On first official visit to India, Donald Trump to travel to Ahmedabad

Last week, Trump was cleared of all charges by the US Senate in the impeachment trial

During his first official visit to India on February 24-25, US President Donald and his wife Melania Trump will travel to Ahmedabad, Gujarat apart from New Delhi. “President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will visit India on February 24-25, 2020. The President and The First Lady will travel to New Delhi and Ahmedabad, which is in Prime Minister Modi’s home state of Gujarat and played such an important role in Mahatma Gandhi’s life and leadership of the Indian independence movement,” said White House.

The White House further stated that during a phone call over the weekend, President  Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed the trip will “further strengthen the United States-India strategic partnership and highlight the strong and enduring bonds between the American and Indian people.” The confirmation of Trump’s visit comes days after India’s new ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu presented his credentials to the US President.

“President @realDonaldTrump & @FLOTUS will travel to India from February 24-25 to visit Prime Minister @narendramodi! The trip will further strengthen the U.S.-India strategic partnership & highlight the strong & enduring bonds between the American & Indian people,” the White House tweeted. Earlier in the day, the Defense Security and Cooperation Agency informed that the Donald Trump administration has approved the sale of an Integrated Air Defense Weapon System (IADWS) to India for an estimated cost of $1.867 billion…

Why Modi is keen on 3rd & 'final' cabinet reshuffle before 2019 polls

Performers among MoS, including those with independent charges, are set to be promoted

 

 

 

The long awaited cabinet reshuffle of the Narendra Modi government, its third and possibly its final before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, is set to take place by Sunday afternoon.

Laggards among the ministers are being dropped. Performers among ministers of state, including those with independent charges, are set to be promoted. Some of the leaders who have excelled in organisational work will be included in the council of ministers, and some ministers asked to return to party work.

New ally Janata Dal (United) will get representation. Existing allies, who need to be placated in the run up to the 2019 polls, could get more ministerial berths. There is still no clarity on whether AIADMK might be included in the cabinet.

However, the shape of the forthcoming expansion and reshuffle would highlight the failures of the Modi government on some of its key promises – job growth and skill development, improvements promised in the farm sector and Ganga rejuvenation.

In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had promised 20 million jobs a year if voted to power. However, job growth has been abysmal, and significantly lower than the last three years of the UPA 2 government. The PM and BJP chief Amit Shah have argued how the MUDRA Scheme has provided loans to over 80 million people, which in turn has provided employment in the informal sector.(READ MORE)

Modi to flag off first Udan flight from Shimla: What is the RCS scheme?

Bound to sell 50% of seats at subsidised fares; one-way ticket on Delhi-Shimla route is Rs 1,920

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the first flight on Thursday under the Regional Connectivity Scheme Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (Udan) by flagging off the Alliance Airlines flight on Shimla-Delhi sector from Jubbar Hatti airport near Shimla.

Simultaneously, he will also flag off the inaugural Udan flight on Nanded-Hyderabad and Kadapa-Hyderabad sectors.

This gains significance as Shimla lacked air connectivity and a petition demanding recommencement of lights was suspended in 2012. Currently, the petition is being heard in the Supreme Court.

Here’s all you need to know about the scheme: 

• The Kadapa-Hyderabad and Nanded-Hyderbad flights will be operated by TruJet and one-way tickets on these two routes are priced at Rs 1,000 minimum.

• Under the scheme, an airline is bound to sell 50% of the seats at subsidised fares and on Delhi-Shimla route one way ticket is priced at Rs 1,920. The highest fare on this route is Rs 20,000 for a one-way ticket.

• Five airlines will operate on 128 routes under the regional connectivity scheme wherein fares are capped at Rs 2,500 for one-hour flights.

• Over 45 unserved and under-served airports would be connected under the scheme. These include Bhatinda, Puducherry and Shimla.

• The operators are Air India subsidiary Airline Allied Services, SpiceJet, Air Deccan, Air Odishaand Turbo Megha. They would be operating 19-78 seater aircraft. (READ MORE)

Time to think of 'grand alliance' of regional parties: Uddhav Thackeray

Shiv Sena's ties with BJP have worsened against the backdrop of the upcoming BMC polls

 

 

BMC POLLS 2017  A day after declaring that the Maharashtra government had been put on a "notice period", Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said that it is time to think of a "grand alliance" of regional parties as a formidable combination to take on national parties.

"There have been many friends of BJP like Nitish Kumar, Mamata Banerjee and (late) Jayalalithaa, who had in the past opted out of the NDA, fought elections on their own and won. But we (Shiv Sena) were innocent. Hoping for good days and for the sake of the Hindutva we stayed put (in the alliance)," he told reporters.

Thackeray escalated his aggressive stand saying he is open to withdrawing support to the state ministry if the senior partner (BJP) failed to clear its stand on issues his party had raised time and again.

"We are not an enemy of BJP and it is unfortunate that we are seen as their opposition. We are open to withdrawing support to the government if they do not make clear their stand on various issues in the coming days," he said.

Thackeray, whose party has begun to foray outside its home turf Maharashtra, said, "Not fighting the polls earlier was our mistake, as a result of which our workers in other states joined other parties".

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