The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi’s interaction programmeParikshaPeCharcha 2020 with a cross section of Students and Teachersfrom India and abroad to beat exam stresshas been rescheduled to 20th January, 2020 at 11 a.m, on account of Pongal, Makar Sankranti, Lohri, Onam and other festivals across the country. The programme was earlier scheduled for 16th January, 2020.

A lot of excitement and enthusiasm is being seen among the students, teachers and parents to not only participate in the unique event but also to receive valuable tips from the Prime Minister who is keen to ensure that the students take exams in a relaxed atmosphere and donot come under stress,  to ensure better results in the long run.

The HRD Ministry in partnership with MyGov has launched a ‘short essay’ competition for students of classes 9 to 12 for the third edition of Prime Minister’s Interaction Programme with school students “ParikshaPeCharcha 2020” . The entries for the competition, were invited online from 2nd December, 2019 to 23rd December, 2019 through www.mygov.in. As in previous years, students have also been invited to send their questions for the event online. The students whose entries are judged the best on the basis of their online responses will be invited to take part in the programme to be held in Delhi at Talkatora Stadium.

The First edition of Prime Minister’s Interaction Programme with school and college students “ParikshaPeCharcha 1.0” was held at Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi on 16th February, 2018. The second edition of the said Interaction Programme with school and college students “ParikshaPeCharcha 2.0” was also held at Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi on 29th January, 2019.

Third edition of Prime Minister’s Interaction Programme with school students “ParikshaPe Charcha2020” was proposed to be held at Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi on 16th January, 2020. However keeping in view the school holidays insouthern States on account of Pongal/Makar Sakranti, it has been decided to hold it on 20th January, 2020 in Delhi.

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The gross GST revenue collected in the month of December, 2019 is ₹ 1,03,184crore of which CGST is ₹ 19,962crore, SGST is ₹ 26,792crore, IGST is ₹ 48,099crore (including ₹ 21,295crore collected on imports) and Cess is ₹ 8,331crore (including ₹ 847crore collected on imports). The total number of GSTR 3B Returns filed for the month of November up to 31^stDecember, 2019 is 81.21lakh.

The GST revenues during the month of December, 2019 from domestic transactions has shown an impressive growth of 16% over the revenue during the month of December, 2018. If we consider IGST collected from imports, the total revenue during December, 2019 has increased by 9% in comparison to the revenue during December, 2018. During this month, the IGST on import of goods has seen a negative growth of (-) 10%, but is an improvement over (-) 13% last month and (-) 20% in the month of October.

The government has settled ₹ 21,814crore to CGST and ₹ 15,366crore to SGST from IGST as regular settlement. The total revenue earned by Central Government and the State Governments after regular settlement in the month of December, 2019 is
₹ 41,776 crore for CGST and ₹ 42,158 crore for the SGST.

The chart shows trends in revenue during the current year:

Following is the table showing State-wise gross domestic GST Collection and its comparison with that of December, 2018:

State-wise Gross Domestic GST Collection for the month of December, 2019

(Amount Rs. in Cr.)

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RM/KMN/DKS

During the year, various alerts and timely warnings were issued regarding Cyclonic storms, Heavy rainfall warning, Sea condition, Storm Surge Warning, Damage Expected, pre-cyclone alerts and expected damage, etc.

The alerts were issued for Cyclonic Storm ‘PABUK’ over Andaman Sea & neighbourhood, Cyclone ‘FANI’ over Southwest Bay & adjoining Southeast of Bengal, Cyclone Alert for Odisha, West Bengal & Srikakulam and Vijayanagaram Districts of Andhra Pradesh Coasts, Cyclonic Storm ‘VAYU’ over Northeast & adjoining East central Arabian Sea, Depression over northwest Bay of Bengal off north Odisha – West Bengal coasts, Cyclonic Storm ‘HIKAA’ over northeast and adjoining east central Arabian sea and Cyclonic Storm ‘BULBUL’ over northwest and adjoining West-Central Bay of Bengal. Other alerts like Snowfall over hills, hailstorms and Western Disturbance were also disseminated by issuing press releases.

Low cost device for ocean states forecast and mapping potential fishing zones launched:

For seamless and effective dissemination of emergency information and communication on disaster warnings, Potential Fishing Zones (PFZ) and Ocean States Forecasts (OSF) to fishermen, the Government on 9^th October launched the Gagan Enabled Mariner’s Instrument for Navigation and Information (GEMINI) device. The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), joined hands with Airports Authority of India (AAI) to utilize the GAGAN (GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation) satellite system to transmit the PFZ, OSF and disaster warnings to fishermen with GAGAN system consisting of three geosynchronous satellites (GSAT-8, GSAT-10 and GSAT-15). GAGAN foot-print covers the entire Indian Ocean round the clock.

Government launched Special Weather Services for Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj

The government on 14^th January launched special weather services for the benefit of people visiting Prayagraj during Kumbh Mela. The Kumbh Mela 2019 was held at Prayagraj during January-March 2019. A mobile application named “Kumbh Mela Weather Service” was developed to disseminate the live weather information (temperature, humidity, rainfall and winds) as observed in all the above four sites. The Mobile App was available for downloading from Google Store.

3-day International Symposium on “Advances in Agro-meteorology for managing climatic risks of farmers” organised at New Delhi:

Considering the urgent need of sharing the agro-meteorological knowledge among researchers, policy makers, industry and farmers to learn from each other, identify the technologies/practices and develop a roadmap for risk management, the Association of Agro Meteorologists (AAM) organized a 3-day International Symposium on “Advances in Agro Meteorology for Managing Climatic Risks of Farmers” (INAGMET-2019) at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi (India) beginning 11^th February, 2019. The symposium was jointly organized with India Meteorological Department, Indian Centre of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Indian Agricultural Research Institute and Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Vice President addressed the Silver Jubilee celebrations of NIOT in Chennai; sought innovative solutions to conserve water and tackle climate change, pollution:

Inaugurating the silver jubilee celebrations of National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) in Chennai on 3^rd November, the Vice President Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu said technology was needed for protection of coastal areas from negative impacts of climate change and for development of blue coastal infrastructure for the benefit of society.

The NIOT was established in November 1993 as an autonomous society under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India by the then Department of Ocean Development. NIOT has established itself as one of the premier institutes in the world, working on various ocean technologies.

Visit of UK’s Prince Charles to India Meteorological Department

Prince Charles visited the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on 13^th November, 2019. Dr. M. Rajeevan, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences and Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of Meteorology, IMD welcomed His Royal Highness Prince Charles to IMD. DGM IMD highlighted the evolution of cyclone warning system aftermath of Odisha Super Cyclone in 1999 which led to loss of 10,000  human deaths to the current modernised early warning system of IMD which has minimised the loss of lives to less than 100 due to very severe cyclonic storms crossing the coast since 2013. The modernised system has not only helped India, but also the 13 countries in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea region to minimize loss of lives to less than 100. His Highness appreciated the accurate predictions during cyclone FANI which crossed Odisha coast in May, 2019 and recent cyclone Bulbul which crossed West Bengal-Bangladesh coast in November, 2019.

MoU between India and the UK on Cooperation in Weather and Climate Sciences:

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on  28^th February was apprised of the MoU between India and United Kingdom (UK) on Cooperation in Weather and Climate Sciences. The MoU was signed on 28^th January 2019, under which, an Implementation Agreement on Weather and climate science for service partnership will also be signed between India and the UK.

MoU on Antarctic cooperation between India and Argentina:

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, on 27^th March was apprised about an MoU signed in February, 2019 between India and Argentina on Antarctic cooperation. The MoU will help scientific cooperation on projects in the fields of Earth sciences, as well as those related to the protection and conservation of the natural environment of Antarctica and the Southern Oceans.

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Air Marshal MSG Menon VSM takes over as Air Officer-in-Charge Administration of Indian Air Force with effect from 01 Jan 2020.

Air Marshal MSG Menon VSM was commissioned in Administrative branch of IAF in Dec 1982. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Calicut University.
He has undergone Higher Air Command Course from College of Air Warfare. He is an alumnus of Defence Services Staff College Wellington and the prestigious National Defence College.

The Air Marshal is a Cat ‘AYE’ Air Traffic Controller and has commanded an operational radar unit at a major flying station. He was a member of the first UN Mission to Sudan. He has tenanted the appointments of Chief Administrative Officer at a major AF Station and Director at National Defence University. He has served as the Commandant of the prestigious Air Force Administrative College, Coimbatore and Principal Director Ops (Air Traffic Services). On promotion to Air Vice Marshal, he tenanted the appointment of Assistant Chief Of Air Staff (Org & Ceremonial) and Assistant Chief of Air Staff (AF Works).

Prior to taking over as Air Officer-in-Charge Administration, he was the Director General (Works & Ceremonials) at Air HQ.

For his distinguished service, the Air Marshal was commended by the VCAS in the year 2007. He was awarded Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) by the Hon’ble President of India in the year 2016.

He is married to Mrs. Lakshmi Menon and they are blessed with a daughter who is a micro biologist and is married.

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Air Marshal Vibhas Pande VSM has taken over as Air Officer-in-Charge Maintenance of Indian Air Force with effect from 01 Jan 2020.

Air Officer was commissioned as Aeronautical Engineer (Mechanical) in IAF on 29 Aug 1984. He started his career as Engineering Officer in IAF with fighter aircraft and later also gained experience in maintenance operations on transport aircraft and helicopters. He has flown nearly 1200 hrs on helicopters as Flight Engineer and has also been Air Force Examiner for Rotary Wing aircraft.

Air Officer is a Post Graduate in Reliability Engineering from IIT Powai, Mumbai. He is also an alumnus of College of Air Warfare and National Defence College.

Air Officer has held the appointments of Senior Production Engineer at 11 Base Repair Depot, Commanding Officer of Air Armament Inspection Wing, Khamaria, Directing Staff at College of Air Warfare and Command Engineering Officer at HQ WAC. He has also spearheaded indigenisation drive in IAF as CO of 1 CIMD. Some of the key appointments held by him include command of a premier Base Repair Depot, Senior Maintenance Staff Officer at HQ EAC and  ACAS Eng (T&H) at Air HQ. Prior to assuming his present appointment, he was holding the appointment of Director General (Aircraft).

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General Bipin Rawat assumed office of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) here today. As the CDS, General Rawat will be the Principal Military Advisor to the Raksha Mantri on all Tri-Services matters. He will also head Department of Military Affairs (DMA). The CDS will have a key role in ensuring optimum utilisation of allocated budget, usher in more synergy in procurement, training &operations of the Services through joint planning and integration. The CDSwill facilitate indigenisation of weapons and equipment to the maximum extent possible while formulating the overall defence acquisition plan for the three Services.

Interacting with media persons, General Rawat vowed to work to create more synergy among the three Services. “The CDS is mandated to facilitate integration, ensure best economical use of resources allocated to the Armed Forces and bring uniformity in the procurement procedure. I want to assure you that the Army, Navy and Air Force will work as a team and the CDS will ensure integration among these,” he said.

Earlier, General Rawat inspected the Tri-Service Guard of Honour at the South Block Lawns. Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria and Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Mukund Naravanewere also present on the occasion. General Rawat also laid wreath and paid homage to the martyrs at the National War Memorial.

Ex-Chief of the Army Staff General Rawat, is an alumnus of National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College, Wellington; Higher Command, National Defence College. He also attended the Command and General Staff Course at Fort Leavenworth in the United States.

During his distinguished career in the Army, General Rawat commanded an Infantry battalion along the Line of Actual Control in the Eastern Sector, a Rashtriya Rifles Sector, an Infantry Division in the Kashmir Valley and a Corps in the North East. General Rawat had also commanded a Multinational Brigade in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As an Army Commander, he commanded a theatre of operations along the Western Front and was appointed the Vice Chief of the Army Staff before assuming office of Chief of the Army Staff.

During the span of over 41 years in the Army, General Rawat has been awarded several gallantry and distinguished service awards.

There is a well-established system for selection of tableaux for participation in the Republic Day Parade as per which Ministry of Defence invites proposals for tableau from all States/UTs and Central Ministries/Departments.

The tableaux proposals received from various States/UTs and Central Ministries/Departments are evaluated in a series of meetings of the Expert Committee comprising of eminent persons in the field of art, culture, painting, sculpture, music, architecture, choreography etc. The Expert Committee examines the proposals on the basis of theme, concept, design and its visual impact before making its recommendations. Due to time constraints arising out of overall duration of the parade, only a limited number of tableaux can be shortlisted for participation in the parade. The selection process in vogue, leads to participation of the best tableaux in the parade.

For Republic Day Parade 2020, a total of 56 tableaux proposals (32 from States/UTs and 24 from Ministries/Departments) were received. Out of these, 22 proposals, comprising of 16 States/UTs and 6 Ministries/Departments, have finally been shortlisted for participation in the Republic Day Parade 2020 after a series of five meetings.

The tableau proposal of Govt. of West Bengal was examined by the Expert Committee in two rounds of meetings. The tableau proposal of Govt. of West Bengal was not taken forward for further consideration by the Expert Committee after deliberations in the second meeting. It is pertinent to mention here that the tableau of Govt. of West Bengal was shortlisted for participation in Republic Day Parade 2019 as an outcome of the same process.

In order to promote India-Africa trade and economic relations, Ministry of Commerce and Industry regularly reviewsIndia’s trade with Africa through institutional mechanismslike Joint Commission Meetings (JCMs), Joint Trade Committees (JTCs), and Joint Working Groups(JWGs).

The 9^th Session of the India-Kenya Joint Trade Committee was held in New Delhi on 19-20 August, 2019 under the co-chairmanship of Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal and his Kenyan counterpart Mr. Peter Munya, Cabinet Secretary (Minister) for Ministry of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives, Government of the Republic of Kenya.  During the meeting, wide ranging discussions were held cutting across sectors like MSME, Agriculture, Information Communication Technology (ICT), Tourism, Administration of Standards, Development of Human Resources in Higher Education, Science & Technology, Investment Promotion and Protection, Air Services, Energy, Plastics, Textile, Pharmaceuticals, Oil & Gas, Health, Immigration, Automobile and other engineering products. Collaboration in the field of issue of recognition of Indian Pharmacopoeia in Kenya was also discussed.

The First India-Nigeria JTC was held on 19^th – 20^th December, 2019 in New Delhi, under the Co-chair of Commerce Secretary, Government of India and his Nigerian counterpart. During the meeting discussions were held in various sectors including oil and natural gas, market access in bovine meat, rice, recognition of pharmacopoeia, cooperation of SME sector, higher education and power.

The first meeting of the India-South Africa JWG on Trade and Investment was held in January, 2019, to deliberate upon the bottlenecks including non-tariff barriers, and suggest the way forward to further deepen India’s trade with the region.

The proposed India-Mauritius Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA)seeks to mutually benefit both the countries, in the area of trade in goods, and trade in services.  Seven rounds of India-Mauritius CECPA negotiations have been held till now.  The 7th round was held during 19-23 November, 2018 in Mauritius. During these rounds, negotiations were held cutting across trade in Goods, trade in Services, Rules of Origin, Technical Barriers to Trade and Sanitary and Phyto-sanitary(SPS) measure, Trade Remedies and Dispute Settlement. India- Mauritius CECPA negotiations for trade in goods and trade in services, have been completed. The Agreement is near finalization.

On the Occasion of World Cotton Day organized by WTO in Geneva on 7^th October, 2019, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India announced the launch of Phase-II of C-TAP in 11 African countries. The programme is aimed at enhancing productivity in cotton sector, improving the post-harvest and plant by-products industry in the participating countries, as well as building the capacity of the cotton-based textile sector. Department is currently working on implementation plan inconsultation with stakeholders such as foreign counterparts through IndianMissions, Ministry of External Affairs, institutes engaged in cotton researchand capacity building activitiesinIndia.

In order to leverage the huge presence of Indian business community in Africa for promoting India’s exports to the region, three rounds of interactions of Minister of Commerce & Industry were organized through Indian Missions with Indian business community in Madagascar, Tanzania, Mauritius, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, Mozambique, Ghana, Botswana, Nigeria, Morocco, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia and Egypt over Digital Video Conference (DVC) in May, 2019.

For promoting India-Africa trade and economic relations, a regional conclave was organised by Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India jointly with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), in March, 2019 at New Delhi. On the sidelines of the Conclave/Regional Conclave, bilateral meetings with participating countries were also held at the Ministerial level to boost up Indian participation in project exports opportunities in African countries. The conclave was attended by Head of the States from three African countries. More than two dozen Ministers along with around 500 business delegates from Africa participated in the Conclave.

On the sidelines of the conclave, bilateral meetings were held between Minister of State (Commerce & Industry) with Trade Ministers of African countries, issues related to trade, investments, and cooperation in agriculture, pharmaceutical sector were discussed.The conclave also focused on new ideas and strategies, for enhancing the engagement between Indian and the Southern African Development Community (SADC- a 16-member organization) in various sectors. Various opportunities in project exports were discussed by Indian and African business delegates in B2B meetings.

Ministry of Commerce & Industry jointly with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) organized the India-Africa Higher Education and Skill Development Summit on 26 – 27 August 2019 at New Delhi.

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Registration of political parties is governed by the provisions of Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. An association seeking registration under the said Section has to submit an application to the Commission within a period of 30 days following the date of its formation, as per the guidelines prescribed by the Commission in exercise of the powers conferred by Article 324 of the Constitution of India and Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

In order to enable applicants to track the status of the application, the Commission has launched a “Political Parties Registration Tracking Management System(PPRTMS)”.  The salient feature in the PPRTMS is that the applicant, who is applying for party registration from 1st January, 2020 will be able to track the progress of his/her application and will get status update through SMS and e-mail.  The status can be tracked through the Commission’s portal at link https://pprtms.eci.gov.in/. The Commission in the month of December, 2019,  has amended the guidelines and issued a Press Note dated 02.12.2019 regarding registration of political party for the information of the general public.  The new guidelines is effective from 1st January, 2020 and is available on the Commission’s website http://eci.gov.in.

SBS

The Chairman Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Dr K Sivan briefed media at a Press Meet organised at ISRO Headquarters, Bengaluru today. During the Press Meet, Dr Sivan outlined ISRO’s achievements during the last one year and also the plans to be accomplished during the current year.

During 2019, six launch vehicle and seven satellite missions were realised by ISRO. The year also marked the 50th launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). Dr Sivan said that two new variants of the PSLV were introduced. For the first time, the spent fourth stage of the PSLV was successfully demonstrated as an experimental orbital platform. Indigenously developed Vikram processor by Semi-Conductor Laboratory was flight tested during the year. International mobile standards body 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) approved India’s regional navigation satellite system NavIC which would facilitate NavIC’s use in mobile phones.

On the capacity building front, a second launch port, exclusively for the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), is planned to be established in Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu. “Land acquisition activities are presently in progress”, said Dr. Sivan. A second Vehicle Assembly Building in SDSC SHAR Sriharikota was dedicated to the nation during the year for increasing the launch frequency. As part of the enhanced outreach activity, a launch viewing gallery was operationalised in Sriharikota to facilitate viewing of launches live by the public.

In an effort towards horizontal expansion of ISRO, Space Technology Cells, Space Technology Incubation Centres andRegional Academic Centres for Space were established during the year and many more such centres are planned in the future. A special programme for school children called “YuvaVIgyaniKAryakram (YUVIKA)”aimed at imparting basic knowledge on Space Technology, Space Science and Space Applications was also introduced during the last year.

To carry forward the industry production of space systems, ISRO incorporated New Space India Limited (NSIL), under the Department of Space and efforts in realising PSLVs from industry initiated.

Pertaining to future programmes, Dr Sivan said Chandrayaan-3 mission to the moon, comprising a lander and a rover is approved by the Government and activities for its realisation are in progress.

Talking about India’s first human space flight mission Gaganyaan, Dr. Sivan said “We’ve made good progress in the mission. The process of Astronaut selection for the mission is completed”. He further added that four astronauts have been selected, who will undergo extensive training.

Other projects during the year include SSLV, GSLV with 4m ogive payload fairing, GSAT-20 satellite, NavIC with indigenous atomic clocks, Indian Data Relay Satellite System, Aditya-L1 and XPOSAT.

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The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has extended his New Year greetings to the nation.

“Have a wonderful 2020! May this year be filled with joy and prosperity. May everyone be healthy and may everyone’s aspirations be fulfilled. आप सभी को साल 2020 की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं। ”, the Prime Minister said.

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The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has congratulated General Bipin Rawat on taking charge as India’s first Chief of Defence Staff.

“I am delighted that as we begin the new year and new decade, India gets its first Chief of Defence Staff in General Bipin Rawat. I congratulate him and wish him the very best for this responsibility. He is an outstanding officer who has served India with great zeal.

As the first CDS takes charge, I pay homage to all those who have served and laid down their lives for our nation. I recall the valiant personnel who fought in Kargil, after which many discussions on reforming our military began, leading to today’s historic development.

On 15^th August 2019, from the ramparts of the Red Fort, I announced that India will have a Chief of Defence Staff. This institution carries tremendous responsibility of modernizing our military forces. It would also reflect the hopes and aspirations of 1.3 billion Indians.

Creation of the Department of Military Affairs with requisite military expertise and institutionalisation of the post of CDS is a momentous and comprehensive reform that will help our country face the ever-changing challenges of modern warfare”, the Prime Minister said.

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On the occasion of the New Year, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today had telephone conversation with  H.M. Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, The Druk Gyalpo of Kingdom of Bhutan and  Lyonchhen (Dr.) Lotay Tshering, Prime Minister of Bhutan, Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, President and Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Mr. Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, President of the Maldives, Ms. Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh and Mr. K.P. Sharma Oli, Prime Minister of Nepal.

Prime Minister conveyed to the leaders his New Year greetings and good wishes on behalf of the people of India and on his own behalf. He emphasized India’s commitment to ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy and the vision of shared peace, security, prosperity and progress for all of India’s friends and partners in the region.

In his conversation with the King of Bhutan, the Prime Minister highlighted important achievements of the last year which have led to further consolidation of special ties between India and Bhutan. Prime Minister fondly recalled his last visit to Bhutan and the love and affection he received from the people there. He also emphasized the need to enhance youth exchanges between the two countries. Prime Minister also mentioned that he was looking forward to forthcoming visit of the King to India.

President of Sri Lanka Mr.Gotabaya Rajapaksa warmly reciprocated the wishes of Prime Minister and expressed confidence that India and Sri Lanka would further enhance their friendly ties in the year 2020. The two leaders reiterated their commitment to closely work together towards this end.

Speaking to the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa, Prime Minister reiterated India’s commitment to further expand the close and extensive cooperation with Sri Lanka. Prime Minister Rajapaksa reciprocated the wishes warmly and expressed keen desire to further enhance relations between the two countries.

Prime Minister Shri Modi wished the President of the Maldives and the people of the Maldives success in all their endeavours for development. President Solih warmly reciprocated Prime Minister’s wishes and expressed his keen desire to further deepen and strengthen the ties with India by enhancing the existing bilateral cooperation and exploring newer areas for working together.

Speaking with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister, inter alia, congratulated her on being re-elected as the President of the Awami League for the next three years. Prime Minister also expressed his condolence on the untimely demise of former High Commissioner of Bangladesh to India Syed Muazzem Ali. Prime Minister noted the progress achieved in India-Bangladesh relations in 2019. He also stated that the upcoming birth-centenary of Bangbandhu and 50 years of the Liberation of Bangladesh and establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties provided important milestones to further progress of the close India-Bangladesh ties, which is a priority of his Government.

In his conversation with Prime Minister Oli, the Prime Minister expressed his satisfaction at the progress of India-Nepal relations in 2019, with the completion of several projects. He specifically noted the completion of Motihari (India)- Amlekhgunj (Nepal) petroleum products pipeline in a record time. Both the leaders also agreed for an early inauguration of the Integrated Check Post in Biratnagar and the housing reconstruction project in Nepal through video conference.

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The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, will visit Karnataka on 2^nd and 3^rd January 2020.

At Tumkur, He will visit the Sree Siddaganga Mutt, where he will unveil a plaque to mark the laying of Foundation Stone for a memorial museum of Shri Shri Shivakumar Swamiji.

The Prime Minister will offer prayers and also plant a sapling at the Mutt. The Chief Minister of Karnataka Shri B. S. Yediyurappa  and other dignitaries including Sh. Siddalingeshwara Swamy will be present on the occasion.

Prime Minister will address the gathering.

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The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will distribute Krishi Karman Awards and Commendation Awards to states at a public meeting in Tumkur Karnataka on Thursday, 2.1.2020. He will also give away Agriculture Minister’s Krishi Karman Awards for Progressive Farmers.

The event will also witness the release of the 3^rd installment of PM Kisan (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi) of Rs 2000 for the period December 2019-March 2020. This will benefit approximately 6 crore beneficiaries.  Prime Minister will also hand over Certificates to beneficiaries under PM Kisan from 8 States/UTs.

At the same event, Prime Minister will also handover the Keys of Deep Sea fishing Vessels and Fishing Vessel Transponders to select farmers of Tamil Nadu.

He will also distribute Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) to select farmers of Karnataka.

The Prime Minister will visit an Exhibition at the venue, and address the gathering.

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