South Indian states will be engines of growth, says Dharmendra Pradhan
South Indian states with progressive governments will be the growth engines for the country as it strives to become a developed nation by 2047. The entire nation is proud of them, said Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday.
The Centre has not yet made any strategy on the proposed delimitation of parliamentary constituencies, he said, and quoted Union Home Minister Amit Shah to say that there would be no discrimination against the South states on this count.
Talking to the media to present a progress report on the 11 years of Modi Government, he said that the tentative Census schedule has been released and women's quota too has to be taken into account.
South along with Western India, especially Maharashtra and Gujarat, will continue to be ahead of the rest of the country due to their historical background, knowledge base and hard work.
Mr. Pradhan also justified more private universities pointing out that enrolment in higher education need to be enhanced from the current 27% to 50% by 2035. 'We need more colleges, quality educational institutions, and universities. We have recently opened up the sector for foreign universities. But, 75% students continue to study in government funded institutions,' he said.
Golden period
On the Centre's performance front, the Minister claimed that the last 11 years will be judged by history as a 'golden period' because of the manner in which the country had prospered economically by becoming the fourth largest and having drastically reduced poverty rates.
'From a fragile economy, we have become a destination for global investments. Our digital payment system has cut corruption, and government capex has increased to ₹12 lakh crore from ₹2/3 lakh crore. Our government comprises 60% SC/ST/BCs. It will be remembered as a welfare, caring and sensitive government for the common people,' he said. 'Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we have delivered a transparent, decisive and trustworthy governance,' he added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Tech could help process Census data within 9 months; mobile apps to be used for count
NEW DELHI: Final population data from Census 2027 may be available as early as the end of 2027, thanks to the 'digital' mode being introduced for capturing and processing datasets in the upcoming exercise. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Sources in the govt indicated that unlike Census 2011 when it took almost a couple of years for the final population data to be published at the national, state, district and taluk levels, complete with the gender-wise break-up, govt estimates that the time lag between completion of Census in early March 2027 and release of final population data could be as little as nine months. Govt had recently announced March 1, 2027, as the new reference date for the upcoming Census. Though due to start in 2020, the Covid pandemic forced the govt to put the decadal exercise on hold. Census enumerators to use app to collect data Census 2027 will be held in two phases - the house-listing phase in 2026, followed by population enumeration phase in Feb 2027. For the first time, Census data will be collected digitally, using mobile phone apps in 16 languages (Hindi, English and 14 regional languages). These apps are designed to be simple and user-friendly for both the enumerators and citizens, since the latter will also have the option to self-enumerate, the sources said. Enumerators will no longer have to carry bulky paper schedules to the field. With tech use, data to be ready instantly The Census schedules will contain mostly pre-coded responses. On the mobile apps, various options would be available from the dropdown menu. The apps provide a fetching facility to go to a pre-filled Census house record and permit editing the same. The applications will reduce the burden of preparing abstracts, summaries and duplication of other associated work. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now With the help of mobile apps and intelligent character recognition (ICR) data processing mostly used to organise unstructured data, the entire data will be instantly ready for processing without extra logistics of schedules. For the first time, a separate code directory will be provided for enabling easy data collection in respect of several questions asked in the second phase of Census (population enumeration). For questions involving descriptive/non-numeric entries, a separate code directory containing possible responses and codes for each possible answer has been prepared. In tune with digital census, a census management and monitoring system (CMMS) portal has been developed by the Office of RGI for smooth conduct, management and monitoring of the exercise.
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
India-EU FTA will be a great enabler, says Goyal; pitches for stronger economic ties with Sweden
Stockholm [Sweden], June 11 (ANI): The proposed India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will be a great enabler, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said, adding that India will be able to offer greater opportunities for Sweden. Attending India-Sweden Business Delegation meetings in Stockholm, Union Minister Goyal said, India and Sweden complement each other. 'The India-EU Free Trade Agreement is clearly going to be a great enabler... We do hope to be able to offer you a better pathway and greater opportunities in the future... I can assure you that we are making good progress and are deeply committed to strengthening this partnership, working together.' The Minister also highlighted India's growth prospects. 'Today, amongst all the investment opportunities available anywhere in the world, I dare say the market of 1.4 billion aspirational Indians can beat any other opportunity. When 1.4 billion Indians take one step forward, our country takes 1.4 billion steps forward. That is the spirit in which the Indian growth story is powering on,' said Goyal. Inviting the business community to invest in India, Goyal further added, 'We would like to invite all the distinguished business leaders of Sweden to come to India to experience our country. I am sure this tested partnership can really grow beyond the frontiers of what we have achieved so far.' With over 280 Swedish companies in India and 80+ Indian companies in Sweden, the potential for collaboration is immense. H said the proposed India-EU FTA has huge potential. 'There's huge potential awaiting all of us. We complement each other. Sweden and India, working as friends, as trusted partners, can transform the Indian economy; the Indian growth story can support the Swedish plans for the future.' Goyal said India is not only the largest and fastest-growing economy but it will continue to grow for the next 20-30 years. He highlighted that India has one of the lowest inflation rates and strong forex reserves. Citing the favourable business ecosystem, he appealed to the investor community to make investments in India. Goyal reached Sweden after finishing his two-day official visit to Switzerland. Apart from other engagements, he will engage with the Indian diaspora and address media interactions, further strengthening the people-to-people connections and communicating the vision for the India-Sweden partnership. (ANI)
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel to attend 'Khedut Sammelan' as part of 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel tomorrow
Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], June 11 (ANI): Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will preside over the Khedut Sammelan to be held on Thursday in Bardoli -- the 'Karma Bhumi' of Sardar Saheb -- as part of the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Saheb is being celebrated across the country with various programs embodying the vision of 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat', according to a release from the CMO. Under the leadership of the Prime Minister, the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan, held across various states from May 29 to June 12, is paving the way for making farmers and the agriculture sector truly Atmanirbhar. The Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan was launched by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on 29th May from Odisha. The campaign will now conclude in the presence of the Union Agriculture Minister on Thursday, 12th June, at Bardoli -- the 'Karma Bhumi' of Sardar Saheb -- along with the Khedut Sammelan, the release added. Fulfilling the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for AtmaNirbhar Krishi and AtmaNirbhar Kisan, the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan has aimed to bring agricultural technology to villages and create awareness among farmers about the proper use of micro-nutrients and other technologies. Under this campaign, more than 4 lakh farmers across 2,250 rural clusters in 31 districts of Gujarat have been covered. On this occasion, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will e-inaugurate the Centre of Excellence for Horticultural Crops in Porbandar district, the Centre of Excellence for Banana and Vegetables in Petlad taluka, and the Primary Processing Centre which has become operational in Kutch, for the benefit of farmers in the state. Additionally, the e-inauguration of 14 godowns with a total storage capacity of 25,000 metric tonnes and the e-Foundation Stone Laying of the Centre of Excellence for Sugarcane in Bardoli will also be held during the Khedut Sammelan. The Khedut Sammelan, organised by the State Government's Department of Agriculture, Farmers' Welfare and Cooperation, will take place on Thursday, 12th June, at 10:00 AM at the Sankari BAPS Mandir Complex in Bardoli. Agriculture Minister Shri Raghavji Bhai Patel will also grace the event, the release added. (ANI)
