The Return of Technocracy in Indian Politics

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has overturned perceptions of being anti-technocracy by inducting former Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar into his new Cabinet as the Union minister for external affairs. This lateral induction of a career diplomat has been widely welcomed. 

For a government that has been trying to get various domain experts into the ranks of the bureaucracy, this signals an emphasis on expertise as a criterion over the usual considerations.

Jaishankar is regarded not only as a foreign policy maven, but also a sharp strategic mind with a clear view of a complex world full of divergent interests. As an officer of the Indian Foreign Services, he was among those closely involved in the Indo-U.S. Nuclear Deal of 2008 that New Delhi struck with the U.S. under the Manmohan Singh government. 

Under the Modi government, he reportedly helped find a way out of the 2017 Doklam crisis at our border with China. Armed with almost three decades of diplomatic experience, he has been our ambassador to Beijing as well as Washington, and this qualifies him well to help New Delhi pursue India’s interests overseas as a cold war gets underway between China and the U.S.

The world is currently in geopolitical flux, and we need someone in the foreign ministry who combines political acumen with diplomatic dexterity. 

Modi’s choice of Jaishankar suggests the government is ready to put the country’s best resources at work in a field no country can afford to ignore. It also comes as a rebuke to those who feared we’re turning too inward for our own good.

Credit : LiveMint

Relief for farmers and traders by New Government

Major decisions in the first cabinet meeting Modi 2.0:

PM KISAN Scheme for all farmers:

Reiterating its commitment towards the farming community cabinet approved the additional expense of 12,000 crore for PM KISAN extending it to all farmers. A total of 87,000 crore will now be used for PM KISAN Scheme.

Pension scheme for shopkeepers, traders:

Cabinet in its meeting also approved a new scheme that assures minimum monthly pension of Rs 3,000 to all shopkeepers, retail traders and self-employed persons after attaining the age of 60 years.

Programme to control diseases among livestock:

The Cabinet has also approved Rs 13,343 crore programme for control Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Brucellosis. These diseases are common among livestock- cow-bulls, buffaloes, goats, sheep and pigs

WATCH : क्या होता है जब आप छुट्टी के लिए अप्लाई करते है...

भारत मे आज कल प्राइवेट सेक्टर मे छुट्टी मिलना बहुत बड़ी बात है । जंहा विश्व के कई बड़े देशों ने छुट्टी लेना आवश्यक कर दिया है ताकि प्रोडक्टिविटी बढ़े वंही आज भी भारत के निजी क्षेत्र मे छुट्टी ना मिलना बहुत बड़ी समस्या है ।

देखिये ये वीडियो....

All you want to know about "CRED"

If your credit score is 750 or higher, then Congratulations you are eligible for this wonderful Credit Card bill payment app "CRED". If your credit score is 750 or higher you are granted access to the app, else you join a waitlist.

Cred is an initiative of Kunal Shah, founder of FreeCharge. The app aims to make paying credit card bills simpler and reward you for paying them on time. The app asks for your phone number to check your credit score with Cibil, CRIF and Experian.

The app scans any credit cards linked to your phone number and adds them to the app. To manage the cards, Cred requires access to your email account (this is not mandatory).

Cred uses this access to scan credit card statements for hidden charges. Every time you make a payment to your credit card, you earn Cred Coins – each coin is equal to Rs 1. These coins can then be used to claim rewards from vendors like Ixigo and FreshMenu, among others.

You can also use the option to ‘burn’ your coins to win cashback,which is directly credited to your credit card.

You can Give Cred a chance — it looks promising.

Source : Economic Times

These Indian Players might have played their last IPL

This could be the last IPL for few indian players. Take a look...

1. Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf has come to the crease in 8 out of 10 matches this season but has scored more than 10 only once. He has had little time to impact the match at times which is exemplified by five not outs but even when he has had a few overs, Yusuf hasn't made it count. 

2. Murali Vijay

He had proved his mettle in IPL, having done well in previous seasons. However, his form is in question this year and got only 1 game.

 3. Yuvraj Singh

One of the best T20 batsman of India is now unable to perform. This could be his last IPL.

4. Robin Uthappa

Pathetic outing in last league game against Mumbai. Due to his innings KKR unable to cross 150 mark and lost a must win match.

5. Mohit Sharma 

6. Stuart Binny

Both batting and bowling is not upto the mark. Scored only 70 runs and got only 1 wicket in 8 games.

After battering Odisha, Cyclone Fani enters West Bengal, triggers heavy rains

After wreaking havoc in Odisha, claiming 10 lives and unleashing massive destruction on its way, Cyclone Fani entered West Bengal post-midnight on Saturday.

The weakened cylonic storm, downgraded to 'severe cyclonic storm', has crossed Kharagpur and is currently moving in the north-east direction with a wind speed of 90 km/hour. The storm now lies close to Arambagh in Hooghly district, and is 40 km west of Kolkata.

"It is very likely to continue to move north-northeastwards during next 12 hours and emerge into Gangetic West Bengal with a wind speed of 80-90 kmph gusting to 105 kmph by the early morning of May 4," said the India Meteorological Department in a statement.

After entering Bengal, Fani lashed towns and cities including Digha, Haldia, Tajpur, Mandarmani, Sandehskhali, Contai, Diamond Harbour, Bankura, Sriniketan, Asansol, Dumdum and Alipore. Apart from Kharagpur and Kolkata, effects of the storm could also be felt in Burdwan district. Trees were uprooted, power and telecom lines snapped, metal hoardings gave away as the storm swept through Bengal.

Parts of Kolkata and surrounding areas received moderate to heavy rainfall since Friday afternoon.  The rains are expected to continue till early Saturday. No loss of life or any injury has been reported from Bengal so far.

"The severe cyclonic storm Fani entered Bengal at 12.30 a.m. through Odisha`s Balasore. It crossed Kharagpur packing a wind of 70-80 kmph, gusting to 90 kmph," Regional Meteorological Centre`s Deputy Director General Sanjib Bandyopadhyay told news agency IANS. "It is likely to continue further in north, north east direction, and reach the east Burdwan-Hooghly border, and through Nadia go to Bangladesh on Saturday afternoon, weakening into a cyclonic storm, after having triggered rains," he added.

The most powerful tropical storm to hit India in 20 years, Cyclone Fani pummeled through coastal Odisha with wind speeds of over 200 kmph on Friday but failed to cause widespread death and destruction due to massive pre-emptive measures taken by the state government and other agencies. The death toll touched 10, with over 160 injured, as officials awaited information from far-off regions.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik held a review meeting with senior officials on the destruction caused by cyclonic storm Fani in the state. “In the last 24 hours, 12 lakh people have been evacuated to safer locations and they are being taken care of in shelters,” Patnaik told media, adding that full assessment of damage will be possible only after it crosses the state.

The evacuees have been accommodated in over 4,000 shelters, including 880 specially designed cyclone centres where free cooked food is being served to them, he said.

Flight and train operations were affected with around 220 trains on Howrah-Chennai route have been cancelled keeping in view passengers' safety, an East Coast Railway (ECoR) official said. A red alert has been issued in coastal areas and fishermen have been asked not to venture into the sea.

On the other side of the border, Bangladesh too braced for the cyclone, evacuating over five lakh people from coastal areas.

Credit: zeenews