New Delhi [India], March 18 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that the central government is determined to remove every small and big difficulty in the way of the farmers’ journey from the ‘seed to market’.
Replying to a letter received from a farmer from Uttarakhand’s Nainital congratulating the Prime Minister on completion of five years of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Modi said, “The PM Fasal Bima Yojana is continuously playing an important role in protecting the economic interests of the hardworking farmers by reducing the risk associated with weather uncertainties. Crores of farmers are availing the benefits of this farmer-friendly insurance scheme today.”
“Through comprehensive coverage and transparent claim redressal process over the last five years, this ‘fasal bima’ (crop insurance) scheme has emerged as an example of our determined efforts for farmers’ welfare. Today, sustained efforts are being made to remove every small and big difficulty in the way of the farmers’ journey from the ‘seed to market’ and to ensure their prosperity and progress of agriculture,” PM Modi said.
He also appreciated the contribution and role of the people in the progress of the country and wrote, “Today the country is rapidly moving towards building a strong, prosperous and self-reliant India with a vision of all-round development. Energised by the trust of all the citizens, the nation is determined to achieve the national goals and I am sure that our efforts to take the country to new heights on the world stage will be further intensified.” (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 18 (ANI): The Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed the Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2021, which aims to raise the limit of foreign investment in an Indian insurance company from the existing 49 to 74 per cent.
While addressing the House, Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, “FDI limit is not a compulsion; it only sets the upper limit. Increasing the limit does not mean automatic foreign investment to that level to all companies. Every company will decide for themselves, whether they want that money, to what extent, and so on.”
She added, “This enabling amendment is only to allow them to receive some money but not exceed 74 per cent. The policyholders’ money that is going to be collected will have to be invested within India only. It cannot be crossing our boundaries.”
She further said that when money comes and when there is more competition, the common people of India will have a better deal given to them and a better negotiating premium and better package.
“Competition is strictly for betterment,” she added.
Sitharaman introduced the Bill for amendments in the Insurance Act, 1938. The Union Cabinet on Wednesday had given its nod for amendments in the Insurance Amendment Bill 2021.
Earlier, the permissible FDI limit in life and general insurance stood at 49 per cent with ownership and management control with Indians. (ANI)

By Tarak Sarkar
Jalpaiguri (West Bengal) [India], March 18 (ANI): Ahead of West Bengal assembly polls, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters vandalised its party office in Jalpaiguri and set it on fire. According to sources, they were upset over ticket allocation to candidates in the upcoming polls.
Speaking to ANI, sources said: “As soon as his name was announced in the list of candidates, the BJP leaders and workers got angry. They vandalised the BJP office and set it on fire, demanding a change of candidate.”
Advocate Sujit Sinha has been elected as the BJP candidate for the Jalpaiguri’s Sadar assembly constituency.
The BJP supporters alleged that a previously appointed BJP leader has been nominated as a new candidate instead of new party workers. The Jalpaiguri city witnessed an uproar by the party workers near the DBC Road area that is near to the party’s office.
Minutes after this incident, a huge police force arrived at the spot to handle the situation. A fire engine too arrived at the spot to put down the fire.
Elections to the 294-member state assembly will be held in eight phases starting from March 27 with the final round of voting taking place on April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2. (ANI)

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], March 18 (ANI): The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Thursday clarified that the report that the Odisha government planned to sell over 35,000 acres of land belonging to Lord Jagannath was completely false.
SJTA Chief Administrator Krishan Kumar said the report on the sale of Jagannath land on a massive scale was “false” and “motivated.”
He said, “the lands, which are occupied or are under the possession of various persons since long but belong to Shree Jagannatha Mahaprabhu are being settled by Temple Committee as per the ‘Unified Policy’ framed for the purpose in the year 2003 with an objective of protection of the land of Lord Jagannatha.”
“This policy also aimed to bring transparency and uniformity in the processes to be followed for settlement of land to eligible persons.”
“From 2001 to 2010, a total of 291 acres of land was settled and from 2011 to 2021, a total of 96 acres of land was settled. These have been settled for the benefit of the public mostly in the form of schools, medical college, roads, etc,” the SJTA chief stated.
He said decisions regarding the allotment of land for such public benefit infrastructure projects to the government and others are taken by the Jagannath Temple Committee.
“It is again reiterated that reports that 35,000 acres of land of Shree Jagannatha Mahaprabhu will be sold is totally false and motivated. We urge the people of Odisha and millions of devotees of Lord Jagannatha not to be misguided by such malicious lies and false reporting,” he said.
The clarification from SJTA came after the news, quoting Law Minister Pratap Jena in response to a question by BJP legislator Mohan Majhi in Assembly regarding the State government’s move to sell 35,272.235 acres of the temple land of Jagannath Temple. (ANI)

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], March 18 (ANI): Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday met Leader of Opposition (LoP) in state assembly Pradipta Kr Naik and other BJP leaders, who were sitting in protest in front of the CM residence, over ruckus in the assembly and pending paddy procurement.
Patnaik came out of his residence to meet the protesting BJP MLAs and invited them inside for a discussion to end the stalemate. He assured them of resolving the issues.
“We told him that he should come to the assembly because MLAs of ruling party are disrupting the proceedings, this should be stopped and pending paddy procurement should be looked into. He told us he will speak to the Speaker and will call an all-party meet to resolve the issue,” said Naik. (ANI)

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], March 18 (ANI): Telangana’s Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Raghunandan Rao on Thursday slammed the state budget that was recently rolled by Finance Minister T Harish Rao in the state assembly and claimed that this budget will put additional burden on the public in Telangana.
Speaking to ANI, Rao said: “Despite having a debt of crores of rupees, the state government would continue to mount the debt of the state government to implement this budget, thereby adding a monetary burden on the public,” said BJP MLA Raghunandan Rao.
Today, Minister of Finance for Telangana State, T Harish Rao, released the budget of the state for the year 2021-2022. Reacting to the budget, BJP MLA Raghunandan Rao said that the budget is limited to paper form only and nothing was implemented.
Speaking to ANI, BJP MLA said that even in the earlier budget sessions, crores of rupees had been declared for the development of the state that was just limited to papers. “The budget that the state government presented will only be limited to papers. Even in the last year’s, budget, lakhs of crores of rupees have been declared. But, how much of that budget has been used for the development of the state?”
Speaking about the unemployment allowance announced for the unemployed youth in the state, Raghunandan Rao questioned how the government can spend some Rs 5,000 crores for the unemployment allowance in the budget when the KCR government has claimed that they don’t have money to give salaries.
“Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has allotted some Rs 5,000 crores for the Unemployment Allowance in the State Budget. But KCR had also said that they don’t have money in the state to give salaries.” He further said that without having money, how can the state announce a budget of more than Rs 2 lakh crores.
Raghunandan further claimed that the state is already in a debt of Rs 4 lakh crores. He questioned how will the state government get money to implement the budget. “To implement this budget, KCR is likely to take more money in the form of debt and this would only increase the burden on the people of this state,” he said. (ANI)