Ministry of Human Resource Development has finalized and released a five-year vision plan named Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme (EQUIP).

This is in accordance with the Prime Minister’s direction for finalizing a five-year vision plan for each Ministry. According to an official release, the report has been prepared after a detailed exercise done by the experts from various areas, including promoting excellence, employability and entrepreneurship among others.

The Expert Groups drawn from senior academicians, administrators and industrialists, have suggested more than 50 initiatives that would transform the higher education sector completely.

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar today said that BS-VI emission norms will be implemented across the country next year which will drastically reduce vehicular pollution.

In reply to supplementaries in the Lok Sabha, Shri Javadekar said, from next year, BS-VI compliant vehicles will be available and the move will help reduce 90 per cent vehicular pollution.

He said, due to the opening of the peripheral expressway in Delhi, over 60 thousand vehicles which earlier used to pass through the national capital are now going to their destinations without coming to Delhi.

Shri Javadekar also said the government has installed air pollutant monitor system in over 3500 industries.

The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has remembered former Prime Minister of India Shri PV Narasimha Rao, on his birth anniversary.

“Remembering Shri PV Narasimha Rao Ji on his birth anniversary. A great scholar and veteran administrator, he led the nation at a crucial juncture of our history. He will be remembered for taking pioneering steps that contributed to national progress”, Prime Minister said.

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry & Railways, PiyushGoyal, reviewed the draft National Logistics Policy and the proposed action plan for implementation of the policy prepared by the Department of Logistics, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The draft National Logistics Policy has been prepared in consultation with the Ministries of Railways, Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Civil Aviation. Forty-six Partnering Government Agencies (PGAs) inputs wereanalysed in detail for consideration in the Policy.

Commerce and Industry Minister in his opening remarks urged that all the four Ministries and their departments must leverage existing infrastructure to support each other in the logistics chain. This will not only help in maximizing capacity utilization but also reduce costs he added.

PiyushGoyal directed that all four Ministries must work in coordination with each other so that the 14% logistics cost of India’s GDP may be brought down to 9%.  In the meeting all aspects of logistics related to railways, civil aviation, shipping and inland waterways, road transport, ropeways warehousing and cold chain were discussed in detail.

PiyushGoyal exhorted the line Ministries that all efforts must be made for farm produce of food grains, fruits and vegetables to reach from farm to market with minimum wastage of time. He also said that a central scheme for cold chain across the country especially for fruits, vegetables and perishables may be made part of the action plan of the draft logistics policy so that it improves efficiency and reduces the loss in agri produce of farmers.

During the review meeting issues relating to rail freight rationalization and freight policy for Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC), having immediate implications for modal shift,were discussed at length.

Commerce and Industry Minister also directed that whenever any new road, railway, airport and shipping port project is being considered the Logistics Department must be a part of consultation process so that holistic planning will be possible, freight movement will be rationalized and passenger experience will improve.

India’s logistics sector is highly defragmented andthe aim is to reduce the logistics cost from the present 14% of GDP to less than 10% by 2022. India’s logistics sector is very complex with more than 20 government agencies, 40 PGAs, 37 export promotion councils, 500 certifications, 10000 commodities, 160 billion market size. It also involves 12 million employment base, 200 shipping agencies, 36 logistic services, 129 ICDs, 168 CFSs, 50 IT ecosystems and banks & insurance agencies. Further, 81 authorities and 500 certificates are required for EXIM.

As per the Economic Survey 2017-18, the Indian logistics sector provides livelihood to more than 22 million people and improving the sector will facilitate 10 % decrease in indirect logistics cost leading to the growth of 5 to 8% in exports. Further, the Survey estimates that the worth of Indian logistics market would be around USD 215 billion in next two years compared to about USD 160 billion currently.

The Commerce and Industry Ministry is formulating the logistics policy so that India’s trade competitiveness grows, more jobs are created, India’s performance in global rankings improves and paves the way for India to become a logistics hub.

Expressing grief on the demise of BJP’s Rajasthan unit president Shri Madan Lal Saini, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi said his passing away was a major loss for the BJP.

In a tweet, PM Shri Modi said he contributed to strengthening the party in Rajasthan.

“He was widely respected for his congenial nature and community service efforts. My thoughts are with his family and supporters. Om Shanti,” he added.

The passing away of Shri Madanlal Saini Ji is a major loss for the BJP family. He contributed to strengthening the Party in Rajasthan. He was widely respected for his congenial nature and community service efforts. My thoughts are with his family and supporters. Om Shanti.

– Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 24, 2019

Condoling the members of Saini’s family, Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah said he was a true public servant whose whole life was devoted to the party and society.

Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah said Madan Lal Saini was a true public servant whose whole life was devoted to the party and society.

BJP’s working president Shri JP Nadda said Saini dedicated his entire life for society and his passing away was an irreparable loss for the party.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has said that inputs given by economists and other experts during his interaction with them were insightful and will benefit the country’s growth trajectory.

In a tweet , Shri Modi said, he had a fruitful interaction with economists and other experts on the themes of macro-economy and employment, agriculture and water resources, exports, education, and health.

Prime Minister attended the interactive session with over 40 economists and sectoral experts on the theme ‘Economic Policy – The Road Ahead’ organised by NITI Aayog in New Delhi.

A release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said that Shri Modi thanked all participants for their suggestions and observations on various aspects of the economy.

During the session, participants shared their views, in five distinct groups, on the economic themes of macro economy and employment, agriculture and water resources, exports, education and health, the release said.

Niti Aayog  termed the session as lively, vibrant, constructive where extremely positive discussions took place.

A fresh bill to ban the practice of instant triple talaq was introduced in the Lok Sabha today.
The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019, which has been listed in the Lok Sabha’s agenda for today, will replace an ordinance issued in February by the previous BJP-led NDA government. With the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha last month, the previous bill had lapsed as it was pending in the Rajya Sabha.
The Bill proposes to make the practice of instant triple talaq (talaq-e-biddat) a penal offence. The new bill is a copy of the ordinance in force.
Under the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Ordinance, 2019, divorcing through instant triple talaq is illegal, void and will attract a jail term of three years for the husband.

In view of the situation arising due to the AES/JE cases in Muzaffarpur and other adjoining districts in Bihar, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare has instructed for deployment of eight advanced life support ambulances (ALS) in the affected districts. Accordingly, eight additional advanced life support ambulances (ALS) have been pressed into service for transportation of critical patients under National Health Mission (NHM). The central teams of 10 pediatricians and five para-medics sent yesterday, have been deployed in the field and have started working in coordination with the state government.  Dr. Harsh Vardhan further added that sixteen senior district officials and medical personnel have been sent to the vulnerable blocks for monitoring and early identification of cases and ensuring daily reporting. Their headquarters have also been shifted to these blocks also, he added

Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that the District Collector (DC) has now got involved and is personally taking responsibility. He has deputed the Senior Deputy Collectors (SDC)/District level officers to lead various block teams. These teams will be assisted by a district level Medical Officer and Medical Officer in charge (MOIC) to do the overall work at block level. He further said that the State has been given instructions to switch to daily surveillance and monitoring for detecting early warning signs of the disease. “The State government has started a social audit along with active case finding campaign through house to house survey and moving the prospective patients to the nearest PHC for early intervention. Surprise checks are also being conducted at the PHCs by the Senior Deputy Collectors (SDC). Additionally, the early morning inspection of Anganwadi Centres is also being undertaken by SDCs and Child development Project Officers (CDPOs). They are also distributing of ORS to each house in the affected villages,” he stated. The ANMs and ASHAs have been directed to visit every house for raising awareness about AES/JE by distributing pamphlets and brochures. Awareness is also being created through other measures such as miking and inter-personal communication.

Also, an ICMR team of experts has been deployed at the Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) hospital for making the virology lab operational at the earliest, Dr. Harsh Vardhan stated. The Union Health Minister further stated that the multi-disciplinary team deployed earlier is reviewing all the case records of AES patients, admitted and treated in 2019. “The team is reviewing the case records of discharged and deceased AES patients at SKMCH using a standardized tool to know the reasons for mortality. We expect to complete the activity in next two to three days. A similar exercise will be undertaken in the Kejriwal Hospital,” Dr Harsh Vardhan said.

The multi-disciplinary team will systematically collect clinical, nutritional and epidemiological information from AES patients hospitalized since 18 May 2019. Blood, urine and CSF samples will be collected from these patients to rule out infectious aetiology. The team will also conduct case-control study (by taking household/village controls) to reconfirm the role of missing meals and litchi consumption (including the quantity). Orientation training of all pediatricians of SKMCH will also be conducted in batches over the next few days on clinical case management and treatment protocol of AES and brief the new team about case assessment, investigations and treatment protocols already in place and request them to continue the same.

Shri Manoj Jhalani, AS & MD (NHM) will visit Muzaffarpur tomorrow and review the overall ongoing operations.

President Shri Ram Nath Kovind today said, the government is moving towards building a strong, secure, prosperous and inclusive India in line with their aspirations.

This journey is inspired by the spirit of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas. Addressing the joint sitting of both the Houses of Parliament, Shri Kovind said, from day one, the Central government is committed to improving the lives of people by removing their sufferings from misgovernance and providing all the necessary facilities. He said, people after evaluating the government’s first term, have given even stronger support for the second term in the Lok Sabha elections.

The President said, nearly half of the MPs have been elected for the first time and the largest number of women MPs elected in the history. He said, new India will carry forward the ideals of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s ideals where people’s minds are fear-free, and their head is held high with self-respect. Shri Kovind added that the vision of the new India is also inspired by the ideas of Shri Narayan Guru.

Listing the government’s initiatives, the President said it has been decided to provide the ‘Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi’, to every farmer in the country. He lauded the government’s ‘pension scheme’ for small shopkeepers and retail traders, which has been approved in the first Cabinet meeting. The scheme will benefit around three crore small shopkeepers in the country.

To give emphasize on water conservation, the government has formed a separate Jalshakti Ministry which is a decisive step and will have far-reaching benefits. Through this new Ministry, water conservation and management will be made more effective.

Shri Kovind said, the government’s focus is to strengthen rural India and 25 lakh crore rupees will be invested in the coming years to increase the productivity of the agriculture sector. Several steps have been taken in the last five years to double the farmers’ income by 2022.

The President said, women empowerment is one of the highest priorities of the government saying their effective participation in society and economy is the test of a developed society. He added that the government’s motto is not only women should grow, but also there should be women-led development.

The government has made the punishments for crimes against women more stringent.

The President stressed the need to eradicate the practices of Tripe Talaq and nikah-halala to ensure equal rights for every sister and daughter in the country. He urged the MPs to extend their support to these efforts to make the lives of sisters and daughters more dignified.

Shri  Kovind said, around 19 crore loans have been given for self-employment under the Prime Minister’s Mudra Yojana and this scheme will now be expanded to 30 crore people. Now, India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

The President advised the newly elected MPs that they should always remember the fundamental mantra of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi that every decision of should be guided by its impact on the poorest and the weakest persons in society. Shri Kovind said, the elected members should also remember the voter who setting aside all his work and overcoming his difficulties went to the polling station to cast his vote and discharge his responsibilities towards the nation and their priority should be to fulfill the voter’s aspirations.

The President touched upon every aspect of governance, and  said that India is now on the way to become the world’s fifth largest economy in terms of GDP. To maintain the high growth rate, reform process will continue. Mr Kovind said, it is the government’s objective to make India a 5-trillion dollar economy by 2024.

Commerce and Industry Minister Shri Piyush Goyal has urged small traders and retailers to join e-commerce platform to grow their business. Addressing a meeting of kirana stores, traders and retailers associations in New Delhi, Shri Goyal called upon small traders to come on GeM platform which has achieved 25 thousand crore rupees turnover.
The meeting was aimed at exploring the strengths and weaknesses of small traders and engaging them for discussions on issues of e-Commerce.
Shri Goyal reiterated that India will not allow multi-brand retail by foreign companies and on the pretext of B2B no entry will be allowed for multi-brand retail.
He also asserted that predatory pricing will not be allowed and necessary action will be taken against defaulters. He said, government will give all support and assistance to small traders and retailers to grow their business.

In a major decision to facilitate the solar and wind energy projects, Shri RK Singh, Union Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy (IC) and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship has approved a proposal to set up a Dispute Resolution Committee to consider the unforeseen disputes between solar/wind power developers and SECI/NTPC, beyond contractual agreement.

Emphasising the importance of this step, Shri Singh said that the move will give further fillip to the smooth implementation of solar/wind energy projects in India. It fulfils a long pending demand of the industry to resolve expeditiously, unforeseen disputes that may arise beyond the scope of Contractual Agreements.

The Solar and Wind Industry have been demanding setting up of Dispute Resolution Mechanism by MNRE for quite some time, to resolve expeditiously, unforeseen disputes that may arise beyond the scope of Contractual Agreements between solar power developers / wind power developers and SECI/ NTPC.

The issue was considered and it was felt that there is need to erect a transparent, unbiased Dispute Resolution Mechanism, consisting of an independent, transparent and unbiased Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC), for resolving the unforeseen disputes that may arise in implementation of contractual agreements and also for dealing with issues which are beyond the scope of Contractual Agreements between solar power developers/ wind power developers and SECI / NTPC.