"A clutch of ministers of the Narendra Modi government on Tuesday reached out to Sangh Parivar oufits to ensure that they do not run foul of their agendas. Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, Labour Minister Narendra Tomar, Power Minister Piyush Goyal and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar called on top Sangh leaders - Krishna Gopal and Suresh Soni - at Madhya Pradesh Bhawan to deliberate with the Sangh affiliate organisations about their suggestions on a host of issues.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has anointed the state-backed broadcaster as his media brand of choice, helping shield the government from tough questions and prompting private news outlets to complain that they are being kept out of the loop. Starchy and unpolished, Doordarshan News and All India Radio (AIR) were not the obvious choice for a government that took power in May after a high-octane election campaign that used special effects to beam Modi's image to rallies across the nation.
" Religious motifs like the swastika and trishul (trident) have found their way on to the white, yellow and orange flower elephants and other animals that have been installed at many vantage points in the Capital, the Rail Bhawan roundabout being one of them. While some questioned the logic behind using religious symbols on exhibits being put up for the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan due to start on October 2, the authorities insisted that the likes of the calf elephant, seen holding a garland with its trunk, had only been decorated this way for aesthetics and nothing else..."
On 25 September 2014 before leaving for the USA, Mr. Narendra Modi, addressed his government’s real ‘Alliance Partners’ the top global CEOs based in Delhi, Mr Modi said about FDI, “for Indians is – First Develop India. And to global business developers, I say India is an opportunity. For FDI we can move ahead on the journey of progress by taking this twin definition.” The main thrust of Mr Modi’s speech reveals that for him, FDI means “First Develop Industries”. This is truly the CEO PM India now has.
"The Ghadar Alliance, a US-based educational/watchdog coalition created by concerned citizens in the wake of the BJP victory, today released a comprehensive ‘100-day report’ evaluating the performance of the Modi government’s first 100 days in office. The report, titled “Fast Track to Troubling Times,” is being released as Modi prepares for his first visit to the US as India’s Prime Minister. Modi’s US tour begins on September 26th.
"One hundred days of Modi Sarkar and the feedback from much of the thinking class has been gushing. Nothing extraordinary here because governments have traditionally been allowed a grace period when they are not judged. And there is bound to be more than the usual euphoria when the government in question comes in with a full majority, interpreted as a clear mandate to break free from the past.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi is preparing to address the nation on the radio twice a month. This comes after his promoting himself to a captive audience of school children on Teachers' Day. An exercise is on to solicit the opinion of the Twitterati whether the radio address should be on every second and fourth Sunday of the month or on some other suitable days. One way of looking at this move will be that Modi needs to share his world view with the people of this country directly - without any mediation or distortion.
"I find it hard to think through the current debate on the Planning Commission (PC) outside a few things. The first is a clear centralisation of power at and within the PMO which I cannot help but be alarmed by. It’s all well and good when the decisions are those you agree with and all to easy to forget what centralisation does in the hands of, let’s please not forget so easily, a man whose IMHO has no H.
"Following an order of the Supreme Court on a petition on Monday, the green nod given to nine government and private projects in Gujarat by the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has been kept in abeyance. These projects include a 40-km stretch of road passing through the Wild Ass Sanctuary and a 22-km stretch of Kutch Branch Canal of the Sardar Sarovar (Narmada) Project passing through the Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary.
