Bengaluru (PTI): Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday stressed the critical role played by the farm sector in the nation's growth trajectory and called on corporates to share their profits with them.
Interacting with industry leaders and entrepreneurs here, he said, "Time has come for corporates to share their profits with the farm sector. Your investment in research or farmland is not charity - it is a gainful investment."
He also urged the political parties in the country to bring down the political temperature and said, "The dialogue between political parties cannot be a confrontation - the dialogue has to be soothing. Democracy is defined, friends, by dialogue and discourse."
According to him, India is a thriving federal society where there has to be sync between the Centre and the States. Dialogue between leaders and political parties is vital--absence of dialogue will not be good for our national mindset.
"Issues of national security, issues connected with our nationalism, and issues connected to our development must be viewed from a national prism, not a partisan one. I do not doubt the political sagacity of people across the spectrum--they are available in all political parties," he was quoted as saying in a statement issued by Vice President Secretariat.
Invoking the Vedantic principle of freedom of expression, the Vice-President stated, "Democratic values--cannot be described without freedom of expression and debate. If someone attacks, frustrates or regulates your right to expression, then there is a deficiency in democracy."
He noted that people in industry, unlike politics, are satisfied by balance sheets. "But greenfield projects are not emerging at the pace they should. Please think, converge in clusters to ensure equitable employment and growth," Dhankhar said.
Speaking on farm-sector integration with industry, the Vice-President, said, "I come from a farming community. The farm sector plays a critical role in the nation's growth trajectory. But at the moment, it is only producing agro-products - it is not part of the marketing chain."
Calling for industry-farm convergence, he added, "Industry must brainstorm to bring greater synergy with the farm sector. Farmers need to be hand-held; agripreneurs must emerge, but they cannot do so without support."
On the future of India's growth, Dhankhar underscored the role of research and innovation and said, "We must engage in research of the highest order. Our research capacity will define Bharat's global standing. Our technological innovation will define how secure we are."
Touching upon strategic peace, he observed that, "peace is fundamental to business and people's harmony. But peace is never bargained--it comes from strength. The greatest peace is secured when we are ever prepared for war."
Highlighting the evolution of industry's role in national security, he noted, "There was a time when industry only manufactured armoury. Now, it must lead in technology. Research is the spine of long-term growth."
Declaring that Bharat is on an unstoppable rise, the Vice-President stated, "Bharat is no longer a country of potential - it is a country on the rise. 'Viksit Bharat' is no longer our dream - it is our objective. But we must take a quantum leap by increasing per capita income manyfold."
Urging a practical outlook, he added, "We must juxtapose our economic status with our demographic size -1.4 billion people. On empirical estimates, there must be an eightfold increase in per capita income."
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Lahore (PTI): Pakistan's Punjab Police on Friday registered a case against unidentified gunmen for opening fire on Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) co-founder Amir Hamza, who suffered bullet injuries in the attack in Lahore.
On Thursday, two unidentified gunmen riding on a bike opened fire on the vehicle of the private TV channel 24NewsHD TV, owned by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, on Peco Road in Lahore near the TV channel's office.
In the attack, Hamza suffered bullet injuries.
"The FIR has been registered against unidentified gunmen, but it is sealed forthwith," a senior police officer told PTI.
He said the intelligence agencies have taken over this case from the police, and they are currently investigating the matter.
The channel's religious programme host Justice (retd.) Nazir Ahmed Ghazi and Hamza were in the vehicle when it was attacked. Hamza was shifted to a hospital for treatment.
Punjab police on Friday said that "upon receiving information about the incident, the SSP Operations immediately reached the scene and a high alert was imposed in the area. SSP Operations Tauqeer Naeem also met the affected individuals. Thankfully, all present in the vehicle remained safe during the firing."
It further said senior police officers of the Township and Chung, along with a heavy police contingent, were present at the scene.
"Police collected evidence from the site and initiated an investigation. Efforts to arrest the suspects are underway using CCTV footage and geo-fencing techniques. Search and sweep operations are being conducted at various locations, with scrutiny of suspicious individuals ongoing," police said.
It added that those involved in the incident will be traced and arrested soon.
The police sources said that Hamza has been shifted to his residence in Jauhar Town, Lahore, where police and agency personnel met him.
The leadership of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), a political front of Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's banned Jamat-ud-Dawah (JuD), including Hafiz Saeed's son Hafiz Talha Saeed, also called on him.
TV host retired Justice Ghazi, who remained unhurt in the attack, remained a legal counsel for Hafiz Saeed, they said.
The PMML has strongly condemned the attack on Hamza and demanded that those involved in the incident be arrested immediately.
Hamza is regarded as LeT's second most important leader after its chief Hafiz Saeed, who has been in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail since 2019 after getting convicted for several years in terror financing cases.
Hamza has been designated as a terrorist by the US. In the past, he served as the head of LeT's "special campaigns" department.
In 2018, Hamza formed a fundraising group for the LeT following a ban on the JuD and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation by the Pakistani government.
