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Tag: india

  • Pralhad Joshi: PM Modi led government will benefit all states including Goa

    The abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, criminalisation of instant triple talaq and amendment to  Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act to allow an individual to be designated as ‘terrorist’ are some of the major path-breaking  decisions of the government in last 100 days’ tenure, said Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines Shri Pralhad Joshi while addressing the Media persons in Panaji today.

    Minister highlighted the achievements of the NDA government in the last 100 days and said that these bold initiatives and decisive actions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government will benefit all states including Goa.

    “Government is following a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism and has come with an amendment in law to have a provision to declare an individual as a terrorist”, said Joshi. 

    Investigation agencies like NIA are now empowered in terror-related cases to conduct search and investigations in countries like Srilanka which have an agreement with India, added Joshi.

    While highlighting the benefits of abrogation of special status to Kashmir, Joshi said that laws pertaining to education, Right to Information, empowerment of SCs and STs, minorities and others will be applicable in Jammu and Kashmir now.

    “The world community has supported New Delhi’s move and it is an achievement of foreign diplomacy of the Modi led government”, he added.  

    Highlighting the work done by Government in empowering women, the Minister said that Government has brought in an amendment in POSCO Act which has a provision for the death penalty for sexual assaults crimes.

    40 thousand teachers are being trained to create awareness in students about bad and good touch, he added.

    Joshi said the government has also unveiled a roadmap to make India a USD-5 trillion economy by 2024.

    He highlighted the establishment of Jal Shakti Ministry, the National Medical Commission and merger of public sector banks.

    “70, 000 crore rupees will be released to public sector banks to facilitate them to lend more loans to the needy”, he said. 

    Many initiatives are taken by the government in several fields including agriculture, power, health, social justice and empowerment, health and power among other areas to make the economy stronger.

    The minister said every single rural house will have electricity and clean cooking gas connection by 2022. He said 1.94 crore houses are proposed to be provided to eligible beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin by 2021-22 and 4.2 crore under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban.

    The minister said PM Kisan scheme has been extended to another 3.44 crore farmers in the last 100 days. He said the government has decided to give pension to 5 crore marginal farmers under PM Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana.

    Stating that out of 18 crore families in rural areas, just 3.52 crore families are getting tap water, the  Minister said that to ensure availability of portable water Jal Shakti Ministry has been set up and Jal Shakti Abhiyan has been launched by the government. He said the target is to complete 2.11 lakh Jal Shakti Abhiyan related works in the selected rural blocks this year.

    Minister said that the government has decided to develop infrastructure worth rupees 100 lakh crores in the country with almost 50 lakh crores investment in Railways.

    Stating that PM Narendra Modi Government has made a record in passing the maximum number of Bills in a single session of Parliament, he said altogether 35 Bills were passed in the Monsoon Session this year. 

    Stating that there were only 13 crore LPG connections in last 60 years,  the Minister highlighted that in 5 years government has completed the target of 8 crore new LPG connections.

    “Some of districts we have made smoke free”, Minister said.

    Minister also said that under UDAN Yojana the frequency of intrastate domestic flights has gone high.    

    While speaking on the initiative to boost protection of environment Minister said that government has reduced GST on electric vehicles from 18 per cent to 5 per cent.

    Government is also having an agreement with other nations to import lithium which will help in Solar energy plants in the country, he added. 

  • Shri Gadkari assures for effective steps to resolve the problem of delayed payments to MSMEs

    Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Shri Nitin Gadkari has said that non payment and delay in payments to MSME enterprises will be dealt with very firmly. The Minister reiterated the Government’s commitment to solve long standing problems of the MSME sector and give it the required support so that it can realize its full potential in terms of its contribution to GDP and employment generation. The Minister was speaking at a national workshop organized by the MSME Ministry to discuss the issue of delayed payments to MSMEs and ways to deal with it. He said that the Finance Ministry has recently taken some initiatives for the sector which will go a long way in strengthening it. Shri Gadkari further assured that the recommendations of the UK Sinha committee will be implemented soon.

    Besides Ministry officials and bankers, the workshop is being attended by entrepreneurs and various stakeholders from the MSME sector. Presentations were made by TReDS, Bombay Stock Exchange, Chamber of Indian MS&M Enterprises, NeSL (National e-governance Services Limited) on the initiatives that are being taken to tackle the problem of delayed payments. Many stakeholders suffering from delayed payments, spoke about their complaints and placed suggestions before the Minister and senior officials.

    Shri Gadkari appealed all the stakeholders to use MSME Samadhan Portal so that sufficient data could be gathered about wilful defaulters, register themselves on stock exchanges and also assured them that the ministry will soon launch a marketing portal ‘Bharat Craft’ for the marketing of their products. Ministry has already notified that all companies registered with the Companies Act, 2013 with a turnover of more than Rs. 500 crore and all Central Public Sector Enterprises shall be required to get themselves onboarded on the TReDS (Trade Receivables Discounting System) platform, set up as per the notification of the Reserve Bank of India.

    The Ministry has also notified that all companies who get supplies of goods or services from Micro and Small Enterprises and whose payments to suppliers exceeds 45 days from the date of acceptance of the goods or services, shall submit a half yearly return of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs stating the amount of payments due and reason of the delay.

    Secretary MSME Shri Arun Kumar Panda assured stakeholders that all their suggestions and problems will be looked into by the Ministry.

    Shri Nitin Gadkari also Re-Launched the Credit Linked Capital Subsidy (CLCS) web portal on the occasion. CLCS is a scheme that provides 15% subsidy for additional investment up to ₹ 1 cr. for technology upgradation by MSEs. In the relaunched scheme there is an additional 10 percent subsidy to SC-ST entrepreneurs. MoUs were also signed by the office of DC, MSME with 11 Nodal Banks.

    Additional Secretary and Development Commissioner Shri Ram Mohan Mishra welcomed representatives from PSUs, Banks, Industry association and entrepreneurs in the two day long workshop on Credit Linked Capital Subsidy and Delayed Payment of MSMEs.

  • President Shri Kovind presents National Awards to 46 teachers from across the country for their exceptional contribution

    The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind presented the National Award to 46 Teachers on the occasion of Teacher’s Day, in New Delhi today. The Union HRD Minister, Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, and the Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Shri Sanjay Dhotre also grace the occasion.

    Speaking on the occasion, the President said that strong foundations of character-building are laid in schools. The main objective of education is to make the student a good human-being. And teachers do so by instilling honesty, discipline and integrity in their students. A good human-being possessing these values ​​will prove to be good in each and every sphere. By ensuring that their students become good human beings, teachers contribute in the nation-building process.

    The President said that today, the world is moving from information era to knowledge era. However, knowledge alone will not be able to ensure the safety of human civilization. Along with knowledge, it is also necessary to have a conscience. Only when knowledge is combined with wisdom, it can solve human problems. In this globalized and highly competitive world, we have to establish a balance between ‘artificial intelligence’ and ‘human compassion’ and between ‘digital learning’ and ‘character building’. Only on the basis of such rational knowledge, we can tackle the present challenges such as climate change, pollution, melting glaciers etc. Teachers can contribute significantly in the national campaign of water conservation by instilling in students the importance of water conservation.

    The President urged teachers to build a new generation that is full of knowledge and wisdom, so that it can successfully address all the contemporary challenges.

    The purpose of National Awards to Teachers is to celebrate the unique contribution of some of the finest teachers in the country and to honor those teachers who through their commitment and industry have not only improved the quality of school education but also enriched the lives of their students.

    This year the online self nomination process followed by 3 tier selection process at District, State and National level has been completed. The Independent National Jury recommended name of 46 teachers. The criterion adopted was to select those teachers who had shown innovation in their work and had added value to the school and to their students. These nominated teachers gave a presentation before an independent Jury comprising a senior educationist. This ensured that all of them were given an opportunity to place before the jury their contribution and the work done by them. The basic premise now is that the new scheme should be transparent, fair, and reward demonstrated excellence and performance and has been inspired by recent innovations in major national awards. The award carries a Silver Medal, Certificate and Rs. 50,000/- as award money.

    The features of the new scheme are as under:

    Online self-nominations from teachers were invited on mhrd.gov.in. The Webportal was developed by the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) and the entire software ran smoothly.
    Applications were received online from teachers from all over the country.
    All regular teachers were eligible and no minimum years of service was required. This enabled meritorious young teachers to apply.
    The number of awards was rationalized to maximum of 47, thereby restoring the prestige of the awards.
    No State, UT or Organization had a quota in the final selection. This encouraged them to compete for the awards.
    An independent Jury at the National level made the final selection. The Jury reviewed the list of candidates forwarded by all States, UTs and Organisations. Each nominee made a presentation before the Jury, which made a final assessment and recommended 46 names for the Teachers Awards this year.

    Smt.Rina Ray, Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy and Shri R. Subrahmanyam, Secretary, Department of Higher Education and other senior officials were present on the occasion.

  • Defence Minister Rajnath Singh calls for collective international action to counter terrorism and against those who provide sanctuary to terrorists.

    Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh has called for a collective international action to check perpetrators of terrorism and advocated strong measures against those who support and finance terrorism and provide sanctuary to terrorists.

    Delivering a keynote address at the ‘Seoul Defence Dialogue 2019’ with the theme, ‘Building Peace Together: Challenges and Vision’, during his visit to Republic of Korea (ROK), Defence Minister said, “of the numerous security challenges that the world is facing, the gravest is that of terrorism.” No country in the world is safe from terrorism and India has been actively pursuing counter terrorism cooperation bilaterally, regionally and globally through UN and other means, he added.

    Shri Rajnath Singh said, world politics today is in a state of flux and this has aggravated global and regional challenges to international peace and security. He added that new and emerging technologies have impacted the regional as well as global security environment. “Our region is confronted with numerous traditional and non-traditional security threats such as terrorism, conflicts, transnational crimes, maritime threats, proliferation as well as the challenges of sustainable development, including the lack of energy, low intra-regional trade and lack of connectivity”, he said.

    He emphasised that good relations with neighbours – both immediate and extended – are a priority for India’s foreign policy as part of its Neighbourhood First Policy. “A key feature of India’s Neighbourhood First Policy is also its engagement with its neighbours in sub-regional groupings of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and Bay of Bengal initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), apart from a trilateral maritime co-operation format with Sri Lanka and Maldives to improve Maritime Domain Awareness and co-operation”, he added.

    Shri Rajnath Singh expressed India’s support for peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula and its denuclearisation through dialogue and diplomacy. “Our quest for common prosperity and security requires us to evolve a common rules-based order for our region, the Indo-Pacific region. This order must be based on sovereignty and territorial integrity and equality of all nations, irrespective of size and strength. These rules and norms must be based on the consent of all”, he said.
    Raksha Mantri said, India has strengthened co-operative engagements in the Indo-Pacific region on the basis of the principle of “SAGAR – Security and Growth for All in the Region”, a principle that remains the cornerstone of India’s outlook for the Indo-Pacific region. He advocated for an open and inclusive architecture for the Indo-Pacific region with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) centrality, equal access to the global commons, freedom of navigation in the seas and in the air and unimpeded commerce, the importance of connectivity, a rules-based order and dialogue as the means to resolve disputes.

    Shri Rajnath Singh said Asia can make 21st century as century of peace and holistic development, where the nations can tackle the common challenges of poverty, disease, illiteracy and terrorism. He stressed the five principles of Indian thought –Samman (respect), Samvad (dialogue), Sahayog (cooperation), Shanti (peace) and Samriddhi (prosperity) – to achieve this goal.

    Raksha Mantri said India and ROK play a stellar role in bringing about peace, progress, prosperity, riding on twin pillars of economic and security partnership. He said, bilateral co-operation can be instrumental in the following:

    Ensuring rules-based order in the region;
    Fighting terrorism, piracy, proliferation and transnational crimes;
    Collaboration on issues such as HADR, Cyber Security and other maritime related threats;
    Seek to align and coordinate regional maritime capacity building/security assistance efforts.
    Shri Rajnath Singh termed as ‘spectacular’ the progress made by ROK over the past few decades saying that it has been a source of inspiration for India. He added that the synergy between India’s ‘Act East Policy’ and Korea’s ‘New Southern Policy’ has further strengthened Special Strategic Partnership between the two countries.
    It may be noted that India has been among the first responders in Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) situations in the region, from Fiji to Yemen. Recently, the Indian Navy conducted HADR operations in the aftermath of Cyclone IDAI that hit Mozambique in March this year.

  • Vice President : Shri Arun Jaitley will forever be remembered as one of the most prominent architects of India’s socio-economic resurgence

    The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu attended a prayer meeting held in memory of Late Shri Arun Jaitley, the former union Finance Minister, in New Delhi today and paid his respects.

    Shri. Naidu took to social media to pay tributes to Late Shri Arun Jaitley, and said that Shri Jaitley was a close associate and a dear friend. “Jaitley ji will forever be remembered as one of the most prominent architects of India’s socio-economic resurgence”, he said.
    He said that Shri Arun Jaitley was an outstanding Parliamentarian, legal luminary, towering intellectual, an able administrator and a statesman of impeccable integrity. “He distinguished himself by effectively handling important portfolios as Union Minister”, he added.

    Referring to Shri Jaitley’s vast repertoire of knowledge and his grasp of both national and international issues, Shri Naidu said that he would be missed by one and all for the hall mark perspectives he used to present on all major issues, enriching public and parliamentary discourse.

    Observing that Shri Arun Jaitely epitomized versatility and was a multi-faceted genius, the Vice President said that he possessed remarkable clarity of thought and conviction. “He was a communicator par excellence and would articulate the most of complex issues in a simple manner”, he added.

    The Vice President said that Shri Arun Jaitley has left an indelible mark on the canvas of India’s history and expressed hope that his life and legacy would inspire many more to take up the noble pursuit of serving the nation with dedication and selflessness.

    The Union Minister for Home Affairs Shri Amit Shah and a number of other dignitaries were present at the occasion.

    The Vice President also attended a condolence meeting for Late Shri Jaipal Reddy and paid his tributes to the leader.
    He said that Shri Jaipal Reddy was an intellectual giant and a great orator and added that he was always forthright in his views.
    Referring to Shri Reddy’s stellar performance as a student at the Osmania University, the Vice President said that he was erudite and scholarly, who possessed an in-depth knowledge on matters mundane as well as philosophical. “He made a mark right from his student days and was able to hold the attention of the audience on any subject—be it national or international”, he added.

    Recalling that Shri Reddy and he were fellow-travellers for a considerable period in the politics of united Andhra Pradesh, the Vice President said that he was a friendly guide.

    Highlighting Shri Reddy’s mastery over the languages – English as well Telugu, Shri Naidu said that he was a brilliant Parliamentarian whose speeches were laced with wit, sarcasm, and humor.

    Stating that he was a man of integrity and never compromised on his principles, the Vice President said that Shri Reddy always held on firmly to his moral and political values. “He had brought name and fame to every position he had held without ever compromising on his fundamental beliefs”, he added.

    Lauding Shri Reddy’s spirit, Shri Naidu said that through his words, deeds and accomplishments, he epitomized the real meaning of “differently-abled” and proved himself to be “extraordinarily-abled”. He added that Shri Reddy’s life was a saga of an irrepressible creative spirit that transcended all obstacles to soar to great heights.

    The Vice President said that Shri Reddy’s life should become a role model for other politicians and added that he was an upright person and a man of integrity who dedicated his life in the service of common people. “Shri Jaipal Reddy was a gentleman-politician and known for his qualities of head and heart”, he added.

    The former Prime Minister, Shri Manmohan Singh and other dignitaries were present at the occasion.

  • Union Home Minister Amit Shah meets groups of representatives from Jammu and Kashmir

    Union Minister of Home Affairs Shri Amit Shah met three different groups of representatives from Jammu and Kashmir today.

    This was his first meeting with the representatives of sarpanches from various districts of Jammu and Kashmir after abrogation of Article 370. He also met representatives of fruit growers, agricultural markets and some members of local horticulture associations. He also met the representatives of the community of people displaced in the partition. All three delegations congratulated the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the Union Home Minister for the courageous step of abolishing article 370 and 35A.

    Shri Shah informed the delegation of sarpanches that henceforth the provisions of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts would be applicable to Jammu and Kashmir and this would serve to empower local governance and panchayati Raj institutions in Jammu and Kashmir.

    On the issue of mobile connectivity and restoration of communications, the Union Home minister said that the issue would be expedited and that a solution would be found as quickly as possible. Greeting the sarpanches, Shri Shah hailed them as the leaders of Jammu and Kashmir and said that it would be their responsibility to ensure that the benefits of various government schemes would reach the correct beneficiaries and that an atmosphere of peace and prosperity is maintained. Shri Shah promised to begin recruitment for various government jobs at the earliest and said that the government would ensure merit-based recruitment of at least five aspirants from each village.

    The representatives of fruit growers expressed their concern regarding the possibility of unsold and wasted produce. Shri Shah reassured them by saying that the government is in touch with concerned agencies to resolve the issue. He noted that with the abrogation of Article 370, the benefits of various government schemes like PM Fasal Bima Yojana would reach all farmers of Jammu and Kashmir now.

    Shri Shah clarified that the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir would be restored as soon as the situation warrants, and asked the representatives to not believe any rumours. Shri Shah reassured the representatives that nobody’s land would be taken away and government land would be used for the establishment of industries, hospitals and educational institutions. This would not only create employment opportunities for the locals but also enhance tax revenues for the state, which in turn would be used for the welfare of the people.

    Shri Shah said that it was essential to change the atmosphere and bring the people of Jammu and Kashmir to mainstream. Shri Shah promised to begin the process of Block level elections as quickly as possible. He told the representatives that your fight is against terrorism, as is ours, hence we should ensure an atmosphere of peace in Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest.

    Shri Shah met the representatives of the displaced people who had initially registered in various stages of India but later settled in Jammu and Kashmir. Shri Shah assured them that they are being considered for inclusion in the scheme under which displaced families registered in Jammu and Kashmir are given financial assistance.

  • CHANDRAYAAN-2: FINAL LUNAR ORBITAL MANOEUVRE ACHIEVED RELEASED FROM VIKRAM LANDER

    Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)issued an update on September 1 which stating that the Chandrayaan 2 has successfully performed the final lunar orbital manoeuvre. Now, the organisation has released its lunar lander Vikram today on September 2. According to ISRO, all spacecraft parameters are normal and it is currently in the lunar orbit for its rendezvous with the Moon.
    ISRO took to Twitter and wrote, “The final and fifth Lunar bound orbit manoeuvre for Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft was performed successfully today beginning at 1821 hrs IST as planned, using the onboard propulsion system. The duration of the manoeuvre was 52 seconds. The orbit achieved is 119km x 127km.”

  • Rise above Politics, Stand with the Government when the question is of National Security: Shri Amit Shah to Opposition

    Shri Amit Shah : In our culture, when people give us a mandate, we give account of each penny spent.
    Atal ji said that we live not for politics but for India

    Addressing an event in Solapur today, Union Minister for Home Affairs, Shri Amit Shah said that taking the bold step of abrogating Article 370, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given a strong message that the Unity and Integrity of India comes above everything else. On the issue of Article 370, people of India are standing like a rock with the Prime Minister, he said.

    Shri Shah said Sardar Patel integrated 630 princely states but was not allowed to integrate Jammu & Kashmir into India. This Government under the leadership of Shri Narendra Modi has realized this dream of Sardar Patel and that of the people of India for the last 70 years. Jammu Kashmir is an integral part of India and doors of development have now been opened for the people. Now no enemy can dare to attempt any misadventure against the security and integrity of India, he added.

    The Home Minister said that those in the opposition have opposed this step tooth and nail and have questioned the abrogation of Article 370. They must clarify whether they want terrorism to continue and bloodshed to go on in the country. Their statements are being used by our enemies against India in the UN, he said.

    Speaking further on how normalcy is being restored in Jammu Kashmir, Shri Shah said that since August 5 there has not been a single bullet fired in the state and not a single life has been lost. He said, “I appeal to all political parties to rise above politics, not think about vote bank and stand with the government to secure the unity and integrity of the country. There are many other issues on which politics can be done but it must not happen on issues of national security and integrity of the Nation”.

    The Home Minister remembered how Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee supported Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Government in 1965 and Smt. Indira Gandhi led government during 1971 Indo-Pak wars, on the floor of the Parliament. When in 1994, Pakistan brought up the Kashmir issue again, the P.V. Narasimha Rao Government brought a resolution in the Parliament, which was supported by our party in both Houses. The question came up as to who would present India’s case strongly in the UN, Shri Rao said that no one other than Shri Vajpayee can do this. Shri Vajpayee, though being in the opposition, led the Indian delegation to UN and presented India’s stand in front of the world strongly. He used to say, “We live not for politics but for India”.

    Appealing to the opposition to stand united with the Government on issues concerning National Security, Shri Shah reiterated, “We have always supported the government on all the issues where the country is concerned. I expect the same from the opposition as well”.

  • Election Commission of India to host the 4th General Assembly of Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB ) at Bengaluru.

    The Election Commission of India is scheduled to host the 4th General Assembly of Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) at Bengaluru on 3rd September 2019. India will take over as A-WEB’s Chair for the 2019-21 term. Over 50 countries across the globe will join the meeting at Bengaluru from 02nd to 04th September, 2019. An International Conference on “Initiatives and Challenges of Social Media and Information Technology in Elections” will also be held on 04th September, 2019.

    The Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) is the largest association of Election Management Bodies (EMBs) worldwide. A-WEB was established on October 14, 2013 in Song-do, South Korea. The permanent secretariat of A-WEB is located at Seoul. A-WEB’s vision is to foster efficiency and effectiveness in conducting free, fair, transparent and participative elections worldwide. Its activities are guided by its mission to identify latest trends, challenges and developments in democratic electoral management and electoral processes and to facilitate appropriate exchange of experience and expertise among members with the objective of strengthening electoral democracy worldwide.

    Election Commission of India has been very closely associated with the process of formation of A-WEB since 2011-12. ECI has been its Executive Board Member since AWEB’s inception in October 2013 for two consecutive terms (2013-15 and 2015-17). At the last A-WEB General Assembly held in Bucharest on 31st August, 2017, Romania took over as Chair and ECI was unanimously elected as Vice-Chair of A-WEB 2017-19. India is all set to take over as Chair now for the 2019-21 term.

    At present A-WEB has 115 EMBs as Members & 20 Regional Associations/Organisations as Associate Members. 24 EMBs from Asia, 37 from Africa, 31 from America, 17 from Europe & 6 from Oceania presently are members of A WEB. ECI will continue to remain on the Executive Board of A-WEB for 2021-23 in its capacity as immediate former Chair of A-WEB.

    The current Executive Board of AWEB 2017-19 has 21 members wherein Dominican Republic as the Immediate Past Chair; 5 members from Africa namely Burkina Faso/Guinea/Kenya/Malawi/Tunisia; 4 members from Americas -Argentina/Colombia/El Salvador/Paraguay; 4 members from Asia – Bangladesh/Palestine/Taiwan/Uzbekistan; 3 members from Europe – Albania/Belarus/Croatia and Fiji as the member from Oceania are included.

    Over 120 Participants from more than 50 countries across the globe will join the AWEB events scheduled in Bengaluru from 02nd to 04th September, 2019. By far this is the largest congregation of EMB delegates in India. Meeting of the Executive Board of A-WEB will be held on 02 Sep. 2019; Next day on Tuesday, the 3rd September, General Assembly of A-WEB will be held where India will take over as Chair of A-WEB for 2019-2021 term. Chief Election Commissioner of India Sh Sunil Arora would preside over the General Assembly meeting. Detailed deliberations at the A-WEB General Assembly include discussion on Challenges and future of furthering partnership amongst EMBs; appointment of office bearers; programmes and activities to be undertaken by A-WEB during 2020, etc.

    On the 4th of September, an International Conference on “Initiatives and Challenges of Social Media and Information Technology in Elections” will be held. Eleven countries namely Benin, Bhutan, Bosnia – Herzegovina, Cameroon, Malawi, Mauritius, Palestine, Romania, Russia, Sierra Leone and Togo would make their presentations on the subject.

    A-WEB was founded with the shared vision among its members of achieving sustainable democracy around the world. A-WEB aims at strengthening the processes of election management in member countries. Since, its inception A-WEB has undertaken election ICT Programmes in various countries like Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Fiji, Papua Guinea and Samoa. A-WEB also undertakes Election Visitor and Observation Programmes in various countries to study various election management practices and share knowledge with other Member of EMBs. The association has organized such EVPs to Bosnia & Herzegovina, Ecuador. The A-WEB Secretariat also undertakes Election Management Capacity Building Programme for the officials from Member EMBs. Since 2014, it has conducted more than 89 programmes for over 645 participants from over 70 countries.

  • President Kovind’s greetings on the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi

    The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind in his message on the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi has said:-

    “On the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, I convey greetings and best wishes to all my fellow citizens in India and abroad.

    The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi marks the birth of Lord Ganesha, who epitomises learning, knowledge and prosperity. These represent values and goals that we must imbibe to achieve national development and welfare for all sections of society.

    Let us all celebrate this festival with traditional fervour and gaiety”.