Latest news with #ShivrajSinghChouhan
Time of India
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Ministers call for review of 'socialist, secular' words in preamble
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday said "there is no need for socialism in India", adding "secularism is not the core of our culture". Chouhan's remarks assume significance as RSS Thursday called for reviewing the words 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble of the Constitution, saying they were included during the Emergency and were never part of the Constitution drafted by B R Ambedkar. Addressing an event organised at Delhi on 50 years of Emergency, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said, "The Preamble of the Constitution Baba Saheb Ambedkar made never had these words. During the Emergency, when fundamental rights were suspended, Parliament did not work, the judiciary became lame, then these words were added." Speaking at a programme held in Varanasi to mark 50 years of Emergency, Chouhan said, "'Bharat mein samajwad kee zaroorat nahi hai... Dharmanirapeksh hamaaree sanskrti ka mool nahin hai aur issliye is par zaroor vichaar hona chaahiye' (There is no need for socialism in India... 'Secular' is not the core of our culture and hence, this must be deliberated upon)," he said. In indirect support to RSS' call to review the words "socialist" and "secular" in the Preamble of the Constitution, Union minister Jitendra Singh on Friday also said any right-thinking citizen will endorse it because everybody knows that these words were not part of the original Constitution written by Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed Saturday that 'socialism' and 'secularism' are "western concepts", and these words should be struck off Constitution. "How can I be secular? I am a hardcore Hindu. A Muslim person is a hardcore Muslim person. How can he be secular?" Sarma said. Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar Saturday said the words inserted in Preamble through an amendment during Emergency era were a 'nasoor' (festering wound).
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Shivraj slams forest officials, backs tribals in land dispute
Bhopal: Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday lashed out at forest department officials during a public meeting at the Sehore Collectorate, accusing them of harassing tribal communities and tarnishing the govt's image. His remarks came amid protests by tribal villagers opposing the proposed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sanctuary in the district. A large number of tribals gathered at the Collectorate to submit a memorandum demanding cancellation of the sanctuary project. The protestors, hailing from nearly 200 villages, claimed that over 2 lakh tribal residents who have been cultivating forest land for decades are now being targeted and labelled as illegal encroachers. Chouhan, who is also the MP from Vidisha and a senior BJP leader in Madhya Pradesh, assured the community of his full support. "Mama is with you," he told the gathering. "I warn the forest department — do not make the mistake of harassing these people. This will not be tolerated under any circumstances." The tribals allege that despite living and farming on forest land for 25 to 30 years, many have not been issued land rights under the Forest Rights Act, 2006. They claim that several applications submitted through the Van Mitra Portal have not been resolved, leaving them vulnerable to eviction. Chouhan assured the villagers that he would take up the matter directly with CM Mohan Yadav.
India Today
a day ago
- Business
- India Today
India Today Cooperative Summit
The Union government has reiterated its commitment to strengthen the system of cooperatives, which have their roots in India's past. For this, a massive expansion in the distribution and reach of cooperative societies covering all panchayats is on the anvil. The move will allow these primary credit societies to go beyond their legacy mandate of providing short-term agriculture loans to finance multifarious activities, like cooking gas distribution and taxi were among the slew of announcements made at the maiden india today 'Sahkar se Samriddhi' summit in Mumbai on June 20. The event was attended by Amit Shah, Union home minister and minister of cooperation; Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union minister of agriculture and farmers' welfare and minister of rural development; and Devendra Fadnavis, chief minister, Maharashtra, among other said while the country is known for the cooperation movement, it has an uneven presence. It is strong in western states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa, but has been weakened in the northern and eastern states. The government now plans to ensure that not even a single village panchayat is bereft of a cooperative said the government is working to ensure food security and a nutritious diet and soil safety besides increasing agricultural incomes. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan along with NCCF Chairman Vishal Singh, KRIBHCO Chairman Dr Chandra Pal Singh, NCUI Chairman Dileep Sanghani, NAFED Chairman Jethabhai Ahir inaugurating the event advertisementFadnavis pointed out how a sector like cooperatives, which has a rich history, had no separate ministry in the Union government. 'Prime Minister Modiji recognised the power of cooperation and created a separate Ministry of Cooperation for the first time in India,' he summit also saw prizes being distributed to winners of various competitions, grants of equity to three Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) supported by NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd), and distribution of certificates to five FPOs for launch of NAFED Bazaar Shah, Union Minister of Home, Minister of Cooperation The Union government is identifying vacuum areas in the cooperatives sector and will establish 200,000 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) across the country, the Union home minister and minister of cooperation Amit Shah said at the summit. This, he added, would ensure a cooperative society in all the village panchayats in India.'We have computerised all PACS, and almost 52,000 of71,000 PACs have gone live. Model bylaws have been prepared at the central level, and I am happy that all states have accepted them. Under this, the PACS can do 24 types of work,' Shah said. 'They were earlier into short-term agriculture finance, and now they can also be CSCs (Common Service Centres), Jan Aushadhi Kendras, petrol pumps and gas distributors. They would maintain water supply schemes, build godowns, run cooperative taxis, and make air and rail bookings.'advertisementIn three years, the government has launched the National Cooperative Exports Ltd, National Cooperative Organics Ltd and Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Samiti Ltd. These cooperatives will sell agricultural produce in world markets, and the profits will be directly credited to the farmers' bank accounts. Organic products will be certified and sold under the 'Bharat Organic' brand in local and international markets. This will ensure gains for farmers as well as the end-users who will get certified organic products. Shah expressed confidence that in the next 10 years, these three new cooperatives will grow into major institutions like Amul, NAFED, IFFCO and KRIBHCO that serve Singh Chouhan, Union Minister of Agriculture, Farmers' Welfare and Rural Development Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the people of this 1.4 billion-strong country should get a stomach full of food. There was a time when India was forced to eat imported American wheat, but now, Chouhan said, he could 'say with pride' that the country has sufficient stocks of wheat, rice and maize, and is even exporting foodgrains. He added that under PM Narendra Modi's leadership, they have set a roadmap for agriculture, which includes boosting per-hectare production, reducing the capital costs of farming, ensuring remunerative pricing for produce and diversification. 'We are now in the 11th year, and if we consider agricultural production—be it foodgrains, fruits or vegetables—it has risen by 44 per cent under PM Modi's helmsmanship,' he REVIVING ROOTS: 1. Kumar Ram Krishna, Director, Ministry of Cooperation; 2. (from left) Dr Chandra Pal Singh, Dileep Sanghani, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Jethabhai Ahir with the winner of International Year of Cooperatives Painting Competition Rajwi Vinay Nile; 3. Manikrao Kokate with Jethabhai Ahir; 4. Eknath Shinde distributing Franchise Certificate to P. Rajendran; 5. (from left) Yogendra Kumar, Chairman, Seed Cooperative Society; Deepak Pareek, Director, Global Partnerships and Trade, Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture; Kumar Ram Krishna; A.V. Ravindra Prasad, GM, NABARD COLLECTIVE GAIN: 1. (from left) NAFED MD Deepak Agrawal, Dr Chandra Pal Singh, Dileep Sanghani, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Jethabhai Ahir, Vishal Singh and COBI Chairman Ajay Patel release a NAFED booklet, 2. Gajanan Patil of Girnamai Fed Farmer Producer Company Ltd receives equ ity grant from Fadnavis in the presence of Amit Shah, 3. Yogendra Kumar, Chairman, Seed Cooperative Society, 4. A.V. Ravindra Prasad, 5. A performance of Lavni, Maharashtra's traditional dance - Ends advertisement
Scroll.in
a day ago
- Politics
- Scroll.in
‘Secular' and ‘socialist' not core to Indian culture: Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday claimed that the words 'secular' and 'socialist' are not core to Indian culture and called for a discussion on their removal from the Constitution. The Bharatiya Janata Party leader's comments come a day after the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh called for a review of the inclusion of these two terms in the Preamble. The RSS is the parent organisation of the ruling BJP. The words 'socialist' and 'secular' were not part of the Constitution adopted in 1950 and were added in 1976 through the 42nd constitutional amendment. Chouhan made the statement while addressing an event in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi, marking 50 years since the Emergency was declared by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's government in 1975. In a video shared on social media, he said: 'The core of Indian culture is equal respect for all religions and not secular.' Talking about socialism, the former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh added that believing everyone to be like oneself is a core Indian thought. 'There is no need for socialism here,' he said. 'We have all said for long that all should be treated alike. So, the word socialism is also not needed.' #WATCH | Varanasi, UP | Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan says, "The basic sentiment of India is equality of all religions... Secularism is not the core of our culture. The word secularism was added (to our culture) during the Emergency. It should be removed... Live and let… — ANI (@ANI) June 27, 2025 In Jammu, Union Minister Jitendra Singh also supported the RSS's call. ' Any right-thinking citizen ' would agree that these terms were added under exceptional circumstances and were not part of the original Constitution, The New Indian Express quoted Singh as saying. Singh added that Ambedkar crafted ' one of the best Constitutions of the world '' and thus 'if it was not his thinking, then with what thought someone added these words', as per The Indian Express. Meanwhile, on Friday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised the RSS for seeking a review of the two words in the Preamble, saying that the Hindutva organisation's ' mask had come off again '. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) also said on Friday that the Hindutva organisation's 'proposal' ' exposes the RSS' long-standing objective of subverting the Constitution and its intent to transform India into a Hindu Rashtra, in pursuit of its Hindutva project.' In 2015, a controversy erupted after the BJP-led Union government's newspaper advertisements on Republic Day featured a Preamble with the two words omitted. In September 2023, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury claimed that the two words were missing from the Preamble in the copies of the Constitution distributed to the MPs in the new Parliament building. In November, the Supreme Court rejected a batch of petitions seeking the deletion of the two terms from the Preamble to the Constitution. The court said there was no legitimate justification for challenging the constitutional amendment several decades later.
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan reviews IIVR work in UP's Varanasi, urges better farmer outreach, calls for focus on seed quality & natural farming
VARANASI: Union minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan , held a review meeting with scientists of the Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR) at the Circuit House auditorium on Friday. He emphasised the need for agricultural scientists to advance the Developed Agriculture Resolution Campaign and improve communication with farmers. He praised the success of the campaign conducted nationwide and spoke about the continuous rise in food production in the country. He stressed the importance of improving its quality and ensuring the benefits reach farmers. He also highlighted the need to make farmers aware of genome editing, seed treatment, organic farming, and natural farming to boost vegetable production. In addition, he called for a strategy to tackle issues like counterfeit fertilisers, poor-quality seeds, and harmful pesticides affecting farmers. The minister stated that there are 16,000 agricultural scientists in the country working on research and the development of high-quality seeds. He appreciated the Lab to Land programme, saying it enables research to be tailored to farmers' needs. He called for efforts to increase the shelf life of tomatoes, develop crops suitable for dry powder and export, gather scientific data from organic and traditional farming, and accelerate work on gene editing. He also stressed the need for research under the Developed Agriculture Resolution Campaign to be based on farmers' practical requirements. He urged scientists to consider how lessons from the campaign can directly benefit farmers. He also spoke about the importance of increasing production through farmer-led innovations. He said the government is making efforts to increase agricultural output, reduce costs, provide compensation for crop losses, ensure fair prices for produce, and promote natural farming. He stressed the need for better coordination between different departments, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), and the state agriculture department. The minister underlined the importance of preparing a region-specific action plan for the upcoming Rabi season and called for greater resilience in the vegetable production system in light of climate change. He emphasised the need for effective collaboration between agricultural science centres and research institutes to speed up the transfer of technology to farmers. Rajesh Kumar , Director of IIVR, presented a detailed report on the institute's achievements and work with farmers. He shared that under the Developed Agriculture Resolution Campaign, IIVR scientists had engaged with 61,109 farmers across 825 villages in six districts. Sudhakar Pandey, Assistant Director General of ICAR, gave a brief overview of the institute's activities. The meeting was attended by a large number of IIVR scientists and officials, as well as state agriculture department officers and KVK representatives.
