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A Hindu Wrote Pakistan’s First National Anthem? Jitendra Singh Recalls Forgotten Tale

April 10, 2025, 1:43 pm

The News18 Rising Bharat Summit in Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on 8-9 April saw Dr. Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, point out an underpublicized piece of history:

“And one more fact, which is not much talked about is that on the 14th of August, the midnight when Pakistan was granted independence, the very first national anthem was written by a Hindu poet called Jagan Nath Azad.”

Jinnah’s Role in Choosing the First Anthem

Jitendra Singh expounded that Pakistan’s founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, appointed a committee of poets to write the country’s first anthem. Seeing Azad’s name on the list, Jinnah said: “Look, let’s have this, we might send out a message.”

Azad’s composition began with “Sar Zameen-e Pakistan,” dedicating it to the motherland. Dr. Jitendra Singh noted: “And then, of course, later on, it got changed. Then Hafiz Jalandhri wrote, Jo Aaj Kal Hai.”

Azad finished writing the anthem within five days, and it was immediately approved and played on Radio Pakistan.

Disputes Over Historical Accuracy

It is disputed, however, by some historians. A 2011 Dawn report pointed out that there is no concrete evidence that backs Azad’s claim, and official accounts do not note an anthem aired during the ceremony of independence.

Some Pakistani scholars, such as Aqeel Abbas Jafri in his book Pakistan ka Qaumi Tarana: Kya Hai Haqeeqat, Kya Hai Fasana, have disputed the allegation on the basis of absence of contradictions in Azad’s interviews.

Azad’s Personal Story During Partition

Jitendra Singh also shared Azad’s individual experiences during the partition: “He would derive great sadist pleasure in narrating that at the time when my national anthem was being written, he himself was fleeing away from there.”. Some of my Muslim neighbours approached me and said, ‘Sir, your anthem is being played it’s a matter of great pride but we fear that with the riots taking place here, something could happen to you, and we may not be able to save you.’

Legacy of Jagan Nath Azad and Jinnah’s Vision

Azad was a renowned scholar of Allama Iqbal and kept writing and touring the subcontinent for academic activities even after Partition.

As Singh pointed out, it also reflected Jinnah’s initial vision of an inclusive Pakistan, even if that vision later gave way to more conservative influences in the years that followed.

In today’s climate of polarised narratives, Singh’s remarks serve as a poignant reminder of shared histories.

Parliament Budget Session: Discussion on ‘White Paper’ to be held in Lok Sabha today

February 9, 2024, 9:55 am

Foreseen commotion looms in the Lok Sabha on Friday as members delve into discussions on the ‘White Paper’ put forth by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. This document draws parallels between the economic management during the ten-year tenure of the Congress-led UPA government and that of the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled dispensation. According to the day’s agenda in the Lower House, the Finance Minister will propose, “That this House do consider the White Paper on the Indian Economy and its impact on the lives of the people of India.”

Sitharaman’s nearly 60-page White Paper, presented in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, underscores the banking crisis as a significant and infamous legacy of the UPA government. It argues that the UPA government abandoned reforms after assuming power in 2004, failing to build upon the strong foundation laid by the preceding BJP-led NDA government. The document asserts that the economic growth between 2004 and 2008 was primarily due to the “lagged effects” of the NDA government’s reforms led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The White Paper censures the UPA leadership for disregarding reforms and not capitalizing on the burgeoning economy, despite claiming credit for high growth. It accuses the UPA government of interfering in the lending decisions of public sector banks, contributing to the banking crisis. The document also highlights scandals in defense compromising defense preparedness and mentions delays in the acquisition of weapons.

Additionally, the White Paper touches on the “coal scam,” spotlighting arbitrary coal block allocations before 2014. Controversies such as the 2G spectrum scam, coal gate scam, and the Common Wealth Games (CWG) are cited, reflecting negatively on India’s image as an investment destination.

In the Rajya Sabha, the Union Minister of State for Home, Nityanand Rai, will present the Jammu and Kashmir Local Bodies Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, while Union Minister Jitendra Singh will move the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024.

The Lower House concluded the Interim Budget exercise on Wednesday with the passage of the Finance Bill, 2024, presented by the Union Finance Minister on February 1 during the ongoing Budget Session. The session, initially scheduled to conclude on February 9, has been extended by a day until February 10.

Centre relying on tech for delivering services to citizens: Jitendra Singh

December 23, 2023, 2:27 am

Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh on Friday said the Centre is making maximum use of technology to ensure hassle-free delivery of services to the citizens.
He said that transparency, accountability and citizen-centricity became the hallmark of the country’s governance model ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took over in 2014.

“The era of working in silos is long over. The government is making maximum use of technology to ensure hassle-free delivery of services to the citizens. Capacity building programmes enable us to be ready for that,” Singh said.
Addressing Dr Rajendra Prasad National Convention III (series of memorial lectures) on ‘G20 people centric governance and public policy’, organised by the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) here, the minister said citizen-centric governance will evolve into an increasing role of the citizens in the decision-making process.

Beginning with India’s vaccine success story in January, Singh said, the year gone by with just a week left, witnessed Prime Minister Modi’s citizen-centric governance model.
“India’s prestige as a space power was well-established by the flawless landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the virgin south polar region of the moon,” he said.

Talking about India’s emergence in the comity of nations, Singh said that India was earlier not taken seriously, but now the world has veered around to the agenda set by Prime Minister Modi and India at the G20.

“Over 200 meetings of the G20 were held at 65 cities across India during the course of the year. Assuming a leadership role on climate change, PM Modi stressed on Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment). With the target of net zero by the year 2070, as committed by PM Modi, India is well set on course to achieve its staggered emission targets,” Singh said.
“From issues like terrorism, cyber security to anti-corruption, the G20 meetings chaired by India throughout the year have been very successful,” he added.

The minister said India is today among the leading five or six nations in the world using quantum technology.
“Our CPGRAMS (Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System) public grievances portal, DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) and SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages Abadi and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) programmes are cited the world over as technology-driven people-centric reforms,” Singh said.
“Today the world is ready to be led by India,” he added.

India News Manch 2023: Jitendra Singh accuses opposition of exploiting Article 370 for political mileage

December 14, 2023, 2:21 pm

India News Manch, the country’s largest political platform, continues at the NDMC Convention Centre in Delhi. The program, initiated on Wednesday, December 13, is now in its second day. It’s a three-day event, concluding on Friday, December 15, 2023. Minister of State for the Ministry of Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh, shared his perspectives on India News questions.

Opposition thrived on the politics of Article 370 – Jitendra Singh

Criticizing the opposition for its stance on Article 370, Jitendra Singh said, ‘When the Supreme Court made its decision, what was left for them to say? If the opposition’s politics revolved around Article 370, it’s unfortunate for them now.”

Jitendra Singh comments on the results of three states:

Speaking on the results of the three states, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said, ‘What Modi Ji says, he does. He consistently fulfills his guarantees. He works hard day and night. He respects every section of society. Look at the Vishwakarma Yojana; he is working for every category. People in Rajasthan understood how the double-engine government of Modi Ji is functioning.’ Speaking about the Sankalp Yatra and the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the Union Minister said that since 2014, Prime Minister Modi has been continuously providing schemes to the people.”

Jitendra Singh : Chandrayaan-3 proved India’s cost-effective space mission capability

August 27, 2023, 2:04 pm

According to Union Minister of State for Space Jitendra Singh, Chandrayaan-3 has demonstrated India’s capacity for missions to space at a reasonable cost.

Speaking at an interactive meet of intellectuals, prominent citizens and media persons in Indore on Saturday, “The Russian moon mission, that was unsuccessful, cost Rs 16,000 crore, and our (Chandrayaan-3) mission cost just around Rs 600 crore. Consider, Hollywood films based on moon and space Missions cost over Rs 600 crore.”
He said India’s space missions are designed in such a way that it is cost-effective. India, he said, has learned to compensate for costs through skills.
“Questions will arise, how? We made use of gravitational forces, the spacecraft made about 20 orbits of the earth, each rising in parabola, until it escaped and was captured in the Moon’s gravity and it made 70-80 revolutions of the moon before landing at the designated spot,” he said.

Jitendra Singh claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced the “Anusandhan National Research Foundation” Bill, passed by the Lok Sabha in the most recent session of Parliament, with a budget of Rs 50,000 crore for more than five years, in order to involve the private sector in R&D initiatives. “It will change the game when fully implemented. We are developing a special Public Private Partnership (PPP) entity, for which the private sector—mostly business—will provide Rs 36,000 crore of the research funding and the government will contribute Rs 14,000 crore, the official said.

ISRO: Chandrayaan-3 successfully completes last moon-bound manoeuvre

August 16, 2023, 1:42 pm

On 16 August, Wednesday, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully carried out the final orbit reduction process of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft. This action was carried out a week ahead of its scheduled landing on the moon.

ISRO, on Wednesday, said, “Today’s successful firing, needed for a short duration, has put Chandrayaan-3 into an orbit of 153 km x 163 km, as intended. With this, the lunar bound manoeuvres are completed.”

Speaking on the success, Union Minister Jitendra Singh posted on X, “A step closer towards the MOON! Today’s successful firing, needed for a short duration, has put Chandrayaan3 into an orbit of 153 km x 163 km, as intended. With this, the lunar bound maneuvres have been completed.”

ISRO is trying to make a successful soft landing on the Moon, which will make India the fourth country in the world to achieve the goal, joining a lot of the United States, Russia and China.

Chandryaan-3 was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota on 14 July 2023. It is scheduled to land on the South Polar region of the Moon on 23 August 2023.

Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar mission, traces the country’s second attempt at a gentle lunar landing. This mission is a follow-up to Chandrayaan-2, the moon mission that was not able to achieve its goal in 2019. This mission will showcase the country’s complete ability for a secure lunar landing.

“G20 meet is the best opportunity to showcase J-K”: Union Minister Jitendra Singh

May 21, 2023, 10:05 pm

The G20 summit, according to Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday, is the ideal venue for showcasing Jammu & Kashmir’s recent rise.
The third meeting of the G20 Tourism Working Group has been slated for May 22–24, 2023, in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, and will be hosted by India. This is encouraging, Jitendra Singh stated in an interview with Reuters. Delegates will start arriving tomorrow morning, but the G20 will officially commence on Tuesday. In Srinagar and the Kashmir Valley, the G20 summit is taking place. Srinagar is one of the locations that was picked among the others.

“This in itself is evidence that things are very different currently from how the situation in J&K is portrayed by some media outlets or on a global scale. A new scene has emerged in J&K. This is the outcome of the honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resolute policy, he continued of describing the attendees, Singh noted that “the delegation from the G20 will be there, aside from that, 10 other invitee countries, in which six or seven countries that are connected to us through tourism will also be present.” There will be a few volunteer organisations.

“I’d like to say that these are the delegates who will return and may inform the world of not only Jammu & Kashmir but also of all of India’s realities. The youth in Srinagar do not want to deny themselves of the numerous chances that have been made accessible for Indian youth under the leadership of the Prime Minister. The young people in Jammu and Kashmir are aspirational, intelligent, and eager to advance. The G20 will be organised in J&K as part of the main event in the same manner as it was elsewhere, Singh said.

According to the Union Minister, any programme held in Kashmir will draw attention due to the region’s beautiful appeal and the fact that it has resumed after an awful hiatus of 20 to 25 years.
The so-called critics either refuse to believe that normalcy has been restored in Kashmir or don’t believe because it serves their own interests. This is the opportunity to disprove what they are saying, he continued.

Under PM Modi, the number of start-ups tripled :Union Minister Jitendra Singh

April 10, 2023, 3:44 pm

Union Minister Jitendra Singh stated at the National Innovation Awards on Monday that the number of start-ups in India had increased 300 times in the last nine years.

Jitendra Singh, who holds multiple important portfolios, was addressing at an event at Rashtrapati Bhavan when President Droupadi Murmu gave National Innovation Awards to “Grassroot Innovators.” Jitendra Singh stated that there were approximately 350 StartUps prior to 2014, but after Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a clarion call in 2016, their numbers increased to more than 90,000, including more than 100 Unicorns.

Speaking about the opening up of space sector for private players, he said more than 100 StartUps have come up in the space sector within just about three years. Similarly, biotech StartUps went up from around 50 to nearly 6,000.
Further, Jitendra Singh said that India had no dearth of talent, capability, innovation and creativity among the youth but it was lack of political leadership, which according to him was provided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

By bringing in National Education Policy 2020, he said it gave emphasis to skill and not only to academic degrees and prepared individuals for earning livelihood according to their aptitude and skill.

Union Budget 2023: Here’s what Dr. Jitendra Singh has to say

February 2, 2023, 5:13 pm

In a recent interview with newsX, Dr. Jitendra Singh presented his views on Union budget 2023. Dr. Singh is an Indian physician and politician. He is the Minister of State for the Ministry of Science and Technology and Minister of state for ministry of earth science.

TDG NETWORK: The FM spoke about the Amrit Kaal which is at play here. Do you think that this grand scheme of things is being understood by the common man?

Dr Jitendra: I believe so. All the things are unfolding in a very substantial way one after the other. For example, in the global innovation index, we have jumped 40 ranks higher, from 81 to 40. In the startup ecosystem, we are number 3. It gives a huge degree of self-esteem to the common Indian citizen. We have overtaken the economy of the UK, a country which ruled over us for 200 years has been overtaken despite so many restrictions and constraints that we face. Over the last 8-9 years Prime Minister Modi has sought to streamline and channel the resources in the most optimum way, most objectively and scientifically. Look at the concept which was mentioned today the aspirational blocks and districts. I was highly impressed when PM Modi presented this concept. It is absolutely out of the box. Earlier on, we had a backwards district with subjective parameters. Here we have 41 aspirational districts. So we are preparing ourselves over the last 8-9 years and in the next 25 years, I am sure we are going to be a front-line nation.

Bharat Biotech launches first India-made nasal Covid vaccine iNCOVACC

January 26, 2023, 4:54 pm

On the occasion of the 74th Republic Day Bharat Biotech’s first India-made nasal Covid-19 vaccine, iNCOVACC was launched by Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya and Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh on Thursday.

“Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL), a global leader in vaccine innovation and developer of vaccines for infectious diseases, today dedicated iNCOVACC® (BBV154) to the nation, the world’s 1st COVID intranasal vaccine for Primary series and Heterologous booster,” release stated.

The statement further reads “Product development and clinical trials for iNCOVACC® were funded in part by the Government of India, through the Department of Biotechnology’s, Covid Suraksha Program.”

Meanwhile, from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) it got the approval “for iNCOVACC® to be administered for primary series and as heterologous booster doses”

“Amid growing Covid-19 cases and emerging variants of the highly transmissible virus, a booster dose of the vaccine becomes imperative. iNCOVACC® is now available on CoWIN, and priced at INR 800 for private markets and INR 325 for supplies to Govt of India and State Governments,” the statement read.

“iNCOVACC® is a recombinant replication-deficient adenovirus vectored vaccine with a pre-fusion stabilized spike protein. This vaccine candidate was evaluated in phase I, II, and III clinical trials with successful results,” it stated further.

Moreover, through nasal drops, the vaccine will be formulated to allow intranasal delivery. The vaccine is designed and developed to be cost-effective.

“As needleless vaccination, Bharat Biotech’s iNCOVACC® will be the world’s first such booster dose. India will now have more options when it comes to third doses or precautionary doses,” it said.

“Clinical trials and extensive humoral and cell-mediated responses were conducted to evaluate iNCOVACC® as a primary dose schedule, and as a heterologous booster dose for subjects who have previously received two doses of the two commonly administered Covid-19 vaccines in India. The intranasal vaccine is stable at 2-8°C for easy storage and distribution and has been designed for efficient distribution and easy pain-free administration,” it informed further.

Despite the relatively low demand for Covid vaccines, “Bharat Biotech continued product development in intranasal vaccines, to be well-prepared with platform technologies for future infectious diseases. Bharat Biotech has also initiated the development of variant-specific vaccines for COVID in an attempt to be future-ready”.

“iNCOVACC® was developed in partnership with Washington University, St. Louis, which had designed and developed the recombinant adenoviral vectored construct and evaluated it in preclinical studies for efficacy. Product development related to preclinical safety evaluation, large-scale manufacturing scale-up, formulation, and delivery device development, including human clinical trials, were conducted by Bharat Biotech. The Technology Development Board, Govt of India has been instrumental in debt financing for commercial scale manufacturing facilities,” it said.

However, Dr. Krishna Ella, executive chairman, of Bharat Biotech, said, “With the rollout of iNCOVACC® today, we have achieved our goal of establishing a novel vaccine delivery platform for intranasal delivery. It proves that India can innovate for itself and for the world. We and the country are well prepared for future Covid-19 variants and future infectious diseases. We reaffirm our commitment to India, to lead innovation and develop novel vaccine technologies for combating infectious diseases and public health globally. We have proven these capabilities and expertise time and again with innovative vaccines such as TYPBAR TCV, ROTAVAC, JENVAC, COVAXIN, and others. Bharat Biotech is a leading global developer and manufacturer of vaccines with more than 7 billion doses manufactured to date.”

Suchitra Ella, MD, said, “It is exemplary that India has not only served herself during the pandemic challenges, but also a strong provider to the global platform in distributing vaccines and medicines to over 150 countries. With iNCOVACC® – the world’s 1st intranasal Covid vaccine, we are privileged to defend the nation’s health with global quality and scale.”

8th India International Science Festival inaugurated in Bhopal

January 21, 2023, 10:46 am

The 8th India International Science Festival (IISF) has begun on Friday in which 8000 participants from across the country will participate. International Science Festival is being held in Madhya Pradesh for the first time. At the inauguration, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will be the chief guest and Union Science and Technology Minister Dodge Jitendra Singh will be the special guest. However, the program will run from 21 January to 24 January at the National Institute of Technology (MANIT).

Union Minister Jitendra Singh to visit UAE

December 4, 2022, 3:43 pm

Dr. Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister for Science, Technology, and Space, will travel to the United Arab Emirates. On December 5, 2022, he is scheduled to attend the first Abu Dhabi Space Debate. Along with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Singh will speak at the opening ceremony of the Abu Dhabi Space debate.

Jitendra Singh will highlight the recent policy changes made by India in the space sector in his speech at the inaugural ceremony. Along with the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the UAE, the Foreign Minister of Bahrain, and the Minister of Advanced Technologies of Israel, he will also take part in the Ministerial Plenary on the “Role of Foreign Policy in Enabling Space Diplomacy and International Cooperation.”

According to the pre-departure release on the visit of Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh, he will hold delegation-level discussions with the UAE’s Minister of State for Advanced Technology, Sarah Al Amiri, and the Chairperson of the UAE Space Agency to discuss how to further strengthen bilateral space cooperation between the two countries.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) involving cooperation in the exploration and use of space for peaceful purposes was signed in 2016 between the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the UAE Space Agency (UAESA). Notably, the PSLV launched the UAE’s first nanosatellite, “Nayif-1,” from Sriharikota. This satellite was created to collect environmental space data.

According to the press release, the “immense potential” of India and the UAE in the space sector will add a new level of depth to bilateral relations between the two countries. The UAE is an emerging space power in the region and has advanced quickly over the past 25 years of its space voyage, according to the pre-departure release on Dr. Jitendra Singh’s visit.

UAE launched its Hope Probe Mars mission in July 2020, and it orbited Mars in February 2021. UAE is the sixth country in the world and the first Arab country to launch a Mars mission. Rashid Rover or the Emirates Lunar Mission are both being prepared for launch by the UAE.

The press release highlighting the UAE’s advancement in the space sector noted that Hanzala Al Mansoori, who travelled to the International Space Station (ISS) for eight days in September 2019 via a Russian spacecraft launched from Kazakhstan, was the first Emirati to do so.

Another astronaut from the UAE was selected this year to embark on a six-month crew rotation journey to the International Space Station (ISS). India and the UAE have “very close and friendly relations,” the press release claims.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, the two countries’ relations were upgraded to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2017.

India and the UAE signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement earlier this year, and they intend to increase bilateral trade from the existing USD 72 billion to USD 100 billion in the next five years.

‘PM Modi completed more than 20-21 years as a head’; says Dr. Jitendra Singh

November 16, 2022, 6:35 pm

The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Science and Technology and Minister of State (Independent Charge) ministry of earth science and Minister of State for Prime Minister’s Office; Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions; Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space Dr. Jitendra Singh attended the second Capital Dialogue at Constitution Club in Delhi which was organized by The Sunday Guardian Foundation.

The Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh talked about multiple aspects like Indian Space, Jammu and Kashmir Development and Citizen Centric Governance. Dr. Jitendra Singh talked about different schemes of BJP and also explained the concept of citizen-centric governance in which he praised Prime Minister Modi.

Talking about Prime Minister Narendra Modi Singh said, “As the government is concerned, I think it’s a very proud coincidence that we have as the head of the state supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is possibly the only head of the state who has completed more than 20-21 years as the head of a government that we are democratically elected.”

Defining the concept of citizen-centric governance the Union Minister said, living in an age of sustainable goals and sustainable models is important and PM Modi has given the most sustainable governance model to us and the world.

Meanwhile, Singh explained this and said:

1) It’s a model which has been sustained over the last two decades and promises to sustain the future as well as you see right now.

2) It is a model which has defied the principles of Diminishing returns with each passing year. Instead of there being some kind of anti-dimension, the dividends go on increasing. This is a model which gets strengthened after each challenge.

Answering the question of how we sustain this Singh said, “I think it’s going to be a huge kind of a case study of the researchers and scholars of political scientists, and even otherwise what are the factors which have led to this kind of sustained model of government.”

“I think the single most important factor is the person around whom this is the persona of Prime Minister Modi himself and broadly, as you see his two or three traits which have kept him apart from others.

A. PM Modi can take out of boxes decisions.

B. PM Modi can bring the taboos of the past.

C. PM Modi has a futuristic vision with connect with the people.” Singh stated.

Morever, talking about PM Modi Singh said, “We have a government headed by someone like Modi on which the youth of the country trusts. And we have more than 70% of this population below the age of 40.”

However, summing up on a single instance Singh gave the example of his government that within three months in September after taking the oath Singh’s department removed the policy of attaching the documents with the Gazette officers, which was a dubious legacy of the British Empire, which should have been done away many decades ago. This message was given across the country.

J&K Union Minister Jitendra Singh chairs ‘Disha’ meeting

November 13, 2022, 4:08 pm

Jitendra Singh, Union Minister chaired District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meeting to review the progress of various centrally sponsored schemes (CSS) being implemented in Doda District.

Deputy Commissioner Doda, Block Development Council Chairperson, Chief Planning Officer, SSP Doda, Principal GMC Doda, Additional District Development Commissioner Doda, senior officers from line departments, and other interested parties attended the meeting, according to an official release on Saturday. Vishesh Paul Mahajan, the District Development Commissioner for Doda, gave an overview of the major projects being carried out by various departments and organisations in the district, as well as a presentation on the accomplishments and progress that have been recorded under the various Centrally Sponsored Schemes.

In addition to highlighting the collaboration between public representatives and the administration when taking on projects for implementation, Singh stressed the importance of improved communication between these representatives and the district administration for the success of schemes on the ground.

In addition to accomplishments in the Back to Village programme, R&B, JJM, PMGSY, Power, MGNREGA, PMAY-Urban, SBM-Grameen, Mission Youth’s Mumkin Scheme & Tejeswani, Amrit Sarovar, and other major projects, a detailed presentation on various CSS schemes being implemented in various sectors in the district was made. These included the widening of NH-244, GMC Doda, and other major projects.

While urging everyone involved to work closely in coordination for better results at the local level, he stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working to trickle down the benefits of all the centrally sponsored schemes to the deserving lot and to the last person in line.

Additionally, he gave the concerned officers instructions to stay in touch with local public representatives whenever they visit their region and inform residents of the advantages of these programmes.

On the occasion, Singh also praised the Doda Administration for successfully implementing a number of CSSs in the district and achieving more than 90% saturation in a number of schemes.

Centre starts drive for pensioners to submit digital life certificates

November 3, 2022, 4:03 pm

A nationwide campaign for the submission of the digital life certificate (Jeevan Pramaan) and usage of the face authentication application by pensioners in November was announced on Wednesday by the union personnel, public grievances, and pensions ministry.

Union minister Jitendra Singh said the activity will ensure continuity of pension.

“In Amrit Kaal Period, a digitally empowered pensioner would enable the creation of a digitally empowered nation,” Singh said, adding that the current process of submitting life certificates will enhance ease of living.

Previously, pensioners had to physically present their life certificates to the pension disbursing authority once a year. This proved to be a hassle, especially for elderly, ill, and infirm pensioners. The seniors had no way of finding out the status of the upgrade to their life certificates, either.

The Center introduced face recognition software that is compatible with any Android smartphone and is linked to the Aadhar database.

The integration of the integrated pensioners’ portal and the beginning of the National Anubhav Awardees Webinar series were two other efforts that Singh also disclosed.

A number of independent pension department portals as well as the websites of 17 pension disbursing institutions will be integrated as part of the universalization plan.

Every month, the National Anubav Awardees Webinar series will be held, with each webinar including two awardees. They will impart their knowledge and inspire departing workers to add their Anubhav portal.

Jitendra Singh to represent India at Global Clean Energy Action Forum

September 19, 2022, 11:56 am

An Indian delegation will be led by Union Minister Jitendra Singh this week at the Global Clean Energy Action Forum in Pittsburg, US.

According to a statement from the science and technology ministry, ministers from around 30 nations will attend the meeting to discuss how to speed up the development and use of sustainable energy. In order to accelerate the development of clean energy solutions, the Indian delegation is anticipated to showcase initiatives in the areas of bio-refineries, sustainable aviation fuels, materials accelerated platforms, carbon capture, and hydrogen valley platforms.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Singh is likely to emphasise India’s commitment to a low-carbon future that intends to change the energy landscape.

“Very little has been done despite a lot of talk over the last 50 years since the 1972 Stockholm Conference. But in India, we have walked the talk and [taken] steps like 90 million households getting access to clean cooking fuel under the Ujjwala Yojana,” Said Singh, who was due to leave for the US on Monday.

Singh said he is looking forward to engagements at the plenary and roundtables of the forum, especially in the light of recent breakthroughs in the areas of clean energy technologies both at home and abroad.

In addition, he will meet with academics and members of the Indian diaspora while participating in a roundtable with CEOs from roughly 35 businesses and federal leaders from the geospatial, space, earth, and ocean science, pharmaceutical, and biotech industries in Washington, DC.