The Border Security Force (BSF) is celebrating its 56th raising day on Tuesday, and on the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh have hailed the force, tweeting the following:Union Home Minister Amit Shah was to attend the BSF’s raising day ceremony on Tuesday, though for unmentioned reasons his appearance has now been cancelled and Minister of State (MoS) Home Affairs Nityanand Rai will be attending the function in his stead.The Border Security Force (BSF), which is the largest border guarding force in the world, is celebrating its 56th Raising day on December 1, 2020. Tasked with guarding India-Bangladesh and India-Pakistan borders, BSF plays a very vital role in ensuring the security and integrity of the nation. The Central Armed Police Force was conceived by the policymakers as a force which is capable of guarding the borders during wars and also to assist the army as the First Line of Defence of Indian Territories. It is led by DG Rakesh Asthana.
Tag: Narendra Modi
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PM To Visit 3 Top Drug Makers Today To Review Covid Vaccine Development
Narendra Modi will visit India’s top vaccine hubs today to personally review the development of coronavirus vaccine and the manufacturing process. The visit, PM Modi’s office said, was meant to help him get a “first-hand perspective of the preparations, challenges and roadmap in India’s endeavour to vaccinate its citizens”.
As per the schedule, PM Modi will begin his three-city vaccine tour with a visit to pharma major Zydus Cadila’s plant near Ahmedabad. The Prime Minister landed at the Ahmedabad airport a little before 9:30 am and proceeded to Zydus Cadila’s plant near the city. The plant is located in the Changodar industrial area, over 20 km from Ahmedabad. PM Modi will be at the plant for an hour, an official said. The drug maker has announced that the first phase of clinical trial of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, ZyCoV-D, has been completed and it commenced the second phase of clinical trials in August.
From Ahmedabad, PM Modi will fly to Pune where Serum Institute of India (SII), which has partnered with global pharma giant AstraZeneca and Oxford University for a COVID-19 vaccine, is based. PM Modi is expected to review the status of the vaccine, including its launch, production and distribution mechanisms during the visit.
The Prime Minister will then travel to Hyderabad and visit Bharat BioTech, which is working on Covaxin, pitched as India’s first indigenous vaccine candidate. The Prime Minister is expected to reach at 3:40 pm and after a visit to the facility between 4 and 5 pm, he would fly out at 5:40 pm.
As India enters a decisive phase of the fight against COVID-19, PM Narendra Modi’s visit to these facilities and discussions with the scientists will help him get a first-hand perspective of the preparations, challenges and roadmap in India’s endeavour to vaccinate its citizens,” the Prime Minister’s Office tweeted yesterday.
On November 24, Prime Minister while speaking with Chief Ministers of various states over the deteriorating pandemic situation in their states at a virtual meeting advised the states to establish cold storage facilities for COVID-19 vaccine beforehand and suggested them to prepare and send a plan for its distribution to the Central government.
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Gujarat sets sight on 50GW solar power by 2030, current contribution is 13%
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani participated in the Third edition of Renewable Energy Investors’ Meet and Expo, organised by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India. The meet was held online.
During the meet, the CM said, “I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his continuous support and guidance to increase the production of renewable energy and promote the same through Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, GOI. Gujarat contributes to nearly 13% of the renewable energy production in India. The state’s energy capacity is 30 Gigawatts. Out of this, 37% i.e 11 GW is produced using renewable energy.”
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani also added that Gujarat’s contribution stands at 11,264 MW against India’s renewable capacity of 89,230 MW. The renewable energy sector in Gujarat is not just a means for alternate sources of energy but a thriving sector in terms of employment generation as well. The establishment of Solar Parks, Wind Parks have opened new opportunities of employment. The state has provided clean and green energy through schemes like Solar Rooftop Yojana. Under this, 1 lakh 70 thousand households have reaped benefits.
Government of Gujarat, under its Atmanirbhar Gujarat Package, has provided subsidy worth Rs.190 crores to 65,000 beneficiaries under ‘Surya Gujarat Yojana.’ Talking about the renewable energy sector in Gujarat, the Chief Minister said, “The Prime Minister, during his days as the Chief Minister, had a vision to ensure the use of renewable energy in every household of the state. Today, the renewable energy sector in Gujarat has got a new direction under his guidance. I am confident that the state will be able to establish more than 65 GW of renewable energy by 2030, owing to its strong energy infrastructure.”
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We Need A New KYC Or Know Your Constitution Drive”: PM Modi
Narendra Modi on Thursday mooted a KYC drive–‘Know Your Constitution’–to popularise the document similar to the KYC (know your customer) practice in the corporate world even as the union law minister lamented the use of terms like “judicial barbarism” to attack the courts.
PM Modi made the suggestion on the occasion of the Constitution day celebrations during which Attorney General K K Venugopal called for ensuring that justice delivery system is able to “wipe every tear from every eye”. Venugopal also wanted urgent steps to fill up vacancies in the subordinate judiciary and to deal with the problem of huge pendency of cases.
Two separate virtual events were organized by the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court Bar Association respectively to celebrate the 71st anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution.
In his inaugural address at the celebrations organised by the Supreme Court, President Ram Nath Kovind said cost is the “top most” hurdle in improving “access to justice for all”. He also commended the judiciary and the Bar for not letting the COVID-19 pandemic come in the way of fulfilling the duty of securing justice for the citizens.
Chief Justice of India S A Bobde spoke on restrictions on freedom of speech, and said they are in the interest of reputation of individuals and institutions. “Nothing is conferred as a right of freedom of speech in absolute and untrammelled terms.”
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India reports 44,376 new COVID-19 cases, total tally mounts to 92,22,217
India reported 44,376 new COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours and 481 deaths due to the disease, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday.
The total cases in the country now stands at 92,22,217 including 86,42,771 discharges and 4,44,746 active cases. With 481 new deaths, the cumulative toll reached 1,34,699. Today is the 18th day when India reported less than 50,000 cases in a day. The last time daily new cases crossed the 50,000-threshold was on November 7.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a total of 11,59,032 samples were tested on Tuesday while 13,48,41,307 samples have been tested so far.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the government is keeping a close eye on COVID-19 vaccine development and clarified that the dosage and price of the vaccine were uncertain as of now.“The government is keeping a close track of vaccine development. We are in touch with Indian vaccine developers and manufacturers. We are also in touch with global regulators, governments of other countries, multinational organisation and international companies. It is not certain whether there will be one, two or three doses of a vaccine. It is also not decided what will be the price of the vaccine. We still don’t have answers to these questions,” PM Modi said.
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PM Modi to hold meeting with CMs today
The creation of a database on healthcare and frontline workers — a process that is now in the final stages — comes ahead of PM Modi’s detailed engagement with Chief Ministers on vaccine administration on Tuesday morning.
Ahead of a crucial meeting on vaccine administration that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold Tuesday morning with Chief Ministers, top government sources told The Indian Express that one crore frontline healthcare workers have been identified to receive the first dose of whichever vaccine is available against the novel coronavirus infection early next year.
The sources, who are part of the expert group on vaccine administration, said they have “moved into an advance stage” of building a database for the first priority group — “frontline healthcare workers” — who will receive the first dose during the immunisation drive, if and when a particular vaccine is cleared by the Indian regulator for commercial use.
“We have received a substantial response from the states. Ninety two per cent of all government hospitals across all states have provided data. Around 56 per cent of private-sector hospitals have provided data. We are at an advanced stage,” a top government source said.
“What has emerged is that the entire group (of frontline health care workers) is approximate around 1 crore,” the source said.
The creation of a database on healthcare and frontline workers — a process that is now in the final stages — comes ahead of PM Modi’s detailed engagement with Chief Ministers on vaccine administration on Tuesday morning. Dr V K Paul, member, NITI Aayog, and Rajesh Bhushan, Union Health Secretary, both of whom co-chair the expert group, are expected to make a detailed presentation in the meeting, senior officials confirmed.
The backend preparation for the largest immunisation drive also comes at a time when the Centre expects to receive and utilise 400-500 million doses and cover approximately 20-25 crore people by July 2021.
Laying out the distribution sequence for Covid vaccines that are expected to be available in India, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan had in October said the first priority would be for those facing occupational hazards from the virus and exposure risk, indicating that healthcare professionals at the frontline would be among the early recipients.
Sources said state governments have also provided “granular” details on frontline healthcare workers under different categories, including “allopathic doctors, AYUSH doctors; nurses deployed in hospitals, ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activists) workers and ANMs (Auxiliary Nurse Midwifery)”.
“However, within the main group, there is no further priority. Once we start immunising frontline healthcare workers, will do it for the entire 1 crore people, from start to finish,” a source said.
Students of medicine and nursing students and faculty members will also be involved in the training and implementation of the immunisation programme.
Over the last one week, the Prime Minister has been briefed on the preparations, including that the digital platform for vaccine administration and distribution has been prepared and test runs are underway in partnership with state- and district-level stakeholders.
Currently, five vaccine candidates are in advanced stages of development in India and one is in the early stages. While enrollment for Phase 3 of the Oxford vaccine candidate tested by Serum Institute is complete, Bharat Biotech has just begun Phase 3 trials, and Zydus Cadila has completed Phase 2 trials. Russia’s Sputnik-V, being tested in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s, has begun Phase 2-3 trials. Biological E is conducting an early Phase 1-2 trial.
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COVID-19 vaccine distribution: PM Modi reviews preparation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday reviewed India’s preparations for vaccinating its vast population against the coronavirus disease, once a vaccine becomes available. Vaccination must be affordable and universal, Modi said. “Important issues related to progress of vaccine development, regulatory approvals and procurement were discussed,” Modi wrote on Twitter.
“Reviewed various issues like prioritisation of population groups, reaching out to healthcare workers, cold-chain Infrastructure augmentation, adding vaccinators, and tech platform for vaccine roll-out, the prime minister added.
Five vaccine candidates are at the different stages of trials in India. Covaxin by Bharat Biotech and Covishield, developed by the University of Oxford have already started the phase III clinical trial. ZyCoV-D by Zydus Cadila is in the phase II clinical trial in the country. Dr Reddy’s Laboratories will soon start phase II clinical trials of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V in India.
India’s experience in conducting elections and handling disaster management should be put to use in managing COVID-19 vaccine delivery and administration and experts in all necessary domains, officials at all levels, Modi said earlier.
The Prime Minister further directed that keeping in view the geographical span and diversity of the country, the access to the vaccine should be ensured speedily, the statement mentioned.
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PM Modi : Bhutan’s Prime Minister To Launch RuPay Card Phase 2 Tomorrow
Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with his Bhutanese counterpart Lotay Tshering will on Friday launch RuPay card Phase-II that will allow Bhutanese card holders to access RuPay network in India.
The prime ministers of the two countries had jointly launched Phase-I of the project during PM Modi’s state visit to Bhutan in August last year.The implementation of Phase-I of RuPay cards in Bhutan has enabled visitors from India to access ATMs and Point of Sale (PoS) terminals across Bhutan. Phase-II will now allow Bhutanese card holders to access RuPay network in India, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
The RuPay card is an Indian debit and credit card payment network, with acceptance at ATMs, POS devices and e-commerce websites.
A virtual ceremony for the joint launch of RuPay card Phase-II by Prime Minister Modi and Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering will be held on November 20, the statement said.
India and Bhutan share a special partnership, anchored in mutual understanding and respect, reinforced by a shared cultural heritage and strong people to people links, the MEA said.
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PM Modi congratulates Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi over her party’s electoral victory
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi on her electoral victory in the parliamentary polls.
Modi lauded the conduct of the polls as “another step in the ongoing democratic transition in Myanmar” in a tweet. “I look forward to continuing to work with you to strengthen our traditional bonds of friendship,” his tweet read.The ruling National League for Democracy party of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi won a majority of seats in Parliament and claimed a resounding victory on Monday in the country’s second election since the end of strict military rule.
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Modi endorses Nitish ‘leadership’, but BJP may seek more berths from JD(U)
Narendra Modi’s unambiguous support for a fresh term for Bihar CM Nitish Kumar may have cleared the way for the latter to start his sixth term, but details regarding the new dispensation are yet to be worked out.
Sources in BJP said the PM’s endorsement — “we shall leave no stone unturned in fulfilling the promises made to the people of Bihar under the leadership of Nitishji” — should comfort the JD(U) chief and help him deal with any awkwardness about taking the reins of an alliance in which his party has far fewer seats than BJP, so far the junior partner.
The outgoing power-sharing arrangement, in keeping with JD(U)’s status as the senior partner with more MLAs than BJP, had favoured the former. Sources in the BJP, however, indicated the terms may have to be reworked, given BJP’s superior numbers. They said the party may seek more berths for itself.
The two sides have not yet got down to thrash out the nitty gritties of the new regime. But there was no clarity about other issues crucial to such power-sharing, details like apportionment of crucial portfolios and who gets the position of Speaker.
Talking to reporters in Patna, deputy CM Sushil Modi, while emphatic in his reiteration for Nitish continuing as CM, limited himself to saying that the new government may take office after Diwali.
BJP president J P Nadda discussed the Bihar results with Modi, defence minister Rajnath Singh, home minister Amit Shah and highways minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday evening. No details were available.
Sources said power-sharing was not discussed with Nitish when Sushil Modi, general secretary Bhupendra Yadav and state health minister Mangal Pandey visited the CM just after results were declared on Tuesday.