Op-Sindoor outreach team visits Ambedkar Museum in London

New Delhi, April 3 (IANS) The second edition of the three-day Startup Mahakumbh 2025 officially kicked off at Bharat Mandapam here on Thursday, with the event standing as the largest gathering in India’s startup ecosystem, featuring over 3,000 startups showcasing their latest technologies, products, and services.

Delegates from more than 50 countries will participate,

The Startup Mahakumbh is set to create a buzz in Delhi. Dubbed the world’s biggest event of innovation and entrepreneurship, it will bring together over 3,000 startups, over 1,000 investors and incubators, and more than 10,000 delegates from over 50 countries, providing an unparalleled platform to shape the future of India’s entrepreneurial landscape.

Pavilions representing 10 dynamic sectors have been set up at the event, including AI, Deeptech, Cybersecurity, Health Tech, Biotech, Agri Tech, Energy and Climate Tech, Incubators and Accelerators, D2C, FinTech, Gaming and Sports, Defense and Space Tech, and Mobility.

Organised under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and the Startup India initiative of the Centre, the event aims to provide startups with opportunities for funding, networking, and global connections.

In his address at the event, Minister of State for Information and Technology Jitin Prasada expressed optimism about India’s growth prospects. “India is in safe hands. We are committed to becoming a developed nation by 2047. We have the talent, the skills, and an agile government. Unlike others, our government has been consistently elected for three consecutive terms under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. Together with stakeholders like you, we will collaborate to build a stronger, more creative, and vibrant India, fulfilling our commitment to the people of India,” he said.

Speaking to IANS, Uttar Pradesh IT and Electronics Minister Sunil Kumar Sharma highlighted the significance of the event, saying: “The Maha Kumbh of Prayagraj taught the world the essence of making records. Similarly, Startup Mahakumbh is setting new benchmarks in our country’s development sector, showcasing new talents and driving India toward becoming a developed nation.”

“Since 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has posed new challenges in the world of startups, and in Uttar Pradesh, (Chief Minister) Yogi Adityanath has demonstrated how economic progress can be achieved through well-managed events. The UP pavilion at Startup Mahakumbh will showcase the state’s vibrant startup ecosystem, with over 15,000 registered startups. The leadership of UP’s Chief Minister deserves recognition for effectively managing the Maha Kumbh, and this event reflects that same spirit of progress.”

–IANS

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Chandigarh, April 6 (IANS) Vowing to fight again to resume “morcha” for farmers’ rights, at right time, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, 70, on Sunday announced to end his 132-day-long fast onto death, but said he would continue leading the protest over the demands of the farmers, including a legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

Dallewal was, however, categorically clear in saying that the struggle to realise the legal right of minimum support price on crops as per C2+50 per cent would continue and for that “all need to come prepared, and for it, if needed be, they would again start the sit-in protest at appropriate time.”

The announcement to end the fast that started on November 26 last year was made by the convener of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) at a Kisan Mahapanchayat organised by the BKU (Sidhupur) in Sirhind town in Fatehgarh Sahib district of Punjab, where activists of Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) gathered in strength to rally support the ongoing protests.

Without mincing words, Dallewal, who reached the venue in a wheel-chair, said, “Even as I wanted to continue with the fast till all the 12 demands are met but as more and more demands were pouring in asking me to visit various states to mobilise farmers for national-level struggle for bigger issues concerning farming, going by those appeals and aiming to reach out farmers from across the country, I decided to accept those appeals”.

The demand for the MSP “will be achieved through a long struggle, and not in a day,” and it was imperative to provide economic independence to farmers, he said, adding, “Thousands have called me bapu (father). So, I have to work hard for my future generations.”

The development to end the fast came a day after Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan appealed to Dallewal to end his hunger strike.

“The series of discussions between representatives of the Government of India and farmer organisations regarding their demands is ongoing. Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal has now returned from the hospital, and we wish him a speedy and complete recovery. At the same time, we request him to end his fast, as we will meet with the representatives of farmer organisations for discussions on the pre-scheduled date of May 4 at 11 a.m.,” Chouhan wrote on X.

Joining his colleague, Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu also appealed to Dallewal to end the hunger strike.

The last round of the talks, the third one, by the Central government with protesting farmers, mainly from Punjab, was held on March 19 here with Union Minister Chouhan, who reiterated the government’s commitment to the welfare of farmers. Chouhan had told the media that talks were held in a constructive manner and they will go on. The farmer leaders reiterated their long-pending demands, including a legal guarantee on the MSP for crops.

The government and the farmers had a constructive and cordial discussion lasting more than three hours, during which various legal, economic and other dimensions of the farmers’ demands were explored and highlighted, a statement had said.

Chouhan was joined by his Cabinet colleagues Pralhad Joshi and Piyush Goyal, while Punjab was represented by Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian. Farmer leaders, including Dallewal, were present.

Based on discussions in the last meeting, the government has decided to conduct stakeholder consultations with farmer organisations across the country, as well as with governments of states and union territories, and other stakeholders, including traders, exporters and the food processing industry. It has been decided to continue the talks in a positive spirit, after the stakeholder consultations.

However, the Union Ministers had assured the farmers that the government would continue to pay a patient ear to the concerns of farmers and other stakeholders and that it would act in the interest of farmers. “The interest of farmers is paramount,” the ministers had assured the farmers. They appealed to the farmer community to adopt the path of dialogue and talks rather than of protest, noting that solutions will emerge only from dialogue and discussion.

Soon after the conclusion of the third round of talks, farmer leaders, including Sarwan Singh Pandher and Dallewal, were detained and kept at different locations. Simultaneously, farmers who had been staging a sit-in protest for over a year and had raised temporary structures on two crucial borders linking Punjab with Haryana were forcibly evicted.

Justifying the government action, Punjab’s Finance Minister Harpal Cheema had said the step was necessitated for the economic growth of the state. “It is important that we fight against unemployment too,” he said.

–IANS

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Hyderabad, May 1 (IANS) Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said on Thursday that if the BJP had won 400 Lok Sabha seats, “it would have scrapped reservation and changed the Constitution”.

Revanth Reddy said the opposition parties and people foiled the BJP’s plans by limiting it to 240 seats.

Addressing a press conference, he said that if the BJP had secured 400 seats, it would also not have decided to conduct a caste census.

He also claimed that the Narendra Modi government was politically compelled to decide to conduct a caste census along with the next population census.

“Because we alerted the people, they did not give the BJP a majority and limited it to 240 seats. Unable to implement its agenda and to save the coalition government, it agreed to conduct a caste census,” he said.

The Congress leader pointed out that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and others who are in the coalition government in the poll-bound state were demanding caste census.

“Till yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP spoke against the caste census. (Defence Minister) Rajnath Singh said this on record. They gave an affidavit in the Supreme Court that they would not conduct a caste census. Why have they changed their mind? This is because we alerted people and they denied the majority to them,” he said.

He claimed that the Bharat Jodo Yatra of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi helped the people of this country. “Because of our pressure, the Central government has come forward to undertake a caste census,” he said.

Revanth Reddy said PM Modi admitted that Telangana is a pioneering state in undertaking the caste census. “Since Narendra Modi is following me, the local BJP leaders are feeling jealous of me,” he said.

The Chief Minister also remarked that the Prime Minister accepting a suggestion of the Leader of Opposition augurs well for the country. He pointed out that Rahul Gandhi appreciated the Centre for its decision.

Replying to a query, he said the Supreme Court did not impose a 50 per cent cap on reservation but only observed that there should be proper data for enhancing the quota.

–IANS

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