Smriti Irani on her comeback to TV, political future and more
The interview covers her journey from being a TV actor to a Union Minister, her electoral battle in Amethi, including the 2019 victory over Rahul Gandhi, and her tenure handling ministries like HRD and Women & Child Development. Irani also addresses controversies surrounding the revision of NCERT history textbooks and accusations of bias against the Election Commission.
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The Hindu
24 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Kerala marks golden jubilee of State Scheduled Tribes Development department
The government will always stand by the tribal populations, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said. He was speaking after performing the State-level inauguration of the golden jubilee of the Scheduled Tribes Development department at Nishagandhi auditorium on the Kanakakkunnu Palace compound on Saturday. The Chief Minister said a separate department was formed for the welfare of tribal communities in the State 50 years ago, on July 1, 1975. Since then, the department had taken up a number of initiatives. 'Hope the jubilee will help examine how many of these initiatives were successful, how many failed to realise their objectives, and which new should be taken up in these changing times,' the Chief Minister said. In Kerala, tribespeople comprised 1.45% of the total population. The State government earmarked 2.83% of the annual Plan outlay in the Budget for their welfare and development. In contrast, tribal communities formed 8.06% of total population of the country. However, the Union government earmarked 3.08% of the budget outlay for them, he said. He pointed out that tribal communities could live in the State without discrimination or attacks in the name of caste. However, this was not the situation in other States. Projects Since 2016-17, the allocation for the State's projects for Scheduled Tribe projects came to ₹5,752 crore. Of that, ₹4,733 crore had been utilised. An amount of ₹697 crore had been earmarked for tribal communities in this year's budget, Mr. Vijayan pointed out. He also spoke of projects implemented for the tribal communities in the area of education and land allocation. Steps were being taken to prevent dropouts and improve the functioning of model residential schools and pre-and-post matric hostels for them. A total of 8,680 acres of land had been distributed to 9,162 landless ST families in the past nine years of the Left Democratic Front government, the Chief Minister said. The department's golden jubilee coincided with International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. The theme of this year's day was 'Indigenous Peoples and AI: Defending Rights, Shaping Futures.' This was an apt theme in the time of modern technology such as AI and machine learning. Mankind has benefited a lot from them. However, their irresponsible use was creating many difficulties. The United Nations, he said, had pointed out that AI content that spread misconceptions about indigenous peoples was being created. Some of it was being used to harm their land and resources, he said. There were 48 crore indigenous people in 90 countries, according to figures. That was less than 6% of the world population. However, indigenous people comprised 15% of the poor in the world. Indigenous peoples spoke 7,000 languages and followed 5,000 different cultures. Against this backdrop, they should become visible and projects prepared for them, Mr. Vijayan said. The Chief Minister also inaugurated the Smart Padhanamuri project of the Scheduled Tribes Development department. Announcement of various projects for the tribal communities was also held. Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes O.R. Kelu presided over the function. V.K. Prasanth, MLA, who was the chairman of the welcome committee, welcomed the gathering.
India.com
2 hours ago
- India.com
You won't believe how many views Smriti Irani's Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2 has got so far; actress reacts, says 'history doesn't…'
After more than two decades, the much-loved soap opera Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi season 2 came back. The show, which went on air on July 29, 2025, has won the hearts of the audience, and it has become hard for serial lovers to not tune in to Star Plus at 10:30 pm. The show has been touching heights of success within just 10 days of release. Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi season 2 TRP The story of Tulsi and Mihir has once again gained the limelight and a center spot in the audience's hearts. Will you believe if we say that Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi season 2 shattered all records as it got more than 1 billion views? As per a PTI report, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2 clocked over 1.659 billion minutes of watch time in its launch week. In just four days, the show amassed an impressive 31.1 million views. Star Plus, the channel airing KSBKBT2, revealed that this marks the biggest-ever GEC fiction debut on both television and digital platforms in India, as well as the highest-rated fiction launch across all GECs in recent times. In fact, the serial has been giving tough competition to shows like Anupamaa and Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah on the weekly TRP charts by scoring 2.5. Smriti Irani Reacts to the Love Since the series is getting so much love, Smriti Irani, in an interview with Times Now, reacted to her show's remarkable milestone. She said, 'Humare show ne itihaas racha television ke liye. Log kehte hain history doesn't repeat itself; well, I guess we have defeated that. Itihaas humne dohraya.' She also emphasised that getting so much love, which feels like an achievement on TV in recent times, seems impossible these days. She added, 'Aaj agar aap kahein ki koi aisa show hai, jo aaj chal raha hai aur 25 saal baad dobara reinvent aur re-live ho sakta hai, mujhe nahi lagta. Toh apne aap mein television mein is uplabdhi ko paana chhoti baat nahi hai.'
Hans India
2 hours ago
- Hans India
Nirmala Sitharaman Honoured in Udupi, Calls for Women's Empowerment and Service to Nation
Udupi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday received the prestigious 'Bharata Lakshmi' title from Sri Krishna Mutt in Udupi. Admar Mutt seer Vishwapriya Thirtha presented the award in the presence of Paryaya Puthige Mutt's Sugunendra Thirtha Swamiji. Becoming emotional during her address, Sitharaman said she felt deeply connected to Udupi's spiritual traditions. She recalled her first visit in 2005 when she was presented a Krishna idol, which she still worships. 'I draw strength from prayer and the blessings of the Swamijis,' she said. She lauded the Ashta Mutts' role in serving humanity and praised the year-round Annabrahma kitchen that feeds thousands of devotees daily. She described the Koti Gita Lekhana Yajna, aimed at collecting one crore handwritten copies of the Bhagavad Gita, as a yajna-like global initiative to spread Krishna's message. Sitharaman also inaugurated the Puthige Mahila Vidyapeeta, calling on women to break the shackles of fear, uphold values, and help strengthen India's prominence. 'Serving human beings is serving God,' she said, adding that Lord Krishna's blessings were sought for the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and its people. Infosys Foundation Chairperson Sudha Murthy received the Shrikrishna Geethanugriha award for her contribution to literature and philanthropy, praising the mutt's global dharma outreach. Karnataka High Court judge Dinesh Kumar was also honoured. (eom)
