The PM’s laudatory words for Gen Z at Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue came against the backdrop of a few opposition netas seeking to coopt them in their agitation against the Modi govt

NEW DELHI: Lauding India’s Gen Z, PM Narendra Modi on Monday said it is full of creativity as he emphasised that his govt’s reforms have opened countless opportunities for them in contrast with the stifling rules of the previous UPA govt that caught them in a web of compliances and curbed their entrepreneur spirit. Speaking at Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue to commemorate Swami Vivekananda‘s birth anniversary, he said no country can develop without self-confidence and told the largely young audience that it is their responsibility to end the “slave mindset” that afflicted a generation of Indians due to the education policy of Thomas Macaulay. His laudatory words for Gen Z, which has ruled global headlines for a while largely due to a string of anti-govt protests it has spearheaded in different countries, including in neighbouring Bangladesh, have come against the backdrop of a few opposition leaders referring to their agitations outside and seeking to coopt them in their agitation against the PM Modi govt. The Rahul Gandhi-led Congress campaign against alleged “vote chori” reached out to the young generation in its bid to “save” democracy. PM Modi said that India’s youth with its innovative ideas, energy and purpose is at the forefront of nation-building. Ruing the “slavery mindset”, he said imported products were seen as a “guarantee” of quality, while Indian goods and traditions were looked at with an inferiority complex, urging the young generation to follow Vivekananda who was open to best practices from abroad but took on the misconception spread about India’s heritage. Turning to the rich legacy of Indian storytelling, including epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata, he suggested that the new crop of entrepreneurs in the gaming sector can develop mythological stories into games and take them global. “Our Hanuman ji can dominate gaming in the world,” he said, adding that it will export Indian culture in a modern way. He contrasted the opening of a string of sectors ranging from space to nuclear power and defence and easing of regulations and taxes ushered by his govt with the UPA era, which, he said, was accused of policy paralysis and its inability to implement things on ground. So many rules and restrictions existed at the time that youth had few choices, and even applying for a job or a loan from banks demanded a web of compliances, he added. He said, “As a CM and now as PM, I have put a lot of trust in the young generation, your capability and talent.” Sectors restricted to the govt have been opened to private players, PM Modi added. He praised their presentation on different themes and said, “It shows the mood of Gen Z in India. India’s Gen Z is full of creativity.” Noting the participation of a huge number of youngsters in the dialogue, he said the popular term of “think tank” can’t capture their immense size and deep research.

TANGMARG: At the frozen waterfall at Drung, tourists from different parts of the country are crowding around it, taking photographs and recording videos as the site emerges as a major winter attraction.Drung, part of the Gulmarg tourist circuit, was among several destinations closed after the Pahalgam terror attack last year. It reopened in Nov and since then, the area has seen a steady revival in tourist activity.“We came here mainly to see the waterfall,” said Gansham, a tourist from Maharashtra who has been in Kashmir for three days. He, along with his family, is staying at a hotel in Tangmarg and visiting nearby locations. “Most people come to Kashmir in summers but we wanted to see snow. So we chose winter. I don’t regret it even though locals say there has been less snowfall this year,” he said.His wife said she was seeing a frozen waterfall for the first time in her life. “We were not sure whether the children would enjoy winter visit to Kashmir, but it turned out to be a very good decision,” she said. “We will stay two more days and hope to see fresh snowfall.”Several key tourist sites, including Drung, were shut after the Pahalgam terror attack as part of heightened security measures. While many tourist destinations continue to remain closed, many like Drung have been reopened.J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah has been advocating reopening of all tourist destinations, saying the current situation does not warrant prolonged closure of tourist spots. Talking to reporters in Gulmarg last month, the CM had said Kashmir had faced far more difficult circumstances in the past and even 1990s tourist destinations were never closed.Scores of local youths were seen ferrying tourists on snow scooters from Tangmarg to Drung.In Gulmarg, legislator Farooq Ahmad Shah today inaugurated heli-skiing and said it reflects that people have faith in Kashmir’s winter tourism potential. “Heli-skiing attracts some of the highest-spending skiers within the country and outside. They come specifically for this activity. I consider it as a positive development and I hope it will give wide publicity to Kashmir’s tourism sector,” Shah said.During the winter season, local entrepreneur and veteran skier Billa Majeed Bakshi, with a fleet of two helicopters, has been ferrying tourists to the breathtaking Sunshine Peak, at an altitude of 14,000 feet, from the Gulmarg bowl for the past two years. Bakshi said the launch of heli-skiing this winter will boost tourism and attract high-spending skiers to Gulmarg.Director of tourism, Syed Qamar Sajad, also said the steady tourist inflow shows growing confidence in Kashmir as a winter destination. He said most hotels, particularly in Gulmarg, are fully booked.“We are not sharing numbers due to many reasons, but since the launch of winter festival in Dal Lake and the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) conference last month, there has been a marked improvement in tourist arrivals,” Sajad said.He said Gulmarg Gondola is witnessing heavy rush, with visitors coming from across the country. “All our hotels in Gulmarg are booked. These are good indications for the coming months,” he added.Nasir Shah, chairman of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Kashmir chapter, said snowfall in higher reaches helped in influx of tourists with about 50–60 per cent of visitors arriving between Dec 10 and Jan 10. “With joint promotional efforts by all stakeholders, including two back-to-back roadshows in Kolkata and Ahmedabad, increased social media campaigns by the tourism department and hundreds of tour operators travelling across the country bookings have begun to pick up in good numbers from February onwards,” Shah said.He said CM Abdullah’s visit to Mumbai this week to interact with tour and travel operators is expected to further improve tourism.

NEW DELHI: Governance in the education sector must move beyond political interests to focus strictly on policy-driven structural reforms, Delhi Minister Ashish Sood said on Monday. He emphasised that the Delhi government is prioritising the long-term health of the academic system over short-term considerations. Speaking at a scholarship distribution ceremony for state university students at Thyagaraj Stadium, Sood said the Delhi Higher and Technical Education Support Scheme reflected the government’s resolve to support students from marginalised backgrounds. He noted that financial constraints must not become a barrier to higher education. The Delhi education minister said the guiding principle of the government under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, is ‘Antyodaya’, which focuses on extending the benefits of governance to the person at the last mile. He said welfare schemes should be seen as the constitutional responsibility of the state aimed at empowerment and accountability, rather than as charity. Sood said previous education policies in the city prioritised publicity over outcomes, resulting in high dropout rates and resource shortages in higher education institutions. He said the current government is focused on addressing structural issues rather than concealing them. Referring infrastructure, the minister said work on the Narela Education City has gained momentum. The budget for the project has been increased from Rs 500 crore to Rs 1,300 crore. Spread over 160 acres, the proposed education hub will include shared university campuses, auditoriums, libraries, digital facilities and ICT laboratories, he said. Earlier in the day, Sood attended the National School Band Competition (North Zone) at Chhatrasal Stadium, organised by the Directorate of Education on the occasion of National Youth Day. Recalling the teachings of Swami Vivekananda, the minister said youth power is central to nation-building. He said participation in such competitions plays an important role in shaping discipline, teamwork and collective responsibility. Sood said band performances symbolise coordination and unity, as even a minor lapse by one member can affect the entire group. He added that such training instils life-long values of focus, self-control and cooperation.

File photo: Ex-Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash (retired)

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission (EC) on Monday clarified that a combination of a “system-driven procedure” and “incomplete details” in former Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash’s (retired) previous enumeration form led to the notice issued to him during Goa’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls drive.The notice to the 81-year-old Vir Chakra awardee and a 1971 war hero had sparked a social media outcry, with veterans and citizens questioning why such a decorated officer was required to “prove” his identity, and that too in person.

Officials confirmed that the form has now been duly completed, and Admiral Prakash is no longer required to appear.In a clarification, Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) Dr. Medora Ermomilla D’Costa said the Booth Level Officer (BLO) for the Cortalim constituency collected the naval veteran’s form but found it lacked mandatory particulars from previous revisions.The ERO explained, “It was observed that Admiral Prakash’s enumeration form did not contain the mandatory particulars relating to the previous SIR, including the name of the elector, EPIC number, name of the relative, name and number of the assembly constituency, part number, and serial number in the electoral roll.”D’Costa added that in the absence of these details, the Booth Level Officer (BLO) application could not establish an automatic linkage with the existing electoral roll database. “As all the fields pertaining to the previous SIR were left blank, the system categorised the enumeration form under the ‘unmapped’ category,” the clarification mentioned.The official further noted: “As per the standard, system-driven procedure, a hearing notice was automatically generated and issued to enable verification of the elector’s details and ensure due opportunity for confirmation of eligibility.”Admiral Prakash, who has lived in Goa since his 2006 retirement, highlighted on social media the challenges faced by elderly citizens: “I neither need, nor have ever asked for any special privileges… but if the SIR forms are not evoking required info, they should be revised.” He also pointed out that the BLO had visited his home three times and could have requested the missing documents then.(With PTI inputs)

NEW DELHI: Foreign secretary Vikram Misri said on Monday that India has stepped up its engagement at the “highlest level” with German authorities over the case of Ariha Shah, an Indian child who has remained in foster care in Germany for over 40 months. The government is stressing that the matter should be addressed through a humanitarian lens. Addressing a media briefing, Misri said New Delhi has been in continuous discussions with German authorities in both India and Germany. “We have been in discussions with the German government, all the German authorities, their embassy here in Delhi, and the German government in Berlin, and all the agencies involved, for quite some time,” he said, reported ANI.While acknowledging that the issue had earlier been treated as a legal matter, Misri said India believes it must now be approached keeping humanitarian concerns at the centre. “This case was, at one point, a legal matter, but we believe that ultimately, it should be approached keeping in mind the humanitarian issues involved,” he said. Foreign secretary also pointed towards the government’s awareness of the family’s situation, adding, “We understand the family’s distress and difficulties. We are fully aware of the situation, and we are trying our best to help them in every way possible.”He also went on to say efforts are underway to ensure that Ariha remains connected to Indian cultural and social surroundings while in Germany. “We are also trying to ensure that Baby Ariha is raised as much as possible in an Indian environment, whether it’s interacting with Indian people or participating in Indian festivals being celebrated in Germany,” Misri said. He added that steps were being explored to help the child learn the language, saying, “We would like to make arrangements for him to participate and learn Hindi.”The foreign secretary said the issue has been raised at the highest political level. “Prime Minister Modi also mentioned this to the Chancellor, so we will continue to follow up with the German government on this issue, and we will stay with the family at every step,” he said.Misri’s remarks came as Ariha Shah’s family renewed its appeal to both governments, calling for dialogue to “preserve the rights of the young girl” and stating that all allegations against the parents had been cleared by German authorities.Ariha was placed in German foster care in September 2021, when she was seven months old, following an incident in which her grandmother accidentally injured her. She has remained under foster care since then.On Saturday, the Save Ariha Team expressed concern over the continued separation of the child from her family, urging the Indian government to intervene diplomatically for her repatriation ahead of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s visit to India. In a press release, the group said Ariha remains under the custody of German child services (Jugendamt) despite police cases against her parents being closed in February 2022, and that she has been moved across five foster homes. Earlier the ministry of external affairs had said there has been progress in the matter and that steps are being taken to ensure Ariha’s upbringing in a culturally conducive environment. MEA spokesperson Randeep Jaiswal said the issue was raised during the German foreign minister’s recent visit to India. Chancellor Merz is on a two-day official visit to India from January 12 to 13, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of India-Germany diplomatic ties and 25 years of their strategic partnership.

NEW DELHI: The scourge of “not found suitable” continues. And it’s not limited to appointments of fresh SC/ST candidates.A key parliamentary committee has found that even university teachers from marginalised communities employed for years are being rejected for full-time positions by being called “not found suitable”, again deprecating the practice of using the “NFS” tag to turn down the SC/ST aspirants.The parliamentary committee on welfare of SCs/STs has found “NFS” as a persistent discriminatory practice against dalit and tribal faculty aspirants for the second consecutive report.In the latest report while scrutinising Allahabad University, the panel has gone a step further by making the startling revelation that “NFS” is also being used against experienced teachers. “In certain cases, the committee are given to understand that some of the Assistant Professor belonging to SC/ST who worked for a number of years on ad-hoc basis were not selected at the time of filling of regular vacancies by stating a cliché reply that they are not suitable, and unfit for induction,” the panel, headed by BJP MP Faggan Singh Kulaste, has noted.As a result, the panel has recommended that all vacant reserved faculty positions should be filled in three months. While the direction is in the context of AU, it seems valid for all central universities. Kulaste told TOI, “The ministry of education has assured us that NFS has been removed as a reason for faculty recruitments.”The issue has been part of political discourse in recent months, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi speaking about it on many occasions and the UGC forming a committee to examine the issue. TOI had reported that the UGC committee is likely to recommend that all “NFS” cases should be reasoned by the universities so that the top commission can suggest correctives.The parliamentary committee has further said that after filling all the existing vacant positions, “no faculty seat of the SC/ST community should remain vacant for more than six months under any circumstance.”The committee observed that inspite of proper eligibility and competence, fully experienced SCs/STs aspirants are rarely inducted as faculty members even at the initial stage. In AU, the panel found that 14 SC/ST candidates were declared as NFS during the last three years.It said NFS is “not a correct picture of the assessment of the SC/ST candidates who are equally bright and deserving,” and it is also used because of the “wrong assessment attitude” of the selection committee. It has urged the university higher-ups to be more positive towards talented and qualified SC/ST candidates.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday granted the Election Commission of India (ECI) one week to respond to fresh interim pleas filed by two Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs, alleging “arbitrariness and procedural lapses” in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the party-run West Bengal.A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi rejected ECI’s request for two weeks and directed it to file a common response to the interim pleas filed by TMC MPs Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen. The bench listed the plea for hearing on January 19.In his plea, O’Brien contended that the ECI is issuing instructions for SIR through “extra-statutory” means such as WhatsApp messages and oral directions during video conferences, instead of formal written orders. Drawing the CJI-led bench’s attention to this, his counsel, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, said such practices compel booth-level officers (BLOs) to act without lawful authorisation.Sibal added that the ECI has introduced a new category of voters termed “logical discrepancies”, under which electors may be issued notices for quasi-judicial hearings on alleged errors in voter details, without any statutory backing.“The draft electoral roll published on December 16, 2025, led to the deletion of 58,20,898 names without notice or personal hearing. Nearly 31,68,424 voters could not be mapped with the 2002 electoral roll and that notices were proposed to be issued to about 1.36 crore electors under the ‘logical discrepancies’ category,” O’Brien’s application stated.The Rajya Sabha MP has sought directions to extend the January 15 deadline for filing claims and objections, restrain the ECI from issuing instructions through informal channels, and declare such instructions illegal. The plea also flagged long queues, unclear documentation requirements, restrictions on party booth-level agents, and hardship to senior citizens, persons with disabilities and medically unwell voters.A separate plea filed by his party and Rajya Sabha colleague Dola Sen similarly challenges the SIR as arbitrary and unconstitutional, warning of wrongful deletion of genuine voters.The West Bengal assembly elections are expected to be held in April–May. The Trinamool Congress, which has been in power since 2011 under chief minister Mamata Banerjee, the party supremo, will be seeking a fourth consecutive term.(With PTI inputs)

NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday wrote a fresh letter to chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accusing the Election Commission of ignoring two decades of statutory electoral corrections and forcing voters to re-establish their identity during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.In the letter, Banerjee alleged that the EC was disregarding corrections made over the last 20 years and compelling electors to resubmit documents, causing widespread hardship. She also flagged serious procedural lapses, including the failure to issue proper acknowledgements for documents submitted during the SIR exercise.

The chief minister claimed the revision process was fundamentally flawed and said errors had occurred during the digitisation of the 2002 voters’ list using artificial intelligence, which she said had resulted in distress and exclusion of genuine voters.This marks Banerjee’s latest escalation against the EC over the SIR exercise, which has been underway in West Bengal for more than two months.Two days earlier, the chief minister had made explosive allegations, claiming the revision drive had already resulted in 77 deaths. In her earlier letter to the CEC, she wrote, “It is shocking that an exercise which should have been constructive and productive has already seen 77 deaths with 4 attempts to suicide and 17 persons falling sick and necessitating hospitalisation.”Banerjee had accused the Election Commission of conducting the process without adequate planning, leading to fear, intimidation and excessive workload on field staff. “This is attributed to fear, intimidation and disproportionate workload due to unplanned exercise undertaken by ECI,” she wrote.She also alleged that ordinary citizens were being harassed due to an over-reliance on technical data without human judgment. “I am deeply shocked and disturbed by the manner in which the Election Commission of India (ECI) appears to be relentlessly harassing ordinary citizens during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR),” Banerjee said in the letter.Raising concerns over the absence of human intervention, she added, “The hearing process has become largely mechanical, driven purely by technical data and is completely devoid of the application of mind, sensitivity and human touch that are indispensable for an exercise of this nature one that directly forms the bedrock of our democracy and constitutional framework.”The chief minister also alleged a lack of social sensitivity, particularly towards women voters. “Women electors who have shifted to their matrimonial homes and changed their surnames after marriage are being questioned and summoned for hearings to prove their identity. This not only reflects a complete lack of social sensitivity but also constitutes a grave insult to women and genuine voters. Is this how a constitutional authority treats half of the electorate?” she wrote.Banerjee further said it was a “profound shame” that prominent personalities such as Amartya Sen, Joy Goswami and Mohammed Shami were allegedly asked to establish their credentials.Her earlier letter ended with a handwritten postscript stating, “Though I know you won’t reply or clarify. But it was my duty to inform you the details.”On Monday, Banerjee reiterated that she would move the Supreme Court over what she described as the “inhumane treatment” of citizens during the SIR exercise. The revision drive has triggered confusion among voters and extreme stress among field staff, with several Booth Level Officers reportedly dying due to health complications or suicide linked to increased workload.

NEW DELHI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Monday hailed the successful flight test of the indigenous Third Generation Fire & Forget Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM) with top attack capability, calling it an important step towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat.The missile was successfully flight-tested against a moving target on January 11 at the KK Ranges in Ahilya Nagar, Maharashtra, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Defence. The test was conducted by the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s Defence Research & Development Laboratory in Hyderabad.In a post on X, the defence minister’s office said, “Third Generation Fire & Forget Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM) with top attack capability was flight tested successfully against moving target by the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad. Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh has complimented DRDO, DCPP Partners and Industry for the successful test of Fire & Forget Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile with top attack capability and termed it an important step towards AatmanirbharBharat.”According to the defence ministry, the indigenously developed MPATGM incorporates several advanced indigenous technologies, including an Imaging Infrared homing seeker, all-electric control actuation system, fire control system, tandem warhead, propulsion system and a high-performance sighting system. These systems have been developed by multiple DRDO laboratories, including Research Centre Imarat in Hyderabad, Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory in Chandigarh, High Energy Materials Research Laboratory in Pune and Instruments Research & Development Establishment in Dehradun.The Thermal Target System used during the trial was developed by Defence Laboratory, Jodhpur to simulate a target tank. The Imaging Infrared seeker provides day and night combat capability, while the warhead is designed to defeat modern main battle tanks. The missile can be launched from a tripod or a military vehicle-mounted launcher.Bharat Dynamics Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited are the Development-Cum-Production Partners for the weapon system.Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, the DcPP partners and the defence industry for the successful test, reiterating that it marked an important step towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat.Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat also congratulated the team, saying the trial had been conducted successfully and would lead to the weapon system’s induction into the Indian Army, the release added.