Earlier blamed for scams, the poor now being offered loans by govt: Modi

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said his government has acknowledged the honesty and hard work of street vendors by offering them loans that were inaccessible to the poor in the past.

Addressing beneficiaries of the PM Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Scheme in Uttar Pradesh via video conferencing, he said those involved in scams had blamed the poor for their wrongdoings.

"Those doing politics in the name of poor had created an atmosphere that if a loan is given to them it would not be returned. Those who had themselves been involved in scams had always put the blame of all dishonest things on the poor, but I have always been saying that the poor of the country have never compromised with honesty and self respect," Modi said.

He said today loans have been given to street vendors and they are repaying them in time.

Through the PM Svanidhi Yojna the poor have once again presented the example of its honesty before the country. The street vendors of UP are repaying it through their hard work besides earning their livelihood. This is the will power and hard work and honesty, he said.

PM Narendra Modi announces PM-CARES fund to fight coronavirus outbreak

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced the creation of an assistance and emergency situation relief fund where people can contribute and help in the government's fight against coronavirus.

The Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund will go a long way in creating a healthier India, he said on Twitter.

"People from all walks of life expressed their desire to donate to India's war against COVID-19," he said, adding the fund has been constituted respecting that spirit.

"It is my appeal to my fellow Indians, kindly contribute to the PM-CARES Fund. This Fund will also cater to similar distressing situations, if they occur in the times ahead," he said.

A statement posted on his official website said while the prime minister is the chairman of the new public charitable trust, its members include the defence minister (Rajnath Singh), home minister (Amit Shah) and the finance minister (Nirmala Sitaraman).

In India, like the rest of the world, the spread of coronavirus has been alarming and is posing severe health and economic ramifications for our country, it said.

The Prime Minister's Office has been receiving spontaneous and innumerable requests for donations to support the government in the wake of this emergency.

"Distress situations, whether natural or otherwise, demand expeditious and collective action for alleviating the suffering of those affected, mitigation/control of damage to infrastructure and capacities etc," the statement said.

Keeping in mind the need for having a dedicated national fund with the primary objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation, like posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to provide relief to the affected, a public charitable trust under the name of'Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund' (PM CARES Fund)' has been set up, it said.

"PM Narendra Modi has always believed and shown in actions that public participation is the most effective way to mitigate any issue and this is yet another example. This fund will enable micro-donations as a result of which a large number of people will be able to contribute with smallest of denominations," the statement said.

People can visit www.pmindia.gov.in to make contributions using credit and debit cards, UPI, net banking and RTGS or NEFT, it said.

Allow employees to work from home, don't cut jobs: PM tells India Inc

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asked Indian companies to maintain production lines of essential commodities and ensure there is no hoarding as well as black marketing in the wake of the country fighting the coronavirus outbreak.

Interacting with industry representatives via video-conferencing, Modi said the impact of the pandemic on the economy will be felt for some time to come with several sectors such as tourism, construction and hospitality being hit.

He asked India Inc to allow employees to work from home and not to cut down on workforce in spite of the pandemic's negative impact on their businesses.

"He said it is imperative that production of essential items should not be impacted at this time, and black marketing and hoarding be prevented," an official statement quoted him as saying.

Modi 'signs off', hands over social media accounts to 7 'women achievers'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday gave his social media handles to seven "women achievers", following up on a statement he had made on Monday.

"Greetings on International Women's Day! We salute the spirit and accomplishments of our Nari Shakti. As I'd said a few days ago, I'm signing off. Through the day, seven women achievers will share their life journeys and perhaps interact with you through my social media accounts," Modi tweeted.

"These women have done great work in a wide range of sectors. Their struggles and aspirations motivate millions," he said.

The first to tweet from the PM's Twitter handle was Sneha Mohandoss, founder of Food Bank India. "You heard of food for thought. Now, it is time for action and a better future for our poor. Hello, I am @snehamohandoss Inspired by my mother, who instilled the habit of feeding the homeless, I started this initiative called Foodbank India," Mohandoss tweeted, along with a video introducing herself.

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You heard of food for thought. Now, it is time for action and a better future for our poor.

Hello, I am @snehamohandoss. Inspired by my mother, who instilled the habit of feeding the homeless,  I started this initiative called Foodbank India. #SheInspiresUs

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Modi, with roughly 50 million followers on Twitter; 44 million 'likes' on Facebook and 35 million followers on Instagram, uses social media to speak about his government's policies or appealing for peace.

Last week, he surprised his followers when he was announced that he was "thinking" of giving up his social media accounts. Thousands of people appealed him to stay but the Congress party accused of him encouraging online trolls.

Disney India blocks John Oliver's show critical of PM Narendra Modi

An episode of John Oliver’s show that criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been blocked in India by Hotstar, the local platform run by Walt Disney Co.

The comedian was previewing President Donald Trump’s visit to India on his Emmy-winning Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. When subscribers logged in February 25, they could only find older episodes.

A Hotstar representative didn’t reply to an email and calls seeking comment. A representative for India’s Information and Broadcasting Ministry said the government wasn’t involved in the matter.

The incident is the latest to show how multinational businesses have to deal carefully in nations run by leaders often perceived as authoritarian. Trump’s visit to India comes amid protests against a new religion-based citizenship law, which erupted in violence hours before Trump landed in the national capital.

Amazon.com last year removed an episode of the CBS show Madam Secretary from its streaming service in India, the Quint

reported.

Modi sticks to guns in Varanasi: 'Tough decisions' on CAA, Art 370 to stay

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asserted that the ‘tough decisions’ taken by his government, including the revocation of Article 370 from Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will not be rolled back.

“We have taken tough decisions as they were imperative in the national interest, and did not buckle even under external pressure,” Modi said addressing a public meeting in his Varanasi parliamentary constituency during a day’s visit.

He observed these issues were left pending by the previous regimes for narrow political considerations and vested interests.

“I want to assure you that we were resolute in our decisions and will remain resolute in future as well,” Modi said adding his government will continue to work by keeping the welfare of the poor and interests of the nation on priority.

Last month, union home minister Amit Shah, at a Lucknow rally, had also clarified the Centre would not revoke CAA under any circumstances, and blamed the opposition parties for peddling lies for vote bank politics.

Meanwhile, Modi started his address by greeting the people in Bhojpuri and invoking river Ganga to wax eloquent on Varanasi as a global religious, spiritual, knowledge and tourism centre.

He said development and infrastructure projects totalling Rs 25,000 crore had either been completed or were underway in Varanasi, which would benefit the entire region in Uttar Pradesh and other Eastern states.

“Tourism is an important element in the contemporary talks around the $5 trillion economy target,” Modi said adding India had huge untapped potential for natural and heritage tourism. He said Varanasi and other religious-cultural centres were being developed according to their specific requirements and intervention of technology.

The PM said the work on beautification of Varanasi’s Kashi Vishwanath temple and the proposed Lord Ram temple in Ayodhya had also started.

Modi said Union Budget 2020-21 had promised to expend Rs 100 trillion on infrastructure projects, which would largely benefit the smaller towns in the country. He said budget constraints or lack of political willpower would never occur in his government to impede the progress or speed of development projects.

He referred to the various central government schemes aimed at community development and helping India become self reliant viz Make in India, Startup India, Mudra, PM Kisan, Ayushman etc.

Under Startup India, 26,000 startups were registered in India, which helped tens of thousands of youth get jobs, he claimed.

Meanwhile, Modi unveiled various development and infrastructure projects worth over Rs 1,200 crore during his visit to his constituency.

Earlier, he inaugurated Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Memorial Centre and unveiled a 63 foot metal statue of one of the leading ideologues of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He also participated in the centenary celebrations of Shri Jagadguru Vishwaradhya Gurukul and released translated version of Shri Siddhant Shikhamani Granth in 19 languages.

He also dedicated to the nation a 430 bed super speciality government hospital and a 74 bed psychiatry hospital at Banaras Hindu University (BHU).

The PM flagged off the IRCTC’s Maha Kaal Express through a video link. The country’s first overnight private train journey will connect the 3 reverred ‘jyotirling’ pilgrim centres of Varanasi, Ujjain and Omkareshwar.

Modi is slated to inaugurate ‘Kashi Ek Roop Anek’ exhibition at Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Hastakala Sankul and interact with buyers and artisans from different countries including USA, England and Australia.

Seeking turnaround, PM Narendra Modi likely to review ministerial work

Over the coming few weeks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to review each department and ministry’s work to evaluate their performance. The review could culminate in seeking inputs from them to turn around the economy, after the country witnessed its worst slowdown in 26 quarters in the second quarter of 2019-20.

Starting Friday, Modi and his top officials in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) will be briefed by various central ministries and departments on their plans as well as agenda for the next five years. They will also apprise the PMO of the work they have done so far in realising the agenda of government’s second term in office.

According to sources, the PMO will appraise the departments on their performance over the last six months, and will seek solutions to revive growth. The commerce and industry ministry, among others, will present its report card to the PMO on Friday.

A part of the performance review started last month

during the Council of Ministers meeting, with a few key ministries such as agriculture and aviation making their presentations.

The fresh set of review meetings are scheduled to take place on January 3 and 4, 7 and 8, and 13 and 14, depending upon the time taken by each ministry, Business Standard has learnt from government sources.

Officials said there is some talk that the exercise could form the basis for some sort of rejig of portfolios of ministers, but this could not be separately confirmed. The stock-taking exercise could also throw up valuable inputs for the upcoming Union Budget.

Gross domestic product (GDP) growth fell to 4.5 per cent during July-September. The finance ministry had said the slowdown has bottomed out and that it expects a gradual recovery from the October-December quarter. Others disagree.

The Reserve Bank of India now sees GDP growth for the first financial year under the second Modi government at 5 per cent, compared to the 6.1 per cent it projected earlier. While the finance ministry hasn’t put out any revised estimates, officials say it is in line with the RBI.

If GDP growth for the year does come in at around 5 per cent, it will be the slowest growth rate since 2008-09.

On the issue of reviving growth and demand across sectors, officials say some of the topics likely to be discussed at these meetings are the need to boost capital expenditure for infrastructure ministries and revenue expenditure for rural and agricultural departments.

The PMO has debated whether to maintain fiscal discipline or provide stimulus to a flagging economy by sharply increasing expenditure, at meetings with economic advisors and finance ministry bureaucrats. “Fiscal discipline has always been a priority for the political leadership. But the situation this year is extraordinary in some ways. There have been discussions, but no decision has been taken,” said an official.

Modi summons ministers to discuss security as citizenship law protests grow

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called a meeting with his council of ministers on Saturday to discuss security following protests against a controversial citizenship law, government sources said.

At least 14 people have been killed in violent clashes between the police and protesters since parliament last week passed the law, which critics say discriminates against Muslims and undermines the country's secular constitution.

"The PM has called a meeting of the full union council of ministers to assess the prevailing situation due to violent protests in many parts of the country against the Citizenship Amendment Act," a senior government official told Reuters, requesting anonymity.

The backlash against the law pushed through parliament by Modi's government marks the strongest show of dissent since he was first elected in 2014. Protests against the new law continued on Saturday despite government's use of curfews and a draconian regulation to shut down protests.

Rights activists in India's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, said local policemen were conducting raids on their houses and offices to prevent them from planning fresh demonstrations.

Dozens have been injured in violent clashes between police and protesters, many in sensitive parts of Uttar Pradesh, which has long seen clashes between majority Hindus and minority Muslims.

More protests are planned in several parts of the country, including in the northeastern state of Assam. There, locals are angry with law as it makes it easier for non-Muslim migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who settled in India prior to 2015 to obtain Indian citizenship.

Resentment against illegal immigrants from Bangladesh has simmered for years in Assam, one of India's poorest states, with residents blaming outsiders, Hindus or Muslims, for stealing their jobs and land.

"Women from all walks of life will be leading a protest across Assam state on Saturday," a student union leader from the state told Reuters.

In other parts of India, anger with the law stems from it being seen as discriminating against Muslims, and as it makes religion a criteria for citizenship in a country that has taken pride in its secular constitution.

"It is thus that so many people from so many different walks of life have raised their voices against it." Guha was released from police custody after being detained for protesting against the law in the southern city of Bengaluru.

PM hails armed forces for India's victory in 1971 war against Pakistan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday praised the armed forces for India's victory against Pakistan in the 1971 war, saying the soldiers had created history.

On this day in 1971, over 90,000 Pakistani soldiers had surrendered before Indian troops, bringing to an end the bitterly fought war on the eastern and western fronts.It also led to the creation of Bangladesh.

"On Vijay Diwas, I pay tributes to the courage, valour and bravery of Indian soldiers. The history that our troops created on this day will be embossed in golden letters," said Modi in a Twitter post. December 16 is observed as Vijay Diwas.

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विजय दिवस पर भारतीय सैनिकों के साहस, शौर्य और पराक्रम को नमन करता हूं। 1971 में आज के दिन हमारी सेना ने जो इतिहास रचा, वह सदा स्वर्णाक्षरों में अंकित रहेगा।

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Work with state govts for upliftment of STs, women & youth: PM to governors

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asked governors and lieutenant governors to listen to the needs of the people and work towards uplift of the underprivileged sections of the society, including minorities. He made these remarks at a conference of governors and lieutenant governors here. He also made a special mention of healthcare, education and tourism sectors where there were new opportunities waiting to be harnessed for job generation and betterment of the poor and downtrodden, a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office said.

Modi said as they work to discharge their constitutional responsibilities, the governor and LGs should listen to the needs of the common man. The prime minister urged the governors to work towards uplift of the underprivileged sections of the population, including the scheduled tribes, minority communities, women and the youth, which includes working with state governments and utilising the existing schemes and initiatives," the statement said.

He said that the institution of governor has a special role to play in realising a cooperative and competitive federal structure.

Modi observed that as India celebrates the 75th anniversary of its independence in 2022 and the 100th anniversary in 2047, the role of the governor in bringing the administrative machinery closer to the people of the country and showing them the correct path becomes even more important.

"As we celebrate 70 years of the framing of the Indian Constitution, governors and state governments should also work towards highlighting the service aspects of the Indian Constitution, in particular the duties and responsibilities of the citizens. This will help to bring about participatory governance in the truest sense," he was quoted as saying.

He pointed out that governor's office could also be used for specific objectives like spreading awareness about tuberculosis and making India free of this disease by 2025. In their roles as chancellors of universities, governors could help inculcate the values of nation building among our youth and help to inspire them towards greater achievements, the prime minister said.

He was of the view that due to their administrative structure, Union territories can emerge as a role model in terms of development.

The prime minister expressed happiness that the latest edition of the conference would see innovative detailed 'break-out' discussions in five sub-groups on specific issues and challenges -- tribal issues, reforms in agriculture, Jal Jeevan Mission, New Education Policy and Governance for 'Ease of Living'; whose reports will then be discussed in the larger format by the participants.

At the 50th annual governors' conference, 17 first time governors and lieutenant governors, including the Lt. Governors of the newly formed union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, participated . Besides Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Home Minister Amit Shah and Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat were among those present on the occasion.

Parties can win people's hearts without rushing to Well of House: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said in Rajya Sabha that people's hearts can be won by political parties even without rushing to the Well of the House to register their protest on various issues.

Speaking in the House during a special discussion marking 250 sessions of Rajya Sabha, he said the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Biju Janata Dal have wonderfully adhered to parliamentary norms by not entering the Well of the House.

"Yet they have made their points effectively. Much can be learnt from this ... people's hearts can be won even without rushing to the Well," he said.

Modi said parties, including his BJP, has to learn from the NCP and BJD in this regard.

The prime minister also said Rajya Sabha is about checks and balances. "This is absolutely essential ... here is also a difference between checking and clogging," he said.

India has stopped working in a routine, bureaucratic manner: PM in Thailand

India has stopped working in a routine, bureaucratic manner as the country is undergoing transformative changes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told a group of influential business leaders while hard-selling his government's economic reform initiatives.

Inviting Thai business leaders to invest in India, the prime minister particularly talked about initiatives to reform India's tax regime and said his government is now starting face-less tax assessment so that there is no scope for discretion or harassment.

The prime minister was speaking at an event to mark golden jubilee of the Aditya Birla Group's presence in Thailand.

In today's India, the contribution of the hard working tax payer is cherished. One area where we have done significant work is taxation. I am happy that India is one of the most people friendly tax regimes. We are committed to further improving it even more, he said.

The prime minister said it was the best time to be in India and that many things such as foreign direct investment, ease of doing business, ease of living and productivity are rising while tax rates, red tapism, corruption, cronyism are on a decline.

All of what I have said just now makes India one of the world's most attractive economies for investment. India received 286 billion US dollar FDI in the last five years. This is almost half of the total FDI in India in the last twenty years, Modi said.

The prime minister also referred to India's dream to become a five trillion dollar economy.

When my government took over in 2014, India's GDP was about 2 trillion dollars. In 65 years, 2 trillion. But in just 5 years, we increased it to nearly 3 trillion dollars, he said.

The prime minister arrived here on a three-day visit on Saturday to attend ASEAN-India, the East Asia and the RCEP summits.

India wants 'win-win outcome' from RCEP negotiations, says PM Modi

India wants a “win-win outcome” from negotiations for a China-backed regional trade pact, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday as he called for "balance across goods, services and investments".

“We have put forward reasonable proposals in a clear manner and are engaged in negotiations with sincerity,” he said in an interview with the Bangkok Post, about the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

“We would like to see commensurate levels of ambition on services from many of our partners, even as we are ready to address their sensitivities,” he said in the interview in Bangkok where leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc gathered on Saturday to seek a breakthrough in talks for RCEP.

Modi said India was clear that a mutually beneficial RCEP was in its interests and those of all partners in the negotiations. India has long pushed for other countries to allow greater movement of labour and services in return for opening its market of more than 1 billion people to certain goods, reported Bloomberg.

"We recognise the high ambitions of our partners on goods. We too would like a win-win outcome. We believe that for this, addressing our concerns over unsustainable trade deficits is important. It needs to be recognised that opening the vast Indian market must be matched by openings in some areas where our businesses can also benefit,” he said.

India, Germany ink 11 pacts, vow to build 'new India' by 2022, says PM Modi

India and Germany have resolved to intensify bilateral and multilateral cooperation to deal with the threats of terrorism and extremism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday after holding wide-raging talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

After the two leaders co-chaired the fifth Inter-Governmental Consultations, India and Germany signed five joint declarations of intent and inked 11 pacts in fields such as space, civil aviation, maritime technology, medicine and education.

"We have vowed to build 'new India' by 2022 and expertise of technological, economic powerhouses like Germany will be useful for it," Modi said in his press statement after the meeting.

"We have resolved to intensify bilateral and multilateral cooperation to deal with terrorism and extremism," he added.

India and Germany will continue cooperation to expedite reforms in UN Security Council, Modi said.

He said that India has invited Germany to take advantage of opportunities in defence production in the defence corridors in UP and Tamil Nadu.

"We have decided to tap cooperation possibilities in e-mobility, smart cities, cleaning of rivers and environmental protection," Modi said.

Merkel said agreements signed between Germany and India prove that ties are marching ahead in the areas of new and advanced technology. Areas of 5G and artificial intelligence are a challenge and it is important to work on them together, she said.

"We will be happy to engage in big infrastructure projects which India is envisaging," Merkel said.

Modi invites Saudi investment, says India to spend $100 bn on energy infra

India will invest $100 billion in oil and gas infrastructure to meet energy needs of an economy that is being targeted to nearly double in five years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday as he sought investment from oil kingpin Saudi Arabia and other nations to boost supplies.

Speaking at Saudi Arabia’s annual investment forum, also known as “Davos in the desert”, Modi promised a stable, predictable and transparent policy regime to catalyse foreign investments.

“India is investing heavily in oil and gas infrastructure,” he said adding as much as $100 billion will be spent by 2024.

The world’s third-largest energy consumer is 83 per cent dependent on imports to meet its oil needs and about half its gas needs are shipped from abroad. Its per capita energy consumption is a fraction of the global average and it is now investing heavily in physical infrastructure as well as city distribution to boost availability in a growing economy.

Saudi Arabia is India's second-largest supplier of crude oil and New Delhi is keen to expand this partnership beyond the buyer-seller relationship into a strategic one with cross investments. Modi highlighted the recent opening of the fuel retailing sector for non-oil companies to lure investment in the world's fastest-growing consumption centre.

Modi to cancel meeting with global oil CEOs over scheduling issues: Report

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is believed to have cancelled a brainstorming meeting with global oil and gas experts and CEOs, which was slated for October 14, over scheduling issues, sources said.

The fourth annual meeting that coincides with the CERAWeek - the world's premier energy event - was scheduled for Monday afternoon but was cancelled due to the Prime Minister's engagements, they said.

The meets, held under the aegis of Niti Aayog, have been a sounding board for the government to reorient policies to attract the illusive investment in finding new oil and gas reserves and bringing them to production so as to cut India's oil import dependence.

French energy giant Total SA's Chairman and CEO Patrick Pouyanne and UK's BP plc Group Chief Executive Bob Dudley were among the leaders who were scheduled to attend the meeting with the Prime Minister on October 14.

The meeting and other such feedback mechanism had led to the government doing course corrections on some of its policies, particularly the exploration licensing policy and natural gas pricing rules.

The government had, going against the industry advise, brought in a revenue sharing model for allotting oil and gas acreage. Under the 2016 policy, bidders offering highest share of oil and gas to government were allotted the blocks but the regime failed to attract big names to exploration scene as companies preferred risks to be covered.

Two years later, the government reversed it and went back to allocating blocks to companies that offered largest exploration programme with a guarantee of first recovering all such cost from oil and gas found.

Similarly, the 2014 policy of pricing natural gas at rates prevalent in gas exporting countries failed to enthuse any new investments, prompting it to bring in a new rate for fields in difficult areas such as deep sea.

At the last edition of the brainstorming on October 15, 2018, "subjects such as expansion of oil and gas infrastructure in India; enhancing exploration and production; potential in solar energy and biofuels; and the Union Government's holistic approach to the energy sector came up for discussion," according to an official statement issued on that day.

Modi's first meeting was on January 5, 2016, where suggestions for reforming natural gas prices were made. More than a year later, the government allowed higher natural gas price for the yet-to-be-produced fields in difficult areas like deep sea.

In the second edition in October 2017, suggestions were made for giving out equity to foreign and private companies in producing oil and gas fields of state-owned ONGC and OIL.

Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) and Oil India Ltd (OIL) this year offered dozens of small discovered field for bidding by foreign and private firms.

The meeting, coordinated by the Niti Aayog, focuses on challenges posed by volatile oil prices, impacted by changing geopolitical situation.

The meetings look at measures to attract investments and steps for making it easier to do business in India.

The government is looking at private investment to raise domestic oil and gas production, which has stagnated for the last few years while fuel demand has been rising by 5-6 per cent annually. India is dependent on imports to meet 83 per cent of its demand, and more than half of its natural gas requirements.

The Prime Minister in 2015 had set a target of reducing India's oil dependence by 10 per cent to 67 per cent (based on import dependence of 77 per cent in 2014-15) by 2022. Import dependence has only increased since then and the government is now looking for ways to raise domestic output.

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo and India's Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan were also scheduled to attend the Monday meeting, they said.

Also slated to attend the meeting were ONGC Chairman and Managing Director Shashi Shanker, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) Chairman Sanjiv Singh, GAIL India head Ashutosh Karnatak, Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) Chairman Mukesh Kumar Suran, and Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) Chairman D Rajkumar.

PM's niece falls prey to snatchers in Delhi; robbed of Rs 50,000, 2 phones

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's niece has become the latest victim of snatching in the national capital with her purse containing cash of Rs 50,000 and two mobile phones wrenched from her grasp by two persons when she was alighting from an auto-rickshaw on Saturday.

Based on a complaint by Damayanti Ben Modi, daughter of the prime minister's brother Prahlad Modi, police registered a case and later identified the two snatchers.

The incident happened soon after Damayanti Ben reached Delhi from Amritsar in the morning.

Two persons on a scooter snatched the woman's purse containing Rs 50,000, two mobile phones, some documents and other valuables around 7 am when she got down at the Gujrati Samaj Bhawan in North Delhi's Civil Lines area, a senior police officer said.

The incident occurred a few kilometres away from the residence of Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Chief minister Arvind kejriwal.

Damayanti Ben had a flight to Ahmedabad in the evening.

She informed police and on her statement, the case under section 356 (assault or criminal force in attempt to commit theft of property carried by a person) and 379 (punishment for theft) was registered at Civil Lines police station, they said.

Police said that they have examining the CCTV footage of nearby areas and identified the two accused persons and claimed that they will be arrested soon.

"I came to Delhi and reached Gujarati Samaj Bhavan on Saturday morning. I was scheduled to take a flight for Gujarat in the evening. I was getting off the auto-rickshaw when the snatchers targeted me," the woman said.

After the incident, the Aam Aadmi Party took potshots at the Modi government, saying this reflects the "miserable and pathetic" law and order situation in Delhi.

"With each passing day, the law and order situation is going from bad to worse. The alacrity that Delhi Police shows in chasing political opponents of the BJP is completely absent when it comes to providing safety to the people of Delhi. The most recent victim of this has been the niece of our prime minister," AAP spokesperson Raghav Chadha said.

"It is all the more shocking that such an incident took place near the residences of LG and Chief Minister," he said.

He said the Home ministry should take immediate and strong measures to restore law and order in Delhi.

In the past couple of months, several incidents of snatching have taken reported in the national capital.

On September 22, a woman journalist was injured after she attempted to resist a snatching bid in south Delhi's CR park while she was returning home in an auto-rickshaw.

Two men on motorcycle snatched her mobile phone and in the struggle, she fell from the vehicle while the men fled the spot.

A few days later, another woman journalist fell victim when her mobile phone was snatched by two bike-borne men in southeast Delhi's Okhla.

Innovation, team work and technology to fuel India's $5 trn dream: PM Modi

Asserting that innovation, team work and technology are the three drivers of the mission to make India a $5 trillion economy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the three factors have become the bedrock of India’s big leap.

In his speech at IIT Madras convocation, Modi said, "India’s innovation is a great blend of economics and utility. We have worked to create a robust ecosystem for innovation, and for incubation for research and development in our country."

He added India’s great stride in start-ups has been powered by people from Tier-2, Tier-3 cities and even rural areas.

The Prime Minister said that while the country is moving forward to discard the use of single-use plastics, an environmentally-friendly replacement that offers similar use but not similar disadvantages has to be found. And this is when the country looks towards young innovators.

"Think of how your work, innovations and your research could help a fellow Indian. Not only is this your social responsibility, it also makes immense business sense," Modi said, adding that education and learning are continuous processes.

"The foundations of the 21st century rest on three crucial pillars of innovation, teamwork and technology. Each of these complement each other," Prime Minister said, adding that Indian community has made a mark for itself all over the world -- especially in science, technology and innovation, which are powered by IITians.

I only said no single-use plastic, not plastic-free India, clarifies PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today clarified that he was only talking about doing away with single-use plastic, not about making the country plastic-free completely.

AFter landing at Chennai International Airport, the PM said, "This is my first visit to Chennai after being re-elected to office this year. I am grateful for the welcome that I have received today. When I visited the United States of America where I addressed the people there, I learned that Tamil is a rich and diverse language."

"Some people are misinterpreting that I wanted India to be rid of plastic. I did not say so. What I said was that I want the country to rid itself of single-use plastic. This plastic can be used only once and creates a lot of problems later," Modi asserted, adding that it was the responsibility of citizens to shun the single-use variety in the country.

"We have achieved many successes through public participation and in the same way we should rid the country of the single-use plastic," Modi said, adding that India should develop a cost-efficient solution that would not only to address problems in India, but also across the globe.

Speaking later at the prize-distribution ceremony of Singapore-India Hackathon and the walkthrough of the exhibition at IIT-Madras research park start-ups, the Prime Minister said India's cost efficient solution should be for the poor and the deprived across the world.

He stated that programmes like Atal Innovation Mission, PM Research Fellowships, Start-up India Abhiyan are the foundation of 21st-century India, an India that promotes a culture of innovation.

"We in India have been doing the Smart India Hackathon for the past few years. This initiative brings together government departments, people associated with industry, and premier institutes such as Isro," the Prime Minister said, adding that the country had moved from competition to collaboration.

"This is the strength that we need, to work jointly on the challenges that both our countries face. I have also been told that last year, the focus of the hackathon was competition. This year, the emphasis is on collaboration and complementing each other’s efforts," the Prime Minister said.

There are few things as satisfying as seeing the effort that one is associated from the very beginning become vibrant and successful.

Modi will address the 56th annual convocation of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras.

This is his first visit to Chennai after winning the 2019 elections, and one month before the scheduled informal meeting with the Chinese President at Mamallapuram, about 50 km from Chennai. Both leaders are expected to hold an informal summit at Mamallapuram between October 11 and 13. Next year marks 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between India and China.

Respect, enthusiasm for India has grown in 5 yrs: Modi on return from US

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the respect and enthusiasm for India has increased significantly on the world stage in the last five years, as he was given a rousing welcome by BJP workers in New Delhi on his return from nearly a week-long trip to the US.

Addressing the gathering outside the Palam Airport, Modi noted that the grand 'Howdy Modi' diaspora event in Houston saw the attendance of US President Donald Trump and both the Republicans and the Democrats. He said what stood out was the manner in which the Indian community in the US showcased their presence.

"After assuming office in 2014, I went to the United Nations. I went to the United Nations even now. In these five years, I have seen a big change. The respect for India, the enthusiasm towards India has increased significantly. This is due to the 130 crore Indians," the prime minister said.

Modi also recalled the surgical strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, saying three years ago on this day he did not sleep all night waiting for his phone to ring.

"That day marked the victory of India's brave soldiers who did surgical strike and made the country proud," he said.

The prime minister returned here on Saturday night from his trip to the US where he addressed the UN General Assembly and several events, including the "Howdy Modi!" diaspora gathering.

The BJP organised a grand welcome for the prime minister outside the Palam Technical Area where thousands of party workers gathered.

Before leaving for Delhi, the prime minister thanked the American people for the "exceptional welcome, warmth and hospitality" and expressed confidence that the diverse range of programmes he attended during the stay will greatly benefit India and its development trajectory.