1. PM Pays Floral Tribute to Sardar Patel at Statue of Unity
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid floral tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the country's first home minister, at the Statue of Unity here on the occasion of Rashtriya Ekta Diwas on Thursday, 31 October.
October 31, Patel's birth anniversary, is celebrated as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) since 2014.
As the prime minister offered floral tributes, flower petals were showered on the world's tallest statue by an Indian Air Force helicopter.
The 182-metre-tall statue of Sardar Patel was inaugurated by Modi on October 31 last year. The PM also administered `national unity pledge' to the gathering on this occasion.
The prime minister watched `Ekta parade' in which personnel of the Gujarat Police, Jammu & Kashmir Police, Central Reserve Police Force and Border Security Force took part.
(Source: Economic Times)
2. Vijay Rupani Slams Sonia, Rahul for 'Not Paying' Tribute to Sardar Patel
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani accused Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi of not showing "basic courtesy" of paying tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary on Thursday, 31 October.
The BJP leader said such "contempt" for a national icon is "beyond belief". Rupani, however, said he was not surprised by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and her MP-son Rahul Gandhi "not paying" tributes to independent India's first home minister.
"When entire nation is bowing to the great Sardar Patel on his Jayanti, sad but not surprising to see Congress President Sonia Gandhi & Mr Rahul Gandhi not having even basic courtesy of paying tributes to the great stalwart! Such contempt for a national icon is beyond belief!" Rupani tweeted.
(Source: New Indian Express)
3. ‘Think of Administrative Services as Service for Poor’: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, 31 October urged civil service officials not to think of the administrative services as a career, but as a service for the poor. Referring to Mahatma Gandhi’s principle that any service should reach the last man standing, Modi urged officers to be “proactive and progressive”.
He was addressing a gathering of probationary civil services officers who had undergone a joint conference titled ‘Aarambh’ in Gujarat’s Kevadia for over a week. The Prime Minister was visiting Kevadia as part of the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas or National Unity Day celebrations.
With the Statue of Unity — the giant statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel which also features in the logo of ‘Aarambh’, in the backdrop — Modi described the training conference as a “unique, integrated” course that brings together all civil services officers.
(Source: Indian Express)
4. ‘Article 370 Led to Terrorism; Patel's Inspiration Behind Abrogation’: PM
Paying glowing tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on National Unity Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, 31 October defended the abrogation of Article 370, saying the special status provisions only generated terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
Attending a function at the Statue of Unity here on the occasion of Patel's 144th birth anniversary, Modi led the gathering in taking the 'national unity pledge'.
"The new system in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh is not meant to draw a line on the land (to draw a boundary) but to build a strong link of trust," the prime minister said, apparently referring to the bifurcation of the state into two Union Territories.
(Source: Business Standard)
5. Unseasonal Rains Spell Trouble for Groundnut Growers
Even as groundnut farmers in Gujarat are gearing up for procurement operations that are set to begin from tomorrow (1 November), the cyclonic disturbance triggered by ‘Kyarr’ and furthered by the newly-developed ‘Maha’ cyclone is set to cast a dark cloud over the procurement process.
The groundnut-growing regions of the State have been witnessing thunderstorms since the beginning of this week.
After a bumper crop estimate, the Gujarat State Civil Supplies Corporation had announced procurement of the oilseed at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) under Price Support Scheme (PSS) from 1 November, ending on 30 January 2020.
(Source: Hindu Businessline)
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