King Charles officially appoints Rishi Sunak as PM of UK
London (PTI): Rishi Sunak on Tuesday scripted history when he was appointed by King Charles III as Britain's first Indian-origin Prime Minister after being elected unopposed as the new leader of the governing Conservative Party on Diwali.
The 42-year-old former Chancellor of Exchequer, a devout Hindu, is the youngest British prime minister in 210 years. He is also the first Hindu Prime Minister of Indian heritage in the UK.
In his first address as Tory leader soon after the result was declared on Monday, Sunak said his priority would be to bring the country together and said he was "humbled and honoured" to get the greatest privilege of his life to give back to the country I owe so much .
"The UK is a great country, but there is no doubt we face a profound economic challenge," said Sunak, with reference to the economic turmoil he is inheriting following former prime minister Liz Truss' disastrous tax-cutting mini-budget last month.
Sunak, the second prime minister in as many months and the third this year in Britain, will be moving into 10, Downing Street at a time when Britain's economy is facing a triple whammy of slowing growth, high inflation triggered by spiralling energy prices in the wake of the Ukraine war and a budget shortfall that has eroded its financial credibility internationally.
His first task will be to restore Britain's international financial credibility after outgoing leader Truss's plan for unfunded tax cuts and a costly energy price guarantee spooked the bond market.
He will have no option but to raise tax rates and make spending cuts that will be unpopular and may have unforeseen political consequences.
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Namo Bharat reaches capital as PM inaugurates 13-km section of Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor
New Delhi, Jan 5: The Namo Bharat train entered the national capital on Sunday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating a 13-km section of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor from Sahibabad in Ghaziabad to New Ashok Nagar here.
Modi also took a ride on a Namo Bharat train from Sahibabad to New Ashok after purchasing an NCMC (National Common Mobility Card) using the UPI payment system.
During his journey, the prime minister interacted with people, including children.
With the inauguration of the Delhi section of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor, Meerut city is now directly connected to Delhi and the commuters can reach Meerut South in just 40 minutes.
The 55-km RRTS corridor between New Ashok Nagar and Meerut South with 11 stations has become operational. Passenger operations will commence from 5 pm onwards and the trains will be available every 15 minutes.
The fare from New Ashok Nagar station to Meerut South station is Rs 150 for standard coach and Rs 225 for premium coach.
The Namo Bharat train has served more than five million passengers so far.
The construction of other sections -- New Ashok Nagar-Sarai Kale Khan and Meerut South-Modipuram -- is progressing at a rapid pace, according to an official.
Of the newly-inaugurated 13-km section, 6 km is underground, including Anand Vihar station.
This is the first time that Namo Bharat trains will operate in an underground section.
Anand Vihar underground station is one of the biggest on the Namo Bharat corridor. New Ashok Nagar is the first elevated Namo Bharat station to become operational on the Delhi section.
The official said that Namo Bharat stations are designed and constructed to provide seamless connectivity with other modes of public transport such as buses and metro, wherever possible.
One coach in each train is reserved for women and other coaches have reserved seats for women, the elderly and 'Divyangjans'.
Each train has designated space for wheelchairs and stretchers, and a train attendant to assist and ensure the convenience of passengers.
Modi inaugurated the 17-km priority section of the RRTS corridor between Sahibabad and Duhai Depot on October 20 last year.
The 82-km RRTS corridor originates at Sarai Kale Khan in New Delhi and terminates at Modipuram in Meerut.
It has 16 stations along with nine additional stations for the Meerut metro, making it a comprehensive and transformative regional transit solution.
The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), which is constructing the RRTS corridor, later in a statement said that the prime minister also interacted with women train operators and station controllers, commending their pivotal roles in operations.
During the journey, Modi interacted with various set travellers, showcasing the diverse social impact of the corridor.
The women beneficiaries of the NCRTC's vocational training program, supported by the JFPR (Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific) grant, shared their inspiring journeys of employment, the NCRTC said in the statement.
The engineering students discussed their aspirations and the corridors technological advancements, while the school students showcased their creativity through artwork, poetry and songs inspired by the project, it said.
नमो भारत ट्रेन के साहिबाबाद-अशोक नगर के नए कॉरिडोर में सफर के दौरान मेरे युवा साथियों की अद्भुत प्रतिभा ने नई ऊर्जा से भर दिया। pic.twitter.com/ov7eUOFKpp
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 5, 2025
