India Narrative

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shared UP’s enormous soft power by gifting heritage products sourced from each district of the state to world leaders who had assembled at the G-7 summit in Germany. For instance, the Prime Minister gifted a Gulabi Meenakari brooch and cufflink set to the US President, Joe Biden. Gulabi Meenakari is a GI tagged art-form of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.  A piece of pure, it is first moulded into a base form, and then, a chosen design is embossed in the metal. The embossed shapes are further filled with great dexterity with crushed Meena glass mixed with an intriguing natural Anardana (pomegranate seeds) glue. This is then fired to transform into a translucent coloured patch. What distinguishes it from other Meenakari is the layer of white Meena which acts as an opaque canvas for hand painted motifs. The paint is fired layer by layer for permanence. The motifs primarily use the colour pink (Gulabi), which lends its name to the craft. A matching brooch was al

The Defence Ministry's announcement of signing a contract with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for supply of ASTRA MK-I Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Air to Air Missile (AAM) and associated equipment for the Indian Air Force (IAF)  and the Indian Navy at a cost of Rs 2,971 crore is yet another major move towards manufacturing and maintenance of defence equipment to achieve the vision of ‘Make in India, Make for the World’. ASTRA MK-I BVR AAM has been indigenously designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) based on the staff requirements issued by the IAF catering for Beyond Visual Range as well as Close Combat Engagement reducing the dependency on foreign sources. Until now, the technology to manufacture missiles of this class indigenously was not available. Air-to-air missile with BVR capability provides large standoff ranges to fighter aircraft which can neutralise the adversary aircraft without exposing itself to enemy's air defence measures, th

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Lumbini —the birthplace of Gautam Buddha in Nepal, to kick start festivities on the occasion of Buddha Purnima. The visit is of enormous geo-cultural importance in part of consolidation of India as a modern civilizational state. By visiting Lumbini, on a day when the entire Buddhist universe is focusing on the founts of a great faith revered by nearly seven percent of the world’s population, the Prime Minister is making a bold statement—India is the core of Buddhism, and seeks to revive its natural connectivity with the global Buddhist ecosystem.   PM Modi is consciously leveraging India and Nepal’s enormous soft power on account of the two countries’ shared Buddhist heritage which spread its branches into China, South Korea, and Japan, and simultaneously in South and Central Asia via the ancient Silk Road, as well as Sri Lanka. In reviving India’s standing in the international Buddhis network, Modi inaugurated in Kushinagar, the place where

Kashmir’s top business leaders on Tuesday met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his scheduled visit to Jammu and Kashmir on April 24. This is for the first time during the BJP’s second term that the valley-based business leaders have had an extensive interaction with the Prime Minister who is planning his first  visit to Jammu and Kashmir after withdrawal of the erstwhile State’s special status in August 2019. After August 2019, when J&K was reorganised into the Union Territory, PM Modi visited Jammu’s Rajouri district, only to celebrate Diwali with jawans and officers of the Indian Army on 27 October 2019 and 4 November 2021. Now on 24 April, he is scheduled to address public meetings, hold meetings with the Lieutenant Governor’s bureaucracy and administration, apart from Police and security forces. The Prime Minister’s visit is expected to give a boost to the UT’s Industrial Development Policy. According to highly placed bureaucratic sources, a number of foundation stone

  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday took Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi to task over his controversial " UP, Bihar ke bhaiye " comment and also targeted Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, saying the "family from Delhi was clapping" on stage when this divisive remark was made.  “The entire country has heard what the Congress Chief Minister said. The family from Delhi is his maalik (boss). That maalik was standing next to him and clapping," PM Modi said at a BJP poll rally at Fazilka in Punjab. The Prime Minister said that Guru Gobind Singh, the saviour of India, was born in Patna Sahib in Bihar. "Will the Congress stop people from Bihar coming to Punjab" adding Guru Ravidas was born in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Congress was saying it will not allow bhaiyas from UP to come to Punjab." Also read:    PM Modi launches scathing attack on Congress & AAP at poll rally in Pathankot PM Modi said the people of Punjab needed

  Known for celebrating India's diverse culture with his sartorial choices, Prime Minister Narendra Modi kept up with the tradition by sporting a unique Uttarakhand traditional cap on the occasion of 73rd Republic Day. Ranging from bright Jamnagar Pagdi, Rajasthani safa, to a Kolhapuri style turban, the eye-catching choice of PM Modi's turban becomes a talking point every time he appears for special occasions. However, dropping the idea of donning a bright turban with a long trail, PM Modi opted to wear a unique traditional cap of Uttarakhand on the occasion of India's 73rd Republic Day. The cap was embellished with Brahmakamal inspired brooch. Brahmakamal is the state flower of Uttarakhand that PM uses whenever he visits Kedarnath for pooja. He also honoured the tradition of Northeastern India by wearing a stole which was gifted to him during his visit to Manipur and teamed it up with his statement kurta-churidar and the traditional sleeveless jacket with a V-neck, as he p

The first India-Central Asia Summit will take place in a virtual format on January 27. India is the only country to host such a Summit with Central Asia. It is a path-breaking initiative with potential to significantly enhance the vibrant partnership that India enjoys with the five Central Asian states. The virtual format was adopted as Plan-B as it was no longer possible to host a face-to-face summit with the Presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, who were to be the joint chief guests during the January 26 Republic Day celebrations. However, the rapid spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus proved to be a formidable obstacle in the realisation of this plan. The Indian government needs to be warmly complimented that it is going ahead with this initiative to organise a virtual Summit rather than jettison the idea. India-Central Asia Relations The salience of Central Asian countries has grown significantly, for In

  Bhutan has conferred its highest civilian award , Ngadag Pel gi Khorlo, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Overjoyed to hear His Majesty pronounce Your Excellency Modiji’s Narendra Modi name for the highest civilian decoration, Ngadag Pel gi Khorlo. PMO India,” Prime Minister of Bhutan’s official twitter handle said. Separately in a Facebook post, Bhutan’s Prime Minister Lotay Tshering’s office said, “HM highlighted all the unconditional friendship and support Modiji extended over the years and particularly during pandemic. Much deserving! Congratulations from the people of Bhutan. In all interactions, seen Your Excellency as a great, spiritual human being. Looking forward to celebrating the honour in person.” Bhutan was one of the first countries that received Covid 19 vaccines from India in January this year. "As we celebrate the arrival of the vaccine as the new milestone in our battle to beat the pandemic at home, we applaud the gesture that signifies the compassion and gener

  As part of the mega celebrations marking December 16 -Vijay Diwas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to the warriors of 1971 war at a solemn ceremony and lit the Swarnim Vijay Mashaal in the capital today. ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’ also commemorates 50 years of India’s victory over Pakistan in 1971. Modi was accompanied by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. “On the 50th Vijay Diwas , I recall the great valour and sacrifice by the Muktijoddhas, Biranganas and bravehearts of the Indian Armed Forces. Together, we fought and defeated oppressive forces,” the Prime Minister tweeted in the morning. December 16 is celebrated with equal fervour in India and Bangladesh. The day, which is celebrated in India to mark its victory over Pakistani forces, for Bangladesh, it is the independence day. Meanwhile, President Ram Nath Kovind, who is in Bangladesh attended the Victory Day Parade in Dhaka to mark the South Asian country’s 50 years of independence. A 122 member tri services contingent from

  PM Modi has had a long history of association and a deep connection with the religious and spiritual city of Kashi. Long before he became PM and started representing Varanasi in Parliament, he had several opportunities to visit the holy abode of Baba Vishwanath. While each subsequent visit further strengthened the bond of the PM with the city, it also further fuelled his desire to contribute towards spiritual regeneration of the city and to return the city its lost grandeur. When PM came to kashi to fill his nomination for elections, he said the now immortal lines “न मैं यहाँ आया हूँ न यहाँ लाया गया हूँ मुझे माँ गंगा ने बुलाया है।” With this in mind, he set on a path of rebuilding the city. The fruits of his labour soon became visible with the development of infrastructure and 360 degree transformation of Kashi. But, it was the lifelong dream of PM Modi to contribute towards helping Kashi Vishwanath Mandir attain the aura of the past. With this, he embarked on the odyssey of developm

  Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Friday inaugurate the Rs 9,800 crore Saryu Nahar irrigation project that interlinks five rivers in Uttar Pradesh, bringing to an end a 40-year wait for the farmers of the region.  According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s office, PM Modi will visit Balrampur in UP tomorrow to inaugurate the project that was “delayed by 40 years and has now been completed in four years.” Work on the project started in 1978 but due to lack of continued budgetary support, interdepartmental coordination and adequate monitoring, it got delayed and was not completed even after nearly four decades. The Prime Minister then prioritised the inordinately delayed project in 2016 by bringing it under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana with the target to complete it in a time bound manner. Land acquisition was expedited and the digging of new canals speeded up to complete the project in four years. The Saryu Nahar National Project has been built with a total c

  Peoples’ clashes with the Police and security forces, marked by heavy stone pelting and violent demonstrators, which were a routine in Kashmir from 2015 to August 2019, have subsided after withdrawal of the erstwhile State’s special constitutional status. There has been no major news of what a section of the media and politicians used to call ‘agitational terrorism’. The Union Territory’s summer capital of Srinagar has, however, witnessed around 18 encounters between the militants and security forces since January 2020. Besides, around 20 civilians and unarmed Policemen have been killed in Srinagar in different terror strikes. They include one CID Inspector, one probationary Sub Inspector and two constables who were all attacked from behind and shot dead. They also include popular chemist Makhan Lal Bindroo, two non-Muslim teachers and two golgappa vendors who killed selectively. Some of these attacks were captured live on CCTV cameras; some by the assassins’ bodycams, which were su