Starting his speech with ‘Jay Jagannath’, Shah said “My heart fills with devotion whenever I arrive in the land of Utkal. When I come to Odisha, I pay obeisance to Lord Jagannath first. I would like to congratulate each and every Odia. Daughter of this land Draupadi Murmu has become President of India. It’s a matter of pride for tribal and poor.”
Shah further said, “Acche din has arrived. Many Odias have got chance to spearhead crucial roles in the government of India. There are several Odias adorning top posts in several ministries and departments. Ashwini Vaishnaw is Union Minister of Railways, Dharmendra Pradhan is the Union Education Minister. Bisweshwar Tudu is currently serving as the Minister of State for Jal Shakti of India. Odisha has abundance of possibilities to reach on the peak of development. Odisha is the powerhouse of mineral sources. I could see its bright future.”
Attending the 75th anniversary celebration of Prajatantra, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said, “Media has played a significant role in this society. Media should perform its duty without fear and without being biased. That’s not all. Media should be trustworthy. Media should highlight actual issues rather than politics.”
Naveen and Shah shared the same dais as both attended the 75th anniversary celebration of the Odia daily Prajatantra.
Speaking at the 53rd Raising Day of the Force here, he said the journey of economic growth was not impossible without the contribution of the CISF. "We are thankful for their support and contribution," he said.
"I will urge the CISF DG to prepare the roadmap for next five years and also for 25 years when India will celebrate the 100 years of Independence," Shah said.
He also said that the private security agencies have been growing at a fast pace and the CISF needs to take the responsibility to train them in a professional manner.
"CISF alone cannot provide security to all industrial sectors, therefore, the private agencies should also be trained in a professional manner", the Home Minister said.
He also said that the CISF needs to develop a hybrid model of industrial security in the country with the participation of the private sector.
Noting that the CISF is the only Force in the world that is dedicated to industries only, he further said that they need to ensure safety from the drone threats to the industries located in the coastal areas. He also informed that the Border Security Force and DRDO are developing the anti-drone technology and they should also line up with them to get this technology.
Speaking on the women security personnel in the force, Shah also said that there are many scopes of expanding their role and it should be increased from 94:6 per cent ratio has to be increased at least up to 20 per cent in the coming time.
Lauding the role of the Force, he further said that during the Covid period when hundreds of our own people were coming from abroad under 'Vande Bharat', the CISF personnel deputed at airports helped them and in this process, they also got infected and many of them lost their lives because of the pandemic and paid tributes to them.
Shah also said that as of now the CISF has been providing security to 354 industrial units, 65 airports and important installations like government buildings, coal, steel sectors, ISRO and their role will be expanded in the future, therefore, the force needs to anticipate these avenues and get themselves prepared accordingly.
"I visited the National Police Memorial and paid tributes to our martyrs of the central and state police forces who have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. I salute their valour and courage. A grateful nation is indebted to them for their supreme sacrifice," the Minister tweeted.
In another tweet in Hindi, Shah said it was his first public programme after taking charge as the Union Home Minister.
"I paid tribute to over 34,000 personnel from police and security forces who sacrificed their lives. Our country is safe because of the sacrifice of these personnel.
"...I am feeling energetic after visiting here. Also, the feeling to do everything for the country has become more strong."
Shah was accompanied by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and Intelligence Bureau chief Rajiv Jain among other senior officials.
During his visit, he wrote in the visitors' book and offered flowers in front of the Wall of Valour.
Former Home Minister and now Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday paid tribute at the memorial before taking charge.
The National Police Memorial commemorates 34,844 police personnel from all the central and state police forces in India who have died in the line of duty since India's Independence in 1947.
A five-member cabinet panel on investment and growth has members which include Union Home MInister Amit Shah, Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The Government's other panel which will look at the unemplyment issue -- Cabinet Committee on Employment and Skill Developement -- has 10 members. This committee apart from Shah, Sitharaman and Goyal has Minister of Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar, Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank , Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Skill and Entrepreneurship Mahendra Nath Pandey and ministers of state Santosh Kumar Gangwar (Labour) and Hardeep Singh Puri (Housing and Urban Affairs).
The stupendous success of the Modi government at the hustings with 303 Lok Sabha seats was marred by the news on the economic front. The New economic and job numbers set alarm bells ringing. Finance Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg has already said the slowdown of Q4 could persist in the Q1 of the currnent fiscal.
The numbers were unimpressive. The fourth quarter GDP growth (Jan-MArch) is at 5.8% , a 17-quarter low while the same day a government report of joblessness pegged it at the highest in 45 years. These macroeconomic figures released last month — GDP growth, unemployment numbers and core sector data — laid bare the enormous challenges the Modi 2.0 team faces in resurrecting the slackening economy and restoring the confidence of investors.
In March the IIP fell to 21-months low. The fourth-quarter GDP growth for 2018-19 came in at 5.8 per cent, way below 8 per cent recorded in the same quarter the previous fiscal, lower than the 6.6 per cent growth in Q3. For the entire fiscal 2018-19, the GDP growth came in at 6.8 per cent, lower than the 7.2 per cent growth recorded in the previous fiscal.
The Labour Ministry data revealed joblessness in the country was 6.1 per cent of total labour force during 2017-18, the highest in 45 years. Much to the discomfort of the government, this has confirmed the unemployment rate projected in a pre-election leaked report. Data from the Labour Ministry showed that 7.8 per cent of all employable urban youth were jobless, while the percentage for the rural segment was 5.3 per cent.
The core sector data, too, pointed towards a gloomy picture as contraction in crude oil, natural gas and fertiliser output pulled down the aggregate growth rate of eight core infrastructure industries in April to 2.6 per cent. This was much lower than the 4.7 per cent growth recorded in same month last fiscal.
"Shah has given 'Mission-75' to the Haryana BJP leadership for upcoming Assembly elections," Captain Abhimanyu, the Finance Minister of Haryana, said.
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has met Shah to make a strategy for the polls. The Union Minister has also held a meeting with the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) core committee of Haryana.
Abhimanyu said that Shah has set a target of winning 75 out of total 90 Assembly seats to form a new government under the leadership of Khattar in the state.
BJP had won 48 seats in the 2014 polls.
"We have won 10 out of 10 parliamentary seats in the just concluded Lok Sabha polls which has caused immense distress among the opposition parties. Alliances are breaking and all their strategies have failed.
"Khattar has decided to organise a mega event on International Yoga Day on June 21 at Rohtak and Shah is likely to attend. His presence in the event could be of great motivation for booth-level BJP caders," Abhimanyu added.
Accordingly, Shah will oversee the next round of Assembly elections slated in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand by December 2019.
Shah on Thursday held a key meeting with national office-bearers, state unit chiefs and state in-charges here at the BJP headquarters and discussed the issues related to organisational elections and constituted a five-member committee headed by former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to deal with membership drive.
The meeting comes amid speculation that senior party leaders J.P. Nadda or Bhupender Yadav may take over the reigns of the BJP.
Asked about the speculation over the next party President, Yadav, who is also in the race to become the party chief said, "Organisational elections will be conducted once the membership drive is over."
"Chouhan will be the convenor of the membership drive. Party leaders Dushyant Gautam, Suresh Pujari, Arun Chaturvedi and Shobha Surendran will assist him as co-convenors," he said.
The team would soon meet to decide dates and programmes for the drive, he added.
Party insiders see the Yadav's response as a hint that the party will get its new president by next year.
In 2014, the BJP's membership drive went for five months and after it the party became world's largest political party. The party had 3.5 crore members before the begining of membership drive in 2014 which has now reached at 11 crore.
"The BJP has 11 crore members at present and we are aiming to increase it by 20 per cent," Yadav said.
Addressing the party leaders, Shah said the BJP with its best-ever Lok Sabha tally of 303 seats is yet to reach its peak and stressed the need to expand its base to new regions like Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and sections of the society.
"Amit Shah told party office-bearers that BJP has still not arrived at its peak in terms of its electoral performance," Yadav said.
"I had said in 2014 in BJP's national council meeting that we are yet to achieve our peak. Today, I am again saying the party is yet to be at its peak," Yadav quoted Shah as saying.
Shah told the party leaders that the BJP has still a long way to go, urging them to devote themselves to the cause.
In 2014, addressing BJP's two-day National Executive in Bhubaneswar in Odisha, Shah had said many people declared after the 2014 general election that the BJP reached its peak, but it was not so.
"They then said in 2017 (after elections to the five states, including Uttar Pradesh) that the BJP has now attained it peak, but it is not the case. The BJP is yet to be at its peak. The BJP will attain its peak when BJP will have Chief Ministers in all the states and it has members everywhere -- from panchayats to Parliament," Shah had said.
Shah attributed party's victory in Lok Sabha polls to party workers and hit out at opposition parties, saying people have rejected the politics of casteism, dynasty and communalism in 2019 elections.
Those present in the meeting included former Chief Ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Raman Singh and Vasundhara Raje, General Secretaries Kailash Vijayvargiya, Bhupender Yadav, Arun Singh, Anil Jain and J.P. Nadda as well as state Bharatiya Janata Party chiefs.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Shah said his government had changed the approach of dealing with terrorism and was attacking its roots in Pakistan.
"Our government did air strike and surgical strike. The record should be clear before the public. No civilian was killed in these strikes," he said.
He said that previous governments too worked on terrorism but in a different way.
"The terrorists were coming from Pakistan and were training our children. Those killed were our children and our security forces."
He said the Modi government had changed the approach.
"We know that terrorism in Kashmir is from Pakistan. We went to their territory and attacked the roots of terrorism."
Driving his first legislation in the Lok Sabha seeking reservation benefits for people living on the IB, which was taken up in the House along with the statutory resolution on the extension of President's Rule in the state, Shah tore into the Congress governments of the past for the erosion of people's trust in Jammu and Kashmir as successive elections in the state till the 1970s were "reduced to a joke".
He also dismissed objections to the central rule claiming that Article 356 (President's rule) has been imposed 132 times in the past and 93 times it was done so by the Congress governments.
Earlier, while introducing the resolution, Shah had said that the elections cannot be held before the end of the year because of various reasons, including as the month of Ramzan, the upcoming Amarnath Yatra till August 15 and the Bakarwal community that comprises 10 per cent of the population stays on the hilltops till October.
He said that the nation was paying the price of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's historic blunder in Jammu and Kashmir. He was responding to accusations that mistrust was growing among the people of Jammu and Kashmir under the Modi rule.
Shah said that the Modi government followed zero tolerance policy against terrorism and said it was firmly in control of the law and order situation.
The Home Minister backed his point citing holding of the recent Panchayat elections in the state and claimed that 40,000 elected representatives were working for the people in villages.
Shah said both the Panchayat elections and the Lok Sabha elections in the state were held by not spilling even a drop of blood and for the first time political power in the state has slipped out of the clutches of the "families" (referring to the regional outfits National Conference and People's Democratic Party).
Responding to the questions raised by the Opposition about not holding the Assembly elections along with the Lok Sabha polls, Shah said that it was not possible to give security to all the candidates.
Reaffirming the commitment of the government to fight terrorism, Shah said that all the requirements of the armed forces to meet the challenges have been met with and he has cleared all demands for equipment to build other infrastructure.
He said that the Modi government has exhibited its intent against terrorism by going across the border to smash terror infrastructure through surgical strikes both on ground and by air strike.
The Home Minister said that earlier people with anti-India agenda were given security but the Modi government has reviewed this policy and removed the police cover for around 900 people.
He said only those people who are against India were now living in fear. He also acknowledged that there is a gap between the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the country which was essentially because of the policies of the previous governments.
Earlier, while extending the reservation benefit to the people living on the IB, Shah said it will benefit 3.5 lakh people in Jammu, Kathua and Sambha region as the people suffer because of constant shelling from across the border.
The legislations brings the people in these areas under the three per cent reservation bracket at par with the benefit being given to those living along the Line of Control (LoC). The Jammu and Kashmir reservation Act has a provision for 43 per cent vertical reservation, he said.
Both were passed by the Lok Sabha on Friday.
Shah, while replying to a debate in Rajya Sabha on a statutory resolution to extend President's rule in J-K by six months, reiterated that the state is an integral part of India and no one can separate it from the country.
The Home Minister stated that the Modi government is following a policy to protect the sanctity of Kashmiri tradition, humanity and peace.
"We reopened schools, provided cooking gas, built toilets, provided electricity during President's rule in J-K," Shah said.
Attacking hardline elements in the state, Shah asked who threw out Kashmiri pandits, Sufi traditions from the Valley.
"Were they not part of Kashmiri tradition?" the Home Minister asked.
He said that the central government's approach is clear towards dealing with milltancy in the Valley.
"Our approach is clear, those who talk of breaking India we will respond to them in the same language," Shah said.
On use of Article 356 to impose President's rule in the state, the minister said he agrees with the spirit to minimise the use of the Constitutional provision.
Shah said democracy in the state should not be restricted to three families.
He also attacked Congress of misusing the Article 356 by invoking the constitutional provision to dismiss state governments led by rival parties in the past.
Shah said assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the state could not happen simultaneously because security to all candidates could not be given.
"Security agencies had expressed inability to provide security to candidates for holding Lok Sabha, assembly polls together," he added.
Shah said the government will not delay elections in the state even for a day the moment Election Commission agrees to hold polls.
On forming government in J-K with the PDP, he said "it was not our decision but a result of fractured mandate"
The BJP snapped ties with PDP when it realised that separatism was being encouraged, Shah said.
He added that the government does not want to mislead people on Jawaharlal Nehru but lessons have to be learnt from historical blunders.
"All Kashmir problems are due to Nehru declaring ceasefire when one-third of Kashmir was with Pakistan," he added.
The statutory resolution to extend President rule in J-K by six months was passed by Rajya Sabha after Shah's reply.
Earlier, Leader of opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad asked the government to hold early assembly elections in J-K, while accusing it of running the state government from capital under the garb of President's rule.
"Stop running the government from Delhi. Holding elections in the state would be the greatest confidence building measure," he said,
The Congress leader also sought doubling reservation for people living in border areas to 6 per cent from the proposed 3 per cent.
Shah instructed the top officials, including Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, to closely monitor the situation in the two states for the next 48 hours, saying that the best efforts should be made to respond swiftly to any emergency situation.
The chief of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was also instructed to position rescue teams in the vulnerable areas. Besides, all officials of the state governments in BIhar and Assam have been put on high alert.
The India Metrological Department (IMD) informed that during the last 3-4 days, Assam and Bihar have received excess rainfall with extremely heavy down pours. Heavy rainfall is expected in these two states over the next 48 hours.
NDRF Director General (DG) apprised that 73 NDRF teams have been pre-positioned in the vulnerable areas of the flood-affected states along with all necessary equipment.
These teams are in addition to the teams kept on alert at the battalion headquarters and the Regional Response Centres (RRCs). NDRF teams have rescued about 750 persons in Assam and Bihar so far.
The residence permit of the author, a citizen of Sweden, was on Saturday extended till July 2020.
The 56-year-old writer, physician, feminist and human rights activist's permit has been extended regularly since 2004.
The permit was extended for three months on July 17, a day after she made a request to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The Home Ministry extended the permit for one year when she took to Twitter to request Shah.
"Hon'ble @amitshahji, I sincerely thank u for extending my residence permit. But I'm surprised it's only for 3M. I apply for 5 yrs but I've been getting 1yr extension. Hon'ble Rajnathji assured me I would get an extension for 50 yrs. India is my only home. I'm sure u'll come to my rescue.
"Every time I apply for the extension of my Indian residence permit for 5 years, I get extension for 1 year. This time I applied for the extension for 5 years, I get for 3 months only. Hope Home Minister will reconsider to extend my residence permit for at least 1 year," she tweeted on July 17.
After getting extension of the residence permit, Nasreen thanked the Home Ministry and her Twitter friends who had backed her case.
Nasreen left Bangladesh in 1994 in the wake of death threats by fundamentalist outfits for her alleged anti-Islamic views.
Since then she has been living in exile. The author had applied for permanent residency in India but the Home Ministry has not taken any decision over her plea.
She had to leave Kolkata in 2007 following violent protests against her works.
Answering clarifications sought by Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhary in the Lok Sabha, Shah said that BJP leaders will give up their lives to secure PoK and added that whenever he mentions Jammu and Kashmir, it includes the areas held by Pakistan and China.
Shah, who presented in the Lok Sabha the resolution scrapping the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution and legislation for reorganization of Jammu and Kashmir, said Parliament was well within its rights to take up the matter.
The Rajya Sabha on Monday gave its approval to the government's major plan to restructure the state, with the support of most parties barring a part of the opposition led by the Congress.
Shah said that there should be no doubt that Jammu and Kashmir was an inseparable part of India and sought clarification from the Congress leader if he considered that it was not an internal matter of India.
Congress leader Choudhary referred to the matter being pending in the UN, Shimla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration. Shah demanded that Choudhary should explain his remark.
The Congress leader said that he was being misunderstood.
Shah said that Jammu and Kashmir's boundaries include Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Aksai Chin.
President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and members of Vajpayee's family were amongst those who paid tributes to the BJP leader amid the playing of hymns and devotional music.
PM Modi tweeted...
Remembering Atal Ji on his Punya Tithi. His thoughts and words live on. We will always cherish his contribution to India’s development.
Paid tributes to Atal Ji at Sadaiv Atal this morning. pic.twitter.com/RRZFnlcfTT
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 16, 2019
The memorial was dedicated to the nation in December last year. The central samadhi platform comprises nine square black polished granite stone blocks, capped with a "diya" in the centre. Vajpayee (93) died on August 16 last year at AIIMS.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, remembering Atal Bihari Vajpayee tweeted...
पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री और एक जनप्रिय नेता आदरणीय अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी जी की प्रथम पुण्यतिथि पर ‘सदैव अटल' स्मारक जाकर उनको श्रद्धांजलि अर्पित की। pic.twitter.com/lDafYmWycX
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 16, 2019
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday paid her tribute to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The Trinamool Congress chief, who had served as the railway minister in Vajpayee-led cabinet, urged people to bear in mind his principles of 'insaniyat (humanism), jamhooriyat (democracy) and kashmiriyat (inclusive Kashmiri culture)'.
"Tribute to Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji, former Prime Minister, on his first death anniversary. Let us recall his words: 'The gun can solve no problems. Issues can be guided by the three principles of insaniyat, jamhooriyat and kashmiriyat'," Banerjee tweeted.
"Restrictions on the movement of people have been eased in most parts of the Valley. The situation so far has remained peaceful," a senior official of the state administration said here.
He said while the deployment of security forces on the ground remains as earlier, people were allowed to move around the city and other towns.
Kashmir was placed a under a total clampdown on August 5, hours before Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced in the Rajya Sabha that the special status for the state had been revoked.
The state administration has directed government employees to report at work from Friday through a radio announcement.
However, the communication clampdown continues as all telephone and Internet services remained suspended.
While schools are closed for the past two weeks, shops and other business establishments too remained shut since August 5.
The official said the situation in the Valley was being monitored on a real-time basis and the decision to remove the forces would depend on the ground situation.
The President visited the hospital around noon, while Shah and Adityanath visited AIIMS around 11.15 pm.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey were present during their visits.
According to the sources, Jaitley, 66, is critical and a multidisciplinary team of doctors is supervising his treatment. He is admitted at the hospital's intensive care unit (ICU).
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has not issued any bulletin on Jaitley's health condition since August 10. Jaitley was admitted on August 9 after he complained of breathlessness and restlessness.
In May this year, Jaitley was admitted to AIIMS for treatment.
Jaitley, a lawyer by profession, had been an important part in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet in the BJP government's first term. He held the finance and defence portfolios, and often acted as the chief troubleshooter of the government.
Jaitley did not contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election because of his ill-health.
He had undergone a renal transplant on May 14 last year at AIIMS with Railways Minister Piyush Goyal filling in for him in the finance ministry at that time.
Jaitley, who had stopped attending office since early April last year, was back in the finance ministry on August 23, 2018.
In September 2014, he underwent bariatric surgery to correct the weight he had gained because of a long-standing diabetic condition.
The meeting, chaired by Shah, is underway at the Home Ministry. Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and senior intelligence officials were also present in the meeting.
Doval, who had recently spent around 11 days in the Valley amid the security lockdown, returned to Delhi recently. It was Doval's first direct briefing for the Home Minister at his office.
Shah reportedly called the meeting to review the situation in Jammu and Kashmir where the Constitution's Article 370, which gave special status to the region, was scrapped on early August 5. The resolution was later passed by the Parliament and got President's nod.
The region, now has been bifurcated into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir with an Assembly and Ladakh without one -- has been under the strict vigil of security forces and restrictions have been imposed there. Mobile and internet facilities are also cut off since then by the government as a precautionary measure to prevent any untoward incident in the Valley.
"India is a country of different languages and every language has its own importance but it is very important to have a language of the whole country which should become the identity of India in the world. Today, if one language can do the work of tying the country to the door of unity, then it is the most spoken Hindi language," Shah said in a series of tweets in Hindi.
"Today, on the occasion of Hindi Day, I appeal to all the citizens of the country that we should increase the use of our mother tongue and also use the Hindi language as one language to realise the dreams of Bapu and iron man Sardar Patel. Happy Hindi Day," he said.
Bharatiya Janata Party Working President J.P. Nadda also greeted the nation on the occasion of Hindi day and said: "Hindi is the most spoken and understood language across India, which unites all of us in the thread of unity and is also our identity in the world. Wish you all a very Happy Hindi Day. Let us all increase the use of Hindi in our daily lives and inspire others as well."
Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala also took to Twitter on the occasion and said: "Hope and desire is Hindi. Hindi is the language that brings everyone together. Wishing all the writers, poets and journalists engaged in the service of Hindi literature, a very Happy Hindi Day..."
Hindi Diwas is celebrated every year on September 14, marking the significance of the day when the country's Constituent Assembly adopted Hindi as the official language of India.
Hindi, is one of the 22 scheduled languages of the country.
Shah also appealed to people to at least talk to their children in Hindi, saying any language will remain lively till the people speak it with pride.
He also informed how the number of official files put in front of him in Hindi has increased from 20 to 60 per cent since he took charge as Home Minister in May after the Lok Sabha polls.
"This Hindi Diwas came just after I took charge as Home Minister. I assure that Hindi would have achieved new heights when we would contest the next Lok Sabha election in 2024," Shah said on the occasion of Hindi Diwas.
The minister, however, clarified that other languages of the country would not be suppressed for the growth of Hindi.
"Hindi has always moved forward with everybody's support and it would grow following a similar route. We would try to make it first with everybody's acceptance and with honouring each language."
Shah said it would be the responsibility of the Department of Official Languages under the Home Ministry to let the Hindi language reach every sector.
He said people in northeastern states take tutions to learn Hindi, adding that the Centre would further facilitate them to learn the language.
On the occasion, Shah also inaugurated "E-Saral Hindi Vakya Kosh" and E-Mahashabdkosh Mobile App", and distributed awards to different departments and individuals for helping in taking Hindi forward.
Addressing a function here on Monday, the Chief Minister said, "There are examples of successful countries, like Japan, Russia, Germany and France, which grew without the help of English."
Those who couldn't speak English should not be belittled as it was not the only factor to attain success in life, the Chief Minister said.
Shah said on Saturday a common language would become "the mark of India's global identity." Speaking at a function on the occasion of "Hindi Diwas", Shah urged people to use Hindi more often to help fulfil dreams of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel of 'one nation, one language'.
"No one can raise an eye on Kashmir now," Shah said.
Amit Shah was in Jharkhand's Jamtara where he flagged off the Jan Ashirvaad Yatra.
During his address he attacked the Congress and said: "BJP always maintained that Article 370 is against the unity and integrity of India, but Congress has always opposed our stand."
"Modiji took a bold decision and removed this article. Such matters need to be looked into by rising above party and vote bank politics," he said.
"When the country's interests are in question, we don't get bogged down by party politics. We have always stood strong with the government when the matter is of the nation's security and integrity. Rahul Gandhi must clear the Congress stand on such issues," he asserted.
Shah said: "When we go for surgical strike, Rahul Gandhi opposes it. When we go for airstrike, he asks for evidence. He should tell the people of the country which direction he wants to take."
On Jharkhand, he said the state is developing at a fast pace through the efforts of the Raghobar Das-led BJP government.
"There are a lot of opportunities in the state. Jharkhand is the biggest repository of mineral wealth in the country," he said.
Shah appealed to the people to bring the BJP back to power in the state in the upcoming elections to keep the fast paced development going on in Jharkhand.
Shah said he has been repeatedly pitching for strengthening regional languages.
"I too come from a non-Hindi speaking state. I come from Gujarat where Gujarati is the language, not Hindi. One has to listen to my speech carefully. If someone wants to do politics, it is their choice," he said at an event organised by Hindi daily 'Hindustan' here.
He was referring to his speech on the occasion of Hindi Divas on Saturday where he made a pitch for a common language for India, drawing strong reaction from southern parties which vowed to oppose any attempt to "impose" Hindi.
The home minister said to end the confusion, people should listen to his speech carefully where he repeatedly said that Indian languages should be strengthened and people should realise the necessity of the Indian languages.
"A child can perform, a child's proper mental growth is possible only when the child studies in mother tongue. Mother tongue does not mean Hindi. It is the language of a particular state, like Gujarati in my state. But there should be one language in the country, if someone wants to learn another language, it should be Hindi.
"I have just made the request. I have failed to understand what is wrong in that," he said.
Shah said the hurdles in the development of Kashmir had been erased with the abrogation of Article 370 that gave the erstwhile state a special status. "With the scrapping of Article 370, Kashmir has become a part of India like the other states," he said.
The Minister said Article 370, which was scrapped on August 5, was not only a hurdle in country's unity and integrity, but also a biggest obstacle in the development of Jammu and Kashmir, which has now been bifurcated into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir with an Assembly and Ladakh without one.
"I have firm believe that we will gain success in complete eradication of terrorism and terrorist ideology from Kashmir after abrogation of Article 370. Our Kashmir would be mentioned in the list of most developed Indian states within 10 years," Shah said.
The Minister said the Vande Bharat train, which has been manufactured at a Chennai-based factory, was a gift to the countrymen from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. .
"A new history is being created through Vande Bharat, which will be a great medium of tourism to Jammu and Kashmir," he added.
Vande Bharat Express will run between Delhi and Katra fecilitating travel upto the Hindu shrine of Vaishno Devi. The booking for the train will start October 5.
Addressing the 2018 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) probationers, the Minister urged them to make tough yet correct decisions and said that some bold measures are necessary for people's benefit without getting bogged down by the fear of a backlash.
"Not a single bullet had been fired or not a single person had died after the abrogation of Article 370. Only 10 police stations of Kashmir, out of 196, have Section 144 in force," he said.
Shah reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir would not remain a Union Territory (UT) forever and that statehood would be returned once the situation normalises.
"All regional identities are inherently protected by the Indian Constitution. Article 370 was the root cause of cross border terrorism," he said.
Speaking on the need for a National Register of Citizens (NRC), he asserted that it was essential not just for national security but for good governance as well.
"NRC must not be seen as a political exercise as it is very important to have a national citizen register in order to ensure that benefits of development reach all our citizens," he said.
Referring to the need to improve police efficiency, Shah told the probationers that as IPS officers, their job would be to ensure that there is freedom to take required decisions and owning up of responsibility at all levels, without overstepping of boundaries.
He urged the young officers to encourage and inspire their staff and build the capacity of constables.
"An organization can only be as strong as its base, and the base of the police system is the constable," he said.
Speaking on the increasing proportion of women in police at every level, Shah said that lady IPS officers can inspire other women to join the police.
"Gender-based reservation was not the answer to the issue of inadequate representation of women in the police. There is a need to change the societal mindset in this regard. This would gradually happen," he added.
On police reforms, he said: "Reforming the system does not mean shunning the old ways of policing totally, rather it is a continuous process of adaptation of the old methods to address new challenges."
Noting that the government is committed to police reforms, Shah encouraged the probationers to individually carry out small yet important improvements in local police functioning, wherever they were posted.
"Maintenance of law and order is very important to achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a $5 trillion economy."
The Minister urged that the fear associated with the police be removed by bringing in positive behavioral change in personnel and said that the IPS as an institution must make this change percolate to the grassroots.
"Minimum use of force and maximum effectiveness should be the motto of police everywhere. There is a need of human touch and sensitivity in the police to gain peoples' trust."
The Minister called for a conceptual change in the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and said that the amended code must be in line with India being a welfare state.
Noting that the purpose of the CrPC has shifted from the preservation of the British Empire to the welfare of people, Shah said this has to be reflected in the provisions and application of the code.
The announcement was made by BJP President Amit Shah in the presence of JJP chief Dushyant Chautala.
"The two parties have decided to form the government to respect the mandate of the people. It has been decided that the Chief Minister will be from the BJP and the Deputy CM from the JJP," Shah said.
On his part, Dushyant Chautala said that his party has decided to support the BJP "for the stability of the government in Haryana".
It seems likely that Dushyant Chautala will be the new Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that the party has called a meeting of the legislators and will meet the Governor on Saturday to stake claim.
The Chautala clan is making a comeback to power after 15 years, when the JJP leader's grandfather Om Prakash Chautala was defeated by the Congress in the 2004 elections.
The BJP won 40 seats in the October 21 Assembly elections, seven down from its 2014 total and six short of a simple majority in the 90-member House. The JJP, which is less than a year old, won 10 seats.
"The NRC exercise is monitored by the Supreme Court. No religion has been targeted or isolated during the NRC exercise," said Shah responding to a query of Congress leader Syed Nasir Hussain. The MP asked whether the NRC provides citizenship to immigrants of six non-Muslim faiths.
Shah said NRC and The Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016, which lapsed on June 3, 2019, are two different issues and both should not be seen through one prism.
Shah said people whose names are missing from the NRC can approach tribunals formed at the tehsil level. The Assam government will provide financial help to those who don't have the money to file pleas, he said. Shah said the government would bear the cost of hiring a lawyer.
The updated final NRC, which validates genuine Indian citizens, has left out over 19 lakh applicants in Assam. Most of these are people who have not produced required documents to prove their claims and have the option of appealing to Foreigners' Tribunals and subsequently approach the courts.
In Assam, the NRC aims to identify illegal immigrants who entered the state and settled after March 25, 1971.
The logo -- with a "Garuda", sword and shield -- will give a distinct identity to the unit, Shah said.
The home minister unveiled the logo during an event, where he laid the foundation for raising a new headquarters building for the CRPF.
The VIP security wing of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was raised in 2014 and has four battalions, comprising about 4,000 personnel.
The insignia will bear the motto of the force -- "Always, Aware, Alert".
Of the 59 protectees under this unit, 15 are under the top category of "Z+", 21 under the "Z" category and the remaining 23 under various other categories.
These VIPs include Shah himself, five former SPG protectees recently transferred to it -- former prime minister Manmohan Singh, his wife Gursharan Kaur, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her children Rahul and Priyanka -- besides Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Ravishankar Prasad, businessman and RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani and his wife Neeta among others.
"This is a historic day for the unit that serves with utmost dedication and discipline. VIP security is now a core task for us. The insignia will now be worn by all commandos under this unit," CRPF Inspector General (Intelligence) Pradeep Kumar Singh said.
Singh, who has earlier served in the SPG, is also the head of the VIP security wing and has raised the unit after pooling in some of the best commanders and commandos of the force.
The elite wing of the CRPF has bases across the country and is armed with smart assault weapons like MP-5 and Glock rifles, apart from encrypted communication gadgets and armoured protection devices.
(PTI)
Nadda may take the helm on January 20 as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sources believe that he is likely to be elected unopposed, in line with the convention in the saffron organisation.
The party panel headed by senior leader Radha Mohan Singh, which is overseeing the ongoing organisational polls, is likely to come out with the schedule for its national president's election soon.
The elevation of 59-year-old Nadda, a former Union minister with decades of organisational experience, is being seen as a near certainty after he was made the BJP working president in July last year, following Shah's induction into the Union cabinet after the saffron party's massive victory in the Lok Sabha election.
The BJP national council, the biggest organisational body of the party, is expected to meet after the February 8 Delhi Assembly polls to ratify the election of the new party president.
In the run-up to the 2019 general election, Nadda was in charge of the BJP's campaign in Uttar Pradesh, politically the most important state where the saffron party convincingly defeated the formidable alliance of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) by winning 62 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats.
Nadda was a cabinet minister in the first Modi government between 2014 and 2019. He has also been a member of the BJP's parliamentary board, the top decision-making body of the party.
Shah had taken over as the party president in 2014 after Narendra Modi led it to power.
(PTI)
"Whoever wants to clarify this issue can seek an appointment with me. I will personally clarify the issue to them. My office will provide time within three days," Shah said at the Times Now Summit here.
"The Citizenship (Amendment) Act has no provision that deprives anyone of citizenship, or that it is anti-Muslim or anti-minority. Gandhiji himself insisted that non-Muslims of Pakistan who faced persecution there should be given respect, dignity and citizenship in India."
The Minister said that India had allowed for leniency in issuing long-term visas to Hindus and Sikhs from the 1960s. "Why is our approach seen in a different light?" he asked.
Hitting out at the Congress, he said: "Successive governments -- including those of the Congress -- have gradually expanded the scope of facilities afforded to these refugees. We are simply building on that legacy."
Without naming any country, Shah said that the minorities in those countries had come down from 30 per cent to only 3 per cent of the total population. "It is very clear that these minorities need to be protected," said Shah, a senior leader of the BJP.
Speaking on the proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens, Shah said that while the issue has been included in the Bharatiya Janata Party's election manifesto, nothing has as yet been decided on the matter.
Flashing some papers, the Minister claimed that a report by a Parliamentary Committee headed by then Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee had advocated for a nationwide NRC.
He asserted that no one needs to show documents for inclusion in the National Population Register.
"Nobody has been asked for documents in the NPR. Nobody will be asked either. People are supposed to get their details recorded orally," he said. He was obviously hinting at the 'kagaz nahi dikhayenge' slogans.
As for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's charge that the Modi government was anti-Dalits, he said that the amendments to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes law to deny reservation in promotions in government jobs were actually passed by the then Congress government in Uttarakhand.
Shah claimed that detention of Kashmir leaders like Omar Abdullah was a "local matter" and that the courts were seized of the matter. He claimed that anyone could visit the Valley now.
On February 1, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had said that the government was willing to hold "structured talk" with those protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens.
(IANS)
Mohanty said Shah will address a public meeting in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Bhubaneswar on February 28.
He said more than one lakh people would gather for the public meeting.
Shah will visit Jagannath Temple in Puri and Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar on February 29, Mohanty said.
Home Minister Amit Shah to visit #Odisha on February 28 & attend a pro-#CAA public meeting in #Bhubaneswar; Shah will visit Puri #Srimandir & Lingaraj Temple on February 29: State BJP chief Samir Mohanty (File Pic) pic.twitter.com/EYJgsrSlm0
— OTV (@otvnews) February 16, 2020
(IANS)
The delegations from Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand as well as the central officials will attend the EZC meeting, which is meant to improve cooperation and coordination among states.
A high-level meeting, chaired by Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy, reviewed preparations on Thursday. Tripathy asked departments to prepare updates on issues likely to be taken up.
Various inter-state issues relating to development schemes and programmes, including adoption of 'postage stamp method' for unified power tariff, disaster resilience infrastructure, rail projects, operation of mines, financial inclusion, grants to panchayats under the 14th Finance Commission, devolution of powers to panchayats, coal royalty, implementation of direct benefit transfer, telecom and internet connectivity, use of Aadhar database, and timely release of central grants may figure at the meet.
(IANS)
Interestingly, Mamata Banerjee would meet HM Amit Shah for the first time after the Citizenship (Amendment) Act was enacted.
The Chief Ministers will be accompanied by two Cabinet Ministers from each State, as members of the Council, and Chief Secretary and other senior officers of the States. Secretaries/Additional Secretaries and other senior officers of the Central Government will also attend the meeting.
The EZ Council meeting will discuss nearly 4 dozen issues which include inter-State water issues, power transmission lines, royalty on and operationalization of coals mines, land & forest clearance of rail projects, investigation of heinous offences, cattle smuggling across country's borders, lack of telecom & banking infrastructure in remote areas, petroleum projects, sharing pattern on centrally collected revenues among other things.
With such senior level participation of political leadership and officers, it is expected that a large number of issues will be resolved by consensus in the meeting.
"We will raise issues like coal royalty and lack of mobile connectivity in 11,000 villages in the State during the Eastern Zonal Council meeting tomorrow," said Odisha Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy.
Reportedly, five Zonal Councils were set up in 1957 under Section 15-22 of the States Reorganization Act, 1956. The Union Home Minister is the Chairman of each of these five Zonal Councils and Chief Minister of the host State, to be chosen by rotation every year, is the Vice-Chairman. Two more Ministers from each State are nominated as Members by the Governor. The Council takes up issues involving Centre and States, and among Member-States falling in the Zone and thus provide a forum for resolving disputes and irritants between them.
The Zonal Councils deliberates upon broad range of issues, which include boundary related disputes, security, infrastructure related matters like road, transport, industries, water and power etc., matters pertaining to forests & environment, housing, education, food security, tourism, transport, etc.
The last meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council was last held in Kolkata on October 1, 2018.
Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Trinamool Congress of having a "tacit understanding".
He alleged that Banerjee met Shah after her recent discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure her party leaders were not prosecuted in the Narada sting footage scandal and the Saradha ponzi scam.
"Does anyone know what happened to the probe in the Narada and the Saradha cases?" he wondered.
State Congress president Somen Mitra dubbed Banerjee's meeting with Shah as a "political understanding".
Left party leader Sujan Chakraborty took a dig at Banerjee saying she has been waiting for four days in Bhubaneswar to meet Shah which shows the "trust between Delhi and Bengal".
Referring to the Delhi violence, which has left at least 43 persons dead and over 200 injured, Chakraborty said, "Nothing is more shameful for the people of Bengal than the Home Minister holding a rally in Kolkata after what happened in Delhi."
(IANS)
According to sources, Shah said in the letter that West Bengal government was not allowing trains with migrant workers. "This is injustice to migrant workers. This will create further hardships for them," the letter said.
Shah claimed that migrants from West Bengal are eager to reach home, but the state government has not been allowing the trains to enter the state.
He claimed that the central government has been trying to aid more than two lakh migrants to return back to their home states, but it is only West Bengal that has not supported the initiative.
"Migrants from West Bengal are also eager to reach home. Central govt is facilitating but we are not getting expected support from West Bengal," Shah wrote.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state secretary Dilip Ghosh said that this is the responsibility of the West Bengal government to take the necessary initiatives to bring back all migrant workers from other states.
"It is not possible for the Centre to know how many migrant workers from Bengal are settled in other states. The Mamata Banerjee administration has not appealed for any special train to the Centre while other states like Uttar Pradesh has already written communications to the Centre for giving them special trains," Ghosh said, adding that the Trinaool Congress-led state government is only busy fighting with the Centre.
Senior Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Sujan Chakrbaorty said that migrant workers from Bengal are the worst sufferers. "When both the governments - Centre and state - are at loggerhead in the time of Covid-19 pandemic these poor migrants labourers are at the receiving end now," said Chakraborty.
In the wake of demands by different state governments to run special trains to ferry people stuck in various states, Indian Railways on May 1 had said that it will run special trains from Friday itself to move labourers, pilgrims, tourists and students stranded across the country.
Railways Executive Director (Media) R.D. Bajpai had then said in a statement that as per the guidelines issued by Ministry of Home Affairs, it was decided to run "Shramik Special" trains to return migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students, and others to their native states.
(IANS)
"Since lakhs of 'karyakartas' have expressed concern over this speculation spread by certain 'well wishers', I decided to issue the clarification," read the statement.
https://twitter.com/AmitShah/status/1259066254511362050
Shah claimed that over the last few days, there have been rumours spreading on social media regarding his health condition. some even going to the extent of wishing death for him through tweets.
Shah said he chose to ignore the rumours as he was busy fighting the COVID-19 outbreak. He said he went on ignoring these rumours to let people "enjoy their imagination". But it is the concern of BJP cadres which forced him to make the clarification, says the Home Minister.
He said according to Hindu faith, such rumours add to one's life. He said he held no grudge against those who spearheaded the misinformation campaign. He took a subtle dig at them by saying, "I thank you as well".
Meanwhile, Amit Shah expressed his concern over increasing coronavirus positive cases in different paramilitary forces as 526 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) personnel have been found infected till Friday across the country.
The Minister, however, appreciated the commendable work done by the CAPFs to tackle the healthcare problem and also discussed with officers concerned the measures to prevent further spread of corona infection among troopers and ensure their well-being.
As many as 35 CISF personnel are among the infected troopers, including 15 in Mumbai, 14 in Delhi, four in Kolkata, and two in Greater Noida.
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has 37 positive personnel and 204 have been quarantined.
Out of 15 infected Central Industrial Security Force personnel, 11 were deployed at the Mumbai airport, two at Mumbai port, and one each at a government mint and Hindustan Petroleum/Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited.
Among those infected in Delhi, three were posted at the Delhi airport and 11 at Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).
In Kolkata, three infected CISF personnel were performing duties at Kolkata Port Trust and one at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd.
(IANS)
Congress MLA Sura Routray termed the event as a 'crime when the country is fighting the alien virus' and said, "It is illegal to organise such rallies during this Coronavirus lockdown and shutdown. Will he be spared because he is the Union Home Minister?"
He further said that a complaint needs to be registered again Shah for organising such rally and he must be arrested. "We are abiding by the lockdown norms but the rule makers are not following the restrictions themselves," he rued.
Due to the inefficiency of the Centre, migrants had to suffer and they returned to Odisha through various means by putting their lives at stake. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had said that 15000 COVID tests will be conducted a day, however, a mere 2000 tests per day is being done, said Routray.
Responding to the Congress legislator's statement on the virtual rally, State BJP general secretary Prithviraj Harichandan said Congress needs five more years to learn the exact meaning of virtual rally.
"Only if the Congress leaders comment after knowing the meaning of a virtual rally, we will give them any sort of importance," said Harichandan.
On Amit Shah's programme, he said the BJP has a target to connect with around one crore people through various social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.
"People can take part in the rally by staying at home," he said adding that Shah will highlight the steps taken by the Narendra Modi government so far towards the all-round development of Odisha.
State BJP president Samir Mohanty had earlier said that the objective of the virtual rally is to reach out to people and apprise them of the Modi government's achievements in the first year of its second term and steps taken to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
You May Like:
Odisha Govt Conspiring To Super-Spread COVID-19 In Rural Areas: BJP’s Prithviraj Harishandan
Edited By Suryakant Jena
"Be it Owaisi's party or TRS, I want to ask whether in such a large state as Telangana you don't get anybody outside your family. Is there nobody outside your families who is talented?" he said.
Shah said that the BJP wanted to take Hyderabad from corruption to transparency and from appeasement to equal opportunities. "I want to assure large section of people in Hyderabad who feel insulted that nobody will dare to treat you as second-class citizens," he said.
He said that it was because of Sardar Patel that Telangana, Marathwada, and Hyderabad became part of India. He said there were some people who ran a campaign to merge these with Pakistan.
"Owaisi should respond as to who talked of merging Telangana with Pakistan," he remarked when asked to comment on MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi's allegation that the BJP was dividing people.
On Hyderabad MP's question what was Shah doing when the Rohingyas, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis were illegally staying in Hyderabad, the Union Home Minister asked him to give in writing to deport them.
"When we take action, they raise hue and cry. Didn't you see in Parliament? Let them give in writing that the Rohingyas and Bangladeshis be deported. Merely speaking in elections will not work. Who take their side when we talk of deporting them? People know. They have seen it live on television," he said
The BJP leader, who conducted roadshow and visited Bhagyalakshmi temple abutting Charminar, slammed both Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) for pursuing "family politics".
Asserting that the BJP has no problem with TRS aligning with MIM, Shah dared Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to openly have seat-sharing with MIM. "In a democracy, any party can tie up with anyone. But why this secret understanding? Why don't you have the courage to openly say that you have electoral understanding with MIM."
Claiming that the BJP has become main opposition in Telangana, Shah said that in the next Assembly elections the BJP would definitely form the government.
He remarked that KCR was also "helping BJP in this task by the manner in which he is running the government".
He found fault with TRS for calling GHMC polls a 'gully election'. He also brushed aside the criticism over campaigning by central Ministers and top BJP leaders for the MC polls. He said that the BJP did not treat any election as small and it contested municipal elections in many cities.
Appealing to the people to give a chance to BJP, Shah promised to ensure good governance by checking corruption.
He said that Hyderabad's infrastructure would be improved to make it a global hub of information technology. He said the BJP would also make the city flood-proof.
The BJP leader also slammed TRS government for its handling of recent floods in Hyderabad. He alleged that the Chief Minister did not visit any flood-affected area.
He also denied the TRS allegations that the Centre failed to provide any funds to Hyderabad. "Since KCR doesn't come to Secretariat, he doesn't know the figures," he quipped.
On his visit to Bhagyalakshmi temple earlier in the day, Shah said he went there out of personal devotion and stated that there was no need to give it any other meaning.
Shah called KCR's opposition to new central farm laws as "politically motivated". He claimed that the new laws were in the interests of farmers.
Asked about KCR's plans to forge an alliance against the BJP, Shah remarked that he has always been trying it in the past. "He tried this in 2019 but his seats were reduced to half. Mamata Banerjee also tried. Her seats too reduced to half."
(With IANS Inputs)
"Due to the farsightedness, decisions and policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Central government had brought in Rs 20 crore 'Garib Kalyan' package, giving a forward push to the economy. Due to that now we are lagging only six per cent behind the pre-Covid situation. I hope that the next (3 month) quarter will take the GDP in the plus direction," said Amit Shah.
"There is increasing foreign direct investment in the country. A record FII of foreign investment has been registered in November. This is because even in the Covid-19 situation PM Modi utilised the Covid-19 to visualise and bring in large term economic reforms, large term policy reforms and large term industrial policy reforms, which have resulted in the country moving rapidly ahead in development," added Shah.
Shah further said, "Gujarat has been a leader and under the leadership of the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Gujarat has always led the country in infrastructural projects. Whether it be connecting Gujarat to ports, pilgrimage places, industrial township, railways, seashores and every commutable place. Gujarat has been first in the country to provide 24 hours electricity to villages, connecting every port with national highway and state highways, becoming a self reliant state in electricity, record of setting up PHCs, CHCs in smallest radius, setting up giant hospital infrastructural facilities, biggest private ports in the country, largest producer of alternative energy. So in every sector, Gujarat has continued leading the country and this pace has not been dampened even during Covid-19 situation."
"Gujarat has equalled its energy consumption with that to pre-Covid conditions. The GST revenues are also almost up to the pre-Covid and as far as GDP is concerned Gujarat is leading the country," Shah added.
The Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said, "We have started so many projects in Kevadiya, started the RoPax services, Seaplane services and many others and presented the Gujarat development model to the country. Today it has appeared in the news that maximum investment in FDI has come in Gujarat, which is 52 per cent of the country's FDI. Which means that Gujarat is rapidly moving ahead and to cope up with this pace, we are increasing infrastructure in roads, seaways, airways and looking at the coming 30 to 40 years we are designing infrastructure."
The two flyovers, which were publicly dedicated, are the Sindhu Bhavan junction and Sanand injunction, a part of a 44 kilometre stretch on which a total of 10 flyovers have been planned to convert it into a fast track lane.
Along this stretch, a four kilometre elevated corridor has also been designed, which is expected to reduce the traffic. According to the state government, two lakh vehicles are commuting on the road connecting Rajkot and Saurashtra to the National highway, connecting Gujarat with other states.
(With IANS Inputs)