The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated International Dairy Federation World Dairy Summit (IDF WDS) 2022 organised at India Expo Centre & Mart, Greater Noida.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister underlined the centrality of ‘Pashu Dhan’ and milk-related business in the cultural landscape of India.

He pointed out that unlike other developed countries of the world, the driving force of the dairy sector in India is small farmers.

“India’s dairy sector is characterized by production by masses more than “mass production”. India is the largest milk-producing country on the basis of the efforts of these small farmers with one, two or three cattle. This sector provides employment to more than 8 crore families in the country,” he informed.

Explaining further, he said, “There is such a huge network of Dairy Cooperative in India, and one cannot find such an example in the whole world elsewhere.”

The Prime Minister drew everyone’s attention to the fact that there is no middleman in the entire process, and more than 70 per cent of the money that is received from the customers goes directly into the pockets of the farmers. Another unique feature, according to the Prime Minister, is the indigenous breeds that can withstand many adverse circumstances.

He gave the example of the sturdy buffalo breed of Banni Buffalo of the Kutch region of Gujarat. He also talked about other buffalo breeds such as Murrah, Mehsana, Jafrabadi, Nili Ravi, and Pandharpuri; among the cow breeds, he mentioned Gir, Sahiwal, Rathi, Kankrej, Tharparker and Haryana.

In addition, the Prime Minister highlighted the power of women in the dairy sector where he pointed out that women have a 70% representation in the workforce in India’s dairy sector.

“Women are the real leaders of India’s dairy sector”, he said adding, “Not only this, more than a third of the members of dairy cooperatives in India are women.”

He said at more than eight and a half lakh crore rupees, the dairy sector is more than the combined value of wheat and rice. This is all driven by the women power of India.

Modi also mentioned that as compared to the 2 per cent production growth at the global level, India is clocking the milk production growth rate at more than 6 per cent.

The Prime Minister said that the government is working on developing a blanched dairy ecosystem where challenges of the sectors are being addressed along with a focus on increasing production.

He stressed that animal husbandry and dairy are being promoted as a powerful medium of green and sustainable growth in the villages.

Stressing the use of modern technology, the Prime Minister said that India is building the largest database of dairy animals and every animal associated with the dairy sector is being tagged.

“We are doing biometric identification of animals. We have named it – Pashu Adhar”, he said.

The Prime Minister stressed that today, India is paying equal attention to both indigenous breeds and hybrid breeds which will also reduce the risk of damage caused by climate change.

Talking about problem, Modi said, “When the animal is sick it affects the life of the farmer, affecting his income. It also affects the efficiency of the animal, the quality of its milk and other related products.”

The Prime Minister emphasised that in this direction, India is working toward universal vaccination of animals. “We have resolved that by 2025, we will vaccinate 100% of the animals against Foot and Mouth Disease and Brucellosis. We are aiming to be completely free from these diseases by the end of this decade”, the Prime Minister remarked.

The Prime Minister observed that there has been a loss of livestock in many states of India due to the disease named Lumpy in the recent past and assured everyone that the central government, along with various state governments, is trying their level best to keep a check on it.

“Our scientists have also prepared indigenous vaccine for Lumpy Skin Disease”, the Prime Minister added.

The Prime Minister also pointed out that efforts are being made to track the movement of animals to keep the outbreak under control.

Modi invited global leaders of the dairy industry to join the drive to empower the dairy sector in India. “I also appreciate the International Dairy Federation for their excellent work and contribution”, the Prime Minister concluded.

NEW DELHI, Sept 12: Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande on Monday, September 12, 2022 said the process of Indian and Chinese militaries disengaging from Patrolling Point (PP) 15 in Gogra-Hot Springs area in eastern Ladakh was “going as per schedule”.
The External Affairs Ministry had said on September 9 that the disengagement process will be completed by September 12.
Gen Pande, who has returned to Delhi after a two-day visit to Ladakh, on Monday addressed a seminar on Army logistics at Manekshaw Centre here, and also referred to the eastern Ladakh border standoff that erupted two years ago.
“I will have to go and take stock. But, it (disengagement process) is going as per schedule, and what was decided,” he said on the sidelines of the event, when asked about the status of the process.
Gen. Pande on September 9, 2022 had carried out a comprehensive review of the overall security situation in eastern Ladakh, two days after Indian and Chinese militaries began disengaging from Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area in the region.
The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas. Both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry.
The Ministry’s comment on September 9 had come a day after the Indian and Chinese armies had announced that they have begun to disengage from the Gogra-Hotsprings Patrolling Point 15.
External Affairs Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi had said that according to the agreement, “the disengagement process in this area started on September 8 at 8:30 am and will be completed by September 12”. (Agencies)

Gurdaspur (Punjab), Sept 12: A Pakistani drone was spotted near the International Border in Punjab’s Gurdaspur early Monday morning.
According to the information, the drone flew back towards the Pakistani side as the alert troops of the Border Security Force (BSF) fired several rounds at it.
The drone was spotted near the International Border at around 5 am, in the area of BSF’s Rosa Post BOP 89 Bn in Gurdaspur, Punjab.
However, a search operation by BSF and Police is underway.
This was the third recent incident and the number of drones being sighted in Punjab, coming from Pakistan has seen a significant rise this year as compared to the Jammu sector.
According to BSF, till July this year total of 107 drones flying from across the border were spotted inside Indian territory, as compared to 97 drones spotted the whole of last year.
As many as 97 drones coming from across the border were sighted by the BSF in 2021 along International Border (IB) including 64 such cases in Punjab, 31 in Jammu, and two drones were seen entering from the Line of Control (LOC) in Jammu.
Till July 2022, as many as 107 drones were sighted along IB that including 14 in Jammu and 93 in the Punjab sector.
A senior BSF officer said that most of these drones have come from Pakistan and are used to deliver narcotics, weapons, explosives, and ammunition.
“There are teams with anti-drone guns deployed in borders. The patrolling parties keep watch on any suspicious aerial activity and often they recover narcotics substances and arms delivered from these drones,” he said.
In 2021, BSF shot down one drone in the Ferozpur sector while this year seven drones were shot down and a huge quantity of narcotics that was supposed to be delivered through drones was also recovered.
The total length of Punjab’s border with Pakistan is 553 kilometres and the 198-km stretch of the India-Pakistan border in the Jammu region is guarded by BSF. Another BSF officer said that there is no effective anti-drone technology available to shoot down every drone crossing the international border but their men on the ground keep watch on drones or any aerial object crossing the border.
“Not only ground, but we also keep an eye on the sky, and BSF personnel are trained to shoot down unidentified UAVs. Sometimes drones fly too high to get detected, we only detect it by humming sound when it comes close to ground,” he said. (Agencies)

With an aim to unite the entire Opposition to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and ally RJD chief Lalu Yadav will soon meet Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi.

“Yes, once she comes back there will be a meeting. Both of them (RJD chief and Bihar CM) will go together (to meet her)”, TejashwiYadav said in Patna when asked if RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar will meet Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi together, in Delhi.

Earlier, Poll strategist Prashant Kishor said there is a need for a “credible face” and mass movement to seek people’s vote in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and opined that meeting leaders of various political parties “would not make much of a difference”.

He said such meetings cannot be seen as Opposition unity or political development.

He further said, “Those who don’t believe this need to wait and watch. It will certainly happen. I won’t comment on whatever someone says”.

When asked about the promise Nitish gave about providing jobs for youth under various arrangements in the state, he further asserted, “we would definitely fulfill the promise of providing 20 lakh jobs. We are in the government and this will happen.”

Tejashwi Yadav reiterated that if all the Opposition parties unite then they will be successful in defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 general elections.

“It is a good thing. It has been clearly said that if all of us are united, we will be successful (in defeating BJP)” Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav told media persons here when asked about CM Nitish Kumar’s recent meetings with Opposition leaders in Delhi.

Kishor’s remarks came on the backdrop of his former ally Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s visit to the national capital recently to meet Opposition leaders.

Speaking to ANI, Kishor who was earlier given the post of national president in Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and was later expelled from the party, said, “Such meetings and discussions taking place will not change the political situation on the ground. I do not have such an experience. He is more experienced than me. But I do not see the meeting of some leaders individually or collectively, holding discussions or press conferences, as an Opposition unity or a political development.”

“Unless you create a people’s movement and generate a popular narrative, form a formidable entity, and a credible face that can make the public believe that he can be a better alternative to the BJP, only then they (people) will vote for you,” he said.

Nitish Kumar met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party leaders Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav, Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

This came days after Nitish Kumar broke the alliance with the BJP in August and formed the government with RJD in Bihar.

Earlier Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had also visited Bihar and met Nitish Kumar, and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as part of efforts toward forging opposition unity.

New Delhi, Sept 12: Making a scathing attack at Rahul Gandhi for meeting people including controversial Catholic priest George Ponnaiah, Union Minister Ajay Bhatt slammed for supporting people who are hell-bent on dividing India, and said that Congress has been opposing every decision of PM Modi including the scrapping of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir and the surgical strikes in Pakistan.
Reacting to Catholic priest George Ponnaiah’s controversial statement “Jesus Christ is the real God, not like Shakti,” Bhatt said that Rahul Gandhi is meeting “divisive personalities, Congress has consistently stood in support of former party president Rahul Gandhi on the priest controversy. The party claims that they don’t meet people after doing background checks and in Parliament, their MPs sit with the worshipers of Godse”.
Bhatt said, “The people who have tried to divide the country and those who used to say that India will be divided into pieces, the Congress give respect to them, which clearly shows that those who work to divide the country, agitate, and break people are today talking about connecting India. First of all, Congress should answer why they have kept those people who talk about dividing our country. Those who were talking about breaking the country were doing big agitations, are today saying that they are working to unite India.”
Referring to the development in Jammu and Kashmir post the abolition of Article 370, he further slammed Congress for opposing the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and said Congress stated that with the change in the status of Jammu and Kashmir rivers of blood will flow.
“Whether there has been a surgical strike or an air strike, a country that differs from us is our neighbour, the questions they raised, the same questions were raised by these people (Congress) who are today talking about connecting India,” he said.
“The public is much aware and understands everything and they don’t believe such people at all. Very irresponsible statements keep coming again and again from them. Democracy is strengthened if the opposition is sensible. It is very good that in a democracy there is a ruling party and Opposition and when both work properly, the purpose is served. But here, whatever Prime Minister Narendra Modi does, it has become a habit of the Opposition to find fault in it. This Bharat Jodo Yatra is nothing but their inability to do anything,” he said while several criticizing Congress for not supporting the government for the welfare of the people.
What Prime Minister did in Har Ghar Tiranga is called an attempt to connect India. All castes, religions, classes and regions came up with a flag, this is called connecting India.
Rahul Gandhi, who is on a 150-day-long Bharat Jodo Yatra, on Friday met a controversial catholic priest George Ponnaiah in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu.
A video clip of Rahul Gandhi’s interaction with the Tamil Nadu pastor went viral, in which Rahul Gandhi can be heard asking, “Jesus Christ is a form of God? Is that right?” to which the Tamil Nadu priest George Ponniah replied, “He is the real God.”
Ponniah goes on to say, “God reveals him(self) as a man, a real person…not like Shakti…so we see a human person.”
Ponniah has a history of delivering provocative statements that have landed him in trouble in the past. He was arrested last year in July in Kallikudi, Madurai for allegedly making a ‘hate speech’ against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, DMK Minister and others. (Agencies)