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I-Day address: CM outlines state's growth agenda, says MP will lead nation's self-reliance drive

I-Day address: CM outlines state's growth agenda, says MP will lead nation's self-reliance drive

Time of India21 hours ago
Bhopal: CM Mohan Yadav hoisted the national flag at Lal Parade Ground in Bhopal on Friday and addressed citizens on the 79th Independence Day, blending tributes to freedom fighters with a detailed account of Madhya Pradesh's achievements and future roadmap.
Greeting people, Yadav recalled the sacrifices of Tantya Mama, Khajya Nayak, Raja Bhabhut Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Tatya Tope and women icons Rani Durgavati, Rani Avantibai, Rani Kamalapati, Rani Lakshmibai and Jhalkari Bai.
He said Operation Sindoor had showcased India's strength, while PM Modi's 11 years in office marked "unprecedented achievements" including the abrogation of Article 370, the Nari Shakti Vandan Act and India's rise as the world's fourth-largest economy, soon to be the third.
Yadav said Aatmanirbhar Bharat was not just a scheme but "a people's movement". He called Swadeshi a mantra of self-respect and urged people to support Vocal for Local and Local for Global.
On state progress, Yadav said the 2025–26 budget had no new taxes, with a target of doubling its size. Per capita income rose from Rs 1.39 lakh to Rs 1.52 lakh. Four flagship missions -- Yuva Shakti, Nari Shakti, Kisan Kalyan and Garib Kalyan -- are underway.
Recruitment for 1 lakh government posts is on, with 2.5 lakh jobs targeted in five years.
Declaring 2025 the Year of Industry and Employment, Yadav said exports had grown 6%, Rs 5,000 crore support was given to entrepreneurs, and 1,000 new industrial units had been allotted land, promising Rs 40,000 crore investment and 93,000 jobs. The Global Investors Summit 2025 in Bhopal drew proposals of Rs 5.75 lakh crore in renewable energy, expected to generate 1.85 lakh jobs.
For farmers, wheat was procured at Rs 2,600 per quintal, 32 lakh solar pumps will be given in three years, and Rs 46,700 crore has been released under PM-Kisan and CM Kisan Kalyan in 18 months. Crop insurance worth Rs 1,383 crore was credited to 14 lakh farmers.
Women schemes include raising Ladli Behna allowance to Rs 1,500 per month and the Lakhpati Didi initiative benefiting over 10.7 lakh families. Concluding, Yadav said MP would lead India's growth.
"From agriculture to startups, defence to culture, Madhya Pradesh will be at the forefront of India's march towards self-reliance and global leadership," he said.
Address highlights
2025–26 budget presented with no new taxes; per capita income up to Rs 1.52 lakh
Yuva Shakti, Nari Shakti, Kisan Kalyan, Garib Kalyan targeting youth, women, farmers and poor
1 lakh recruitments in progress; 2.5 lakh jobs in next 5 years; Rs 5,000 monthly incentive for youth in job-oriented industries
Exports up 6%; Rs 5,000 crore assistance to entrepreneurs
Six new expressways, 1 lakh km roads, 500 flyovers, 30,000 km rural link roads planned
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Corporate loan growth slows in April-June quarter as firms delay investments, shift to cheaper debt market
Corporate loan growth slows in April-June quarter as firms delay investments, shift to cheaper debt market

Indian Express

time16 minutes ago

  • Indian Express

Corporate loan growth slows in April-June quarter as firms delay investments, shift to cheaper debt market

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Vandita Mishra writes: The umpire in the spotlight
Vandita Mishra writes: The umpire in the spotlight

Indian Express

time16 minutes ago

  • Indian Express

Vandita Mishra writes: The umpire in the spotlight

Dear Express Reader, The week of the 79th Independence Day ended with a press conference by the Election Commission of India that was both welcome and unsettling. On the face of it, the EC sought to address questions raised by the Special Intensive Revision exercise ahead of the election in Bihar — and even though Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar did not take Rahul Gandhi's name, on Gandhi's allegations of 'vote chori'. That the EC sought to address questions swirling around it, when its conduct of the exercise in Bihar has raised serious apprehensions of large-scale disenfranchisement, was reassuring. But its tone and tenor has raised more questions. 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Like Gandhi, Thakur alleged the presence of fake voters, duplication of names, mass additions, doubtful addresses and dubious first-time voters in lists, and the misuse of government machinery. The difference was that Thakur picked constituencies won by Opposition leaders to make his case — including Wayanad, Diamond Harbour, Kannauj, Rae Bareli — and that he repeatedly drew attention to the names of the so-called doubtful voters, all Muslim. In Thakur's list: Mohammad Kaif Khan, whose name allegedly appears in three lists in Rae Bareli, Khurshid Alam and Shabana Khatoon, whose name allegedly appears more than once in Diamond Harbour, Mahmoona in Wayanad, Sabri Begum, Shah Mohammad, Mohammad Shahbaz, Nisar Bano, Rafiullah … The list went on, and Thakur's chilling recitation left his audience in no doubt about what was remarkable and what was to be noted — the religion of the allegedly fraudulent voter in the lists. He connected the dots from the 'farji (fake) vote' to the Congress/Opposition's 'appeasement politics' that patronises the 'ghuspaithiya (infiltrator) vote bank', amid 'Islamic radicalisation' and threats posed by 'ek varg' (one section) to 'national security'. If in Maharashtra and Karnataka, Rahul Gandhi made a political leap, not backed by evidence, from pointing out purported defects/inconsistencies in the electoral rolls/turnout figures to saying that the election result was manipulated by the BJP, Thakur was making a similar leap on the back of a dog whistle politics. But what was common in the telling of both Gandhi and Thakur is the implication of the EC. After all, it is the poll monitor under whose watch the election was conducted, be it in Mahadevapura or Wayanad, Diamond Harbour or Rae Bareli, whether it was the Opposition that won or the BJP. 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And then its subsequent misfiring at Rahul that has ended up wounding the EC. But this is a sobering moment, most of all, because the EC, the constitutional authority with a hard-won autonomy, seems not to recognise the full scale of its own and the polity's predicament. Urgent repair work is needed by a credible and impartial umpire, there must be cross-party conversations on voters' lists and shared protocols, and the focus must be on voter inclusion, not voter exclusion, if a free fall is to be avoided into a political dead-end. That's the challenge. So far, the EC has not stepped up to it. Till next week, Vandita

In Bihar, Rahul lets Tejashwi be in the driving seat
In Bihar, Rahul lets Tejashwi be in the driving seat

News18

time23 minutes ago

  • News18

In Bihar, Rahul lets Tejashwi be in the driving seat

Patna, Aug 17 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday made it clear that in Bihar, where his Voter Adhikar Yatra was kicked off, he would like Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD to be in the driving seat. At one point of the rally, Yadav drove a jeep with Gandhi on the passenger seat. Yadav, the INDIA bloc's de facto chief ministerial candidate in the elections due later this year, joined Gandhi at Sasaram where the Yatra was flagged off and the two leaders were together till they retired for the day in Aurangabad. In his speeches, Yadav, a former deputy CM of Bihar, referred to the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha as 'hamare bade bhai (my elder brother)". For most part of the day, the two leaders sat together atop an open vehicle, waving at the crowds that stood on both sides of the road. However, at one place, Gandhi decided that they move forward in a jeep with Yadav behind the steering wheels. The picture was complete with junior alliance partners, CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya and Vikassheel Insan Party president Mukesh Sahni, settling on the rear seat. The sight was reminiscent of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which passed through Bihar last year, barely a month before the Lok Sabha polls. Yadav, on his part, seemed pleased with the way things were going. He shared a picture of himself driving along his allies, all of them his senior in terms of age, on his X handle. 'Let's take Bihar on the path of justice, economic equality, industralisation and inclusive development", wrote the RJD leader, by way of caption. PTI NAC NN view comments First Published: August 17, 2025, 21:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

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