Heena Sharma Blog

In Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's virtual address to the Plenary session of the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Kolkata, he reached out to a major business chamber for the second time in less than 10 days. PM today said our economy is facing unprecedented challenge but is determined to convert them into an opportunity. "Mann ke haare haar, mann ke jeete jeet" — meaning, it is our will power and grit that decide how we deal with crises. People, planet and profit — This is a very crucial theme. Many think these cannot co-exist. But it is not so. They can and should work hand in hand. To explain it he used the example of LED blubs. He said LED has led to a saving of Rs 19,000 crore per year in electricity bills. This has been a relief on the pockets of people. It is good for environment. And, of course, with mainstreaming of LED bulbs, manufacturers' profits have also increased. Read More

Will the coronavirus lockdown be extended in the national capital? The Delhi government will follow the Centre's guidelines, officials said on Monday. This comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a video conference with chief ministers to discuss the situation arising out of the coronavirus outbreak and measures to deal with it. "We are preparing our submission which will be sent to the Centre soon," a senior government official said. The official said nine chief ministers spoke during the meeting with the prime minister in which they discussed a range of issues, including the possibility of extending of the lockdown, amid the rising number of coronavirus cases. Read More

In his first reaction to incidents of violence in Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday appealed for peace and brotherhood, and said he has held an extensive review of the prevailing situation in various parts of the national capital. He also said it was important that calm and normalcy was restored at the earliest. "Had an extensive review on the situation prevailing in various parts of Delhi. Police and other agencies are working on the ground to ensure peace and normalcy," Modi tweeted. "Peace and harmony are central to our ethos. I appeal to my sisters and brothers of Delhi to maintain peace and brotherhood at all times," he added. At least 20 people have been killed in communal violence in north east Delhi for the last few days. Read More

The US has welcomed the post-election statement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on inclusivity, saying his re-election was a "clear" mandate for his vision of a strong, inclusive and prosperous India that plays a leading role on the global stage. Modi last week said that his government will now begin "a new journey to build a new India with new energy" and reached out to minorities, saying the ruling alliance must win their trust and work without any discrimination. "We certainly welcome Prime Minister Modi's post-election statements that have emphasised inclusivity that no one should be left behind, that there should be no distinction between Indian citizens, that the government should rule with the trust of everyone," a senior State Department official told a group of reporters hours after Modi was sworn in for the second five-year term in office. Prime Minister Modi was on Thursday administered the oath of office and secrecy by President...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Shramyogi Mandhan Pension Yojana , a pension scheme for workers of the unorganised sector in Gujarat. Modi targeted Congress President Rahul Gandhi over poverty, saying only those oblivious to sleeping hungry at night can think that it is a state of mind. For some, poverty is just an opportunity to click photos, Modi said, sharpening his attack on the Congress chief. "This scheme is aimed at uplift of the section of society which has been ignored and left at the mercy of God. They (Congress) gave slogans of garibi hatao (end poverty). Under this scheme, unorganised workers will get a pension of Rs 3000. I am told that over 14 lakh workers have been enrolled under the scheme, Modi said. Some projected themselves as messiah of workers. But during their tenure they did not launch such a scheme, he said. "They ruled the country for 55 years and collected votes in the name of poor," he said. "This...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday laid a wreath at the National Cemetery in Seoul and paid tribute to the fallen soldiers, including those who died in the Korean War . Prime Minister Modi arrived on a two-day visit to South Korea on Thursday to strengthen India's strategic ties with the country. On the first day of his visit, Modi unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi at the prestigious Yonsei University in Seoul along with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. "PM Narendra Modi laid a wreath at the National Cemetery of Republic of Korea that entombs remains of 165000 martyrs and paid homage to the fallen soldiers," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. Established in 1956, the Seoul National Cemetery is reserved for Korean veterans, including those who died in the Korean independence movement, Korean War and Vietnam War. The prime minister was also accorded a ceremonial reception at the offici...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi continued shooting for a film in the Corbett National Park for his " propaganda and publicity " till the evening of February 14 despite the Pulwama attack taking place in the afternoon that day, the Congress on Thursday alleged, citing reports in a section of the media. There was no immediate reaction from the Prime Minister's Office and the BJP over the allegations. The opposition party also accused BJP president Amit Shah of " politicisation of terrorism " in his speech in Assam following the attack in which 40 CRPF jawans died after a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the paramilitary force's convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama . Shah, while addressing a public rally at Lakhimpur in Assam, had said that the sacrifices of the 40 CRPF personnel will not go in vain as there is a BJP government at the Centre now and it, unlike the previous Congress dispensation, will not "comp...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday defended the introduction of the 10 per cent quota for the general category poor in jobs and education, even as he asked the Congress to clarify what was driving its ongoing allegations on the Rafale fighter jet deal . Addressing a public rally after launching a slew of infra projects here, Modi said the smooth passage of the bill which provides 10 per cent quota for the general category poor in jobs and education in the Lok Sabha is a strong answer by the Parliament to those spreading lies. Hoping the Rajya Sabha will pass the Bill Wednesday, Modi said the rights of deprived sections, including Dalits and tribals won't be affected because of this bill. He termed the passage of the bill in the Lok Sabha as a historic step aimed at uplifting the deprived sections. On the passage of the Citizenship Bill , seeking to provide Indian citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangaldesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, Modi assured people of Assam and ...

Want to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi ? There is a very simple way. A new feature that has been introduced in the Narendra Modi app ( NaMo ) can give you an opportunity to come face-to-face with the PM for as little as Rs 5. A new feature in the app enables users to donate in favour of the Bhartiya Janata Party - minimum Rs 5 to maximum Rs 1,000, according to a report by The Economic Times. After the donation is made, a referral code is generated by the app. The user can send then this referral code to his or her contacts. If a hundred people use the same referral code to donate funds via NaMo , the person who shared it initially could get a chance to meet the PM Modi, a senior party official told ET. The referral code winners will be invited in groups to talk about issues of their concerns. In case a user does not get the chance to meet the PM, he or she can receive Namo merchandise such as T-shirts, mugs, caps, notebooks, etc, provided the user can manage to make...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Friday evening head to Kerala to review the flood situation in the state. "Had a telephone conversation with Kerala CM Shri Pinarayi Vijayan just now. We discussed the flood situation across the state and reviewed rescue operations. Later this evening (Friday), I will be heading to Kerala to take stock of the unfortunate situation due to flooding," Prime Minister Modi tweeted. On Thursday morning, Prime Minister Modi spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to discuss flood situation in the state. He had also asked the Defence Ministry to step up the rescue and relief operations across the state. Meanwhile, a red alert was sounded in 13 districts of Kerala, except Kasaragod on Friday. A read has been sounded for Ernakulam and Idukki districts for tomorrow as well. The Indian Coast Guard's rescue and relief team from Vandiperiyar has been shifted to the flood-affected Manjumala village in Kerala's Idukk...

The meeting between the two leaders comes after their informal meet in the Black Sea coastal city of Sochi, Russia in May Current Affairs News : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg and said the friendship between the two countries is deep-rooted. The meeting between the two leaders comes after their informal meet in the Black Sea coastal city of Sochi, Russia in May. The two leaders then met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Qingdao, China, in June. "Wide-ranging and productive talks with President Putin. India's friendship with Russia is deep-rooted and our countries will continue working together in multiple sectors. @KremlinRussia," Prime Minister Modi said in a tweet. During their meeting in Sochi, India and Russia had elevated their strategic partnership to a "special privileged strategic partnershi...

A text dating back to early medieval India considers yoga an activity that can lead to the liberation of one's soul or 'moksha' Current Affairs News : Yoga has been India’s answer to fancy fitness regimes followed in the west. It has spread to all parts of the world to such an extent that we celebrate the International   Yoga Day.   Almost every Indian city has something planned to celebrate on this day. While the Prime Minister practices yoga in Dehradun with over 50,000 people, Vice-President Venkiah Naidu will be the chief guest at a   yoga day   event in Mumbai. Yoga day   is being celebrated in other locations like Hyderabad too. But here’s the irony- Yoga must be done in a secluded place, says the Kurma Purana (Kurma Purana Part II, translated by Ganesh Vasudeo Tagare, published by Motilal Banarsidaas in 1982), an early medieval Indian text. It lays down few more rules for the practice of yoga. The text has prescribed specific locations where...

Modi also stated the initiative has brought in a movement towards more digital payments Current Affairs News : Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday his Digital India flagship programme empowered citizens by eliminating middlemen' and promoted 4Es - Education, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Empowerment. "We launched Digital India with a very simple focus -- to ensure more people can benefit from the joys of technology, especially in rural areas," he said while interacting with beneficiaries of the flagship scheme across the country via the NaMo App. This was his fourth outreach with beneficiaries of government schemes through video conferencing. The event was streamed on social media site Facebook. He also stated the initiative has brought in a movement towards more digital payments, thereby eliminating the concept of middlemen. "Due to technology, railway tickets can be booked online, bills can be paid online... all this brings great con...