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Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'Am among followers of non-violence': PM Modi reacts as ‘Jo humein chhedega' remark draws loud applause at Jain event
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday stirred excitement during a spiritual event by briefly referring to while recalling the remarks of a Jain seer who had spoken before him. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The mention, though indirect, drew a wave of cheers and applause from the audience at Vigyan Bhawan. The loudest response came when invoked the phrase "Jo humein chhedega", that instantly resonated with the audience, which broke into 'Modi Modi' chants. Reacting to it, PM Modi smiled and said, 'I am among followers of non-violence... and I had only said half the sentence... but you completed it... what I mean to say is, even if you did not say it in words, you were giving your blessings to Operation Sindoor. (Ahinsawadiyo ke beech hu.. aur abhi toh aadha vaakya bola hu.. aur aapne poora kar diya.. kehne ka tatparya yeh hai... bhale aapne shabdon mein nahi kaha par aap Operation Sindoor ko aashirwad de rahe the). " 'Jo Hume Chhedega…': PM Modi's Speech on Operation Sindoor Cut Short by Audience. Here's Why PM Modi made these remarks during the centenary celebrations of Acharya Vidyanand Maharaj Ji, a revered Jain spiritual leader and scholar, whose teachings and legacy the prime minister hailed extensively. The event was organised by the ministry of culture in collaboration with the Bhagwan Mahaveer Ahimsa Bharti Trust, Delhi. The prime minister lauded the ancient and enduring values of Indian civilisation, crediting saints and seers for shaping the country's identity. 'Our India is the oldest living civilisation in the world, we are immortal for thousands of years, because our thoughts are immortal, our thinking is immortal, our philosophy is immortal,' he said. Referring to Acharya Vidyanand Maharaj Ji as a "Yug Purush" and "Yug Drashta", Modi praised his contribution to Jain philosophy, revival of the Prakrit language, and social reform. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He noted the Acharya's deep knowledge and literary legacy, including over 50 authored works, and his role in restoring ancient temples. PM Modi also highlighted how his government drew inspiration from such spiritual figures for its welfare policies. 'Whether it is PM Awas Yojana, Jal Jivan Mission, ... they signify the sense of service towards the last person in the social hierarchy,' he said. He reiterated the government's efforts to promote mother tongues, especially Prakrit, which was accorded Classical Language status in October last year. 'In our mission to digitise ancient manuscripts, a large section of it includes Jain religious texts and manuscripts associated with acharyas,' he added. Union culture minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Jain seer Rashtrasant Paramparacharya Shri 108 Pragyasagar ji Muniraj also attended the event. The centenary year, spanning June 28 to April 22, 2026, will include cultural, literary, and spiritual programmes across India.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
India most ancient living civilisation due to immortal ideas, philosophy of seers: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday (June 28, 2025) India is the most ancient living civilisation of the world due to the immortal ideas and philosophies of its saints and seers. Speaking at the centenary celebrations of Jain spiritual figure Acharya Vidyanand Maharaj Ji's birth anniversary here, PM Modi paid rich tributes to his contribution in different fields and asserted that his ideas have inspired the government's welfare schemes. Be it providing house, drinking water or health insurance, the government is ensuring saturation coverage of its welfare measures so that no one is left behind, he said. PM Modi asserted that India is a country where service and humanity is central to its ethos. "When for ages, efforts were being made to quell violence with violence, then India introduced to the world the power of 'ahimsa' [non-violence]," he said. "We have kept the sentiment of serving humanity supreme. Our ethos for serving is unconditional and beyond selfishness, and inspired by 'parmarth' [the Supreme Being]," the PM said. In his address, he added that his government is working by taking inspiration from those ideals. Whether it is PM Awas Yojana, Jal Jivan Mission, Ayushman Bharat Yojana, and other such welfare schemes, they signify the "sense of service" towards the last person in the social hierarchy, he said. All should walk together and grow together - this is the inspiration of Acharya Vidyanand Maharaj Ji, and "this is our resolve," PM Modi said. The event was held at the Vigyan Bhawan and hosted by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the Bhagwan Mahaveer Ahimsa Bharti Trust, Delhi, to honour the 100th birth anniversary of one of India's most revered Jain spiritual leaders, scholars, and social reformers. The revered saint was born on April 22, 1925 in Shedbal, Belagavi (now in Karnataka). "He received his initiation at a young age and went on to become one of the most prolific Jain scholars of modern times, having memorised over 8,000 Jain Agamic verses," the Ministry said. He authored more than 50 works on Jain philosophy and ethics, including Jain Darshan, Anekantvad and Mokshmarg Darshan. Modi extolled Acharya Vidyanand Maharaj Ji's legacy and his contribution to revival of the Prakrit language, restoration of many old temples and his contribution in the fields of literature and music. His life was a unparalleled confluence of 'vidya' (knowledge) and 'anand' (bliss), the PM said. "Our India is the oldest living civilisation in the world, we are immortal for thousands of years, because our thoughts are immortal, our thinking is immortal, our philosophy is immortal," he said. And, the source of this philosophy is "our saints, seers, mahants and acharyas". He asserted that voices of Indian Tirthankars, saints and seers, their teachings, are equally contextual in different eras. Hailing the Jain seer being celebrated as a "Yug Purush" and "Yug Drashta", Modi underlined that through his literature and music, he had endeavoured to revive the ancient Prakrit language. Prakrit is one of the oldest languages of the world. It is the language of sermons of Bhagwan Mahaveer. Ancient texts of Jainism are scripted in this language, he said. Because of those who "neglected their own culture", this language was going out of vogue, the PM said. "We made his efforts, the effort of the government, and last year in October, our government accorded it the status of a Classical Language," he added. Prakrit, representing a spectrum of Middle Indo-Aryan languages, is integral to understanding India's rich linguistic and cultural heritage. "In our mission to digitise ancient manuscripts, a large section of it includes religious texts related to Jainism and manuscripts associated with acharyas," Modi said. "We want to go further on this subject," he said, adding that mother tongues are being promoted in higher education as well. In his address, he again emphasised that his government has vowed to rid the country of "slavery mindset". He also reiterated his nine pledges and urged people to follow them. The pledges are: saving water, planting a tree in mother's memory, cleanliness, going 'vocal for local', travelling to explore different places in the country, adopting natural farming, having a healthy lifestyle, sports and yoga adoption, and helping the poor. Rashtrasant Paramparacharya Shri 108 Pragyasagar ji Muniraj and Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat were also present on the dais at the event. The Jain seer in his address recalled the renaming of Rajpath in New Delhi a few years ago, and demanded that India Gate be rechristened to 'Bharat Dwar', as well as a Prakrit research institute be set up in Delhi. The centenary year will be observed from June 28 to April 22, 2026, with a range of cultural, literary, educational and spiritual initiatives across the country, aimed at "celebrating the life and legacy of Acharya Shri 108 Vidyanand Ji Maharaj", the ministry said in a statement on Friday.
Hindustan Times
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Entire oppn with govt after Pahalgam attack: Rahul in Rae Bareli
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the entire opposition was supporting the measures being taken by the government in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. 'There was a terror attack in Pahalgam a few days ago. You must have heard of the same. We have made it clear to the government that the entire opposition is with you. Take whatever action you want to,' Gandhi said while addressing booth level workers of the party at Dalmau in Rae Bareli on Tuesday. Also, Gandhi, who's the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that the incident had outraged every Indian. He demanded that a special session of parliament be convened at the earliest to discuss the terror attack and demonstrate a collective resolve. At Dalmau, he said the Congress was undergoing a revamp to ensure that the party's government was formed at the Centre and the way to do so went via Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. 'We want to bring about a change and give voice to the poor... We need to get our party strengthened in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. We will form a strong government of INDIA bloc in Bihar and then in Uttar Pradesh. The BJP will be voted out in the next election and INDIA bloc will form the government in Uttar Pradesh.' 'Har Ghar Jal a failure in Rae Bareli' The Rae Bareli MP appeared on a mission as he questioned officials about the implementation of several central schemes in his constituency. Besides questioning the implementation of Rae Bareli Deen Dayal Upadhyay Grameen Kaushal Yojana there, he also asked officials concerned to form a team with public representatives and check the implementation of Har Ghar Jal scheme in his constituency. He asked the officials to get a reality check done on those who were given skill training and then a job, and stated that the scheme was not benefiting the people. 'This scheme has failed completely. We got a survey conducted of 25 of those given skill training under the scheme. Out of them, only three have got placement,' said Gandhi while presiding over a meeting of District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) at Bachat Bhawan here, according to some members who attended the meeting. Some BJP representatives, present in the meeting, opposed the observations that the scheme was a failure and said some vendors might be responsible for lapses and action may be taken against such vendors. A district officer said: 'We have requested the Rae Bareli MP to provide us the details of the survey conducted by him.' Those aware of the development said the district officials had claimed that nearly 1,100 beneficiaries imparted training in several skills had been placed. Gandhi also asked the officers to check the implementation of Har Ghar Jal scheme, which aims to provide piped water to households under the Jal Jivan Mission. He said he got nearly 180 piped water supply connections checked in Rae Bareli and many of them have been verified. He said the district officials should work out a visit of UP Jal Nigam officials and public representatives for joint inspection. He questioned the district administration over Union minister Nitin Gadkari's announcement on March 2 last year about the four-laning of the Rae Bareli-Lalganj Road and the proposed construction of a bypass between Lalganj and Bachhrawan in Rae Bareli. A member who attended the meeting said the officers had no response. Gandhi asked the officers to check whether the '181' women's helpline was responsive, So, an officer dialed the number to verify and handed over the phone to Gandhi there. Those aware of the development said the helpline did not work the last time when Gandhi presided over the meeting of DISHA in 2024. Uttar Pradesh minister of state (Independent charge) for horticulture and agriculture marketing Dinesh Singh and Amethi MP KL Sharma also had some arguments over the agenda of the meeting with the minister claiming that some of the items had been incorporated therein in violation of the guidelines of Union ministry of rural development. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi unveiled a statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose at Civil Lines and inaugurated a solar roof plant and a charging station in his constituency. He also visited the Rail Coach factory in Lalganj area. On Wednesday, the MP is scheduled to visit Amethi, which he won in 2004, 2009 and 2014 but lost in 2019, and inaugurate an open-heart surgery operation theatre at Sanjay Gandhi Hospital in Munshiganj there. He is likely to pay a visit to Indira Gandhi Nursing College at Munshiganj. He will visit the ordnance factory project at Korwa in Amethi. The ordnance factory produces AK-203 assault rifles, a Kalashnikov variant, as part of Indo-Russian joint venture. He is likely to make a brief stop in Kanpur where he will meet the family of Shubham Dwivedi, who was one of the tourists killed in Pahalgam by terrorists on April 22.
Time of India
21-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
PM award for 3 UP IAS officers
Lucknow: Three bureaucrats from Uttar Pradesh received awards from PM Narendra Modi on Monday on the occasion of the 17th Civil Services Day in Delhi. The officers awarded are additional chief secretary Anurag Srivastava for Excellence in Public Administration , Moradabad DM Anuj Singh for creating a library for differently abled and Bahraich DM Monika Rani for her administrative work. Srivastava, a 1992 batch officer, has been recognised for his contribution to the implementation of the Jal Jivan Mission, under which the department extensively used solar power. "I am overwhelmed. The award also means more responsibility to ensure that govt projects are executed with a zero-error approach and 100% accountability," Srivastava said. The Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Public Administration is conferred upon select IAS officers across the country who demonstrate exceptional work. The selection is made from among the Central Govt's top five priority programmes. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo Since Srivastava took charge of the department of Namami Gange and Rural Water Supply, UP became the first state in the country to use solar power on a large scale in the Jal Jeevan Mission project. Of 41,539 projects, 33,157 projects, or over 80%, are using solar energy, generating 900 MW of electricity daily. The use of solar power resulted in a reduction in the cost of water supply in rural areas by more than 50%. It also eliminated the dependence on electricity for water supply. DM Moradabad's efforts in rolling out the Sugamya Pustakalaya programme were also recognised. He has his team, led by the divisional commissioner, set up special resource learning centres for differently abled children. They have won the award under the category of 'Innovation-District' to Team Sugamya Pustakalaya. Currently, four centres are operational in the district, one in each tehsil. Singh said that the effort was initiated around two years back. These libraries cum resource centres have educational material like books in Braille, books with large font etc for differently abled children. There are 4,500 registered with the administration in Moradabad, spread across 1,100 schools. However, there are only 45 special educators for them.
