The Indian Panorama

Tag: Ramdas Athawale

  • Prem Bhandari, Chairman of Jaipur Foot USA and President of RANA, Hosts Dinner Reception for visiting Union  Minister  Ramdas Athawale

    Prem Bhandari, Chairman of Jaipur Foot USA and President of RANA, Hosts Dinner Reception for visiting Union  Minister  Ramdas Athawale

    Athawale commits full support for the upcoming camps being organized in memory of Dr. Ambedkar in Delhi and Mumbai

    NEW YORK (TIP): Shri Ramdas Athawale, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, who is on a visit to New York, was honored at a special dinner reception hosted in Long Island by Prem Bhandari, Chairman of Jaipur Foot USA and President of the Rajasthan Association of North America (RANA).

    The Minister shares a longstanding association with Jaipur Foot USA. In 2023, he inaugurated two major camps for the differently-abled (Divyangjan) in Hyderabad and Tirupati. These camps were organized in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) of NY, NJ, CT & NE — an organization known for hosting the world’s largest India Day Parade outside India — and Jaipur Foot USA’s parent body, Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS).

    Speaking at the event, Mr. Bhandari highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s declaration of the “Panch Teerth” — five sacred sites associated with Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s life:

    1. Mhow – his birthplace,
    2. Nagpur – Deeksha Bhoomi,
    3. London – where he pursued higher education,
    4. Delhi – where he passed away,
    5. Mumbai – where he was cremated.

    To commemorate Dr. Ambedkar’s 125th birth anniversary in 2016, BMVSS organized two Jaipur Foot camps — one in Mhow and the other at Deeksha Bhoomi in Nagpur. Mr. Bhandari announced that, under the guidance of BMVSS Founder and Chief Patron Padma Bhushan Shri D.R. Mehta, preparations are underway for upcoming camps in Delhi and Mumbai.

    He expressed gratitude for the continued support that BMVSS and Jaipur Foot USA have received from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of External Affairs, under the leadership of  Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

    Mr. Bhandari also commended India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador P. Harish, for organizing a special event at the UN on June 10 on Jaipur Foot and BMVSS to showcase India’s pioneering work in lower limb disability empowerment. The event will feature the impactful contributions of BMVSS in India and globally. BMVSS Founder and Chief Patron Mr D.R. Mehta and BMVSS President Ambassador Satish Mehta will arrive in New York on June 9 to participate in the event.

    Jaipur Foot USA Chairman Prem Bhandari spoke at length about the enormous work being done by Jaipur Foot under the leadership of Mr. D. R. Mehta, Founder and Chief Patron of Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS), parent body of Jaipur Foot.
    Seen in the picture, from L to R: Rajeev Bhambri, Ajay Patel, K.K. Mehta, Prem Bhandari, Ramdas Athawale, Harish Thakkar, Dilip Chauhan, Ravi Jargarh

    Since its inception in 1975, BMVSS has benefited over 2.4 million differently-abled individuals by providing them with Jaipur Foot and other assistive devices. The organization has conducted 114 international camps in 44 countries, including 32 camps under the ‘India for Humanity’ initiative — fully sponsored by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

    Mr. Bhandari, who recently visited Guatemala and Trinidad & Tobago, said that Jaipur Foot camps have been approved by the Ministry of External Affairs in :

    • Guatemala – 600 limbs
    • Sudan – 600 limbs
    • Trinidad & Tobago – 800 limbs

    All three camps will be conducted later this year.

    He further shared that an artificial limb fitment center will soon be opened in Malawi with MEA support, following the announcement made by President Droupadi Murmu last year.

    Minister Athawale assured Mr. Bhandari of his full support for the upcoming camps in Delhi and Mumbai, being organized in memory of Dr. Ambedkar. He also praised the transformative work carried out by Jaipur Foot USA’s parent organization BMVSS in India and around the world.

    Minister Atawale further said he would request Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider establishing a memorial for Dr. Ambedkar in New York. In response, Mr. Bhandari stated that his family would be the first to contribute toward this noble cause.

    Prem Bhandari presented to the Union Minister a brochure of Jaipur Foot.

    Union Minister Athawale (right) and Prem Bhandari hold the Jaipur Foot Brochure.

     

    The dinner was attended by prominent community leaders and members from RANA, Jaipur Foot USA, BRUHUD Seniors New York, AIA, AAPI, RAJMAI, REDIO, and other Indian-American organization.

    Dignitaries and Attendees

    • K.K. Mehta – President, Rajasthan Foundation
    • Arvind Bhandari- One of the Founders of RANA
    • Dasrath Dugar, Former President, RANA
    • Dilip Chauhan – Deputy Commissioner, Mayor’s Office, New York City
    • Ajay Patel – President, BRUHUD Seniors New York
    • Dr. Shashi Saha – Trustee, AAPI (American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin)
    • Harish Thakkar – Representative, AIA (Association of Indians in America)
    • Haridas Kotawala – Former President, Indian Diamond and Color Association
    • Neelam Modi – Treasurer, RANA (Rajasthan Association of North America)
    • Dr. Raj Modi – Member, RANA
    • Dr. Raj Bhayani – Community leaders
    • Rajeev Bhambri – Secretary, Jaipur Foot USA
    • Ravi Jargarh – Secretary, RANA
    • Vilas Savargaonkar, Member, Jaipur Foot
    • Atul Kothari-Board Member, RANA
    • Dulichand Baid, Board Member, RANA
    • Navneet Goyal, Board Member, RANA
    • Amit Saraf, Board Member, RANA
    • Amit Shorewala, Board Member, RANA
    • Prominent leaders from the Indian-American community across New York and New Jersey
    • Representatives from RAJMAI, REDIO, AAPI, AIA, and BRUHUD Seniors NY

    (Based on a press release)

  • Cabinet reshuffle: Political reboot in Modi 2.0 delivered

    The much-awaited Union Cabinet expansion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s second term has finally taken place. In one of the biggest ministry expansions in India’s history, 36 new ministers have been inducted, seven promoted to Cabinet rank, while 12 sitting ministers have been shown the door. Modi in his second innings, at a time when India is at a critical crossroad during the COVID-19 pandemic, is building a fresh team which will lay the foundation of a new India, and, of course, will help the BJP in the 2024 general elections.

    Modi, running his Cabinet like a corporate chief executive officer, carried out a performance appraisal of various ministers over the past few weeks. The ministers were evaluated on various key performance indicators (KPIs) like vision, mission, objectives, targets versus action plan, impact, communication and outreach.

    Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had introduced a Results Framework Document (RFD) to evaluate the performance of his Cabinet colleagues, but had to shelve it after some ministers opposed such evaluation.

    Modi, however, adopted this people-centric performance approach, giving it his personal touch. He believes that transparency and accountability are the two cornerstones of any pro-people government and feedback from them improves public participation in decision-making.

    Twelve of the 53 ministers (which amounts to 22 percent) who were found lacking were asked to put in their papers. Seven of the 53 ministers (13 percent), who scored well in the evaluation, have been elevated.

    After the July 7 expansion, the Union ministry will now operate at 95 percent capacity, with just four positions vacant.

    Big names like Ravi Shankar Prasad and Prakash Javadekar, prominent spokespersons of the government, are among the 12 asked to leave. The mishandling of the COVID-19 second wave which has affected the government’s image and led to a dip in Modi’s popularity ratings, has probably cost Health Minister Harsh Vardhan his job.

    The Cabinet reshuffle clearly shows that Modi has taken feedback from all stakeholders and has responded to public opinion. Through this he has also given a message to the new inductees that they need to deliver.

    Modi has also not necessarily opted for domain expertise in the reshuffle to encourage new faces to bring in new ideas to provide solutions. The example being the preference of Kiren Rijiju over Bhupender Yadav for the law ministry.

    Apart from performance, the focus has been on youth, inclusiveness, broader representation to communities, and faces with administrative experience.

    MPs from 25 states and union territories are now ministers in the Union Cabinet. The new Cabinet includes seven former IAS officers, 11 women and 14 ministers below the age of 50.

    The BJP was earlier referred to as a party of the upper caste and ‘baniyas’. It has shed this image over the last few years. A majority of the OBC vote-bank nationally, which was earlier with the Congress and erstwhile Janata Dal, has moved to the BJP. The party won the maximum SC/ST reserved seats in the 2019 general elections.

    Today Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), apart from the upper caste, are its core support block.

    The expansion gives due weightage to people from these communities and bolsters the image of the party as the champion their cause.

    Currently, 27 ministers out of 77 are from the OBC community, 12 from the SC and eight from the ST community, representing around 60 percent of the ministry strength.

    This is expected to boost the BJP’s prospects in state elections due next year. Seven states, including the all-important Uttar Pradesh, go to the polls in 2022, with the BJP in power in six of them.

    This mid-term course correction is likely to bring transparency and accountability in governance and help the BJP win the ensuing state as well as general elections with its deft political messaging.

    Here is the complete list of ministers who were newly inducted into the Union Cabinet on Wednesday, July 7

    Narendra Modi: Prime Minister and also in-charge of: Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; Department of Atomic Energy; Department of Space; All important policy issues; and All other portfolios not allocated to any Minister

    CABINET MINISTERS

    Raj Nath Singh: Minister of Defence

    Amit Shah: Minister of Home Affairs; and Minister of Cooperation

    Nitin Jairam Gadkari: Road Transport and Highways

    Nirmala Sitharaman: Finance and Corporate Affairs

    Narendra Singh Tomar: Agriculture and Farmers Welfare

    Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar: External Affairs

    Arjun Munda: Tribal Affairs

    Smriti Zubin Irani: Women and Child Development

    Piyush Goyal: Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles

    Dharmendra Pradhan: Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship

    Pralhad Joshi: Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines

    Narayan Tatu Rane: Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

    Sarbananda Sonowal: Ports, Shipping and Waterways, and AYUSH

    Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi: Minority Affairs

    Dr Virendra Kumar: Social Justice and Empowerment

    Giriraj Singh: Rural Development and Panchayati Raj

    Jyotiraditya M. Scindia: Civil Aviation

    Ramchandra Prasad Singh: Steel

    Ashwini Vaishnaw: Railways; Communications; and Electronics and Information Technology

    Pashu Pati Kumar Paras: Food Processing Industries

    Gajendra Singh Shekhawat: Jal Shakti

    Kiren Rijiju: Law and Justice

    Raj Kumar Singh: Power and New and Renewable Energy

    Hardeep Singh Puri: Petroleum and Natural Gas; and Housing and Urban Affairs

    Mansukh Mandaviya: Health and Family Welfare; and Chemicals and Fertilizers

    Bhupender Yadav: Environment, Forest and Climate Change; and Minister of Labour and Employment

    Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey: Heavy Industries

    Parshottam Rupala: Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying

    G Kishan Reddy: Culture; Minister of Tourism; and Minister of Development of North Eastern Region

    Anurag Singh Thakur: Information and Broadcasting; and Youth Affairs and Sports

    MINISTERS OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)

    Rao Inderjit Singh: Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation; Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Planning; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs

    Dr Jitendra Singh: Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Science and Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Earth Sciences; Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office; Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; Minister of State in the Department of Atomic Energy; and Minister of State in the Department of Space

    MINISTERS OF STATE

    Shripad Yesso Naik, Faggansingh Kulaste, Prahalad Singh Patel, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Arjun Ram Meghwal, General (Retd) V K Singh, Krishan Pal, Danve Raosaheb Dadarao, Ramdas Athawale, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Dr Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, Nityanand Rai, Pankaj Chaowdhary, Anupriya Singh Patel, S P Singh Baghel, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Shobha Karandlaje, Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, Darshana Vikram Jardosh, V Muraleedharan, Meenakashi Lekhi, Som Parkash, Renuka Singh Saruta, Rameswar Teli, Kailash Choudhary, Annpurna Devi, A Narayanaswamy, Kaushal Kishore, Ajay Bhatt, B L Verma, Ajay Kumar, Devusinh Chauhan, Bhagwanth Khuba, Kapil Moreshwar Patil, Pratima Bhoumik, Dr Subhas Sarkar, Dr Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, Bishweswar Tudu, Shantanu Thakur, Dr Munjapara Mahendrabhai, John Barla, Dr L Murugan, Nisith Pramanik