Of the 23 companies, eight have raised funds after Shark Tank India.
Even if they score administratively, state governments ruled by the party suffer from an inability to communicate positively, say observers.
Modi said bribery was not possible as the money was transferred directly into accounts of the beneficiaries.
Shortage of ICU beds, oxygen, ventilators, vaccines, doctors, nurses and crematorium space in India has dominated headlines around the world in the past few weeks with Covid-19 cases surging beyond control and the government failing to deliver. Yes, election rallies, Kumbh Mela, blatant flouting of social distancing and mask protocols coupled with a messy vaccination process are said to be responsible for the health crisis of colossal proportions that India is facing today. But an analysis of Budget speeches made by finance ministers over 75 years also offers a glimpse of how low on the priority list healthcare has featured for the political class and policy-makers, which is a significant reason for the current situation.
This was the one Budget that required radical departures on all these fronts, when it had none, asserts, Shreekant Sambrani.
Of the 40 CEOs polled from across the country, 60 per cent identified a fractured electoral mandate as a bigger risk than trade wars, volatile oil prices, and inflation.
The forthcoming Budget, the last full one before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, is expected to contain a number of sops and feel-good announcements, especially regarding social sector schemes.
I suggest we build a Vigyan Mandir (Temple of Science) with the ambience of a place of worship, so that it becomes a destination for pilgrims. We should embed on its walls bronze plaques describing each scientist mentioned here along with about a dozen of our ancient mathematicians, recommends Professor Kalyan Singhal, historian of science and technology.
'At this point of time, West Bengal is doing better than other states in tackling the crisis. We have a chief minister who herself has hit the streets to do what is to be done, and at the same time ensuring a proper lockdown. She is also trying day and night to set up the requisite infrastructure.'
Inviting private sector in Indian Railways is a good idea.
The procurement and distribution will be centralised though the government is yet to take a call on the initial number of doses that will be procured.
'You have to do good work and also do good politics.' 'I think that part was missing, communication was an issue, but we have bridged that gap.'
By April, operational guidelines for the scheme will be finalised and shared with states
An official of the Jammu and Kashmir administration said, "Broadband high-speed internet connectivity was restored at 80 government hospitals, including health centres and offices linked to the department of health, across Kashmir." The internet services were to start at the government-run hospitals from midnight of December 31 as a New Year gift to the people in the Valley but it could not resume due to some technical issues, officials said.
Addressing a rally in Karkardooma in east Delhi, Modi alleged that the AAP and the Congress were provoking people and misinforming them. They were keeping the Constitution and tricolour in the forefront, but the aim was to 'divert attention from the real conspiracy', Modi said ahead of the Delhi elections on February 8.
The opposition has attacked the Modi government over the National Democratic Alliance's last full-fledged budget before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Johnson, 56, a known cycling enthusiast, was seen riding on a Hero Viking Pro bike to Canalside Heritage Centre at Beeston in Nottingham, central England, on Tuesday when he unveiled plans for thousands of miles of new protected bike lanes, cycle training for everyone and bikes available on prescription as part of a new fitness strategy.
The recommendations will benefit 47 lakh central government employees and 52 lakh pensioners.
'Give cash assistance of Rs 75 per person per day and an android phone and you will see the economy reviving.'
As the FM said, this is a Budget that lays the foundation for the next 25 years, observes Kumar Mangalam Birla.
The Budget would have been the perfect vehicle to introduce some bold initiatives.
That opportunity has been lost through this Budget, observes Shreekant Sambrani.
It would be ludicrous to expect Modi, Erdogan or Biden to pay to keep blue ticks on their respective official accounts. It would be equally ludicrous to expect the Delhi Metro or the Income Tax Department to pay, points out Devangshu Datta.
More vaccination would have been done in India if the State had not had complete control of all vaccination, notes Ajay Shah.
Several companies and technology heavyweights including Microsoft, Oracle and Salesforce are working to create a digital vaccination passport or health passport app in the hope that governments and airlines will require travellers to upload details of their Covid-19 tests and immunisation. The vaccine passport will effectively create digital credentials that could be the key to attending crowded events or even visiting countries.
Strict lockdown-like restrictions are already in place in the southern stateand the Pinarayi Vijayan government decided to clamp the complete shutdown in the wake of severe spike in the positive cases.
Here's the full text of President Ram Nath Kovind's customary address to the joining sitting of Parliament on the first day of the budget session.
Ola Electric became the latest among electric scooter (e-scooter) makers to have started the exercise of recalling a specific batch of its model after a rap on the knuckles by the government. Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari on Thursday advised electric vehicle (EV) companies to act responsibly by identifying and recalling defective batches without waiting for orders or guidelines from the ministry. The Bengaluru-based start-up is conducting pre-emptive diagnostics and health check on 1,441 scooters, it said in a statement on Sunday.
Beneficiaries to get hospitalisation cover up to Rs 30,000.
While the government has claimed significant increase in funds for farm credit, PMKSY and PKVY, facts show a different story.
'You cannot fight a disease as complex as COVID-19 without a carefully calibrated, localised response.'
It raises three major questions - the incentive compatibility issue, the fairness issue and fiscal challenge, said Panagariya.
This was disclosed at a high-level inter-ministerial meeting chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on Thursday
Observing that the economic recovery was not yet fully entrenched, the RBI Governor said recovery is likely to be gradual.
The states need to identify the children in distress through outreach and surveys and prepare a database with a profile of each child, along with the details of their specific needs and requirements, and ensure that the data is uploaded on the Track Child portal.
Economist Arvind Panagariya is the vice-chairman of NITI Aayog, while economist Bibek Debroy and scientist V K Saraswat are the two full-time members of the Aayog.
'These guys who are running away -- they are running away from all that the BJP stands for.'
In a video issued by the Health Ministry, Dr Randeep Guleria, Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) answered commonly asked questions regarding the dosage of the vaccine saying that two doses of the vaccine will have to be taken 28 days apart and protective levels of antibodies generally would develop two weeks after the second dose.
'In 2022, active management, long-short strategies, multi-asset strategies, and asset allocation strategies need to be considered to meet long-term investment goals.'
'Increased allocations for MNREGA could have provided the much needed push to rural demand and consumption at a time when recovery continues to remain uneven.'
The government, it would seem, is reserving its firepower to spend on big-ticket items that will be announced in the Budget, reports Subhomoy Bhattacharjee.
