Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi took the oath of office and Secrecy along with a new council of Ministers for the second term at a glittering ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan on May 30, 2019. President Ram Nath Kovind administered the oath of office and Secrecy to the Prime Minister. 24 persons were sworn in as Cabinet Ministers. Ministers of State with (Independent Charge) and Ministers of States were also administered the oath by the President.
The function was attended by leaders from BIMSTEC countries and foreign envoys, Governors, Chief Ministers, Opposition leaders, corporate heads and film stars. President of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena, President of Myanmar, U Win Myint, President of Bangladesh, Md. Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister of Bhutan, Dr Lotay Tshering, Prime Minister of Nepal, K P Sharma Oli, Special Envoy of Thailand, Grisada Boonrach, President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Sooronbay Jeenbekov and Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Jugnauth witnessed the event.
Shri Prakash Javadekar took charge as Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting on May 31. Speaking on the occasion, he expressed his gratitude at having been given the opportunity to work in the Cabinet of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. He highlighted the important role played by Media in a democracy, reiterating the commitment of the Government towards a free press. He talked about the importance of freedom of speech and expression which is an important part of the democratic ethos of the country. He also appreciated the leadership and dynamism of his predecessors. Shri Javadekar also met senior officials of Ministry of I&B and Heads of Media Units under the Ministry. He urged everyone to work as a team and expressed hope of a healthy and substained partnership in future endeavours.
Newly appointed Ministers have taken over their Ministers. Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman today took the charge of Finance Ministry. Shri Santosh Gangwar took the charge of Ministry of Labour and Employment. Talking to media in New Delhi, he said, he will work for the betterment of unorganised sector and ensure social security for those working in the this sector.
Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has taken the charge of Jal Shakti Ministry. He said, water scarcity is the biggest challenge in the world now and keeping this challenge in mind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has integrated all water related issues with Jal Shakti Ministry. He said, only four per cent of total potable water of world is in India and government will ensure preservation of water for the country.
Shri Piyush Goyal has taken the charge of Commerce and Industry Minstry. Talking to media, Mr. Goyal said, he is thankful to Prime Minister for reposing faith in him.
Newly sworn-in minister Shri Shripad Naik thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for selecting him as a member in the Union Council of Ministers for the second consecutive term. Mr. Naik was retained as the minister of state (independent charge) for Ayush, a position he held in the previous NDA government, while being also allocated the responsibility of minister of state for defence on Friday. Speaking to AIR, Shri Naik said that retaining the Ayush ministry would help him focus on related projects that were initiated in his precious term.
Dr S. Jaishanker has taken over as the External Affairs Minister.
Shri Ram Vilas Pawan has taken over as Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi assumes the office of Ministry of Minority Affairs. Dr. Jitendra Singh took charge as the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office.
Goa celeberated its statehood day on May 30. It was on this day in 1987 that Goa became the 25th statee of the Indian Union. Before this, Goa, along with Daman and Diu, was a union territory. The statehood helped in shaping Goa’s distinct identity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has greeted the people, saying Goa epitomizes harmony, brotherhood and progressive values.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi held bilateral meetings with visiting leaders of BIMSTEC countries and Prime Minister of Mauritius Mr. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth. In the first of a series of bilateral meetings with foreign leaders, Prime Minister had a warm meeting with President of Sri Lanka Shri Maithripala Sirisena, at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. External Affairs Ministry spokes-person Shri Raveesh Kumar said, the two leaders discussed bilateral issues of interest. President Sirisena reiterated his desire to work together to strengthen relations between the two countries for peace, prosperity and security in the region, Shri Modi conveyed his government’s continued commitment to further foster friendly bilateral ties with Sri Lanka. The leaders noted that terrorism and extremism continue to pose threat to humanity and committed to closer bilateral cooperation for peace and security in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region. Prime Minister Modi also met Mauritius Minister Shri Pravind Kumar Jugnauth. The two leaders exchanged views on a range of bilateral issues, including development cooperation. Prime Minister Modi reiterated his commitment to further strengthening the fraternal and enduring bilateral ties between the two countries in all spheres. Both leaders agreed to work together to achieve the shared vision of security and growth of the two countries and the Indian Ocean region. Shri Modi also held bilateral meetings with Nepal Prime Minister Mr. K P Sharma Oli, and Bhutan Prime Minister Lotay Tshering. Prime Minister Shri Modi also held a bilateral meeting with President of Kygyz Republic, Mr. Sooronbay Jeenbekov at Rashtrapati Bhawan. This was a first engagement after being sworn in as Prime Minister for the second term. President Mr. Jeenbekov congratulated Prime Minister Modi and invited him to visit to visit Kyrgyzstan for the SCO Summit and a bilateral visit during 13-15 June. The Prime Minister also held bilateral meeting with President of Bangladesh Mr. Md. Abdul Hamid and exchanged views on matters of mutual interest.
UN Secretary General Mr. Antonio Guterres has describd India as a very valuable partner of the United Nations of that he looks forward to working with the new government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Mr. Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General has said this at the daily press briefing on Guterres’ message for Prime Minister Modi as he was sworn-in as India’s Prime Minister for a second-five year term. Haq said UN Secretary-General Guterres has worked very closely with Prime Minister Modi, including on the issue of climate change.
Economy:-
A report by the United Nations says India’s economy is projected to grow at 7.1 per cent in the fiscal year 2020 on the back of strong domestic consumption and investment. The report which was released recently said, the Indian economy expanded by 7.2 per cent in 2018.
To facilitate high-value fund transfers, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced an extension of timings for customer transactions through Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) by one and half hours from 4:30 PM to 06 PM. In a notification, issued from Mumbai RBI said that new timing will be effective from 1st June. The RTGS is an online fund transfer system, supported by the RBI, which enables money transaction on a real-time basis. The minimum amount for the transaction under this system is Rs 2 lakh. There is no upper limit on the value of funds that can be transferred via the RTGS system.
Sports:-
In Shooting, India produced their best ever show at the ISSF world Cup with a total tally of five gold medals in Munich, Germany, India topped the medals tally with five golds and a silver. Second-placed China bagged nine medals – two gold, two silver, and five bronze medals. India gold medallists included Apurvi Chandela in the Women’s 10 Metre Air Rifle, Rahi Sarnobat in the Women’s 25m Pistol and Saurabh Chaudhary in the men’s 10m Air Pistol, besides the Mixed Team titles won on the last day.
