Modi rejects Congress' charge over unemployment
New Delhi, May 7: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday rejected the Congress' charges against the government for not creating enough jobs for the unemployed in the country and claimed several of its initiatives resulted in the growth of jobs in the public, private and personal sectors.
Modi made the remarks while addressing the BJP Yuva Morcha karyakartas through his NaMo App.
"With emphasis on public and private sector, we are also focussing on personal sector for employment. The pace of work on infrastructure projects has been increased," Modi said in response of a query by a BJP cadre.
He said due to the initiatives of the government, India has emerged as the best destination for foreign investment and this has been approved by various credit agencies.
"The Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India has reached its highest level which is consistently increasing," he said.
The Prime Minister said that under the Mudra Yojana, loans of Rs 1.27 crore have been disbursed to the youth of Karnataka without any collateral.
"This constitutes 11 per cent of the total Mudra loans disbursed so far. Youngsters are not only becoming self dependent, but also creating jobs for others," he said.
Modi also said that in the last few years, immense growth was seen in EPFO accounts.
"Due to demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax, there has been a great change in the formal sector. Workers are getting proper benefits in social sector. The figures of EPFO accounts prove that there has been growth in formal sector," he said
Dubbing Congress' criticism of the government on employment and job creation as conspiracy, he said the opposition party has been putting the blame on the BJP government because it failed to anything during its 10-year rule.
"The Congress has nothing to say about its achievements. They ruled the country for 60 years and what did they do for employment generation. If there is employment, is that due to four years of our government. So, they find it easy to accuse us and spread lies," he said.
Without going into facts, Modi said the Congress is spreading lies and hatching conspiracies to put the onus on the NDA government of its own failures.
Terming employment generation the "biggest problem" in the country, Congress President Rahul Gandhi has been attacking the Centre for "not" fulfilling the promises of creating two crore employment every year which it had made in 2014.
Responding to a query over rising incidents of political violence across the country, the Prime Minister said there can be no place for political violence in our democracy.
"But off late, I have seen that such violence is on the rise in some of the states. In Karnataka too, we have seen how brutally our karyakartas have been murdered. Its highly condemnable.
"Violence in any form should not be allowed by any political party or ideology in democracy and I appeal to BJP's youth karyakartasa in Karnataka not to act in vengeance even when they have lost their several karyakartas in political violence," he added.
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.
Islamabad locked down ahead of planned protest by Imran Khan's party in Pakistan
Islamabad (PTI): Amid stringent measures put in place by the Pakistan government to thwart the protest march on Sunday, jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party is preparing to proceed with its highly anticipated march towards Islamabad.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, has called on the public to join the march to "break the shackles of slavery."
The federal government has taken several steps to block the protest, including deploying heavy security forces, sealing key roads, and setting up barriers around the capital.
The Interior Ministry has emphasised that, in accordance with court orders, no protests or sit-ins will be allowed in Islamabad, and any attempts to disrupt public order will be met with legal action.
Khan, in a statement, urged the masses to unite for the protest, calling it a movement for freedom and justice.
The PTI leaders earlier on Sunday held a high-level meeting at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister’s House to finalise the strategy for the planned protest, Geo News reported.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has said that he will arrive in Swabi at 3pm to oversee the preparations for the planned protest and lead the party's march to Islamabad, the report added.
The chief minister also directed the party's activists intending to attend the march to reach Swabi by 3pm.
Ignoring calls by the government to postpone the protest – the second one in as many months – Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) declared to go ahead with its planned march to Islamabad coinciding with the arrival of a large Belarusian delegation even as the authorities issued a warning of a potential threat during the protest.
The PTI gave a call last week for a long march to Islamabad to press for three demands: the release of the incarcerated party founder and other leaders, against the alleged “stolen mandate” during February 8 elections and restoration of the judiciary by revoking the recent 26th amendment to the Constitution that granted legislators more power in appointing top judges.
Meanwhile, Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, has opted not to participate in the protest but will oversee the convoys from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister's House.
In preparation for the protest, Islamabad’s federal government has fortified security measures, sealing off several key roads and blocking routes leading to the Red Zone, where critical government buildings are located.
Containers have been placed across the city, including along the Srinagar Highway, GT Road, and the Expressway, limiting access to strategic areas like D-Chowk, Islamabad Airport, and the A-11 point at New Margalla Road.
Rangers, along with police and Frontier Constabulary (FC), have been deployed to monitor the area. The federal government has also warned against any unlawful protests, stating that no one will be permitted to hold a demonstration in violation of judicial orders, with legal action promised against any violators.
Also, Pakistan Railways has suspended all train services between Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Peshawar in light of the ongoing PTI protest, the Express Tribune reported.
According to railway authorities, services between Peshawar and Rawalpindi, Lahore and Rawalpindi, as well as between Multan and Faisalabad to Rawalpindi, have been halted immediately.
Additionally, all 25 train bookings for Sunday, November 24, have been cancelled, and passengers will receive immediate refunds for their tickets.
The suspension of services and the cancellation of bookings have impacted daily commuters and travellers, as Pakistan Railways responds to the security situation surrounding the ongoing protests.
Section 144 – which prohibits gatherings of individuals – has been in effect in Islamabad since November 18. On the other hand, the Punjab government too has enforced Section 144 across the province from November 23 to November 25, banning protests, public gatherings, rallies, and sit-ins.
Despite the heightened security and restrictions, the PTI has remained persistent about proceeding with its protest march and subsequent sit-in to press for its demands.
Additionally, internet and mobile services have been partially suspended in Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Punjab as a precaution.
Users in Islamabad are facing partial disruptions in internet services at various locations, while it remains unhindered in neighbouring Rawalpindi.
Meanwhile, mobile services also remain fully operational in Rawalpindi.
Public transport, including metro bus services in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, has been halted, and all bus terminals at Faizabad, linking the twin cities, have been barricaded.
Khan, 72, has been implicated in dozens of cases since his government was dismissed through a no-confidence motion in 2022. He has been in Adiala Jail at Rawalpindi since last year facing, according to his party, over 200 cases; got bail in some of them, convicted in some others, and hearings going on for some more.
Khan's party won the largest number of seats in the February general elections despite contesting as independents as the party was denied an election symbol and the PTI chief has already alleged that the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and its coalition partners, including Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had “stolen the mandate” to grab power at the federal level.
Relations between the PTI and the PML-N-led coalition government -already tense since Khan’s ouster in 2022 - have strained even more in recent times.
