|
|
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
Chennai, January 8 "There are many who would not like to see India succeed. But, we have shown, over and over again, that we will not allow the forces of terrorism and extremism to destabilise our polity, economy and society,'' he said, inaugurating the seventh edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here. He added that the government had taken several steps to strengthen national security and promote national cohesion. The Prime Minister's remarks follow his statement on Tuesday that Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba was behind the Mumbai terror attacks and given their sophistication and military precision, they must have had the support of some official agency of that country. Manmohan Singh said the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai were a grim reminder of the grave threat posed by extremism and terrorism to India's pluralistic and liberal traditions. Expressing optimism about India's economic growth, he said despite the economic downturn, the fundamentals of India's economy continued to remain strong. "We expect to achieve a growth rate of about seven per cent this year, which will be among the highest in the world. Much of India's growth is internally driven and we can maintain a strong pace of growth in the coming years," he noted. Stating that India was actively involved in meetings of G-20 countries, which were deliberating on creation of a new global financial architecture, the Prime Minister said, "We need to ensure that any new architecture that emerges is suited to the new challenges and vulnerabilities facing the world economy and reflective of the changes that have taken place in the economic structure." He observed that countries like India should be given their due place in the scheme of things. He also criticised "the forces which seek to divide the people on the basis of religion" and said they were betraying the "idea of India".
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
‘Overseas professionals can practise in India’ Chennai, January 8 Inaugurating the seventh edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention here, he said the OCI scheme, announced in 2006, had elicited an overwhelming response. “I am happy to announce that, henceforth, OCI cardholders, who are qualified professionals-- doctors, dentists, pharmacists, engineers, architects and chartered accountants-- will have the benefit of practicing their professions in India,” he said and added that further details to operationalise this benefit would be worked out. He also launched “The Global Indian Knowledge Network”, a new initiative to connect People of Indian Origin (PIO) from a variety of disciplines with Indians for transfer of knowledge and mobilisaton of skills. “The network will facilitate transfer of knowledge and serve as a ‘virtual think tank’ to generate ideas such as development, education and healthcare,” the Prime Minister said. Earlier, the seventh edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) got off to a flying start, providing a platform for exchange of views.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Stone laid for longest elevated corridor Chennai, January 8 The PM said the Centre was planning to invest Rs one lakh crore to tide over the economic downturn and Rs 10,000 crore would be spent in March 2009. He said Rs 20,000 crore would be spent next year to improve the village infrastructure and social uplift schemes. All major roads projects would be completed by the year 2015 and this includes 66,000 village roads.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
PM must stand firm on Sethu project: Karuna Chennai, January 8 ”Our PM should stand firmly on the implementation of the project, which will not only enrich Tamil Nadu's resources but also ensure better connectivity with the rest of the world,” he said, while speaking at the foundation laying function for India's longest elevated corridor connecting Chennai Port and Maduravoyal junction here. “I take this function also as the foundation laying occasion for Sethusamudhram project,” Karunanidhi said. He claimed that some political parties supported the Sri Lankan government by objecting to implementation of the Sethusamudram project. Karunanidhi also hailed the efforts of Union Shipping and Road Transport Minister TR Balu for implementation of the project, which was embroiled in a controversy after BJP and other parties raised objections to the dredging in the Palk Strait. — PTI
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Manmohan reassures TN parties on Lankan Tamils Chennai, January 8 The assurance was given to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, when the latter met Manmohan Singh, who inaugurated the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here. Karunanidhi briefed the Prime Minister about the plight of Sri Lankan Tamils and discussed about the pending visit of Pranab Mukherjee to Colombo. The PM told Karunanidhi that he understood the Chief Minister’s sentiments and assured that Mukherjee would be sent to Sri Lanka `as early as possible', the release said. Karunanidhi also sought Rs 1,000 crore as central flood relief immediately. Though the central team which inspected the damage caused by rains in November had submitted its report, the Centre had not yet sanctioned the relief amount, he told the Prime Minister.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
State to lead in global recovery: Karuna Chennai, January 8 Speaking at the inaugural function of the seventh edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas-2009 here, he said, “Within India, Tamil Nadu would be one of the states, which would provide lead in global recovery, since it has abundant technical manpower and a well developed industrial base”. The state was emerging as the focal point of innovation and knowledge economy, the Chief Minister said.
|
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
