Providing a big relief to the livestock of the country, the Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, today launched the indigenous vaccine Lumpi-ProVac^Ind to protect livestock from Lumpy Skin disease. The vaccine has been developed by the National Equine Research Center, Hisar (Haryana) in collaboration with the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izzatnagar (Bareilly). Describing this vaccine as a milestone for eradicating the Lumpy disease, Shri Tomar said that livestock, along with human resource, is the biggest asset of our country, which we have a big responsibility to preserve and prosper.

Shri Tomar said that yet another new dimension has been set by developing this vaccine under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). He congratulated the scientists of the Equine Research Center and the Veterinary Research Institute for developing the Lumpi disease vaccine. Ever since the disease came to India in 2019, research institutes have been engaged in developing the vaccine.

Shri Tomar expressed happiness that scientists accepted this as a challenge and undertaking limited trials in a short period, have developed a vaccine 100% effective complying with all standards, which will be effective in getting rid of the Lumpy disease.

Shri Tomar directed the concerned officials to provide this vaccine in large numbers at the earliest for relief to the cattle. He said that there are thirty crore livestock in the country, considering the plight of mute animals, all possible measures should be taken to provide them relief at the earliest.

Shri Tomar said that earlier too, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, our scientists developed a vaccine to protect against Corona, which benefited the whole country as well as other countries.

Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Parshottam Rupala, Minister of State for Agriculture, Shri Kailash Choudhary, Secretary Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Jatindra Nath Swain, Director General of ICAR, Dr. Himanshu Pathak, Deputy Director General Dr. B. N. Tripathi, Dr. Triveni Dutt, Director, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Dr. Yashpal, Director, National Equine Research Center and other senior officers were present on the occasion.

While inaugurating the 3-day International Conference on “Systems Analysis for Enabling Integrated Policy Making” here today, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh shared India’s roadmap for climate protection and that noted Prime Minister Narendra Modi is playing a leading role in addressing this issue at global level.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, under Prime Minister Modi, India has presented a roadmap to the world about the mitigation measures by building upon the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibility (CBDR). He pointed out that India is committed to reducing its aggregate greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) by one billion tonnes by 2030, decreasing its dependency on fossil fuels by 50 per cent of the total consumption in 2030; reducing carbon to GDP intensity by 45 per cent from the 2005 levels and making entire country carbon neutral by 2070.

The conference organised by the Technology Information, Forecasting & Assessment Council (TIFAC), an Autonomous Body under the Department of Science and Technology (DST)) in collaboration with International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis(IIASA) is being attended by around 1000 academicians, researchers, practitioners, government officials, IIASA representatives, policy planners from diverse disciplines are formulating ideas and identifying complex issues of climate change, pollution, clean energy, livelihood, and digitalization widely shared by countries across Asia at the three day event.

Participants from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Austria, USA, China, Iran, Philippines, Japan and Jordan are designing solutions using the multilateral application of systems analysis tools with a focus on extensive interaction among various stakeholders.

The Minister said, India has been traditionally vulnerable to natural disasters on account of its unique geo-climate conditions. Floods, droughts, cyclones, earthquakes, and landslides have been a recurrent phenomenon, but recent events have become erratic with an unpredictable frequency and intensity that are being attributed to climate change. The Minister, however added that India being a leader in disaster management, the world looks up to us for global challenges such as climate change.

Dwelling on historical perspective, Dr Jitendra Singh said, since the turn of the 20th century the global average temperature has risen, sea levels have increased, the oceans have warmed and become more acidic, land and sea ice has melted, and the atmospheric carbon dioxide level has increased. He said, it is widely felt that human activities are largely the cause of climate change and these may lead to Food insecurity and Water scarcity: Similarly, disaster and climate change events have led to increased or decreased precipitation that have impacted the water supplies leading to scarcity or flooding or stagnation, the Minister added.

Dr Jitendra Singh underlined that the battle against this mammoth climate change cannot be fought alone and the scientific communities need to talk in harmony toward a shared goal of mitigating climate change and achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Minister called for building up strong regional collaboration for systems research and design policy directives with collective efforts to deal with climate Change.

Dr Jitendra Singh told the gathering that COVID-19 brought forth the inherent resilience and capabilities, as when the pandemic hit, there was hardly any PPE kits, adequate masks or treatment protocols, but under Modi’s vision India successfully came up with 2 indigenously developed vaccines – Covaxin and Covishield in a short span of time and thereafter developed the DNA vaccine.

Dr Jitendra Singh concluded that this is indeed a proud moment for India to host this very important Conference on systems analysis as it coincides with India’s 75th year of Independence, which is popularly celebrated as Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. He also hoped that the deliberations in the form of panel discussions, plenaries and talks, the scientific community will enrich itself with the discussions in different domains of Systems analysis and would further strengthen the collective resolve for a sustainable future.

Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India Professor Ajay K Sood underlined that new integrated approaches and tools were needed to tackle the unprecedented challenges that humanity was facing.  He added that the future challenges like climate change, food security required collective robust system to mitigate the emerging challenges & long-lasting solutions and hoped that the workshop would bring new ideas, vision for a less vulnerable world.

Representatives from Ministry of Earth Sciences, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Jal Shakti and others as well as delegates from premier institutes like Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Resources Institute (WRI) and Asian And Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT) are also providing insights into various themes of the conference.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi participated in the farewell to Vice President Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu in Rajya Sabha today. The Prime Minister paid rich tributes to the Vice President who is ex-officio Chairman of the Upper House.

The Prime Minister remembered many moments that were marked by the wisdom and wit of Shri Naidu. Noting the change of complexion of leadership in New India, the Prime Minister said “when we mark 15th August this year, it will be an Independence Day when the President, Vice President, Speaker and Prime Minister would have been born after Independence. And that too, each of them belongs to very simple backgrounds.”  This has a great symbolic value and is a glimpse of a new era, he added.

The Prime Minister recalled the Vice President’s continuous encouragement to the youth of the country in all the roles he undertook in public life. He always promoted young Members in the House also. “As our Vice President, you devoted a lot of time to youth welfare. A lot of your programmes were focused on Yuva Shakti”, the Prime Minister added. The Prime Minister noted that 25 percent of the Vice President speeches, outside the House, were among the youth of India.

The Prime Minister underlined his close association with Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu in various capacities. He appreciated the Vice President’s ideological commitment  as party worker, work as MLA, activity level as a parliamentarian, organizational skills as the President of BJP, his hard work and diplomacy as Minister and his dedication and dignity as the Vice President and the Chairman of the House. “I have worked with Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu Ji closely over the years. I have also seen him take up different responsibilities and he performed each of them with great dedication”, the Prime Minister said. The Prime Minister said that people in public life can learn a lot from Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu.

The Prime MInister highlighted the wit and word power of the Vice President. He said “your each word is heard, preferred, and revered…and never countered” The Prime Minister continued “The one liners of Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu Ji are famous. They are wit liners. His command over the languages has always been great” The Prime Minister said that both in the House and outside, massive expression skills of the Vice President have made a great impact. “There is both depth and substance in what Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu Ji says, it is as direct as incomparable, there is both wit and weight, warmth as well as wisdom in what you say ”, he said.

Referring to the humble beginnings of the the political career of Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu in South India where his chosen ideology had no immediate prospects, the Prime Minister said the Vice President’s Journey from a political worker to the President of his party is a reflection of his indomitable steadfastness in ideology and tenacity. “If we have feelings for the country, art of putting forward our views, faith in linguistic diversity then language and region never become obstacles for us and you have proved this”, The Prime Minister said. The Prime Minister also touched upon the love for the mother tongue of the Vice President. He said “One of the admirable things about  Venkaiah Ji is his passion towards Indian languages. This was reflected in how he presided over the House. He contributed to increased productivity of the Rajya Sabha”.

The Prime Minister pointed out that the systems established by the Vice President, his leadership gave new height to the productivity of the House. During the years of the Vice President’s leadership, productivity of the House increased by 70 percent, attendance of the Members increased, and a record 177 bills were passed or discussed. “You have taken so many decisions that will be remembered for the upward journey of the Upper House”, the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister lauded the tactful, wise and firm conduct of the House by the Vice President and praised him for holding a firm belief that beyond a point, disruption in the House becomes contempt of the house. “I see the maturity of democracy in your standards”, the Prime Minister said. He appreciated the adjustment, communication and coordination with which he kept the house going even during the difficult  moments. The Prime Minister praised Shri  M. Venkaiah Naidu’s view ‘let Government propose, let Opposition oppose and let the House dispose’. This House has the right to accept, reject or amend the proposals from the other House but our democracy does not envisage stalling the proposals received from the other House, he said.

The Prime MInister thanked the Vice President for his guidance and contributions to the House and the country.

The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, laid the foundation stone of the Indo-Israel Center of Excellence for Vegetables in Chandauli (Uttar Pradesh) through video conferencing. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Tomar said that the Central and State Governments are working together all-round to upgrade Agriculture. “It is necessary for the educated youth to be oriented towards this in order to move forward the Agriculture sector more rapidly in the future,” he said.

Shri Tomar expressed happiness that under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, progress is being made in various sectors, including Agriculture, in Uttar Pradesh and the State is also contributing better in the development of the country. He also expressed happiness that the schemes of the Central Government are being implemented in Uttar Pradesh and the State has also made rapid strides in organic and natural farming. Expressing hope, the Union Agriculture Minister said that UP, in the coming times, will achieve a new dimension in the field of Agriculture. The way UP has been leading the way in the fields of cultural heritage and scientific knowledge, in the same way it will take the country further in the development of agriculture, he said.

Shri Tomar said that today is a historic day for the Chandauli region. “A new dimension is being added on the occasion of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. This Center is the result of the efforts of the State Government. Its establishment will play an important role in the development of the district. Also, it will prove to be a revolutionary step in the field of Agriculture in the adjoining districts and districts of Bihar border also. Many new opportunities will be created for progress through Agriculture. Farmers will be able to get better yields by using the latest methods of farming,” he said.

Shri Tomar said that Agriculture should move forward continuously and the quality of production should be at par with the global standards. “In this direction, technology application has to move forward. To attract future generations towards farming, Agriculture has to be rejuvenated. We all need to work seriously on moving towards remunerative crops, use of technology, Digital Agriculture Mission, taking advantage of FPOs and adopting natural and organic farming. Together we will move towards fulfilling our priority and obligations,” he said.

Shri Tomar hoped the establishment of the Indo-Israel Center of Excellence for Vegetables will play an important role in the development of Chandauli district as well as Purvanchal region. “Here seeds and plants of improved vegetables will be cultivated and distributed to the farmers. Farmers can also sponsor the development of plants for themselves. Farmers will get a lot of benefit in increasing the production of vegetables. By using the latest methods of farming, farmers will be able to get better yield and also export vegetables. Nursery of other agricultural produce including vegetables will be prepared at this Center of excellence to promote the Agriculture sector globally. This will not only benefit the farmers here, but will help the district be known globally in the field of vegetables and agriculture,” he said.

The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said it is the intention of the Government that the leading district in the production of paddy and wheat can also emerge better in vegetable production as well. “The climate of Chandauli district, which is known as the rice bowl of UP, is suitable for setting up the Center of Excellence for Vegetables. There are 9 agro-climatic zones in the State which are favourable for the cultivation of various horticultural crops throughout the year. Seedling production of tomato, pepper, brinjal, chilli, cucumber, tomato, pepper, brinjal, chilli and exotic vegetables is proposed to be done in the hi-tech climate controlled greenhouse to be set up in the Center of Excellence for Vegetables, while cultivation of cucumber, cauliflowers, baby corn, sweet corn and exotic vegetables is proposed in the open field. Along with micro-irrigation in the open, a trial demonstration of farming with fertigation and chemigation systems will be done. There will also be a demonstration of installation of seepage, sprinkler irrigation and other plastic culture applications,” he said.

The foundation stone laying programme was also addressed by Chandauli MP and Union Minister for Heavy Industries, Shri Mahendra Nath Pandey, UP Agriculture Minister Shri Surya Pratap Shahi, Minister of State for Horticulture, Shri Dinesh Pratap Singh and other public representatives.

The technology for the Center is provided by Israeli experts under the India-Israel Action Plan (IIAP) with funds for building infrastructure for demonstration purposes from MIDH. Centers of Excellence (CoEs) are being set up in the States based on Israeli technologies. These Centers of Excellence act as demonstration and training centers for the latest technologies in the field of Horticulture. They also serve as a source of planting material for fruits and vegetables in protected cultivation.

The Union Home and Cooperation Minister, Shri Amit Shah will e-launch the onboarding of cooperatives on the GeM portal tomorrow in New Delhi.  The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal and President of the National Cooperative Union of India  (NCUI), Shri Dileep Sanghani will also be  present at this programme organised by the Ministry of Cooperation (Govt. of India), the NCUI and GeM. With this e-launch, all eligible cooperatives will be able to start placing orders on the GeM portal. Recently, the Ministry of Cooperation in its advisory had made the NCUI the nodal agency to facilitate onboarding of cooperatives, coordinating with GeM authorities and handholding the cooperatives in the process of on-boarding.

NCUI has compiled a list of cooperatives with turnover/deposits of Rs. 100 crore and forwarded this information to GeM for starting the onboarding process. 589 cooperatives have been shortlisted as eligible for onboarding. NCUI has written to all cooperative federations and conducted virtual meets of national and state federations and of eligible cooperatives sector-wise to apprise them about the benefits of the GeM portal. A joint task force of NCUI and GeM officials has been  formed to call/mail individual cooperatives to urge them for onboarding and handhold for registration. A Helpdesk of the GeM technical team has been established at NCUI to help cooperatives with the entire process.

GeM has been set up as the National procurement portal to provide an end-to-end online marketplace for Central and State Govt deptts/ Ministries, PSUs, etc for common-use goods and services in a transparent and efficient manner. So far GeM was not enabled for registration of cooperative societies as buyers on the platform. The Union Cabinet under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has approved on June 1^st  to expand the mandate for GeM to allow cooperatives to procure goods and services through GeM. Cooperatives will not only get competitive prices through an open and transparent process, but can also procure from about 45 lakh authenticated sellers/service providers available across the country on a single platform. Besides, this will lead to saving of time and reduction of administrative costs for cooperatives.

The onboarding of cooperative societies/banks will be done in a phased manner. In the first phase, cooperative societies/banks with turnover/deposits of more than Rs. 100 crore as per the latest audited financial statement and with A Grade auditing have been  taken up for onboarding.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed deep grief over the loss of lives due to a stampede at the Khatu Shyamji Temple complex in Sikar Rajasthan.

The Prime Minister tweeted;

“Saddened by the loss of lives due to a stampede at the Khatu Shyamji Temple complex in Sikar, Rajasthan. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. I pray that those who are injured recover at the earliest.”

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said, Narendra Modi’s governance model has a futuristic vision.

Delivering the keynote address at Swadesh Conclave, 2022 here, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the Modi model of governance evolved over the last 20 years has laid the foundation of future road map of India’s progress. He said, in the next 25 years of Amrit Kaal, when India rises to the world pedestal, this will be primarily on the strength of our scientific prowess and capacity of our StartUps who will be essentially technology driven and a unique governance model taking effective care of 140 crore plus Indians.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, Narendra Modi is the only Indian leader in India to have completed 20 years as the Head of Government, first as Chief Minister and then as Prime Minister and across the world also this could be a rare feat to have been achieved.

Dr Jitendra Singh pointed out, when Kutch in Gujarat witnessed devastated earthquake on 26^th January, 2001, Narendra Modi, the then General Secretary of the BJP rushed to Kutch to be among the people and later in the same year became Chief Minister of Gujarat. He said, within a short span of 10 years, Modi brought back Kutch as a growth model for the entire country after huge loss of lives and property. Similarly, the Minister pointed out that the COVID-19, the pandemic of the century was turned into a virtue from the great adversity.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, each passing year of Modi’s governance of 20 years has yielded increasing returns and each new challenge has enabled this governance model to emerge stronger, more effective and enduring. He said, the administrative model evolved by Modi is being emulated by many countries in the world including some of the advanced economies.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, the Tri-Ratna of this governance model are Out of Box Thinking, Breaking the Taboos of the Past and Converting Government Campaign into Mass Campaign. Giving one example each of the three great ideas, the Minister said, soon after Modi came to power in May 2014, one of the first major decisions was to introduce self-attestation and do away with the practice of getting documents attested by gazetted officer.

Similarly, breaking the taboo, the Prime Minister unlocked the Space Sector for public-private participation, which led to over 60 registrations with ISRO by Start-ups and six of them even got seed funding from ISRO. Regarding turning the government campaign into mass campaign, Dr Jitendra Singh said, an announcement from the Ramparts of the Red Fort in 2014 to build toilets in each household caught the imagination of the people and soon Swachhata became a true Jan Andolan.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah has greeted the people on National Handloom Day.

In a series of tweets Shri Amit Shah said “India’s Handloom sector signifies our rich and diverse cultural heritage. In 2015, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi declared August 7 as the National Handloom Day to commemorate the Swadeshi movement that began in 1905 on the same day and to revive this ancient Indian art”.

The Union Home Minister said “It is also aimed at encouraging countrymen to use handloom products woven by indigenous weavers. On this 8th National Handloom Day, let us join hands to further the Modi Government’s resolve to preserve and promote our handloom heritage and empower our handloom weavers, especially women”.

Minister of Civil Aviation Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia and Minister of State for Civil Aviation Gen (Retd) V.K Singh today inaugurated the First Flight of Akasa Air (QP1101) from Mumbai to Ahmedabad virtually.

Shri Scindia along with  MoS, Ministry of Civil Aviation, General (Dr.) VK Singh (Retd.) and Shri Rajiv Bansal, Secretary MoCA flagged off the first flight of Akasa Air from Delhi which took off from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (T1) in Mumbai on Sunday, August 07, at 10:05 AM. Smt. Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, MoCA, Mr. Rakesh Jhunjhunwala Founder Akasa Air, Mrs. Rekha Jhunjhunwala and Mr Vinay Dube, CEO and founder, Akasa Air, Neelu Khatri Co-Founder and Senior Vice President Akasa Air were also present in the event.

Speaking at the event, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia said “The inaugural flight today is a new dawn in the history of Civil Aviation in India. It is because of the foresightedness and visionary goal and zeal of the Prime Minister that we have seen first time in India, the democratisation of the civil aviation. Earlier it was an industry which was considered very elitist, but now because of his vision we are seeing a transformation over last eight years in terms of accessibility, availability affordability and inclusion in the Civil Aviation which we have never seen before. In this new environment I would like to welcome Akasa Air and I am very confident that in coming days Akasa Air will certainly make a very important mark.”

The Minister further added, “Over the last eight years India’s Civil Aviation industry has been completely transformed.  Under UDAN scheme, we have 425 routes aiming to go up to1000 routes, 68 new airports aiming to touch 100 airports. In next 4 years we are expecting 40 crore travellers through Civil Aviation in India. That day is not far when along with rail transport and road transport Civil Aviation will become the bulwark of the transportation in India.”

Minister of State for Civil Aviation (Gen) Dr V.K Singh (Retd) also congratulated Akasa Air. Video message of Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Devendra Fadnavis was also shared virtually.

Akasa Air is the 7th schedule airline with brand name of SNV Aviation having Corporate Headquarters at Mumbai with Boeing Max – 8 aircraft. Akasa Air plans to be a low-cost carrier with single fleet and all economy seats. Akasa Air is planning to expand its activities to 72 aircrafts in next five years which will significantly enhance the domestic aviation services in India.

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah has congratulated Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar on his election as Vice President of India. In a series of tweets, Shri Amit Shah said “It is a matter of joy for the  Nation that a farmer’s son, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar has been elected as the Vice President of India. Shri Dhankhar has been constantly connected with the people in his long public life, his understanding of basic issues and his experience will definitely benefit the Upper House.”

The Union Home Minister said that “As Vice President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar will prove to be an ideal guardian of the Constitution, I congratulate him on this victory. Also, under the leadership of Modi ji, I thank NDA allies, other parties and members of Parliament for supporting Dhankhar ji.”