Union ministers hail Modi, highlight key achievements
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday lauded the 11 years of Modi government as a "golden period" in public service while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh asserted that India stands well-equipped and unwavering in its resolve to safeguard its territorial integrity, as Union ministers praised the prime minister's leadership. The Cabinet colleagues of PM Modi and other senior leaders of the ruling NDA listed a number of measures of the government.
Lok Janshakti Party leader and Union minister Chirag Paswan said on X that the country has seen a new era of economic rejuvenation, social justice, cultural pride and national security.
Senior BJP leader and Union minister Nitin Gadkari said under Modi's "visionary leadership", India has undergone a historic transformation grounded in seva (service), good governance, and inclusive development.
"From empowering women, youth, and farmers to modernising infrastructure and healthcare, Bharat's progress has been swift and far-reaching. With global leadership, a self-reliant economy, and a people-first approach, India stands tall on the world stage," he said.
The ministers used the hashtag "11 years of seva" in social media posts to mark the 11 years of the Modi-led government in power.
Shah said when Modi took over the reins of the country in 2014, there was policy paralysis in the country.
He said there were no policies, no leadership, and scams were at their peak in the government, the economy was in shambles and the governance system was directionless.
"The historic 11 years of the Modi Government have been a golden period of resolve, endeavour and dedication towards public service," he said.
The Defence Minister said the defence sector under the 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' initiative has moved firmly towards self-reliance, and India now stands proudly among the top five economies of the world. India today stands well-equipped, confident, and unwavering in its resolve to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity at all costs, he added.
The ministers highlighted the reach and impact of welfare schemes like 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' for sanitation, 'Ayushman Bharat' for health insurance, and 'Ujjwala Yojana'
for cooking gas, besides measures for housing for the poor, cash assistance to farmers and
subsidised loan schemes without collateral for entrepreneurs.
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Russia launches 500 drones at Ukraine in biggest overnight bombardment of the war
Russia launched its biggest drone attack against Ukraine overnight, a Ukrainian official said Monday, part of an escalating bombing campaign that has further dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the 3-year-old war. On the third straight night of significant aerial bombardments, US President Donald Trump lashed out at Russian leader Vladimir Putin, saying he had gone 'crazy' by stepping up attacks on Ukraine. The expansion of Russia's air campaign appeared to be another setback US-led peace efforts, as Putin looks determined to capture more Ukrainian territory and inflict more damage. It comes after Kyiv accepted an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in March that was proposed by the US but that Moscow effectively rejected. This month alone, Russia has broken its record for aerial bombardments of Ukraine three times. Russia is also still pushing along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, where it has made slow and costly progress, and is assembling its forces for a summer offensive, analysts say. 'Only a sense of complete impunity can allow Russia to carry out such attacks and continually escalate their scale,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram on Monday. 'There is no significant military logic to this, but there is considerable political meaning.' The Russian bombardment on Sunday night included 355 drones, Yuriy Ihnat, head of the Ukrainian air force's communications department, told The Associated Press, calling it the biggest of the war. The previous night, Russia fired 298 drones and 69 missiles in what Ukrainian officials said was the largest combined aerial assault of the conflict. From Friday to Sunday, Russia launched around 900 drones at Ukraine, officials said. Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said Monday that its forces shot down 103 Ukrainian drones overnight that were flying over southern and western Russia, including near Moscow. Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency said 32 flights scheduled to land at three Moscow airports on Sunday and Monday had to divert amid Ukrainian drone attacks. The numbers from Ukraine and Russia could not be independently verified. Soon after Russia's Feb. 24, 2022, invasion, the conflict became a testing ground for increasingly sophisticated drone warfare. Drones are generally cheaper to produce than missiles. Russia has received Iranian-made Shahed drones since 2022 and is now believed to be manufacturing its own version. Ukraine, as well as receiving smaller battlefield drones from its allies to help it compensate for a troop shortage, has developed its own long-range drones for strikes deep inside Russia. 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