The Congress government in Chhattisgarh is discontinuing the central government’s Ayushman Bharat scheme which has till now benefited lakhs of patients with free treatment. As per reports, the Congress-led Chhattisgarh government will now start a state-sponsored scheme.
Health Minister TS Singhdeo presiding over a review meeting said that the financial provision made by the Centre in Ayushman Bharat scheme is ‘meagre’. He further added that Ayushman Bharat scheme is like an insurance scheme which has low output and higher cost. He said that the state is in process of forming another healthcare scheme which will cost less as compared to Ayushman Bharat and will also provide free medicines.
Till now Delhi, Odisha and Telangana have not implemented the Ayushman Bharat scheme. Recently, Mamata Banerjee also pulled West Bengal out of Ayushman Bharat scheme, accusing Modi of taking full credit.
In the Union Budget for 2018, NDA government announced the world’s largest healthcare scheme, targeted to provide an annual health cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family for approximately 50 crore people. Soon after the announcement, a lot of myths about the coverage and cost of the scheme had started floating around social media, which were debunked by OpIndia.
On 23 September 2018, PM Modi formally launched the ‘Ayushman Bharat’ scheme, which provides cashless and paperless access to 1350 medical packages including surgery, diagnostics, daycare treatment and cost of medicines. The scheme also covers all pre-existing conditions, a feature which many private medical insurances do not provide. The WHO Director-General had even lauded the Ayushman Bharat scheme which had benefited as many as 7 lakh people within 100 days of its launch.
Since the launch of the scheme, many misinformation has been spread regarding the scheme. We had busted the myths here.
Congress leaders seem to have discarded whatever little shred of decency was left in their political discourse. After senior leaders like Mani Shankar Aiyar and Sanjay Nirupam have appalled the masses with their foul proclamations and personal attacks against the PM and the ministers of his cabinet, now other Congress leaders are in a hurry to continue it further.
Ulhas Pawar, a Congress leader and former MLA, as per reports, has now alleged that former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee had participated in the 1942 freedom struggle and was sent to jail, but he found his way out by writing an apology letter to the British. Pawar stated that he was freed just 9 days after the arrest and was never jailed after that. Pawar was reportedly speaking at the ‘Jan Sangharsh Yatra Rally’ organised in Nagpur.
He went ahead stating that Vinayak Damodar Savarkar also wrote apology letters to the British at least 18 times. Pawar did not stop at that. He further asserted that it was BJP leaders who killed their party chief Deen Dayal Upadhyay in 1968. He claimed that Balraj Madhok, the former president of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh had mentioned the circumstances of Upadhyay’s death in his biography. Continuing his tirade, he reportedly added that Upadhyay’s death had something to do with the allegation that he had taken the idea of Gandhi’s ‘Antodaya’.
The sheer disrespect and contempt Congress leadership shows towards present and former BJP leaders are often displayed in their statements. Many Congress leaders are seen attacking the PM’s caste, family circumstances and his humble background. Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam had also given shameful and sexist remarks against union textile minister Smriti Irani.
Congress and leftist leaders often attempt to belittle Savarkar by citing his mercy petitions to the British while conveniently forgetting that Savarkar was lodged in the dreadful ‘Kaala Paani’ in Andaman’s cellular jail while Gandhi and Nehru spent their ‘jail terms’ in the comforts of palaces that were ‘converted into jail’ for them.
Christian Michel, the middleman in the AgustaWestland VVIP Chopper scam, who was extradited from Dubai, has been spilling the beans and his correspondence from the time when this deal was in consideration has made some stunning revelations. Earlier, it was reported how Michel had access to Cabinet Meetings, Cabinet Committee on Security meetings and the then PMO under Manmohan Singh. It has now emerged that he also had access to investigative agencies, reported Economic Times.
The stunning revelation has been made based on his 2009 correspondence in which he wrote to his fellow middleman, Guido Ralph Haschke. In this correspondence dated December 6th 2009, had asked Hashcke to distance himself from a co-accused in the AgustaWestland Chopper scam, lawyer Gautam Khaitan.
Christian Michel had written to Hashcke because according to him, Khaitan, in cahoots with his ‘friend’ within the Enforcement Directorate (ED) tried to organise a raid against real estate firm Emaar EGF a month before the company launched its Initial Public Offer (IPO). He had also written that the MGF family had learnt of this move.
He had also reportedly written that the “family” employed by Hashcke had been told to “get lost” by Emaar MGF.
The dispatch reportedly reads, “The despatch reads, “I am deeply concerned about this developing situation with Emaar. I wanted to warn you to resign as a nonexecutive director in India two weeks ago but I have been waiting for a certain document to show you how bad the situation is. ..” Michel goes on to warn “the family behind MGF Emaar’s partner are an old, powerful and rich Delhi family. They engaged Khaitan, the lawyers who you recommended to take over AgustaWestland’s legal work. The MGF family thought Khaitan would help them launch their IPO and I know that Khaitan recommended that you become a non-executive”.
“Once Khaitan were the advisers, the Khaitan boss met with a friend of his at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to recommend that he raid Emaar a month before the IPO unless MGF pay a huge sum to avoid this,” it adds. “The MGF family have all the information they knew about Khaitan and how they have been betrayed by their lawyers. That is why they told your family to get lost.”
Christian Michel is accused of money laundering, bribery, and fraud in connection with the Rs 3,600-crore worth AgustaWestland scam.
There have been some big revelations made in the ongoing investigation after Christian Michel was extradicted. Earlier, it was reported that son of a senior Congress leader had arranged kickbacks and that Michel may be charged under the Official Secrets Act. During the investigation, cryptic names like “Mrs Gandhi”, “Italian Lady’s Son R” and AP (which might be Ahmed Patel) were also revealed. It was also found that Christian Michel was in India several times and he was also lobbying against the Rafale deal in India and for the Eurofighter deal during the Congress regime.
Here is today’s OpIndia Evening Dispatch to help you catch up with the events of the day.
1. Business Standard withdraws Fake News but Congress sympathizers use it to prop up Rahul Gandhi
After OpIndia’s Fact-Check, Business Standard withdrew its article where it claimed that Google Trends showed Congress President Rahul Gandhi was more popular than Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They even sent an email to OpIndia thanking for pointing out the error in their report. However, abusive troll and propagandist Swati Chaturvedi used the dubious claims made in the report to build the narrative that Rahul Gandhi has shed his ‘Pappu image’.
2. Sharad Pawar makes a U-Turn!
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar is a confused man. Last year in July, he was of the opinion that the Constitution should be amended to clear the Maratha reservation. He has even expressed willingness to talk to the Opposition. Pawar yesterday said that amending the constitution for quota (10% for the economically backward section of the society) is ‘harmful’.
3. Gujarat becomes the first state to implement 10% reservation for the economically backward
Gujarat is set to become the first Indian state to implement the new 10% reservation for the Economically Weaker Sections of the general category in all educational institutions and government jobs. Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani had announced it yesterday.
CM Rupani has stated that Gujarat will implement the 10% reservation for EWS from 14th January onwards. It is to be implemented in all the ongoing recruitment processes where advertisements have been published but the first stage of examinations are yet to be held.
4. AK Antony says ‘Congress not strong enough to challenge BJP alone’, adds ‘Modi fears Rahul’
Acknowledging the inability of Congress party to be a challenger to the Narendra Modi led BJP, senior Congress leader AK Antony has urged his party to join hands with other opposition parties to defeat the BJP as he believes Congress party alone cannot stop the Modi juggernaut.
Speaking at the general body meeting of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) on Friday, the former Defence Minister said that Congress party has realised that it is not strong enough to take on the BJP alone and emphasised on the need of an alliance to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
5. Controversial ‘poet’ who wrote the ‘condom on Trishul’ poem, faces massive protests at Silchar, Assam
On Saturday, controversial poet Srijato Bandyopadhyay faced massive protests in Silchar, Assam, after several people opposed his participation in an event as a mark of protest against one of his poems ‘Condom on Trishul’, which had hurt Hindu religious sentiments.
Srijato Bandyopadhyay, who was present at Silchar in Barak Valley, to attend a literary discussion “Eso Boli” (Come, let’s speak up) on Saturday evening, faced protests from several people against his 2017 poem titled ‘Abhishaap’ (Curse), where had used terms like “Condoms on Trishul”. The last line of his poem, the 42-year-old poet had written, “As long as women are raped by digging up their graves, condoms should be worn on Trishul”.
6. Troubles within Mahagathbandhan
Karnataka Water Resources minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party was indulging in horse-trading and were luring three of its MLAs to camp at a Mumbai hotel in the “company of some BJP leaders”, PTI reported. Shivakumar said the development was part of BJP’s “Operation Lotus” which is aimed at ousting the Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress government in the state.
Kumaraswamy also launched an attack on ally partner Congress over seat-sharing arrangement for the Lok Sabha elections. He said that ‘Congress should not treat JD(S) like third-grade citizens’. The Congress-JD(S) alliance in Karnataka has not been a smooth one ever since the two have stitched up this awkward coalition with the sole purpose to keep BJP out of power in Karnataka.
Meanwhile in Uttar Pradesh, days after Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samajwadi Party’s Mayawati announced their alliance in the state, SP MLAs are coming forward to raise their apprehensions on the proposed alliance. Today, SP MLA from Sirsaganj of Firozabad, Hari Om Yadav claimed that the alliance would not yield the envisaged benefits. He also foreboded that the alliance wouldn’t last long. Hari Om also claimed that the alliance would only continue so long as Akhilesh Yadav continues to acquiesce to Mayawati’s whims and fancies.
7. Trouble for ‘Tukde Tukde’ Brigade
Delhi Police Special Cell has filed its chargesheet at the Patiala House Court after investigating into February 2016 JNU event commemorating terrorist Afzal Guru. Police have asserted that charge sheet is backed by concrete evidence collected during the investigation. They also said that evidence is also backed by data collected from accused’s Facebook profiles.
As per reports, the list of accused includes Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya, Umar Gul, Basharat Ali, Raes Rasool and Khalid Bhat along with Shehla Rashid and the CPI national secretary D Raja’s daughter Aparajita Raja for allegedly shouting anti-national slogans.
Kanhaiya Kumar has responded to the chargesheet filed against him with a bizarre tirade against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He has dubbed it a desperate move by the BJP to provide Modi with talking points ahead of the General Elections later this year.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court Monday refused to quash Pune Police’s FIR against alleged Urban Naxal Anand Teltumbde for his alleged involvement in the Koregaon Bhima violence and also in connection with the plot to assassinate Prime Minister Modi.
According to the reports, a Bench comprising of Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Ashok Bhushan, Justice S K Kaul refused to interfere with the ongoing investigation in the case and ordered Teltumbde to seek regular bail from the competent trial court. However, the apex court granted accused Urban Naxal Anand Teltumbde protection from arrest for four weeks.
8. Vadra aide Manoj Arora questioned by ED
Manoj Arora, the executive assistant and alleged close-aid of Robert Vadra, has appeared before the Enforcement Directorate, in relation to a money laundering case. As per reports, Arora is being grilled by the ED for his alleged involvement in Robert Vadra’s benami properties in the UK.
Agencies are also probing Vadra’s alleged involvement in various land deal scams. With questioning going on Majoj Arora, troubles for Gandhi family’s son-in-law doesn’t seem to be ending any time soon.
Meanwhile in Karnataka, an employee of the Backward Classes Welfare Minister C.Puttaranga Shetty’s office has been caught while transporting unaccounted cash worth ₹25.76 lakhs. According to the sources, the Minister is likely to be questioned by the Anti-Corruption Bureau in the case.
The Vidhana Soudha police on January 4 arrested one SJ Mohan Kumar who worked in Mr Shetty’s office. The case has been transferred to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for investigation. According to reports, Kumar has claimed that he had collected the money from representatives of multiple contractors and that it was meant for the Minister.
9. Massive Church Scam
A massive land scam allegedly committed by Church of South India Trust Association (CSIT) has been unearthed by the Andhra Pradesh CID and Serious Fraud Investigation Office’s Hyderabad unit. The investigation has revealed that the arrested accused, Archbishop Govada Dyvasirvadam and his associates have sold away land and swindled several crore rupees, reported Times of India.
According to reports, Bishop Govada Dyvasirvadam was arrested in December for misappropriating church funds to the tune of hundreds of crores. During the investigation, the AP CID officials had found that there were irregularities in selling away of the CSITA’s land, misuse of deposits and foreign funds.
10. Prime Minister Modi continues to earn accolades internationally
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has received the first ever Philip Kotler Presidential award for outstanding leadership. The award focuses on the triple-bottom-line of three ‘Ps’: People, Profit and Planet.
The Award citation says, “Shri Narendra Modi is selected for his outstanding leadership for the nation. His selfless service towards India, combined with his tireless energy has resulted in extraordinary economic, social and technological advances in the country.”
Narendra Modi was also conferred with the prestigious Seoul Peace Prize last year for his contribution towards improving international cooperation, raising global economic growth, accelerating the Human Development of the people of India. Prior to that, the United Nations had awarded Prime Minister Narendra Modi with ‘Champions of the Earth Awards’ along with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Meanwhile, the clean energy initiative in the country has got a shot in the arm as Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), under the renewable energy ministry, has decided to set up 5,000 MW and 2,500 MW solar power projects in Ladakh and Kargil respectively, reported Times of India.
Also, the UPA government during its 10-year rule released Rs 17,989 crore for construction of houses, while the NDA government has released Rs 25,264 crore for construction of houses for urban poor marking a 240% rise in housing under Narendra Modi’s government.
11. Opinions
In his latest article, Imam Tawhidi opines that “Pakistani government is more part of the problem than the solution”. He writes, “Pakistani authorities actually strive to silence critics of Islamic terrorism. They plant fear in the hearts of intellectuals by intimidation, arrests and public shaming. In 2018, Pakistani diplomats in Canada have openly threatened outspoken critics Tarek Fatah and Tahir Gora on Canadian soil, while Former Ambassador Husain Haqqani continues to receive threats on social media.”
12. No Kite Flying in religious places in Hyderabad!
In an order issued by the police of Hyderabad, kite-flying enthusiasts have been asked to refrain themselves from flying kites around the religious places and thoroughfares during Sankranti to avoid any accident or breach of peace. The restrictions will be in place on 14th and 15th January, when traditional kite flying is done on the occasion of Sankranti.
According to the police, no blanket ban has been issued but a preemptive advisory has been circulated to prevent occurrences of untoward incidents. Police have also taken stern steps against the illegal sale of Chinese substitutes of ‘manjha’ which has become a menace for unsuspecting bystanders and has caused grievous injuries to them. The police officials have also asked parents to advise their children not to fly kites from terraces which do not have parapet walls to avoid any unfortunate incident.
13. Karnataka: Congress minister’s aide caught with over 25 lakhs of unaccounted cash, ‘kickbacks’ alleged
An employee of the Backward Classes Welfare Minister C.Puttaranga Shetty’s office has been caught while transporting unaccounted cash worth ₹25.76 lakhs. According to the sources, the Minister is likely to be questioned by the Anti-Corruption Bureau in the case.
An employee of the Backward Classes Welfare Minister C.Puttaranga Shetty’s office has been caught while transporting unaccounted cash worth ₹25.76 lakhs. According to the sources, the Minister is likely to be questioned by the Anti-Corruption Bureau in the case.
The Vidhana Soudha police on January 4 arrested one SJ Mohan Kumar who worked in Mr Shetty’s office. The case has been transferred to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for investigation. According to reports, Kumar has claimed that he had collected the money from representatives of multiple contractors and that it was meant for the Minister.
It is widely speculated that the money was allegedly “kickback” in lieu for grants received by the contractors to build concrete roads in colonies where nomad tribes live in Kampli, Koppal, Tumakuru Rural, and Devanahalli.
However, according to a report in The Hindu, a senior officer has claimed that Mohan Kumar’s testimony alone will not be enough to nail the Minister. Corroborating evidence attesting to his claims will be required to proceed against the Minister. “A call will be taken to question the Minister involved after examining the corroborative evidence,” said a senior officer.
The ACB probe is underway and they are seeking to establish the identity of the middlemen and contractors who allegedly paid the bribe. “The projects for which allegedly bribes were taken has been identified and now we will recover the related files from the ministry. We will interrogate the alleged middlemen and contractors soon,” another senior officer said.
Meanwhile, the minister, Shetty has disowned Kumar and rubbished the claims made by him. He had even tried to get a gag order for the media to not report on the case, but his request was turned down. The opposition BJP has been vociferous in its demand for the Minister’s resignation. However, top Congress leaders such as Siddaramaiah, G. Parameshwara and Dinesh Gundu Rao have defended Shetty and stated that since the investigation is yet to be complete and allegations are not proven yet, there is no need for his resignation that there was no need for any action as the allegations have not been proved.
Shetty, an MLA from Chamarajanagar, is considered to be a close side of former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah. However, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has recently declared that if any wrongdoing is found, the guilty will be punished. He has asked time for the ACB probe to be completed before taking any action against the Minister.
While Congress has been on the warpath with BJP, understandably so given their political compulsions, the Modi government has made massive strides in providing development for all.
In the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY-U), for example, 45.86 lakh houses were approved in 4 years of the Modi regime. While Congress only managed to approve 13.45 lakh houses in their 10 years rule.
Let’s delve deeper into how BJP managed to come on the top.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana: Journey Begins
The real estate sector is on an upswing in India owing to the demand in residential and commercial spaces. As the economy improves the real estate sector in India is expected to reach a market size of over a trillion dollars, contributing 13% to the total GDP of the nation.
The government of India along with state governments has taken several initiatives to encourage development in the sector such as Smart city project, National Urban Housing Fund and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
India is a country of over a billion people. And, a billion people need a place to stay. All of us aspire to have a place which we can call home. The government is trying to help everyone achieve their dream of a house through a massive initiative called Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi envisioned housing for all by 2022 when the nation completes 75 years of Independence. In order to achieve this objective, Central Government launched a comprehensive mission “Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Housing for All”. Under this scheme, affordable houses are built across the country using eco- friendly construction for the benefit of the poor population in India.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) has two components Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (urban) (PMAY–U) – for the urban poor and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) (PMAY-G and also PMAY–R) – for the rural poor. This initiative by the government of India will provide 20 million affordable houses by 31st March 2022.
The mission seeks to address the housing requirement of urban poor including slum dwellers through following programme verticals:
Slum rehabilitation with the participation of private developers using land as a resource.
Promotion of affordable housing for weaker sections of the society through credit linked subsidy.
Affordable housing in partnership with public & private sectors.
Subsidy for beneficiary-led individual house construction /enhancement.
The Mission will be implemented through four verticals giving an option to beneficiaries, ULBs and State Governments. These four verticals are as below:
Four vertical of implementation
The implementation strategy is 4 pronged with slum redevelopment, affordable housing by giving credit subsidy to low-income groups and economically weaker sections, affordable housing through partnerships with private or public agencies and subsidy for beneficiaries for construction or enhancement.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana: Story So Far
The table below shows state wise progress of PMAY-U since 2014
Statewise developmentStatewise developmentStatewise development
Above given table indicates the financial and physical progress of PMAY-U (HFA). Maharashtra, Andhra and MP lead the pack in total amount invested whereas Gujarat, MP and Maharashtra have the maximum houses constructed under PMAY-U. A total of 3, 68,076 Cr has been invested and 12, 87,561 houses have been constructed since 2014.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana: Impact Assessment
The completed houses and houses under construction under PMAY-G till March 05 2018 are 23.52 lakh and 21.28 lakh respectively. The total financial support provided to the beneficiaries by the government is Rs 1.47 lakh and Rs 1.59 lakh in plain areas and hilly areas respectively.
The total expenditure on PMAY-G houses is estimated to be Rs. 35,135 crore up to March 05, 2018.
In terms of employment, construction of a PMAY-G house in hilly/IAP district generated 48 person days of skilled labour and 105 person days of unskilled labour. The estimates for the plain areas appeared to be 75 person days and 92 person days of skilled and unskilled labour respectively. For houses under-construction, the total employment generated for both the years turns out to be 4.82 crores for skilled labour and 7.60 crore person days for unskilled labour till March 05, 2018.
Considering the fact that the beneficiary contribution varies both in terms of quantum and beneficiaries’ affordability, an attempt is also made to estimate the impact of PMAYG on direct employment and output under three different scenarios of beneficiary contribution. The first scenario assumes no additional contribution from the beneficiary, the second scenario assumes beneficiary contributes Rs 35000, and finally, the third scenario assumes that beneficiary contributes Rs. 70,000. The direct employment generated in case of the unskilled category under three scenarios varies from 20.36 core person-days under the first scenario to 25.10 crore person-days under the second scenario and 29.84 crores under the third scenario. Similarly, the estimated numbers for skilled labour force are 14.50 core, 17.90 crores, and 21.30 crore respectively.
In a nutshell, the current analysis reveals that the PMAY-G housing scheme would have had a substantial impact on employment and income generation in the economy.
Housing for All: BJP v Congress
The BJP-led NDA government has approved construction of 45.86 lakh houses in urban areas since it came to power in 2014, recording an increase of around 240 per cent as compared to that sanctioned in the UPA government’s 10-year tenure, as per official data.
According to the housing and urban affairs ministry data said around 13.45 lakh houses were approved during the UPA I and II under two schemes – Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY).
As per data, since the NDA government came to power in 2014, 45.86 lakh houses have been sanctioned under this flagship programme — Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban). Under the PMAY (U), the government aims to construct around 1.2 crore houses for urban poor by 2022.
Houses approved: Congress vs BJP
The central assistance approved by the UPA government was to the tune of Rs 20,303 crore for construction of 13.45 lakh houses for the poor, while the NDA government has approved Rs 70,716 crore for construction of sanctioned 45.86 lakh houses so far, according to the data.
Construction of 8.04 lakh houses was completed in the UPA’s regime, while as many as 7.25 lakh houses, including the houses left under the JNNURM and RAY, were constructed since the NDA government came to power in 2014.
The UPA government during its 10-year rule released Rs 17,989 crore for construction of houses, while the NDA government has released Rs 25,264 crore for construction of houses for urban poor.
Funds released: Congress vs BJP
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana: Road Ahead
India needs investment to the tune of $4 trillion over the next 5-6 years to fulfil the government’s various schemes. The ‘Housing for All by 2022’ initiative alone is likely to bring $1.3 trillion investments into the residential sector by 2025.
While the potential for directing privately owned land towards affordable housing at a low cost is limited, appropriate PPP structures can be used to incentivize the private sector in that direction.
Strategies attempted include directing private land for affordable housing in exchange for permission for more intensive utilization of land or in exchange for permission to build high-end housing. PPP strategies including government grants and subsidies can also be potentially deployed to unlock unutilized/ underutilized parcels of both governments as well as privately owned lands for affordable housing.
In order to facilitate private sector participation and to meet the growing need of affordable housing in the country, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs had set up a ‘Committee on PPP in Affordable Housing Sector’. It is envisaged that a sizeable and sustainable response through strategic PPP models will allow a self-propelled market to address the challenge of land availability and its high cost.
In addition, private sector participation will also enhance access to financing and capital markets, as well as reduce costs through gains in construction, operations and time-bound delivery of dwelling units. The underutilized potential of directing privately owned land towards affordable housing would also give a fillip to the existing verticals of PMAY (Urban).
The difference in the amount of funds sanctioned, houses constructed and beneficiaries reached out to is not a mere coincidence. There was a massive difference in the approach adopted by the UPA (over 2 tenures) and the BJP government in less than 5 years.
Key differentiators
Multiple regulations were passed that relaxed rules related to the requirement of documents, land title clearances and eligibility of beneficiaries. This helped substantially fast-track the process of applying to PMAY scheme
Periodic Review- The BJP government leveraged the advent of technology to ensure weekly/bi-weekly reviews are conducted with all stakeholders on VC to ensure any queries/bottlenecks are cleared immediately
Appointment of Professional consultants- The government encouraged state governments to empanel consultants and professional vendors to ensure the scheme is implemented at a breakneck pace
Public reach and advertisements- the government carefully analyzed that lack of awareness among beneficiaries is a significant constraint in the rollout of this scheme and thus advocated the use of media, awareness camps, hoardings, door-to-door campaigns etc. to ensure beneficiaries are well aware and informed about this marquee policy
The festive season is set to start in India from January 13. A number of festivals varying from State to State will be celebrated in the coming days across the country. India being a diverse country has diverse festivals which celebrate the various cultures and traditions in the country. Here is a look at the festivals that will be celebrated across the country on the coming three days of January 13, January 14 and January 15.
Lohri(January 13)
Lohri, Courtesy: news18.com
The festival of Lohri is celebrated primarily in the Punjab region. The festival marks the end of winter season. It commemorates the passing of the winter solstice and welcomes warmer and longer days. People celebrate Lohri by dancing around a bonfire to folk songs and preparing dishes like Sarson da saag, Makki di roti, Gajak and other dishes prepared with freshly harvested crops.
Makar Sankranti(January 14)
People bathing in Ganga, Courtesy: navbharattimes.indiatimes.comMagh Bihu celebrations in Assam, Image Courtesy: prokerala.com
The festival of Makar Sankranti is celebrated to mark the transit of Sun into the 10th house of the Indian zodiac called Makara (Capricorn) after which the days become longer. The festival is known by names like Maghi, Magha Mela, Bhogiin Northern India, Pedda Pandaga in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana, Sukarat in Central India, Magh Bihu in Assam and Pongal in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. People take dips in holy rivers, fly kites and light bonfire to celebrate Makar Sankranti. The festival is loved by children because of the kite flying activity. Makar Sankranti has its mention in the Hindu epic of Mahabharata and therefore is believed to be a 5000 years old festival. The festival is called Uttarayan in Gujarat and is celebrated by flying kites.
Pongal (January 15-18)
Pongal Festival, Courtesy: hellotravel.com
Pongal is 4-day festival celebrated to mark the harvest season dedicated to Surya, the Sun God. The festival is celebrated by the Tamil and Telugu people. People prepare dishes from the first harvest of rice and offer it to Surya. The first day of Pongal is called Bhogi on which people discard old things and celebrate new possessions. On the second day, Thai Pongal is celebrated followed by Maatu Pongal and Kaanum Pongal celebrated on the third day and the fourth day respectively.
Delhi Police has filed a 1200 pages charge-sheet in the JNU sedition case. As per the reports, the list includes the former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya, Umar Gul, Basharat Ali, Raes Rasool and Khalid Bhat along with Shehla Rashid and the CPI national secretary D Raja’s daughter Aparajita Raja for allegedly shouting anti-national slogans at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi in 2016.
Shehla Rashid and CPI leader D Raja’s daughter Aparajita Raja have also been named in the chargesheet filed in JNU sedition case along with Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya and others. https://t.co/K0AdUlWNE0
Aparajitha along with Shehla Rashid are among the 36 accused listed under column 12 of the charge-sheet for allegedly shouting anti-India slogans but against whom strong evidence is not available.
With a senior CPI leader’s daughter and a leftist student leader like Shehla Rashid, among many other leftist leaders are accused in the sedition case, it once again exposes CPI’s anti-national inclinations. From the charge-sheet filed by Delhi Police, it is amply clear why Communist Party of India (CPI) took up the cudgels for supporting folks like Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and Shehla Rashid for raising anti-national slogans in the JNU campus.
It appears that perpetuating the fault-lines in the country is the hobby-horse of the communist leaders. Last year, CPI leader D Raja went to meet Justice Chelameshwar amidst the raging controversy of 4 Supreme Court judges mounting an open revolt against the Chief Justice of India Deepak Mishra. The CPI party had then distanced itself from Raja’s manoeuvering and tried to sweep it under the rugs by claiming that Raja had met with Justice Chelameswar in his personal capacity.
Even in the Sabarimala case, the egregious communist excesses meted out on devotees has betrayed its contempt for centuries-old traditions upheld by the Lord Ayyappa devotees. Communist leader Thomas Isaac had equated Sabarimala devotees with Terrorists. The atrocities on peaceful protestors, the level of efforts put into promoting and escorting activists inside the temple and finally smuggling two of their own female workers inside to defy the traditions of the temple has firmly established that the communist party does not care for the religious freedom and sentiments of millions of Hindus in their state.
However, the communists have not shown the same amount of zeal and alacrity to deal with the rising number of complaints of rapes against the Christian Padres. CPI has been mealy-mouthed against Bishop Franco who has been accused of raping a nun for two years. The Church enjoyed the communist government’s patronage and escaped scrutiny despite valiant appeals made by the victims.
Another such instance in which the communists have taken an anti-India stance is on the Rafale deal. The CPI has endeavoured to scuttle the Rafale deal by echoing what Rahul Gandhi has been fabricating for months about the Rafale deal. Despite the Supreme Court’s verdict claiming that it observed no wrongdoing in the procedural norms and pricing of the Rafale contract, the CPI has continued to maintain that there has been a scam in the deal and capitalists have wrongly benefitted from it.
So it doesn’t come as a surprise when the kin of the current communist leaders are charge-sheeted in a sedition case for fanning anti-India sentiments. They are simply establishing their credentials to become a part of CPI. In all likelihood, this is just a start for them. If they continue with such shenanigans, the current crop of communist leaders might outclass all their previous generations in exhibiting depravity and pronouncing their anti-national sentiments.
Assam finance minister and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma slammed the Congress party and other opposition parties for refusing to increase the limit for GST registration. Addressing the National Convention of BJP, Himanta Biswa Sarma on unmasked Congress’ hypocrisy over the Good and Services Tax, making references to the 31st GST council meeting held last month.
While delivering his speech in the National Convention, the BJP leader disclosed how while the Congress President mocks GST as ‘Gabbar Singh Tax’ outside and demands lower taxes, the Congress state governments oppose any move to reduce tax rates and increase relaxations in GST council meetings.
Mr Sarma pointed towards the fact that while on the one hand, Rahul Gandhi criticises GST as ‘Gabbar Singh Tax’, he keeps demanding that Petrol and Diesel should be included in GST. If GST is Gabbar Singh Tax, why Rahul Gandhi is demanding that more items should be included in the tax system, Assam finance minister asked.
Giving an account of how GST system was prepared and implemented, Sarma said that the entire process was carried out with the consensus of all the states. Every decision of the GST council was taken with full consensus. Referring to that, Sarma asked Rahul Gandhi, ‘if GST is Gabbar Singh Tax, why your ministers were clapping and supporting the decisions of GST council, why didn’t they say anything against in the meetings?’
Himanta Biswa Sarma also informed that during the meeting, union finance minister Arun Jaitley had moved a proposal to bring down the maximum GST rates for most items to 18%, barring few items. Rahul Gandhi has been demanding that GST rate should be 18% for all items, therefore it was expected that Congress-ruled states will welcome this move. But the proposal was opposed by the finance minister of Punjab and then the chief minister of Puducherry, both Congress governments. But the BJP ministers in the meeting took a strong position, saying that it is Congress president Rahul Gandhi who has been demanding to lower the GST rate to 18%, and the Congress ministers had to relent.
In the same meeting, Government had proposed to offer relief to small traders taxpayers by increasing the minimum requirement for GST registration. But Congress opposed that move also, saying that it would grossly affect the tax collection in its states, Sarma revealed. It can be noted that Rahul Gandhi has been accusing the Centre of implementing a flawed GST that has inconvenienced small traders and common people alike.
In the GST council meeting, the central government had recommended that the turnover threshold for the Goods and Services Tax (GST) registration should be raised from the current ₹20 lakh to ₹75 lakh, which would have provided major relief to small traders. But according to Himanta Biswa Sarma, this proposal was strongly opposed by the Congress party, which was joined by CPI(M) government in Kerala and Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi.
Biswa further revealed that it was because of this dramatics that the Government was forced to lower the exemption limit from the proposed Rs 75 lakhs to Rs 40 lakhs.
Biswa in his speech damned the Congress for its double-standards saying that though the Central government has assured compensation to States/UTs for the reported revenue deficit on account of implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) until 2022, the Congress, who otherwise, goes hammer and tongs about the inconvenience the scheme had caused to the small scale industries were quick to change sides, opposing the relief Central government had proposed to provide in the GST regime.
Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley had earlier revealed that the GST Council has doubled the annual turnover exemption limit for the composition scheme. The council has increased the GST exemption limit to ₹20 lakh from ₹10 lakh for the northeastern states and to ₹40 lakh from ₹20 lakh for the rest of the country, Jaitley added.
Earlier it was reported how the Congress had resorted to similar theatrics when the Central government moved a proposal to shift several items from the 28 per cent GST slab to a lower tax slab.
Berating the Congress and its President, Rahul Gandhi, Himanta Biswa Sarma asked who was the Gabbar Singh now? “We want to know who the Gabbar Singh is now. This is doublespeak by the Congress and other Opposition parties. In public, they have been demanding that the high tax slab of 28 per cent must be abolished and all commodities should be moved to lower tax slabs. But in the GST council meet, Congress, the Trinamool Congress, the CPI(M) and the Aam Aadmi Party opposed the Centre’s move.”
“Today GST is not Gabbar Singh Tax, but Rahul Gandhi has become Gabbar Singh. Today he wants to loot the poor of the country, he was to snatch the rights of the poor”, Sarma added.
Watch the full speech of Himanta Biswa Sarma at the BJP National Convention here:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has received the first ever Philip Kotler Presidential award for outstanding leadership. The award focuses on the triple-bottom-line of three ‘Ps’: People, Profit and Planet.
PM @narendramodi received the first-ever Philip Kotler Presidential award.
The Award focuses on the triple bottom-line of People, Profit and Planet.
The Award citation says, “Shri Narendra Modi is selected for his outstanding leadership for the nation. His selfless service towards India, combined with his tireless energy has resulted in extraordinary economic, social and technological advances in the country.”
It states further, “Under his leadership, India is now identified as the Centre for Innovation and Value Added Manufacturing (Make in India), as well as a global hub for professional services such as Information Technology, Accounting and Finance.”
The Citation adds: “Under his leadership, India is now identified as the Centre for Innovation and Value Added Manufacturing (Make in India), as well as a global hub for professional services such as Information Technology, Accounting and Finance.” pic.twitter.com/CaNYkQbNeI
It also hails Prime Minister Modi’s push for Digital India and his efforts towards building a modern infrastructure for 21st century India. It states, “His visionary leadership has also resulted in Digital Revolution (Digital India), including Aadhaar, for social benefits and financial inclusion. It is enabling entrepreneurship, ease of doing business, & creating a 21st-century infrastructure for India.”
Philip Kotler is a professor of marketing at Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management. Jagdish Sheth of EMORY University, Georgia has conferred the award on Modi owing to Kotler’s poor health.
Narendra Modi was also conferred with the prestigious Seoul Peace Prize last year for his contribution towards improving international cooperation, raising global economic growth, accelerating the Human Development of the people of India. Prior to that, the United Nations had awarded Prime Minister Narendra Modi with ‘Champions of the Earth Awards’ along with French President Emmanuel Macron.
