A delegation of Ladakhi veteran leaders, Venerable Thiksay Rinpoche (former MP/RS), Shri Thupstan Chhewang (former MP/LS) and Shri Chhering Dorje @ Lakrook (former Minister, J & K), on behalf of the people of Leh, Ladakh, met with the Union Home Minister, Sh. Amit Shah on September 26, 2020. Shri G. Kishan Reddy, MOS Home and Shri Kiren Rijiju, MOS Youth Affairs & Sports were also present during the meeting.

The delegation was assured that all issues related to language, demography, ethnicity, land and jobs will be considered positively/ taken care of. A dialogue between a larger Ladakhi delegation comprising of representatives from Leh and Kargil Districts under the aegis of “Peoples Movement for Constitutional safeguard under VIth Schedule” and Union Home Ministry would commence after 15 days of the culmination of LAHDC, Leh elections. Any decision so reached in this connection would be in consultation with the representatives from Leh and Kargil.

Union Home Minister assured the delegation that Government of India is committed to empower the LAHDC of Leh and Kargil and would safeguard interests of the people of the UT of Ladakh. It would explore all avenues towards this objective.

The Government of India is open to discuss protection available under the 6th Schedule of Constitution of India while looking into issues related to Ladakhi people.

The delegation has agreed to withdraw it’s call for the boycott of the ensuing LAHDC, Leh elections and promised it’s wholesome support to the smooth conduct of these elections.

In his Mann ki Baat address, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi said that during the COVID crisis, the farmers of the country have shown tremendous resilience.

Prime Minister said that if the agriculture sector is strong, then the foundation of Atmanirbhar Bharat will remain strong.  He noted that in the recent past, the sector has liberated from many restrictions and has tried to break free from many myths. He shared the example of Shri Kanwar Chauhan, a farmer from Haryana, who used to face great difficulties in marketing his fruits and vegetables outside the mandi, but in 2014, fruits and vegetables were excluded from the APMC Act, which greatly benefited him. He formed a Farmer Producer’s Organization and farmers in his village now cultivate sweet corn and baby corn and supply produce directly to Azadpur Mandi in Delhi, to big retail chains and Five Star Hotels, which has substantially boosted their income. Prime Minister underlined that these farmers have the power to sell their fruits and vegetables, anywhere and to anyone, which is the foundation of their progress, and now the same has been imparted to farmers all over the country, for the entire spectrum of their produce.

Prime Minister also cited the benefits accruing to farmers due to exclusion of fruits and vegetables from APMC purview by sharing the example of Sri Swami Samarth Farm Producer Company Limited – a Farmer Producer’s Organization in Maharashtra. He noted that farmers in Pune and Mumbai are running weekly markets themselves and selling directly without middlemen. He also talked about Tamil Nadu Banana farmer produce company, a collective of farmers, which purchased hundreds of metric tons of vegetables, fruits and bananas from nearby villages during the lockdown, and supplied a vegetable combo kit to Chennai. He mentioned the ‘Irada Farmer Producer’ group from Lucknow who, during the lockdown, procured fruits and vegetables directly from the cultivators’ fields, and sold directly in the markets of Lucknow, free from the middlemen.

Prime Minister noted that through innovations and application of new techniques, agriculture will progress further. He cited the example of Ismail Bhai, a farmer from Gujarat, who took up farming despite being discouraged by his family. He cultivated potatoes using drip irrigation technology – the high quality potatoes are now his hallmark, which he sells directly to large companies without middlemen, and earns huge profits. Prime Minister also shared the story of Ms. Bijay Shanti from Manipur who launched a start-up to develop thread from the Lotus stem, and noted that her efforts and innovations have opened new avenues in the fields of lotus farming and textile.

NTPC Ltd, India’s largest power producer and a PSU under Ministry of Power, has invited bids for procurement of biomass pellets for its various thermal plants on the basis of Domestic Competitive Basis (DCB) as part of its endeavour to reduce burning of crop residue on farmlands that cause air pollution. The power producer has envisaged consumption of five million tonnes of pellets in the current year at its 17 its power plants including NTPC Korba (Chhattisgarh), NTPC Farakka (West Bengal), NTPC Dadri (Uttar Pradesh), NTPC Kudgi (Karnataka), NTPC Sipat (Chhattisgarh), and NTPC Rihand (Uttar Pradesh).

As per a statement issued by NTPC Ltd, it had first undertaken this unique initiative on pilot basis in 2017 for biomass co-firing by replacing some of the coal with pellet based fuel at NTPC Dadri, Uttar Pradesh. Post successful implementation, NTPC now plans to replicate the model in 17 of its state of the art plants. The invitation for bids would be done through e-tendering at SRM Portal. The bidding process will be followed by the Single Stage, Two Envelope Bidding System.

NTPC is confident that co-firing will help create large scale rural employment opportunities in processing as well as supply chain for biomass. The power producer will give preference to bids from suppliers from Punjab and Haryana. The bidders needs to notify NTPC about the relevant provisions of the bidding documents before submitting their bids. NTPC had fired 100 tonne of agro residue based pellets at Dadri, Uttar Pradesh in 2017. The test-firing was carried out in four phases, with gradual increase in percentage of firing from 2.5% to 10% along with coal. Till date, the company has fired more than 7,000 tonne of agro residue pellets.

As per estimates, about 145 MMTPA of crop residue remains unutilised and most of it is burnt in India in the open fields, creating severe air pollution that leads to health issues. Open burning of agro residue is considered a major contributor to the surge in PM 2.5 in Northern India in post-harvesting season.

With its gross calorific value comparable to the bituminous coal, the power generation potential of the entire 145 MMTPA biomass burnt through co-firing in coal-based power plants is equivalent to 28,000-30,000 MW of round the clock generation of renewable power which can produce the same amount of electrical energy as can be produced from solar capacity of 125,000-150,000 MW.

With a total installed capacity of 62.9 GW, NTPC Group has 70 Power stations comprising of 24 Coal, 7 combined cycle Gas/Liquid Fuel, 1 Hydro, 13 Renewables along with 25 Subsidiary & JV Power Stations. The group has over 20 GW of capacity under construction, of which 5 GW comprises of renewable energy.

On the occasion of the World Tourism Day, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Shri Dharmendra Pradhan today addressed a virtual meet on the theme of “Tourism and rural development”, along with Minister of State (I/c) for Tourism Shri Prahlad Singh Patel.

Minister Pradhan commended the Ministry of Tourism for its novel initiative ‘DekhoApnaDesh’ that promotes and encourages local heritage and tourist sites. He spoke about India’s rich culture, history and ancient architectural marvels which offer immense scope for the growth of tourism industry. Talking about Internet’s role in making the world a global village, Shri Pradhan called for effective use of technology to further strengthen India’s position as a global tourist hotspot.

Shri Pradhan said that tourism industry offers unprecedented potential for employment generation and empowerment of our youth, also in the rural areas. He said that every district of our country has a historic story to share or a legend to narrate, and as India celebrates 75 years of independence in 2022, we must work on creating more tourism sites around the heroism of our freedom fighters.

Minister Pradhan called for weaving sustainability with tourism and collaborating to switch prime tourist cities to 100% clean fuels, which will further help protect our monuments and ensure a cleaner environment for the tourists.

28 September is celebrated as the Gunners Day every year as on this day in 1827 Five (Bombay) Mountain Battery equipped with 2.5 inch Guns was raised. Presently it forms part of 57 Field Regiment. Artillery has grown in strength and capability with each passing year. Today the Artillery boosts of a dynamic inventory which ranges from Ballistic Missile, Multi Barrel Rocket launchers, High Mobility Guns, Mortars Precision Guided Munitions for destruction of enemy targets to Radars, UAVs and Electro optic devices for locating and carryout Post Strike Damage Assessment (PSDA). The Artillery has always been a battle winning factor and as per the new generation of warfare (Non Contact Warfare), its role and significance is bound to increase manifold in future.

The Regiment of Artillery is proud of a glorious past replete with rich traditions and gallant achievements. It has acquitted itself as the battle winning factor in every occasion whenever the integrity of our nation has been threatened. The Regiment rendered yeoman service to the nation during all the major conflicts with adversaries and during disasters and natural calamities. The regiment boasts of one Victoria Cross, one Distinguished Service Order, 15 Military Crosses during the pre-independence era and one Ashok Chakra, seven Maha Vir Chakras, nine Kirti Chakras, 101 Vir Chakras, 63 Shaurya Chakras, six Bar to Sena Medal, 485 Sena Medals besides many other decorations. The role of Bofors in Kargil conflict also established beyond doubt that Artillery firepower plays a defining role in achieving victory in the modern battlefield. The accurate artillery fire on enemy positions during the Kargil war had reduced their defences to rubble thereby degrading the enemy’s fighting potential.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare answered questions posed by his social media interactors on the third episode of Sunday Samvaad. Besides the present COVID crisis, these questions covered a multitude of queries concerning the medical infrastructure, the future of Public Health in India, India’s contribution to Climate Change Research and advancements in Meteorology.

The Union Health Minister dispelled fears regarding the phased opening of schools and advised on proper protocol to be followed while visiting salons and hair-spa. The Minister asked everyone to always raise awareness regarding COVID appropriate behaviors which he himself does by stopping his car and asking non-compliant people to wear their masks. He re-emphasized on the need for wearing masks even in places of worship.

He said “the Pandemic can only be fought when the Government and society work together in tandem.” The Health Minister also coined the slogan:

दोगजकीदूरी, औरथोड़ीसमझदारी,

पड़ेगीकोरोना  पे भारी।

He further cautioned that ICMR’s Sero survey report should not create a sense of complacency in people. The first sero survey of May 2020 revealed that the nationwide prevalence of novel coronavirus infection was only 0.73%. Even the soon to be released second sero survey indications are that we are far from having achieved any kind of herd immunity which necessitates that all of us should continue following COVID appropriate behaviour.

Regarding wide usage of investigational therapies such as Remdesivir & Plasma Therapies, the Union Health Minister stated that the Government has issued regular advisories regarding their rational usage. The private hospitals have also been advised against routine use of these investigational therapies. The doctors in the States/UTs are being made aware of this through webinars and during the tele-consultation session of AIIMS, New Delhi. 

On the emerging evidence that the disease not only impacts our lungs but other organ systems too, especially cardiovascular and renal, the Minister said that the Ministry of Health has already set up committees of experts to look into these facets of COVID-19. ICMR is also studying this subject. ICMR is also actively investigating and researching reports of reinfection and although the number of reinfection cases is negligible at this moment, the government is fully seized of the importance of the matter.

Dr Harsh Vardhan stated that States/UTs have been advised to lower the prices of COVID tests. In the early days of the pandemic, as the kits were imported, the price tended to be high. But now, supplies of testing kits have also stabilized and domestic production of these kits have also commenced. He added that the Ministry of Health has written to States and Union Territories to engage private laboratories at mutually agreeable lower rates. He added that he has spoken personally to several State health ministers regarding reduction of prices of testing in their respective states.

On a question related to ‘AtmaNirbhar Bharat Yojana’, Dr. Harsh Vardhan spoke of India’s two-pronged strategy of incentivizing production and creation of common infrastructure for high-quality medicines and medical devices to make the country self-reliant. He said that the government is ensuring that there is import substitution in this sector as well and that we are no longer dependent on imports; “Under these newly-launched schemes, the Government has proposed the development of three bulk drug parks and four medical device parks across India.” He continued “in times to come, we will not just be able to meet domestic requirements, but also be able to fulfil global demand for low-cost, quality medical devices.” He said that in the last few months since the outbreak of the pandemic, India had made rapid strides in the “manufacturing of ventilators, PPEs, testing kits and many medical devices.

On the disparity of setting up AIIMS in different regions and only one for the entire North East, Dr. Harsh Vardhan spoke of the Central Scheme Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) aimed at correcting the regional imbalances in healthcare. Other than setting up new AIIMS, the scheme also aims to upgrade the existing medical infrastructure in the entire country in a phased manner. Under different phases of the Scheme, the Central Government will establish new medical colleges attached with existing district and referral hospitals in Dhubri, Nagaon, North Lakhimpur, Diphu, Kokrajhar Districts in Assam, Churachandrapur in Manipur West Garo Hills District in Meghalaya, Falkawan District in Mizoram, & Kohima and Mon in Nagaland.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan also stated that the Central Government has added 29,185 MBBS seats in the last five years. Establishment of New Medical Colleges, strengthening and upgrading existing Government Medical Colleges, relaxing the norms for setting up of new Medical Colleges, enhancing the maximum intake capacity at MBBS level from 150 to 250 and enhancing the age limit for appointment and extension of teachers, deans, principals, and directors of Medical Colleges will help to improve the doctor ratio in the country, he added.

Responding to a similar question on the strengthening of the public health system, he spoke of the Union Government’s commitment “to increasing the public healthcare spending as a percentage of GDP from the existing 1.15 % to 2.5 % by 2025”, which “will mean an actual increase of 345% over the current share in this short period of time.” He added that the 15th Finance Commission’s high-level group on health has concurred that healthcare spending must be raised substantially in the next five years in view of the present pandemic.

Ministry of Tourism celebrated World Tourism Day today through virtual platform. Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel Shri Dharmendra Pradhan was the chief guest of the event, Union Minister of Tourism and Culture (I/C) Shri Prahlad Singh Patel also graced the occasion. Secretary, ministry of Tourism Shri Yogendra Tripathi, Director General, Tourism Ms. Meenakshi Sharma, joint Secretary, Tourism Shri Rakesh Kumar Verma , Addl DG(Tourism), Ms Rupinder Brar and other  officials of Tourism Ministry also participated in the virtual event.

This year United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has designated 2020 as the Year of Tourism and Rural Development. This Year is an opportunity to promote the potential of tourism to create jobs and opportunities. It can also advance inclusion and highlight the unique role tourism can play in preserving and promoting natural and cultural heritage and curbing urban migration.

During the event SAATHI Application was launched by the chief guest Shri Dharmendra Pradhan . SAATHI is an initiative of the Ministry of Tourism with Quality Council of India to assist the hospitality industry to continue to operate safely and thereby instill confidence among the Staff, employees and the guests about the safety of the hotel/unit . Shri Pradhan also launched a film ‘Pathik’, an initiative on Incredible India Tourist Facilitators Certification Programme (IITFC) and an ICPB MICE Promotional film.

The objective of the ICPB Mice Promotional film is to communicate a positive message for welcoming events to India when competing destinations are already actively marketing their products. The tone of joy and confidence in getting back to business, warm hospitality, safety protocols in place and assurance of a delightful experience is the core message of the film.

National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), the apex financing organization of Union Agriculture Ministry has sanctioned as first instalment, funds amounting to Rs 19444 crores to the states of Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Telangana for Kharif paddy procurement under Minimum Support Price (MSP) operations.

These amounts have been sanctioned to assist the States/ State Marketing Federations in undertaking paddy procurement operations in a timely manner through their respective cooperative organizations. Chhattisgarh gets the highest amount to the tune of Rs 9000 crores. Haryana has been sanctioned Rs 5444 crores and Telangana Rs 5500 crores.

This proactive step by NCDC during the COVID pandemic will give the much needed financial support to farmers of these three state who account for nearly 75% of production of paddy in the country. The timely step will help the state agencies start procurement operations immediately. It will provide the much needed support to farmers to sell their produce at the government notified minimum support price.

Managing Director, NCDC, Mr Sundeep Nayak said that in response to the clarion call given by Hon’ble Prime Minister, NCDC was ready to assist more States in carrying out MSP operations for giving fair value to farmers in the light of historic farm related legislations.