Govt focusing on four 'E's to help youth: Modi
Bengaluru, Dec 25: Asserting that the development of youth was central to his government's policy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday said it focused on four 'E's-- education, employment, entrepreneurship and excellence--to help them.
In the last four years, he said, the government set up seven IITs, seven IIMs, one NIT, 14 IIITs, 103 Kendriya Vidyalayas.
The number of undergraduate medical seats increased from 50,000 in 2013-14 to 70,000 now. Post graduate seats went up, too, from 25,000 in2013-14 to 33,000 now.
He said 2,400 Atal Tinkering Centres were created to boost innovation.
Modi was interacting with BJP's booth-level workers of Belagavi, Bidar, Dharwad, Haveri and Davangere through video conferencing as part of the party's 'Mera Booth Sabse Majboot' programme aimed at energising them ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
On the employment front, Modi said, the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) data shows that lakhs of regular jobs were created every year in infrastructure development projects such as rail, road and airports.
Speaking about entrepreneurship, the prime minister said, "Today's youth wants to be job creators and not just job seekers. They want someone to believe in them. Today, we have three lakh youth common service centres in the country."
"In terms of excellence, India has the second largest startup ecosystem in the world. With this comprehensive 4E approach we are progressing.
Responding to a question by a Davangere-based worker Shankar Gowda Biradar on the measures taken for tourism development, Modi said his government's initiatives resulted in increase in foreign exchange revenue from the sector from USD 18 bn in 2013-14 to USD 27 bn in 2017.
The prime minister said the tourism industry can grow even further with the help of 3Ts - tradition, talent and trade.
He said there was need to educate people about the potential the tourism sector has to improve local trade and promote cultural traditions.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Dalit outfits call state-wide hartal over dental student’s death
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Various Dalit organisations on Monday announced a state-wide hartal seeking justice in the death of Kannur Dental College student Nithin Raj.
The hartal will be observed on Tuesday from 6 am to 6 pm.
As many as 52 Dalit organisations, including Justice for Nithin Raj Action Council, have announced the strike.
Organisations requesting cooperation for the strike said that no vehicles will be forcibly stopped and that all essential services are exempted.
Raj, a first-year BDS student at a private dental college in Anjarakkandy in Kannur district, was found critically injured after falling from a building on April 10 and later succumbed to his injuries.
Police have registered a case against two faculty members on charges of abetment of suicide and under provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, following allegations by the student’s family that he was subjected to caste- and complexion-based harassment.
Kerala Pinnokka Samudaya Munnani (KPSM), one of the organisations supporting the hartal, alleged in a statement that police had shown apathy in the investigation and were attempting to protect the accused in the case.
KPSM state president K V Padmanabhan and general secretary S Anwar alleged that the probe into Raj’s death was being deliberately misdirected and delayed.
While the family has firmly alleged that caste discrimination and mental harassment by faculty members led to the student’s death, police were attempting to divert the investigation towards loan app borrowings, they claimed.
The organisation alleged that this was a planned move to shield the real accused.
KPSM further alleged that by deliberately delaying the arrest of the accused teachers, police enabled them to secure anticipatory bail.
They said there was no confidence in the present police investigation and demanded that the case be handed over to an independent agency at the earliest.
