Indian economy is all set for a strong rebound in the current fiscal posting a growth rate of 9-10 per cent, says a CEOs poll conducted among the members of the CII National Council. A large number of CEOs polled, however, appeared worried about the impact of the new COVID variant Omnicron on services and the manufacturing sector.

As regards growth, about 10 per cent of the CEOs polled believe that it could even exceed 10 per cent during 2021-22. CII President T V Narendran said government's strong emphasis on public works, timely interventions to boost liquidity and several reforms carried out in the recent months have buoyed the optimism on higher economic growth. The poll is based on the responses of about 100 CEOs.

On the impact of Omicron on business, 55 per cent of the CEOs polled expect that the services sector would get adversely impacted due to the spread of the new variant of coronavirus, while another 34 per cent of the CEOs indicated that it could adversely impact manufacturing activities. According to the CEOs poll, 56 per cent of the respondents indicated that the economy would grow in the range of 9 per cent to 10 per cent during 2021-22, while another 10 per cent polled expected the growth rate in excess of 10 per cent this fiscal year, CII said.

Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Dr. Jitendra Singh will inaugurate Good Governance Week in New Delhi today as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations. The theme of Good Governance Week is 'Prashasan Gaon Ki Aur'. A Nationwide campaign for Redressal of Public Grievances and Improving Service Delivery will be held in all Districts, States, and Union Territories.

During the week-long event, more than 700 Districts Collectors will visit Tehsil and Panchayat Samiti Headquarters to provide timely grievance redressal and improve service delivery. The Minister will also inaugurate the Exhibition on Good Governance Practices.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched Rashtriya Ekta Geet composed by the National Cadet Core cadets in 22 languages during the grand finale of Vijay Shrankhla aur Sanskrityon ka Mahasangam campaign yesterday. Rashtriya Ekta Geet is based on the theme of national integration.  

Highlighting the glorious history of NCC, Rajnath Singh said, NCC has produced a number of stalwarts who have brought glory and laurels to the nation. He said, leaders like Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and many others are NCC alumni who have contributed towards Nation building. He said, NCC develops the virtues of unity, discipline, patience and brotherhood in its cadets and these virtues remain forever with them.

The mega event was conducted in New Delhi by NCC as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to commemorate 75 years of India’s Independence. The campaign culminated yesterday with ‘Sanskritiyon ka Maha Sangam’ wherein selected NCC cadets from across the country congregated in Delhi and showcased their shared cultural heritage.

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari has said that the government plans to set up 35 Multi-Modal Logistics Parks in the country at a total cost of 50,000 crore rupees.

Addressing the National Conference on Investment Opportunities in Highways, Transport and Logistics in Mumbai, Mr. Gadkari said these parks have been conceptualized to enable seamless intermodal freight movement and offer multiple functionalities such as freight aggregation and distribution, storage and warehousing solutions and value-added services such as custom clearances and IT services.

He added that all these Multi-Modal Logistics Parks will be developed as part of the Design, Build Finance, Operate and Transfer model. Mr Gadkari said his ministry will execute infrastructure projects worth 7 lakh crore rupees in the next 2-3 years. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of Ganga Expressway in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh around 12 noon today. Mr Modi wil also address a rally at Railway Ground, Rouza on the occasion. The inspiration behind the Expressway is the vision of the Prime Minister to provide fast-paced connectivity across the country.

Uttar Pradesh government is working on this ambitious project in a swift manner.  94 percent of the land required for the expressway has been acquired by the state government and despite the Covid pandemic 90 percent of the land purchase completed in the record four months period. AIR correspondent reports, The 594 Km long six-lane Expressway will be built at a cost of over Rs 36,200 crore. Starting near the Bijauli village in Meerut, the Expressway will extend till near the Judapur Dandu village in Prayagraj.

It will pass through Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Budaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh and Prayagraj districts. Upon completion of work, it will become the longest expressway of Uttar Pradesh, connecting the western and eastern regions of the state.

Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh today gave away Raksha Mantri Awards for Excellence 2021 on the occasion of 96th Raising Day of Directorate General Defence Estates in New Delhi. The recipients were awarded for innovation and digital achievements in the fields of health, education, and sanitation along with public service and land management. Since classes were being run online due to COVID-19 pandemic, the awards in the field of education were not considered. This year, a new award has been instituted by the Defence Minister for achievement in the implementation of 'e-Chhawani' project. These categories are Swachh Chhawani Swasth Chhawani, Digital Accomplishments, Innovation in Public Services,  Land and Record management,  Improvement in Cantonment General Hospital, and Implementation of 'e-Chhawani' Project.

Congratulating the award winners, Mr Rajnath Singh exuded confidence that the awards will encourage all the winning organizations to work for the betterment of Cantonment Boards. He said these awards are testimony to the perseverance and commitment of DGDE towards nation-building. The Minister lauded the efforts of the DGDE towards management of 17.98 lakh acres of land and the civil administration of 62 cantonments across the country. He appreciated the fact that the DGDE is constantly striving to provide modern facilities to Cantonment areas and meet the growing aspirations of the military officers, soldiers, their families as well as the civilian population of more than 20 lakh people. 

On the occasion of 50th Vijay Diwas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today participated in the Homage and Reception Ceremony of Swarnim Vijay Mashaals at National War Memorial in New Delhi. As a part of the Swarnim Vijay Varsh Celebrations to commemorate 50 years of India’s victory in 1971 war and formation of Bangladesh, on 16 December last year, Prime Minister had lit the Swarnim Vijay Mashaal from the Eternal Flame at the National War Memorial. He had also lit four flames that were to traverse along different directions. During the Homage Ceremony today, these four flames were merged by the Prime Minister with the Eternal Flame at the National War Memorial. These four flames which were merged today,  have traversed across the length and breadth of the country, including to Siachen, Kanyakumari, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Longewala, Rann of Kutch and Agartala. The flames were taken to key battle areas and also to the houses of gallantry award winners and veterans of 1971 war.

 On the occasion. Mr Narendra Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid  wreath at the National War Memorial. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh released commemorative stamp on the occasion at the National War Memorial.

Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi launched the fourth tranche of auction of 99 coal mines including 24 new mines at a function in Delhi today. Launching the latest tranche, the Minister called upon the investors who have already completed successful bidding of coal mines to start production at the earliest for greater self-reliance in this sector. Mr. Joshi also urged the officials to identify more coal blocks for auction. He further pointed out that at least for next 30 to 40 years coal will continue to be crucial in India’s energy sector. He urged investors to step up participation in the fully transparent auction process evolved by the Coal Ministry.

Of these 99 mines on offer, 59 are fully explored mines and 40 are partially explored. These mines are spread across eight coal-bearing states. These are Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.

Ministry of Law and Justice has said that to provide free and competent legal aid to the weaker sections of the society a Citizens Tele law Mobile App has been launched in November this year.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, the Minister of Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju informed that this Mobile Application enables the beneficiary to access pre-litigation advice and consultation directly from the empanelled lawyers free of cost.

The Minister further added that the app is available in six languages like Hindi, English, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Marathi.

He said that the Android version of the mobile app is available on Google App store.

Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh launched Management Information System (MIS) portal for rankings of States and Union Territories in Land Acquisition Projects. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Singh said, as per the ranking and performance, the top three States and top three districts will be awarded. He said, the MIS portal will not only show the data and figures but it will also show the speed of the development in the country.

He said that this portal is a result of the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give impetus to the government's Gati Shakti Mission.

Expressing concern over the delayed implementation of the projects in the country, the Minister said that delay in completion of projects increases the project cost and hampers the speed of development.