Due to paucity of time, we are stopping daily suggested articles.Will resume after Prelims, hope you all understand .Good luck for prelims. Thank you.
Finally two useful links
Remember
Until My ONE Thing Is Done—Everything Else Is A Distraction!
Good luck friends.
Hello friends, because of your continuous support, today we are able to Donate to Akshaypatra, we sponsored one kid and he receives a hot meal in school for an entire year ! under Mid day meal scheme.
All it takes is 750 rs.
I am not saying I did a good thing, I am sharing that this was possible because of you,each and every one of you,who subscribed, visited, shared about Parivathan helped me .
For that I am very grateful,
With gratitude
Yours sincerely
Kalyan ([email protected])
I request you all, If possible donate to AkshayaPatra, any amount will help a kid.
In his letter dedicated to all the parents of IIT aspirants, Collector Ravi Kumar Surpur has made an emotional appeal by asking them “not to force their expectations and dreams on their children.”
Here is the full letter.
Dear Parents,
On behalf of Kota City, I take this opportunity to welcome your child to a city of wonders which processes the young minds of this country and fuels their passion to become the architects of Modern India.
My humble request at the beginning of this letter is to read this with some patience and time and it would be ideal if both the parents can read this together.
It is the dream of every parent to see his child touch the pinnacles of success and reach places which only few can afford. Every parent plants a seed in the mind of the child which over a period of time bears fruits but after careful nourishment and tendering since the seed is so tender that any mishandling may fail us from realizing our dream.
It is a very difficult situation for parents to leave their child in a place where they do not live and things become still difficult when the purpose for which the child is left behind is for dedicated and committed efforts in scaling excellence in education.
When parents look at the huge billboard signage/hoarding/ newspaper clips depicting pictures of young beautiful children who have achieved what they dream for their child, the resolution to inspire and motivate their children becomes still stronger.
Good career in the field of Engineering & Medicine, as the case may be, is more or less like certain insurance in terms of decent earning and living standards. I sincerely think that in most of the cases, this is the very reason that makes us dream such careers for our children.
There is nothing wrong in thinking on a certain kind of Assured Career Insurance for one’s child since limited resources and high degree of competition demands one to think ahead of times.
However, I think we all agree that the world too has changed drastically in the last 15-20 years so much so, that most of the facilities and services that were available for a limited few are now available to many due to the huge progress in technology which was witnessed in this period.
Art, Entertainment, Professional Sports, Literature, Health & Fitness, Entrepreneurship, Journalism, Photography, Event management, Music, Adventure, Destination tourism, etc, to name a few too witnessed immense growth in comparison to the bygone era.
Many of these even created a new niche which not just nurtured creative potential of the human mind and its capabilities but also were very successful career options.
Well, the point is not about asking you to see them as better options but certainly to see them also as options.
It is a matter of fact that today, young children are facing immense amount of pressure relating to their academic performance and due to the same many of them go through various levels of stress.
Even if we consider that a certain element of stress would exist in competition parental support, care and the right kind of family situations would help the child to cope with any difficult situation.
However, current reality is that due to the lack of right kind of conditions and support systems, many children are going through stress uncared and unattended for and in a few cases such situations disabled the children to such an extreme extent that they committed suicide…
Don’t get frightened suddenly as to what is being said about your child… Your child is perfectly safe and sound and you have no reasons to worry, but you have reasons to have concern of your child which I believe you will understand as we read my letter further.
I consider myself a very unfortunate person because I got a chance to read around 20-25 Suicide Notes of Young, Brilliant, Beautiful and Wonderful Children.
Am I giving so many adjectives to such children because they committed Suicide?
I am sorry. Answer is No… They were in fact, as I said earlier, Young, Brilliant, Beautiful and Wonderful Children.
A Girl with an amazing command of English language in her suicide note (grammatically perfect 5-page Suicide Note with beautiful running handwriting) thanks her mother for giving up her career for raising the children… Subtle hint that she was pricked on this matter again and again.
Another girl wants her grandmother to become her mother in her next birth. Another requests her parents to allow her younger sister to do what she likes and not what they like. One tells candidly that he was manipulated to study science which was not his taste. Many simply write in fewer lines that they could not fulfil the expectations of their parents. Rather few say they were not really capable of doing what is being asked for by them.
All of them thought that Death was a much peaceful and effortless action than going through this dilemma of artificially doing what parents want them to do.
As they say “Tip of the Iceberg” reveals little and hides mountains within, similarly apparent Suicide Cases reflect numbers but reality or the hidden mountain is all those children who did not opt to take this extreme step but certainly are going through stress/worry/anxiety due to pressure on performance.
Many Parents cannot believe after the disaster that it was their own child who took such a drastic measure and I don’t mean to hurt their sentiments any further but the reality is that the child was mentally looking for some blade of grass which a drowning man searches for. That blade of grass could have been your simple appreciation of his efforts… your solacing words of comforts of asking him to do his best and forget the results your absolute unconditioned appreciation of his extraordinariness.
In return, what the child got was threats of performing still better…psychological manipulation by repeat and re-telecasting of the hardships you have gone through for the sake of family. comparison with better performers (neighbors, relatives, children of colleague, ancestors…could be anyone) sharing imagination on the loss/notional gain of social status being dependent on child’ s performance.
We need to understand that statistically speaking not many children commit suicide in comparison to the total number of children coping with such academic pressure if we analyze the numbers but life analysis tells us that their hopes and dreams are overlooked and hurt many a times. So it is high time we pause and contemplate a bit. I need to take a pause here since I hear many of you saying kids do not like many things which are good for them. So the question I tend to hear from you is… Should parents go children’s immature ways? Not necessarily.
Well let us try to see what all good things they resisted… Eating right, sleeping right, talking right, behaving right, seeing right, listening right, reading right etc.
Child actually observes parents and never follows anything blindly. Moreover, there is one thing which is certain… Child analyses and looks at the parents to see whether in case any of those things preached are followed by parents to begin with and if so..Whether their parents are really loving, joyful, peaceful and happy by doing so.
They tend to pick up only those habits of their parents that make them happy and peaceful…In case you have seriously messed up situations, your child may even not like you.
It may appear strange and extremely annoying… But there is a possibility of your child not liking you… This comes in many forms and shades. Absolute dislike, not liking few traits of yours, not liking you by comparing you with someone better, not liking you for your over protective care and concern which you may think as love but is suffocating for the child, not liking you for your double standards (we may have…) etc.
So, is it the objective of this letter to make you realise that your child dislikes you?
Answer again is a big No.. Your child does not dislike you… I am just making a point that unconsciously we may have created such a situation, which we need to undo…
Children are parents’ responsibility and we are no one to teach a parent their responsibility nor do we intend to do so… Parents really think good for their children’s future but the point I need to make is that your dreams are always limited to your experience of what is good… what is successful… what is the best thing… Well, the truth is your child may surpass your imagination and reach places which you never even dreamed of…
We all come from different segments of the society in terms of social & economic status, culture, religion, belief systems etc. However as far the natural principle of upbringing a child is concerned they remain the same everywhere.
I am not an expert in Parenting nor have many credentials in “Right Child Care Practices” and I fully understand that different kind of children need different kind of interventions yet I would request you to divert little attention to these fundamental aspects relating to child management.
Creating the right kind of atmosphere for the child to grow and flower in home by making home a really happy, loving and peaceful place to live.
Understanding the needs of the children. There are two extremes in this case…Making the child go through terrible hardships to realise “Your” dreams is one end and the other end is over-pampered care… Both of them definitely do not work.
Take time to switch from teaching mode to learning mode from the child since children show you the way to be really happy and peaceful at times…Instead of learning form them we tend to always assume the role of teacher/preacher.
Allow the child “to be” on his own terms and here I mean especially the child’s engagement with nature and world around and empower them with the right kind of communication skills which are more accommodative. Interaction with the other gender due to their coming of age is not an aberration but a normal process, which you can keep a note on but not try to prevent it totally.
Spend time with children without complaining of your office, life situation, problems, hardships all the time…. It may be really too late before you want to spend and there is no more time available with the child. Why? Because we may have made him just like ourselves in an effort to tutor him. We certainly are not the benchmark for the child. Many a times, we may be regressive rudimentary types in comparison to the ability of the child.
Just a final thought. Are we interested in making the child realise “Your Dreams” at any cost or should it be like creating such situations that the child realises “His/Her” Dreams?
I could have simply attended a Parents Counselling Session during admission and spoken on these issues but usually it so happens that in such gatherings we are conditioned and influenced more by impression of the person sitting next to you or people who think different.
Nothing wrong in disagreeing but it is best to disagree on own terms instead of getting influenced by others. Finally, I would like to tender my unconditional apology for taking your time and telling you things about Child Management in which I am no expert and my words in this letter have been gathered by my limited experience in Kota dealing with similar cases and certainly there are great men who have inspired me to put my thoughts before you.
Be the Best Parent in the World!!!!
I am sure there is no competition there
Yours Sincerely,
Dr Ravi Kumar
District Collector, Kota
The hidden wealth of some of the world’s most prominent leaders, politicians and celebrities has been revealed by an unprecedented leak of millions of documents that show the myriad ways in which the rich can exploit secretive offshore tax regimes.
Article mostly in Indian Perspective .
What do The Panama Papers reveal?
Individuals who have set up offshore entities through the Panama law firm. Some of the Indians floated offshore entities at a time when laws did not allow them to do so; some have taken a technically convenient view that companies acquired is not the same as companies incorporated; some have bunched their annual quota of remittances to subscribe to shares in an offshore entity acquired at an earlier date. Still, some others have received income earned abroad and deposited it in the entity to avoid tax. Some have opened a bank account to keep payoffs in government contracts, or held “proceeds of crime” or property bought with money made illegally in Trusts/ Foundations.
Why float a foreign company, why go all the way to Panama to register it?
The two big draws that offshore entities in jurisdictions such as British Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Seychelles and more specifically Panama, offer are: secrecy of information relating to the ultimate beneficiary owner and zero tax on income generated.
In fact, in Panama, individuals can ask for bearer shares, where the owner’s name is not mentioned anywhere. Besides, it costs little or nothing to set up an entity abroad. The Registered Agent charges a few hundred dollars to incorporate an entity. It doesn’t take much time to incorporate one either. Companies are available off-the-shelf and can be registered in a couple of days.
What is Mossack Fonseca?
It is a Panama-based law firm whose services include incorporating companies in offshore jurisdictions such as the British Virgin Islands. It administers offshore firms for a yearly fee. Other services include wealth management.
Where is it based?
The firm is Panamanian but runs a worldwide operation. Its website boasts of a global network with 600 people working in 42 countries. It has franchises around the world, where separately owned affiliates sign up new customers and have exclusive rights to use its brand. Mossack Fonseca operates in tax havens including Switzerland, Cyprus and the British Virgin Islands, and in the British crown dependencies Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man.
How big is it?
Mossack Fonseca is the world’s fourth biggest provider of offshore services. It has acted for more than 300,000 companies. There is a strong UK connection. More than half of the companies are registered in British-administered tax havens, as well as in the UK itself.
How much data has been leaked?
A lot. The leak is one of the biggest ever – larger than the US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks in 2010, and the secret intelligence documents given to journalists by Edward Snowden in 2013. There are 11.5m documents and 2.6 terabytes of information drawn from Mossack Fonseca’s internal database.
Will regulators be interested in this information? How does it affect NRIs?
Non-disclosure of an overseas asset (in this case the company acquired or floated) will be of interest to authorities and regulators here. Floating these companies and depending on the reason for which they are put to use, could also violate, individually or jointly, the Foreign Exchange Management Act, the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Income-Tax Act. NRIs do not have to report their offshore entities to Indian authorities. But any income earned by them in India has to be filed with regulators in the country.
What’s the kind of secrecy that the Panama agent offered?
The offshore entity need not appoint natural persons as directors or have individuals as shareholders. The Registered Agent, Mossack Fonseca in this case, offers its own executives to serve as shareholders or directors. Sometimes, an intermediary law firm or a bank acts as a director or a nominee shareholder. So the real beneficiary remains hidden.
The registered agent provides an official overseas address, a mail box, etc, none of which traces back the entity to the beneficial owner. In many cases, the shareholding of these entities is vested in a Panamanian Trust or Foundation. The Foundation further masks beneficial ownership. A professional trustee is often the nominee shareholder of the Foundation. The beneficiaries of the Foundation’s assets are mentioned in the Regulations, and these Regulations do not form part of the Public Deed executed by the trustee.
Couldn’t those in the list argue that when they set up these companies, FERA was a draconian law and they had to do this to go around it?
Foreign Exchange Regulation Act severely restricted even current account transactions, forget those on capital account. Since India’s foreign exchange holdings were low or inadequate in the 1980s and 1990s, the law was aimed at preventing an outflow of foreign exchange.
In those days of controls, many secretly opened Swiss bank accounts and offshore entities by sending money abroad through hawala. It was to these offshore accounts that money flowed in several cases of over invoicing or under-invoicing of trade transactions. But progressively, after liberalisation in 1991, and with an improvement in macro economic indicators, FERA was replaced with FEMA in 1999.
And as India’s foreign exchange reserves rose and topped $100 billion in 2004, in January 2004, RBI allowed companies to invest up to 100 per cent of their net worth (now it’s 400 per cent of net worth) abroad by doing away with the $100 million cap and started its experiment with limited capital account convertibility by introducing the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) in February 2004 which permitted resident individuals to remit up to $25,000 a year.
This was increased in phases to $200,000 by September 2007, but was reduced to $75,000 in August 2013 to arrest a sharp slide in rupee. The LRS limit was subsequently increased again in phases and now stands at $250,000 a year. This means, an Indian resident individual can invest $250,000 abroad in buying shares or property or gift or donate to anyone living abroad up to this limit every year.
But RBI’s intent and internal understanding in opening the LRS windows was to allow resident individuals in the spirit of liberalisation to diversify their assets, promote trade and boost exports and earnings, but not to let them set up companies, which could be put to misuse.
Are regulators, RBI and Income Tax authorities, aware of these firms?
There are many who have set up companies dating back to the pre-2004 period when the LRS was not even announced. So, they are clearly outliers.
Then there are individuals who have taken an interpretation of the LRS to mean that offshore entities can be set up. The LRS did allow for buying shares, but did not specifically allow incorporation of companies by individuals abroad going by a clarification in the RBI FAQs of September 17, 2010.
On August 5, 2013, the RBI allowed resident Indians to invest directly in joint ventures and overseas subsidiaries through the LRS route too.
So, technically, those individuals who had set up companies overseas prior to August 2013 would have violated the rules on LRS. In certain cases, there has been a compounding of payment of fines by individuals after the LRS violations came to the notice of the RBI or were disclosed by individuals themselves. In some other cases relating to the pre-2013 period, individuals who set up companies abroad using the LRS facility were directed by the RBI to divest their holdings or unwind their operations.
Before 2013, many chartered accountants took a technical view and advised individuals that acquiring companies was not the same as setting up companies, and facilitated buying companies off-the-shelf made available by the likes of Mossack Fonseca.
While some have declared all this to Income Tax authorities, many others have refrained from doing so fearing the current adverse environment where any irregularity can be seen as tax evasion or attempt to stash black money.
So what’s the next step once these names are out?
For the Reserve Bank of India, this issue has been work-in-progress. It will have to take a call whether they can allow compounding (recognising that an individual has erred bona fide and regularising the investment in the offshore entity post facto by imposing a penalty) or insist that individuals wind up these investments made prior to August 2013. The Income Tax department will have to probe if there has been ‘round tripping’ of funds i.e. routing of funds invested in offshore entities back to India, and where required, refer the cases to the Enforcement Directorate. It will also have to see if the offshore entities have declared all their incomes and assets to the Income Tax department.
What’s the relevance of The Panama Papers to the black money debate?
Offshore entities can be and have been used by individuals to remit funds abroad. Globally, they carry a reputation of being vehicles set up by individuals and corporations to evade or avoid tax. Companies call this tax planning, the tax man sees it as tax avoidance. With coordinated moves by G-20 countries to introduce stringent anti-money laundering measures, as part of a global crackdown on tax avoidance, there is rising international scrutiny over such jurisdictions and giant company incorporators such as Mossack Fonseca which facilitate setting up of offshore entities.
Sources :
India, I have long maintained, is a fifty-fifty democracy. In some respects—such as free and fair elections, free movement of people—we are as democratic as any other country in the world. In other respects we lag noticeably behind. One such area is the freedom of expression.
Hello Friends, Wish you all a very happy and prosperous new year 2016. Hope this year brings you success and you get closer to your goals. Have a great year.
“Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life–think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.” —Swami Vivekananda
This is completely off topic, and late in night too,but some help is better than no help. Sadly so many people are facing so much problem in Chennai Floods.
You can help in various ways, Sharing the resource in one way.
http://chennairains.org/area-updates/ Live area UPDATES and resources
Always up-to-date, first-hand, verified reports on your area, now live on the site: https://t.co/GkHERGSVPS
— mokka (@mokkanair) December 4, 2015
Also Google India Help page is Useful too
http://google.org/crisisresponse/2015-chennai-flooding
Locate your loved ones. Call 1948 from your Airtel number in Chennai & TN. #ChennaiRainsHelp@TelecomTalkpic.twitter.com/x16NNAB68W
— Bharti Airtel (@airtelnews) December 4, 2015
Can’t trace your dear one in Chennai? DM your & person’s name & Vodafone no, will SMS u in 2hrs their last called location #chennairainshelp
— Vodafone India (@VodafoneIN) December 3, 2015
International calls to landlines and mobiles in to Tamil Nadu now free on Skype, we hope this helps https://t.co/6QQ6xxEVXH #ChennaiFloods
— Skype (@Skype) December 4, 2015
#ChennaiMicroFund contribution A/c Name: V Trust, A/C NO: 533102010503421, UNION BANK OF INDIA, IFSC CODE: UBIN0553310. #SiddharthRJbalaji — RJ Balaji (@RJ_Balaji) December 3, 2015
IBPS exam to go as per schedule in Chennai, no updates as of now , sadly.
#IBPS to go on with prelims exam tomo, #Chennai candidates will miss it. @arunjaitley @RBIGov https://t.co/d5RlZj8S3e — S Deepak Karthik (@Deepak_TNIE) December 4, 2015
The issue can be overwhelming. The science is complicated. Predictions about the fate of the planet carry endless caveats and asterisks.We get it.And so, as the Paris climate talks get underway, we’ve provided quick answers to often-asked questions about climate change.
Note:
This article is written by JUSTIN GILLIS for NYT, sharing the knowledge for planet’s sake :P, also Big world small planet is a wonderful video/book , useful in essay and Interview.Above all I believe that it is our responsibility as human beings to know abut these things, for a safer world and a better future.
1.7 degrees is actually a significant amount.
As of this October, the Earth had warmed by about 1.7 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880, when tracking began at a global scale. That figure includes the surface of the ocean. The warming is greater over land, and greater still in the Arctic and parts of Antarctica.
The number may sound low, but as an average over the surface of an entire planet, it is actually high, which explains why much of the land ice on the planet is starting to melt and the oceans are rising at an accelerating pace. The heat accumulating in the Earth because of human emissions is roughly equal to the heat that would be released by 400,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs exploding across the planet every day.
Scientists believe most and probably all of the warming since 1950 was caused by the human release of greenhouse gases. If emissions continue unchecked, they say the global warming could ultimately exceed 8 degrees Fahrenheit, which would transform the planet and undermine its capacity to support a large human population.
For future generations, big trouble.
The risks are much greater over the long run than over the next few decades, but the emissions that create those risks are happening now. Over the coming 25 or 30 years, scientists say, the climate is likely to resemble that of today, although gradually getting warmer. Rainfall will be heavier in many parts of the world, but the periods between rains will most likely grow hotter and therefore drier. The number of hurricanes and typhoons may actually fall, but the ones that do occur will draw energy from a hotter ocean surface, and therefore may be more intense, on average, than those of the past. Coastal flooding will grow more frequent and damaging.
Longer term, if emissions continue to rise unchecked, the risks are profound. Scientists fear climate effects so severe that they might destabilize governments, produce waves of refugees, precipitate the sixth mass extinction of plants and animals in Earth’s history, and melt the polar ice caps, causing the seas to rise high enough to flood most of the world’s coastal cities.
All of this could take hundreds or even thousands of years to play out, conceivably providing a cushion of time for civilization to adjust, but experts cannot rule out abrupt changes, such as a collapse of agriculture, that would throw society into chaos much sooner. Bolder efforts to limit emissions would reduce these risks, or at least slow the effects, but it is already too late to eliminate the risks entirely.
Fly less, drive less, waste less.
There are lots of simple ways to reduce your own carbon footprint, and most of them will save you money. You can plug leaks in your home insulation to save power, install a smart thermostat, switch to more efficient light bulbs, turn off the lights in any room where you are not using them, drive fewer miles by consolidating trips or taking public transit, waste less food, and eat less meat.
Perhaps the biggest single thing individuals can do on their own is to take fewer airplane trips; just one or two fewer plane rides per year can save as much in emissions as all the other actions combined. If you want to be at the cutting edge, you can look at buying an electric or hybrid car, putting solar panels on your roof, or both.
If you want to offset your emissions, you can buy certificates, with the money going to projects that protect forests, capture greenhouse gases and so forth.
In the end, though, experts do not believe the needed transformation in the energy system can happen without strong state and national policies. So speaking up and exercising your rights as a citizen matters as much as anything else you can do.
Several things have to break our way.
In the best case that scientists can imagine, several things happen: Earth turns out to be less sensitive to greenhouse gases than currently believed; plants and animals manage to adapt to the changes that have already become inevitable; human society develops much greater political will to bring emissions under control; and major technological breakthroughs occur that help society both to limit emissions and to adjust to climate change.
The two human-influenced variables are not entirely independent, of course: Technological breakthroughs that make clean energy cheaper than fossil fuels would also make it easier to develop the political will for rapid action.
Scientists say the odds of all these things breaking our way are not very high, unfortunately. The Earth could just as easily turn out to be more sensitive to greenhouse gases than less. Global warming seems to be causing chaos in parts of the natural world already, and that seems likely to get worse, not better. So in the view of the experts, simply banking on a rosy scenario without any real plan would be dangerous. They believe the only way to limit the risks is to limit emissions.
There are many.
That is actually hard to say, which is one reason scientists are urging that emissions be cut; they want to limit the possibility of any worst-case scenario coming to pass. Perhaps the single greatest fear is a collapse of food production, accompanied by spiraling prices and mass starvation. Even with runaway emissions growth, it is unclear how likely this would be, as farmers are able to adjust their crops and farming techniques, to a degree, to adapt to climatic changes. Another possibility would be a disintegration of the polar ice sheets, leading to fast-rising seas that would force people to abandon many of the world’s great cities and the loss of trillions of dollars worth of property and other assets. Scientists also worry about other wild-card scenarios like the predictable cycles of Asian monsoons becoming less reliable. Billions of people depend on the monsoons to supply them with water for crops. So any disruptions to monsoons would have catastrophic consequences to those populations.
Even Bill Gates says don’t count on it, unless we commit the cash.
As more companies, governments and researchers devote themselves to the problem, the chances of big technological advances are improving. But even many experts who are optimistic about technological solutions warn that current efforts are not enough. For instance, spending on basic energy research is only a quarter to a third of the level that several in-depth reports have recommended. And public spending on agricultural research has stagnated even though climate change poses growing risks to the food supply. People like Bill Gates have argued that crossing our fingers and hoping for technological miracles is not a strategy — we have to spend the money that would make these things more likely to happen.
The real question is not how high, but how fast.
The ocean is rising at a rate of about a foot per century. That causes severe effects on coastlines, forcing governments and property owners to spend tens of billions of dollars fighting erosion. But if that rate continued, it would probably be manageable, experts say.
The risk is that the rate will accelerate markedly. If emissions continue unchecked, then the temperature at the earth’s surface could soon resemble a past epoch called the Pliocene, when a great deal of ice melted and the ocean rose something like 80 feet compared to today. A recent study found that burning all the fossil fuels in the ground would fully melt the polar ice sheets, raising the sea level by more than 160 feet over an unknown period.
With all of that said, the crucial issue is probably not how much the oceans are going to rise, but how fast. And on that point, scientists are pretty much flying blind. Their best information comes from studying Earth’s history, and it suggests that the rate can on occasion hit a foot per decade, which can probably be thought of as the worst-case scenario. A rate even half that would force rapid retreat from the coasts and, some experts think, throw human society into crisis. Even if the rise is much slower, many of the world’s great cities will flood eventually. Studies suggest that big cuts in emissions could slow the rise, buying crucial time for society to adapt to an altered coastline.
They’re not perfect, but they’re grounded in solid science.
The idea that Earth is sensitive to greenhouse gases is confirmed by many lines of scientific evidence. For instance, the basic physics suggesting that an increase of carbon dioxide traps more heat was discovered in the 19th century, and has been verified in thousands of laboratory experiments.
Climate science does contain uncertainties, of course. The biggest is the degree to which global warming sets off feedback loops, such as a melting of sea ice that will darken the surface and cause more heat to be absorbed, melting more ice, and so forth. It is not clear exactly how much the feedbacks will intensify the warming; some of them could even partially offset it. This uncertainty means that computer forecasts can give only a range of future climate possibilities, not absolute predictions.
But even if those computer forecasts did not exist, a huge amount of evidence suggests that scientists have the basic story right. The most important evidence comes from the study of past climate conditions, a field known as paleoclimate research. The amount of carbon dioxide in the air has fluctuated naturally in the past, and every time it rises, the Earth warms up, ice melts, and the ocean rises. A hundred miles inland from today’s East Coast, seashells can be dug from ancient beaches that are three million years old. These past conditions are not a perfect guide to the future, either, because humans are pumping carbon dioxide into the air far faster than nature has ever done.
Hint: ideology.
Most of the attacks on climate science are coming from libertarians and other political conservatives who do not like the policies that have been proposed to fight global warming. Instead of negotiating over those policies and trying to make them more subject to free-market principles, they have taken the approach of blocking them by trying to undermine the science.
This ideological position has been propped up by money from fossil-fuel interests, which have paid to create organizations, fund conferences and the like. The scientific arguments made by these groups usually involve cherry-picking data, such as focusing on short-term blips in the temperature record or in sea ice, while ignoring the long-term trends.
The most extreme version of climate denialism is to claim that scientists are engaged in a worldwide hoax to fool the public so that the government can gain greater control over people’s lives. As the arguments have become more strained, many oil and coal companies have begun to distance themselves publicly from climate denialism, but some are still helping to finance the campaigns of politicians who espouse such views.
In some cases, yes.
Scientists have published strong evidence that the warming climate is making heat waves more frequent and intense. It is also causing heavier rainstorms, and coastal flooding is getting worse as the oceans rise because of human emissions. Global warming has intensified droughts in regions like the Middle East, and it may have strengthened the drought in California.
In many other cases, though, the linkage to global warming for particular trends is uncertain or disputed. That is partly from a lack of good historical weather data, but it is also scientifically unclear how certain types of events may be influenced by the changing climate.
Another factor: While the climate is changing, people’s perceptions may be changing faster. The Internet has made us all more aware of weather disasters in distant places. On social media, people have a tendency to attribute virtually any disaster to climate change, but in many cases there is no scientific support for doing so.
In certain ways, yes.
Countries with huge, frozen hinterlands, including Canada and Russia, could see some economic benefits as global warming makes agriculture, mining and the like more possible in those places. It is perhaps no accident that the Russians have always been reluctant to make ambitious climate commitments, and President Vladimir V. Putin has publicly questioned the science of climate change.
However, both of those countries could suffer enormous damage to their natural resources; escalating fires in Russia are already killing millions of acres of forests per year. Moreover, some experts believe countries that view themselves as likely winners from global warming will come to see the matter differently once they are swamped by millions of refugees from less fortunate lands.
If you share this with 50 friends, maybe.
Scientists have been warning since the 1980s that strong policies were needed to limit emissions. Those warnings were ignored, and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have since built up to potentially dangerous levels. So the hour is late.
But after 20 years of largely fruitless diplomacy, the governments of the world are finally starting to take the problem seriously. A deal that is likely to be reached in Paris in December will commit nearly every country to some kind of action. Religious leaders like Pope Francis are speaking out. Low-emission technologies, such as electric cars, are improving. Leading corporations are making bold promises to switch to renewable power and stop forest destruction. Around the world, many states and cities are pledging to go far beyond the goals set by their national governments.
What is still largely missing in all this are the voices of ordinary citizens. Because politicians have a hard time thinking beyond the next election, they tend to tackle hard problems only when the public rises up and demands it.
I am delighted to inaugurate the Indian Pavilion. This is the first day of a historic summit in Paris. We stand here in solidarity with Paris and France and in admiration for their resolve and courage.
The entire world, 196 nations, have come together to shape the future of this world and the health of our planet. This summit is of great significance to India’s future, too. This pavilion is a window to our heritage and our progress; our traditions and our technology; our aspirations and our achievements.
India’s new economic momentum is a subject of international attention and a source of global opportunity. Our progress will not just change the lives of one-sixth of humanity. It will also mean a more successful and prosperous world.
Equally, the choices the world makes here will have an impact on our development. Climate change is a major global challenge. But, climate change is not of our making. It is the result of global warming that came from the prosperity and progress of an industrial age powered by fossil fuel.
But, we in India face its consequences today. We see it in the risks of our farmers, the changes in weather patterns, and the intensity of natural disasters.
We are concerned about the rising oceans that will threaten our 7500 km of coastline and over 1300 islands. We worry about the retreat of glaciers that feed our rivers and nurture our civilisation.
That is why the outcome in Paris so important.
That is why we are here.
We want the world to act with urgency. We want a comprehensive, equitable and durable agreement, which must lead us to restore the balance between humanity and Nature and between what we have inherited and what we will leave behind.
This will mean a partnership in which those who have the luxury of choices and the capability of technology will make adjustments to sharply reduce their carbon emission.
The extent of their commitment and the strength of their action must be consistent with the carbon space they occupy.
And, they must leave enough of what is left of our carbon space to let developing countries grow.
They should share resources and technology with those who live between want and hope, so that we can meet the universal aspiration for clean energy.
It will also mean that the developing world will also try to have a lighter carbon footprint on their growth path.
We want the conviction of the world to be matched by efforts to create conditions in which we can succeed.
Because our challenge is pressing, our efforts must be urgent.
Friends,
These will be the subject of negotiations over the next few days.
I am here in the Indian Pavilion to say something else. And, I speak not just to the world, but also to our people.
India’s progress is our destiny and the right of our people. But, we are a nation that must also lead in combating climate change.
It stems from our obligation to give our people clean air; clean rivers; resilient farms; healthy habitats; and, forests rich with life.
It comes from our conviction that we must aim not just for higher incomes, but better quality of life.
It comes from our commitment to the world.
Above all, it arises, from our timeless traditions and beliefs.
The choices a people make are shaped by their culture and beliefs.
In India, Nature has always been treated as Mother.
Since ancient times, we have seen humanity as part of Nature, not superior to it. The divine has manifested in Nature’s diverse forms.
We have always believed that Nature does not exist for human race, but that we can’t exist without Nature. So, Nature is meant to provide and nurture, not to exploit.
When Nature is in equilibrium, our lives and our world will be in balance.
This is what we learn from Kshetrapati Sukta in our Rig Veda.
क्षेत्रस्य पते मधुमन्तमूर्मिं धेनुरिव पयो अस्मासु धुक्ष्व ।
मधुश्चुतं घृतमिव सुपूतमृतस्य नः पतयो मृळयन्तु ॥
This means:
O Lord of Field, with the Sweet Waves of Mother Nature’s blessings, may you milk our Fields like the Milk of a Cow With the Sweetness of Mother Nature’s bounty, which falls like Clarified Butter, may You shed your Grace on us.
This is why Atharva-Veda calls it a bounden duty that we must protect the Earth so that Life can be sustained.
This is what we see in Gandhiji’s life and his advice that the world has enough for everyone’s need but not for anyone’s greed.
This is what we have tried to capture in the publication PARAMPARA that we have released today.
This is why recycling and conservation comes naturally to us. And, why we have sacred groves across our nation.
Friends,
And, it is this spirit that leads us to set an ambitious and comprehensive strategy to combat climate change.
We have a target for renewable generation of 175 Gigawatt by 2022. We have got off to a good start, with nearly 12 GW likely to be installed by 2016, more than three times the current capacity.
Like cellular phones before, we can use renewable energy to bring power to our 18000 unconnected villages quickly and cleanly.
By 2030, 40% of our installed capacity will be based on non-fossil fuel.
We will convert waste to energy. We will make our cities smart and sustainable, and transform public transportation, including through 50 new metro rail projects.
We are investing in supercritical technology in thermal plants. We have imposed tax on coal and reduced subsidies on petroleum products. We are raising fuel standards for automobiles. And, we have introduced tax free bonds for renewable energy.
We have a massive programme to expand our forest cover and protect our biodiversity.
In the past few months, millions of households have switched to LED bulbs and we have plans to replace diesel by fuel cells to power the thousands of our telecom towers.
Our vision of India as a global manufacturing hub rests on the simple principle of “zero defect, zero effect” – production that is perfect and leaves no footprint on environment.
Our mission of “more crop per drop” will not only improve the lives of farmers, but will also reduce the pressure on a scarce resource.
And, research and innovation in clean energy is a high priority.
We want to make conventional energy, like coal, cleaner.
We will make renewable energy cheaper and convenient to install even in our homes. We want to make it more reliable and easier to feed into our transmission lines.
From governments to communities, there are countless examples of innovation and enterprise that are restoring the health of our environment.
I have tried to capture some of these initiatives in my book, Convenient Action, which we shall present today.
Friends,
This is the voice of our people, the call of our nation and the consensus of our polity.
India’s leadership on environment has been the vision of Indian leaders and successive governments – from Stockholm in 1975 to Copenhagen in 2009.
We are raising our national effort to an entirely new level. And, we are intensifying our international partnerships.
So, we come to Paris with our commitment, but we also come with hope.
So, we approach the negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in a spirit of partnership, which must be based on the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities.
Later today, I will join leaders from major developed and developing world for an innovation summit; because I believe that innovation and technology hold the key to our collective success.
President Hollande and I will also co-chair the launch of my long cherished dream of an international solar alliance to promote greater use of solar energy in the 121 solar-rich nations.
To call the world to look deep into the ancient wisdom of all our civilisations, cultures and religions, I had requested President Hollande to bring out a book of quotations from around the world. I am happy that we will release it today.
And, I will also call for a change in lifestyles, so that we reduce the burden on our planet. For, the enduring success of our efforts will depend on the way we live and think.
In conclusion, therefore, let me return to the theme that defines us in India – the spirit of partnership, the belief in oneness with the whole that is Nature.
To the people of India and our friends in the world, I call you to live with the commitment of ‘Lokah Samastah Sukhinau Bhavantu’.
The desire for well being should include our planet, our Nature, all countries and the entire humanity.
If our thinking is right, we will form a true global partnership of capabilities and needs that leads us to a low carbon age.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
India and ASEAN are natural partners. Our ties date back to ancient times. They continue to serve as a bridge between our countries and regions.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN It was formed on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Since then, membership has expanded to include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), and Vietnam. Its aims include accelerating economic growth, social progress, and sociocultural evolution among its members, protection of regional peace and stability, and opportunities for member countries to resolve differences peacefully.
Friends! I have been saying that the 21st century belongs to Asia. I say this because of the track record of the ASEAN countries. Together, ASEAN’s ten member countries form an economic powerhouse. ASEAN has emerged as one of the largest economic zones in the world. Last fifteen years have seen your rapid and yet stable growth. Your Macro-economic stability has been the main reason for growth and stability in South East Asia. With good governance, futuristic infrastructure and focus on new age technologies, you have created excellence.
In simple things like tourism, you have done miracles. Once again, I compliment the leadership and people of ASEAN countries for what they have achieved.
When I analyse the Asian miracle, I find that small countries of ASEAN and a big country like China, both have done well. This shows that growth depends more on the spirit of people rather than the size of population.
The Indian economy faced serious challenges. A high fiscal deficit, a high current account deficit, a large number of stalled infrastructure projects and persistent inflation were among them.
It was obvious that reforms were needed. We asked ourselves the question – Reforms for what? What is the aim of reform? Is it just to increase the measured rate of GDP growth? Or is it to bring about a transformation in society? My answer is clear: we must REFORM TO TRANSFORM.
In short, reform is not an end in itself. Reform for me is just a way station on the long journey to the destination. The destination is the transformation of India. We have to take the fruits of development to the margins of our geography and to the bottom of our demography. We have to touch lives, while reaching for the sky.
By almost every major economic indicator, India is doing better than when we took office 18 months ago.
Obviously, this did not happen by accident. And the world economy is not exactly doing well. This success is the result of a series of concerted policies. We have embarked on a course of fiscal consolidation. We have entered, for the first time, into a monetary framework agreement with the Reserve Bank to curb inflation.
Even while cutting the fiscal deficit, we have substantially increased productive public investment. This has been made possible in two ways. Firstly, we have imposed carbon taxes on fossil fuels. We have taken the bold step of de-controlling diesel prices and thereby eliminated energy subsidies, and have in fact imposed taxes on fossil fuels. We have increased the cess on coal by 300%. Globally, there is much talk of carbon taxes. We have actually acted. Secondly, we have reduced wasteful expenditure through innovative methods including targeting subsidies to the deserving through technology.
Overall, there is increased confidence within and outside the country. The IMF and World Bank have expressed even better hope for our economy this year and after. The Economist magazine this week stated that “India is in healthier shape than any other big emerging economy.”
However, as I said, our aim is not mere reform, but “reform to transform”. Macro-economic stability is good. But to transform India, much more needs to be done. We have begun a series of concerted steps. These include structural and institutional reforms.
Agriculture remains India’s mainstay in terms of providing livelihood. We have introduced a series of simple but powerful structural reforms. There was a tendency to divert subsidised fertiliser for the production of chemicals. We have found a simple but very effective solution: by neem-coating the fertiliser, it becomes unsuitable for diversion. We are now moving towards universal neem-coating. This has already saved billions of rupees of diverted farm subsidies.
We have also introduced Soil Health Card. This tells every farmer the condition of his or her soil and then enables him to choose the right crop, best quantity and mix of inputs.
We have launched a housing for all program, one of the most ambitious in the world. It involves building 20 million urban houses and 29.5 million rural houses, totalling nearly 50 million. While the programme will make sure no Indian is houseless, it will also generate a large amount of employment – that too, mainly for the unskilled, the semi-skilled and the poor.
We have undertaken major improvements in the transport sector. Our major ports witnessed a 4.65% growth in traffic and an 11.2% increase in operating income, in 2014-15 despite a global contraction in trade volume.
The pace of award of new highway works has increased from 9 km/day in 2013-14 to 23 km/day currently. These will have large multiplier effects throughout the economy.
We were committed to restore credibility in the process of allocation of natural resources. My government has intervened with legislative and administrative measures to improve the supply of critical inputs and raw materials. They include Coal, other minerals and spectrum. The hallmark of this intervention is allocation through transparent auction.
We started the Jan Dhan Yojana. In less than a year, we opened 190 million new bank accounts. On Social security front, we have launched innovative and attractive schemes for insurance and pension. We have also set up MUDRA Bank to fund the small traders who were unfunded so far. More than six million small traders have already availed the loans.
While expanding the banking services, we are also taking steps to strengthen the Banking system. Credible and capable bankers have been appointed to head banks. For the first time since banks were nationalised 46 years ago, private sector professionals have been appointed in key positions. We have taken concerted action to revive stalled infrastructure projects – We have started a major revamp of the power sector. These measures will also benefit our banks.
Let me now turn to issues of investment, which may be of more direct relevance to you.
In a break with over 65 years of tradition, we have involved India’s States in foreign policy. The Ministry of External Affairs has been asked to work with the States. When I visited China, a state-to-state summit was also held. And states have been asked to create export promotion councils. Making the States think globally is yet another reform with potential to transform.
Our aim is to create jobs for more than a billion young hands. To provide this, the share of manufacturing must reach around 25% in our GDP. We have launched a campaign called ‘Make in India’ and aggressively worked on the front of Ease of doing business. Reducing complicated procedures, making them available at one platform- preferably online, simplifying the forms and formats has been taken up on war footing. That is how we have jumped up by 12 ranks in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Report of 2016. Industry is realizing the benefits of these changes. Index of Industrial Production in the current year shows a distinct improvement over the previous year. We are working in all ways to make India a global manufacturing hub.
World Class Infrastructure has remained a dream for India. Hence, our maximum focus is on building futuristic infrastructure. By exercising tight control over unproductive expenditure, we have greatly increased capital investment by the Public Sector. To further augment such investments, we are encouraging the PPP model. We are also setting up National Investment and Infrastructure Fund which will help us leverage public investments. We are also coming up with Tax Free Infrastructure Bonds with a view to broaden the corporate bond market and to provide long term finance for infrastructure. We are eager to work with Malaysia, Singapore and other ASEAN countries in this regard.
As a result of our initiatives,
Campaigns like Digital India and Skill India are designed to prepare the people to take part in this process. We have witnessed exponential growth in the number of start-ups in the recent past. To tap this energy fully, we have launched theStart up India Campaign.
We are aware of the interest of the Global investor community in the potential that India has. In recent months, this interest has gone up. Therefore, to re-vitalize the flow of investments, we have launched the second wave of structural and financial reforms. We are trying to further open up the economy and introduce an element of predictability and stability in taxation system.
To give you some examples:
These are just a few examples. Almost on a daily basis, we are trying to remove the bottlenecks that were affecting our growth process. Even early this month, we have taken very dynamic steps to further open up the economy for FDI. With this round of reforms, we are among the most open economies in the world.
Going further, I want to assure you that India is committed to protect Intellectual Property Rights of all innovators. We have taken several initiatives for transparency and online processing in IP administration. A comprehensive National IPR policy is expected by the end of the year. We are moving fast to make sure that our tax regime is transparent and predictable. We are also keen to see that genuine investors and honest tax payers get quick and fair decisions on tax matters.
Friends, India is a land of immense opportunities. To give you some examples: our fifty cities are ready for putting up Metro Rail Systems. We have to build 50 million affordable houses. The requirement of road, rail and waterways is enormous. We have decided to go for renewable energy in a big way – 175 GW. We have to do all this in a short span of time. Our democratic values and an alert judicial system ensure the safety of your investments. We have set the tone of Governance with a long term vision and an open mind. We are particularly working to make India the easiest place to do business.
Friends, Most of the ASEAN economies have done their bit for Asia’s resurgence. Now, it is India’s turn. And we know that our time has come. We are at a take-off stage. I invite you to come and see the winds of change in India. Winds do take time to cross the borders. That is why; I am personally here to invite you. When you come, you will get the wings of a new business environment. And once you are there, I assure you of my full co-operation.
Thank You.
The 7th Pay Commission headed by Justice A.K. Mathur has proposed a hefty 23.55% increase in emoluments including pay, allowances and pension for 4.8 million government employees and 5.5 million pensioners
Download report of the Seventh Central Pay Commission (7.19MB)
Minimum Pay: Based on the Aykroyd formula, the minimum pay in government is recommended to be set at ₹18,000 per month.
Maximum Pay: ₹2,25,000 per month for Apex Scale and ₹2,50,000 per month for Cabinet Secretary and others presently at the same pay level.
Financial Implications:
The total financial impact in the FY 2016-17 is likely to be ₹1,02,100 crore, over the expenditure as per the ‘Business As Usual’ scenario. Of this, the increase in pay would be ₹39,100 crore, increase in allowances would be ₹ 29,300 crore and increase in pension would be ₹33,700 crore.
Out of the total financial impact of ₹1,02,100 crore, ₹73,650 crore will be borne by the General Budget and ₹28,450 crore by the Railway Budget.
In percentage terms the overall increase in pay & allowances and pensions over the ‘Business As Usual’ scenario will be 23.55 percent. Within this, the increase in pay will be 16 percent, increase in allowances will be 63 percent, and increase in pension would be 24 percent.
The total impact of the Commission’s recommendations are expected to entail an increase of 0.65 percentage points in the ratio of expenditure on (Pay+Allowances+ Pension) to GDP compared to 0.77 percent in case of VI CPC.
New Pay Structure: Considering the issues raised regarding the Grade Pay structure and with a view to bring in greater transparency, the present system of pay bands and grade pay has been dispensed with and a new pay matrix has been designed. Grade Pay has been subsumed in the pay matrix. The status of the employee, hitherto determined by grade pay, will now be determined by the level in the pay matrix.
Fitment: A fitment factor of 2.57 is being proposed to be applied uniformly for all employees.
Annual Increment: The rate of annual increment is being retained at 3 percent.
Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP):
Performance benchmarks for MACP have been made more stringent from “Good” to “Very Good”.
The Commission has also proposed that annual increments not be granted in the case of those employees who are not able to meet the benchmark either for MACP or for a regular promotion in the first 20 years of their service.
No other changes in MACP recommended.
Military Service Pay (MSP): The Military Service Pay, which is a compensation for the various aspects of military service, will be admissible to the Defence forces personnel only. As before, Military Service Pay will be payable to all ranks up to and inclusive of Brigadiers and their equivalents. The current MSP per month and the revised rates recommended are as follows:
| Present | Proposed | ||
| i. | Service Officers | ₹6,000 | ₹15,500 |
| ii. | Nursing Officers | ₹4,200 | ₹10,800 |
| iii. | JCO/ORs | ₹2,000 | ₹ 5,200 |
| iv. | Non Combatants (Enrolled) in the Air Force | ₹1,000 | ₹ 3,600 |
Short Service Commissioned Officers: Short Service Commissioned Officers will be allowed to exit the Armed Forces at any point in time between 7 and 10 years of service, with a terminal gratuity equivalent of 10.5 months of reckonable emoluments. They will further be entitled to a fully funded one year Executive Programme or a M.Tech. programme at a premier Institute.
Lateral Entry/Settlement: The Commission is recommending a revised formulation for lateral entry/resettlement of defence forces personnel which keeps in view the specific requirements of organization to which such personnel will be absorbed. For lateral entry into CAPFs an attractive severance package has been recommended.
Headquarters/Field Parity: Parity between field and headquarters staff recommended for similar functionaries e.g Assistants and Stenos.
Cadre Review: Systemic change in the process of Cadre Review for Group A officers recommended.
Allowances: The Commission has recommended abolishing 52 allowances altogether. Another 36 allowances have been abolished as separate identities, but subsumed either in an existing allowance or in newly proposed allowances. Allowances relating to Risk and Hardship will be governed by the proposed Risk and Hardship Matrix.
Risk and Hardship Allowance: Allowances relating to Risk and Hardship will be governed by the newly proposed nine-cell Risk and Hardship Matrix, with one extra cell at the top, viz., RH-Max to include Siachen Allowance.
The current Siachen Allowance per month and the revised rates recommended are as follows:
| Present | Proposed | ||
| i. | Service Officers | ₹21,000 | ₹31,500 |
| iii. | JCO/ORs | ₹14,000 | ₹21,000 |
This would be the ceiling for risk/hardship allowances and there would be no individual RHA with an amount higher than this allowance.
House Rent Allowance: Since the Basic Pay has been revised upwards, the Commission recommends that HRA be paid at the rate of 24 percent, 16 percent and 8 percent of the new Basic Pay for Class X, Y and Z cities respectively. The Commission also recommends that the rate of HRA will be revised to 27 percent, 18 percent and 9 percent respectively when DA crosses 50 percent, and further revised to 30 percent, 20 percent and 10 percent when DA crosses 100 percent.
In the case of PBORs of Defence, CAPFs and Indian Coast Guard compensation for housing is presently limited to the authorised married establishment hence many users are being deprived. The HRA coverage has now been expanded to cover all.
Any allowance not mentioned in the report shall cease to exist.
Emphasis has been placed on simplifying the process of claiming allowances.
Advances:
All non-interest bearing Advances have been abolished.
Regarding interest-bearing Advances, only Personal Computer Advance and House Building Advance (HBA) have been retained. HBA ceiling has been increased to ₹25 lakhs from the present ₹7.5 lakhs.
Central Government Employees Group Insurance Scheme (CGEGIS): The Rates of contribution as also the insurance coverage under the CGEGIS have remained unchanged for long. They have now been enhanced suitably. The following rates of CGEGIS are recommended:
| Present | Proposed | |||
| Level of Employee | Monthly Deduction (₹) | Insurance Amount (₹) | Monthly Deduction (₹) | Insurance Amount (₹) |
| 10 and above | 120 | 1,20,000 | 5000 | 50,00,000 |
| 6 to 9 | 60 | 60,000 | 2500 | 25,00,000 |
| 1 to 5 | 30 | 30,000 | 1500 | 15,00,000 |
Medical Facilities:
Introduction of a Health Insurance Scheme for Central Government employees and pensioners has been recommended.
Meanwhile, for the benefit of pensioners residing outside the CGHS areas, CGHS should empanel those hospitals which are already empanelled under CS (MA)/ECHS for catering to the medical requirement of these pensioners on a cashless basis.
All postal pensioners should be covered under CGHS. All postal dispensaries should be merged with CGHS.
Pension: The Commission recommends a revised pension formulation for civil employees including CAPF personnel as well as for Defence personnel, who have retired before 01.01.2016. This formulation will bring about parity between past pensioners and current retirees for the same length of service in the pay scale at the time of retirement.
The past pensioners shall first be fixed in the Pay Matrix being recommended by the Commission on the basis of Pay Band and Grade Pay at which they retired, at the minimum of the corresponding level in the pay matrix.
This amount shall be raised to arrive at the notional pay of retirees, by adding number of increments he/she had earned in that level while in service at the rate of 3 percent.
In the case of defence forces personnel this amount will include Military Service Pay as admissible.
Fifty percent of the total amount so arrived at shall be the new pension.
An alternative calculation will be carried out, which will be a multiple of 2.57 times of the current basic pension.
The pensioner will get the higher of the two.
Gratuity: Enhancement in the ceiling of gratuity from the existing ₹10 lakh to ₹20 lakh. The ceiling on gratuity may be raised by 25 percent whenever DA rises by 50 percent.
Disability Pension for Armed Forces: The Commission is recommending reverting to a slab based system for disability element, instead of existing percentile based disability pension regime.
Ex-gratia Lump sum Compensation to Next of Kin: The Commission is recommending the revision of rates of lump sum compensation for next of kin (NOK) in case of death arising in various circumstances relating to performance of duties, to be applied uniformly for the defence forces personnel and civilians including CAPF personnel.
Martyr Status for CAPF Personnel: The Commission is of the view that in case of death in the line of duty, the force personnel of CAPFs should be accorded martyr status, at par with the defence forces personnel.
New Pension System: The Commission received many grievances relating to NPS. It has recommended a number of steps to improve the functioning of NPS. It has also recommended establishment of a strong grievance redressal mechanism.
Regulatory Bodies: The Commission has recommended a consolidated pay package of ₹4,50,000 and ₹4,00,000 per month for Chairpersons and Members respectively of select Regulatory bodies. In case of retired government servants, their pension will not be deducted from their consolidated pay. The consolidated pay package will be raised by 25 percent as and when Dearness Allowance goes up by 50 percent. For Members of the remaining Regulatory bodies normal replacement pay has been recommended.
Performance Related Pay: The Commission has recommended introduction of the Performance Related Pay (PRP) for all categories of Central Government employees, based on quality Results Framework Documents, reformed Annual Performance Appraisal Reports and some other broad Guidelines. The Commission has also recommended that the PRP should subsume the existing Bonus schemes.
There are few recommendations of the Commission where there was no unanimity of view and these are as follows:
The Edge: An edge is presently accordeded to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) at three promotion stages from Senior Time Scale (STS), to the Junior Administrative Grade (JAG) and the NFSG. is recommended by the Chairman, to be extended to the Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFoS).
Shri Vivek Rae, Member is of the view that financial edge is justified only for the IAS and IFS. Dr. Rathin Roy, Member is of the view that the financial edge accorded to the IAS and IFS should be removed.
Empanelment: The Chairman and Dr. Rathin Roy, Member, recommend that All India Service officers and Central Services Group A officers who have completed 17 years of service should be eligible for empanelment under the Central Staffing Scheme and there should not be “two year edge”, vis-à-vis the IAS. Shri Vivek Rae, Member, has not agreed with this view and has recommended review of the Central Staffing Scheme guidelines.
Non Functional Upgradation for Organised Group ‘A’ Services: The Chairman is of the view that NFU availed by all the organised Group `A’ Services should be allowed to continue and be extended to all officers in the CAPFs, Indian Coast Guard and the Defence forces. NFU should henceforth be based on the respective residency periods in the preceding substantive grade. Shri Vivek Rae, Member and Dr. Rathin Roy, Member, have favoured abolition of NFU at SAG and HAG level.
Superannuation: Chairman and Dr. Rathin Roy, Member, recommend the age of superannuation for all CAPF personnel should be 60 years uniformly. Shri Vivek Rae, Member, has not agreed with this recommendation and has endorsed the stand of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The legendary statistical showman Professor Hans Rosling returns with a feast of facts and figures as he examines the extraordinary target the world commits to this week – to eradicate extreme poverty worldwide. In the week the United Nations presents its new goals for global development, Don’t Panic – How to End Poverty in 15 Years looks at the number one goal for the world: eradicating, for the first time in human history, what is called extreme poverty – the condition of almost a billion people, currently measured as those living on less than $1.25 a day.
Watch this absolute wonderful 1 hour video by Professor Hans Rosling
Rosling uses holographic projection technology to wield his iconic bubble graphs and income mountains to present an upbeat assessment of our ability to achieve that goal by 2030. Eye-opening, funny and data-packed performances make Rosling one of the world’s most sought-after and influential speakers. He brings to life the global challenge, interweaving powerful statistics with dramatic human stories from Africa and Asia. In Malawi, the rains have failed as Dunstar and Jenet harvest their maize. How many hunger months will they face when it runs out? In Cambodia, Srey Mao is about to give birth to twins but one is upside-down. She’s had to borrow money to pay the medical bills. Might this happy event throw her family back into extreme poverty?
The data show that recent global progress is ‘the greatest story of our time – possibly the greatest story in all of human history’. Hans concludes by showing why eradicating extreme poverty quickly will be easier than slowly. Don’t Panic – How To End Poverty In 15 Years follows Rosling’s previous award-winning BBC productions Don’t Panic – The Truth About Population and The Joy Of Stats.
Stuff Happens to the Environment, Like Climate Change, is an eye opener , it should be read by every one and specially by our politicians at all levels.
his main pitch is about Environment and how we need to more to make better decisions. He says,
If you have time to read one book on this subject, I highly recommend the new “Big World, Small Planet*,” by Johan Rockstrom, director of the Stockholm Resilience Center, and Mattias Klum, whose stunning photographs of ecosystem disruptions reinforce the urgency of the moment.
* Amazon Affiliate Link.
I know you are UPSC aspirant and very busy, So I suggest you watch this video,instead of reading book , by Johan Rockstrom, as as human being you have the responsibility to watch this and understand what he is saying, UPSC or not this is life changing.I am sure you will find yourself better than before after watching this video. Its 1 hour 10 min long.
Rockstrom begins his argument with a reminder that for most of the earth’s 4.5-billion-year history its climate was not very hospitable to human beings, as it oscillated between “punishing ice ages and lush warm periods” that locked humanity into seminomadic lifestyles.
It’s only been in the last 10,000 years that we have enjoyed the stable climate conditions allowing civilizations to develop based on agriculture that could support towns and cities. This period, known as the Holocene, was an “almost miraculously stable and warm interglacial equilibrium, which is the only state of the planet we know for sure can support the modern world as we know it.” It finally gave us “a stable equilibrium of forests, savannahs, coral reefs, grasslands, fish, mammals, bacteria, air quality, ice cover, temperature, fresh water availability and productive soils.”
“The planet has demonstrated an impressive capacity to maintain its balance, using every trick in its bag to stay in the current state,” explains Rockstrom. But there are more and more signs that we may have reached a saturation point. Forests show the first signs of absorbing less carbon. The oceans are rapidly acidifying as they absorb more CO2, harming fish and coral. Global average temperatures keep rising.
The article Inspiration Stuff Happens to the Environment, Like Climate Change.
What is left now of the idea of India? The expansive cultural sensibility, the persistent sense of wonder and curiosity, the delight in open discourse and debate with no point of view discarded, and above all the embrace of humanity with all its quirks and eccentricities – these have been the hallmark of a civilisation which has mostly seen itself as a journey not a destination.
Its innate mental construct has refused to divide humanity into the sterile categories of We and They. Departures from this template have mercifully been brief – even if, on occasion, violent and destructive. There have always been, through our tumultuous history, wise and sagacious Indians who have reminded us of the virtues of tolerance and sharing, of compassion and humanity, which is the unique legacy of this land.
That is the greatness of Gandhi, whose birth anniversary we have just celebrated. Through all our failings and infirmities he put the humblest among us in touch with what is most noble in our collective consciousness.
But, except for a brief period after independence when the idea of an inclusive India – a haven for liberal and plural values and a democracy built on the rights and obligations of citizenship, thrived and seemed to take root – it has mostly been a relentless slide towards what may become a tragic parody of what we wanted to become as a nation and society.
The Constitution of India provided a framework to construct a society based on the inalienable right of the individual to choose his or her own destiny and live life the way he or she wanted. To conform to the claim of community is a choice he should make. The institutions of the state must safeguard this right, whether threatened by another individual or group or community – or even the state itself. Liberal democracy can only be sustained on the basis of respect for individual rights and not on the basis of community-based entitlements.
However, steadily and relentlessly, such entitlements have become the norm not the exception they were meant to be – so much so that the very concept of individual choice now appears almost illegitimate. One cannot eat what one wants because this offends some community’s religious sensibilities. One must not marry outside one’s religion or caste group because this will offend members of one’s community. One may not opt out of the religion one is born into purely by accident, because this is considered a betrayal of one’s own faith. Art and culture must be circumscribed in order not to hurt the sentiments of some community or group.
Once boundaries are set to define what is permissible and what is not; once every prejudice of the most bigoted in each community must be pandered to for keeping the peace, would it be possible to maintain the creative ambience which made our land the repository of the most sublime music, the most incredible sculpture, the most profound literature in a variety of languages and a highly developed and subtle understanding of aesthetics?
There are exhortations to instil in us pride in our ancient culture – but there is little understanding of the openness of mind which has made the culture great and allowed it to flourish over centuries, recreating and regenerating itself after every phase when the lights became dim and feeble.
We must not allow ourselves to be reduced to a mere agglomeration of narrowly conceived communities with closed minds hostile to the “other” and stifling to our own. Do we wish to end up as a society of ghettoes, physical as well as mental?
The framers of the Indian Constitution articulated a future of India as an enlightened society of free citizens, where diversity among our people was celebrated, where no monochromatic ideology could reign and where the creative impulses of a people living in a shared space would take India to the front ranks of the modern world. That vision lies blurred and inchoate even as the world, at once densely interconnected but deeply conflicted, gropes for an example of successful management of the multiplicities which rapid technological change is forcing humanity to confront.
The Indian spirit in its most refined articulations, has been an outstanding example of a comfortable coexistence and sharing of diverse cultures and traditions, ways of thinking and living. But we are in danger of losing our USP even though much of the world still comes to our shores to seek the wisdom which could restore humanity amidst a rising tide of extremism, cruelty and barbaric violence.
When one reads of what happened to a fellow citizen Mohammad Akhlaq, brutally lynched to death in a village not far from the nation’s capital; when one hears of churches being burnt or Dalits being hacked to death; when one sees our country’s profound ancient wisdom being vulgarised into political slogans, when one witnesses fanaticism drowning out the songs of love and compassion which is our precious Sufi heritage, there is deep fear for the future.
But then there are also our young men and women, full of creative imagination and explosive energy, scaling the heights in every field of human endeavour, keeping the ancient arts alive with contemporary embellishments, finding answers to the age-old infirmities that plague the poorest among our people, then one feels less concerned. This is still a country of mostly decent people, who see their own in a neighbour’s child and who reject the intolerance and bigotry of some of their fellow citizens.
We must not let them down. We must regain the space for liberal values and common humanity that has been encroached upon by those whose idea of India is no idea at all. We must not lose India to those who would drive one of its greatest painters,
M F Husain into exile and those who demand an apology from A R Rahman for doing what he does best, make beautiful music. If we value the idea of India we must not only Make in India but defend the idea of India too.
The Government released the 2011 Census data by religion a few days ago. Here is an infographic capturing that data. Leading the pack are Himachal Pradesh with 95% Hindus, Jammu & Kashmir with 68% Muslims & Nagaland with 88% Christians.
via Factly
| Religion | Numbers (Per cent of the population) |
|---|---|
| Hindu | 96.63 crore (79.8 %) |
| Muslim | 17.22 crore (14.2%) |
| Christian | 2.78 crore (2.3%) |
| Sikh | 2.08 crore (1.7%) |
| Buddhist | 0.84 crore (0.7%) |
| Jain | 0.45 crore (0.4%) |
| Other Religions & Persuasions (ORP) | 0.79 crore (0.7%) |
| Religion Not Stated | 0.29 crore (0.2%) |
Growth rate
The growth rate of population in the decade 2001-2011 was 17.7%. The growth rate of population of the different religious communities in the same period was:
| Religion | Growth |
|---|---|
| Hindu | 16.8% |
| Muslim | 24.6% |
| Christian | 15.5% |
| Sikh | 8.4% |
| Buddhist | 6.1% |
| Jain | 5.4% |
The Census data on religion comes after a significant delay; the 2001 Census data on religion was released in 2004 and the 2011 round results were expected in 2014. However, the numbers remained unreleased, even as a draft of the key data was selectively leaked earlier. The data comes in the backdrop of much fear-mongering over Muslims and their population, and RSS thinkers were quick to term the new data as proof of the end of Hindus, even while the numbers belie their claim.
My Beloved 125 Crore countrymen of India, My best wishes and heartiest greetings on the occasion of this sacred festival of our Freedom. This morning of the 15th of August is not a usual morning. This is the dawn of the freedom-festival of the greatest democracy of the world. This dawn is also the dawn of the dreams of the one hundred twenty five Crore Indian Citizens. This dawn also heralds the resolve of 125 Crore people of India. On this pious occasion I also extend my many many salutations to all those great persons of India who sacrificed their lives and led a life of penance while making persistent efforts to fight for the honour of the country. They even spent their youth in the prison, went through all kinds of sufferings; but never gave up their dreams and resolve to see India free.
Recently many distinguished citizens of India, youths, literary artists and social workers- sons and daughters of Mother India- have achieved many great feats to make our country proud. They are countless in number and from the ramparts of Red fort I extend my best wishes and greetings to all of them from the core of my heart.
The vastness and the diversity of India is always talked about, but Our India has many other great characteristics as well, there is a lot of diversity in India. India is a large country. And there is simplicity among the people of India. There is unity running through all the parts of the country and that is what is our strength; the strength of our nation. Strength of our country has been sustained over centuries together. Every era has seen the attempts to boost it further. They have been moulded according to the requirements of realising the dreams for the future, they have been nurtured and it is due to that only that this country has reached this far with our age old traditions and ever new resolves. Our unity, simplicity, fraternity, harmony are our biggest strength. This strength should never be blemished, it should never be hit. If the unity of the country gets disturbed, the dreams also get shattered, therefore, whether it is the poison of casteism, communal fanaticism, we don’t have to allow it in any form whatsoever, not allow it to take root, and then we have to cure the poison of casteism, the fanaticism of communalism with the nectar of development, distribute the flow of the nectar of development and through the flow of this nectar attempt bringing about a new awareness.
Dear brothers and sisters, this country is moving ahead because of the “Team India” and this “Team India” is a big team of our one twenty five crore countrymen. The world might never have thought about the team of one twenty five crore citizens working as a team together as to how they take the nation to new heights, build the nation and also protect it! So, whatever we are doing and wherever we are trying to reach, it is all because of the “Team India” and we are grateful to this “Team India”. People’s participation is the biggest strength of democracy. If we run the country through the participation of One Hundred and twenty five crore Indians, our country will be moving ahead one hundred and twenty five crore steps every moment. That is why we have encouraged this people’s participation as “Team India”. We have given priority to “Team India”. Through electronic platform mygov.in, through lacs of letters of the countrymen, through my Mann Ki Baat, through dialogues with citizens, this people’s participation is on the rise day by day. About every affair of the Government we receive a number of suggestions from the far flung villages of our country and this is the real strength of our “Team India”.
My dear fellow citizens, this is a fact that there is only one mandate of this “Team India” and that is all our schemes, all our systems should benefit the poor of the country. We should support the poor in their fight against poverty and empower them in this arduous effort of theirs because no one wants to remain poor and they also wish to get rid of poverty. Hence the meaningfulness of our resources, our schemes and our programmes is in their usefulness to the cause of welfare of the poor.
Brothers and sisters, last year on the occasion of 15th of August, I had expressed some of my views before you. At that time I was new, whatever I saw in the government, I expressed them with an open mind before one hundred and twenty five crore citizens. Today after one year, standing under the Tricolor from the same ramparts of the Red Fort , I assure the countrymen that in this period of one year our “Team India”, consisting of one hundred and twenty five crore people, is committed to realize our dreams within the timeframe with new hope, new energy and utmost hard work. An atmosphere of trust has emerged. I had announced ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna’ on the last 15th of August. Even after sixty years of independence; even when the banks were nationalized for the poor, 40% people of the country were without a bank account till the last 15th of August; the doors of the banks were not open for the poor. We resolved that we would erase this blot and would provide a solid base to the financial inclusion which is talked about the world over, by integrating the poorest of the poor to the mainstream economic activities; and this is only the beginning. We had decided that unlike the previous work culture of talking in terms of uncertain time frames, we will complete the work by the 26th of January as the country celebrates the next Republic Day.
My countrymen, today I can proudly say that we achieved that target within the time frame. 17 Crore people opened their bank accounts under ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna’. With a view to extend opportunities to the poor, we had said that these bank accounts could be opened with zero balance. We had even said that we would bear the operational costs of the bank. After all, what for the banks exist? They should be for the poor and that’s why we had decided to open accounts with zero balance. We have seen the rich of our country; however, this time around we have also seen our poor and seen their wealth. From the ramparts of the Red Fort, let me salute and bow to the large-heartedness of these poor; because even if there was a provision of opening the account with zero balance, these poor people have deposited twenty thousand crore rupees in their bank accounts. It could be possible only due to richness of our poor citizens. And hence, today my conviction bears proof that it is all because of the spirit of these poor that this “Team India” will march ahead.
Brothers and sisters, if the branch of a bank is opened or a building of the bank is constructed in a certain part of our country, it becomes the hot topic of discussion, people rejoice, it is hailed as a mark of great development and remarkable progress. This is so because in the past 60 years, we have measured the development of the country only on the basis of these parameters. This has been the yardstick that if any branch of a bank is opened somewhere, it elicits lots of accolades and praises, the Government receives much adulation, but my dear fellow citizens, it is not a challenging task to open a branch of a bank. This task can easily be accomplished through the Government exchequer, but to bring 17 crore countrymen to the doorstep of the bank is an arduous task, it takes a lot of hard work, you have to give your heart and soul to accomplish this task, you are required to be ever vigilant. And here I would extend my heartfelt congratulations to various Banks and their employees who have been a very significant part of “Team India”. I congratulate them for making banks so easily accessible to the poor and this fact will bring a major change in the coming days.
Among the global economic schools of thought, there is also the one which maintains that financial inclusion doesn’t always bring positive results and due to that the system has to bear the pressure of poverty. I disagree with this thought. In a country like India, if we look at the pyramid of development, its base is the broadest. If it be firm, the entire pyramid of development tends to be strong. Today the downtrodden, the exploited, oppressed, deprived, and the ignored ones of our country form the base of the pyramid of development. We have to strengthen the foundation of this pyramid of development so as to ensure that these people are empowered through financial inclusion and this pyramid of development remains unshakable. It would stand firm amid any crisis and if this pyramid of development is based on economic strength, it would increase the purchasing power of these people to a great extent. And when the purchasing power of the poorest of the poor in the society increases, nobody can stop that economy to flourish and move ahead. It takes the country swiftly to the newer heights of development and therefore it is our intention to give impetus to that. We have laid great stress upon social security and also the welfare of the poor – and thus Prime Minister’s Suraksha Bima Yojana, Atal Pension Yojana and Prime Minister’s Jeevan Jyoti Bima yojana have been launched. Crores of the people of our country have no social security cover. Leave the poor aside, benefit of insurance has not reached even the lower middle class. So we made a plan – just pay one rupee per month, not more, that is just Rs. 12 per annum and be entitled to the benefits of Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana. If your family faces any calamity then they will receive 2 lac rupees. We know how to manage an economy ! That’s why we launched Prime Minister’s Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana for 90 paisa a day, even less than 1 rupee. So it is Rs. 330 annually for the health of one’s family – and for the security of one’s family- insurance of 2 lac rupees. This is what we have done.
Brothers and sisters, schemes have been made in the past also. There is no Government which doesn’t make schemes. Every Government does that. There is no government which doesn’t make announcements. Every Government does that. There is no government which doesn’t light the inauguration lamps, doesn’t cut ribbons–every Government does that. But the touchstone is whether we walk the talk or not. We have laid a great stress upon a new work culture. Dear Countrymen, our nation has many schemes which are 40 years old or 50years old but these schemes could not reach more than 5 or 7 crore people. This scheme has just completed a hundred days, 100 days! I mean it, and in these hundred days ten crore citizens have been benefited 10 crore people! Ten crore citizens of this country means ten crore families. And this means that out of total 30-35 crore families of our country, ten crore families have joined this scheme within a span of hundred days.
Brothers and sisters, the uniqueness of our government, of “Team India”, during last one year, especially the great strength and the biggest achievement of “Team India”, consisting of one hundred and twenty five crore people has been to fulfill the tasks within the set time frame.
Last year I referred to toilet facilities for all from this Red Fort, I also referred to cleanliness. It sounded strange to the whole country for a few hours as to what sort of Prime Minister is this! But today in all the surveys that has been carried out in the entire country, this point has come out in all of them that if there is something that is the most important factor of “Team India” and that has touched every person, is the movement towards cleanliness.
Brothers and sisters, we used to invoke the people of the society and marked the names of various people to promote the “cleanliness drive”. That was such a period, but today I have to congratulate this “Team India”. People from all walks of life whether they are Celebrities, Diplomats, Social Workers, Educationists, community leaders or spiritual leaders or our friends from media, all of them have taken a major responsibility to train the common man without criticising anybody and without pointing towards the lacunas. Today I greet them all from the core of my heart who have done this job but I only wish to stress upon a point- from whom this “Swachh Bharat” drive has gained maximum strength? Who are its biggest brand ambassador? You may not have paid heed to it, but try to remember what happened in your family? There are crores of such families in India, whose children are in the age group of five, ten and fifteen and they have become the greatest ambassador of “Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan”. These children prevent their parents from littering in their homes and ask them to avoid spreading filth and rubbish here and there. In case, any father is addicted to consuming gutka and whenever the father opens the windows of the car to spit, his son prevents him to do so on the plea of keeping India clean. The success of this programme is due to those little children. I wish to bow my head towards the future of my country, I wish to bow my head and greet those children. The fact which is not realized even by the elite people has been easily understood by the innocent children and it is my belief that such a country where a child is so much aware, so committed towards cleanliness, such country is bound to become clean; Abhorrence against filth and dirt is bound to arise there.
In 2019 we are about to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and on 150th anniversary of Gandhiji we have to handover him “Swachh Bharat” as a tribute. There cannot be a greater tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary. The task has just started, but I have to take it forward, not to stop it, not get to satisfied. I had announced such a programme from here, just for a trial, so that I could ascertain whether “Team India” is able to do it or not. I had announced it without consulting anybody. It was not announced after collecting relevant information from districts and villages. It just came into my heart and I had announced that we would build separate toilets for boys and girls in all of our schools till the next 15th August. But later on, when we started work, the “Team India” figured out its responsibilities, we realised that there were 2 lakh and 62 thousand such schools, where more than 4.25 lakh toilets were required to be built. This figure was so big that any government could rethink to extend the deadline, but it certainly was the resolve of the ‘”Team India”‘ that no one sought any extension. Today, on this 15th August, I salute the “Team India”, who, keeping the honour of our tricolour National Flag, left no stone unturned to realise that dream, and the ‘”Team India”‘ has now nearly achieved the target of building all the toilets. I compliment to all the state governments, government officers of the districts, policy framers and implementers of educational institutions, who were involved in realising this achievement. This is not just an issue of building more than 4.25 lakh toilets. This is an issue of creating an atmosphere of self-confidence at a time, when we were so engulfed with the negativity that it was being told that nothing could happen, there was no hope, it was not possible. But now, the “Team India” has demonstrated that we are ready to accept challenges, we would not withdraw, and we are committed for our success. The nation runs on this self-confidence, the nation runs by realising newer resolutions. We cannot stop anywhere, we have to continuously move forward. Therefore, Brothers and Sisters, we have prepared a plan for the labourers of our country, and it has been named as “SHRAMEVA JAYATE”. Our attitude towards the poor labourers is not good.
If we meet a person wearing coat, pants, tie or we meet a great person wearing long kurta, jacket we salute him by standing in his honour. But if an auto rickshaw driver, pedal rickshaw puller, newspaper vendor or a milkman come to us, our feelings towards these poor men are not proper. One hundred and twenty five crore citizens of the country have to remove this deficiency of the nation by their resolution of mind. The persons due to whom we look good, who serve us good, no one is our better well wisher than them and therefor, dignity of labourers, honour of labourers, pride of labourers- this should be our national duty , this should be our national character, this should be the tendency of everyone, nature of everyone. Recently, we started a campaign of issuing special identity card to the unorganized labour falling under certain schemes. They are to get the benefits of many schemes of security through that identity card. These unorganized labourers were never taken care of. Similarly, labourers of our country had deposited their share of hard earned money in Government coffers. Slowly, this amount grew to Rs. 27 thousand crores, but when that poor labourer moves to some another place after 6-8 months of employment there, moves to another place after a year or two from there, no account of the money he deposited there is maintained. The amount is also so low that he does not wish to bring back the same by spending two hundred rupees on fare. That is why Rs. 27 thousand crores of poor people of my country, labourers of my country, money earned by them by the sweat of their brow was lying idle in the coffers of the Government. We found a solution to it. We provided a special identity card number to these labourers and told them wherever you are transferred now, even if you move to another place by quitting the job or if you move from one factory to another, from one state to another, you will always retain this number and you will retain your money, no one will be able to misappropriate your single rupee. So, we have tried to return the Rs. 27 thousand crores to the poor.
It has become a fashion in our country- make law for everything and keep our courts busy. One law may contradict the other but the law should be on the same subject. Confusion was being created here always. This is not a good sign for good governance and therefor, law should be explicit, law should be correct, law should not be out of sync with time, only then society progresses.
Where will a poor labourer look for his thing of interest in the pile-up of different types of 44 legislations meant for our labourers? We have brought about a change therein. By incorporating these 44 legislations into four codes of conduct, the poorest of the poor and even an illiterate labourer can know about his or her interest, we have emphasized this scheme.
Brothers and Sisters, corruption is a much discussed topic in our country. We must have seen an ailing person, habitually, giving tips to others on how to be healthy. He does not care for himself, but it is the nature of every human being to advise others that you do it and you will become healthy and you do that and you will become healthy. Corruption is also like this. The person involved in it, also advise, the person who is suffering due to it, also advise and thus they advise each other, and this goes on and on.
Brothers and Sisters, I have never made this announcement, but today I wish to state, I want to assure my fellow countrymen, I want to tell the “Team India” comprising 1.25 billion people that this country can become corruption-free. On the basis of experience I am saying this. This job has to be started from the top. Corruption is stuck with our country like a termite and the termite keeps on spreading, initially it is not visible, but when it spreads in our bedroom and reaches the cupboard where clothes are hung, we find that and when we want to get rid of it, insecticides have to be injected per square meter of land. After so many of years of efforts, we get rid of termite. Countless efforts of several types have to be made to wipe out the corruption in such a vast country, and that can be done. If I had said that I would cut subsidy worth Rs. 15 thousand cores on LPG gas, then I can say that hundreds of articles would have been written to glorify my Government. They can say that this man has the power and strength to discontinue the subsidy worth Rs. 15 thousand cores on LPG gas. It is this man who can take tough decision and if it is not done so, then nothing happens my dear friends and nothing is visible. Sometimes people are fond of sinking into despair. Until they talk of despair amongst people they can not sleep at night.
They have this habit. There are some ailing people, who do not like to disclose about their illness and they also do not like to someone inquiring about their ailment. While there are some others who wait for a particular person to enquire about their health and if he does not visit, they talk about this for hours together. I can see that there are some people who always search for negativism, propagate negativism and they enjoy it as much as they can. Such people neither have any schemes nor activities, yet “Team India’ consisting of 1.25 billion Indians is ready to invest time for them, but how does that happen? We have put in place a scheme of Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG subsidy. Taking advantage of Jan Dhan Accounts and Adhaar Card we have transferred the subsidy directly into the accounts. As a result of this the brokers, the middlemen and the blackmarketeers have disappeared. Only the real beneficiary got the benefit. Our Government have neither slashed a penny from anyone’s benefit nor we have made announcements to earn praise. We have improved the system and today I wish to inform the ‘Team India’ of 1.25 billion Indians that as a result of this an amount of Rs.15 crore, which was being siphoned off annually in the name of gas cylinders has been stopped. My countrymen, the corruption has stopped.
My brothers and sisters, you can see how work is done? We have done it. Rupees 15,000 crore is not a small amount for a country like India. We have launched an open website, displayed a board of delivery there, even then if someone has a complaint, he would get a cylinder even at midnight but we cannot permit those who loot the country and poors as well. Tell me whether this is not a fight against corruption?
My brothers and sisters, I had made a request to my countrymen that if you are economically sound, then why do you avail subsidy on L.P.G? Why do you need this paltry amount of rupees five to seven hundred which you usually spend on petty snacks. I had just started giving message about this, I didn’t launch any campaign as yet, because I have faith in “Team India’. As the message spreads the result would come, but to-day I can tell with pride that ever-since I had launched movement of “give it up” subsidy of LPG gas cylinder, till date 20 lakh consumers have already given it up.
This is not a small figure. Even if we are in the queue before a temple for the blessings (Prasaad), we sometimes wish that we should get some of the prasad for our younger brother also. This is in our nature. These 20 lakh people are not from rich or wealthy families. They are all from the common middle class. Some teacher may have been a pensioner, but when he learnt that this LPG cylinder may go to some poor person, he gave up his subsidy. My dear brothers and sisters, when these 20 lakh LPG cylinders will reach the poor families whose kitchens are smoke choked, just think of the happiness of the mothers working in those kitchens! Just think of the relief and happiness of the little children who had been crying due to the smoke! Whenever our efforts are in the right direction, we get great results.
My brothers and sisters, if I talk about coal, some of the political pundits or experts will judge me on a political angle. This is not a place for politicking, so I would like to urge upon all the political pundits that in this case, the kind of coal issue that I am going to raise, may please not be judged through the political angle. This is the requirement of our nation’s resolve. CAG said that when coal blocks were allocated through lottery, the nation lost Rs.1 lakh and 74 thousand crores. We also used this statistics in the election-speeches. Nevertheless, we sometimes thought that this much of loss may not have been there. But we went on saying like that. Later we decided that whether it be coal, or spectrum or any other mineral, all will be auctioned henceforth. Lo and behold ! the great strength of the Team India of 125 crore Indians and their resolve ! within a certain time limit the coal was auctioned and now almost Rs. 3 lakh crore would be accruing to the national exchequer.
Brothers and sisters, just ask yourselves whether corruption was rooted out or not? Whether the middlemen were ousted or not? Whether the door was shut on the face of the wealth-stealers of India or not? I did not make any speech in this regard. I just did it. The same thing happened in the case of spectrum. Right now FM radio auction is going on. A lot of pressure was put on me. People said ‘Modi ji, FM is operated by the common men, there in no great profit in this business. Why are you putting even FM on auction? A lot of pressure was put on me. All attempts were made to dissuade me from this. But I said that the team India consisting of 125 crore of Indians wanted transparency.
Right now the auction is on for FM Radio in some 80-85 cities. The day before when I enquired, the auction amount had crossed Rs. one thousand crores. This money is going to be used for the poor people.
Brothers and sisters, what a run the country had at the hands of its leadership, how it was looted, what impact was put on the policies! What kind of an activity it was that continued in the country? Imported coal from the foreign countries was not given to the power plants near the coasts. It was transported to the factories of nearby areas of coal mines and the coal from those mines instead was taken to the factories in the coastal region. Now, even a small child in this country can understand as to how the goods can be utilized for the place where they are situated instead of going for their transport from that place to the other.
Brothers and sisters, we changed that decision. Nearby factories should be the first beneficiaries. And let me say that this small decision closed down the shops of the middlemen and the exchequer has got Rs. 1100 crores. My dear citizens, it will happen every year now.
Corruption in a way has become part of the system. Until it is stamped out from the system, dear brothers and sisters, I’ll keep suffering every atrocity, facing every obstacle but with your blessings I shall fulfill the dream of a corruption free India. I say this to you from the ramparts of the Red Fort with the tricolour as my witness and the understanding of the dreams of the 125 crore people. It’s been 15 months since you put our Government in Centre and gave me the mandate. This Government does not have any allegation of corruption against it for even a single penny. But I had said alongside that it was like the pests, the termite. Corruption free Government in Delhi only is not going to solve the whole problem. There are problems at the small places right now and the poor are getting troubled. We need to bring in a national level awareness for this. We need to comprehend this menace of corruption properly and get everyone on board to eradicate it. Then only can we get rid of the menace.
Brothers and sisters, let me say further that we have taken some very important steps one after the other to check black money, and that too in a very short span of time.
The day we formed the Government, we constituted an SIT under the supervision of the Supreme Court. We did what was pending for three years. The SIT is doing its job. I attended the G-20 summit. These are the countries whose support we need for bringing black money back. On India’s insistence a resolution was passed against black money. All G-20 countries resolved to cooperate with each other and send back the black money to the country where it belonged. We adopted FATCA along with the United States. We have signed agreements with many countries for receiving real time information regarding Indian’s black money. We have taken several measures to check black money.
Brothers and sisters, we have passed a strict law for this. After this enactment every week people call us and complain that we have passed a very stringent law. They call it a draconian law and a black law and say that officers would harass them. Dear fellow citizens, we need injections if the disease is serious. Doctors also warn us about the side effects of such injections. Similarly, this disease is so serious that if we want a treatment, we will have to bear the side effects also. I know that people are upset with the law which we have passed. They find it troublesome. We have received many messages for diluting the provisions and relaxing it. Today I would like to tell Team India of 125 crore countrymen that even while bearing the side effects, we are moving forward against black money. This much has been done. It’s a fact that the process of bringing back the black money is long but now no one can dare to send the black money out of the country. This much has been achieved, whether someone believes it or not. Not only this, we have given some grace period for declaring undisclosed income and today I can say that people have come forward and declared their undisclosed income amounting to Rs. 6500 crores. This amount will accrue to our exchequer. It will benefit the poor of India. Friends, I assure you all that we will move forward with all the resolve to fulfill the commitments we have made.
Brothers and sisters, CBI had registered only eight hundred cases in the entire one year before formation of our government. We are still new in power but we have already registered eighteen hundred cases since we took charge; we have taken action against government employees. You can easily imagine and compare the figures. In the entire one year before we came to power, only eight hundred cases were registered and in the ten months of our government the corresponding number is eighteen hundred. It shows our ability to fight corruption.
In 2005, a law namely ‘PMLA’ was framed in our country. In ten years, an amount of ten thousand crore rupees has been recovered under that law. But you would be surprised to know that out of the total recovered amount of ten thousand crore rupees, four thousand five hundred crore rupees have been recovered in the last ten months. This is another example of our commitment to fight corruption about which we are not talking in press conferences on TV; rather we have taken steps on the ground and reaped success. We have endeavored to change systems. We have taken steps to ensure that the ‘MGNREGA’ wages go directly to the Jan Dhan account; that the scholarship for students goes directly into their bank accounts; and that there is least brokerage. And I believe that because of these steps the country can fulfill those objectives.
My farmer brothers and sisters, last year we had deficient rainfall. It was less than required. It affected the economy as well as our farmers. We were still able to curb the price rise. One will have to admit the fact that before us, the inflation was in double digits. Since we came to power, although there has been less rain and the farmers were distressed; we have been successful in bringing down the inflation from double digits to 3-4 percent. We will continue to strive to bring it further down because our dream is to provide wholesome meals to the poorest of the poor. However, we need drastic changes in the agriculture sector. The cultivable land is shrinking; it is getting divided between families and pieces of land are getting smaller. The fertility and productivity of our agricultural land must increase. The farmers need water and electricity and we are working towards their availability. We have decided to pump in fifty thousand crore rupees in ‘Pradhaan Mantri Krishi Sinchaai Yojna’. How will the water reach the farms? Water will have to be saved. We have to launch a movement in our agricultural sector with the mantra of “Save Water, Save Energy, and Save Fertilizers”. Hence, “Per drop more crop” is our watchword; each drop of water can contribute towards producing more crop and hence successful farming. We have moved in the direction of spending funds to take this cause further.
In the recent past, when our crops got damaged due to hailstorm, we increased the compensation enormously. Such an increase has never been witnessed in the past 60 years. Not only this, earlier if there were any losses, there was the norm according to which one would be entitled for compensation only if the losses suffered were at least 50 per cent. We have brought it down to 30 per cent. Never in the past 60 years was such a great initiative of helping the farmers taken. Farmers need urea. I would like to tell once again as to how to fight corruption. “Neem-Coating” is not the brain child of Modi, rather it is an idea propounded by Scientists and this idea has not only been brought before my government, it has come before previous governments as well. In our country, urea worth millions and billions of rupees is allocated in the names of farmers, but 15, 20 or 25 per cent of this urea is diverted to the chemical factories as raw material. Allocated in the names of farmers, this urea is pilfered through the middlemen. This pilferage of urea cannot be stopped unless we go for cent per cent “Neem-Coating” of urea. Therefore, irrespective of the burden caused to the exchequer, we have accomplished the task of doing hundred per cent “Neem-Coating” of urea. As a result of this, now urea cannot be used for any purpose other than farming. Now, no chemical factory can indulge in any kind of pilferage of urea. The farmers will have as much urea as they need. Since the urea is “Neem Coated”, even if they use 10 per cent less of urea, their land will be benefitted with the nutritional value it requires. The farmers of my country will be having a new advantage of urea – I would suggest to all the farmers that even if by chance someone shows you urea without “Neem-Coating”, you take it to be unauthorized by the Government. If someone gives you a yellow powder, don’t even touch it.
Brothers and sisters, India cannot develop till the eastern part of the country develops. India cannot be said to be developing only on the basis of the development of the western parts of the country. India will move ahead only when our eastern Uttar Pradesh becomes prosperous, our Bihar becomes strong, our West Bengal, Assam, Odisha, North Eastern regions tread the path of development. These territories of India should become powerful. And so whether is a matter of infrastructure or of rail connectivity or of digital connectivity – in all these aspects, we have focussed on eastern India. This focus has resulted in the proposed laying of a gas pipe line in this region. Who could have thought that the states where there was no potable tap water even in kitchen, there we are working to supply the gas through pipe lines. Four urea fertilizer plants were shut down in eastern India. Youth of these states were unemployed and farmers were in distress. We have made new urea policy and we have also formulated new gas supply policy. This has resulted in revival of fertilizer plants of eastern centers of Gorakhpur, Barauni, Talcher and Sindari. Thus we are working to provide employment to the youth and fertilizers to the farmers.
Brothers and sisters, there is a Government Department for Army soldiers and for their welfare. In our country farmers are as important as soldiers. What have we done in sixty years! We have emphasized on the economic aspect of agriculture. With the intention to have flourishing agriculture and for agricultural advancement, the concerned ministry of this government has been named as ‘Ministry of Agriculture’.
Brothers and sisters, Agricultural growth is as important as the welfare of farmers. Only talking about agricultural development is incomplete for rural life style and for agriculture based livelihood. That will become complete, when the welfare of the farmer is also linked. Brothers and Sisters, the Ministry of the Government of India which was earlier known as “Ministry of Agriculture”, from now will be known as the “Ministry of farmer Welfare” and in the days to come schemes for the welfare of farmers will also be formulated alike the schemes for agriculture are prepared and the Government would make efforts to provide help to the farmers by means of setting permanent system for the problems that my farmers has to face in his personal life, the hurdles that he has to go through.
Brothers and sisters, in the coming days I wish to concentrate on an issue. There has been so many years of independence but even today there are about eighteen thousand, five hundred such villages in our country, where electric wires and polls are yet to reach. Eighteen thousand five hundred villages are deprived of the sun of independence, deprived of the light of independence, they are deprived of the rays of development of independence. If we will keep on following the old methods, perhaps it will take ten more years to electrify these eighteen thousand, five hundred villages with wires and polls. The country is not ready to wait for ten years.
I took the meeting of government officials and enquired from them about the timeline. Someone promised to complete the task till 2019, someone assured to complete it till 2022. Some were hesitant due to dense forests or snowy hills, and some had apprehension due to inaccessibility of certain areas. But, it is now the solemn pledge of the “Team India” of 1.25 billion countrymen that the target of providing electric polls, electric wires and electricity to these 18,500 villages would be achieved within next 1000 days. I urge upon the states to come forward and accept this challenge. This is not pending in every state, only a few states will have to strive a little further. I would not like to count the name of such states, as it would be viewed politically and may attract political comments. Hence, it’s better to avoid it. I, therefore, announce the pledge of the ‘Team India’ of our 1.25 billion countrymen, from the Red Fort, that electricity would be made available to 18,500 villages within the next 1000 days, with the help of states and local bodies.
I have taken up another issue of concern, which is ‘Welfare of Farmers’. Similar issue of grave concern is the under-development of such mining areas, from where we get mineral resources, such as coal, bauxite and other minerals. Now, look at the life of people there. They sweat to make our country rich but that region is not developed and, therefore, we have formulated a special scheme for the development of the labourers and farmers of the region from where minerals are extracted and around rupees six thousand crores will be spent every year on the regions which fall in the areas of my tribals brothers, located in my tribal areas. Where coal is found? Coal is found in tribal areas. We have undertaken work to see development takes place there.
Brother and sisters, our youth power is of import for taking the country forward in twenty first century and today, I want to declare that if we have to move ahead in comparison to the whole world, we have to encourage our youths, we have to provide them opportunities. How our youths become new entrepreneurs, how our youths become new producers, how a complete network of start-up by these new entrepreneurs is set up in the whole country? There should not be any district, any block in Hindustan where there are not start-up initiated in the coming days. Whether India cannot dream that India becomes number one in the world of start-up. Today we are not at that position. Brothers and Sisters, I have to provide strength to start-up and, therefore, I resolve that in the coming days “Start-up India” and “Stand-up India” will be there or the future of the country. And for a bright future of the country “Stand-up India” shall be launched when I want to move forward this job pertaining to “Start-up India”, “Stand-up India”, my brothers and sisters, in our country our bank officials have done a herculean task, and when you do a good job, my expectations rise a lot.
My banker friends, my expectations are rising, so please do not get offended, but I trust you that your subordinate staff is contributing a lot for the economic advancement of this nation and in future they will continue to put in further more efforts. I want to assign you a task today. There are 1.25 lakhs banking units i.e. 1.25 lakhs branches of banks in the country. Today, I would like to assign a task to these 1.25 lakhs branches. This year marks the 125th anniversary of Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkarji. There are 1 crore 25 lakhs branches of banks. This is my programme referred to as “Start-up India”, under this programme more schemes will be formulated, but every branch must resolve and in the days to come resolve once again to disburse loans for start-ups to the tribals in the locality where there is any tribal habitation, and where there is no tribal habitation, the branch can provide loans to a dalit or a tribal, give financial support to them and thus enable 1.25 lakhs Dalit entrepreneurs to come up. Let there be tribal entrepreneurs in the tribal settlements of this country. We can do this, we can give a new dimension to star-up and secondly whether these one lakh twenty five thousand branches can formulate a special scheme for women entrepreneurs? These one lakh twenty five thousand branches should promote start-up of women entrepreneurs and help them financially. You will find that with in no time, India would see a network of start up, new entrepreneurs would emerge and they would in-turn provide employment ranging form one to two to four persons which will transform India’s economic life.
Brothers and sisters, when investment comes to the country, we expect more manufacturing work and more exports and the finance department of the Government offer new schemes to such investors. It has its own significance and this should continue. But today I have a new idea that the investment coming to our country in the manufacturing sector should be offered assistance based on new parameters and one of them shall be that an investor who comes with an enterprise which provides employment to maximum persons would be eligible for a different kind of economic package.
The Government would now formulate new schemes for new units linking it with employment and assistance of Government. We want to stress upon the growth of employment opportunities in the country. We have reached far beyond in the direction of fulfilling the dreams of skill India and digital India. Brothers and sisters, one area of corruption is job. The poorest of the poor man aspires for his son’s job and we have seen that whenever a youth receives a call for an interview for a job, may be that is for interview in railway, for a teacher, for a peon, for a driver, he began to think about who he should approach for recommendation? Even his widow mother begin to brood over the issue. why? That is because in our country justice and injustice are mostly decided on the basis of interview rather than the basis of merit and it is said that the person has failed in the interview. I have not seen any such psychologist till now, who are capable of assessing a person on the basis of interviewing him just for two minutes.
Brothers and sisters, I have been thinking over it for many days that whether it is necessary to appear for an interview for a son of a poor mother, for a less educated person who is in need of petty jobs? Whether he can’t get any job without an interview? Whether on the basis of his mark-sheet online– it should be decided on the basis of online mark sheet that if we require five hundred people, than who should be those initial five hundred people, then who should be initial two thousand people. Of course, where the testing of physical fitness is required, the norms and system could vary there. Personality and experience of a candidate matters only for jobs of senior ranks, but it is painful to see that candidates even from the states of Nagaland and Mizoram rush to Mumbai to appear in exams for junior-level posts in Railways. I have to combat this problem. I impress upon the state governments and my colleagues of the Government to discontinue the stage of interview for junior-level posts as soon as possible. Such jobs should be given just on the basis of merit. This would help in curbing corruption, which hurts the poor people, and it would ease out their problem. It is my appeal to endeavour towards this goal.
My countrymen enjoy sound sleep. But, if our 1.25 billion countrymen are able to enjoy their undisturbed sleep, it is only due to ever-readiness of our jawans to sacrifice themselves, who are posted at the borders. No country can under-evaluate the importance of its armed forces. For the ‘Team India’ of 1.25 billion countrymen, each and every soldier or jawan is the strength of the nation, wealth of the nation and force of the nation. Many successive governments have come and gone over the years. The issue of “One Rank One Pension” has come before every government, each one has considered its proposal, and each and every government has made promises on it, but the problem is still pending to be resolved.
After my assuming office as Prime Minister I have not been able to do this by now. Today, I am again assuring all the service personnel and this is not being said by one man, I am saying this on behalf of One hundred and twenty five crores people of “Team India”. I am saying this under the Tricolour from the ramparts of the Red Fort. I say to service personnel, we have accepted “One Rank One Pension” in principal but talks are going on with its organizations. Talks have reached at the final stage and we want that all get justice keeping in view the development of whole country. We have to find the solution of this problem in the light of above context which is lingering on from 20-25 years. I believe that the trust in which talks are being held, some positive result will come out of it. And, therefore, I again assure that this Government has accepted “One Rank One Pension” in principal. How it is implemented in view of its nitty-gritty situation, we are taking the talks forward by engaging with its stakeholders.
Brothers and sisters, India is completing 75 years of its independence in 2022. We have not to sit idle after celebrating 75 years of India’s independence on 15th August, 2022. Today itself, on this 15th August, let we have a resolution for the 15th August, 2022 that 6 lakhs villages of India, each village must decide and resolve that by 2022, we will be able to overcome problem in every village. My 1.25 billion countrymen and we, in our lives, take a resolution for the 2022, the 75 years of Independence of India. Every citizen take a resolution that I will perform this task for the well being of the country and betterment of the society. Once my 1.25 crores fellow countrymen will move forward with a resolution, then by the dawn of 15th August 2022, when the souls of soldiers who laid down their lives for the freedom will see that the country might have fulfilled 1.25 crores resolutions, 6 lakhs villages might have realized their dreams. Cities, Metropolitan cities, every department of the government, every unit of the government should take a resolution and get to work. And there should not be any literature, there should not be any programme wherein 15th August 2022 is not re-iterated, where resolution for the 75th years of Independence is not re-iterated. A momentum need to be created. Brothers and Sisters the movement for freedom lasted several decades. Nevertheless the freedom was in the air only, then someone raised the issue of freedom in the year 1910, again in the year 1920 and again and again in the year 1930 and so on. The issue was re-iterated for decades, only then we attained freedom. In order to build a self confident, magnificent and prosperous India we have to make our country competent, prosperous and healthy. We have to fulfill the dream of a well cultured India, build self confident India and excellent India. No poor person in this country should remain without shelter by 2022. We have to succeed in providing round the clock electricity. Our farmer should be capable, our worker should be satisfied, our women should be empowered, our youth should be self dependent, our elderly should be hail and hearty and our poor should be prosperous. No one should remain backward in our society and everyone should enjoy equal rights and entire Indian society should reel in harmony. With this dream once again I convey my heartiest congratulation to 1.25 billion countrymen on this pious festival of freedom with preparedness to move forward in a specific role for 75th anniversary of independence. Repeat me with full strength:-