- Indian Heritage
- Culture
- Modern Indian history
- The Freedom Struggle
- Post-independence
- Indian Society
A. population and associated issues
B. poverty and developmental issues
C.urbanization
7. Geographical features
8.Indian Constitution
9. Polity
10. Governance
A. institutions
B. regulatory
C. Government policies
D. role of NGOs
E. measures
11. Social Justice
A. Welfare schemes
B Health
C. Education
1. SamagraShiksha
SamagraShiksha, an overarching programme for the school education sector extending from preschool to Class 12 was formulated in 2017 with the broader goal of improving school effectiveness measured in terms of equal opportunities for schooling and equitable learning outcomes by subsuming the three erstwhile Schemes of SarvaShikshaAbhiyan (SSA), RashtriyaMadhyamikShikshaAbhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE). The scheme is in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goal for Education (SDG-4).
The Government has approved the continuation of the revised SamagraShiksha Scheme for a period of five years i.e., from 2021-22 to 2025-26 with a total financial outlay of Rs.2,94,283.04crore which includes a Central share of Rs.1,85,398.32 crore. SamagraShiksha has been fully aligned with the recommendation of the National Education Policy 2020.
The major objectives of the Scheme are: (i) Support States and UTs in implementing the recommendations of the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020); (ii) Support States in implementation of Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009; (iii) Focus on Early Childhood Care and Education; (iv) Emphasis on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy; (v) Thrust on Holistic, Integrated, Inclusive and activity based Curriculum and Pedagogy to impart 21st century skills among the students; (vi) Provision of quality education and enhancing learning outcomes of students; (vii) Bridging Social and Gender Gaps in School Education; (viii) Ensuring equity and inclusion at all levels of school education; (ix) Strengthening and up-gradation of State Councils for Educational Research and Training (SCERTs)/State Institutes of Education and District Institutes for Education and Training (DIET) as nodal agency for teacher training; (x) Ensuring safe, secure and conducive learning environment and maintenance of standards in schooling provisions and (xi) Promoting vocational education.
Major Achievements of National Education Policy 2020:
National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF FS) launched on 20th October 2022. Based on this, Learning Teaching Material (JaduiPitara) and Textbooks for classes I and II launched on 20th February 2023 and 5th July 2023 respectively.
§ In pursuance of NEP 2020 National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) released on 23rd August 2023. Under NCF-SE, the curriculum has been aligned with the National Education Policy 2020, emphasizing the 5+3+3+4 design of schooling. This framework addresses the entire educational journey from the foundational to secondary stages.
§ Set up PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) on 8th February 2023, to fulfil the objectives of setting norms, standards, and guidelines and implement activities related to student assessment.
§Holistic Progress Card: The Competency-based Assessment for Holistic Development, the Holistic Progress Card for the Foundational stage has been prepared. A teacher document titled, “Understanding the HPC” has been also developed to support teachers on the usage and facilitate its implementation across states and UTs.
§National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) defines the work of teachers and makes explicit elements of high-quality, effective teaching in 21st-century schools that will improve educational outcomes for students. NCTE has developed a guiding document that outlines the competencies that teachers should possess to effectively perform their roles. NPST is being piloted in 75 central schools.
§National Mission for Mentoring (NMM) talks about the creation of a large pool of outstanding professionals willing to provide mentoring to school teachers. These potential mentors, regardless of the age or position of the mentor and mentee, will contribute towards realizing the 21st-century developmental goals of our nation. An initial document ‘Bluebook on NMM’ has been developed and is being piloted in 30 Central schools.
§ The vision of National Digital Educational Architecture (NDEAR) is to create a unifying national digital infrastructure to energize and catalyse the education ecosystem. NDEAR has witnessed 1500+ Micro courses, 5 billion+ Learning sessions, 12 billion+ QR codes, 20K+ ecosystem participants, and 15K+ Micro improvements ongoing across the various linked building blocks.
§VidyaSameeksha Kendra (VSK) launched on 06.09.2020. So far, 11 States have set up VidyaSamiksha Kendra (Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Punjab, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh) while VSK is under progress in 25 States and UTs.
§ Under PM e-VIDYA, DIKSHA is the one nation, one digital education infrastructure. All states/UTs have been onboarded in DIKSHA. This digital infrastructure is artificial intelligence-based and is highly scalable. This infrastructure is also being utilized for creating Energized Textbooks in 31 Indian languages and 7 Foreign Languages including ISL.
§ The existing 12 DTH Channels of SWAYAM PRABHA for School Education are meant to support and reach those who do not have access to the internet have been extended to 200 channels with more than 13,000 contents produced for telecast in 31 languages.
§Vidyanjali is a school volunteer management program to strengthen Government and Government-aided schools through community and private sector involvement across the country. From its inception on 7th September 2021 till date, 671512 Govt. and Govt.-aided schools have been onboarded and 443539 volunteers have registered on the Vidyanjali portal.
ULLAS- Nav Bharat SakshartaKaryakram
The Government of India has approved a centrally sponsored innovative scheme calledNav Bharat SakshartaKaryakram or New India Literacy Programme (NILP), popularly known as ULLAS: Understandingof Lifelong Learningfor All in Society. The scheme aligns with the recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and aims to empower those adults aged 15 years and above from all backgrounds who could not get due schooling and mainstream them with society to be able to contribute more to the growth story of the country. The budget of the scheme is Rs. 1037.90 crore for implementation from FYs 2022-23 to 2026-27. The scheme consists of five components:
i) Foundational Literacy and Numeracy,
ii) Critical Life Skills,
iii) Basic Education,
iv) Vocational Skills, and
v) Continuing Education.
The success of ULLAS rides on the spirit of VOLUNTEERISM to catalyze the program into Janbhagidari that is a citizen’s movement. The aim is to make every individual in the country empowered with the light of literacy i.e., JAN JAN SAAKSHAR.
The scheme is motivating the volunteers to take part in the scheme as DUTY or Kartavyabodh towards nation building and will incentivize the student volunteers through credits in school/ university and appreciation through other means like certificates, appreciation letters, felicitation, etc. Volunteer teachers are students from schools, Higher Education Institutions under UGC, and Teacher Education Institutions under NCTE. Additionally, literate individuals who ar
D. Human Resources
National Sports Awards 2023
The National Sports Awards are the pinnacle of sporting honours in the Republic of India. The awards are given annually to recognize and reward excellence in sports, highlight extraordinary performance at the national and international competitive events, encourage sportsmanship and promote nation-building by creating a sense of national pride and unity in a country as diverse as India. It promotes qualities like leadership, discipline, commitment, teamwork and a passion for health and fitness in the psyche of a nation with the world’s largest youth population. The awards are administered by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India. Categories
The six categories of the National Sports Awards are:
- Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award
- Arjuna Award,
- Dronacharya Award,
- Major Dhyan Chand Award,
- Maulana Abul Kalam Azad rolling Trophy, also called the MAKA Trophy, and
- Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar
*Since 2004, the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award has also been given out along with the six National Sports Awards.
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award
Considered India’s highest sporting honour, the Khel Ratna was established in 1991-92. The award is named after the Indian hockey legend, Major Dhyan Chand (1905–79) who is considered to be one of the best players to have ever played the sport of hockey. He was the star of the Indian hockey team that dominated the sport in the years before World War II. He played a key role in India’s three consecutive gold hauls at the Olympic Games – in 1928, 1932 and 1936. His mastery of the game and ball control was so dazzling that it earned him the epithets ‘Hockey Wizard’ and ‘The Magician’.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
National Sports Awards 2023
Posted On: 08 JAN 2024 11:57AM
Introduction
The National Sports Awards are the pinnacle of sporting honours in the Republic of India. The awards are given annually to recognize and reward excellence in sports, highlight extraordinary performance at the national and international competitive events, encourage sportsmanship and promote nation-building by creating a sense of national pride and unity in a country as diverse as India. It promotes qualities like leadership, discipline, commitment, teamwork and a passion for health and fitness in the psyche of a nation with the world’s largest youth population. The awards are administered by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India.
Categories
The six categories of the National Sports Awards are:
- Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award
- Arjuna Award,
- Dronacharya Award,
- Major Dhyan Chand Award,
- Maulana Abul Kalam Azad rolling Trophy, also called the MAKA Trophy, and
- Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar
*Since 2004, the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award has also been given out along with the six National Sports Awards.
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award
Considered India’s highest sporting honour, the Khel Ratna was established in 1991-92. The award is named after the Indian hockey legend, Major Dhyan Chand (1905–79) who is considered to be one of the best players to have ever played the sport of hockey. He was the star of the Indian hockey team that dominated the sport in the years before World War II. He played a key role in India’s three consecutive gold hauls at the Olympic Games – in 1928, 1932 and 1936. His mastery of the game and ball control was so dazzling that it earned him the epithets ‘Hockey Wizard’ and ‘The Magician’.
The award is given for outstanding performances in sports spanning over a period of four years and the Khel Ratna winners receive a medallion, certificate and a cash prize. Legendary sports figures like MC Mary Kom, S. MirabaiChanu, PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Vijender Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli amongst others have received this highest sporting honour in the past.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
National Sports Awards 2023
Posted On: 08 JAN 2024 11:57AM
Introduction
The National Sports Awards are the pinnacle of sporting honours in the Republic of India. The awards are given annually to recognize and reward excellence in sports, highlight extraordinary performance at the national and international competitive events, encourage sportsmanship and promote nation-building by creating a sense of national pride and unity in a country as diverse as India. It promotes qualities like leadership, discipline, commitment, teamwork and a passion for health and fitness in the psyche of a nation with the world’s largest youth population. The awards are administered by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India.
Categories
The six categories of the National Sports Awards are:
- Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award
- Arjuna Award,
- Dronacharya Award,
- Major Dhyan Chand Award,
- Maulana Abul Kalam Azad rolling Trophy, also called the MAKA Trophy, and
- Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar
*Since 2004, the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award has also been given out along with the six National Sports Awards.
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award
Considered India’s highest sporting honour, the Khel Ratna was established in 1991-92. The award is named after the Indian hockey legend, Major Dhyan Chand (1905–79) who is considered to be one of the best players to have ever played the sport of hockey. He was the star of the Indian hockey team that dominated the sport in the years before World War II. He played a key role in India’s three consecutive gold hauls at the Olympic Games – in 1928, 1932 and 1936. His mastery of the game and ball control was so dazzling that it earned him the epithets ‘Hockey Wizard’ and ‘The Magician’.
The award is given for outstanding performances in sports spanning over a period of four years and the Khel Ratna winners receive a medallion, certificate and a cash prize. Legendary sports figures like MC Mary Kom, S. MirabaiChanu, PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Vijender Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli amongst others have received this highest sporting honour in the past.
Major Dhyan Chand representing India for Hockey at the Olympic Games[1]
Pistol shooter Abhinav Bindra, who won the first-ever individual gold medal for India at the Olympics at Beijing 2008, is the youngest sportsperson to win the Khel Ratna. He won the award in 2001 when he was just 18. Olympic bronze medal-winning weightlifter Karnam Malleswari was the first Indian woman to receive the Khel Ratna in 1994-95.[2]
In 1991-1992, the first Khel Ratna award[3] was presented to chess grandmaster and former world chess Champion Shri Vishwanathan Anand as well as Shri Geet Sethi who dominated the English Billiards throughout the 1990s.
Arjuna Award
Named after Arjuna, the main protagonist from the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata, the Arjuna Award was instituted in 1961.[4] It was India’s highest sporting honour before the Khel Ratna came into being.
It is awarded for consistent good performance over a period of four years. The winners of the Arjuna Award receive a statuette of Arjuna, a certificate and a cash prize.
The first Arjuna awards was conferred upon India’s football Olympian PK Banerjee who was among the 20 recipients of the Arjuna Award in its inaugural edition in 1961.
Dronacharya Award
The Dronacharya Award, instituted in 1985, is India’s highest sports honour for coaches. It is awarded to individuals for producing medal winners at prestigious international events. This award is named after Dronacharya or Drona who was Arjuna’s guru or coach in the Indian epic Mahabharata. Awardees receive a bronze statue of Dronacharya, a certificate and a cash prize.
The first woman to win the Dronacharya award was athletics coach Renu Kohli in 2002. This Award is given for both recent accomplishments and lifetime contributions.
Wrestling coach Bhalchandra Bhaskar Bhagwat, boxing mentor Om Prakash Bharadwaj and legendary athletics coach OM Nambiar, credited for moulding Indian sprint queen PT Usha’s career, were among the first Dronacharya Award winners in 1985 when the Dronacharya Award was instituted.
Major Dhyan Chand Award
Another award named after India’s hockey magician Dhyan Chand, the Major Dhyan Chand Award represents India’s highest honour for lifetime achievements in sports. Presented for good performance and contributing towards the promotion of sports in an individual capacity since 2002, the winners get a Dhyan Chand statuette, a certificate and a cash prize. Olympian boxer Shahuraj Birajdar, Indian men’s hockey team player Ashok Diwan and Aparna Ghosh, an accomplished player and coach with the Indian women’s basketball team, were the first recipients of the Major Dhyan Chand Award.
The first Dhyan Chand award for Lifetime Achievements in Sports and Games instituted in 2002 was given to Shahuraj Birajdar for Boxing; Ashok Diwan for Hockey and Aparna Ghosh for Basketball.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy (MAKA)
The oldest National Sports Award in India, the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy or the MAKA Trophy was instituted in 1956–1957. This award is named in honour of the Indian freedom fighter and the country’s first education minister Shri Abul Kalam Azad.
It is given to an institution or university for top performance in inter-university tournaments over the last one year. The reward comprises a rolling MAKA Trophy that gets passed on to the winner each year, and a cash prize.
In 1956-57, the first Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) award was conferred upon Bombay University for promoting competitive sports, excellence in sports, and integrating sports and physical fitness in their curriculum.
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar
Awarded to organisations or corporates (both private and public) and individuals for playing a role in the area of sports promotion and development over the last three years, the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar has been a fixture in the National Sports Awards list since 2009.
Nominees are decided in four different segments – identification and nurturing of budding and young talent, encouragement to sports through corporate social responsibility, employment of sportspersons and sports welfare measures, and sports for development. Winners from each category get a citation and a trophy. There can be multiple winners in a single category in a year.
The Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar was instituted in 2009. Tata Steel Limited received two awards for the categories of Community Sports Identification and Nurturing of Budding Talent as well as Establishment and Management of Sports Academies of Excellence on the 29th August 2009.[5]
Other awards:
Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award
Instituted in 1993-1994, the National Adventure Awards now known as the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award was presented for the year 1994 in 1995.[6]
- The award in the category of land adventure was given to 19 Indian members of the successful Indo-Napalese women’s Everest expedition of 1993[7]. It included Bachendri Pal, world’s first woman to scale Everest twice, Santosh Yadav and Dicky Dolma who at 19 became the world’s youngest woman to reach Everest. Others included Rita G. Marwah, Chandra Prabha Aitwal, Deepu Sharma, Kunga Bhatia, Radha Devi, Bimla Negi, Savita Martolia, Suman Kutiyal, Sarla
Negi, K Saraswati, Rita Patel, Harsha Panwar, G. Anita Devi, Rajeev Sharma, Nima Norbu and Baldev Kanwar. - The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Hukum Singh for his lifetime commitment to mountaineering.
- In 2020[8], the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award was conferred upon seven individuals including Indian Army’s Lieutenants Colonel Servesh Dhadwal and Colonel Amit Bisht. Colonel Servesh Dhadwal received it for his skydiving activities.
National Sports Awards 2023
Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports on December 20 announced the National Sports Awards 2023. The awardees will receive their awards from the President of India at a specially organized function at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 09th January, 2024 at 1100 hours.[9]
Selection Process
The applications were invited online and sportspersons/coaches/entities were permitted to self-apply through a dedicated Online Portal. A large number of applications/nominations were received for these awards this year, which were considered by the Selection Committee headed by Justice A. M. Khanwilkar, Retd. Judge, Supreme Court of India and consisting members from eminent sportspersons, persons having experience in sports journalism and sports administrators.
E. poverty and hunger
12. International relations
A. India and its neighbourhood
B. groupings and agreements
C.Indian diaspora
13. Economic Development
A. Government Budgeting
Cabinet approves Minimum Support Price for Copra for 2024 season
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval for the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for copra for 2024 season. In order to provide remunerative prices to the cultivators, government had announced in the Union Budget of 2018-19, that MSPs of all the mandated crops will be fixed at a level of at least 1.5 times of all India weighted cost of production. The MSP for Fair Average Quality of milling copra has been fixed at Rs.11,160/- per quintal and for ball copra at Rs.12,000/- per quintal for 2024 season. This will ensure a margin of 51.84 percent for milling copra and 63.26 percent for ball copra, which are well beyond 1.5 times the all India weighted average cost of production. Milling copra is used to extract oil, while ball/edible copra is consumed as a dry fruit and used for religious purposes. Kerala and Tamil Nadu are major producers of million copra, whereas ball copra is produced predominantly in Karnataka.
The MSP for 2024 season is an increase of Rs.300/- per quintal for milling copra and Rs.250/- per quintal for ball copra over the previous season. In the last 10 years, the Government has increased MSP for milling copra and ball copra from Rs.5,250 per quintal and Rs.5,500 per quintal in 2014-15 to Rs.11,160 per quintal and Rs.12,000 per quintal in 2024-25, registering a growth of 113 percent and 118 percent, respectively.
A higher MSP will not only ensure better remunerative returns to the coconut growers but also incentivize farmers to expand copra production to meet the growing demand for coconut products both domestically and internationally.
In the current season 2023, the Government has procured a record amount of more than 1.33 lakh metric tonnes of copra, at the cost of Rs.1,493 crores, benefiting around 90,000 farmers. The procurement in the current season 2023 indicates a rise of 227 percent over the previous season (2022).
National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation (NCCF) will continue to act as Central Nodal Agencies (CNAs) for procurement of copra and de-husked coconut under Price Support Scheme (PSS).
Cabinet approves Terms of Reference for the Sixteenth Finance Commission
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has approved the Terms of Reference for the Sixteenth Finance Commission.
The Terms of Reference for the Sixteenth Finance Commission will be notified in due course of time. The 16th Finance Commission’s recommendations, upon the acceptance by the government, would cover the period of five (5) years commencing April 1, 2026.
Article 280(1) of the Constitutions lays down that the modalities for setting up of a Finance Commission to make recommendation on the distribution of net proceeds of taxes between the Union and the States, allocation between the States of respective shares of such proceeds; grants- in-aid and the revenues of the States and measures needed to supplement the resources of the Panchayats during the award period.
The Fifteenth Finance Commission was constituted on November 27, 2017. It made recommendations covering the period of six years commencing on 1st April, 2020 through its Interim and Final Reports. The recommendations of the Fifteenth Finance Commission are valid upto the financial year 2025-26.
Terms of Reference for the Sixteenth Finance Commission:
The Finance Commission shall make recommendations as to the following matters, namely:
- The distribution between the Union and the States of the net proceeds of taxes which are to be, or may be, divided between them under Chapter I, Part XII of the Constitution and the allocation between the States of the respective shares of such proceeds;
- The principles which should govern the grants-in-aid of the revenues of the States out of the Consolidated Fund of India and the sums to be paid to the States by way of grants-in-aid of their revenues under article 275 of the Constitution for the purposes other than those specified in the provisos to clause (1) of that article; and
- The measures needed to augment the Consolidated Fund of a State to supplement the resources of the Panchayats and Municipalities in the State on the basis of the recommendations made by the Finance Commission of the State.
B. industrial
First Inland Waterways Development Council
The Inland Waterways Authority of India, under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW), is set to host the inaugural ‘Inland Waterways Development Council’ meeting on January 8, 2023, in Kolkata. The day-long meeting on board the vessel MV Ganga Queen, by Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and AYUSH, will bring together key figures from across the waterways states and central government including Shri Shripad Naik and Shri Shantanu Thakur, Ministers of State for Ports, Shipping & Waterways. The event will also see the participation of Ministers from various State Governments, accompanied by their Principle Secretaries/Secretaries, alongside numerous senior officers of the Central Government and domain experts in the field.
The Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways & AYUSH, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, will also unveil groundbreaking initiatives, including “Harit Nauka – Guidelines for Green Transition of Inland Vessels” and the “River Cruise Tourism Roadmap 2047,” during the meeting. Additionally, the event anticipates the signing of several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), marking collaborative efforts towards advancing the inland waterways and associated sectors.
The inaugural IWDC meeting boasts a packed agenda with consecutive sessions addressing vital issues in the development of inland waterways in India. The sessions encompass topics such as fairway development, private sector engagement and best practices, optimizing cargo transport efficiency in Inland Water Transport (IWT), fostering the promotion and development of eco-friendly vessels for passenger transportation, exploring the economic advantages of river cruise tourism, and emphasizing sustainable practices, among others.
It is to be noted that Ministry has set a bold objective to elevate the modal share of Inland Water Transportation (IWT) from the current 2% to 5%, aligning with the goals outlined in the Maritime India Vision 2030. Furthermore, as part of the ambitious Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, the ministry aims to substantially increase the existing IWT cargo volume from approximately 120 MTPA to over 500 MTPA, signifying a significant leap forward in the development of inland waterways in the country.
In the state of West Bengal, the Sagarmala Programme is actively driving maritime development with 62 projects valued at Rs. 16,300 Crores. Notably, 19 projects worth approximately Rs. 1,100 Crore have been successfully completed, while 43 projects, totaling around Rs. 15 thousand Crores, are at various stages of implementation. Among these initiatives, 11 projects, with a partial funding of around Rs. 650 Crore from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW), are making significant progress. Six of these projects, valued at approximately Rs. 400 Crore, have reached completion, while the remaining five, worth Rs. 250 Crore, are in different phases of implementation.
E.issues
14. Technology
15. Environment
16. Security
PM attends All India Conference of Director Generals/ Inspector Generals of Police
the 58th All India Conference of Director Generals/ Inspector Generals of Police on January 6 and 7, 2024 at Rajasthan International Centre, Jaipur.
Discussing the enactment of the new criminal laws, Prime Minister said that the enactment of these laws was a paradigm shift in the criminal justice system. He emphasised that the new criminal laws were framed with the spirit of ‘Citizen First, Dignity First and Justice First’ and instead of working with ‘danda’, Police now needs to work with ‘Data’. Prime Minister exhorted the Police Chiefs to think imaginatively to convey the emotional spirit behind the newly enacted laws to the different sections of society. Prime Minister laid special focus on sensitising women and girls about their rights and protection provided to them under the new Criminal Laws. He exhorted Police to focus on women safety by ensuring that women could work fearlessly ‘kabhi bhi aur kahin bhi’ (anywhere anytime).
Prime Minister underscored the need to reinforce the positive image of the police in citizens. Prime Minister advised the use of social media at the Police Station level for disseminating positive information and messages for the benefit of citizens. He also suggested using social media for disseminating advance information on natural calamities and disaster relief. He also suggested organising various sports events as a way to strengthen citizen-police connect. He also urged the government officials to stay in border villages to establish better ‘connect’ with local populace as these border villages were the ‘first villages’ of India.
Highlighting the success of India’s first solar mission – Aditya-L1 and the swift rescue of 21 crew members from the hijacked vessel in Arabian sea by the Indian Navy, Prime Minister said that such achievements show that India is emerging as a major power in the world. He said that Aditya-L1 success is similar to the success of Chandrayaan-3 mission. He also exuded pride in the Indian Navy’s successful operation. He added that in line with the improving global profile and increasing national strength of the country, the Indian police should transform itself into a modern and world class police force to realise the vision of a developed India by 2047.
Prime Minister also distributed the Police Medal for Distinguished Services and concluded the three-day DGsP/IGsP Conference at Jaipur.
The conference was also attended by the Union Home Minister, National Security Advisor, Ministers of State for Home, Union Home Secretary, DGsP/IGsP of States/UTs and Heads of the Central Police Organisations/Central Armed Police Forces, among others. Like previous years, the Conference was held in hybrid mode with over 500 Police officers of various ranks attending from different places across the country. The Conference deliberated on critical components of national security, including the newly enacted major criminal laws, counter terrorism strategies, left wing extremism, emerging cyber threats, worldwide counter radicalisation initiatives etc.
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh to visit UK and discuss defence & security issues with his counterpart Mr Grant Shapps
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh will leave on a two-day visit to London, United Kingdom (UK) on January 08, 2024. He will be accompanied by a high-level Ministry of Defence delegation, comprising senior officials from DRDO, Service Headquarters, Department of Defence, and Department of Defence Production.
During his visit, the Raksha Mantri will hold a bilateral meeting with his UK counterpart Secretary of State for Defence Mr Grant Shapps. They are expected to discuss a wide range of defence, security and industrial cooperation issues.
Shri Rajnath Singh is also expected to call on UK Prime Minister Mr Rishi Sunak and hold a meeting with Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Affairs Mr David Cameron. He will also interact with the CEOs and industry leaders of UK Defence Industry and meet with the Indian community there.
17. Disaster Management