Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal paid a visit to the iconic Dibrugarh Hanumanbux Surajmal Kanoi College as part of the ongoing Platinum Jubilee Celebration in the college in Dibrugarh, Assam today. During the visit, the Union Minister reminiscenced the nostalgic past of his student life while interacting with students on various topics including academics, sports and cultural subjects.

While interacting with the students Shri Sonowal, expressed his desire to contribute meaningfully in order to build a new gymnasium along with upgradation of the playground of the college. Known as the ‘Strong Man of Kanoi College’ during his student days, the Minister emphasised on the role of physical fitness and a good health while pursuing goals in academics and professional fields for excellent results. Shri Sonowal also said how his days spent in the alma mater has always played a pivotal role in his life as it has been shaping the lives of students in the region during all these glorifying years.

Speaking on the occasion, the Shri Sonowal said, “Today, we have to brace ourselves for tough competition in every aspect of life. We must upgrade ourselves in every way possible so that our students are enabled to fare at par with the students from the other parts of the country & the world. As we work towards becoming Atmanirbhar under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, we must strive towards enabling our capabilities to become independent during the Amrit Kaal. Building on the glorious history of this institution, we must work hard to sustain & improve upon its stature in the years to come. I request our respected teachers to draw up a vision for our beloved Kanoi College for next 50 years as how it can keep contributing, building, enabling communities & enriching human lives for better ecology & sustainable development in the region.”

Highlighting the role of a healthy life Shri Sonowal further said, “Nature is the reflection of the God. We must learn to respect nature & must adapt a lifestyle that embraces nature. If we love the nature, then it will love us back. To maintain a cordial relationship, we can take recourse in our rich heritage of Ayurveda that has taught how this bonhomie with nature has helped enrich human lives for centuries. As the whole of India celebrates Ayurveda Day on October 23, I urge you all to join this ‘Har Din Har Ghar Ayurveda’ campaign and practise yoga & meditation for at least one hour daily in order to become independent of sedentary lifestyle & earn a healthy way of life.”

Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Anurag Singh Thakur inaugurated a Water Sports Center in Koldam Barmana, Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh, on Sunday morning. The Water Sports Centre, the very first of its kind in Himachal Pradesh, has been jointly initiated by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC).

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also exchanged between SAI and NTPC during the event.

Sharing how the centre was set up at short notice, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur mentioned, “In just one month’s time, the water sports arrangements have been done and I want to thank SAI and NTPC officials who have made this possible. “40 players will be chosen who will take part in Rowing, Kayaking and Canoeing. There are state of the art equipments and boys and girls will get hostel and training facilities. We are also hopeful there will be national competitions in the centre as well.”

The centre will be dedicated to training ahletes in water sports like Rowing, Canoeing and Kayaking.

Also during the event, Shri Thakur felicitated the Himachal Pradesh women’s Kabaddi team who won a gold medal at the ongoing 36th National Games in Gujarat.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, has greeted the nation on Valmiki Jayanti. The Prime Minister also shared a video of his thoughts on Maharshi Valmiki.

The Prime Minister tweeted;

“देशवासियों को वाल्मीकि जयंती की शुभकामनाएं।”

Union Minister for Science and Technology and MoS PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh today inaugurated a Science Museum at Aspirational District of Chamba in Himachal Pradesh in presence of State Chief Minister Shri Jairam Thakur and other dignitaries.

Linking it to Start-Ups, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the state-of-art institution in this hilly region will inspire young children to discover their potentials and use their innovative skills to find a source of livelihood in later life.

The “DBT-NIPGR-Pandit Jaiwant Ram Upmanyu Science Museum” set up by the National Institute of Plant Genome Research, an autonomous institute of Department of Biotechnology, at Government Boys Senior Secondary School (GBSSS), Chamba will help infuse scientific temper among the school children.

Dr Jitendra Singh said that Himachal being a Himalayan State with rich biodiversity is most suitable for promotion of Agri-tech Start-ups and the Department of Biotechnology is willing to hand-hold the young innovators to take a plunge in the ongoing start-up boom in the country. He said, the geography and climatic conditions in Himalayan states like Himachal Pradesh favour the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants and these can be developed into Agri-tech and aromatic enterprises. The Minister offered Chief Minister Jairam Thakur all help to study and implement CSIR supported Aroma Mission in Jammu and Kashmir, which can be replicated in a big way in Himachal.

Dr Jitendra Singh pointed out that only recently Prime Minister Modi has reviewed the progress of Aspirational Districts and remarked, “The success of Aspirational Districts on various parameters – be it health, nutrition, education or exports – is heartening. Glad to see the lives of lakhs get transformed due to Aspirational Districts program.”

The Minister was happy to note that Chamba has been ranked second in Health and Nutrition in March 2019, ranked among best districts in basic infrastructure in November 2020 and overall second in October 2021 in the country among the 117 districts identified across the country by NITI Aayog. He added that Aspirational District concept is based on objective parameters and it is scientifically designed with evaluation based on certain essential indices.

Dr Jitendra Singh told the gathering thay aligning with the vision of Prime Minister to make Science & Technology reach every nook and corner of the country, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India has taken an initiative to install 75 science museums in different Aspirational districts of the country. He said, the purpose of these science museums is not only to apprise the scientific journey and achievements of India in the last 75 years of Independent India but also to infuse scientific temper among the school children.

Dr Jitendra Singh once again underlined that this initiative will lead to science-based, rational and progressive thinking among the students so that they are encouraged to take science as a career and spread scientific vision in the society, besides giving shape to critical thinking in the form of lucrative start-up ventures.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, the establishment of these science museums should not only cherish the rich scientific heritage of our country but also emerge as crucibles of innovation and invoke curiosity and enthusiasm in the students and the youth. He said, the establishment of science museums in the aspirational districts will also effectively contribute to the “Jan Bhagidari” and Samgra Shiksha Abhiyan of Government of India.

Dr Jitendra Singh was informed that Chamba district has marked progress in various indicators and the NITI Aayog has approved various projects for Chamba district as an incentive on the basis of better performance in delta ranking. Chamba last year became the 100th Har Ghar Jal District. The Ministry of Jal Shakti said, Chamba is the fifth aspirational district to become Har Ghar Jal. The Minister also shown keen interest in the “Chalo Chamba” campaign launched in 2021 with the aim of highlighting the immense tourism potential of the district, showcasing the unexplored destinations, as well as turning this into a provider of employment.

In his address, Chief Minister Jairam Thakur profusely thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Dr Jitendra Singh for granting Science Museum to the Aspirational District of Chamba and said it will go a long way in inculcating scientific spirit and approach among the students of this district and also the adjoining areas. Shri Thakur said, in the last 8 years, several developmental projects were sanctioned for Himachal Pradesh to make it at par with other developed states of the country. He particularly mentioned about Shri Modi laying the foundation stone of the Medical Device Park at Nalagarh, at a cost of about Rs 350 crore on 5^th October, 2022, which will significantly enhance employment opportunities in the region.

The Government is committed to raising the living standards of its citizens and ensuring inclusive growth for all – “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas”. To enable utilization of their potential, the Aspirational Districts programme closely focuses on improving people’s ability to participate fully in the burgeoning economy. Districts are encouraged to first catch up with the best district within their state, and subsequently aspire to become one of the best in the country, by competing with, and learning from others in the spirit of competitive & cooperative federalism. Chamba has shown exemplary progress in this regard across multiple parameters of development.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will visit Gujarat from 9th to 11th October, followed by a visit to Madhya Pradesh on 11th October.

On 9th October, at around 5:30 PM, Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple projects at Modhera in Mehsana. This will be followed by Darshan and Pooja at Modheshwari Mata Temple at around 6:45 PM, followed by a visit to Surya Mandir at 7:30 PM.

On 10th October, at around 11 AM, Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation and inaugurate various projects at Amod in Bharuch. At around 3:15 PM, Prime Minister will inaugurate Modi Shaikshanik Sankul in Ahmedabad. Thereafter, at 5:30 PM, Prime Minister will dedicate and lay the foundation stone of projects at Jamnagar.

On 11th October, at 2:15 PM, Prime Minister will dedicate and lay the foundation stone of projects in Civil Hospital Asarwa, Ahmedabad, after which he will travel to Shree Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain, where he will perform Darshan and Pooja at around 5:45 PM. This will be followed by dedication of Shri Mahakal Lok at around 6:30 PM, followed by a public function in Ujjain at 7:15 PM.

PM in Mehsana

Prime Minister will preside over a public function where he will dedicate to the nation and lay the foundation stone of projects worth over Rs 3900 crore in Modhera, Mehsana.

Prime Minister will declare village Modhera as India’s first 24×7 solar powered village; This project, which is first of its kind, realises the Prime Minister’s vision of solarization of the sun-temple town of Modhera. It involved developing a Ground Mounted Solar power plant and more than 1300 Rooftop solar systems on residential & Government buildings, all integrated  with Battery Energy storage system (BESS). The project will demonstrate how India’s renewable energy prowess can empower people at grassroots.

The projects being dedicated to the nation by the Prime Minister includes Gauge Conversion of Sabarmati-Jagudan segment of Ahmedabad-Mehsana Gauge Conversion project; ONGC’s Nandasan Geological oil production project; Sujalam Sufalam Canal from Kherava to Shingoda Lake;  Dharoi Dam Based Vadnagar Kheralu and Dharoi Group Reform Scheme; project of four laning of a section of Bechraji Modhera -Chanasma state highway; project to expand a section of Unja-Dasaj Upera Ladol (Bhankhar Approach Road); New Building of Regional Training Centre, Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration (SPIPA), Mehsana; and Projection Mapping at Sun Temple at Modhera, among others.

Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of multiple projects that include four laning of a section of NH-68 from Patan to Gozariya; water treatment plant at Chalasan village of Jotana taluka of Mehsana district; new automated milk powder plant and UHT milk carton plant at Dudhsagar Dairy; Redevelopment & Reconstruction of General Hospital Mehsana; and Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) for Mehsana and other districts of North Gujarat, among others.

After the public function, Prime Minister will perform Darshan and Pooja at Modheshwari Mata Temple. He will also visit the Sun temple where he will witness the beautiful projection mapping show.

PM in Bharuch

Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation and lay the foundation stone of projects worth over Rs 8000 crore in Amod, Bharuch.

In yet another step to make India aatmanirbhar in the pharmaceutical sector, Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of Bulk Drug Park at Jambusar. In 2021-22, bulk drugs accounted for over 60% of total pharmaceutical imports. The project will play a key role in ensuring import substitution and helping make India self-reliant for bulk drugs. Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of the Deep Sea Pipeline Project at Dahej, which will help in disposal of treated wastewater from industrial estates. Other projects whose foundation stone will be laid by the Prime Minister include the phase 1 of Ankleshwar Airport and development of Multilevel Industrial Sheds at Ankleshwar and Panoli, which will give a boost to the MSME sector.

Prime Minister will perform the ground breaking ceremony for the development of multiple industrial parks. These include four Tribal Industrial Parks which will come up in Valia (Bharuch), Amirgadh (Banaskantha), Chakaliya (Dahod) and Vanar (Chhota Udaipur); Agro Food Park at Mudetha (Banaskantha); Sea Food Park at Kakwadi Danti (Valsad); and MSME Park at Khandivav (Mahisagar).

During the programme, Prime Minister will dedicate several projects which will give a boost to the chemicals sector. He will dedicate 800 TPD Caustic Soda Plant integrated with 130 MW cogeneration power plant at Dahej. Along with this, he will also dedicate expansion of existing Caustic Soda Plant at Dahej, whose capacity has been increased from 785 MT/day to 1310 MT/day. Prime Minister will also dedicate a project for manufacturing over one lakh MT per annum of Chloromethanes at Dahej. Other projects which will be dedicated by the Prime Minister include the Hydrazine Hydrate Plant at Dahej which will help in import substitution of the product, IOCL Dahej-Koyali Pipeline Project, Bharuch underground drainage and STP work and widening & strengthening of Umlla Asaa Panetha road.

PM in Ahmedabad

On 10th October, Prime Minister will inaugurate Phase 1 of Modi Shaikshanik Sankul, an educational complex for needy students. The project will help provide facilities to students for holistic development.

On 11th October, Prime Minister will dedicate and lay the foundation stones of various healthcare facilities around Rs. 1300 crore in Civil Hospital Asarwa, Ahmedabad. This includes dedication of new and improved facilities for cardiac care and a new hostel building in U.N Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre;  new hospital building of the Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Centre; new building of Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute. Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of shelter home to accommodate families of poor patients.

PM in Jamnagar

Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation and lay the foundation stone of projects worth over Rs 1460 crore in Jamnagar. These projects relate to irrigation, power, water supply and urban infrastructure.

Prime Minister will dedicate package 7 of Saurashtra Avtaran Irrigation (SAUNI) Yojana Link 3 (from Und Dam to Sonmati Dam), package 5 of SAUNI Yojana Link 1 (from Und-1 dam to SANI Dam) and Haripar  40 MW Solar PV project.

The projects whose foundation stone would be laid by the Prime Minister include Kalavad Group Augmentation water supply scheme of Kalavad/Jamnagar Taluka Morbi-Maliya-Jodiya group Augmentation water supply scheme, Lalpur Bypass junction flyover Bridge,  Hapa Market Yard Railway Crossing , and the refurbishment of the Sewer Collection pipeline and pumping station.

PM in Ujjain

Prime Minister will dedicate Shri Mahakal Lok to the nation. Phase I of the Mahakal Lok project will help in enriching the experience of pilgrims visiting the temple by providing them with world class modern amenities. Project aims to decongest the entire area and also put special emphasis on conservation and restoration of heritage structures. Under the project, the temple precinct will be expanded nearly seven times. The total cost of the entire project is around Rs 850 crore. Existing footfall of the temple,  which is currently around 1.5 crore per annum, is expected to be doubled. Development of the project has been planned under two phases.

The Mahakal Path contains 108 stambhs (pillars) which depict Anand Tandav Swaroop (Dance form) of Lord Shiva. Many religious sculptures depicting the life of Lord Shiva are installed along the Mahakal Path. The Mural wall along the Path is based on Shiva Purana stories such as Act of creation, Birth of Ganesha, Story of Sati and Daksha among others. The Plaza area, which is spread over 2.5 hectares, is surrounded by a lotus pond and contains the statue of Shiva along with fountains. The entire premise will be monitored 24×7 by Integrated Command and Control Centre with the help of artificial intelligence and surveillance cameras.

Minister for Development of North Eastern Region, Tourism, Culture, and, Shri G. Kishan Reddy addressed the North Eastern Council (NEC)’s  70^th Plenary meeting held in Guwahati. Addressing senior officials from the eight North Eastern States and central ministries, Shri Kishan Reddy highlighted several important issues critical to the growth and development of the region.

He said that Indian Government has been working relentlessly to establish peace and stability, enhance connectivity in the region and have attained considerable success as well. He said that it is Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modiji’s strong belief that without development of North East Region, India cannot develop.

He said that NER has entered its ‘Amrit Samay’ and we need to take complete advantage of this and awaken all possibilities of growth and development. The minister impressed upon the officers that the goal of making NER the growth engine of India can be reached only with complete coordination between the center and state governments.

He further added that all stakeholders, Centre, States, private sector need to work jointly and focus on further enhancing infrastructure and connectivity in the region.

He said that complete and targeted utilization of the 10% GBS for the NER States is the key to rapid development. Regular analysis of 10% GBS utilization needs to be done and accordingly reorienting of policies, overcoming data bottlenecks and striking coordination with central line ministries must be done, he added. He all urged all State government officers to give their recommendations to ensure effective utilization, such as amending policies, guidelines etc.

He said that an Agri Task Force which was recently constituted shall soon release its final report. He said that the task force findings must be leveraged to ensure that complete utilization in this financial year.

The Minister also suggested that there is a need to conduct a “strengths and weaknesses analysis” and “identify gaps in key sectors”. This would help in more targeted developmental initiatives. He further added that while selecting project factors such as NER district-wise SDG index, aspirational districts, connectivity to rural habitations and areas and level of poverty indices should be taken into consideration. He also urged the officials to ensure good tendering norms and robust monitoring.

Reflecting on tourism potential of the region, the minister informed that the Ministry of DoNER is constituting a Tourism Task Force to ensure realization of complete potential of the region. He said that developing tourism infrastructure, skilling and capacity building are the core priorities for developing Tourism in the region.

He also highlighted that we must also explore the potential offered by security services industry to generate employment among the youth in the NER.

The Minister further emphasised the need for private investment. He said that central and state governments need to jointly work to develop an investment-friendly environment in the NER. He suggested that a few top-priority/target sectors need to be identified and work on increasing investment potential of the region and overcoming bottlenecks in those sectors.

The Minister said that a Global Investors Summit for NER should be organized soon and all State Governments should start undertaking measures for developing an investor friendly ecosystem. Various measures such as changing the policies to suit the needs of investors, digitizing land banks, having plot level information, simplifying processes, providing single window clearance system, developing inventory of readily investible projects, establishing an investors’ facilitation centre in each State, investing on supporting infrastructure like approach roads, power connectivity, water supply etc, must be undertaken, he added. He called upon the senior officers to work on the aforementioned create an action plan for the Global Investors Summit in the coming months.

The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has greeted the members of Indian Air Force and their families on the occasion of Air Force Day.

In a tweet, the Prime Minister said;

“On Air Force Day, my greetings to the courageous air warriors and their families. In line with the motto of नभः स्पृशं दीप्तम्, the Indian Air Force has shown exceptional dexterity for decades. They have secured the nation and also shown remarkable human spirit during disasters.”

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi met Smt Uma Suchdeva. The 90 year old, presented copies of 3 books penned by her late husband, Colonel (Retd) HK Suchdeva to the Prime Minister.

In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister said;

“Today I had a memorable interaction with Smt. Uma Suchdeva Ji. She is 90 years old and is blessed with great vigour and a spirit of optimism. Her husband, Colonel (Retd) HK Suchdeva was a widely respected veteran. Uma Ji is the aunt of General @Vedmalik1 Ji.”

“Uma Ji gave me copies of 3 books penned by her late husband. Two of them are associated with the Gita and the third one titled ‘Blood and Tears’ is a moving account of Col (Retd) HK Suchdeva’s experiences during the traumatic period of Partition and its impact on his life.”

“We discussed India’s decision to mark 14th August as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day as a tribute to those who suffered due to Partition, built their lives from scratch and contributed to national progress. They epitomise human resilience and fortitude.”

The Union Minister for Home and Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah today inaugurated the Eastern and North-Eastern Cooperative Dairy Conclave 2022 in Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim. In another event, Shri Amit Shah unveiled the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at Raj Bhavan in Gangtok. The Governor of Sikkim, Shri Ganga Prasad and  Chief Minister of Sikkim, Shri Prem Singh Tamang and many other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.

Addressing the Eastern and North Eastern Region Dairy Cooperative Conference, the Union Home and Cooperation Minister said that 15 years ago in a Himalayan state, no one could have imagined that cooperative dairy conclaves from across the country could be held here. He said that milk production is the only way for women empowerment, poverty alleviation and doubling of farmer’s income and it gives great peace of mind and feeling of joy to see the production of two lakh litres of milk per day by small farmer brothers in Sikkim. Shri Shah said that the Ministry of Cooperation and the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) have planned a Multipurpose PACS in every Panchayat which will do the work of distribution of Dairy, FPO, Agriculture and Gas Production. Along with making arrangements for LPG distribution and it will provide arrangements for petrol pumps and storage and marketing where ever required. PACS will also work to connect the villages of the hill state like Sikkim with the whole world through PCOs in the village. He said that the Ministry of Cooperation has planned such multi-purpose and multi-dimensional PACS.

Shri Amit Shah said that since many years there was a huge demand in the country for eradication of poverty, empowerment of farmers, fishermen, handicraft artisans and lakhs- crores of tribals through cooperative sector and to fulfill it, the Ministry of Cooperation has been established. Shri Shah said that he would like to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for fulfilling the 70 years old demand of the cooperative movement of the country by setting up the Ministry of Cooperation. Shri Amit Shah said that cooperatives have a lot of potential and cooperative sector is a very strong pillar of the GDP of Gujarat. In Gujarat alone, 36 lakh women earn an annual income of Rs 56,000 crore through the Amul Federation. He said that our Sikkim state, which is called the Switzerland of the Northeast, should not be known only for its beauty, but by enriching every village, it has to be taken forward as a prosperous and developed state.

The Union Cooperation Minister said that for centuries, animal husbandry has played a very important role in the social and economic development of India and once upon a time, rivers of milk and ghee used to flow in our country. Earlier animal husbandry was a very important industry of our country but even after the  independence, no one paid attention to it and gradually it ended. Shri Shah said that after the White Revolution, such a foundation is ready today, and the time has come to make dairy a medium of prosperity of the farmer and taking dairy to not just one state but every panchayat. He said that dairy is such an industry through which many objectives are fulfilled. Along with making dairy, arrangements are made for the nutrition of thousands of crores of children. Shri Shah said that our per capita milk production in the world is still not satisfactory and unless it is increased, there will be nutritional problem in such a large country. Dairy solves the problem of nutrition because when a cheque arrives in the hands of a woman who sells her milk in the dairy while engaging in animal husbandry, then the family becomes prosperous and poverty is also removed. He asked the NGOs working for malnutrition, women’s empowerment and the poor to focus on dairy because there can be no greater mean for women empowerment than dairy.

The Union Home and Cooperation Minister said that the gas produced from dairy helps the environment, cow dung helps in natural farming and natural farming improves human health. He said that the dairy system should be cooperative because if it is private, women will get only a few rupees, also in the cooperative system the profit earned will be directly deposited in the bank account of the woman. Shri Shah said that in the cooperative system, the livestock owners do not even need a doctor to handle their livestock. Along with this, there is also all kinds of arrangements like nutritious food, maintenance, health and vaccination for the animals. He said that whether it is a cow or a buffalo, the cooperative will bear the concern for entire maintenance and that is why the Government of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided that in the next 5 years every Panchayat of the country will have PACS and a dairy. He said that the biggest benefit of this is going to be for the eastern and northeastern regions of the country as the least number of PACS are registered here. If one multipurpose PAC is opened in every panchayat in Northeast which will also have dairy, then no one can stop the prosperity of East and Northeast India.

The Union Cooperation Minister said that we have to understand the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges of our dairy sector very well. Our strength is small landless farmers who still keep one to three cattle. There is no shortage of water in many states, including the Northeast. Grass is also easily available here and the government has worked to increase it further. He said that today we have a target to increase the number of two crore cattle rearers of the country to seven crores and to include them within the chain of cooperatives. If we are successful in achieving this goal then both women empowerment and poverty alleviation will get necessary boost. Shri Shah said that along with strength, we also have to see our weakness. The Government of India is committed to the promotion and propagation of good breeds of animals so that we can overcome this weakness of ours. He said that our second weakness in this sector is that almost 70% of the milk goes to the market in an unorganized way, due to which the farmer does not get its fair price. It is a weakness as well as a challenge that we should bring down the quantity of this 70% milk going into the market unorganized to 20. The Ministry of Cooperation has also set a target to tackle this challenge.

Shri Amit Shah said that today we have a huge opportunity in this field. There is a market of 130 crore in India. In our neighboring countries, milk products come from Switzerland, the Netherlands and Australia which have very high transportation costs. We have huge opportunity to deliver milk to countries like Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. To explore this world market, the government is setting up a multi-state cooperative, which will act as an export house. It will work to export the milk product of our cooperative dairy in the world and bring profit to the farmer. He said that the domestic dairy market of Rs 13 lakh crore is also a big opportunity in front of us. The government is committed to increase this market from 13 lakh crore to 30 lakh crore by 2027. Shri Amit Shah said that the Government of India has formulated several animal husbandry schemes and in the last 7 years the budget of Rs. 2000 crore has been increased to Rs.6000 crore.

Shri Amit Shah said that the real development of North East has started only after Shri Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started developing the North East with a holistic approach. The Union Cooperation Minister said that Under the leadership of  Prime Minister Narendra Modi the government of India will cross the expenditure incurred after Independence in the entire North East if compared to the expenditure incurred in the last 10 years. Under the leadership of Shri Modi, airports, rail links, new national highway networks, irrigation systems and new industries have been set up in every state of the Northeast. Shri Modi calls the North East as Ashtalakshmi. Shri Shah said that we have to move forward in such a way that these eight States become the States that create eight types of capital.

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal today said that if India truly aspires to be a developed nation by 2047, as articulated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech on 15 August 2022, Artificial Intelligence will help the country reach that destination and bring prosperity to every citizen of this country. He was addressing the 3rd edition of Global Artificial Intelligence Summit & Awards.

Quoting Prime Minister Modi, “Any society which does not innovate, stagnates”, Shri Goyal said Artificial intelligence will truly be a catalyst in India’s development journey. He said that ‘The Make in India’ program when juxtaposed with AI technology, will enable India to become the factory of the world providing both equipment and technology to the world. He noted that the huge talent pool available in the country will definitely help in exploring newer ways to take AI in every sector of economic activity. The Minister appreciated the Department of Science and Technology for their wonderful work in supporting the efforts of the scientific community of the country over the years, and particularly during the challenging times of Covid.

Shri Goyal said that the Government is using AI to redefine the way it works. He cited the example of Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP), which is leveraging AI to improve the entire logistics ecosystem of the country. Similarly initiatives like PM Gatishakti National Master Plan, which aims at developing our infrastructure smarter; ONDC, which aims at democratising E commerce, GeM which has made a significant impact for government procurement – all these are leveraging Artificial Intellegence to bring efficiency and better delivery of services.

Elaborating on the use of AI, Shri Goyal said that ‘Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana’, a major initiative of the Government that was launched during covid pandemic to provide additional food security to over 80 crore people, is also using AI in many ways – to help understand the needs and behaviour patterns of beneficiaries and get feedback about the performance of the Fair Price Shops. It helps in assessing which shops are performing efficiently and providing good services to beneficiaries, he said. One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) uses AI and can help us to analyse the mobility patterns of our migrant workforce, he added.

Shri Goyal remarked that the Artificial intelligence revolution is here to stay and added that with the meaningful contribution by Industry, startups, incubators and  academia, India is going to emerge as the hub of the artificial intelligence revolution across the world. He urged the young minds to inculcate the spirit of inquiry and start thinking of different ways the AI technologies can be harnessed to bring prosperity in our day to day life. He asked them to explore how AI can play a crucial role in empowering the lives of farmers, fishermen and the MSME sector.

The third AI Summit has been organised by AICRA and is focusing on the areas of defence, healthcare, agriculture, smartcities, mobility and education in partnership with the government. The aim is to develop a roadmap on how to use AI ecosystem and startups for the benefit of society. The 3rd Annual conference has set up multidisciplinary groups to break down the silos in which different stakeholders have been working and to find technological solutions for the key sectors of our society.

Union Minister for Heavy Industries Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey today inaugurated ‘Conference on Industry 4.0: Challenges Ahead and Way Forward’, at Kevadia Gujarat. The Conference being organised by Ministry of Heavy Industries aimed at sensitising industrial sectors in the country to adopt digital manufacturing processes and to promote automation and innovation in the industry.

On the Occasion, Union Minister for Heavy Industries Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey and MoS Heavy Industries Sh. Krishan Pal Gurjar flagged off 175 e buses (from Gujarat and Karnataka under FAME Scheme). Flag off ceremony was virtually attended by the Chief Minister of Gujarat. ‘Model Smart Factory and Assessment Tools’ was also inaugurated on the occasion. During the conference, CMTI, IISC Bangalore, IIT Madras, BHEL and C4i4 presented the steps taken by them towards Industry 4.0.

In his inaugural address Union Minister for Heavy Industries said that India is today emerging as a global manufacturing hub. Referring to the Prime Minister’s address on Independence Day this year, wherein he stated that India must become a Developed Nation by 2047, Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey said efforts are being taken in this direction. He highlighted that while in 2014, India was not included in the group of 50 countries in the Global Innovation Index, but today India is ranked 40th in the world, due to the initiatives of the Modi government taken in the last 8 years. India has overtaken US to reach the second position in the Global Manufacturing Risk Index, he noted.

He hoped that National Conference on Industry 4.0 will bring in more convergence between Industry, Educational Institutions, Youth, Entrepreneurs and Policy Makers. He spoke about several initiatives undertaken by the Government in promoting technology development in the area of ​​Global Capital Goods and to meet the skill requirements for augmenting the manufacturing capacity. Under the Capital Goods Scheme, excellent centres have been set up by the Ministry in which Common Engineering Facilitation Centres, Technological Vibrant Ecosystem have been established, aiding in training the manpower of the country for Industry 4.0.

‘Industry 4.0 is a crucial topic for advancing PM Shri Narendra Modiji’s vision of Make in India & Atmanirbhar Bharat”, said MoS in his address.

Message of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was read out at the conference.  “May the deliberations at the conference help in devising a strategic roadmap for Indian industry to leverage technology to resolve challenges of the future”, read PM’s Message.

The Conference has brought together the industry, academia and government to discuss best practices and strategies to be adopted in manufacturing under Industry 4.0 revolution.

Shri Dilip Sawhney (Rockwell Automation), Shri Sameer Prakash (Siemens India), Shri Mridul Sharma (Kirloskar Group), Shri Sandeep Goel (Bharat Forge) and Dr, Ravindra Utgikar (Praj Industries) discussed how to leverage the powers of Industry 4.0 to attain the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat’ during panel discussion.

Shri Shailesh Chandra (Tata Motors), Shri Eric Vas (Bajaj Auto), Shri Kavan Mukhtyar (PwC India), and Shri Vinod Aggarwal (Volvo Eicher) deliberated on the key factors propelling the automotive sector to Industry 4.0 and the challenges causing the slow pace of industry 4.0 during the panel discussion 2.

During the last round of panel discussion Shri Avinash Singh (Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India), Shri Gyan Prakash (Tata Steel), Shri Venkat Garimella (Schneider Electric) and Shri Purushottam Kaushik (World Economic Forum India) discussed the key elements required for successful implementation of Industry 4.0 technology

Conference concluded with vote of thanks by Sh. Amit Mehta, Jt. Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries

Union Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar addressed the Second meeting of the High-Level Coalition on Health and Energy today virtually from Nirman Bhawan. The first High-Level Coalition on Health and Energy was convened by the WHO Director-General in 2019 with the goal of strengthening the cooperation between health and energy sectors, increasing political momentum, spurring investments, mobilizing public support, and driving practical solutions.

Thanking the WHO Director General for highlighting and discussing the key priorities action for strengthening the cooperation between the health and energy sectors, she appreciated the efforts taken for holding the second meeting of the High-Level Coalition or Health and Energy Platform of Action.

She stated that “India firmly believes that these are the most critical areas which need more active discussion along with the identification of concrete actions to accelerate clean cooking and improve the electrification of healthcare facilities in the countries.”

Highlighting Government of India’s vision of attaining 450GW of renewable generation by 2030, she stated that “constantly moving towards health centre electrification by combining health-related policies and energy-related policies with a target of installing 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by the year 2022.” “India is already ahead of what “we pledged in our Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)” and added that, “already 39% of our installed capacity is from non-fossil based sources and by 2022 we will reach our target of 40%”, she further added.

India has also expanded its renewable energy programs and energy efficiency programs to efficiently use the energy through various innovative policy measures under the overall ambit of the Energy Conservation Act 2001.

Underscoring steps taken at various fronts, the Union Minister of State informed that India has attained SDG target 7.1 of providing Universal access to affordable, reliable, and modern energy services by 2030 by improving the electrification of 99.99% of the households. Also, India has successfully electrified 95% of district hospitals and around 90% of sub-divisional hospitals with a three-phased power supply. Cumulatively, almost 75% of the health centres in the country have been electrified with a cumulative solar capacity of 3.5MW.

She further informed that in the context of “Green and Climate Resilient Healthcare Facilities”, India is a signatory to the Malé Declaration in 2017 and has agreed to promote climate-resilient health- care facilities to be able to withstand any climatic event and ensure that essential services such as water sanitation, waste management, and electricity are functional during such events.

Highlighting key focus areas, she exhorted that urgent action is needed to scale up access to clean cooking solutions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals on health, gender equality, and climate, among others, and ultimately to minimize the future negative effects of the climate crisis thereby facilitating the effective enjoyment of the human right to health.

She emphasized on developing vibrant partnerships and create synergy with other missions and ensure that health is adequately represented in the climate change agenda across the globe. With such collaborations and collective action of this coalition group, a greener planet through the means of clean and green energy can be achieved.

Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO, Director General, Dr Naoko Yamamoto, WHO, Assistant Director General, Dr Maria Neira, Director, Environment, Climate and Health, WHO and Dr Kandeh Yumkella, Member of Parliament, Sierra Leone were also present in the meeting.