Page 5 - Anurag Thakur

Re-elect BJP in Himachal for development to continue: Anurag Thakur

Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday urged the people of Himachal Pradesh to vote the BJP again to power for development to continue in the hilly state. The wheel of development in the state should continue. So it is very important to bring back the BJP government, he said. Thakur was addressing public meetings at Chamboh, Jauh Badhani and Mundkhar villages of the Bhoranj assembly constituency. The Union Information and Broadcasting Minister said the double-engine governments of the BJP at the Centre and the state had provided a tension-free environment to the people across the country and Himachal Pradesh. Thakur counted various "achievements" of BJP governments at the Centre and in the state on the occasion.

BJP will retain power in Himachal Pradesh: Union minister Anurag Thakur

Union Minister and BJP leader Anurag Thakur on Saturday exuded confidence that his party will again form government in Himachal Pradesh as people have seen the working of the "double-engine" government. The "double-engine" phrase is used by BJP leaders to emphasise that development will be expedited if the same party is at the helm in states and the Centre. Voting for the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections will take place on November 12 and the counting will be held on December 8. Speaking to reporters, Thakur said the BJP will again form the government in Himachal Pradesh. "Results will be in favour of the BJP because people have seen the working of the BJP and the double-engine government. We will get the benefit of the leadership which Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave in the country and (Chief Minister) Jai Ram Thakur at the state level," he added. He said the BJP will also retain power in Gujarat. Earlier also, the BJP had retained power in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa a

Home ministry will decide if India will travel to Pakistan: Anurag Thakur

Sports minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday said the home ministry will take a call on Indian cricket team's travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup next year since the players' security is an important matter. Thakur though is expecting that Pakistan team will come to India to compete in the 50-over World Cup next year, saying "all are welcome". BCCI secretary Jay Shah had on Tuesday said that Indian team will not travel to Pakistan for the continental event and they would like to compete in the tournament on a neutral venue. It had prompted Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to say that it may affect their team's participation in the World Cup in India. "All teams who qualify for (World Cup) are invited (to compete on the Indian soil). Many times Pakistan teams have come to India and played. I feel India is not in a position to be dictated (by someone) and there is no reason for anyone to do that. I expect all countries to come and compete," Thakur told a select gathering of journalists when

8.4 mn-kg of waste collected under Swachh Bharat 2022 drive: Anurag Thakur

He urged the youth to dedicate two days coinciding with the Diwali festival to keep the surroundings clean

Minister Anurag Thakur launches special cleanliness drive at Chandni Chowk

Union minister Anurag Thakur on Wednesday launched a special cleanliness drive at Chandni Chowk here as part of the Swachh Bharat campaign, which aims to collect 1 crore kg of plastic waste across the country. The Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Sports and Youth Affairs had launched the month-long campaign, being conducted across 744 districts of the country, at Prayagraj on October 1 through Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan and National Service Scheme affiliated institutions. "We have already collected 84 lakh kg of plastic waste in a matter of 18 days and are set to surpass the target," Thakur told reporters after participating in the cleanliness drive near Town Hall in old Delhi. He urged the youth to dedicate two days coinciding with the Diwali festival to keep the surroundings clean. The minister also asked them to participate in the 'plog run' during the 'Run for Unity' on October 31, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The objectives of the Swachh Bhara

Cabinet okays amendments in Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved amendments to the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act to bring transparency in the sector and reform the electoral process. The Union Cabinet has approved the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022, which seeks to amend the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002, I&B Minister Anurag Thakur told reporters here after the Cabinet meeting. He said the amendments have been brought in to improve the ease of doing business. The Bill will incorporate the provisions of the 97th Constitutional Amendment. The amendments have been brought to improve governance, reform the electoral process, strengthen monitoring mechanisms and enhance transparency and accountability. The Bill also seeks to improve the composition of board and ensure financial discipline, besides enabling the raising of funds in the multi-state cooperative societies.

Govt to give Rs 22,000-cr one-time grant to oil PSUs to cover LPG losses

The government will extend a one-time grant of Rs 22,000 crore to three state-owned fuel retailers to cover for the losses they incurred on selling domestic cooking gas LPG below cost in the last two years, I&B Minister Anurag Thakur said on Wednesday. The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a meeting on Wednesday, approved the one-time grant to three oil marketing companies - Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL), Thakur told a news briefing. The grant will be for covering the losses they incurred on selling LPG below cost to consumers from June 2020 to June 2022. The three firms sell domestic LPG at government-regulated prices to consumers. Between June 2020 to June 2022, the international prices of LPG soared by around 300 per cent. However, to insulate consumers from fluctuations in international LPG prices, the cost increase was not fully passed on to consumers of domestic LPG,

DCW chief asks Thakur to ensure Sajid Khan's removal from 'Bigg Boss 16'

Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal on Monday wrote to Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur seeking the ouster of filmmaker Sajid Khan from reality show Bigg Boss over allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him by several women during the #MeToo movement. The first episode of Bigg Boss' 16th season aired on October 1. The show is hosted by actor Salman Khan. "Ten women had accused Sajid Khan of sexual harassment during the #MeToo movement. All these complaints show the disgusting mentality of Sajid. Now, this man has been given a place in Bigg Boss, which is wrong. I have written to @ianuragthakur to have Sajid Khan removed from this show," Maliwal said in a tweet. In her letter to Thakur, the DCW chief said it is unfortunate that Sajid Khan is participating as a housemate in the new season of Bigg Boss. "As the complaints against him reveal, it appears that Khan has acted as a sexual predator for a long time. Clearly, it is inappropriate

UP: Union Minister Anurag Thakur launches month-long Swachh Bharat campaign

Union Minister Anurag Thakur launched the month-long nationwide Swachh Bharat campaign here on Saturday and said a target of collecting 100 lakh kg of plastic waste from across the country has been set this year. "Last year more than 75 lakh kg plastic waste was collected under this campaign and this time, a target has been set to collect 100 lakh kg plastic waste during the campaign which will run from October 1 to 31," Thakur said at an event here. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stressed on making the country clean, beautiful and empowered through cleanliness. "Last year too, we started this cleanliness campaign from Sangam city itself," he said. The Union Minister said lakhs of youths will collect plastic waste under this campaign. Everyone has to fulfill the responsibility of saving Mother Earth together, he said. After the program, the minister reached the Sangam bank collected plastic waste along with volunteers of Nehru Yuva Kendra, National Service Scheme and a l

Govt blocks 45 videos on 10 YouTube channels for airing fake news: Thakur

Government has ordered the blocking of 45 videos from 10 YouTube channels that contained fake news and morphed content with the intent to spread hatred amongst religious communities, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said on Monday. The blocked videos had a cumulative viewership of over 1.30 crore and claimed that the government had taken away the religious rights of certain communities, an official statement said. "These channels had content that spread fear and misconception among communities," Thakur said. An official statement said the blocked content included fake news and morphed videos spread with the intent to spread hatred among religious communities. "Some of the videos blocked by the Ministry were being used to spread disinformation on issues related to Agnipath scheme, Indian Armed Forces, India's national security apparatus, Kashmir," it said. The content was observed to be false and sensitive from the perspective of national security and India's ...

Govt tweaks Rs 76k-cr semiconductor, display fab scheme to woo global firms

The Cabinet on Wednesday approved modifications in the scheme for semiconductors and display manufacturing ecosystem, with uniform fiscal support of 50 per cent of project cost for all technology nodes under the ambitious programme. Announcing the decision of the Cabinet, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said the modifications will strengthen the semiconductor scheme, thus raising capacities within the country, encouraging investments, and creating employment opportunities. "Under modified programme, a uniform fiscal support of 50 per cent of project cost shall be provided across all technology nodes for setting up of Semiconductor Fabs," an official release said. Given the niche technology and nature of compound semiconductors and advanced packaging, the modified programme shall provide fiscal support of 50 per cent of capital expenditure for setting up of compound semiconductors / silicon photonics / sensors / discrete semiconductors fabs. "The programme has attracted many global ...

Top headlines: DGCA extends curbs on SpiceJet; Wipro fires 300 employees

The Cabinet on Wednesday approved the national logistics policy, which aims at reducing transportation cost and improve global performance of the sector.

Union Cabinet has approved National Logistics Policy: Anurag Thakur

Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week unveiled the policy which seeks to cut transportation costs by promoting seamless movement of goods across the country

Govt approves Rs 19,500-cr PLI scheme for manufacturing solar PV modules

The Cabinet on Wednesday approved a Rs 19,500-crore production linked incentive (PLI) scheme on 'national programme on high efficiency solar PV modules' with an aim to attract Rs 94,000 crore investment in the sector. One of the the benefits expected from the PLI scheme is that about 65,000 MW per annum manufacturing capacity of fully and partially integrated solar PV modules would be installed. Giving details about the Cabinet decision, information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur said that about 2 lakh direct jobs would be created in the sector. The national programme aims to build an ecosystem for manufacturing of high efficiency solar PV modules in India and reduce import dependence in the area of renewable energy. The initiative is expected to reduce import substitution of about Rs 1.37 lakh crore. Solar PV manufacturers will be selected through a transparent selection process. PLI will be disbursed for 5 years after commissioning of solar PV manufacturing plants and s

I&B Minister Anurag Thakur pitches for bringing back neutrality in news

Information & Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday made a strong pitch for bringing back neutrality in news, saying shrill debates may get television channels eyeballs but not credibility. Addressing a function organised by the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD), Thakur said the biggest threat to mainstream media is not from new age digital platforms, but mainstream media channels itself. "If you decide to invite guests who are polarising, who spread false narratives and who shout at the top of their lungs, the credibility of your channel goes down. Your decisions regarding the guest, the tone and visuals define your credibility in the eyes of the audience," the minister said. He said the viewer may stop for a minute to watch a television news show, but will never trust the anchor, the channel or the brand as a transparent source of news. Thakur said mainstream media organisations have a great challenge to provide truthful, accurate, and reliable ..

Anurag Thakur grills Cong over Bharat Jodo Yatra, says India already united

Taking a pot shot at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra, Anurag Thakur said that India is already united under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi

BJP's Anurag Thakur calls AAP 'bewdi sarkar' amid Delhi liquor scam faceoff

The CBI had filed a case against alleged corruption in the 2021-22 excise policy. The excise policy was subsequently withdrawn by the AAP government

Education in AAP govt's words, liquor in work: BJP's Anurag Thakur

Education may feature prominently in the words of the Aam Aadmi Party but it is "liquor" which drives their work, Union minister Anurag Thakur said on Friday as the BJP kept its attack on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia over the alleged excise scam. He said the AAP government in Delhi did not make "pathshala" (schools) but opened many "madhushala" (liquor vends) and questioned the "silence" of Kejriwal and Sisodia to the queries raised by him over the "scam", now being probed by the CBI. "The liquor scam has unmasked the AAP and showed how it is neck-deep in corruption. Why are its leaders not answering the questions raised by us over its excise policy," Thakur said. The AAP government should answer as to why Rs 144 crore was returned to liquor dealers besides Rs 30 crore earnest money, he asked. "If the excise policy was correct, then why was it withdrawn? The truth is serious corruption has occurred. Their health minister is in jail on corruptio

Anurag Thakur launches 'Azadi Quest', a series of online educational games

As part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur launched 'Azadi Quest', a series of online educational mobile games

Anurag Thakur on two-day Himachal Pradesh visit to mark state's 75 years

Union Minister Anurag Thakur is on Monday arriving on a two-day visit to his home state Himachal Pradesh, officials said. Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur will attend two programmes to mark 75 years of the formation of Himachal Pradesh at Dadasiba Maidan in Kangra district and Amb Maidan in Una district on Monday, the officials said. Anurag Thakur will also attend similar programmes at Bambalu in Hamirpur district and Bangana in Una district as the chief guest on Tuesday, according to the officials. Exhibitions of various departments depicting the development of the hill state have also been put up, through which the development journey from the formation of the state till now will be displayed. Information about various welfare and developmental schemes being run by the Centre as well as the state government will also be given during the functions.