Kharge criticises Modi government's "Make in India" initiative for manufacturing decline
New Delhi: Mallikarjun Kharge, National President of the Indian National Congress and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, criticised the Modi government's "Make in India" initiative, stating it has negatively impacted the country's manufacturing sector over the past decade. He emphasised that the average growth rate of the manufacturing sector from 2014-15 to 2023-24 is only 3.1%, in contrast to 7.85% during the Congress-UPA regime from 2004-05 to 2013-14.
Kharge highlighted that employment in factories grew at 6.2% annually under the Congress-UPA government, but this rate fell sharply to 2.8% under the Modi government. Between 2011-12 and 2022, the manufacturing sector saw a modest increase in employment, rising from 6 crore to just 6.3 crore workers, which is inadequate given that 1.5 crore youth enter the workforce each year.
He also pointed out that the share of manufacturing in India’s GDP has hit an all-time low of 12.83% in 2023, down from 15.25% in 2013. Kharge noted the failure of Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes in various sectors, including solar PV modules and advanced chemistry cell batteries, citing poor design and lack of clarity as major issues.
Moreover, Kharge expressed concern over the reduction of government jobs, stating that the Modi government has sold stakes in profit-making public sector undertakings (PSUs) and eliminated 5.1 lakh posts. He remarked on the significant increase in casual and contract recruitment within PSUs, along with a decrease of 1.3 lakh posts for SC, ST, and OBC communities.
Kharge concluded that the government's lavish advertisements promoting "Make in India" cannot disguise its substantial failures, including rising joblessness, declining exports, and diminishing savings.
10 years of Modi Govt’s Make in India Stunt has put Break in India’s Manufacturing!
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) September 25, 2024
10 years ago, PM @narendramodi crafted the slogan of “Make in India” and claimed to build Aatmnirbhar Bharat.
Contrary to BJP's high decibel propaganda, India's Manufacturing sector has got… pic.twitter.com/cQ3orC8L11
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
