Pib

Pib

1. Institutions like Harijan Sevak Sangh doing yeoman service and deserve a helping hand: Vice President

The Vice President said that Didi Nirmala Deshpande, who headed this organization till her last breath, was a dedicated Gandhian, who set an example to thousands of people not only in India but all over the globe. He further said that she had participated in the Bhoodan Movement and undertook 40,000 km padayatra along the length and breadth of the country to popularize the message of Mahatma Gandhi’s Gram Swaraj. She was a true messenger of peace and also strove for communal harmony, he added.

2. PM dedicates All India Institute of Ayurveda to the nation at New delhi

Speaking on this occasion, the Prime Minister congratulated the gathering on the celebration of Dhanvantari Jayanti as Ayurveda Divas. He complimented the Ministry of AYUSH for the establishment of the All India Institute of Ayurveda.

The Prime Minister asserted that nations cannot progress unless they value and cherish their history and heritage. Those nations who leave their heritage behind, are destined to lose their identity, he added.

The Prime Minister said that when India was not independent, its knowledge, and its traditions such as Yoga and Ayurveda were belittled. Attempts were even made to reduce the faith that Indians had on them, he added. He said that in the last three years, this situation has changed to quite an extent; and the faith of the people is being restored in the best of our heritage. The pride in our heritage is reflected in the way people gather for Ayurveda Day or Yoga Day, he added.

3. North Eastern Council to be reoriented: Dr Jitendra Singh

Dr Jitendra Singh said the NEC was set up way back in early 1970s with the intention to give special focus to the development of this region. However, he said, much has changed since then and with the setting up of an exclusive and separate Ministry of DoNER in 2004 during the tenure of former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, there has also been sometimes overlapping of functioning of the two institutions. Therefore, he said, the NEC requires to be reshaped after the identification of thrust areas and critical gaps in order to take up as many development initiatives as possible within the annual budgetary allocations.

4. “Technology is a strong priority area, Aim is to make science people-centric”: Dr. Harsh Vardhan

“There are nearly one million Indian origin scientists and engineers working in the United States”, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said. The Minister also said that the process of ‘brain drain’ has now been reversed to ‘brain gain’, as many young scientists have started returning to India. Dr. Harsh Vardhan also emphasized that core activities could be scaled up only if the funding is enhanced.

5. Making Tourism Everybody’s Business

Tourism sector is one of the largest employment generators in India and encourages inclusive growth of the less-advantaged sections of the society. One of the objective of the Paryatan Parv is to spread the awareness about tourism as a major engine of economic growth and harness its direct and multiplier effect on employment and poverty eradication in a sustainable manner by active participation of all segments of the society. The core theme of Paryatan Parv is ‘Tourism for All’ as it is the endeavour to associate every section of the society and all stakeholders both in organised and unorganised sector for developing and promoting tourism in the Country.

Two flagship schemes of the Ministry of Tourism, Swadesh Darshan and Prasad although focuses on Infrastructure development of the circuits and sites, the salient feature of these schemes is comprehensive development of tourism which includes creating employment opportunities through active participation of local communities in a sustainable and inclusive manner through development of a “Responsible Tourism” initiative.