Vice President inaugurates 'Agri-Industry Conclave' in Narsinghpur, Madhya Pradesh
Narsinghpur (Madhya Pradesh) [India], May 26 (ANI): Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar inaugurated the 'Agri-Industry Conclave' in Narsinghpur, Madhya Pradesh. The vice president emphasised the need for direct subsidies to farmers. Addressing the event as the chief guest, he said, 'There will be a real uplift in farmers' income when every form of assistance reaches them directly.'
Comparing the farmers' income to their counterparts in the USA, VP Dhankar added, 'In the United States, the income of a farmer's family is higher than that of an average household. One key reason for this is that farmers receive direct government support. In our country, there is a large subsidy on fertilisers, and many other significant subsidies too, but these are indirect.'
He estimated that with the direct transfers, each farmer will receive Rs. 35,000 annually and asked the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to take note of this. VP Dhankar also lauded the PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi, which is a direct assistance scheme for farmers.
Appreciating the efforts by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav in the areas of dairy, livestock, vegetables, and fruits, the Vice President said, 'The day is not far when farmers will go beyond just milk, curd, buttermilk, and even ice cream or rasgullas.'
Giving the idea of 'agri-entrepreneurship', the Vice President urged the farmers to take up entrepreneurship and called them 'agripreneurs'. He said, 'There are 730 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (Agricultural Science Centres) in the country and many institutions under ICAR, all of which are now alert and active. I am pleased to say that the direction I highlighted in Mumbai is now becoming a ground reality.'
Praising the Indian Armed Forces for Operation Sindoor, he said, 'Today's India believes that the bravery of our armed forces has made every Indian hold their head high. We proudly say we are Indians. India has changed, and India will no longer tolerate terrorism. What hadn't happened in 70 years was done through a bold decision by India's Prime Minister, he stopped Pakistan's water and declared that blood and water cannot flow together. This is a powerful message. The dignity of those who lost their loved ones was protected.'
He also inaugurated various development projects. (ANI)
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Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Operation Sindoor | How India's air defence shield works: Inside the IACCS command system Why the Census 2027 is critical for India's economic growth & development Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc. Mains Examination: • General Studies I: population and associated issues • General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. What's the ongoing story: The Government of India has announced that the next Census will be conducted in two phases over 2026 and 2027. The effective date for which it will provide all the data will be March 1, 2027. 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It is noteworthy that the delay in India's case — 6 years — is much longer than in most other countries (including India's neighbours such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka). • Explaining the delay, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) spokesperson posted the following on X: 'Covid disrupted all sectors, including education. Around 30 lakh enumerators are needed for the Census and most of them are primary school teachers. Conducting the Census post-Covid could have disrupted primary education immensely.' • One, the caste census, or the collection of caste data along with all the other data. Two, the possible usage of Census 2027 data for the purposes of delimitation, which is essentially an exercise that will entail rebalancing the state-wise share of Lok Sabha seats based on population. Most of the southern states, which were more effective in population control over the past 50 years, stand to lose electoral representation relative to northern states, which failed to control their population growth as effectively. • At one level, the fact that caste and delimitation are heavily politicised, warn some demographers, may vitiate the quality and credibility of the Census data. This may happen as people attempt to tweak their answers on questions (such as caste and language etc.) in a manner that, in their view, suits their politics instead of providing an unbiased response capturing the reality. • The national Census provides the fundamental statistical basis for all other types of surveys and analysis in the country. The Census isn't just the complete enumeration of all Indians. 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Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍The Census of 1931 ECONOMY For first time in 6 years, CPI inflation likely to have fallen below 3% in May Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development Mains Examination: General Studies III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment. What's the ongoing story: India's headline retail inflation rate may have fallen below 3 per cent for the first time in just over six years in May 2025, with food prices again expected to drive down the overall trajectory even though vegetables became somewhat more expensive last month compared to April 2025. 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Bank of Baroda's Essential Commodities Index, for instance, declined 0.6 per cent year-on-year last month – the first time the index has fallen since January 2019. • While the headline inflation rate is seen falling for the seventh month in a row in May 2025, core inflation – which measures the year-on-year price change for non-food-non-fuel items in the CPI basket – is seen edging up to around 4.2 per cent. • Core inflation, seen as an indicator of underlying demand pressures, has gradually risen since the middle of 2024, when it stood at 3.1 per cent. According to Nomura economists Aurodeep Nandi and Sonal Varma, the recent uptick in core CPI inflation should be looked through. • While the outlook for inflation is benign – the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) last week cut its forecast for the current fiscal by 30 basis points (bps) to 3.7 per cent – the pace with which prices of certain food items are falling is decreasing. According to Union Bank of India, vegetable prices possibly rose in May 2025 on a month-on-month basis after consistently falling for six months. 'On-the-ground prices of most food segments, though, continue to slide but the pace of correction is losing ground,' the bank's economists, led by Kanika Pasricha, said in a note. Do You Know: • The CPI inflation is nothing but the rate of inflation that consumers face. It is different from the major inflation indicator — the wholesale price index-based inflation rate. According to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), which releases the data, the consumer price index measures 'changes over time in general level of prices of a basket of selected goods and services that households acquire for the purpose of consumption'. At an all-India level, the current CPI basket comprises 299 items. • Apart from an aggregate index, consumer price indices are constructed for both rural and urban consumers as well. The 'base year' for the current series of indices is 2012. In other words, the price index is given a value of 100 for 2012 and changes from these price levels are then calculated to arrive at inflation rates for each good or service. • The CPI has six main components, each with differing weights and many more sub-components within them. The main components are—Food and beverages, Pan, tobacco and intoxicants, Clothing and footwear, Housing, Fuel and light and Miscellaneous (services such as education, health care etc.) • Among these, food articles currently weigh 45% of the total index. The second-biggest component is that of miscellaneous services. Within the food category, cereal prices are the biggest factor — they account for 9.67% of the total CPI. This means that a spike in prices of food articles like cereals, vegetables, milk and pulses tends to have the biggest impact in raising consumer inflation. And the reason why food articles have been given such a high weightage is that most Indian consumers tend to spend a considerable portion of their income towards meeting their food demand. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍What latest inflation data say PRELIMS ANSWER KEY 1.(b) For any queries and feedback, contact Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.
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- Hindustan Times
PM Modi's meeting with Canadian PM important opportunity to reset relationship: MEA
NEW DELHI: The upcoming meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney on the margins of the G7 Summit is an opportunity to reset bilateral ties based on mutual respect and sensitivity to each other's concerns, the external affairs ministry said on Thursday. India-Canada ties rapidly deteriorated after former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau alleged in September 2023 that Indian government agents were linked to the murder of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India had dismissed the charge as 'absurd' and accused the Canadian government of giving safe haven to separatists and radical elements that posed a threat to Indian diplomats. Modi and Carney had their first phone conversation on June 6, when the Indian prime minister accepted an invitation to attend the outreach session of the G7 Summit to be hosted by Canada in the resort of Kananaskis on June 15-17. 'We believe that the forthcoming meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the G7 Summit will offer an important opportunity to exchange views on bilateral and global issues, and to explore pathways to reset the relationship based on mutual respect, shared interests and sensitivity to each other's concerns,' external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a weekly news briefing. He didn't go into details of the concerns of both countries and said India's views on 'some of these issues have already been shared publicly in considerable detail'. Besides accusing the Canadian side of not doing enough to rein in Khalistani elements that threatened Indian diplomatic facilities and diplomats, New Delhi had also said the previous Trudeau administration was providing space to secessionist and radical forces inimical to Indian interests. When Carney called Modi last week, the leaders had an 'opportunity to reflect on the India-Canada relationship and the way forward', Jaiswal said, in an apparent reference to the cratering of relations over the past two years. India and Canada, Jaiswal noted, are 'vibrant democracies bound by shared democratic values, a steadfast commitment to the rule of law, and vibrant people-to-people ties'. A readout issued by the Canadian Prime Minister's Office on the phone call between Modi and Carney said at the time that 'there was agreement to continued law enforcement dialogue and discussions addressing security concerns'. The Indian readout on the conversation had made no reference to this issue. Jaiswal responded to a question on the Canadian reference to a dialogue on security concerns by saying that there were existing mechanisms between Indian and Canadian law enforcement agencies that have 'discussed issues of mutual security concern over a period of time'. He added, 'This engagement is likely to continue.' The trial of four Indian men arrested for alleged involvement in the killing of Nijjar is currently underway in Canada. At the same time, both sides have shown interest in discussing the activities of trans-national criminal gangs, including elements with ties to Khalistani separatists. The planned meeting between Modi and Carney is being seen as the first real opportunity in almost two years to repair bilateral ties. Besides the deep people-to-people ties between India and Canada, the Carney government is interested in forging stronger economic ties with India in the face of strained relations with the US due to the trade policies of the Donald Trump administration. Carney has defended his decision to invite Modi to the G7 Summit following criticism of the move by Sikh groups in Canada. He has said India is central to several supply chains, and that the decision to invite Modi was made after consulting other G7 member countries. India is the fifth largest economy and at the heart of a crucial supply chains, he said. India's presence is 'essential' when the G7 countries address key issues such as security, energy, the digital future and critical minerals at the summit, he added. 'There are certain countries that should be at the table for those discussions,' Carney said. Among the priorities listed by Canada for the G7 Summit are strengthening security, countering foreign interference and transnational crime, building energy security, accelerating the digital transition, and fortifying critical mineral supply chains.
Hindustan Times
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- Hindustan Times
Amit Shah reaches Ahmedabad hours after Air India plane crash
New Delhi: Union home minister Amit Shah reached Ahmedabad on Thursday, hours after the horrific crash of the Air India flight to the UK as condolences poured from world over. The London-bound aircraft with 242 people on board crashed within minutes of taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. On board and among the casualties was the former state CM, Vijay Rupani, who was on his way to meet his family. According to people aware of the details, the former CM's son lives in London. Shah left for Ahmedabad soon after news of the crash. 'Pained beyond words by the tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad. Disaster response forces have been quickly rushed to the crash site. Spoke with the Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel, Home Minister Shri Harsh Sanghavi, and Commissioner of Police Ahmedabad to assess the situation,' he said in a post on X. Shah visited the plane crash site in Ahmedabad to take stock of the situation on Thursday evening. In the state, the government called off functions, including media interactions that had been planned on the 11th anniversary of the union government. 'A few union ministers were in the state to address the media and take part in programmes about the 11 years of being in power, but these events were called off and the state unit workers have been instructed to join the rescue and relief work, in addition to helping the injured in hospitals and relatives of those who died in the crash,' said a BJP leader based in Gujarat. Several world leaders shared condolence messages on social media. 'The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating...I am being kept updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time,' UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote on X. British foreign minister David Lammy also condoled the crash and said the UK is working with local authorities in India to urgently establish the facts and provide support. 'Heartbroken to hear the news of a tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad, India. My prayers are with all who lost their loved ones in this horrible incident. We continue to monitor developments and stand with the emergency responders working to help those impacted,' US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, wrote on X. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent condolences to President Droupadi Murmu and Modi over the passenger plane crash in Ahmedabad.. 'Please accept the deepest condolences over the tragic consequences of a passenger plane crash in Ahmedabad. Kindly convey the words of sincere sympathy and support to the families and near ones of the victims, as well as wishes for a speedy recovery to all those injured in this catastrophe,' said Putin Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also posted a message of condolence on social media 'Horrible news of a passenger plane crash in India. My deepest condolences to Prime Minister @narendramodi and the entire people of India on this tragic day. Our thoughts are with all victims' relatives and close ones in India, the UK, Portugal, and Canada. We share your shock and grief on this tragic day. We all pray for as many lives to be saved as possible and wish a speedy recovery to those injured.'
