Category: NATIONAL NEWS

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu today said the expanding middle class will be the key driver of India’s economic growth, and the need of the hour is to take full advantage of our demography by creating jobs. He also said that while India must improve its tax-to-GDP ratio and curb tax evasion, there should be no needless harassment of tax-payers. “The expanding middle class will be the key driver of India’s economic growth in the coming years. With the large population of India, about 65 per cent under 35 years,…

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Narendra Modi became the first Indian prime minister to address the World Economic Forum (WEF) here today during which he talked about “serious” challenges and “grave concerns” facing the world, including terrorism. Climate change and terrorism are grave concerns before the world, Modi said, while asserting that terrorism is dangerous but what is equally dangerous is the “artificial distinction” made between ‘good terrorist’ and ‘bad terrorist’. He also said India’s position on the menace of terrorism is well known and he would not like to elaborate on that. The prime…

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Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today dedicated to the people of the state the Ideal Chief Minister award conferred on him by an institute in Maharastra. The award was conferred on him yesterday and Patnaik dedicated it to the people at the rousing welcome given to him on his return at the airport here. Patnaik’s party – the BJD had organised a special programme at the airport to welcome him. Thousands of people including ministers, MLAs and MPs of the ruling party participated in it. I am indebted to your…

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Cancer screening after a certain age should be made mandatory in the country, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu said today, and asked researchers to make path-breaking advances in cancer prevention and treatment. Addressing a graduation ceremony at the Tata Memorial Centre here, he also called for greater emphasis on inventing strategies in the battle against cancer. “Two-thirds of advanced cancer cases are preventable. Therefore, early detection and treatment are the need of the hour. The government should make it mandatory after a particular age for cancer screening. A healthy nation can…

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CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury today accused the BJP of practising “double standards” and said the party that projects itself as a nationalist force across the country had joined hands with “extremist organisations” in poll-bound Tripura. The saffron party will face defeat at the hands of the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Front and the Assembly elections in Tripura will be BJP’s “Waterloo”, he claimed. The CPI(M) leader also said that the BJP was trying to unite anti-Left forces in the state to win the polls. “They (the BJP) are trying to…

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The Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) president Binay Tamang today alleged that Bimal Gurung had misled common people in the name of Gorkhaland movement. Tamag made the allegation while addressing a public meeting in Sukna in Darjeeling district. Tamang alleged that funds intended for public benefits were misused by Gurung and his associates. He said his main objective is development of the Darjeeling hills. The emphasis will be on water, health and road development, he said. Sikkim being a separate state should not interfere in the politics of the Darjeeling hills,…

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Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari today welcomed the presidential nod to the Election Commission’s recommendation to disqualify 20 AAP MLAs, saying that the decision has “protected” India’s democratic values. Tiwari demanded for repaying of the benefits enjoyed by the disqualified MLAs as parliamentary secretaries. “People of Delhi feel that the Aam Aadmi Party MLAs must now return all financial benefits they were given from the day they were appointed as parliamentary secretaries,” said Tiwari. President Ram Nath Kovind today accepted the Election Commission’s recommendation to disqualify 20 MLAs of Delhi’s…

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“My government has only one agenda for Budget – and that is development. And that’s what you will see,” PM Modi said in an exclusive interview to Sudhir Chaudhary, Editor-in-Chief, Zee News & WION.   Modi government is going to present its last full Budget ahead of the general elections 2019. The financial statement for the year ahead is being keenly watched by critics because of tough decisions taken by the Modi government like launching the unified Goods and Services Tax (GST) and demonetisation.   When asked about the bold…

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Former Union minister Jairam Ramesh has kicked up a debate on the issue of governance in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, saying a division of the state would become inevitable due to its size and large population. Delivering the second V Ramachandran Memorial Lecture, organised by the Centre for Management Development here yesterday on “Reflections on India’s demographic future”, Ramesh said, “I for one believe that the reorganisation of Uttar Pradesh will become inevitable, sooner rather than later.” This was because a state with a population of over 400 million by the…

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In a blow to Delhi’s ruling Aam Admi Party, the Election Commission on Friday recommended to the President the disqualification of 20 of its MLAs for holding office of profit, setting the stage for their ouster from the Assembly In its opinion sent to President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday morning, the Election Commission said the MLAs, by occupying the post of parliamentary secretaries between March 13, 2015 and September 8, 2016, held office of profit, and were liable to be disqualified as legislators, highly-placed sources said The President is…

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