China to help set up skill development institute

Gujarat to get cooperation from China in setting up a national-level skill development institute and development of the GIFT City as it bagged one of the MoUs signed on the second day of the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Anandiben Patel to China. Total 24 MoUs worth $10 billion were signed between India and China in Beijing on Friday.

Under the MoU signed between the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship of India and the Ministry of Human Resource and Social Security of People’s Republic of China, an action plan on cooperation in setting up of Mahatma Gandhi National Institution for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship will be done.

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The new institute will come up either in Ahmedabad or Gandhinagar. “It is will be one of its kind in India. The idea is to promote skill development and entrepreneurship for creation of more jobs in coming days,” said Vijay Rupani, Labour and Employment Minister, Gujarat. The MoU has been signed at the time when skill development has been given special thrust by the one-year-old Narendra Modi government to promote its ‘Make in India’ project.

Besides this, Gujarat International Finance Tec-City in Gandhinagar has been identified, along with Shenzhen in China as pilot smart cities to initiate cooperation in the development of smart cities. The Gujarat government has planned 100 high-rise towers in GIFT City to attract major finance institutions from world over to set up an office here. It was conceptualised, and the first tower was inaugurated by, Narendra Modi when he was Gujarat Chief Minister.

According to an official release issued by the Gujarat Information Department, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Chief Minister Anandiben Patel and Ahmedabad Mayor Meenaxiben Patel were present when the agreements was being signed in Beijing. In September last year, three agreements were signed between Gujarat and China which included establishment of twinning relationship between Guangdong province & Gujarat state, a sister-city relationship between Guangzhou city & Ahmedabad city and setting up of Chinese Industrial Park in Gujarat.

India, China can together create a world that serves humanity

Launching the Centre for Gandhian and Indian Studies at Fudan University, Mr. Modi said India and China should work together to eliminate poverty.

Pitching for cooperation between India and China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the two should together touch new heights of progress to eliminate poverty, which will benefit the entire world as one-third of global population lives in the two countries.

Launching the Centre for Gandhian and Indian Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, he said India and China have historical and civilisational ties and they can together create a world that serves the humanity.

“It is said that 21st century belongs to Asia. One-third of the world population belongs to these two countries. So if India and China work together to eliminate poverty, one-third of the global population will be rid of this problem, which will be beneficial for the entire world,” Mr. Modi said addressing the students and faculty of the university in Hindi.

“Therefore, India and China should together touch new heights of progress involving sensitivity towards humanity and philosophy of Lord Buddha and experiments of Mahatma Gandhi so that we can give to the world a system, which is dedicated to welfare of humanity,” he said.

Invoking Mahatma Gandhi, Mr. Modi said, “The world today is going through two major crises — global warming and terrorism. Solutions to both lie in Gandhi’s teachings. Gandhi is still relevant.”

“Mahatma Gandhi may have been born in a corner of India but he was a global citizen,” Modi said, adding that the apostle of peace could have shown the way out of the crises that the world is going through today.

Rail Budget: Railways to mobilise Rs 17,655 crore from borrowing in 2015-16

Indian Railways will borrow Rs 17,655 crore from markets through its two companies IRFC and Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd for capital expenditure during 2015-16, a nearly 47 per cent increase over the current fiscal year's revised estimate.

The market borrowing as per the revised estimate by these two companies during the current fiscal was pegged at Rs 12,045 crore from markets, according to the Railway Budget for 2015-16, which was tabled by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu in Parliament today.

Indian Railways Finance Corporation (IRFC) will raise Rs 17,276 crore in 2015-16 for investment in rolling stock, the Railway Budget document said.

Besides, the other financial firm under Indian Railway Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) plans to raise Rs 379 crore through market borrowing.

During 2014-15, IRFC raised Rs 11,772.60 crore while RVNL mopped up Rs 273 crore from the market as per the revised estimate.

"For financing remunerative projects through market borrowings, it is intended to tap low-cost long-term funds from insurance and pension funds, multi-lateral and bilateral agencies which can be serviced through incremental revenues," Prabhu said in his proposals while presenting the Rail Budget.

Railways will create new vehicles to crowd in investment from long-term institutional investors and other partners, he said.

"These may include setting up an infrastructure fund, a holding company and a JV with an existing NBFC of a PSU with IRFC, for raising long-term debt from domestic as well as overseas sources, including multilateral and bilateral financial institutions that have expressed keen interest in working closely with Railways in this endeavour," he said.

Resources from Public Private Partnership (PPP) has been pegged at Rs 17,136 crore.

Will ensure complete freedom of faith: Full text of PM Modi's speech at Christian conference

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday finally broke his silence on the repeated religious attacks and conversion attempts over the last few months, saying he will not allow any religious group - majority or minority - to incite hatred against other communities.
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"Everyone has the undeniable right to retain or adopt the religion of his or her choice without coercion or undue influence. My government will not allow any religious group, belonging to majority or minority to incite hatred against others overtly or covertly," he told the gathering where Delhi Archbishop Anil Couto was also present.
Modi, whose silence despite the several attacks has been accused by the Opposition as well as Christian organisations, was attending the National Celebration of the Elevation to sainthood of Kuriakose Elias Chavara and Mother Euphrasia.
Minority Affairs Minister Dr. Najma Heptulla and Minister of Finance Arun Jaitley were also present.

Here is the full text of the Prime Minister's address:
Here is the full text of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address at the National Celebration of the Elevation to Sainthood of Kuriakose Elias Chavara and Mother Euphrasia:
I am delighted to participate in this function to celebrate the elevation to sainthood of two great saints of Kerala - Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara and Saint Euphresia. The whole country is proud of their recognition. Their elevation was preceded by that of Saint Alphonsa, who also hailed from Kerala.
The life and deeds of Saint Chavara and Saint Euphresia are an inspiration not only to the Christian community, but to humanity as a whole. They are shining examples of dedication to God through selfless service for the betterment of mankind.
Saint Chavara was a man of prayer and also a social reformer. In an era when access to education was limited, he stressed that every church should have a school. He thus opened the doors of education to people from all sections of society.
Few outside Kerala know that he started a Sanskrit school, and also a printing press. His contribution towards women’s empowerment was also noteworthy.
Saint Euphrasia was a mystic who dedicated her life to prayer and devotion to God.
Both these saints dedicated their life to God through service of fellow beings. The ancient Indian saying: “आत्मानो मोक्षार्थम् जगत हितायाचा” – welfare of the world is the way to moksha (salvation) – explains their life.
Friends,
Spiritualism is rooted in India's heritage. Indian saints and Greek sages had intellectual and spiritual exchanges thousands of years back. India’s openness to new ideas is manifest in the Rig Veda: आनो भद्राः क्रतवो यन्तु विश्वतः Let noble thoughts come to us from all sides. This philosophy has guided our intellectual discourse since time immemorial. Mother India gave birth to many religious and spiritual streams. Some of them have even travelled beyond Indian borders.
The tradition of welcoming, respecting and honouring all faiths is as old as India itself. As Swami Vivekananda said: We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true.
What Swami Vivekananda had said a century ago holds good and will, for ever, not only for this nation but also for this government or for that matter any government in India, run by any political party. This principle of equal respect and treatment for all faiths has been a part of India's ethos for thousands of years. And that is how it became integral to the Constitution of India. Our Constitution did not evolve in a vacuum. It has roots in the ancient cultural traditions of India.
Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore had inspired us to dream of a land where the mind is without fear and the head is held high. It is that heaven of freedom we are duty bound to create and preserve. We believe that there is truth in every religion. एकम सत विप्र बहुधा वदन्ति
Friends,
Let me now come to the issue which is central and critical for peace and harmony in the contemporary world. The world is increasingly witnessing division and hostility on religious lines. This has become a matter of global concern. In this context the ancient Indian plea of mutual respect for all faiths is now beginning to manifest in global discourse.
This long felt need and urge for mutually respectful relations led to the interfaith conference on 'Faith in Human Rights' at the Hague on tenth December, 2008. This was coincidentally also the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations.
Religious leaders representing every major world religion - Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Baha'i Faith, Buddhism, Islam, Taoism and indigenous religions met, discussed and pledged to uphold the Universal Declaration and of freedom of religion or belief.
In their historic declaration, they defined what constitutes freedom of faith and how it is to be safeguarded.
We consider the freedom to have, to retain, and to adopt, a religion or belief, is a personal choice of a citizen.
The world is at cross roads which, if not crossed properly, can throw us back to the dark days of bigotry, fanaticism and bloodshed. This harmonious convergence among religions could not be achieved even when the world entered the third millennium. And now it has been. This shows that the rest of the world too is evolving along the lines of ancient India.
Speaking for India, and for my government, I declare that my government stands by every word of the above declaration. My government will ensure that there is complete freedom of faith and that everyone has the undeniable right to retain or adopt the religion of his or her choice without coercion or undue influence. My government will not allow any religious group, belonging to the majority or the minority, to incite hatred against others, overtly or covertly. Mine will be a government that gives equal respect to all religions.
India is the land of Buddha and Gandhi. Equal respect for all religions must be in the DNA of every Indian. We cannot accept violence against any religion on any pretext and I strongly condemn such violence. My government will act strongly in this regard.
With this commitment, I appeal to all religious groups to act with restraint, mutual respect, and tolerance in the true spirit of this ancient nation which is manifest in our Constitution and is in line with the Hague Declaration.
Friends,
I have a vision of a Modern India. I have embarked on a huge mission to convert that vision into reality. My mantra is Development - सबका साथ, सबका विकास.
In simple terms it means food on every table, every child in school, a job for everybody and a house with toilet and electricity for every family. This will make India proud. We can achieve this through unity. Unity strengthens us. Division weakens us. I sincerely request all Indians, and all of you present here to support me in this huge task.
Let the elevation to sainthood of Saint Chavara and Saint Euphrasia, and their noble deeds inspire us:
-to maximize our inner strength
-to use that strength for transforming society through selfless service
-to fulfil our collective vision of a developed and modern India.
THANK YOU.

Appalled Says PM Narendra Modi on Temple Dedicated to Him in Gujarat

NEW DELHI:  In early morning tweets today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed deep displeasure at a temple dedicated to him being set up in his home state of Gujarat.

"Have seen the news about a Temple being built in my name. I was appalled. This is shocking & against India's great traditions," the PM tweeted, and also, "Building such Temples is  not what our culture teaches us. Personally, it made me very sad. Would urge those doing it not to do it."

The PM asked those building the temple to divert the time and resources they have "towards fulfilling our dream of a Clean India."

Funded by 300 admirers, the temple is scheduled to be officially opened to the public on Monday in Kothariya village, 130 miles from Ahmedabad. The Om Trust that governs the temple said it expected a large crowd on that day.

"Narendra Modi is an icon for our youth... he is just like a God for the younger generation and that's why we have built this temple," said trustee Jayesh Patel.

The temple took a year and Rs. seven lakh to build. It includes an idol of the Prime Minister that cost about Rs. two lakh, according to Ramesh Undhad, a former councillor who has headed the project to collect funds and construct the temple.

"He is like a God for us and we have been worshipping him for a decade. We want a temple for him in all villages in Gujarat," Mr Undhad said.

Before he swept the national elections in May last year and moved to Delhi as Prime Minister, PM Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat for 13 years

Kejriwal to invite PM Modi for Ramlila swearing-in event, will meet him tomorrow

Arvind Kejriwal will invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP leader Kiran Bedi and other Union ministers for his swearing-in ceremony at the Ramlila Maidan, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said on Wednesday.

Kejriwal, who sought appointment with the PM after his party's historic win in the Delhi assembly elections, will meet Modi on Thursday.

Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia said, "We have sought his time, and I think we have been given a time for tomorrow (Thursday)." ANI reported the meeting would be held at 10:30am.

"Our wish is to invite the PM and senior Union ministers (for the swearing-in)," Sisodia told reporters.

The AAP chief who had resigned as the Delhi chief minister on February 14, 2014, after a controversial and brief stint is set to take oath as the CM again on Valentine’s Day this Saturday.

In the run-up to the Delhi polls, the battle for the city-state saw a fierce war of words between the PM, who added thunder to the BJP’s campaign, and Kejriwal, who lost to Modi in Varanasi in the April-May elections.

But, Modi congratulated Kejriwal after the AAP's poll triumph and promised him Centre's co-operation in the development of Delhi.

“During the conversation, Kejriwal said there were a few pressing issues that he needed to discuss with the PM. He said he will carry the invitation personally when he meets him,” a source had told HT on Wednesday.

The AAP chief is also planning to invite his one-time colleague and former IPS officer Bedi, who was the BJP's CM candidate in the Delhi polls. As the outcome of the Delhi polls became clear, Bedi congratulated Kejriwal, asking him to make Delhi a world-class city.

The AAP won as many as 67 seats in the 70-member Delhi House on Tuesday, going far beyond the most optimistic exit polls and its own wildest expectations, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was left bruised in a distant second place with just three seats. The Congress, reeling from a string of defeats since it was routed in the Lok Sabha polls, drew an ignominious blank.

Hectic day

A day after the results, Kejriwal has a packed schedule ahead. He met Union urban affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu at Nirman Bhavan in the morning. He will also meet Union home minister Rajnath Singh in the afternoon for discussions on law and order in the national capital.

Later in the day, he is expected to meet President Pranab Mukherjee at 6:30pm.

Officials said security arrangements were also being put in place in case Kejriwal wanted to make an impromptu visit to Rajghat, as he had done last time.

“Apart from sitting MLAs, Delhi government secretaries, high court judges, chief justice of the Delhi high court, judges of district courts, head of various departments and a number of former chief ministers will be invited to the event,” said a senior Delhi government official.

On the oath-taking day, Kejriwal is likely to be part of a road show from Kaushambi in Ghaziabad to Ramlila Grounds, the platform that had launched him during the days of India Against Corruption movement.

Delhi election results: BJP trounced by Kejriwal's AAP in blow for Modi, Cong fails to open account

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) juggernaut steamrollered its opponents as it scored an overwhelming victory in the Delhi assembly polls on Tuesday, handing the BJP its first electoral defeat since Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the party to power in last year's general election.

The AAP won as many as 66 seats and was leading one seat in the 70-member House by 5.30pm, going far beyond the most optimistic exit polls and its own wildest expectations, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was left bruised in a distant second place with just three seats.

The Congress, reeling from a string of defeats since it was routed in the Lok Sabha polls, drew an ignominious blank.

The AAP's win set up a second stint for Arvind Kejriwal as chief minister almost a year after he had quit the post in controversial circumstances after failing to push through an anti-graft law. In an ironic twist, the 46-year-old former tax officer-turned-politician was set to be sworn-in exactly a year after he resigned.

The BJP, which has gone from strength to strength in successive state elections, was left licking its wounds in the city from which it rules the country. Former police official Kiran Bedi, who was roped in by the party at the last minute to take on Kejriwal, was defeated in the BJP's stronghold of Krishna Nagar.

An exuberant Kejriwal described the AAP's comprehensive success as a "people's victory". Even before the counting of votes ended, Prime Minister Modi tweeted he had congratulated Kejriwal and assured him of "complete support in the development of Delhi".

"This is the people's victory. My first priority will be to end 'rishvatkhori' (corruption)," said a beaming Kejriwal, who will be eager to set aside memories of his hasty resignation after just 49 days in office during his first stint.

Kejriwal, who founded the AAP two years ago after a high-profile anti-corruption campaign in which he worked closely with Bedi, described himself as an "ordinary man" and said: "I promise to be the janta's chief minister and end corruption and VIP culture."

The AAP's victory is significant as it will lead to the formation of the first majority government in Delhi by a party other than the BJP and the Congress. It is also the first time any party has won so many seats in the assembly.

Bedi, meanwhile, said: "Wish to thank my party leadership for having trusted me fully and apologise to every karayakarta for not living up to their expectations."

Ajay Maken, who was the Congress' campaign committee chief, resigned from his party position after the rout - the latest in a string of electoral drubbings for the grand old party following its resounding defeat in last year's general election. "I have decided to tender my resignation from the post of AICC general secretary," he said.

Reports suggested the AAP made gains in as many as 39 seats when compared to the 2013 polls. The BJP, on the other hand, fell by the wayside in 29 seats it had won in the last elections.

Vote shares collated by the Election Commission showed the BJP fared poorly despite getting roughly the same number of votes as in the 2013 assembly polls. At the same time, the AAP's gain was clearly at the expense of the Congress.

Counting of votes began at 8am and the AAP raced to a clear lead within an hour.

After the Capital voted in assembly elections for the second time in 14 months, exit polls had predicted on Saturday the AAP was set to return to power, an outcome likely to have national ramifications.

The closely fought election saw a record turnout of 67.10% and 8.9 million of the city's 13.3 million-strong electorate cast their votes.

The 2013 elections had produced a hung assembly, and the AAP (with 28 MLAs) formed a government with the outside support of eight Congress legislators.

The AAP rode to victory on promises of cheaper electricity and water, and probity in government. The party also has a strident position against Delhi's famed culture of privilege; in its last stint, one of its more popular moves was the outlawing of red beacons on official cars.

Its culture of handouts runs counter to the ruling principles of the BJP at the Centre, which espouses a market-friendly approach and wants to cut subsidies. Stock markets, which had fallen sharply on Monday after investors took fright from the exit polls, recovered in early trade as people chose to look ahead to this month's union Budget.

The BJP's decision to project Bedi as its chief ministerial candidate, after her surprise induction days ahead of the polls, too proved counter-productive as it triggered dissent within the party.

The saffron party's prospects were also affected by the controversial actions of several right-wing leaders, including calls for Hindu women to have four children and a 'ghar wapsi' campaign to convert minorities like Christians and Muslims.

Kejriwal, who saw just four of his 400-odd party candidates registering a win in the Lok Sabha elections, campaigned hard and reiterated he would not commit the same mistakes again if he was given a second chance by voters.

The defeat for the BJP in the national capital will harm Modi's chances of consolidating power in Parliament, where his reform agenda is being thwarted.

Modi needs to win most of the state elections over the next four years to gain control of both Houses of Parliament to deliver on his promise of jobs and economic growth.

The BJP has, however, said the results in Delhi were not a referendum on Modi. "It's not a referendum on the BJP government. It will be a collective responsibility of the party…and winning will just be the first step for AAP. They had made many promises. AAP kaam karke dikhaye ab (AAP, now show us what you can do)," said BJP leader Shazia Ilmi.