Haldwani:

The closing ceremony of the 38th National Games was held at the International Sports Stadium, Golapar, Haldwani, in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday.

Mr Dhami welcomed Amit Shah with a memento, a shawl and a bouquet of flowers.

#WATCH | Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami felicitates Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the closing ceremony of the 38th National Games in Haldwani pic.twitter.com/ksVWowMAlW

— ANI (@ANI) February 14, 2025

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha officially declared the conclusion of the 38th National Games. On this occasion, the Union Home Minister honored the top three teams–Services, Maharashtra, and Haryana.

Amit Shah saluted the deities of Uttarakhand’s four holy shrines and stated that Chief Minister Dhami has successfully developed sports infrastructure in every district of the state. He acknowledged that under Dhami’s leadership, Uttarakhand has risen from the 25th to the seventh position on the national sports map. The state’s winning athletes have transformed the land of gods into a land of sports. Amit Shah congratulated all the victorious athletes from Uttarakhand and wished them a bright future, as per a press release from the state government.

Further,as per the statement, praising the organising committee and sports bodies of Uttarakhand, Amit Shah said that the state has been widely appreciated across the country for its exceptional arrangements for the National Games. Despite geographical challenges, Uttarakhand successfully hosted the event under the leadership of CM Dhami. He emphasized that winning and losing are secondary in sports; the real message is to cultivate the spirit of victory and resilience after defeat. He encouraged the athletes who couldn’t win this time to strive for medals in the future.

According to the release, Amit Shah also noted that under CM Dhami’s leadership, the 38th National Games implemented eco-friendly practices. Trees were planted in honor of the athletes, and several national records were set during the event, raising hopes for India’s success in international competitions. He announced that the National Games torch would now pass from Uttarakhand to Meghalaya, where CM Conrad Sangma plans to hold sporting events across Northeast states to promote the region in sports. Shah extended his best wishes to Meghalaya for the upcoming National Games.

Amit Shah credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for fostering a positive sporting environment in India. He highlighted the government’s efforts in developing sports infrastructure, providing coaching, and ensuring a transparent selection process, which has enhanced India’s global sports reputation. He affirmed that India’s sporting future is bright and that new records will be set continuously. Under the “Fit India” and “Khelo India” initiatives, PM Modi has encouraged youth to actively participate in sports, teaching them resilience and determination.

Amit Shah also underlined that success in sports comes not just from physical ability but also from determination and perseverance. Athletes can achieve their goals through relentless effort. He mentioned that PM Modi has taken significant steps to promote youth in sports, leading athletes to regard him as their “sports companion.” He noted that India’s sports budget has increased from Rs 800 crores in 2014 to Rs 3,800 crores for 2025-26, enabling better sports infrastructure and fostering a hunger for victory.

Amit Shah highlighted that the successful hosting of the National Games in Uttarakhand, a small hilly state, demonstrates India’s readiness for large-scale sporting events. He expressed confidence that India is prepared to host the 2036 Olympics, and Uttarakhand’s athletes will make the country proud by winning medals.

Paying tribute to former Union Minister Sushma Swaraj and the martyrs of the Pulwama attack, Amit Shah stated that their sacrifices have strengthened national security. He recalled how, under PM Modi’s leadership, India responded decisively with an airstrike on Pakistan, altering the world’s perception of India and sending a strong message to adversaries.

CM Dhami remarked that Uttarakhand received PM Modi’s blessings at the inauguration of the National Games, and now, at the closing ceremony, they were honored by the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He expressed pride in Uttarakhand hosting the National Games for the first time in its silver jubilee year. Over 16,000 athletes participated in 35 sports disciplines, winning a total of 448 gold, 448 silver, and 594 bronze medals. Several national records were set, and many emerging champions showcased their potential for future international competitions.

For the first time, traditional sports like yoga and Mallakhamb were included in the National Games. Additionally, a world record was set by organising a nighttime river rafting competition.

CM Dhami highlighted that the National Games in Uttarakhand were themed as “Green Games,” promoting minimal plastic use and utilizing solar energy. The medals were made from e-waste, and sports kits were crafted from recycled materials. Electric vehicles were used for transportation, and a 2.77-hectare “Sports Forest” was established, where Rudraksha trees were planted in the name of medal-winning athletes.

The competitions were held across both urban and remote areas, including Dehradun, Haridwar, Rudrapur, Haldwani, Rishikesh, Almora, Pithoragarh, and Tehri. Even a small town like Chakarpur hosted a major event. Water sports were conducted in high-altitude lakes and rivers of Uttarakhand. Instead of temporary arrangements, permanent sports infrastructure was developed at various locations.

CM Dhami proudly announced that Uttarakhand won a record 103 medals, including 24 golds, at the National Games. He expressed confidence that this achievement would inspire young athletes. He assured that Uttarakhand followed the ancient tradition of “Atithi Devo Bhava” (Guests are God) by ensuring the comfort and convenience of visiting athletes and support staff, hoping they would return with their families to experience the state’s natural beauty.

He noted that the closing of the National Games is not an end but a new beginning of opportunities, aspirations, and commitments. CM Dhami thanked PM Modi and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya for entrusting Uttarakhand with the responsibility of hosting the National Games. He also expressed gratitude to the Indian Olympic Association, Uttarakhand Olympic Association, the sports department, and all volunteers for their contributions. He extended best wishes to Meghalaya for the successful hosting of the 39th National Games.

Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya congratulated CM Dhami for the successful organization of the 38th National Games, declaring that Uttarakhand is now a “sports land” in addition to being the “land of gods.” He also congratulated all medal-winning athletes, stating that India is on the path to becoming a global sports hub.

Indian Olympic Association President PT Usha praised Uttarakhand for hosting the event efficiently despite limited preparation time. She acknowledged CM Dhami’s efforts in enhancing sports facilities and support for athletes.

State Sports Minister Rekha Arya commended the athletes for embodying the “resolve to excellence” spirit, making Uttarakhand proud. She acknowledged the people’s support in making the National Games a grand success.

The event was attended by Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma, Union Minister of State Ajay Tamta, Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Bhatt, and MP Ajay Bhatt.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jagdalpur:

“Nasbandi (vasectomy)” is a very common word in Maoist lexicon. Cadres who wish to get married are forced to undergo the procedure on the directive of senior CPI (Maoist) leaders.

A former Maoist insurgent from Telangana was instructed to undergo the procedure before he got married. Years later, after he laid down his arms and surrendered, he underwent a second surgery to reverse the procedure, eventually becoming a father to a boy.

He was not the only one. Many who lay down their arms and enter the mainstream similarly choose to reverse the procedure to start a family.

The practice of ‘nasbandi’ is so widespread that its impact was conveyed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah during an interaction with surrendered Maoist cadres here on Sunday.

“When I was a member of the CPI (Maoist), I had to go for ‘nasbandi’. But after I gave up arms and joined the mainstream, I underwent another operation so that I could become a father. After the second operation, I became the father of a baby boy,” the former Maoist from Telangana said while interacting with Amit Shah.

The perception among members of the proscribed outfit is that childcare will prove a distraction and their movement suffer. There is also apprehension that cadres who get married might turn their backs on the movement.

As a result, vasectomy is compulsory for any cadre that gets married.

Vasectomy is a surgical procedure that cuts the supply of sperm to the semen, providing permanent birth control (contraception).

Markam Dula, a surrendered maoist from Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, said, “It is mandatory for maoist  cadres to go for ‘nasbandi’ if they want to get married. The leaders don’t want any member being involved emotionally with his offspring. So the way forward is ‘nasbandi’.” Another former Maoist insurgent from Malkangiri in neighbouring Odisha shared a similar account.

“Before I married my fellow cadre, he had to undergo a ‘nasbandi’,” said Sukanti Mari.

Her husband was eventually killed in a police encounter and she subsequently surrendered before the authorities.

Amit Shah, during his interaction with the group of surrendered maoists, said he was immensely satisfied that the country’s youngsters realised the futility of violence and laid down arms.

He appealed to the remaining maoists to give up arms and join the mainstream, saying their rehabilitation was the government’s responsibility.

“I appeal to maoists, please come forward. Give up arms, surrender and join the mainstream. Your rehabilitation is our responsibility,” he said.

The Centre has formulated a rehabilitation policy for surrendered insurgents and maoists, including those injured in violence, he said.

While interacting with Amit Shah, the surrendered maoists conveyed to him how they were benefitting from various government schemes, including jobs in the police, the private sector and bank loans for starting their own ventures.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

The process of government formation in Maharashtra is expected to get a boost after a crucial meeting between caretaker CM Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar and Union minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Thursday night, sources said.

The meeting assumes significance amid reports that the BJP leadership may be mulling over names of a few of its Maratha leaders, despite the perception that D Fadnavis becoming the CM for a third time is a foregone conclusion, the sources said.

Caste dynamics have assumed a greater role in the choice of the CM as an overwhelming number of the 288 MLAs from all the parties are from the Maratha community.

Mr Fadnavis is a Brahmin and first became the CM in 2014 and again for a brief while in 2019. “If the writ of RSS prevails, the chances of Mr Fadnavis becoming the CM are bright,” the sources said.

Despite vociferous demands from Shiv Sena leaders that Shinde should have a go at another term at the top post, the caretaker CM on Wednesday made it clear that he has told PM Modi and Shah that he abide by the BJP’s choice for the post.

A close aide of Eknath Shinde said on Thursday that the caretaker CM is unlikely to accept the post of deputy CM in the new dispensation.

Sanjay Shirsat, an MLA and spokesperson of the Shiv Sena, however, said Eknath Shinde would be a part of the cabinet.

“He is unlikely to be a deputy chief minister. It does not befit a person who has already served as chief minister,” Mr Shirsat told PTI.

The Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde will nominate another leader for the deputy CM’s post, he added.

Eknath Shinde’s MP son Shrikant Shinde expressed pride in his father for exemplifying “alliance dharma” by prioritising collective governance over personal ambition.

In a post on X, Shrikant highlighted his father’s deep connection with the people of Maharashtra, emphasising his relentless dedication to serving all segments of society.

“I am proud of my father and chief leader of the Shiv Sena. He kept faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah and set an example of the alliance dharma, keeping his personal ambition aside,” he said.

The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance scripted a stunning victory in the recent state assembly elections by winning 230 seats in the 288-member House.

Recovering from its Lok Sabha elections losses, the BJP bagged 132 constituencies, highest among all constituents of the Mahayuti. Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP also performed well. Sena won 57 while NCP won 41 seats.

Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a setback. The grand old party registered one of its worst performances in the state assembly polls after it won only 16 seats. Sharad Pawar’s NCP(SP) won just 10 seats, whereas Uddhav Thackeray’s (UBT) won 20 seats.

The Maharashtra assembly elections were held on November 20, and the results were declared on November 23.

On Tuesday, Eknath Shinde tendered his resignation as CM to Governor C P Radhakrishnan. The Governor requested Eknath Shinde to continue as caretaker chief minister until the new government is formed.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Union Home Minister Amit Shah was unanimously re-elected as the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement on Monday.

The decision was taken in a meeting of the committee, which was held in New Delhi. After the formation of the new government, the meeting of the committee was held here on Monday to reconstitute the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language.

Amit Shah was elected for the first time as the chairperson of the committee in 2019.

The Home Minister expressed his gratitude to all the members of the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language for unanimously re-electing him as the Chairperson.

In his address, Union Home Minister said that for the last 75 years we have been working to promote the official language, but in the last 10 years there has been a slight change in its method. He said that KM Munshi and NG Iyengar had decided after consultation with many people that in order to accept Hindi as the official language and to promote it in government work, Hindi should not compete with any local language.

Amit Shah further said that in the last 10 years, after Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister, the committee has continuously tried to make Hindi a friend of all local languages, and it does not compete with anyone. He said that “we should take care that the speakers of any local language do not have an inferiority complex” and Hindi should be generally accepted as the language of work with consensus and agreement.

The Home Minister underlined that after 75 years of independence, it is very important that the country is governed in the language of the country, and the government has made many efforts in this regard. He added that “we created a Shabdkosh, and, in collaboration with the education department, added thousands of words from local languages to Hindi.”

“There were many words whose synonyms were not available in Hindi, but by accepting many words from other languages, we not only enriched Hindi and made it flexible but also strengthened the relationship between that particular language and Hindi,” he said.

Amit Shah said that the Department of Official Language is developing a software that will automatically translate all the languages of the 8th Schedule on a technical basis. Once this work is completed, Hindi will gain acceptance and evolve in our work at a very fast pace. He said that in the last 5 years, we have worked very hard and have given three large volumes of the committee’s report to the President, which has never happened before. Home Minister said that we should maintain this pace.

The Home Minister also said that cooperation and acceptance should be the two basic foundations of our work. He said that “we have to move forward with such a goal that on Independence Day in 2047, our country’s entire work will be done in Indian languages with pride.”

He said, “We have to give a new life to the 1000-year-old Hindi language, make it accepted, and try to complete the task left before us by the freedom fighters.”

The Home Minister said that by giving new life to a language that is thousands of years old and increasing its acceptance, we must fulfil the dream of the visionaries of the freedom movement.

He added that none of the freedom fighters like Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Lokmanya Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi, Lala Lajpat Rai, C Rajagopalachari, KM Munshi, and Sardar Patel, etc., came from the Hindi speaking states, but all of them had realised that the country should have a language that works as a medium of communication between the states. That is why, in the new education policy brought by Prime Minister Modi, “we have emphasised that the primary education of the child should be in his mother tongue. When the child learns his mother tongue, he gets connected with many languages of the country.

Amit Shah said that under the Munshi-Iyengar Committee, one thing was decided that a language commission would be formed every 5 years that would consider linguistic diversity, but it was forgotten. He said that without competing with any Indian language, we need to increase the acceptance of Hindi.

The Home Minister said that Hindi is now in a way associated with employment, and technology, and the Government of India is also making special efforts to integrate all the new age technologies with the Hindi language.

In the new education policy, a resolution has been taken to give importance to all mother tongues, this committee will take it much further.

Amit Shah said that this is the 75th year since Hindi was accepted as the official language, and on this occasion, a very big conference is being organised at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi. The Parliamentary Committee on Official Language was constituted under the provisions of Section 4 of the Official Languages Act, 1963, in the year 1976. The committee comprises 30 members of Parliament, out of which 20 are from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha.

The newly appointed MPs from the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha were also present in the meeting. Officers from the Department of Official Language, led by Secretary Anshuli Arya, also attended the meeting, along with officials of the Parliamentary Committee.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Raipur:

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday asserted that Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, will never be restored.

Amit Shah’s comments came as Jammu and Kashmir’s two principal regional parties — the National Conference and the PDP — promised in their election manifestoes for upcoming assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir that they would work to restore the controversial provision, scrapped on August 5, 2019.

“Article 370 has no place in Jammu and Kashmir now or ever. It will never be restored,” Amit Shah said at a press conference in the Chhattisgarh capital when asked about it.

The home minister was addressing a press conference here after attending a meeting of top civil and security officials of the Naxal-hit states.

Restoration of Article 370 and Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood as well as implementation of the autonomy resolution passed by the erstwhile assembly in 2000 are among the National Conference’s 12 guarantees announced in its manifesto for the upcoming polls.

“We strive to restore (Articles) 370-35A, and statehood as prior to August 5, 2019,” the NC poll document said.

In June 2000, the National Conference government under Farooq Abdullah passed a resolution in the J-K Assembly seeking to restore the pre-1953 constitutional position in the state.

It was, however, rejected by the Union Cabinet headed by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Article 370 was abrogated by the Narendra Modi government on August 5, 2019, and the erstwhile state was bifurcated into two UTs – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

The PDP on Saturday released its manifesto for the Assembly elections, promising to pursue the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir to its “original status”, and advocate for confidence-building measures (CBMs) and regional cooperation between India and Pakistan.

“The PDP is resolute in its pursuit of restoring the constitutional guarantees that were unjustly scrapped, and is committed to restoring Jammu and Kashmir to its original status, ensuring that the voices of its people are heard and their rights are safeguarded,” it said.

The PDP manifesto said the “unconstitutional and illegal revocation” of Articles 370 and 35A in 2019 has “further complicated the Kashmir issue, deepening the alienation felt by the people of the region”.

On Friday, Amit Shah slammed the Congress for its alliance with the National Conference for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls, accusing the party of repeatedly risking the country’s unity and security in its greed for power.

The Congress has once again “exposed its ulterior motives by allying with the Abdullah family’s National Conference,” Amit Shah said.

Posing 10 questions for the Congress and Gandhi, Amit Shah had asked, “Does the Congress support the National Conference’s promise of a separate flag for Jammu and Kashmir? “Do Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party support the JKNC’s decision to restore Article 370 and 35A, and thereby pushing Jammu and Kashmir back into an era of unrest and terrorism?” The full name of Farooq Abdullah-led party is Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC).

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday fired 10 questions at the Congress after the party said it had all but agreed an alliance with the National Conference for next month’s Jammu and Kashmir election.

In a post on X Mr Shah raged that the Congress – which “played with the unity and security of the country in its greed for power” in the past – had “once again put itself before the country”. He also questioned the Congress over promises made by the National Conference in its manifesto, including a promise to encourage dialogue between with Pakistan and restoration of the J&K flag.

Of course, the red flag, as far as the BJP was concerned, was the National Conference saying it would “strive to restore 370 – 35A (referring to Article 370 and Article 35A, which guaranteed special status to J&K and special rights to ‘permanent residents’ of J&K) and statehood as prior to August 2019”.

The 10 questions for the Congress and Rahul Gandhi, who was in Srinagar Thursday and claimed “blood” ties with the people of J&K, included jabs over the party’s “support (for) the era of terrorism”.

Mr Shah’s 10 questions:

1. Does Congress support National Conference’s promise of a separate flag for J&K again?
2. Do Rahul Gandhi and Congress support the National Conference’s decision to push J&K back into an era of unrest and terrorism by bringing back Article 370 and Article 35A?
3. Does the Congress support promoting separatism by talking to Pak in exchange for Kashmir’s youth?
4. Do Congress and Rahul Gandhi support nurturing terrorism and its ecosystem across the border (as a result) of the NC’s decision to start trade (across the LoC) with Pakistan?
5. Does Congress support bringing back the era of terrorism and shutdowns by reinstating to government posts family members of those involved in terrorism and stone-pelting?
6. This alliance has brought forth anti-reservation face of Congress. Is the party with NC’s promise to do injustice to Dalits, Gujjars, Bakarwals, and Paharis by ending reservation?
7. Does Congress want Shankaracharya Parvat (a temple on a hill overlooking Srinagar and dedicated to Lord Shiva) – to be Takht-e-Suliman, and Hari Parvat as Koh-e-Maran?
8. Does the Congress support handing over the J&K economy to a handful of Pakistan-backed families by once again throwing it into the fire of corruption?
9. Does Congress support NC’s politics of discrimination between Jammu and the Valley?
10. Do Congress and Rahul Gandhi support NC’s divisive thinking of autonomy to Kashmir?

The Congress party, which has repeatedly risked the nation’s unity and security to satiate its greed for power, has once again exposed its ulterior motives by allying with the Abdullah family’s ‘National Conference’ in the Jammu and Kashmir elections.

Given the promises made in… pic.twitter.com/omxj3xOdP3

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 23, 2024

On Thursday, after a meeting between Mr Gandhi and NC boss Farooq Abdullah at the latter’s home in Srinagar, sources told NDTV the broad strokes of a deal – for all 90 seats – had been agreed.

“We had a good meeting, in a cordial atmosphere. The alliance is on track, it is final… it will go smoothly. It will be signed and is on all 90 seats,” Mr Abdullah, a former Chief Minister, said.

READ | Congress-National Conference J&K Tie-Up Done But Issues Over Seats

This is the first Congress-NC alliance in J&K since 1987. The two are, however, part of the INDIA bloc that was led by the Congress and put up a strong showing in the April-June Lok Sabha election. The NC won two of J&K’s five seats, while the BJP got the other two and an independent the fifth.

READ | Restoration Of J&K Statehood Is Focus Of National Conference’s Manifesto

As far as the opposition is concerned, sources said the successful meeting between Mr Abdullah and Mr Gandhi underlined their intention – that despite some differences, both parties want this alliance.

READ | J&K To Vote In 3 Phases, 1st State Poll Since Article 370 Was Scrapped

The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election will be held in three phases – on September 18 and 25, and on October 1. Votes will be counted on October 4.

NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.

New Delhi:

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that the Modi government’s Kashmir policy has been vindicated by the successful polling in Jammu and Kashmir, where even separatists have voted “overwhelmingly”, as he assured that the assembly elections in the region will be held before September 30.

Once the elections are over, the government will start the process of restoring statehood to the Union Territory, Amit Shah said in an interview to PTI late Saturday.

“I have said in Parliament that we will give the statehood after the assembly elections,” he said, adding that everything is going according to plan, such as the surveys of the backward classes and delimitation exercise of the Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies.

“We have completed the delimitation process. Because the reservation can be given only after the delimitation process is completed. Because we have to know about the status of various castes (to give reservation). That has been done. Lok Sabha election is also over (in Jammu and Kashmir). Next is the assembly election which will also be held. We will complete the process before the Supreme Court deadline,” he said.

On December 11, 2023, the Supreme Court had directed the Election Commission of India to conduct elections in Jammu and Kashmir by September 30, 2024.

Commenting on the relatively high polling percentage in the Kashmir valley in the Lok Sabha elections, Amit Shah said he believed that there has been a big change in attitudes there.

“Voting percentage has increased. Some people used to say that people of the valley do not believe in the Indian Constitution. But this election was held under the Indian Constitution because Kashmir’s Constitution is no longer there. It was scrapped. Election was held under Indian Constitution. People who sought a separate country, those who want to go with Pakistan — even they cast their votes overwhelmingly, both at the organisation level as well as individual people,” he said.

Amit Shah said “it was a very big victory for the democracy and a big success of the Narendra Modi government’s Kashmir policy, which it has been pursuing for the last 10 years.” The three seats in the Kashmir valley — Srinagar (38.49 per cent), Baramulla (59.1 per cent) and Anantnag-Rajouri (53 per cent) — have recorded the highest voter turnout “in many decades”, the Election Commission said on Saturday When asked why the BJP did not field any candidate in the Lok Sabha elections in the Kashmir valley, he said the party was still working on strengthening its organisation in the valley.

“We will definitely put up our candidates in future. Our organisation is getting expanded and our organisation is under process of strengthening,” he added.

Asked about the possibility of merger of Pakistan-occuped Kashmir(PoK) with Jammu and Kashmir, Amit Shah said it is his personal belief that PoK could have been part of India in 1947-48, but it got away because of what he said was premature ceasefire by the Jawaharlal Nehru government in the first war with Pakistan over the region.

“Had the ceasefire been declared four days later, PoK would have been with us,” he said, adding that the possible merger of PoK with Jammu Kashmir can only be decided after lots of serious discussions.

“Because this is an issue which is very important for the country,” he said.

He pointed out that the merger of PoK is part of BJP’s manifesto.

“Besides, there was a Parliamentary resolution on it … unanimous resolution. The Congress party may not realise that they have also voted for it,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Kolkata:

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that the government has taken decisive steps to tackle Maoism and the country will be free of the problem in the next two to three years.

In an exclusive interview with news agency ANI, Amit Shah said that efforts made by the BJP-led government has led to welfare schemes reaching those tribal areas which had remained bereft of them.

He said Jharkhand, Bihar, Telangana, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are completely free of Maoism and the problem persists in three-four districts of Chhattisgarh.

“I think that in the next 2-3 years, the country will be completely free of Naxal issue. After the BJP government came to power in Chhattisgarh, within just 4.5 months, 112 naxals have been neutralised, around 375 have surrendered and 153 have been arrested…On the contrary, Congress says that fake encounters are being done,” he said.

Asked about his remark that the BJP is getting 270 seats after four phases of Lok Sabha polls, Amit Shah said he believes that elections and the results of elections have great importance.

“Whatever government is elected, it should get support from every part of the country and the government should be stable and have a full majority…I believe that the opposition, as usual, has tried to politicise our ‘400 paar slogan’, which is their short-sightedness. Stable governments give strength to the country, help in taking decisive steps, providing welfare to the poor, crushing internal security threats like terrorism, Naxalism and in changing the country’s agenda and the country’s position in the world,” he said.

He slammed the opposition parties for trying to mislead people over BJP’s ‘400 paar’ slogan for the party-led NDA.

“…It has been very clearly explained that if our aim was to remove reservation, we would have the majority for 10 years, but we did not do that. As far as reservation for Muslims is concerned, I am still of the opinion that there should be no reservation in this country on the basis of religion, it is not the scheme of the Constitution, the Constitution does not agree with it. Bharatiya Janata Party will not provide reservation on the basis of religion.”

On the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), he said it is mentioned in the party’s manifesto for Lok Sabha polls.

“This is certainly an important issue in our ‘Sankalp Patra’. We will bring UCC…We also want to bring ‘One Nation, One Election’. This too should be discussed. One of our important poll issues is that in the days to come, we will not allow personal laws to come,” he said.

He dismissed apprehension in sections of Western media about India heading towards autocracy if BJP gets a large number of seats in the Lok Sabha polls.

“Friends abroad need not worry so much about us. Our country is mature enough, our voters are mature enough. There have been several changes in the government in this country without the spilling of even one drop of blood…Autocracy can never come to our country. Our Constitution has provided for such a beautiful balance of power that autocracy can never come here,” he said.

He targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the context of Congress guarantees. Amit Shah said he had recently visited Congress-ruled Telangana and women were still awaiting their Rs 12,000, farmers were waiting for waiving of Rs 2 Lakh loan and young girls for their scooties.

“I called it ‘Chinese guarantee’ on the basis of their durability…I was in Telangana recently. Women there are still awaiting their Rs 12,000. Farmers there are waiting for the waiving off Rs 2 Lakh loan. The young girls are waiting for their scooties…This was promised by Rahul Gandhi, it was his guarantee. Look for Rahul Gandhi…That is why I say that those guarantees hold no meaning. They say that during elections and then forget about it,” Shah said.

Four phases of Lok Sabha polls have been held and the voting in all seven phases will conclude on June 1. The results will be declared on June 4.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said before the sowing operation, tur farmers can register on the portal to sell their produce to NAFED and NCCF at MSP. File
| Photo Credit: ANI

Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Thursday urged farmers to cultivate pulses on a large scale to reduce dependency on imports. He assured them that the two cooperatives, the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED) and the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India Limited (NCCF) would procure produce at a minimum support price or the market price. 

Mr. Shah inaugurated a tur dal procurement portal through which farmers can register and sell their produce to NAFED and NCCF. A similar facility will be launched in future for urad and masoor farmers as well as maize farmers, he said.

The Minister also transferred via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) about ₹68 lakh to 25 farmers towards payment for sale of tur via the portal.

After the launch, the Minister said that before the sowing operation, tur farmers can register on the portal to sell their produce to NAFED and NCCF.

The country is still dependent on the import of some varieties of pulses except for chana and moong, the Minister said. “By December 2027, the country should become self-reliant in pulses. We will not import even one kilo of pulses from January 2028,” he added.

He said that with this beginning, in the coming days, the prosperity of farmers, and the self-reliance of the country in the production of pulses, and nutrition campaigns, will be strengthened. “With this, our campaign of crop pattern changing will gain momentum and there will also be changes in the areas of land reform and water conservation,” he said.

“Pulses are also an important crop for land reclamation because the cultivation of pulses increases the quality of the land. He also said that pulses production requires less water and the falling groundwater level in many parts of the country remains a matter of concern for our future. If the groundwater level is to be maintained and increased, then such crops will have to be selected whose production requires less water,” the Minister said.