Page 13 - Anurag Thakur

Connect with aspirational India through technology: Anurag Thakur to NRIs

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday appealed to Non-Resident Indians to connect with aspirational India through technology and use its strong human resources in the interest of the world. Speaking to reporters during the three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (PBD) convention, he said the world's perception of India changed soon after the Pokhran nuclear test in 1998. It is our request to the NRI community to connect with us through technology and work together in the interest of not only India but also of the entire world. You have resources and we have human resources, Thakur said. He said the government doesn't see the overseas Indian community in terms of sending money from abroad to the country but wants to partner with them. Instead of brain-drain, we talk about getting talent. We talk about connecting overseas Indians with aspirational India in the period of 'Amrit-Kaal' of Independence, he said. Thakur said the world is looking towards India with

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas: Thakur asks young diaspora to invest in India

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday appealed to the young Indian diaspora to innovate, invest and initiate their ideas in India. Speaking at the inaugural function of the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) as part of commencement of the three-day PBD convention, Thakur said India became the fifth largest economy in the world in 2022 by overtaking those who ruled the country for 200 years. Australia's Member of Parliament Zaneta Mascarenhas was the guest of honour at the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar were also present. Addressing the gathering, Thakur urged the young Indian diaspora to "innovate, invest and initiate ideas in India". In the year gone by, India became the third largest nation with start-ups, he said. When the world was fighting the pandemic, Indian youth saw an opportunity for launching start-ups, he added. The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas ...

Union Min Anurag Thakur launches themes of Y20 summit at curtain raiser

Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur on Friday launched the themes of Y20 summit, logo, and website in the Curtain raiser event of Y20 Summit India in New Delhi

Is India really serious about a bid to host the Olympic Games in 2036?

The country would do well to think several times before committing to such gigantic expenditure in the uncertain future

I&B Minister Anurag Thakur condoles death of PM Modi's mother Heeraben

Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Friday condoled the death of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother Hiraben. "Losing a mother is one of the deepest sorrows. But her goodness, care, wisdom, and love will always be with you," Thakur said. "May God give the departed soul a place at his holy feet," the minister said. The prime minister's mother passed away at a hospital in Ahmedabad early on Friday. She was 99.

India will bid for 2036 Olympics, Ahmedabad likely to host: Anurag Thakur

He said a roadmap for India's bid will be presented to International Olympic Committee during the IOC session in Mumbai in September 2023

Audit led to vacating of 1.1 mn sq ft space in I&B arms across cities: Min

Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Tuesday said a space audit of buildings of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting led to vacating space of over 11 lakh square feet across 20 cities. During an informal interaction with reporters, Thakur said a space audit and efficient management of buildings carried out as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan also led to earnings of about Rs 22 crore. The space audit was started on September 29 by Thakur's visit to Doordarshan Kendra in Ahmedabad and concluded in Bhopal on Monday. Personal inspection by Thakur in buildings housing offices of the ministry in Mumbai led to clearing of 90,000 square feet of space at prime locations which, if rented out, could earn the government crores in revenue. The vacated space is spread across 20 cities - Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kurnool, Chennai, Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram, Jabalpur, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Coimbatore, Panaji, Amritsar, Sambalpur, Bhawanipatna, Puducherry, Mangaluru, Berhampur and

People like Rahul Gandhi question Army, insult them: Anurag Thakur

He further said that they speak the language of China and raise questions about the ideology of Congress

Newly-launched Khelo India dashboard to provide information in real time

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Friday launched the 'Khelo India Dashboard', a one-stop platform, which will give people all the information they need with regards to the various schemes that come under the programme. The digital platform will have statistical data on athletes, coaches, venues and schemes related to the Khelo India programme. The dashboard will be updated in real time and will aim to give "every citizen of the country access to all the information regarding the various offerings of Khelo India," said a Sports Authority of India (SAI) statement on Friday. "Easy accessibility and transparency has always always been given top priority (by the government), be it ease of living or the ease of compliance. Keeping the same thought in mind, the Khelo India dashboard has been launched. "This platform will help every person, be it a common man or an athlete, get all the information that they need with regard to the Khelo India schemes and they will not have to visit multipl

Terror incidents in J-K down by 168% under Modi govt: Anurag Thakur

Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday said that "terror incidents in Jammu and Kashmir decreased by 168 per cent" since the Modi government came to power and "Left Wing Extremism incidents were down by over 265 per cent" since 2015. Underlining that the Modi government has a "zero tolerance policy towards terrorism," Thakur said, "the government undertook decisive actions which yielded definitive results." "Surgical strikes in 2016 were in response to the Uri attack. Balakot Air strikes in 2019 were in response to the Pulwama bombing, so all these decisive actions yielded definitive results," Thakur told reporters here. He said since 2014, violence due to insurgency has come down by 80 per cent, civilian deaths decreased by 89 per cent and 6,000 militants have surrendered. "Terror incidents in Jammu and Kashmir have reduced by 168 per cent under the Modi government and the conviction rate in terror financing cases is over 94 per cent," he said. While the Left Wing Extremism incid

Sports minister, hockey legends confident of India's performance in WC

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Friday said he is confident about India finishing on the podium in next month's FIH Men's Hockey World Cup, saying the new-found spirit and self belief will work wonders for the hosts in marque tournament. The World Cup will be jointly hosted by Bhubaneswar and Rourkela from January 13 to 29 next year. "India is fully prepared and ready to take up the challenge from all other 15 teams. I feel India is ready to become world champion once again. I am sure the way the Indian team is preparing, with the new spirit and self belief, we are going to do extremely well in the World Cup and in Paris Olympics," Thakur told reporters after unveiling the World Cup trophy here. India last won the World Cup 47 years ago in the 1975 edition in Kuala Lumpur. "I am happy and delighted to unveil the prestigious trophy and I am sure we are going to see a great tournament," Thakur said. "India will host the tournament in the best possible manner and I have full faith t

Centre spent over Rs 3,723 cr on advertisements in 5 yrs, Rajya Sabha told

Government has spent a total of Rs 3,723.38 crore on advertisement of its policies and programmes over the past five years through the Central Bureau of Communication, Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday. In a written reply, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said the expenditure on advertisements and publicity has not increased over the past five years. According to the data shared by the government, Rs 1,220.89 crore was spent on advertisements in 2017-18 while an expenditure of Rs 1,106.88 crore was incurred in 2018-19, which was ahead of the general elections of 2019. The government spent Rs 627.67 crore in 2019-20; Rs 349.09 crore in 2020-21 and Rs 264.78 crore in 2021-22, Thakur said. In the current financial year, the government has spent Rs 154.07 crore on advertisements till December 9, he said. As per the above data, expenditure on advertisement and publicity has not increased in the last few years, Thakur said in response to a question by Congress memb

Rs 168.8 cr spent on print, electronic advertisements this fiscal: Govt

The government has spent Rs 91.96 crore on advertisements in print media through the Central Bureau of Communication so far in this financial year, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said on Tuesday. The government has also spent Rs 76.84 crore on advertisements in electronic media, Thakur said in a written response to a question by CPI-M leader M Selvaraj in Lok Sabha. In 2014-15, the government had spent Rs 424.84 crore on advertisements in print media and Rs 473.67 crore on electronic media advertisements through the Central Bureau of Communication, the minister said. The expenditure was Rs 508.22 crore (print) and Rs 531.60 crore (electronic) in 2015-16; Rs 468.53 crore (print) and Rs 609.15 crore (electronic) in 2016-17; and Rs 636.09 (print) and Rs 468.92 (electronic) in 2017-18. The expenses stood at Rs 429.55 crore (print) and Rs 514.28 crore (electronic) in 2018-19; Rs 295.05 crore (print) and Rs 317.11 crore (electronic) in 2019-20; and Rs 179.04 cr

Will take traditional sports international: Sports minister Anurag Thakur

Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Friday assured the Lok Sabha that traditional sports such as Mallakhamb, Thang Ta, Yogasana, Gatka and Kalpetta will soon go international, and the ministry will open 1,000 Khelo India centres across the country by August 15 next year. As the Lok Sabha resumed on Thursday debate on sports and the steps taken by the government in this regard, several MPs urged the government to create sports infrastructure in rural areas and initiate measures to include rural youth in selections. The discussion started in Lok Sabha on March 31, during the Budget Session of Parliament. In his reply on Friday, Thakur said the focus of the government is towards identifying talent from the rural areas and training them to become international athletes. He said the demand is that Khelo India centres must be opened in rural areas. "We will start with opening 1,000 Khelo India centres. The process for 733 such centres has already started and by next August 15, we will

Hope Congress will be committed to Himachal's development: Anurag Thakur

Senior BJP leader and Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday said he respects the people's mandate in Himachal Pradesh, and the party will continue to work for the interest of the state. Thakur, who led a spirited campaign for the assembly elections in his home state, said he expects the new Congress government in Himachal Pradesh to remain committed to the development of the state. "We fully respect the mandate given to the BJP in Himachal Pradesh. New dimensions of development were established in Himachal Pradesh under the leadership of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and we hope that the new Congress government will also be dedicated to the development of Himachal," he said. "Whatever may be the result, we will always remain in the role of a servant in the service of the state with full solidarity as before and will stand for the interests of the state," he said. The Congress emerged victorious in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections, winning 40 seats i

Drones can play significant role in checking illegal mining: Union Minister

Drone technology can play a significant role to check illegal mining in the country and can also used to save natural resources, Union Minister Anurag Singh Thakur said on Tuesday. The Minister for Information and Broadcasting at an event here said the Centre continues to invest in training the youth in drone technology as India is on track to become a global 'drone hub' of the world. "Mining and illegal mining are two different things. To keep a check on the illegal mining, drone technology could be used. Drone technology could be a big thing to save our resources." he said. He was making those comments at the inauguration of first drone skilling and training conference organised by Garuda Aerospace at the Agni College of Technology, Thalambur near here. Thakur recalled that drones were used during the COVID-19 pandemic to deliver medicines and vaccines. Recently, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation allowed the Board of Control for Cricket

Youth will play crucial role in making India a developed nation: Thakur

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur says that the youth will play a pivotal role in making India a developed nation by 2047. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set sight on India becoming a developed nation by 2047 "For the country to progress in Amritkal, the role of young volunteers will play a pivotal role in attaining honour Prime Minister's vision of India at 2047," the Sports Minister said on the occasion of International Volunteer Day on Monday. "The Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs along with its partners and stakeholders remain dedicated to promoting youth action and youth volunteerism in India. "To optimally engage the constructive and creative energies of the youth, the department of youth affairs will purse the twin objectives of personality building and nation building," he added.

AAP focussed on expansion of liquor vends than education: Anurag Thakur

Top BJP leaders on Saturday slammed the AAP over the issues of corruption and pollution, with Union minister Anurag Thakur alleging that the Arvind Kejriwal government focused more on the expansion of liquor vends than education. Campaigning for the upcoming civic body polls here, Thakur claimed that Delhi is suffering due to the Kejriwal government's "corruption and false claims of development". Elections for the 250 wards of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi will be held on December 4. "This is the first government in the country that has focused more on expansion of 'thekas' (liquor vends) than education and its minister, who is in jail and getting a massage there, has not yet been removed from his post," Thakur alleged while campaigning for BJP candidates in Shastri Nagar, Kamla Nagar and Rajendra Nagar wards here. He said the way Satyendar Jain was retained as a minister despite being in jail for nearly six months, showed that the Arvind Kejriwal government was not just ...

False promises of AAP won't work in MCD elections, says Anurag Thakur

BJP leader said, "People want to give a clear message to Kejriwal in the MCD election that false promises won't work."

Govt to introduce law to regulate digital media: I&B Minister Anurag Thakur

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur has said the Centre is working on a bill to regulate digital media. He said there used to be one-way communication of news earlier, but with the development of electronic and digital media, communication of news has become multidimensional. Now even small news of a village reaches the national platform through digital media, he said on Wednesday. In a statement, Thakur said the government has left most of the print, electronic, and digital media to self-regulation. "Digital media presents opportunities as well as challenges. To have a fine balance, the government will see what can be done on this. "I would say that changes have to be brought in law, we will bring that to make your work simple and easy. We are working to introduce a bill," Thakur said at an event organised by Hindi news daily Mahanagar Times. Thakur also that the process of registration of newspapers will be simplified and the central government will soon b