New Delhi [India], July 22 (ANI): Highlighting the growth of startups and digital ecosystem in the country, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that India's fintech ecosystem has helped rebuild the trust between the citizens and the government, transform lives and restore faith in democracy.

Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 11 (ANI): Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has introduced a new work culture in India wherein each of the pro-poor and public welfare schemes were designed in such a manner so as to reach the last man in the last queue, regardless of caste, creed, religion or vote consideration.

Patnitop (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], June 20 (ANI): Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday said Jammu and Kashmir has a huge potential for StartUps in every sector and emphasized upon youth, men and women for availing unexplored StartUp avenues in the Union Territory.

Fazilka (Punjab) [India], February 15 (ANI): Ahead of the Punjab Assembly polls, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief JP Nadda on Tuesday said BJP is the only option for a safe Punjab and India adding that the political parties with a narrow mindset will bring a state of compromise.

New Delhi Jan 31 PTI Noting that the role of women in the society is continuously expanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the women commissions will have to increase their scope of work and give a new direction to the women of their statesSpeaking on the occasion of the 30th foundation day of the National Commission for Women NCW the prime minister said the participation of women in the growth cycle of a new India is increasing continuously and the commissions should also promote the role of women in entrepreneurshipToday the role of women is continuously expanding so all womens commissions will also have to increase their scope of work and give a new direction to the women of their states he saidModi said people with old thinking considered the skills of women as a matter of domestic work but it is necessary to change this mindset to bolster the countrys economyTaking a swipe at the previous governments he said those who did not give priority to women safety women did not hesitate to remove them from powerThe prime minister said his government is working with a zero-tolerance policy for crime against women Such crimes will attract strict punishment including capital punishment for heinous cases of rape he addedThere are fast-track courts and steps like more women helpdesks at police stations 24-hour helplines portals to deal with cyber crimes are being taken Modi saidHighlighting the steps taken by the government toward women empowerment he said both the Make in India and the Self-reliant India initiatives are utilising the skills of women for the countrys progressIn the last seven years the policies of the country have become more sensitive towards women Modi notedToday India is among the countries with a provision for maximum maternity leave The marriageable age for women is being raised to 21 years so that marriage does not become a hindrance in their education and career he saidWith 26 weeks India is one of the countries that give maximum maternity leave to women the prime minister pointed outAbout 70 per cent beneficiaries under the Mudra Yojana are women and crores of women have started their business using the scheme he saidThe milestone of 30 years whether in the life of an individual or of an organisation is very important This is the time for new responsibilities and for moving forward with new energy Modi addedHe said for centuries Indias strength has been the local industries or the micro small and medium enterprises MSMEsIn these industries women have the same role as that of men The country has seen a three-fold increase in the number of women self-help groups in the last six-seven years Similarly of the over 60000 startups that have come up after 2016 45 per cent have at least one woman director he saidThe prime minister informed that since 2015 185 women have been honoured with Padma awards and this year too 34 women figured among the awardees in different categoriesThis is a record as so many awards to women are unprecedented he saidModi also talked about the historical distance of rural women from empowermentHe listed steps such as nine crore gas connections and toilets pucca houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in the name of women support during pregnancy and Jan Dhan accounts that make women the face of a changing India PTI UZM ASG RC

New Delhi Jan 22 PTI Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asked district magistrates to work on time-bound targets to increase ease of living for people and asserted that the countrys goal today is to achieve 100 percent saturation of services and facilities Modi also called for a direct and emotional connection between administration and the public to ensure top to bottom as well as bottom to top governance flow In his remarks at the virtual interaction with DMs and some chief ministers Modi said the teamwork of Centre states and local administration was yielding good results in aspirational districts Today aspirational districts are eliminating the barriers to the progress of the country With the efforts of all of you aspirational districts are becoming accelerators of growth instead of impediments he told the DMs The prime minister said that these districts have proved that due to the elimination of silos in implementation optimum utilisation of resources takes place He emphasised the exponential benefits of this reform and said when silos end one plus one doesnt become two but eleven We see this collective power in the aspirational districts today Modi said Launched by the prime minister in January 2018 the aspirational districts programme aims to quickly and effectively transform 112 most under-developed districts across the country The prime minister said various ministries and departments of the government have prepared a list of 142 districts that are not so much lagging in development but are weak on one or two parameters He stressed the need to work with the same collective approach as is being done in the aspirational districts This is a new challenge for all the governments - the government of India the state government the district administration and the government machinery Now we have to complete this challenge together Modi said The prime minister told the DMs that seeing the successes achieved in the aspirational districts the country has now expanded its targets further The prime minister drew the attention of the officers towards the changed mindset and reiterated that today the countrys goal is to achieve 100 percent saturation of services and facilities We have a long way to go compared to the milestones we have achieved so far and have towork on a much bigger scale he said and called for time-bound targets for taking roads to all the villages of the districts Ayushman Bharat cards bank accounts to every person Ujjwala gas connection insurance pension housing for everyone Modi also pitched for a two-year vision for every district He suggested that every district can identify 10 tasks to be completed in the next three months to improve ease of living for common people Similarly five tasks may be associated with the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav he added The prime minister said the country is witnessing a silent revolution in the form of Digital India and no district should be left behind in this He pointed out the importance of digital infrastructure reaching every village and becoming a means of door-step delivery of services and facilities Modi also asked NITI Aayog to devise a mode of regular interaction between the district DMs During the interaction the district magistrates shared their experience which has led to the improvement of the performance of their districts on a host of indicators The prime minister sought direct feedback from them about the key steps taken by them which have resulted in success in the districts and about the challenges faced by them in this endeavour He also asked them about how working under the aspirational districts programme has been different from their work done earlier The officers discussed how JanBhagidari has been a key factor behind this success and also spoke about increased inter-departmental coordination and the benefits of data-driven governance The CEO of NITI Aayog Amitabh Kant gave an overview of the progress and implementation of the Aspirational District programme and mentioned how it leveraged competitive and cooperative federalism driven by a Team India spirit The Rural Development Secretary gave a presentation on a mission to uplift 142 selected districts on the lines of the focussed work done in the aspirational districts The Centre and states will work together to uplift these identified districts by addressing the pockets of under-development the Prime Ministers Office said in a statement Addressing the officials Prime Minister Modi noted that when the aspirations of others become your aspirations when fulfilling the dreams of others becomes the measure of your success then that path of duty creates history Today we are seeing this history being made in the aspirational districts of the country he added The prime minister noted that convergence is a major reason for the countrys success in the aspirational districts All resources are the same government machinery is the same officials are the same but the results are different he pointed out He noted that during the last four years Jan-Dhan accounts have increased by 4-5 times in almost every aspirational district Almost every family has got a toilet and electricity has reached every village he said A new energy has been infused in peoples lives he added The chief ministers of states such as Gujarat Karnataka and Chhattisgarh also participated in the interaction The interaction was aimed at taking direct feedback about the progress and status of implementation of various government schemes and programmes PTI ASKBJ RT RT

New Delhi [India], January 22 (ANI): Highlighting that the teamwork of the Centre, states and local administration is yielding good results in aspirational districts, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urged every District Magistrate to learn from the success of others and also evaluate their challenges.

New Delhi [India], November 22 (ANI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday, citing a media report attacked the central government over alleged corruption in the transfer of money in Jan Dhan accounts.

Kushinagar (Uttar Pradesh) [India], November 14 (ANI): Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday alleged that custodial deaths have increased in Uttar Pradesh under 'Thoko Raaj' prevailing under the BJP-led Yogi Adtyanath government in the state.

Azamgarh (Uttar Pradesh) [India], November 13 (ANI): Union Minister Amit Shah on Saturday made an interesting wordplay to distinguish the present Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government with the previous Samajwadi Party (SP) regime in Uttar Pradesh.