a case of emergency nature, interim blocking directions may be issued by the Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, a ministry statement said.

    “It is hereby clarified that this is not a new provision. For the past eleven years, since 2009, this provision has been exercised by the Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and IT under the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009,” it said.

    Under the rules issued on February 25, this provision has only been replaced with Secretary, Ministry of I&B because Part III of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 would be administered by the I&B Ministry, the statement said.

    “It is reiterated — no change in provision has been made nor any new provision has been added on blocking of content under Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021,” the I&B ministry said.

    The government on Thursday had said a ‘code of ethics’ and three-tier grievance redressal mechanism would be applicable for news publishers, over-the-top (OTT) platforms and digital media.

    The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 were announced at a joint press conference here by I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad earlier this week.

  • ‘Insulting Indians favourite pastime’ of Rahul Gandhi: Javadekar, calls opposition leader ‘superficial’

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Amid a political slugfest over Rahul Gandhi’s north-south’ comment, Union minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday called the opposition leader “superficial” and said “insulting Indians” was Gandhi’s “favourite pastime”.

    Javadekar also said the Congress leader has been severely admonished on social media while his cabinet colleague Ravi Shankar Prasad asserted that the remarks have raised questions over the level of responsibility shown by the former chief of a national party.

    “Insulting Indians is a favourite pastime of Rahul Gandhi. Indians are not superficial you are Mr Rahul Gandhi,” Javadekar tweeted.

    Insulting Indians is a favourite pastime of @RahulGandhi. Indians are not superficial you are Mr. Rahul Gandhi. https://t.co/5ZIH326YVd
    — Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) February 24, 2021

    Later during a post-Cabinet media briefing, the information and broadcasting minister said the BJP leaders have already reacted to that and “social media pe poori dhulayi hui hai” (he has been severely admonished on social media too).

    Prasad said, “I do not take political questions generally (during the post-Cabinet briefing), but this is one question on which I want to speak.

    Gandhi talks about fresh air when he goes to north-east and when he is in South India, he says the atmosphere in Kerala is different from the north”.

    ALSO READ | India’s ‘north-south divide toolkit’ being sold by BJP to public: Congress

    “Yours is a national party and you are differentiating the country’s atmosphere. This certainly raises a question about the level of your responsibility (as a national party leader),” the minister added.

    Addressing a public gathering in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday, Gandhi had said,”for the first 15 years, I was an MP in the north. I had got used to a different type of politics.

    “For me, coming to Kerala was very refreshing as suddenly I found that people are interested in issues and not just superficially but going into detail in issues.”

    The comments triggered sharp reactions from several BJP leaders, including some senior ministers, who immediately accused the Congress of being an ‘opportunist’ and alleged that Gandhi belittled North Indians, despite him and his family members winning several elections from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh in the past.

    Reacting to the attack from BJP leaders, the Congress on Wednesday said Gandhi had given a clarion call to the people to question the government on real issues and the north-south divide was a “toolkit” being sold by the BJP to the public.

    Congress’s chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleged that the BJP was raising “superficial” issues on a daily basis to divert the country’s attention from the people’s issues.

  • Modi government announces ‘Satyajit Ray Award’ ahead of Bengal polls

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday announced a national level film award after legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray.

    Javadekar made this announcement at a programme organised by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) in Kolkata, according to an actor who was present at the event.

    At the programme in which the media was not allowed, the Union minister interacted with leading actors and directors of West Bengal where the Assembly election is due in April-May.

    No detail is available on the ‘Satyajit Ray Award’.

    Senior actor and BJP leader Roopa Ganguly, who was present at the function, said that it is great that an award is being instituted after Ray.

    “It has been under planning stage for quite some time,” she told a news channel.

    Director Arindam Sil said that discussions were held with the Union minister on how to develop the Bengali film industry.

    Actors Paoli Dam, Abir Chattopadhyay, Ritupana Sengupta, director Gautam Ghosh, classical singer Rashid Khan, singer-turned-Union minister Babul Supriyo and others were present at the programme.