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India’s economic condition is worse than Sri Lanka’s: Mamata Banerjee slams BJP over fuel price hike

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday gave job appointment letters to Birbhum violence victims’ kin.

On March 24 Mamata Banerjee announced to give government jobs to the families of those who died in the fire in Birbhum violence incident. Government jobs were given to 10 people. Birbhum District Magistrate handed over the appointment letter to the family members of the deceased.

Mamata Banerjee also lashed out on BJP over the fuel price hike in the country. Comparing the economic situation of India with Sri Lanka, she said that India’s condition is worse than Sri Lanka’s.

She also said that the centre has plans to deal with the fuel price hike and BJP is responsible for all of this crisis. She further said instead of using CBI and ED against opposition parties, the Centre should arrange an all-party meeting to resolve the economic issues.

“Fuel prices have been hiked here, instead of using agencies like the CBI and ED against opposition parties, the Centre should call an all-party meeting to resolve the ongoing economic problems,” said Mamata Banerjee to the reporters in Nabanna.

Ex-Congress leader Ashok Tanwar who switched over to TMC for a brief period joins AAP

Former Congress leader Ashok Tanwar, who joined the Trinamool Congress in November, joined the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party on Monday in New Delhi.

Tanwar posted a photo on Twitter with Arvind Kejriwal after joining the party and said, “My commitment to serve people is sacrosanct! As a step forward in my pursuit of public service, I am glad to commit myself to Aam Aadmi Party, which has stood for honest politics and robust governance.”

Tanwar further said that Aam Aadmi Party has emerged as a credible alternative in Indian politics.

“Through sustained delivery of public good, transparent governance & ensuring welfare of those at bottom run of society, the Aam Aadmi Party has emerged as a credible alternative in Indian politics. Across the country, the voice of the party is resonating with common people,” tweeted Tanwar.

Arvind Kejriwal welcomed Ashok Tanwar and tweeted, “Welcome to the Aam Aadmi Party family, Ashok ji. Your political experience from student politics to Parliament will certainly prove to be of great help to the party organization in Haryana and across the country.”

Sports Ministry to spend Rs 190 crores on training of athletes for Commonwealth and Asian Games

The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has finalised the Annual Calendar of Training and Competitions (ACTCs) for 33 Sports disciplines and earmarked a sum of Rs. 259 crores for the financial year 2022-23 as assistance to various National Sports Federations (NSFs).

According to a statement by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Of the Rs. 259 crores, as much as Rs. 190 crores will be spent on athletes for their training, foreign exposure, equipment and support staff for Commonwealth Games 2022 and Asian Games 2022.

The budget has been decided based on detailed discussions with 33 NSFs on their planned competition and training calendar for the year 2022-23. Special emphasis was put on the proposals regarding training and competition requirements of athletes participating in the upcoming Commonwealth Games (CWG) at Birmingham, UK in August, 2022 and Asian Games at Guangzhou, China in September, 2022.

Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Singh Thakur stated that the Government has taken note of the plans and proposals for training and competitions submitted by NSFs for the year 2022-23, and particularly with regard to the forthcoming Commonwealth Games 2022, Asian Games 2022 and Para Asian Games 2022, and approved the ACTCs.

He further stated that the funds will not be a constraint for the preparations of the athletes and that the Ministry will provide all necessary help and support to the players and NSFs. He also advised the players and teams to fully focus on their training, and put in their best performance and thereby make the country proud by winning maximum number of medals at the forthcoming events.

Govt. Launches Scheme To Connect North Eastern States With Selected International Destinations

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has launched International Air Connectivity Scheme (IACS) scheme with the objective to enhance air connectivity from certain States of the country with selected international destinations to promote socio-economic growth. This scheme is supported by the State Governments.

The State Government of Assam, Manipur and Tripura have identified routes connecting Guwahati, Imphal and Agartala with selected international destinations viz. Bangkok, Dhaka, Kathmandu, Yangon, Hanoi, Mandalay, Kunming & Chittagong.

This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation Gen. V. K. Singh (Retd) in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha on Monday.

Development and up-gradation of airports to international standards is a continuous process and is undertaken by concerned airport operators from time to time depending upon commercial viability, traffic demand, availability of land etc.

As on date, there are two international airports in the North East Region at Guwahati and Imphal which are operated by Guwahati International Airport Limited (GIAL) and Airports Authority of India (AAI) respectively.

GIAL and AAI both have undertaken construction of New Integrated Terminal Building (NITB) and other associated works at their respective airports to improve services including, increase in passenger handling capacity.

In addition, AAI has taken up the following development works to boost international connectivity to/from North Eastern Region:-

  1. i) The new terminal building at Agartala Airport has been designed as integrated terminal keeping in view the future requirement for international operation.
  2. ii) Construction of a New Integrated Terminal Building for 2.4 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA), at a cost of around Rs.500 crore has been undertaken at Imphal Airport to augment passenger handling capacity, which has been declared as an International airport.

Andhra Pradesh gets 13 new districts and a new administrative map

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched 13 new districts on Monday via video conferencing at Tadepalli, in Guntur district.

Andhra Pradesh got a new administrative map, with the creation of 13 new districts that doubled their number to 26.

The government said in a statement: “”With the formation of smaller districts – distance from the district centre to remote and border villages will be reduced… District administration will come closer to the people… Increased accountability as the Government comes closer to people.”

“District Police Officers and all the other Government Departments including their camp offices will be in the same premises, thus doing away with the hassle of people travelling miles together for their work in different Government offices,” it added.

Chief of the Army Staff MM Naravane lays wreath at Kranji War Memorial in Singapore

Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane, on the first day of his visit on Monday, laid a wreath at Kranji War Memorial in Singapore and paid tributes to the soldiers who laid down their lives during the 2nd World War in Singapore.

“On the first day of the visit, General MM Naravane COAS laid a wreath at Kranji War Memorial, Singapore and paid tributes to the soldiers who laid down their lives during the 2nd World War in Singapore,” Indian Army tweeted on Monday.

Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane is on a three-day visit to Singapore to further boost bilateral defence ties with the country.

The Kranji War Memorial honours the men and women from Britain, Australia, Canada, Sri Lanka, India, Malaya, the Netherlands and New Zealand who died in the line of duty during World War II.

India’s daily COVID cases fall below 1000 mark after 715 days

In another significant development, following a continuous downward trend, India’s daily new cases reported on Monday morning (913) have declined below 1,000 mark after 715 days. Last time daily new COVID cases were below 1,000 mark was on 18th April 2020.

In another significant development, India’s active caseload (12,597) on Monday has declined to less than 13,000 mark after 714 days. Active cases now constitute 0.03% of the country’s total Positive Cases. The caseload was 12,974 Active Cases on 18th April 2020.

Consequently, India’s recovery rate stands at 98.76%. 1,316 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours and the cumulative tally of recovered patients (since the beginning of the pandemic) is now at 4,24,95,089. Daily deaths reported are less than 10 today.

There has been a sustained fall in the weekly and daily Positivity Rates too. The weekly Positivity Rate in the country currently stands at 0.22% and the Daily Positivity rate is also reported to be 0.29%.

India’s COVID-19

coverage has exceeded 184.70 crore (1,84,70,83,279) as per provisional reports till 7 am Monday.

COVID-19 vaccination for the age group 12-14 years was started on 16 March, 2022. So far, more than 1.86 Cr (1,86,39,260) adolescents have been administered with the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

India overshoots export target; achieves USD 417.8 billion exports in 2021-22

Merchandise exports from India have reached USD 417.8 billion in the current financial year. This figure excludes the figures from non-EDI Ports and adding that, it is likely to exceed $418 billion, an all-time high in India’s export history.

India has achieved the highest monthly value of merchandise export in March 2022 amounting USD 40.38 billion, an increase of 14.53% over USD 35.26 billion in March 2021 and an increase of 87.89% over USD 21.49 billion in March 2020.

The exports have witnessed significant growth in non-petroleum goods also in April 2021-March 2022 which was USD 352.76 billion, an increase of 32.62% over USD 266.00 billion in April 2020-March 2021 and an increase of 29.66% over USD 272.07 billion in April 2019-March 2020.

Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal said that India had truly gone from ‘local to global’ in response to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call.

The Minister said that every Indian should be proud of the pace at which India is achieving ‘atmanirbharta’ while ensuring that every Indian benefits from this progress. He added that India has been able to achieve this spectacular target under the leadership of the Prime Minister.

Every sector of the economy, every farmer, every entrepreneur, every MSME and state governments worked together to achieve this lucrative goal, he said.

India’s diversified export portfolio in 2021-22 show India’s manufacturing abilities as well as growth in hi-tech goods, electronics and agricultural products.

Petroleum Products saw positive growth of 152.1 percent during April 2021-March 2022 over April-March 2020-21. Meanwhile, cotton yarn/fabrics/madeups, handloom products, etc., engineering goods and coffee also saw positive growth of 55.1%, 45.5% and 49% respectively.

Many other commodities also saw a huge growth which includes other cereals (52.2%), gems and jewellery (49.6%), man-made yarn/fabs/madeups etc.( 46.9%), , electronic goods (40.5%), jute mfg. including floor covering (36.2%).

Apart from diversified range of merchandise goods exported during 2021-22, India’s merchandise exports have also seen a significant increase to different countries, especially, developed countries. Exports to USA, UAE, Bangladesh, Netherlands, Singapore, Hong Kong, UK, Belgium and Germany grew by 46.4%, 66.9%, 64.5%, 90.5%, 26.8%, 7.8%, 28%, 90.4% and 21.1% respectively over April 2020- March 2021.

Union Minister Goyal said, notwithstanding the challenges posed by successive waves of Covid (2nd and 3rd wave), India’s merchandise trade performance has shown impressive growth and exports remained above USD 30 billion for twelve consecutive months during April 2021 to March 2022.

 

Kolkata student leader who abused Aliah University VC arrested; Governor Dhankhar seeks detailed report

On Sunday, Giasuddin Mondal, a student leader, expelled from the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad, was arrested for allegedly threatening and verbally abusing Aliah University Vice-Chancellor Mohammad Ali.

“Police reacted promptly in connection with the recent incident that took place at Aliah University and Giasuddin Mondal has already been arrested. Investigation proceeds,” tweeted West Bengal Police.

In a video that went viral, students can be seen along with Giasuddin using derogatory language towards V-C Mohammad Ali.

Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has called upon Chief Secretary for a full update on the situation.

“Such state of affairs where law violator rogue elements have their way with no fear of law is certainly fearful scenario for law abiders,” wrote Dhankhar on Twitter.

After the arrest happened Governor Dhankhar wrote another tweet and said, “There will be focus on the situation once there is update from Chief Secretary as such shameful incidents call for exemplary consequences and no cover up.”

 

Connectivity With The Central Asian Countries Remains A Key Priority For India: President Kovind

Connectivity with the Central Asian countries remains a key priority for India, said President, Ram Nath Kovind.  He made the remarks while he was addressing students at the Institute of International Relations in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan on Sunday. The President said that India is a member of both the International North-South Transport Corridor, and the Ashgabat Agreement.

The President said that India’s foreign policy has been constantly evolving since its independence. India’s emergence as one of the major economies of the world and the relevance of India’s technological capabilities has shaped key global negotiations. India’s partnerships with countries of the Global South have grown substantially while its relations with major powers have deepened further.

The President said that one of the key pillars of India’s foreign policy in recent years has been the “Neighbourhood First” policy.

“The overarching philosophy of India’s engagement with its neighbours is to ensure that they also benefit from our economic development and growth. Thus, the focus of Neighbourhood First policy is to enhance connectivity, augment trade and investment, and build a secure and stable neighbourhood,” said the President.

He said that while ‘Indo-Pacific’ is a recent addition to the geopolitical lexicon, India’s engagement with the Indo-Pacific region goes back several centuries. The dynamism and vitality of the region makes it a global economic centre.

The President said that one of the focus areas of Indian foreign policy in the last few years has been the revitalization of our historical ties with the Central Asian countries, which are a part of our ‘extended neighbourhood’. As developing countries, India and Central Asian countries share common perspectives and similar approaches.

“We face common challenges such as terrorism, extremism, radicalization, drug trafficking etc. India has also strategic relations with most of the Central Asian countries,” said President Kovind.

Speaking about ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the President said that India’s position on this issue has been steadfast and consistent.

“We are deeply concerned about the worsening humanitarian situation. We have called for immediate cessation of violence and hostilities and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy. We have also provided humanitarian assistance to Ukraine,” said President Kovind.

The President said that the United Nations remains the most universal and representative international organization. At the core of India’s call for reformed multilateralism lies the reform of the UN Security Council, to reflect the contemporary realities. In this context, India values the support of Turkmenistan for our permanent membership in a reformed and expanded UN Security Council.

The President said that as Turkmenistan marches ahead in the ‘Era of people with Arkadag’, India, as a longstanding friend, stands ready to partner with it to realize the collective dreams of our people.   He expressed hope that his visit to Turkmenistan would impart a new momentum to further promote partnership between the two countries.