News Analysis India

Tag: Smriti Irani

  • 3 Key Ministers From Modi 2.0 Left Out Of BJP-Led NDA Cabinet |

    PM Modi Swearing-In Ceremony: As BJP leader Narendra Modi took the oath as Prime Minister for the third time on Sunday, many new names are going to uphold cabinet berths in Modi 3.0. However, there are some popular faces that are kept off the Union Ministers list. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Union Minister Smriti Irani, Anurag Thakur, and Narayan Rane will not be part of the cabinet in the 18th Lok Sabha. 

    Irani contested the Lok Sabha election from Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi, but she faced defeat by over 1.6 lakh votes to Congress loyalist Kishori Lal Sharma. Earlier, she had served as the Women and Child Development Minister during the Modi government’s second term. Five years prior, she had won against Congress’s Rahul Gandhi. 

    On the other hand, Thakur secured a victory in the general election from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh, having previously managed sports, information, and broadcasting portfolios. According to sources, he will not be included in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s latest Union Cabinet. 

    Rane served as the Minister of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises during Modi’s second term. He won the Lok Sabha election, representing Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg in Maharashtra. 

    The Modi 3.0 cabinet includes several prominent BJP leaders such as Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, S. Jaishankar, Nitin Gadkari, Mansukh Mandaviya, Piyush Goyal, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Dharmendra Pradhan, Bhupendra Yadav, Prahlad Joshi, Kiren Rijiju, C.R. Paatil, L. Murugan, Hardeep Puri, M.L. Khattar, Shivraj Chouhan, Gajendra Shekhawat, Suresh Gopi, and Jitin Prasada. 

  • Lok Sabha Elections results: Smriti Irani concedes defeat in Amethi by Congress’ KL Sharma; BJP workers break down in tears – The Economic Times Video

    Congress worker, candidate from Amethi, Kishori Lal Sharma has defeated Smriti Irani in the Lok Sabha Elections. Gandhi Family loyalist Kishori Lal Sharma defeated BJP’s Smriti Irani from Amethi by a margin of 1,67196 votes. Smriti Irani gracefully accepted the defeat and assured that she would continue to serve the people of Amethi. After conceding defeat in Lok Sabha, BJP candidate Smriti Irani met with the party workers in Amethi. BJP workers broke down in tears after meeting their party leader after the massive defeat by Congress candidate.

  • BJP’s Smriti Irani rides scooter, connects with Amethi locals during the election campaign – The Economic Times Video

    Amethi (UP): Union Minister and BJP candidate from Amethi, Smriti Irani participated in the election campaign riding a scooter on April 28. During the occasion, she interacted with the locals in Amethi. The Lok Sabha polls for Amethi are scheduled for May 20 (phase 5).

  • Smriti Irani decodes Congress’s masterplan for Lok Sabha polls: ‘Hugging, Begging and …’ – The Economic Times Video

    Ahead of the Lok Sabha election, Union Minister Smriti Irani held a special interaction with businessmen in Bengaluru, Karnataka on April 05. In this special meeting, she urged the audience to vote for BJP in order to make India a developed country and the third-largest economy in the world. She also took a dig at the opposition, the Gandhi family and their politics over the years. She went ahead and also criticized them for rejecting the invitation to the inauguration ceremony of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. During her address, the Union Minister took a jibe at the opposition and said “Gandhi family looted and cheated the citizens of India by smiling and clicking pictures.”

  • `Fodder Thief…`: BJP`s Smriti Irani Hits Back At Lalu Yadav`s `Parivaarvad` Remarks On PM Modi

    Smriti Irani challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to compare the ten years of UPA rule with the performance of the Modi government.

  • smriti irani griha pravesh: Smriti Irani does Griha Pravesh at new luxurious home in Amethi. See pics and video here

    Union Minister Smriti Irani and her husband, Zubin Irani, performed traditional rituals during the ‘Griha Pravesh’ ceremony at their home in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh. A video showing Smriti and her husband performing the rituals has been shared.

    The traditions at Smriti Irani’s new home started on Wednesday. Led by the priest Ashish Maharaj from Ujjain, the housewarming ceremony began. The consecration of the newly installed idols of deities in their new home also took place.

    The ‘Griha Pravesh’ is a customary Hindu ritual performed when someone moves into a new home.

    Irani purchased 11 biswa (1,650 sq yard or 14850 sqft) land in the village of Mawai in Gauriganj Tehsil in 2021 and built a luxurious house, where she has now performed the Griha Pravesh ceremony. In 2019, she announced her plan to construct a permanent residence in the area.

    In 2014, Smriti Irani contested elections in Amethi for the first time but was unsuccessful. However, she ran again in 2019 and emerged victorious against Rahul Gandhi.

    Amethi is known for the heated electoral battles between Rahul Gandhi and Smriti Irani. Both leaders revisited the constituency ahead of the impending Lok Sabha elections. While BJP’s Smriti Irani conducted a Jan Samwad in her area, Rahul Gandhi embarked on his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.Reflecting on her victory over Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections by approximately 55,000 votes, Smriti Irani asserted that the resentment of Amethi’s populace towards the Congress leader is palpable. She cited Gandhi’s comments post his victory in Wayanad and the Congress’s abstention from the Ram Temple inauguration as sources of discontent among Amethi residents, evident in the sparse reception he received in the streets.Challenging Rahul Gandhi to contest solely from Amethi in the upcoming elections, Smriti Irani questioned the Congress’s stance on Gandhi’s potential candidacy. In response, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh deferred to the decision of the Central Election Committee, emphasizing Amethi’s significance historically for the party.

    Amethi, once a Congress stronghold, shifted allegiance in 2019 with Rahul’s defeat to Smriti Irani. Previously, Rahul Gandhi had represented Amethi in the Lok Sabha for three terms, winning by a significant margin in 2014 against Irani.

    Despite the Congress’s historical prominence, its electoral prospects in the state have dwindled. In the 2019 elections, the party secured only one seat in Uttar Pradesh—Rae Bareli, represented by Sonia Gandhi until now. However, Sonia Gandhi announced her decision not to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls due to health and age-related concerns.

    (Inputs from ANI)

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

  • Smriti Irani Vs Rahul Gandhi Face-Off In Amethi Today But Will RaGa Contest From UP Seat Again? |

    Ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, Rahul Gandhi is on the last leg of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. Rahul Gandhi will be in Amethi today and the current MP from the seat Smriti Irani will also reach her constituency on a four-day tour today. Irani had defeated Gandhi from the seat in the 2019 parliamentary elections. While Rahul Gandhi lost from Amethi, he won the Wayanad seat thus retaining his Lok Sabha membership. Now, with the two leaders again touring the hot seat, the question is – whether Rahul Gandhi will again challenge Smriti Irani from the seat.

    Rahul To Contest From Amethi?

    For quite some time, there have been rumours within the Congress that Rahul Gandhi might contest elections from Amethi once again. Not contesting from here may send a wrong message in the Hindi-speaking region. Reacting to the question, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, “CEC will decide on who will contest from Amethi. Rahul Gandhi has been an MP from Amethi thrice. His father Rajiv Gandhi also used to contest from Amethi. It is a very important constituency for the Congress party.”

    With Sonia Gandhi moving to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan, the Congress party has shunned its lone Lok Sabha seat from Uttar Pradesh. Now, it will be important to see who will be Congress candidates from the Amethi and Raebareli.  

    Smriti’s Challenge From Kerala

    A few days ago, Smriti Irani had said during her visit to Kerala that she sent the current Wayanad MP to the seat from Uttar Pradesh. She urged the voters to ensure that he did not get another opportunity for the seat again. On the other hand, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi are scheduled to hold a rally at 4 PM in Babuganj, Amethi. 

    Amethi Remains A Hot Seat

    While Rahul may stay in Amethi for around 12 hours, Irani will stay put in the constituency for four days. This is perhaps the second time when both will be present in Amethi at the same time. However, the possibility of a face-to-face encounter between Rahul and Smriti is low as their schedules are different.

    Smriti usually visits Amethi frequently. This time, she is planning to stay for four days. Smriti will listen to people’s issues through a Jan Samvad program. She will be present at her homecoming program on February 22. Smriti Irani is likely to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Amethi again. She has been consistently criticizing Rahul Gandhi. 

  • G20 meet: For the first time, women-led agenda take centre stage, says Smriti Irani

    By PTI

    GANDHINAGAR: Union Minister Smriti Irani on Thursday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said thanks to his vision women-led development had become a subject of deliberations during the G20 leadership meetings for the first time.

    She was addressing a press conference here on the outcomes of the ‘Ministerial Conference on Women’s Empowerment’, which concluded at Mahatma Mandir during the day.

    At the closing ceremony of @g20org Ministerial Conference on Women Empowerment, handed over the baton to Brazil to take forward the mission of Women-led Development put forth by India during our G20 Presidency. pic.twitter.com/i2dzoTCnlZ
    — Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) August 3, 2023
    “Before India took over the G20 presidency, women-related subjects were never at the centre of discussions. Thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, for the first time in the history of G20, women-led development became a subject of deliberations during G20 leadership meetings. For the first time, women-led agenda was central to the discussion in G20,” Irani said.

    In the past, G20 never saw the participation of women from rural or humble backgrounds, but under India’s presidency, such women have now found a voice in G20, the Union Women and Child Development minister added.

    “The Indian G20 presidency has brought justice to the main table of the world leaders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi ensured women are not reduced to the sidelines of the conversation. In the history of G20 dialogue, discourse and deliberation, for the first time, women-led agenda has been central to conversations,” the Union minister asserted.

    The conference, which began on August 2, saw the participation of 138 delegates from 15 G20 nations, including Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia and the US, and five guest countries like Bangladesh and the UAE.

    One of the key outcomes of the conference was TechEquity, a digital inclusion platform prepared by India with an aim to empower women digitally, said Irani.

    “Women at the grassroots never found a voice in G20 till India took over the presidency. India’s contribution, thanks to the G20 EMPOWER team, is TechEquity, a digital inclusion platform, in which courses will be submitted by G20 nations in 120 international and Indian languages. This platform will reach out to one million users across the G20 universe,” said Irani.

    G20 EMPOWER is an alliance for the Empowerment and Progression of Women’s Economic Representation. She also said several G20 members have shown interest in the PM POSHAN (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman) scheme as they want to replicate it in their countries.

    “PM POSHAN is our flagship scheme to provide nutrition to children under the age of six as well as to pregnant and lactating mothers. Poshan Tracker is our digital application which tracks 100 million beneficiaries, including children and mothers, across 1.4 million anganwadis in the country,” she informed.

    “Our friends in the G20 family have not only appreciated it but many nations have shown interest in learning from this ICD application and modifying it to suit their own domestic needs. India has promised to share this technology with the G20 nations,” she added.

    On the occasion, Dr Sangita Reddy, Chair, of G20 EMPOWER, said TechEquity was one of the two platforms created during the deliberations.

    TechEquity will be available for women from both urban as well as rural areas and it can be accessed by everyone because it will be in 120 languages, Reddy said.

    “Another platform created during the deliberations is the Mentorship Platform. Women sometimes do not realise what their potential is. They need counselling to learn what are the best options for them. Mentorship Platform can help women choose the right careers and directions,” she said.

    GANDHINAGAR: Union Minister Smriti Irani on Thursday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said thanks to his vision women-led development had become a subject of deliberations during the G20 leadership meetings for the first time.

    She was addressing a press conference here on the outcomes of the ‘Ministerial Conference on Women’s Empowerment’, which concluded at Mahatma Mandir during the day.

    At the closing ceremony of @g20org Ministerial Conference on Women Empowerment, handed over the baton to Brazil to take forward the mission of Women-led Development put forth by India during our G20 Presidency. pic.twitter.com/i2dzoTCnlZgoogletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
    — Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) August 3, 2023
    “Before India took over the G20 presidency, women-related subjects were never at the centre of discussions. Thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, for the first time in the history of G20, women-led development became a subject of deliberations during G20 leadership meetings. For the first time, women-led agenda was central to the discussion in G20,” Irani said.

    In the past, G20 never saw the participation of women from rural or humble backgrounds, but under India’s presidency, such women have now found a voice in G20, the Union Women and Child Development minister added.

    “The Indian G20 presidency has brought justice to the main table of the world leaders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi ensured women are not reduced to the sidelines of the conversation. In the history of G20 dialogue, discourse and deliberation, for the first time, women-led agenda has been central to conversations,” the Union minister asserted.

    The conference, which began on August 2, saw the participation of 138 delegates from 15 G20 nations, including Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia and the US, and five guest countries like Bangladesh and the UAE.

    One of the key outcomes of the conference was TechEquity, a digital inclusion platform prepared by India with an aim to empower women digitally, said Irani.

    “Women at the grassroots never found a voice in G20 till India took over the presidency. India’s contribution, thanks to the G20 EMPOWER team, is TechEquity, a digital inclusion platform, in which courses will be submitted by G20 nations in 120 international and Indian languages. This platform will reach out to one million users across the G20 universe,” said Irani.

    G20 EMPOWER is an alliance for the Empowerment and Progression of Women’s Economic Representation. She also said several G20 members have shown interest in the PM POSHAN (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman) scheme as they want to replicate it in their countries.

    “PM POSHAN is our flagship scheme to provide nutrition to children under the age of six as well as to pregnant and lactating mothers. Poshan Tracker is our digital application which tracks 100 million beneficiaries, including children and mothers, across 1.4 million anganwadis in the country,” she informed.

    “Our friends in the G20 family have not only appreciated it but many nations have shown interest in learning from this ICD application and modifying it to suit their own domestic needs. India has promised to share this technology with the G20 nations,” she added.

    On the occasion, Dr Sangita Reddy, Chair, of G20 EMPOWER, said TechEquity was one of the two platforms created during the deliberations.

    TechEquity will be available for women from both urban as well as rural areas and it can be accessed by everyone because it will be in 120 languages, Reddy said.

    “Another platform created during the deliberations is the Mentorship Platform. Women sometimes do not realise what their potential is. They need counselling to learn what are the best options for them. Mentorship Platform can help women choose the right careers and directions,” she said.

  • Minors abandoned by kin due to rape-related pregnancy now to get Centre’s assistance

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The Centre has launched a scheme which will provide shelter, critical care, and financial, legal and medical support to minor girls whose families have abandoned them due to pregnancy from rape.

    Also, minor girls who are orphans or have left their families and chosen to live separately with no means to support themselves will be provided support too.

    The minor girls will be supported till the age of 23 and if they want to surrender the child for adoption, they will be given assistance.

    Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said the new scheme, which will cost Rs. 74.10 crores, will be launched under the aegis of the Nirbhaya scheme.

    The scheme aims to ensure both infrastructural and financial support for minor pregnant victims who have no means to fend for themselves.

    “We have additionally leveraged the administrative structure of Mission Vatsalya in collaboration with state governments and childcare institutions to actualise this support to minor victims on the ground,” she said.

    Launched in 2021, Mission Vatsalya is focused on the protection and welfare of children.

    Irani said this additional support under the new scheme would be available for girls up to the age of 18 years at the level of childcare institutions (CCI) and for women up to 23 years at aftercare facilities.

    Along with legal aid, the girls, who have been abandoned by their family due to forced pregnancy, either due to rape, or any other reason, and have no means to support themselves, will also be provided with safe transportation for attending court hearings, she added.

    ALSO READ | The long and short of it: Height, BMI gap between urban and rural kids narrowing

    The minister said the Centre had accelerated access to justice for minor rape victims by establishing 415 POCSO fast-track courts nationwide.

    According to National Crime Records Bureau data, 51,863 Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act cases were lodged in 2021, out of which 64 per cent were of penetrative sexual assault and aggravated penetrative sexual assault.

    “In many cases, girls become pregnant and bear several physical and mental health concerns, which are further aggravated when they are disowned or abandoned by their own families or are orphans,” she added.

    She also said that these girl child victims, who will be provided integrated support and assistance under one roof, will be given skill training.

    A senior official said the scheme aims to facilitate immediate, emergency and non-emergency access to a range of services, including access to education, police assistance, counselling, legal support, and insurance cover for the girl child victim and her newborn.

    The medical benefits available to beneficiaries of the scheme include maternity, neo-natal and infant care, the official added.

    Officials said the girl child victim doesn’t need to produce a copy of the FIR to avail of the benefits under the scheme. Hover, the persons responsible for implementing the scheme need to ensure that the police are informed, and an FIR is registered, the official said.

    Separate space will be allocated at the child care homes for the scheme’s beneficiaries as her needs would be different from other children residing there.

    Under Mission Vatsalya guidelines, provisions of dedicated childcare institutions for POCSO victims will also be made to ensure the proper rehabilitation of such minors.

    NEW DELHI: The Centre has launched a scheme which will provide shelter, critical care, and financial, legal and medical support to minor girls whose families have abandoned them due to pregnancy from rape.

    Also, minor girls who are orphans or have left their families and chosen to live separately with no means to support themselves will be provided support too.

    The minor girls will be supported till the age of 23 and if they want to surrender the child for adoption, they will be given assistance.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said the new scheme, which will cost Rs. 74.10 crores, will be launched under the aegis of the Nirbhaya scheme.

    The scheme aims to ensure both infrastructural and financial support for minor pregnant victims who have no means to fend for themselves.

    “We have additionally leveraged the administrative structure of Mission Vatsalya in collaboration with state governments and childcare institutions to actualise this support to minor victims on the ground,” she said.

    Launched in 2021, Mission Vatsalya is focused on the protection and welfare of children.

    Irani said this additional support under the new scheme would be available for girls up to the age of 18 years at the level of childcare institutions (CCI) and for women up to 23 years at aftercare facilities.

    Along with legal aid, the girls, who have been abandoned by their family due to forced pregnancy, either due to rape, or any other reason, and have no means to support themselves, will also be provided with safe transportation for attending court hearings, she added.

    ALSO READ | The long and short of it: Height, BMI gap between urban and rural kids narrowing

    The minister said the Centre had accelerated access to justice for minor rape victims by establishing 415 POCSO fast-track courts nationwide.

    According to National Crime Records Bureau data, 51,863 Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act cases were lodged in 2021, out of which 64 per cent were of penetrative sexual assault and aggravated penetrative sexual assault.

    “In many cases, girls become pregnant and bear several physical and mental health concerns, which are further aggravated when they are disowned or abandoned by their own families or are orphans,” she added.

    She also said that these girl child victims, who will be provided integrated support and assistance under one roof, will be given skill training.

    A senior official said the scheme aims to facilitate immediate, emergency and non-emergency access to a range of services, including access to education, police assistance, counselling, legal support, and insurance cover for the girl child victim and her newborn.

    The medical benefits available to beneficiaries of the scheme include maternity, neo-natal and infant care, the official added.

    Officials said the girl child victim doesn’t need to produce a copy of the FIR to avail of the benefits under the scheme. Hover, the persons responsible for implementing the scheme need to ensure that the police are informed, and an FIR is registered, the official said.

    Separate space will be allocated at the child care homes for the scheme’s beneficiaries as her needs would be different from other children residing there.

    Under Mission Vatsalya guidelines, provisions of dedicated childcare institutions for POCSO victims will also be made to ensure the proper rehabilitation of such minors.

  • Irani, Chowdhury spar over use of word ‘gentleman’ in Lok Sabha

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury indulged in a spat in Lok Sabha on Friday over the use of the word ‘gentleman’.

    While responding to a supplementary question by Chandra Sekhar Sahu of the BJD on fortified food for children, Irani referred to him as “gentleman” which was objected to by Chowdhury who said that as per parliamentary procedures she should have referred to him as “honourable member”.

    Irani said Chowdhury was interrupting her reply to impress his “political masters”.

    Chowdhury was supported by another Congress member, K Suresh.

    Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was also present in the House.

    “I would request the member who stands here trying to ensure that I do not speak to score political brownie points. For him to presume that the gentleman is not a gentleman is an issue to deal (with) between the gentleman and the so-called member,” Irani said.

    NEW DELHI: Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury indulged in a spat in Lok Sabha on Friday over the use of the word ‘gentleman’.

    While responding to a supplementary question by Chandra Sekhar Sahu of the BJD on fortified food for children, Irani referred to him as “gentleman” which was objected to by Chowdhury who said that as per parliamentary procedures she should have referred to him as “honourable member”.

    Irani said Chowdhury was interrupting her reply to impress his “political masters”.

    Chowdhury was supported by another Congress member, K Suresh.

    Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was also present in the House.

    “I would request the member who stands here trying to ensure that I do not speak to score political brownie points. For him to presume that the gentleman is not a gentleman is an issue to deal (with) between the gentleman and the so-called member,” Irani said.