New Delhi [India], March 5 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday laid emphasis on working hard to make manufacturing in India globally competitive and said that the government’s thinking is “minimum government, maximum governance”.
Addressing a webinar on the Production Linked Incentives scheme through video conferencing, the Prime Minister said successful efforts have been undertaken to encourage the “Make in India” initiative in the last 6-7 years.
“Manufacturing transforms every aspect of the economy, creating an ecosystem. Increasing manufacturing capabilities increases employment generation. We have examples from all over the world where countries have accelerated the development of the country by increasing their manufacturing capacities,” the Prime Minister said.
“India wants to work with the same approach. Thus, our government has brought one reform after another in this sector. Our policy and strategy are clear in every way. Our thinking is – ‘minimum government, maximum governance’. And we expect ‘zero effect, zero defect’,” he added.
Speaking further, the Prime Minister said: “We need to work hard to make manufacturing in India globally competitive. Our production costs, quality and efficiency of products should leave a mark in the global market and we must work together to make this possible. Our products must be user-friendly, most modern, affordable and sustainable.”
We believe that government interference in everything creates more problems rather than solutions. That is why we are emphasising on self-regulation, self-attesting, self-certification, he said.
Asserting on the need for effective engagement of all stakeholders of development, PM Modi said budget and country’s policy-making should not just remain a government process.
“Union Budget and country’s policy-making shouldn’t just be restricted to a government process. Every stakeholder associated with the development of the country should have an effective engagement in it,” he said.
“We need to take big steps and increase our speed and scale (in manufacturing). After COVID’s experience of the last one year, I’m convinced that it’s India’s responsibility and not just an opportunity to move fast in this direction. Manufacturing transforms every segment of the economy,” he said.
“If Production Linked Incentives is for a sector, it will benefit the entire ecosystem associated with that sector. From Production Linked Incentives in auto and pharma, there will be very less foreign dependence related to auto parts, medical equipment and raw materials of medicines,” the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister said the energy sector will be modernised in the country with the help of advanced cell batteries, solar PV modules and steel. Similarly, our Production Linked Incentives will benefit the entire agriculture sector from the textile and food processing sector, he said.
“This year, we are trying to reduce over 6,000 compliances at the state and Central level. Your suggestions and advice are priceless in this relation. With technology, we must reduce such compliances,” he said.
“In the past, industrial incentives were in the form of an open-ended input-based subsidy. Now, it has been transformed to a targeted, performance-based competitive process,” he added. (ANI)

Tirumala (Andhra Pradesh) [India], March 5 (ANI): Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday morning offered prayers at the Lord Balaji temple in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirumala district.
Naidu, who was accompanied by his wife Usha and other family members, reached the temple through Vaikuntham Queue Complex.
“The Vice President, M Venkaiah Naidu today had darshan of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala along with his wife, Usha Naidu and other family members,” read a tweet on the official handle of the Vice President.
“Naidu prayed for peace, prosperity and the well-being of the people in India and the world,” it added.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) officials gave him a traditional welcome at the Maha Dwaram area of the temple. After offering prayers, the Vice President was rendered Vedasirvachanam by Vedic pundits. Later he was presented with a portrait of Sri Venkateswara Swamy by a TTD executive officer. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 5 (ANI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday took a swipe at the Centre over rising inflation in the country, saying that the central government is only pushing the people into the “morass of inflation” to earn tax.
“Inflation is a curse. The central government is only pushing the people into the morass of inflation to earn tax,” Gandhi tweeted in Hindi.
“Raise your voice against the destruction of the country. Join the speak-up against price rise campaign,” he added along with a video where people are seen staging protests against rising prices of fuel and LPG.
The prices of petrol and diesel have increased sharply over the past few days, with that of petrol touching the 100-rupee mark in some of the cities. Opposition parties have held protests in different parts of the country over the rising prices of fuel. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 5 (ANI): A 22-year-old woman allegedly hanged herself after killing her two children in Delhi’s Shakurpur area on Thursday night, the Delhi Police informed.
As per a statement by the police, the bodies of the three were found by the woman’s husband who was at work at the time of the incident.
“After coming home from work, he saw them hanging from the window. With the help of the neighbours, the door of the room was broken, which was locked from inside. An inquiry revealed that the husband and wife had had an argument that morning over a trip to their native village, Madhubani in Bihar, for a ‘Mundan’ ceremony,” the statement said quoting Deputy Commissioner of Police North-West, Usha Rangnani.
The couple had been married for five years.
The bodies have been preserved for postmortem.
Further investigation is underway. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 5 (ANI): Various Urdu newspapers published from New Delhi on Friday covered news on firing during anti-military coup protests in Myanmar.
The remark by Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi on wastage of people’s money to sell government companies has also been covered prominently.
Inquilab: “Myanmar: Many cities have turned into a battleground, open firing” featured as the headline on page one. According to the Urdu daily, 38 people were killed in protests against the military coup in Myanmar.
Security forces opened fire on protestors. Several people, including journalists, have been arrested and a curfew has been imposed in many cities, it reported.
The Urdu daily also referred to the United Nations’ meeting over the military coup.
It also reported that the remark by Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi that it is a wastage of people’s money to sell government companies. She also blamed demonetisation for economic disaster in the country.
Rashtriya Sahara: The Urdu daily pointed out Delhi High Court’s directions Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech to disclose their capacities to manufacture Covaxin, Covishield vaccines respectively. The court said we are not able to provide vaccines to our citizens but we are selling them to other countries.
The newspaper also reported an incident where six people of a family attempted suicide by consuming poison in Gujarat’s Vadodara due to loss in business. Three of them have died, while the condition of the remaining three is critical, it reported.
Hindustan Express: It reported Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, along with his parents, receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Urdu daily also mentioned External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s visit to Bangladesh. (ANI)

Kothagudem (Telangana) [India], March 5 (ANI): The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has apprehended eight Naxal couriers with 350 electric detonators, nine liquid gelatin stick wires in the Bhadradri Kothagudem district of Telangana.
The CRPF troops apprehended the Naxal couriers at around 11 am on Thursday during a regular vehicle checking duty.
“350 electric detonators, nine liquid gelatin stick wires, a motorcycle and cash were recovered from their possession,” said a CRPF official.
Further investigation is underway. (ANI)