15-Sep-2018: PM launches “Swachhata Hi Seva”
The Prime Minister has launched the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ Movement, to boost nationwide public participation in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, and catalyse the fulfilment of Bapu’s dream of a Clean India.
The Swachhata Hi Seva movement aims at generating greater public participation towards Swachhta. It is being organized in the run up to the fourth anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Mission, on October 2nd, 2018, which will also mark the commencement of the 150th year celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi. The Prime Minister urged everyone to be a part of this movement and strengthen the efforts to create a 'Swachh Bharat'.
He interacted with a cross-section of people from 17 locations across the country, via video conferencing. Initiating the interaction, the Prime Minister shared some key achievement, including how 450 districts in India have become Open Defecation Free within four years. Similarly, 20 States and Union Territories have declared themselves ODF in this period. He emphasized that providing facilities such as toilets or dustbins is not enough, and added that cleanliness or Swachhta is a habit that can be inculcated. He said people from across the country are now participating in the development of this habit.
School children from Dibrugarh in Assam, explained to the Prime Minister, their contributions towards making their school and area, clean. The PM noted that youngsters are ambassadors of social change. The way they have furthered the message of cleanliness is commendable, he added.
Members of milk and agriculture cooperatives assembled in Mehsana, Gujarat, to interact with the PM on their initiatives towards Swachhta. The Prime Minister noted that Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan has led to a decrease in cases of diseases such as diarrhoea.
From the Gateway of India in Mumbai, actor Amitabh Bachchan explained the various cleanliness activities he has been involved in, including cleaning of a beach in Mumbai. Noted industrialist Shri Ratan Tata also joined the interaction. It is a great honour and privilege to help launch a movement which should be the dream of every citizen of India, he added. The Prime Minister expressed his belief that the private sector has a big role to play in the creation of a Clean India.
Senior media persons from DainikJagran, including Shri Sanjay Gupta, joined the interaction from Noida, and shared their efforts to further cleanliness. Jawans of the ITBP joined the interaction from the high altitude Pangong Lake in Ladakh. The Prime Minister praised the ITBP jawans for their bravery and their service to the nation.
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev joined the interaction from Coimbatore. He said that there is a certain level of enthusiasm towards the Swachhata campaign, which is visible in his travels. He praised the Prime Minister for providing this impetus. The Prime Minister said that Swachh Bharat is not a movement of any Government or any Prime Minister, but an entire nation's movement.
Women Swachhagrahis from Dantewada in Chhattisgarh and Salem in Tamil Nadu explained to the Prime Minister, their efforts towards Swachhata. Spiritual leaders and citizens from Patna Sahib Gurudwara and Dadi Jankiji from Mt Abu, also interacted with the PM. The Prime Minister especially thanked the Brahmakumar is Sansthan for their efforts towards cleanliness. The Prime Minister interacted with citizens from Rajgarh in Madhya Pradesh, and Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh, including UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar joined the interaction from Bengaluru. He said that the Prime Minister has enthused the nation and especially the youth.
The Prime Minister interacted with volunteers engaged in cleaning the Ganga, from Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh. He praised them for their efforts in cleaning “Ma Ganga.” He called upon all citizens living on the banks of the River Ganga, to volunteer towards cleaning the river, during the Swachhata Hi Seva movement. Devotees from Ajmer Sharif Dargah, and railway employees from Rewari in Haryana also interacted with PM. Maa Amritanandamayee joined the interaction from Kollam.
Summing up the interaction, the Prime Minister appreciated the role of the Swachhagrahis, and said their role would always be remembered in history. He said that our confidence and resolve towards cleanliness is sky-high. He gave a clarion call to the people to work for Swachhata Hi Seva.
18-Feb-2018: Union Home Minister meets J&K youth under Youth Exchange Programme ‘Watan ko Jano’
The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh met the youth of Jammu and Kashmir under the Youth Exchange Programme “Watan Ko Jano” 2017-18. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has been organising programme “Watan Ko Jano” to give exposure to the youth and children of Jammu and Kashmir about the cultural and socio-economic development taking place in other parts of the country. Youth and children hit by militancy and from weaker sections of the society have been identified for the purpose. Around 200 youth from the state are on a visit to different places of the country as part of the programme from 11th Feb-20th Feb, 2018.
Addressing the youth, Shri Rajnath Singh expressed happiness that these youth have visited various parts of the country and witnessed the rich cultural and historical heritage of the country. The children have visited Ajmer, Jaipur and Agra and will now visit the historical places in Delhi. The Home Minister said that these youth are an inseparable part of the country. He also expressed happiness over the fact that one more group of 500 students will also visit various parts of country after this group. He said that unity in diversity is the unique value of the country and these children are also a reflection of it. We have to take it forward, he asked youth present there. With this tour, the youth will be able to see the development of modern India, he added. He added that these youth will also see the role of unity in the process of development. Shri Rajnath Singh said that the children might have read about and seen these places in their text books, now they have the opportunity to see these places.
The Union Home Minister said that they have certain responsibilities towards nation when they grow up. The youth should take interest in education, respect elders and do something that will make their parents and country proud. He said that every citizen has equal opportunities of development irrespective of caste, language and religion. India sets an example in world that needs to be followed, he further said. He urged the youth to share their experiences with their friends and relatives when they are back and they should spread the message of unity. The Home Minister wished the youth a prosperous future.
They conveyed that the state of Jammu and Kashmir is facing problem due to militancy, they urged the youth to take the message of peace and spread goodwill when they return to the state.
17-Jan-2018: Maharashtra unveils Public cloud policy
Maharashtra has come out with a public cloud policy virtually mandating its departments to shift their data storage onto the cloud, creating a USD 2- billion opportunity for the industry.
This policy will allow all government departments to have access to public cloud.
The policy, which is a first by any state, will result in additional private sector investments as government is one of the biggest creators and consumers of data. Government departments currently have their own data storage facilities, which can be done better and cheaper by private sector vendors.
The policy is likely to be formally set in motion through a detailed government resolution. In the next 20 days, five to six top cloud service providers like Amazon or Microsoft will be empanelled.
Under the framework, government will make it mandatory for the data to be stored within the country and the broad idea is to use public cloud in cases wherever the Right to Information Act is applicable, and then go in for enhanced security features for private and sensitive data, which will also be stored on the cloud.
Additional investments might come into the Mumbai Metropolitan Region because of the new policy. The region already supports a good number of data centres and advantages like availability of uninterrupted power, presence of academia and talented human resources makes it an exciting pocket to be in for the industry.