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Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for Centre, states and UTs to work as “Team India,” at the eighth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog, in an apparent reflection of sharpening fault-lines, Chief Ministers of 11 states — most of them ruled by non-BJP parties — stayed away.
Sources said Chief Ministers of 10 states who did not participate were: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
At the meeting, focused around the theme of making India a developed nation by 2047, the Prime Minister said that the Centre, states and UTs should work as Team India and fulfil the dreams and aspirations of people for a Viksit Bharat@ 2047.
Modi urged state governments to exercise fiscal prudence and “behave responsibly,” as he flagged challenges including climate change, socio-economic disruption owing to developments in artificial intelligence, and regional imbalances, as potential hurdles towards the 2047 goal.
Govt & Politics
Focus on MSMES, infra, Yogi aims for $l-trillion economy (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
Addressing the eighth Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog in New Delhi, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh has resolved to grow into a trillion-dollar economy in the next five years to achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s target of making the country’s economy five trillion dollars.
In the meeting held at Pragati Maidan in the national capital, Adiyanath listed step-by-step accomplishments of UP in the areas of MSME, women’s safety, infrastructure development, PM Gati Shakti, health and nutrition. The chief minister said the accomplishments made by his government have benefited every section of society.
The contribution of Uttar Pradesh to the country’s GDP is more than 8 per cent. Uttar Pradesh has resolved to grow into a trillion-dollar economy in the next five years in order to achieve the Prime Minister’s target of making the country’s economy five trillion dollars.
The chief minister said by adopting PM Modi’s mantra of “Reform, Perform and Transform,” UP has become “the dream destination” for industrial investment in the nation, adding that more than 22,000 MoUs of about Rs 35 lakh crore were signed at UP Global Investors Summit 2023 in February, which would create more than one crore employment opportunities in the state.
Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh has the maximum number — 96 lakh — of MSME (Micro, small and medium enterprises) units.
The state government is constantly striving and committed to the development of the MSME sector. Each district of the state has a unique identity for its traditional product. The state government has done the work of taking these products to a new height by declaring them ODOPs (One district-one product).
Opinion
A forgotten tribe & its long walk to Karnataka (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 1, Culture)
During his recent campaign for the Karnataka elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while interacting with the Hakki-Pikki tribal community during his visits to Shivamogga and Nathdwara, made a statement that unexpectedly led one to revisit the pages of Rajasthan’s history.
The Hakki-Pikkis, a tribe, was scattered across the capital city of Khartoum and in the Darfur region of West Sudan. The tribe was stuck there.
They made the journey to Khartoum and Darfur between 2021 and 2022. The Indian government launched Operation Kaveri to evacuate them.
During that time, PM Modi mentioned how ancestors of this tribal community had fought alongside Maharana Pratap in the Battle of Haldighati during the 16th century.
If we delve into the sources of Rajasthan’s history, it is true that Maharana Pratap was a ruler who received significant assistance from the Bhils and other tribes.
In the Battle of Haldighati (June 18, 1576) between Maharana Pratap and Mughal Emperor Akbar’s armies, the Bhils and Adivasis actively participated in Maharana’s army and were, in fact, the strongest force in this battle.
The Adivasi and Bhil warriors and many other tribes remained Maharana’s fierce allies in subsequent skirmishes with the Mughals. Maharana Pratap’s slogan “Bhili Jaiyo, Rani Jaiyo Bhai-Bhai (literally translated as the son of Bhil’s mother and the son of the queen are brothers)” is a testament to their alliance.
However, the connection between the Hakki-Pikki community’s journey from Mewar to Karnataka is not very clear in the eyes of historians.
Perhaps one reason for this is that the term Hakki-Pikki comes from the Kannada language and it is not very clear which caste or community they belonged to during their stay in Rajasthan.
Nevertheless, if we look at some historical facts from Maharana Pratap’s era, some threads connect. Scholars studying the tribes of hunters and the Bhil clans believe that people of the Vagadi tribe from Rajasthan migrated to Maharashtra and Karnataka.
World
Iraq unveils $17 billion project to link Europe, Asia (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Iraq launched a $17 billion project to link a major commodities port on its southern coast by rail and roads to the border with Turkey, in a move designed to transform the country's economy after decades of war and crisis.
The Development Road aims to tie the Grand Faw Port in Iraq's oil-rich south to Turkey, turning the country into a transit hub by shortening travel time between Asia and Europe in a bid to rival the Suez Canal.
The Development Road is not just a road to move goods or passengers. This road opens the door to development of vast areas of Iraq." Farhan al-Fartousi, director general of the General Company for Ports of Iraq, told Reuters.
Iraq's government envisions high-speed trains moving goods and passengers at up to 300 kilo- metres per hour, links to local industry hubs and an energy.com- ponent that could include oil and gas pipelines. It would mark a significant departure from the country's existing aged transport network.
Iraq's train service currently operates a handful of lines, including slow oil freight and a single overnight passenger train that trundles from Baghdad to Basra, taking 10 to 12 hours to cover 500 kilometres.
Economy
Will become $5-trn economy by 2027: Sunil Mittal (Page no. 13)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
India will be able to become USD 5-trillion economy by 2027, Bharti Enterprises founder and Chairman Sunil Mittal said.
While speaking at a conclave on 9 years of the Narendra Modi government, Mittal said businesses in general require a very decisive leadership and India after a long time not only has government with full majority but also a leader who is recognised as a global leader.
This country has clearly moved to a additional USD 1.4 trillion taking us to USD 3.5 trillion and I think the audacious target of USD 5 trillion, which couple of years ago would have looked a difficult one to accomplish, is now clearly in sight and I think by 2027 we should be able to achieve it. He said that he personally experienced the change in last five years.