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<ul><li>During the <keyword id="7190005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="interim-budget-2019">Interim Budget 2019</keyword>, the Modi government presented Vision 2030. </li><li>From clean Ganga to an astronaut in space and building hubs for Digital India, the Vision 2030 agenda has big plans. </li><li>The government’s current track record in some cases and the lack of details in others are uninspiring. </li></ul>Indian government’s budget for 2019-20 was supposed to be an interim vote on account before the elections in the upcoming summer. However, the government’s promises, hopes and estimation went as far as 2030. Here’s the 10-point agenda for the next decade set by Piyush Goyal, standing in for finance minister Arun Jaitley. “We are poised to become a Five Trillion Dollar Economy in the next five years and aspire to become a Ten Trillion Dollar Economy in the next 8 years thereafter.” The message from the government is that it is not just focussed on the headline growth, but also on the quality of life. “On the social infrastructure side, every family will have a roof on its head and will live in a healthy, clean and wholesome environment,” said Finance MInister Piyush Goyal. It was 2017, when prime minister Modi promised to double farmers’ income in the following five years. However, the rural distress has been one of the biggest failures of the administration. While ‘housing for all by 2022’ is still an ongoing project, there is still a lot left to desire in <a href="https://www.bloombergquint.com/global-economics/15-million-indian-households-have-meters-but-no-electricity">electrification</a> and <a href="https://www.livemint.com/Politics/d0gb1cTpVnVwJaUQIPIaaP/Swachh-Bharat-Abhiyan-Why-Indias-toilet-data-is-too-good-t.html">sanitation</a> of villages. “Digital India into every sector of the economy” There were two announcements towards digitisation of the economy – to turn 1 lakh villages into Digital Villages over next five years, and a plan to build centre of excellences for Artificial Intelligence (AI). This is not the first time the government has promised a push for AI. ₹3,073 crores were allocated for the programme in 2018-19. This fund was supposed to boost the development of artificial intelligence, robotics, big data analysis, and digital manufacturing, by setting up centres of excellences in the country. However, there has been little or no progress so far. The Indian government had allocated ₹10,000 crores in the last budget for Bharat Net phase II-- a pan-India broadband network--to create 500,000 rural wifi hotspots. By December 2018, the network had covered half the target range, but the utilisation was reportedly less <a href="https://thewire.in/government/pmo-bharatnet-project-shoddy-state-of-broadband-initiative">than 10%</a>. “Over ₹17,000 crore has been spent already on BharatNet. No results can be seen. There is no utilisation...Public money has been wasted and it will become a serious problem for the government," a senior official at Trai told <a href="https://www.livemint.com/politics/policy/trai-asks-telecom-dept-to-auction-bharatnet-assets-to-private-firms-1548698974471.html">Mint</a> in January. “This India will drive on Electric Vehicles with Renewables becoming a major source of energy supply. India will lead the world in the transport revolution through electric vehicles” India did assume the lead in the global fight against climate change after the <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/what-signing-the-paris-climate-change-treaty-means-for-india/story-RsDH1IAohQNEqRxb426YbM.html">Paris pact </a>of 2016. But the push towards green vehicles at home has had, at best, a sputtering start. While there has been a growth in demand for electric two-wheelers, only 1,200 electric cars were sold in FY 2017-18, according to a report done by the <a href="https://www.livemint.com/Politics/1x96WeyG6cCVnm5zPcUraK/Govt-proposes-incentives-to-boost-EVsalesin5-years.html">Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles.</a> The main concern of the automobile companies is the lack of infrastructure for growth of EVs in India as well as the absence of <a href="https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/are-indian-automakers-ditching-ev-in-want-of-clear-policy/67749150">clarity</a> regarding the EV policy. “Expanding rural industrialisation using modern digital technologies to generate massive employment” Both industrial growth and employment have been among the big failures of the Modi regime, mostly because private investment has been lacking. The most recent data in factory output growth was the lowest in 17 months. A news report based on leaked data from the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) said that India’s unemployment rate has hit a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/unemployment-in-india-is-at-its-highest-in-45-years-says-an-indian-daily-citing-an-undisclosed-jobs-survey/articleshow/67769020.cms">45-year high</a> by December 2018, with a majority of job losses seen in rural India, showing that the government’s policies have so far failed to spur industrialisation and jobs. “Our Government has worked vigorously for cleaning River Ganga. Fifth Dimension of our Vision for India of 2030 is Clean Rivers” The government has already approved ₹25,500 crores for ‘Namami Gange Mission’, but the impact has less than satisfactory, according to environmental activists. There was no additional in the current budget for the same programme. Spending crores of rupees for beautification of ghats has been "wastage of the public exchequer" because "without ensuring a continuous flow, clean Ganga will continue to remain a distant dream", said <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/why-indias-waterman-thinks-the-governments-3-5-billion-plan-to-clean-up-ganga-is-not-working/articleshow/67672185.cms">Rajendra Singh,</a> who goes by the sobriquet "Waterman of India". “Our efforts in the Sagarmala programme will be scaled up and we will develop other inland waterways faster.” According to a reply to a right-to-information petition filed in 2018, it was <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/sagarmala-drives-in-slow-lane-only-1-5-projects-completed-since-fy16-118091700931_1.html">reported</a> that just 80 projects had been completed out of the 220 projects envisioned under the Sagar Mala project, over three years after its inception. “Placing an Indian astronaut into space by 2022” The ISRO chief K Sivan in a press conference last month had <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indias-first-manned-mission-to-space-may-have-women-too/articleshow/67486206.cms">announced</a> that under the Gaganyaan mission,a three-member team will be sent to space which could also include a woman astronaut. It’s too soon to evaluate the progress of this plan. “High farm production and productivity will be achieved through modern agricultural practices and value addition” India, a country which has over 45% of its population employed in agriculture, is also a major exporter. According to <a href="https://www.ibef.org/exports/agriculture-and-food-industry-india.aspx">reports</a>, during April-October 2018, exports of agricultural and processed food products totalled US$ 21.61 billion. India now faces the problem of <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/agrarian-crisis-farmer-protests-rural-distress-surplus-production-crop-procurement-the-age-of-surplus-5213499/">surplus</a>, where farmers are ready to answer the demand for more produce. However, the farmer has not been in the winning end of the deal. A report of the Committee on Strategy for Doubling Farmers' Income by 2022 <a href="https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/agriculture/you-may-pay-a-steep-price-but-does-the-farmer-make-any-money--62364">states </a>that “The WPI (wholesale price index) of food articles was lower than that of agricultural inputs for most years, indicating that farmers received lower market prices for agricultural commodities than the prices paid for the purchase of inputs.” “Aiming at healthy society with an environment of health assurance and the support of necessary health infrastructure” The Indian government had announced its ambitious Ayushman Bharat scheme in 2018. The Finance Minister during his budget speech announced that so far ₹3000 crore had been allocated to Ayushman Bharat which has benefited over 10 lakh people. However, many states have pulled out of the scheme criticising it for legitimate and political reasons. As the minister from Chhattisgarh explained, Ayushman Bharat provided insurance for secondary and tertiary healthcare in hospitals, whereas <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/healthcare/biotech/healthcare/chhattisgarh-govt-to-pull-out-of-ayushman-bharat/articleshow/67550227.cms">nearly 80%</a> of the state’s citizens required primary healthcare services. Outpatient treatment, which is hugely popular with India’s poor households according to <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/201612_health-and-morbidity.pdf">a Brookings report</a>, isn’t provided under the scheme. In addition, as public hospitals lack the requisite infrastructure, the government is relying heavily on private hospitals, which aren’t that widespread in semi-urban and rural areas and can promote expensive treatments to improve their margins “Transforming India into a Minimum Government Maximum Governance nation” ‘Minimum Government Maximum Governance’ was one of the many slogans that Modi came up with ahead of the 2014 elections. Indeed, he managed to reduce the layers in bureaucracy and made processes simpler in many cases. It helped India to rise to the <a href="http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=184513">77th position</a> in the ease of doing business ranking assessed by the World Bank, up from 142 in 2014. Yet, the spirit of the slogan does not pervade all parts of the government. For instance, startups, which mushroomed in India in the years where there was no focussed regulation, have now hit a wall with the infamous ‘angel tax’. Early stage investors who back these startups were burdened with higher tax in a bid to control money laundering. The sweeping tax on all angel investors hurt new investments in startups. Even the steps taken to assuage the concern has only added to the layers of permission required to start a new business. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/income-tax-slabs-for-2019-20/articleshow/67788923.cms">No tax proposed on annual income up to ₹500,000</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-indian-government-just-announced-its-highest-ever-outlay-for-defence/articleshow/67789219.cms">The Indian government just announced its highest ever outlay for defence</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget-2019-income-tax-and-other-benefits-for-middle-class-in-india/articleshow/67789294.cms">Here is how the Budget 2019 benefits the Indian middle class</a>

India’s Narendra Modi has a grand vision for 2030 – but it is short on details

<ul><li>The Indian government has just given its approval to set up a new company under the Department of Space. </li><li>The company will look at technology transfer as well as explore manufacturing opportunities with private players. </li><li>The space industry was a part of the Narendra Modi government’s Vision 2030, during the announcement of the Interim Budget in February. </li></ul>The space industry was part of the Narendra Modi government’s Vision 2030 announced during the recent interim budget. Now, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will be able to <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/cabinet-oks-setting-up-of-firm-to-boost-commercial-exploitation-of-isros-rd/articleshow/68070011.cms">sell</a> its research and development work to further enable private players in India, according to an official release. The Indian government just gave its approval to set up a new company under the Department of Space to commercially exploit the research and development work carried out by ISRO and constituent units of DOS. This will give ISRO the opportunity to also explore manufacturing of small satellite launch vehicle with private sector players, productionisation and marketing of space-based products and services including launch and applications. Through the new company, ISRO will also look at the transfer of technology from its centres to private players for the latter to leverage on the same. According to official documents from the government of India, for technology transfer the new company will have to take license from DoS/ISRO and sub-license to industries. This is a landmark move as it will allow private companies access to breakthrough technologies that have remained in ISRO’s domain. ISRO has already been creating multiple hits in recent months. In late 2018, it put into orbit a whopping 31 satellites in one go and also <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/isro-wants-private-players-to-take-over-pslv-satellite-production-by-2020-118090600564_1.html">expressed </a>interest in working with private players. In January, ISRO chief K Sivan announced that under the Gaganyaan mission, a three-member team will be sent to space which could also include a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/isros-first-manned-space-mission-might-have-women/articleshow/67486206.cms">woman</a> astronaut. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/isro-is-to-trying-to-beat-elon-musks-spacex-success/articleshow/67550362.cms">India’s apex space agency is following Elon Musk's idea — and taking it a step forward</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/isros-first-manned-space-mission-might-have-women/articleshow/67486206.cms">India's first ‘manned’ mission to space may have women too</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/gsat-31-india-successfully-launches-its-40th-communication-satellite/articleshow/67861257.cms">India successfully launches its 40th communication satellite</a>

A new Indian government company will sell space technology to private players

New Delhi, Jun 18 () Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) on Thursday lauded the government's move to launch auction process for 41 coal blocks for commercial mining, saying that it will help create employment in the country. In a statement, its Chairman Naveen Jindal said the reforms will help make the domestic steel and mines sector more competitive resulting in the creation of employment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched the auction process for 41 coal blocks for commercial mining, a move that opens India's coal sector for private players, and termed it a major step in the direction of India achieving self-reliance. Launching the auction of blocks for commercial mining, which is expected to garner Rs 33,000 crore of capital investment in the country over the next 5-7 years, the prime minister said India will win the coronavirus war and turn this crisis into an opportunity, and the pandemic will make India self-reliant. Currently, despite being the world's fourth-largest producer, he said India is the second-largest importer of the dry fuel. "I thank PM Narendra Modi for taking the coal sector out of decades of lockdown. These reforms will make the sector more competitive and generate large-scale employment," Jindal said. India has one of the largest reserves of coal in the world, he said adding that its gasification can help our country overcome the perennial shortage of oil, gas, methanol, ammonia and urea, and help reduce imports. The prime minister's announcement to gasify 100 million tonnes (MT) of coal by 2030 will be a big boost to coal gasification in India and fulfil vision of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' using clean coal technology, he added. Jindal further said, "JSPL is the first company in India to build coal gasification plant and the first in the world to produce direct reduced iron (DRI)/steel using swadeshi coal." JSPL Managing Director V R Sharman had earlier said India has coal reserves for another 300 years and the time is ripe to use the reserve. Coal can be converted into syngas (synthetic gas), which can be used for producing petrol, diesel and other petroleum products, that can reduce dependence on crude oil imports, he said. JSPL is already using the technology at its Angul plant in Odisha. It is India's first and only plant producing steel from swadeshi coal using the coal gasification technology. ABI HRS

Commercial mining of coal to create employment: JSPL

New Delhi, Apr 17 () Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday the Narendra Modi government is leaving no stone unturned to tackle the crisis caused by the novel coronavirus outbreak in the country.Complimenting the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for the steps taken to boost the economy, Shah said such action will further reinforce Modi's vision."Modi government is leaving no stone unturned in this fight against COVID-19, ensuring minimum disruption in people's lives while planning for a strong and stable India in days ahead," he tweeted.The home minister said the RBI's decision to extend Rs 20,000 crore credit facility to NABARD and Rs 15,000 crore to SIDBI will greatly help the farmers, provide the much needed financial stability to MSMEs and start ups, and boost the 'Make in India' programme.Shah said the Rs 10,000 crore to National Housing Bank (NHB) and liquidity measures for banks and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) will help too."Steps taken by RBI today, to boost Indian economy, further reinforce PM Narendra Modi's vision," he said.The RBI on Friday further eased bad-loan rules, froze dividend payment by lenders and pushed banks to lend more by cutting the reverse repo rate by 25 basis points, as it unveiled a second set of measures to support the economy hit hard by a coronavirus-led slowdown.In his second televised address since the nationwide lockdown began from March 25, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das pledged to boost liquidity and expand bank credit. ACB NSDNSD

Modi govt leaving no stone unturned to fight COVID-19: Amit Shah

<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Prime+Minister+Narendra+Modi+&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Prime Minister Narendra Modi </a>lauded <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Finance+Minister+Arun+Jaitley&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Finance Minister Arun </a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Finance+Minister+Arun+Jaitley&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Jaitley</a>’s <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Budget+2017+&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Budget 2017 </a>as futuristic, saying it will fulfill dreams of people from all the sections. However, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Congress+Vice-President&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Congress Vice-President</a> and scion of Nehru-Gandhi dynasty termed it a damp squib. 
 
The opposition tore into the Budget 2017, saying it lacked vision. The Congress slammed the budget for "lacking a vision" for creating jobs and for not announcing a loan waiver for farmers. 
 
"We were expecting fireworks, instead it was a ... it was a sher-o-shayari budget. "The main issue facing India today is creation of jobs. How are you going to solve that problem? On that front, there was no vision, no idea, and for farmers, there is absolutely nothing," Congress vice-president <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Rahul+Gandhi&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Rahul Gandhi</a> said. 
 
He also mocked the Modi led government by asking, "Modi had promised the bullet train. Where is the bullet train now? Railways' fundamental problem is safety." 
 On the other hand, PM Modi termed the <keyword id="6360189" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Union-Budget">Union Budget</keyword> as "futuristic" and also said that it will usher in a new beginning to fulfil the dreams of every section. 
 
"This is a Budget for the future - for farmers, underprivileged, transparency, urban rejuvenation, rural development and enterprise," Modi said in a televised message about the Budget proposals. 
 
He also praised Jaitley for a "good" Budget, and said, will speed up the development of the country, create new employment opportunities, double farmers' income. 
 
"The Budget will bring a big change in the financial condition of the villages, raise middle class incomes without any increase in fiscal deficit," Modi said.

Clash of Clans: Modi terms Budget 2017 futuristic; Rahul Gandhi calls it a ‘damp squib’

Prior to Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword>’s debut townhall interaction at the <keyword id="6354576" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Facebook">Facebook</keyword> Headquarters, CEO <keyword id="6354630" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Mark-Zuckerberg">Mark Zuckerberg</keyword> did something to surprise Modi. 
 Zuckerberg added a filter to his profile picture to show his support with Modi’s vision of ‘<keyword id="1929810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Digital-India">Digital India</keyword>’ and the picture is going viral, with thousands of likes and shares within minutes of being posted. 
 Earlier in the day, Modi spoke before a gathering of <keyword id="6357722" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="silicon-valley">Silicon Valley</keyword> CEOs and announced plans to create more public WiFi spots including at 500 railway stations across India and an aggressive expansion of the National Optical Fibre Network to take broadband to 600,000 villages. 
 
After changing his profile picture, Zuckerberg posted the same on his Facebook page and said: 
 
“I changed my profile picture to support Digital India, the Indian government's effort to connect rural communities to the internet and give people access to more services online. Looking forward to discussing this with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Facebook today. Show your support for Digital India at <a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffb.com%2Fsupportdigitalindia&amp;h=lAQFO3oBiAQFum8woXU0mzWnAHKndKu1KBxtloNZPy6Sdlg&amp;enc=AZN77rqa4olq8ZBXV_dklfsDO_JBb3xzBq4nrMzshYzkgzeRnOcftg8LSp6pj-9Or3jH6XENgA913HUhYkExeTciGgkAgGCNL2SCbLxLaYAIX8Qs_HtYtxRL5RRmfMYvCMKv0V-CpXofACZTC6Att0twJY2rMlDoGY6zp6xLmnW4bKk-als0EKc2B89IlqowBUs&amp;s=1" target="_blank">fb.com/</a><a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffb.com%2Fsupportdigitalindia&amp;h=lAQFO3oBiAQFum8woXU0mzWnAHKndKu1KBxtloNZPy6Sdlg&amp;enc=AZN77rqa4olq8ZBXV_dklfsDO_JBb3xzBq4nrMzshYzkgzeRnOcftg8LSp6pj-9Or3jH6XENgA913HUhYkExeTciGgkAgGCNL2SCbLxLaYAIX8Qs_HtYtxRL5RRmfMYvCMKv0V-CpXofACZTC6Att0twJY2rMlDoGY6zp6xLmnW4bKk-als0EKc2B89IlqowBUs&amp;s=1" target="_blank">supportdigitalindia</a>” 
 
 
Appreciating the gesture, Modi on his part thanked Zuckerberg with a post on his Facebook page while changing his profile picture in support of Digital India as well. 
 
Image credit: Facebook

Mark Zuckerberg surprises PM Modi on Facebook. Know how!

<keyword id="6354814" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="prime-minister-Narendra-Modi">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</keyword>’s Cabinet got 19 new faces in a reshuffle and five junior ministers were dropped. With this new mathematics, the strength of Modi’s council of ministers, including him, is now 83. 
 
With one eye on Uttar Pradesh polls in 2017, the induction of 19 new faces in the junior ranks was done on the basis of 3Es-Experience, Expertise and Energy also. 
 
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is going aggressive and doing anything it can to win the power of seat in UP by playing caste card. 
 
In the re-shuffle, three ministers from UP were included in the council-Chandauli MP Mahendra Pandey (Brahmin), Shahjahanpur MP Krishna Raj (Dalit) and Apna Dal MP from Mirzapur Anupriya Patel (Kurmi-OBC). 
 
This time, Modi focussed on doers and performers, who can deliver on his vision of development and good governance. 
 
Apart from getting first time MPs on board, five junior ministers were dropped. 
 
Apparently, they did not deliver on Modi’s vision, and also because the party wants young faces in the council too. Some were even surprised to see their names in the axed list. 
 
Here are their names and portfolios they were handling 
 
 
(Images: Indiatimes, Lok Sabha)

These are the 5 ministers who were dropped from Modi’s Cabinet

Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> wants India to switch to <keyword id="6354973" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="electric-vehicles">electric vehicles</keyword> by 2030. In a bid to achieve this target, the Indian government is planning a policy that will include tax breaks, subsidies, etc to rope in aggregators and car manufacturers. In the first phase, India will start with public transport. Also, under the plan, two-wheelers, three-wheelers and non-air-conditioned city buses will be sold without batteries, thus slashing prices by as much as 70%. The batteries will be leased at a specified cost and can be swiftly swapped with recharged ones at stations, he said. "The private vehicles will be the last lap of the scheme. We expect the programme to start scaling in three years. The programme is in the final stages of drafting," an official told ET. "It will take just two-and-half minutes to replace auto batteries and can be done in 10 minutes when city buses rest after about a 30-km trip. The model, however, will not work for AC cars and AC buses," the government official said. A formal policy is expected in next six months as an inter-ministerial committee led by <keyword id="2665691" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Niti-Aayog">Niti Aayog</keyword> is drawing up the details of the plan to promote usage and convert most vehicles to electric by 2030. For taxis, the government is considering fast-charging electric stations. Specifications and guidelines for each type of electric vehicle, lease plans, battery swaps and charging stations are being worked out. The Modi-led government is also likely to involve aggregators and push them to purchase vehicles and lease them to drivers. The tax breaks for manufacturers are expected to give the 'Make in India' programme a boost. "In the pilot phase, cells for the batteries will be imported. As the programme scales up, they can be manufactured locally," the official told ET.

From tax breaks to subsidies, here’s what PM Modi is doing to promote e-vehicles and achieve 2030 target

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> has suggested that <keyword id="6354424" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="World-Bank">World Bank</keyword> should help India in making a visible impact on reducing mass poverty in the under-developed regions of the country to show a perceptible change. 
 Modi had raised the issue during his meeting with World Bank <keyword id="2540" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="President">president</keyword> Jim Yong Kim last month in Delhi and the multilateral agency is expected to come back to the government after firming up a strategy that addresses the concerns raised by the government, said sources. 
 
While there was no demand for funds, Kim had later told the World Bank staff that the prime minister wants three things — skills, scale and speed. “A critical priority of this trip was to meet the new PM, Narendra Modi, listen to his vision for development, and seek to enhance our partnership with India. We had a great meeting — one of the most inspiring I’ve had as president of the World Bank,” he had remarked. 
 For the World Bank, India is the largest borrower and the <keyword id="2472353" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="head-of-the-multilateral-agency">head of the multilateral agency</keyword> was key to get the new government’s inputs. During the meeting, Modi had sought suggestions on skill development, a key focus area and said he wanted inputs on “enhancing production for the masses, not just mass production”. The statement, officials said, is a pointer to boosting jobs by focusing on manufacturing, especially in the employment-intensive sectors of the economy.

PM Modi Seeks Help Of World Bank To Cut Poverty

<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Prime+Minister+Narendra+Modi+">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</a> arrived in <keyword id="6355838" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="New-York">New York</keyword> on Thursday and will remain there for the next five days. This is his second visit to the US after taking charge as the PM. 
 He will address world leaders at a landmark UN sustainable development summit and interact with senior CEOs, including <keyword id="6354576" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Facebook">Facebook</keyword> CEO <keyword id="6354630" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Mark-Zuckerberg">Mark Zuckerberg</keyword> and <keyword id="6355629" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Google">Google</keyword>'s CEO <keyword id="164502" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Sundar-Pichai">Sundar Pichai</keyword>, and the Indian diaspora in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Silicon+Valley">Silicon Valley</a>. 
 Earlier, Modi was received by Indian Ambassador <keyword id="237000" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Arun-K-Singh">Arun K Singh</keyword>, India's envoy to the UN Asoke Mukerji, Consul General <keyword id="1448146" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Dnyaneshwar-Mulay">Dnyaneshwar Mulay</keyword> and their spouses at the airport. 
 
The PM will have a packed schedule for the next two days in New York and then in California from September 26-27. 
 
On September 28, Modi will return to New York for a bilateral meet with <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=President+Barack+Obama+">President Barack Obama</a> and will later attend a high-level peacekeeping summit at the <keyword id="6355833" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="united-nations">United Nations</keyword>. 
 
He will address global heads of state on Friday at the Sustainable Development Summit hosted by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=UN+Secretary+General+Ban+Ki-moon+">UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon</a> when the new and ambitious post-2015 development agenda will be adopted. 
 India will also host the G-4 summit in New York on September 26, before Modi leaves for the West Coast for a packed two-day trip during when he will have meetings with Zuckerberg, Apple CEO <keyword id="191843" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Tim-Cook">Tim Cook</keyword> and Pichai. 
 
He will also meet Obama on September 28, his third summit meeting with the US president in about a year. 
 
Modi is expected to focus on giving a further push to early and urgent reform of the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Security+Council+">Security Council</a> and to send an "unambiguous message" of "zero tolerance against terrorism". 
 
In a letter to the UN Secretary General in July, Modi had said that that the UN must be made more effective for dealing with new security challenges as "we are now living in an era when non-state military actors are a major factor." 
 
India's Permanent Representative to the UN Asoke Mukerji has said that the Prime Minister's speech at the Sustainable Development summit will focus on "Agenda 2030" since he "has given a lot of attention to the substance of the development agenda." 
 
Among the ambitious 17 goals to be adopted by the UN for the next 15 years is complete poverty eradication, zero hunger, quality education, gender equality, sustainable cities and communities and clean water and sanitation. 
 
In his letter to the UN chief, Modi had also underscored that eliminating poverty by 2030 should "unquestionably" be at the heart of the post-2015 Development Agenda. 
 
"The most acute forms of poverty still remain the most pressing problem and require direct, urgent and sustained interventions. Addressing the needs, concerns and human rights of 1.3 billion poor people in the world is not merely a question of their survival and dignity, but also a vital necessity for an enduring peaceful, sustainable and just international order," he said. 
 
(Image: Reuters)

US to PM Modi: Welcome back. This will be an epic trip to remember!

India's vision to be malaria-free by 2027 and to eliminate the disease by 2030 is absolutely possible, but some challenges remain, said experts here on <keyword id="1026106" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="world-malaria-day" source="Orion">World Malaria Day</keyword> on Tuesday. The country has made tremendous progress in its <keyword id="28154" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="malaria" source="Orion">malaria</keyword> elimination journey -- observing a reduction of nearly 66 per cent in its official malaria burden between 2018 and 2022. In 2021, India accounted for 79 per cent of all malaria cases of the Southeast Asia region, according to the World Malaria Report 2022, released by the World Health Organization (WHO). India also accounted for about 83 per cent of all malaria deaths in the region. However, among the high burden and high impact countries in the SE Asia region, India showed a decline in deaths. "Considering the huge success of Covid-19 control, India can do it -- control and elimination of Malaria is absolutely possible for India, with political will and societal support," Dr Nilima Kshirsagar, former National Chair and Emeritus Scientist ICMR, told IANS. "While India's progress deserves applause and acknowledgement, the road to elimination is still steep, and one ridden with critical challenges -- India still accounts for the majority of the malaria burden of WHO's Southeast Asia region," added Pratik Kumar, Country Director, Malaria No More India -- a nonprofit working in the country since 2016 to support India's ambition of achieving malaria elimination by 2030. Disruptions due to Covid, potential effects of climate change, humanitarian crisis, health system shortfall, limited donor funding are some of the challenges in combating malaria, Dr Nilima said. These are further compounded by decline in effectiveness of our primary malaria fighting tool that is, insecticide treated nets and antimalarial drug regimen, she noted. Malaria is a potentially life-threatening disease caused by parasites (plasmodium vivax, plasmodium falciparum, plasmodium malariae and plasmodium ovale) that are transmitted through the bite of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. In 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with other 17 regional leaders committed India to eliminating malaria in Asia by 2030. To receive the official certification of elimination by the WHO, India must achieve zero transmission of malaria cases by 2027 and sustain such transmission for the subsequent three years till 2030. "India witnessed 85.1 per cent decline in malaria cases and 83.36 per cent decline in deaths during 2015-2022," Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, said at the Asia-Pacific Leaders' Conclave on Malaria Elimination on Monday. Compared to 2019, India was the only high-burden, high-impact country in the SE Asia region to report a decline in malaria cases in 2020, he added. "While elimination is a difficult goal under any circumstance, changing our strategic approach from control to elimination and addressing certain key gaps and challenges -- such as absence of private sector in the fight, hidden malaria burden, lack of intersectoral action, exclusion of private health providers (local/traditional healers), and lax behaviour change communication -- can help India achieve our ambition of eliminating the disease by 2030, in line with the Prime Minister's vision," Kumar told IANS. To tackle malaria menace, several next generation antimalarial treatments are being developed. Some existing drugs are being repurposed, recombined and progressed for chemoprevention. One of the important developments has been the Malaria vaccine. These target various stages of parasite cycle, pre-erythrocytic cycle stage, blood stage, sexual stage, malaria in pregnancy. RTS,S/ASOI is an approved vaccine. Recently another vaccine R21/Matrix, manufactured by Serum Institute of India has been approved in Ghana and Nigeria for P.falciparum. For P. vivax there are three vaccines in development. "To help India reach zero malaria by 2027, we need drugs that do not spend much time in the drug discovery pipeline. Drug repurposing is one such way for faster development of drugs," Dr Shailja Singh, Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, whose recent research was aimed at blocking the transmission of fatal malaria parasites, told IANS. Her team identified Rocaglamide (Roc-A), a known inhibitor of Prohibitins and anti-cancerous agent as a potent antimalarial. They also reported the repurposing of the anti-hepatitis C virus drug alisporivir, a non-immunosuppressive analog of cyclosporin A, against artemisinin-resistant strains of P. falciparum. Alisporivir exhibited potent antiparasitic effect against P. falciparum parasite, both in in vitro culture and in an in vivo mice model. "Altogether, with the repurposing of alisporivir against malaria, our results support the hypothesis that targeting resistance mechanisms is a viable approach toward dealing with drug-resistant parasites," Dr Shailja said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/jiocinema-may-soon-launch-premium-subscription-plans-offering-4k-content-starting-at-2-per-day/articleshow/99736111.cms">JioCinema may soon launch premium subscription plans starting at ₹2 per day</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/mahindra-bolero-roars-past-1-lakh-sales-mark-in-fy23/articleshow/99725410.cms">Mahindra Bolero roars past 1 lakh sales mark in FY23, proving it's still a favourite amongst Indians</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/indian-smartphone-shipments-decline-by-20-in-q1-2023-as-per-canalys/articleshow/99633303.cms">Oppo bucks the trend as India’s smartphone shipments drop 20% in Q1 2023: Canalys</a>

World Malaria Day: It's possible to eradicate it, but challenges remain say experts

By Yoshita Singh United Nations, Jul 13 () India's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, articulated through Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of an "Aatma Nirbhar Bharat", does not imply a "self-sufficient or isolationist" India and the country remains supportive of the multilateral global economic order, as challenges presented by the pandemic can only be addressed through multilateralism and global solidarity, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said. India presented its 2nd Voluntary National Review (VNR) on Sustainable Development Goals at a virtual session of the High-Level Political Forum here on Monday. Presenting India's VNR, Kumar said the Indian government's response to the pandemic has been articulated through Modi's vision of an "Aatma Nirbhar Bharat" or a self-reliant India. "This is in no sense implying a self-sufficient or an isolationist India. On the other hand, we remain supportive of the multilateral global economic order, whose robust, resilient and rapid response capabilities to major disruptions is established beyond doubt," Kumar said in his address to the High-Level Political Forum. Kumar was accompanied by Adviser in the NITI Aayog, Sanyukta Samaddar during the VNR presentation. He stressed that the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown up multiple new challenges for countries. "All member countries are also faced with several pressing challenges, including climate change, the scourge of dehumanising poverty, human trafficking and natural disasters. These can be successfully addressed only and only through multilateralism and global solidarity," he said. Underscoring that the virus does not recognise any distinctions, Kumar emphasised that "we should all obliterate all divisions and distinctions amongst us, and come together to try and convert the prevailing situation into an opportunity for accelerating our progress towards achieving the SDG targets." Kumar said that India's responses to COVID-19-induced economic downturn has been operationalised through a stimulus package of USD 276 billion, which is 10 per cent of India's GDP and includes several reform and relief measures across sectors to protect lives and livelihoods. "No doubt challenges remain. We are committed to addressing them effectively and expeditiously. Our 2nd VNR highlights many of those good practices that have worked in the most challenging regions of our country. These examples can provide a basis for mutual learning amongst countries. The role of international cooperation is more critical than ever before," he said. Referring to Modi's articulation that "people, planet and profits are interlinked", Kumar said nations have to "earnestly" focus on the triple bottom line of optimising financial, social and ecological returns in whatever they do. "We have to continuously strive for doing well by doing good. It can be done," he said. Outlining the significant progress made by India towards the SDGs and Agenda 2030 through various flagship and ambitious programmes and initiatives, Kumar said the country has been able to lift 270 million people from multi-dimensional poverty, the law on the Right to Education promises education for all and the Prime Minister's housing programme promises a roof over every head by 2025 and piped water to every home. He added that electricity has already reached all of India's villages and 80 million households have access to clean fuel, 110 million toilets have been built, 385 million new bank accounts have been opened and the government launched the world's largest health insurance programme 'Ayushman Bharat' that covers 500 million citizens. The JAM Trinity (Jan-Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile) has enabled the government to shift all the beneficiaries in nearly 480 schemes for direct benefit transfers. "Given our extensive diversity, regional priorities and … plurality, we have had to localise the SDGs. One size simply does not fit all the people," Kumar said, adding that the government is actively partnering with state governments and union territories for vertical and horizontal policy coherence for achieving SDG targets. Kumar told the high-level forum that India's 2nd VNR preparation process has been "truly participatory" and included consultation with businesses, civil society organisations, academia, think tanks, professionals and startups. "It is indeed a whole of society endeavour," he said. The NITI Aayog partnered with civil society organisations for a consultative process that saw more than 50 national and sub-national consultations led by civil society organisations from 14 population groups. Kumar also highlighted India's leadership in the International Solar Alliance and The Coalition for Disaster Resilience Infrastructure, UN Convention to Combat Desertification and the Paris Climate Agreement. Further, during the COVID-19 crisis, India has extended humanitarian relief and supplied essential drugs over 80 countries across the world. "We may be far off from each other physically but we remain connected… The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruptions to our plans and timelines. Therefore, we have to double and triple our efforts for achieving the Agenda 2030," he said. YAS RS RS

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