Not enough to be secular

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

The Dadri incident may have dented the image of the Modi government. But it has also exposed the emptiness of the secular lobby's bluster. Of course Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited Bisada village in Greater Noida. But the visitors' list ends there.

Babus defy Modi sermons,

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Babus defy Modi sermons,

Deadline for property returns extended once again

Maharashtra IAS officers score

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Oct 11

Prime Minister Narendra Modi may be exhorting the people to join in making his various schemes successful. But Modi government’s Public Servants are ignoring the directions regularly to file statements of their Assets & liabilities.

All serving bureaucrats belonging to IAS, IPS and other Central Services are expected to file statements of how much property, cash, jewelry owned by them and their family members and their liabilities as well. But these bureaucrats have been dithering and virtually defying the directions.

An indication of this came today when the Ministry issued a fresh order on a Sunday today extending the deadline to file their statements of Assets & liabilities straight for a period of six months. This is the third extension as the first expired in April 15 and the second deadline is expiring on October 2015. Now the Public Servants have been directed to file their statements of Assets and liabilities by 15^th April 2016.

The public servants are to file their assets & liabilities return for the year 2014 including that of their family members and the first deadline was April 2015. This has caused a problem as the Modi government is determined to ensure transparency in its functioning. Though nearly 3000 returns have been filed. But more than one thousand have declared that they have no property. The only consolation is that of the 270 IAS officers belonging to Maharashtra, 268 have filed it while one has retired.

All ministries and departments have been directed by the Department of Personnel under the Prime Minister Modi to ensure compliance with the revised rules within the stipulated time frame.

Emergency brings Modi Advani together after long

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Exclusive report

Emergency brings Modi Advani together  after long

New Delhi, Oct 9

It seems Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former deputy Prime Minister L K Advani may be heading for some sort of a truce on Sunday next. This will be after a long time that Advani will not only share the stage with the Prime Minister but also speaking on the occasion as well. 

Though Advani had shared stage with Modi at party functions in the past. But he never got an opportunity to speak. Modi ensured that even if Advani shares the stage with him due to his seniority, he does not get a chance to speak. Both hardly had cordial relationship with each other and whenever Advani got an opportunity, he chose words unpalatable to Modi. Therefore, after coming to power in May last year, Modi completely sidelined Advani.

But come Sunday and both will be together at Vigyan Bhawan function to observe “Loktantra Raksha Diwas”. Essentially, the function is to honour all those volunteers and leaders of the RSS and its affiliate institutions who went to jail during the Emergency. This is the first time that a function of this scale is being organized to falicitate those who went to jails during the Emergency under MISA.  The function has been organized by Loknayak Jaiprakash Narayan Jayanti comprising of those who fought the Emergency with him and went to jail.

While Modi will be the Chief Guest at the function, L K Advani and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal are special guests. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkiah Naidu, former National President ABVP, Rajkumar Bhatia, Tourism Minister Dr Mahesh Sharma, Sushil Kumar Modi and advocate Satyapal  Jain.

While a couple of BJP ruled states have given freedom fighter status to all those who went to jail fighting the Emergency, there is no scheme at the Central level so far to honour them.

The function may provide an occasion to announce a scheme at the Central level.

Ends

Centre ayes Rs.1,577 cr for AIIMS in Nagpur

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

The Prime Minister was personally very keen to set up the AIIMS branches in three states and tweeted extensively today through his twitter handling account. 

￭ 2 more AIIMS at Manglagiri in Andhra and Kalyani in West Bengal approved 

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Oct. 7

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday formally approved the setting up of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AllMS) at Nagpur in Maharashtra. The AIIMS at Nagpur will cost `1,577 crore and will address issues concerning regional imbalances in availability of affordable and reliable tertiary health care services in the State. The large population in Vidarbha region in particular will benefit with the coming up of the AIIMS. 

The Cabinet also approved the setting up of two more AIIMS at Manglagiri in Andhra Pradesh and Kalyani in West Bengal. The three AIIMS together will cost the Centre collectively `4,949 crore. 

The institute of national importance for which Nagpur had been clamouring for long, will have a hospital with a capacity of 960 beds. It will not only provide quality medical education, nursing education, tertiary healthcare facilities but also have a nursing college. In addition, there will be a teaching block, administrative block, AYUSH block, auditorium, night shelter for those accompanying the patients, hostel and residential accommodation. The three new AIIMS are in addition to six already made functional in various State capitals and one coming up at Rae Bareli.

The three new AIIMS will augment the facilities of quality medical education and would also address the shortfall of health care professionals in these regions.

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and surface transport and shipping minister Nitin Gadkari had been working for long for the Nagpur AIIMS and an in-principle decision had been taken as well long ago in this regard. But it was only today that the Union Cabinet cleared the setting up of three new AIIMS. Significantly, the other two AIIMS are in Andhra Pradesh ruled by NDA partner TDP and West Bengal ruled by Mamata Banerjee of the TMC. But this is in tune with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's philosophy of cooperative federalism.

The Prime Minister was personally very keen to set up the 

AIIMS branches in three states and tweeted extensively 

today through his twitter handling account. 

He said, "People of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra (Vidarbha) & West Bengal along with adjoining states and region will be beneficiary of this project."

In another tweet he further said, "New AIIMS will be established for providing quality medical education, nursing education and also to provide tertiary healthcare facilities."

Govt as a Shakha

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a man of remarkable communication skills. He proved it time and again, his latest feat being in California last month where he impressed not merely a bunch of senators and bureaucrats but a galaxy of techno - czars.