PM greets the people, India celebrates Ganesh Chaturthi 2016

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has greeted the people, on the auspicious occasion Ganesh Chaturthi. 

"Ganesh Chaturthi greetings to everyone. May the blessings of Lord Ganesh always remain with us. Ganpati Bappa Morya!", the Prime Minister said.



Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated as birth anniversary of Lord Ganesh. On Ganesh Chaturthi, Lord Ganesh is worshipped as the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. It is believed that Lord Ganesh was born during Shukla Paksha of Bhadrapada month. Currently Ganesh Chaturthi day falls in month of August or September in English calendar.

The Ganeshotsav, the festivity of Ganesh Chaturthi, ends after 10 days on Anant Chaturdashi which is also known as Ganesh Visarjan day. On Anant Chaturdashi, devotees immerse idol of Lord Ganesh in water body after a gala street procession.

Ganesha Chaturthi (also known as Vināyaka Chaturthi, Gaṇēśa Chaturthī or Vināyaka Chaviti) is the Hindu festival celebrated in honour of the elephant-headed god, Ganesha. This is a very auspicious day celebrated to pray to the god so that every new activity that is started is successfully completed without any obstacles (Vighna = Obstacle).

Chaturthi (Hindi चतुर्थी) means "fourth day" or "fourth state". Celebrations are traditionally held on the fourth day of the second fortnight (Shukla Chaturthi) in the month of Bhaadrapada in the Hindu calendar, usually August or September in theGregorian calendar. Badrapad corresponds to Virgo (simha/avani-tamil) in solar calendar. The festival generally lasts ten days, ending on the fourteenth day of the fortnight (Anant Chaturdashi).

The festival is celebrated by families at home, by people at their places of work and in public. The public celebration involves installing clay images of Ganesha in public pandals (temporary shrines) and group worship. At home, an appropriately-sized clay image is installed and worshipped with family and friends. At the end of the festival, the idols are immersed in a large body of water such as the sea, river or a lake. The clay idols disintegrate over time in the water.

It is celebrated throughout India, especially in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. There is a grand celebration in the state of Maharashtra by traditional instrument called dhol and tasha. It is also celebrated in the other parts of India such as Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala,Goa,Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and other parts ofwestern and southern India. Abroad, Ganesha Chaturthi is observed in the Terai region of Nepal and by the Hindu diaspora in the United States, Canada and Mauritius.

Ganapati Sthapana and Ganapati Puja MuhuratGanesh Puja is preferred during Madhyahna as it is believed that Lord Ganesh was born during Madhyahna Kala. Madhyahna Kala is equivalent to midday according to Hindu division of the day.

As per Hindu time-keeping, the time duration between sunrise to sunset is divided into five equal parts. These five parts are known as Pratahkala, Sangava, Madhyahna, Aparahna and Sayankal. Ganapati Sthapana and Ganapati Puja on Ganesha Chaturthi are done during Madhyahna part of the day and as per Vedic astrology it is considered the most appropriate time for Ganesha Puja.

During midday, Ganesha devotees perform detailed ritualistic Ganesha Puja which is known asShodashopachara Ganapati Puja.

Urjit Patel assumes charge as new RBI Governor

 Mumbai, Sep 5 (PTI) Urjit Patel who took over as the 24th Governor of Reserve Bank will have a tough task in maintaining the legacy of his predecessor, Raghuram Rajan, and balance the need to contain inflation without hurting growth.

Patel assumed charge effective September 4, 2016, after serving as deputy governor since January 2013, RBI said in a statement today.

He was reappointed as deputy governor on January 11, 2016, after the completion of his first three-year term in office.

Ensuring undisruptive redemption totalling USD 20-25 billion, getting used to the idea of Monetary Policy Committee and bank cleanup are the main challenges before the new Governor.

According to Rajiv Kumar, Senior Fellow at Centre for Policy Research, the first task before him is to get used to the idea of working with the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).

"He has to devise a way of working with the committee and getting to the objective of meeting inflation target. Besides, containing food inflation is another challenge before him," Kumar said.

If food inflation raises its head again then what strategy he will employ to contain it, he asked.

Besides, he should work in a manner that RBI versus the Finance Ministry situation is avoided as all the components are working towards inflation control and employment generation and finally what approach he will adopt to clean balance sheet of the bank or strengthen banks.

Among his assignments as deputy governor, Patel chaired the Expert Committee to Revise and Strengthen the Monetary Policy Framework.

"Representing India, he actively participated in steering the signing into force of the inter-governmental treaty and the Inter-Central Bank Agreement (ICBA) among the BRICS nations, which led to the establishment of the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA), a swap line framework among the central banks of these countries," RBI said. .

President of India Presents National Awards to Meritorious Teachers on the Occasion of Teachers’ Day

The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presenting the National Award for Teachers-2015 to Shri S. Muruganandam (Puducherry), on the occasion of the ‘Teachers Day’, in New Delhi on September 05, 2016. The Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Shri Prakash Javadekar, the Ministers of State for Human Resource Development, Shri Upendra Kushwaha & Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey and the Secretary, School Education and Literacy, Dr. Subash Chandra Khuntia are also seen.

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presented National Awards to meritorious teachers from across the country at a function held at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi today (September 5, 2016) on the occasion of Teachers’ Day. 

On the occasion, the President congratulated the distinguished teachers who had been bestowed with the prestigious National Teachers Awards for their excellence and performance and the manner in which they had instilled skills in their students and made them ready to face the challenges of life. He conveyed his ‘Guru Pranam’ to all teachers on Teachers’ Day. 

The President said that the Teachers’ Day is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of former President Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan who was a great scholar and educationist. Quoting Dr. Radhakrishnan he said, “You cannot make or build the nation by just bricks; you have to establish the minds of young people and then alone can the nation building take place”. 

The President said that the Guru-Shishya parampara is integral to our ancient civilization. In ancient days, the Guru's parting advice to students was that they should be truthful, virtuous and not deviate from their conviction. He said that as Visitor to institutions of higher learning, he had repeatedly stressed on the need to focus on improving the quality of education. He said that unless we build a knowledge society we cannot find our rightful place in the comity of nations. 

The President said that if the foundation is not strong, the structure built on it cannot be strong. Teachers thus have a crucial social responsibility during the formative years of the children. In ancient India, for a long period of time, India was a leading centre of higher education and ancient Universities like Nalanda, Taxila etc used to attract mighty minds. This position needs to be revived. 

Modi raises India's concern over CPEC with Xi

Hangzhou, Sep 4 (PTI) India today raised its concern with China over the CPEC which runs through PoK, and terrorism "emanating from the region" as Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Chinese President Xi Jinping the two countries need to be "sensitive" to each other's strategic interests.

Asserting that fight against terror should not be motivated by "political considerations", Modi said it is of "paramount importance that we respect each other's aspirations, concerns and strategic interests" to ensure durable bilateral ties.

In the bilateral meeting with Xi ahead of the G20 summit, Modi raised India's concerns over the USD 46 billion China- Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) being laid through PoK.

Besides a host of energy-related projects, the CPEC consists of rail, road and pipelines to ferry oil and gas from Gwadar port to Kashghar in Xinjiang through PoK.

Replying to a question whether the terrorism emanating from the region where the CPEC is being laid through has been discussed, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup told reporters the issue has been raised during the meeting.

Modi said both India and China need to be "sensitive" to each other's strategic interests and called for specific actions to "prevent growth of negative perception".

"As a matter of principle, both countries would have to be sensitive to each other's strategic interests," Swarup said while touching upon broad themes that Modi stressed upon during his nearly 30-minute bilateral with Xi, their eighth meeting.

"In order to promote positive convergence, we would also need to prevent growth of negative perception. For this, the specific actions by both countries would play the major role," he said.

In particular, Modi highlighted that "we have succeeded in maintaining peace and tranquility on the border", he added.

Condemning the recent suicide bomb attack on the Chinese Embassy in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, in his opening remarks, Modi said it is yet another proof of the continuing scourge of terrorism.

"The Prime Minister reiterated that our response to terror must not be motivated by political considerations," Swarup said.

On his part, Xi said China is willing to work with India to maintain their "hard-won sound" ties and further boost bilateral cooperation.

"China is willing to work with India to maintain their hard-won sound relations and further advance their cooperation", state-run Chinese Xinhua news agency quoted Xi as saying.

About the bilateral relations, which experienced turbulence due to differences over a raft of issues, Modi said in order to make the Asian century a reality, the countries of the continent would have to take responsibility.

The meeting came amid differences over including listing of Pakistan-based terrorist organisations in the UN, China stalling India's membership at the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the CPEC being built through PoK.

Nuns erupt in joy as Mother Teresa is declared saint

A Swiss Guard stands in front of a tapestry depicting Mother Teresa of Calcutta before a mass celebrated by Pope Francis for her canonisation in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican September 4, 2016. 

Kolkata, Sept 4 (PTI) Not known to express their emotion in public, nuns of the Missionaries of Charity today cheered loudly, clapped freely and rang bells the moment Pope Francis declared Mother Teresa a saint.

Decked up with larger-than-life posters of the late Roman Catholic nun, the Mother House, headquarters of the congregation and house of the saint, was kept open throughout the day as visitors poured in to watch the ceremony live on big TV screens and offer flowers at her tomb.

In the afternoon when the Pope declared the 'Blessed Teresa of Calcutta' a saint in the Vatican City, the nuns and visitors present in the Mother House broke into a loud round of applause.

The nuns were not shy in cheering for the Mother in a loud voice and ringing bells in her honour.

There was special mass at 6 AM to celebrate the day before breakfast.

Nuns decorated the Mother House with flowers, portraits of Teresa and lights.

One wall decoration read, "Saint Teresa of Calcutta Pray for Us." 

The sisters of the Order, who don't watch TV or use mobile phones, made an exception as they all remained glued to specially-arranged large screens.

Around 300 of them gathered from nearby homes to watch the canonisation ceremony live.

A large number of foreign visitors also thronged the nun quarters.

India, Vietnam sign 12 agreements

Hanoi, Sep 3 (PTI) India and Vietnam today signed 12 agreements in a wide range of areas covering defence, IT, space, double taxation and sharing white shipping information, signalling a strong upward push in their strategic ties.

The agreements were signed by officials of the two sides in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc here.

"12 for togetherness! India & Vietnam sign a dozen agreements for further strengthening the Strategic Partnership,"

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

Vietnam has shown a keen interest in air and defense production. India's L&T will build offshore high speed patrol boats for Vietnamese Coast Guards, while an agreement was signed on programme of cooperation in UN peacekeeping matters.

Indian Navy and Vietnam Navy will cooperate in sharing of white shipping information.

The pacts included agreement on exploration and uses of outerspace for peaceful purposes, agreement on avoidance of double taxation, health cooperation, IT cooperation, cyber security and agreement on contract and design, building of boat in India, equipment supply and technology transfer.

In addition, MoU between Vietnamese Academy of Social Science and Indian Council of World Affairs, MoU between BIS and STAMEQ for mutual recognition of standards, agreement on setting up of sustainable IT Infra for advanced IT training and protocol between Vietnam and India on celebrating 2017 as 'The Year Of Friendship' were also signed.

John Kerry says despite disagreements Russia and US are ‘important partners’

John Kerry said the US and Russia are cooperating on many issues and remain important partners

NEW DELHI, September 2. /TASS/. In an interview with The Times of India daily, US Secretary of State John Kerry hailed cooperation with Russia on the settlement of topical international issues.

John Kerry said the US and Russia are cooperating on many things. "They were an important partner in the Iran nuclear agreement; they've been constructive in taking fuel and destroying it, limiting the stockpiles," he said.

"We worked together on getting chemical weapons out of Syria. We're trying to get a cessation of hostilities in Syria," he went on.

The US diplomat also touched upon the Ukrainian crisis. "We have disagreements, you have to manage those. Minister Lavrov and I had a constructive day in Geneva," he said.

"If we're thoughtful, clear about our concerns... hopefully we can find a way forward with Russia. It is important that we do," he said.

In reply to the question whether US sanctions could prompt Russia towards closer ties with China, he said "Russia is not going to fall into anybody's arms".

"It is a proud country with enormous history, great talent and capacity," John Kerry said, noting "We wish it would sometimes direct all of that in a more constructive direction".

PM to visit Vietnam; to attend Annual G-20 Leaders Summit in Hangzhou, China

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi emplanes from New Delhi for his bilateral visit to Vietnam and G20 Summit in China, on September 02, 2016.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi would be visiting Vietnam from 2nd September 2016 to 3rd September 2016. Prime Minister will also be attending Annual G-20 Leaders Summit in Hangzhou, China from 3rd September 2016 to 5th September 2016. 

In a series of posts from his Facebook account the Prime Minister said: 

“Greetings to the people of Vietnam on their National Day. Vietnam is a friendly nation with whom we cherish our relationship. 

Today evening, I will reach Hanoi in Vietnam, marking the start of a very important visit that will further cement the close bond between India and Vietnam. My Government attaches a high priority to our bilateral relations with Vietnam. The India-Vietnam partnership will benefit Asia and the rest of the world. 

During the visit, I will hold extensive discussions with Prime Minister Mr. Nguyen Xuan Phuc. We will review complete spectrum of our bilateral relationship. 

I will also meet the President of Vietnam, Mr. Tran Dai Quang, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong; and the Chairperson of the National Assembly of Vietnam, Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan. 

We wish to forge a strong economic relationship with Vietnam that can mutually benefit our citizens. Strengthening the people-to-people ties will also be an my endeavour during the Vietnam visit. 

In Vietnam, I will have the opportunity to pay homage to Ho Chi Minh, one of 20th century’s tallest leaders. I will lay a wreath at the Monument of National Heroes and Martyrs as well as visit the Quan Su Pagoda. 

I will visit Hangzhou, China from 3-5 September 2016 for the Annual G-20 Leaders Summit. I will arrive in Hangzhou from Vietnam where I would have concluded an important bilateral visit. 

During the G-20 Summit, I will have an opportunity to engage with other world leaders on pressing international priorities and challenges. We will discuss putting the global economy on the track of sustainable steady growth and responding to emerging and entrenched social, security and economic challenges. 

India will engage constructively on all the issues before us and work towards finding solutions and taking forward the agenda for a robust, inclusive and sustainable international economic order that uplifts the socio-economic conditions of people across the world, especially those who need it most in developing countries. 

I look forward to a productive and outcome oriented Summit.” 

Modi leaves for tour of Vietnam, China tomorrow

New Delhi, Sep 1 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi sets off tomorrow on a bilateral visit to Vietnam and to attend the annual summit of powerful G-20 grouping in China's Hangzhou where India is likely to seek concrete measures to check terror financing and crackdown on tax evasion.

Modi's first destination will be Vietnam from where he will leave for Hangzhou on September 3 to attend the G-20 summit on September 4 and 5. The Prime Minister will return to India on September 5 and will again leave for Laos on a two-day visit to attend the annual India-ASEAN and East Asia Summits.

In Vietnam, Modi will hold wide-ranging talks with top leadership of the resource-rich country to deepen ties in key areas of defence, security and trade, and ramping up India's engagement in oil exploration.

India's ONGC Videsh Limited is engaged in oil exploration projects in Vietnam for over three decades and there may be announcements about new projects in the sector during the bilateral visit, which is taking place after a gap of 15 years.

At the G-20 Summit, India is likely to raise a host of issues ranging from choking terror funding and checking tax evasion to cutting cost of remittances and market access for key drugs.

On the sidelines of the Summit, Modi will have bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and attend a BRICS leaders' meet. A number of other bilaterals are being finalised, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs Sujatha Mehta told reporters.

She said issues like global tax reform, climate friendly financing and market access for antibiotics are some of the issues likely to be discussed at the meetings. Niti Ayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya is India's sherpa for the G-20 and some of the issues were already discussed in the run up to the summit.

Mehta said there will be deliberations on containing terror financing at the G 20 summit.

There are likely to be detailed deliberations on automatic exchange of tax information at G-20, besides discussion on ways to tackle slowdown of the global economy. India has already agreed to the Automatic Exchange of Information Convention of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental economic organisation of around 35 countries. .

Pak has no locus standi to comment on J&K situation: India

 New Delhi, Sep 1 (PTI) India was today dismissive of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's fresh letter to UN chief on Kashmir, saying any such move will not change the reality that part of Jammu and Kashmir is under Islamabad's "illegal and forcible" occupation and that it has no locus standi to comment on internal situation in the Valley.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup also criticised Pakistan's decision to send 22 parliamentarians as special envoys to highlight the Kashmir issue on different international forums and said it would have been better to send "one envoy with the right message to the right country," indicating that Islamabad should have sent a representative here to discuss cross-border terror.

"They can write as many letters as they want but this will not change the reality on the ground. The reality is that J&K is an integral part of India and part of J&K is under the illegal and forcible occupation of Pakistan.

"As far as internal situation in J&K is concerned, we believe Pakistan has no locus standi in commenting on that and we are perfectly capable of dealing with it," Swarup said.

He was replying to a question on Sharif writing to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for the second time in a month seeking his intervention for sending a fact-finding mission to probe alleged human rights violations in the Valley.

On Sharif's decision to send envoys to various countries to highlight the Kashmir issue, he said the message has to be one of stopping support to cross-border terrorism, ending incitement to violence in Jammu and Kashmir and putting an end to interference in India's internal affairs.

"Sending out 22 envoys is not going to make their baseless and untenable claims legitimate. Instead of sending 22 Envoys with the wrong message to the wrong countries, it would have been better to send one Envoy with the right message to the right country," he said.

Asked about China-Pakistan economic corridor, Swarup said it passes through India's sovereign territory under illegal occupation of Pakistan and that "India would obviously have concerns about any project there happening with third party collaboration." 

On the US Secretary of State John Kerry's comment that Pakistan was also a victim of terror, the MEA Spokesperson said India did not say it was not.

"But we are asking who created that terror. That is the real issue. The thing that needs to be understood how did the victimisation start.

"For us the real issue is that there should not be any differentiation between good terrorist and bad terroist and Kerry had clearly said that," said Swarup. .