PM Modi speaks about ‘Gobar-Dhan Yojana’ during #MannKiBaat, says it will generate revenue as well as clean energy

Thank you very much for your phone call. My young friends have asked me many questions related to Science; they keep writing on quite a few points. All of us have seen that the sea appears blue, but we know from routine life experiences that water has no colour at all. Have we ever thought why water acquires colour in rivers and seas? The same thought occurred to a young man in the 1920s. The same question gave rise to a great scientist of modern India. When we talk about Science, the first name that strikes us is that of Bharat Ratna Sir C.V.Raman. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for his outstanding work on light scattering. One of his discoveries is famous as the Raman Effect.

We celebrate the 28th of February as National Science Day since on this very day, he is said to have discovered the phenomenon of light scattering, for which the Nobel Prize was conferred upon him. This land has given birth to many a great scientist. On the one hand, there has been a tradition of great Mathematicians like Bodhayan, Bhaskar, Brahmagupt and Aryabhatt; on the other, in the field of medicine, Sushrut & Charak have bestowed upon us a place of pride. Right from Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose and Hargobind Khurana to Satyendranath Bose have brought laurels to India. The famous particle BOSON has been named after Satyendranath Bose. Recently I got an opportunity to take part in a programme in Mumbai – the inauguration of the Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence. It was interesting to know about the ongoing miraculous accomplishments in the field of Science. Artificial Intelligence aids in making robots, Bots and other machines meant for specific tasks. Through self learning, machines today can enhance their intelligence to a smarter level. This technology can be harnessed to better the lives of the underprivileged, the marginalized and the needy. In that programme on Artificial Intelligence, I urged the scientific community to deliberate on how Artificial Intelligence could help us make life easier for our divyang brothers & sisters. Can we make better predictions of natural disasters using Artificial Intelligence? Can we use it to provide assistance to farmers on crop yield? Can Artificial Intelligence be used as tool to simplify the outreach of health services and modernize medical treatment?

A few days ago, I got an opportunity to accompany the Prime Minister of Israel to Ahmedabad, Gujarat for the inauguration of ‘I create’. There a young person referred to developing a digital instrument that converts the written word into voice. This is to aid those who are incapable of speech to converse normally like any other person. I feel we can harness Artificial Intelligence in many such fields.

Science and Technology are value neutral. They don’t possess any value in themselves. Any machine will work the way we want it to. It entirely depends on us what task we want it to perform. Here human objectives assume significance; the use of Science for the sole purpose of human welfare, with the endeavour to assist human lives touch the greatest heights.

Thomas Alva Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, failed many a time in his experiments. Once, on being asked about it, he quipped, “I have devised ten thousand ways of how NOT to make a light bulb”. What I mean to say is, Edison transformed even his failures into his own strength. Coincidentally, I am fortunate today to be in Auroville, the land, the karmabhoomi of Maharshi Arvind. As a revolutionary, he challenged British rule, fought against them and questioned subjugation. Thus, as a great sage, he questioned every facet of life. Extracting answers, he showed the right path to humanity. The relentless quest to ask questions for knowing the truth is very important. And this is the very essence, the real inspiration behind scientific inventions and discoveries. Never rest till every ‘why’, ‘what’ & ‘how’ are answered. I congratulate our scientists, and all those connected with Science on the occasion of National Science Day. May our young generation be inspired for the quest of truth & knowledge; may they be motivated to serve society through Science. I wish them the best.

The vision of “New India” can only be realised through combined effort & cooperation of all States and Chief Ministers, says PM Modi

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi today said that as a former Chief Minister, he is convinced that the vision of “New India” can only be realised through the combined effort and cooperation of all States and Chief Ministers. Delivering the opening remarks at the third meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog, the Prime Minister said that “Team India” has once again assembled today to discuss and reflect on ways to prepare India for changing global trends. He said the meeting today would be an opportunity to exchange views on policies and implementation.

The Prime Minister said that it is the collective responsibility of this gathering to envision the India of 2022 – the 75thanniversary of independence – and see how we can swiftly move forward to achieve these goals.

Recalling the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, on the occasion of the centenary of the Champaran Satyagraha, the Prime Minister said NITI Aayog has been taking steps to transform India, with fresh vigour. He said the Government, private sector and civil society, all need to work in sync. He noted that NITI was a collaborative federal body whose strength was is in its ideas, rather than in administrative or financial control. He pointed out that the Chief Ministers did not have to come to NITI for approval of budgets or plans. He said NITI Aayog had gone beyond relying on government inputs and taken on board a number of outside specialists, subject experts, and Young Professionals; and States can also contribute to policy formulation. He gave the example of e-NAM, where experiences of States played a key role in the final policy.

The Prime Minister noted that sub-groups of State Chief Ministers had given vital inputs on subjects such as Centrally Sponsored Schemes, Swachh Bharat, Skill Development and Digital payments. Stressing the importance given to the views of Chief Ministers, he noted that it was the first time Chief Ministers had been asked to recommend the list of Centrally sponsored schemes and the sharing pattern; despite funding constraints, the recommendations were accepted immediately.

The Prime Minister mentioned that while there has been a 40 percent increase in overall fund allocation to States between 2014-15 and 2016-17, the percentage of funds tied to central schemes has declined from 40 percent of the earlier total, to 25 percent of the enhanced total with a corresponding increase in the untied share.

The Prime Minister urged States to speed up capital expenditure and infrastructure creation.

Speaking of the historic change in budget presentation date, the Prime Minister said this would enable timely availability of funds at the beginning of the financial year. Earlier, budgeted scheme funds were generally not approved by Parliament till May, after which they would be communicated to states and ministries. By that time, the monsoon arrived. Hence the best working season for schemes was typically lost. He also mentioned the ending of the distinction between plan and non-plan expenditure, based on the recommendation of the Rangarajan Committee in 2011, which had found the distinction to be counter-productive. Several important items of expenditure were included as ‘non-plan’ and hence neglected. Hereafter the emphasis would be on distinguishing between 

development and welfare expenditure on one hand, and administrative overheads on the other.

The Prime Minister said that the Goods and Services Tax shows the strength and resolve of the federal structure. He gave credit to all Chief Ministers for coming on one platform for this cause, keeping aside ideological and political differences. Thanking the Chief Ministers, he said consensus on GST will go down in history as a great illustration of cooperative federalism. He said GST reflects the spirit of “One nation, One aspiration, One determination.”

The Prime Minister called for carrying forward the debate and discussion on simultaneous elections.

He said the NITI Aayog is working on a 15 year long term vision, 7 year medium term strategy, and 3 year action agenda. He said this effort needs support of States, and will eventually reflect in benefits to States.

By neem-coating urea, we have stopped its black marketing and reduced corruption: PM

Question: You came to power on the issue of development, so a question on the economy. After a lot of effort you succeeded in passing the GST Bill. How big a success do you see this. What does it mean for the common man?

PM Modi: This is perhaps the biggest tax reform since the independence of India. This reform will bring a big change in India. Very few people in the country pay taxes. Some people pay taxes because they are patriotic and they want to do something for the country. Some pay taxes because they don't want to break the law. Some pay to avoid trouble. But most don't pay because the process is complicated. They think they might get stuck in the process and won't be able to come out. GST will simplify tax payments so much that anyone who wants to contribute to the country will come forward.
Secondly, today if you go and eat in a hotel, the bill that you get comes with this cess, that cess... People send messages on Whatsapp detailing the bill amount and the cess paid. All this will end. And then we routinely see at octroi and border checkposts, miles of vehicles standing. When vehicles stand, it hurts the country's economy. Now all of it will become seamless, the movement of goods from one state to another.
Taxation systems will also be simplified and this will not only benefit the common man, the revenues will help develop the nation. Today, there are incidents of mistrust between states. This will end that situation, it will be transparent and strengthen the federal structure.

Question: After coming to power, your biggest challenge was the economy. The task before you was not just to bring it back on track but also increase the pace of growth. Have you managed to achieve this?

PM Modi: You are right that there was a negative atmosphere. The country's traders and industrialists had started looking out. There was a paralysis in government. On the one hand it was this situation. On the other we had to face two successive droughts. Third, there was a slowdown in the global economy. So there were a series of challenges. It wasn't only after we took charge. Even after that there were challenges. But our intention was strong and policies were clear. There was decisiveness because there was no vested interest. The result of this was that positivity spread very quickly.
Today, we have the highest amount of foreign direct investment after Independence. The entire world says that at 7% growth, we are the fastest growing economy. Whether it is the World Bank, IMF, credit agencies, even UN agencies… they all say India is growing rapidly.
So those policies which are helping growth have been emphasised. All obstructions are being removed with policies. All this has resulted in speeding up the economy. This time the rains have been good and this helps agriculture, which is driving force for the economy. This has raised hopes that the coming days will be much better.
Usually it is one or two things that are talked about, but today growth has being talked about in all sectors. Electricity production has gone up and so has demand. Infrastructure work is also growing rapidly and that happens when there is demand in the economy. From all this it looks like we have moved ahead to better days.

We have to develop India as well as free the country from poverty. Poverty will be eliminated only by empowering the poor: PM Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi sat down with Network 18 Group Editor Rahul Joshi for a comprehensive interview covering a multitude of topics spanning politics, economy, the criticism of his government following recent attacks on Dalits, vote bank politics and casteism and also offered a rare peek into himself, his working style and his closely held beliefs.

Appended below is the edited transcript of the interview translated from Hindi into English

Question: At the outset, thank you for giving this interview to Network 18. Two years ago you were elected with a historic mandate, the most decisive in three decades. How do you view the last two years and what do you think has been your biggest achievement?

PM Modi: After getting the responsibility of becoming the Prime Minister it has been about two years and three months. India is a democratic country and the people evaluate governments regularly. The media also evaluates. And these days, professional survey agencies also do this. And I think this is a good thing and that's why I leave it to the people to evaluate how my government has performed.
But I will definitely want that whenever my government is evaluated, the situation of the government before we came to power must be kept in mind, what the state of the country was, what the media was discussing. If we keep that in view, those days newspapers were filled with news of corruption, despair... People had lost hope, they thought everything had sunk.
If a patient, however good the doctor, is despondent, medicines will not cure him. But if the patient is hopeful, then even an average doctor can cure him. The reason for that is the patient's inner belief.
My first priority after forming the government was that the atmosphere of despair should be removed and to create hope and belief in the country. That doesn't happen with speeches. Concrete steps need to be taken, it has been shown to be done. And today after more than two years, I can say with certainty that there is hope not just in the people of this country, the trust of the entire world in India has grown.
There was a time when we were being seen as a sinking ship. In the BRICS, the ‘I’ (representing India) was seen as wobbly. Today it is said that if there is a bright spot, it is India. I think this in itself is a good way to evaluate.

The reopening of the fertiliser unit can ignite an industrial transformation in the state: PM Modi

गोरखपुर में हाथ कारखाना और AIIMSके शिलान्‍यास कार्यक्रम में उपस्थित युवा सभी के प्रणाम, मैं सबसे पहले आप सबका अभिनंदन करना चाहता हूं, अगर कोई कहता है कि छब्‍बीस साल से बंद पड़ा हुआ कारखाना मेरे कारण हुआ, मोदी के कारण हुआ तो ये बात गलत है। ये छब्‍बीस साल के बाद ये कारखाना फिर शुरू होना हैं, अगर उसका credit, उसका पूरा यश अगर किसी को जाता है तो आप सब जनता जर्नादन को जाता है। अगर आपने मुझे उप्र देश से चुनकर के न भेजा होता, अगर आपने उप्र में एक तरफा भारतीय जनता पार्टी और साथियों को न जिताया होता, तो ये छब्‍बीस साल वाला काम अभी भी लटका पड़ा हुआ होता। ये इसलिए हुआ है क्‍योंकि आपने दिल्‍ली में आप लोगों के ‍लिए काम करने वाली सरकार बनाई है, इसलिए ये काम हो रहा है। अगर आप अपने हितों को ध्‍यान में रख करके सरकार चुनते है तो सरकार भी आपके लिए काम करने के लिए दौड़ती है।

PM Modi felicitates the Amazing Indians, lauds efforts of the common man

Amazing India and Amazing Indians ...मैं Times Now को अभिनंदन करता हूं कि समाज के उन हीरों की परख करने की उन्‍होंने कोशिश की है जो कभी खुद के लिए चमकते नहीं हैं। ये वो हीरे हैं, जैसा हीरे का स्‍वभाव रहता है, खदान से निकल कर किसी के शरीर पर धारण करने तक की उसकी यात्रा बहुत ही पीड़ादायक होती है, बहुत ही कष्‍टदायक होती है। अनेक मुसीबतों से उसे गुजरना पड़ता है और तब जा करके वो किसी के शरीर पर चमकता है। ये वो हीरे हैं जहां समाज, संसार चमक को प्राप्‍त करें उसके लिए वे इन्‍हें झेलते जाते हैं, जूझते जाते हैं और कुछ कर गुजर करके संतोष पाते हैं।

हमारे देश का दुर्भाग्‍य रहा है कि हमारे यहां जो कुछ भी लिखा जाता है पिछले दो सौ, ढाई सौ, तीन सौ साल में देखेंगे तो ज्‍यादातर राज परिवारों की बातें, राजकर्ताओं की बातें, राजघरानों की बातें, उनकी आदतें, उनकी दिनचर्या, यही बातें समाज के सामने आती रहती थीं। इस देश को गुलाम रखने के लिए ये सोची-समझी रणनीति का भी हिस्‍सा था और उसके कारण ध्‍यान इस चमक-दमक के आसपास ही रहता था। अंधेरे में ओझल भी एक दुनिया होती है, मुसीबतों के बीच भी मूल्‍यों के लिए जूझते रहने वाले लोगों की एक परम्‍परा होती है और उस तरफ बहुत कम ध्‍यान जाता है।

प्रेमचंद जैसे साहित्‍यकारों को पढ़ते हैं तो ध्‍यान में आता है कि किस-किस प्रकार से लोग जीवन को संवारते थे, सिर्फ जीवन को जीते थे ऐसा नहीं है, जीवन को संवारते थे। और इसलिए हमें अपने-आप की शक्ति को भी अगर महसूस करना है, हमें अपने-आप को भी अगर पहचानना है तो अंधेरे में ओझल जो लोग हैं उनको देखने से कभी हम अपनी स्थिति को पहचान पाते हैं। कुछ लोगों की सोच है कि अगर सुविधाएं हैं, व्‍यवस्‍थाएं हैं, सानुकूल माहौल है तभी कुछ किया जा सकता है। ऐसी सोच वाला बहुत बड़ा वर्ग है और मैं उनको हमेशा कहता हूं कि अगर आपको नींद नहीं आती है Five star hotel में आपके लिए बढि़या से बढि़या कमरा बुक कर दिया जाए, आप चाहें उतना temperature हो, आप चाहें ऐसा गद्दा हो, आपको पसंद आए ऐसा music हो, उसके बावजूद भी नींद की गारंटी नहीं है।

अवसर, सुविधाएं, व्‍यवस्‍थाएं हमेशा समाधान देती हैं ऐसा नहीं है। अगर आपके भीतर कोई आग है, भीतर कोई spark हो वो परिस्थितियों को परास्‍त करने की ताकत रखता है और दुनिया में जिन-जिन लोगों ने कुछ किया है अगर उनकी तरफ देखें तो ज्‍यादतर वो लोग हैं जिन्‍होंने जिंदगी में काफी शक्ति जीवन से जूझने के लिए खपाई है और उसके बाद भी कुछ दे करके गए हैं। और दुनिया के किसी भी इतिहास के किसी भी गाथा के क्रम को देखेंगे, हर बात में कहीं न कहीं समाज जिनको छोटे लोग मानता है, बड़े लोगों की नजर में जो छोटे लोग होते हैं, उनका कितना बड़ा योगदान होता है। पूरी रामायण हम देख लें, राम, लक्ष्‍मण, सीता सब कुछ पढ़ लें, लेकिन हम उस गिलहरी को कभी नहीं भूल सकते कि जिसके बिना, जिसके काम को राम को भी सराहना पड़ा था कि जो राम-सेतु बनाने के लिए अपनी कोशिश कर रही थी। पूरी रामायण को भूल जाएं लेकिन शबरी को नहीं भूल सकते। श्रीकृष्‍ण के कई रूप याद आते होंगे लेकिन सुदामा को नहीं भूल सकते। उन ग्‍वालों को नहीं भूल सकते। छत्रपति शिवाजी इतनी बड़ी दुनिया, लेकिन छोटे-छोटे वो मालवे जो कभी सिंहगढ़ जीतने के लिए जिंदगी खपा देते थे, इसको कभी भूल नहीं सकते। पंज-प्‍यारे, गुरू परम्‍परा को याद करें, वो पंज-प्‍यारे कौन थे, सामान्‍य लोग थे। एक महान परम्‍परा को उन्‍होंने जन्‍म दे दिया। छोटे-छोटे लोग इतिहास बदल देते हैं, समाज की सोच बदल देते हें।

हमारे देश का ये दुर्भाग्‍य रहा है कि आजादी के बाद भी हमारी नजरें राज-व्‍यवस्‍थाओं पर टिकी हुई हैं, राज-नेताओं पर टिकी हुई हैं और कभी-कभी लगता है कि आवश्‍यकता से अधिक उनको प्रधान्‍य दिया जाता है। जितना उनको देना चाहिए उतना देना तो समझ सकते हैं लेकिन हम देखते हैं आवयश्‍कता से अधिक दिया जाता है। एक टीचर जिसने अपने जीवनकाल में दो सौ अच्‍छे नागरिक दिए हों, जिसमें डॉक्‍टर हों, इंजीनियर हों, साहित्‍यकार हों, उस टीचर का किसी चौराहे पर नाम नहीं होता है, उसके नाम का कोई रास्‍ता नहीं होता है। लेकिन एक corporater बन जाए तो देखते ही देखते उसके नाम का रास्‍ता भी बन जाता है, उसकी सड़क बन जाती है, चौराहा बन जाता है, कभी-कभी पुतला भी लग जाता है।

समाज के लिए यह जीने वाले लोग जो राजनीतिक ताम-झाम से काफी दूर है, उनकी संख्‍या करोड़ों में है। हम पूरे हमारे कृषि जगत को देखे। कृषि जगत को ताकत जितनी laboratory से मिली है या वैज्ञानिकों से मिली है, उससे ज्‍यादा गांव के सामान्‍य किसान के नित्‍य निरंतर प्रयोगों से निकली हुई है। लेकिन उस तरफ हमारा ध्‍यान नहीं जाता है। समाज की शक्ति को पहचानना, समाज की शक्ति को जोड़ना समाज की शक्ति के आधार पर राष्‍ट्र शक्ति को उजागर करने का प्रयास यही अंतिम ताकत के रूप में उभरता है। और इसलिए जिन्‍होंने कुछ न कुछ किया है। विपरीत परिस्थितियों में जी करके दिखाया है या विपरीत परिस्थितियों के बाद भी औरों के लिए जीना सिखाया है। जिनका जीवन स्‍वयं में अपने आप में एक उदाहरण बन गया। एक दीप से जलते दीप हजार। यह जो ताकत खड़ी की है, ऐसे ही रत्‍नों का मुझे आज दर्शन करने का सौभाग्‍य मिला है। और ऐसे अनगिनत लोग हैं, हिंदुस्‍तान के हर कोने में अनगिनत लोग हैं। उनकी शक्ति को हम कैसे पहचानें?

PM Narendra Modi unveils #StartupIndia action plan

The Prime Minister visited a virtual exhibition and interacted with Start-up entrepreneurs. 10 outstanding Start-up innovators shared their thoughts and experiences before the Prime Minister delivered his address. He said that when he had launched the Start-up India Initiative on 15th August, the announcement had virtually gone unnoticed, but today it had registered with people. 

He said successful start-ups are usually created by those who are driven by an idea, or an urge to solve a problem that people face. He said making money is not the primary objective, but is often a by-product. He said Start-up innovators are often driven by a sense of compassion for others.
The Prime Minister said he wishes to turn the youth of India from job-seekers to job-creators. He said if a Start-up can offer employment to even five people, it would be doing a great service to the nation. He mentioned some areas where youth innovators should focus, including crop wastage, and cyber security. 

The Prime Minister unveiled the highlights of the Start-up Action Plan. He said a dedicated Start-up fund worth Rs. 10,000 crore will be created for funding of Start-ups.
He said Start-ups will be exempted from paying income tax on their profit for the first three years. He said the Government is working on a simple exit policy for Start-ups. He also said the Government is working towards fast-tracking of Start-up patent applications. 

He announced an eighty percent exemption in patent fee for Start-up businesses, and said a self-certification based compliance system for Start-ups would be introduced for 9 labour and environment laws. He said the Atal Innovation Mission will be launched to give a boost to innovation.