CM takes aim at cultural dissent while announcing rural development initiatives
Udaipur/Jaipur: In a politically charged address at Banswara, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma sparked controversy Saturday by criticising unnamed individuals who allegedly question post-1947 freedom and traditional Hindu customs, particularly the wearing of mangalsutras by married women.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Sharma's barbs were a veiled reference to the debates on tribal identity, and statements by Banswara MP Rajkumar Roat about tribal communities' distinct cultural practices from Hindu traditions.
"They say they are not free yet. I don't understand their mentality. They are trying to lead society in a different direction. They say mothers and sisters should not wear mangalsutras, a symbol of marital status. Do not listen to them.
Be cautious of such people," Sharma said, at an event to celebrate PM Kisan Utsav Day, where over 76 lakh farmers across Rajasthan received the 20th installment of the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi.
Sharma also laid out plans to distribute Rs 25,000 crore in interest-free crop loans this year while highlighting the construction of 17.4 lakh permanent houses under the PM Awas Yojana-Gramin. "We are working for the development of farmers. In the future, farmers will become energy providers," he said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
4 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Common Central Secretariat not just new buildings, direction of country will be set from here: PM Modi
Underlining the administrative reforms undertaken by his government over the past 11 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the new central secretariat building he inaugurated was not merely a building, but would be the site of deliberations for making India a developed country. 'These are not only some new buildings and ordinary infrastructure. In Amrit Kaal, the policies of Viksit Bharat will be made here, important decisions for Viksit Bharat will be taken. In the coming decades, the direction for the country will be set from here,' he said. Over the past 11 years, he said around 1,500 obsolete laws and 40,000 compliances had been done away with. He said with the use of Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and mobile, delivery of government schemes had become transparent and free of leakages. He said 10 crore fraudulent names had been removed from the list of beneficiaries of various schemes, saving Rs 4.3 lakh crore. Earlier in the day, the PM inaugurated Kartavya Bhavan 3, the first of the 10 Common Central Secretariat (CCS) buildings proposed by the government as a part of its Central Vista redevelopment plan. The building, located on Janpath, will house offices of the Ministries of Home Affairs, External Affairs, Rural Development, Petroleum and Natural Gas and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. In the evening, he addressed a gathering on Kartavya Path, with ministers including Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal, MPs, bureaucrats and government employees in attendance. At Kartavya Path, he said it was time to change the way the government thinks of files. To the employees who will be shifting into the new building, he said if a file that affects one lakh people is delayed on their desk, it means that one lakh human days are wasted. He said important ministries of the Union government, including Home Affairs, were working out of buildings constructed by the British colonial government. 'Workers here did not have adequate space, light or ventilation,' he said. He said those working at the new complex would a good working environment. He said Union government ministries operate out of 50 different locations across Delhi, with some working from rented spaces that cost the government `1,500 crore a year in rent. The PM also said 8,000 to 10,000 employees have to go from one building to another every day, leading to higher expenditure and traffic congestion. 'The grand Kartavya Bhavan and other major infrastructure projects are not only a testament to India's pace but also a reflection of its global vision,' he said.
Time of India
32 minutes ago
- Time of India
India should capture world's mindspace: PM
NEW DELHI: India should capture the mindspace of global consumers, tourists and students, PM Narendra Modi said on Wednesday as he urged govt employees and citizens to put their best efforts into increasing their and the country's productivity. Addressing an event after the inauguration of a Kartavya Bhawan along Kartavya Path, he said new office complexes would be the centre of making policies and taking important decisions for paving the way for a developed India. "Our resolve should be that we will scale up our and the country's productivity. When it comes to tourism, people from all over the world should come to India, when it comes to brands, the world's attention should be on Indian brands, when it comes to education, stude-nts from all over the world should come to India. The aim of our life should be to do what we can to increase India's strength," he said. Modi spoke about govt's focus on holistic infrastructure development while asserting that India had witnessed a transparent, sensitive and citizen-centric governance model over the last 11 years. He said earlier govts were sending money to 10 crore beneficiaries of various schemes "who were never born". The money was going to middlemen, he said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Auto Insurance Rates You Can Actually Smile About in Massachusetts Policy Auto Pro Get Quote Undo But with implementation of Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile, all fake names had been removed from the system, Modi said while highlighting that because of this intervention, more than Rs 4.3 lakh crore had been saved from falling into the wrong hands. Modi said the redevelopment of govt offices and bringing all ministries and departments closer would help avoid Rs 1,500 crore public expenditure annually towards rentals and around 8,000-10,000 employees shuttling between ministries daily.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Turning to ‘spiritual powers' to fight ‘vote jihad' led to Mahayuti's victory: CM Fadnavis
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said he and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde turned to the 'spiritual powers' in the state to counter the 'vote jihad' experiment observed during last year's Lok Sabha election in May which led to their unprecedented victory in the assembly poll later in Nov. "An experiment was conducted in the name of 'vote jihad' during the Lok Sabha poll. Some people united to defeat nationalist thoughts. When we unearthed their conspiracy, I and Shinde Saheb, appealed to the spiritual powers in Maharashtra," he said. Fadnavis was speaking at an event organised by spiritual leader Ramgiri Maharaj at Shani Devgaon village in Vaijapur taluka of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP's Mahayuti alliance suffered a setback in Maharashtra during the Lok Sabha election but made a remarkable comeback six months later in the assembly poll. "We told Ramgiri Maharaj and other seers in Maharashtra that this (vote jihad) is not a political invasion but a clear attack on our culture. There is a feeling that a handful of people are uniting to defeat the thoughts of nationalism and our sants," Fadnavis said. The CM said Maharashtra would have witnessed attacks on temples and its culture, as in the past, had the vote jihad experiment succeeded. "Govts come and go. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like They Are Unstoppable: The Most Beautiful and Talented Female Athletes Undo No post is permanent. However, this country and 'dharma' should remain united and intact," he said. Fadnavis said he bowed to spiritual leaders as they ignite the minds of people. "Ramgiri Maharaj and the others told people that they have bury caste differences to save our culture," the CM said, adding that their power was seen in Mahayuti's 'unprecedented' victory. BJP won 132 seats, Shiv Sena 57 and NCP 41 during the 2024 assembly election in the 288-member legislative assembly. In his speech, the CM said but he met the seer to express gratitude. Fadnavis also announced govt's support for a Rs 109-crore development plan of 'Sarala Bet', a shrine under the aegis of Ramgiri Maharaj, and the approval to construct a barrage on a river at Shani Devgaon village. Work on the diversion project to bring excess water from west-flowing rivers to Marathwada would begin this year, he added.
