New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that in politics, people should have the courage to tell the truth but some states try to avoid it.
The Prime Minister made the remarks after launching the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme virtually here. He also dedicated and laid the foundation stone of various green energy projects of NTPC, and launched the National Solar Rooftop portal.
PM Modi noted that with the passage of time, “a serious disorder has come into our politics”.
“In politics, people should have the courage to tell the truth, but we see that some states try to avoid it. This strategy may sound like good politics in the short term. But it is like postponing today’s truth, today’s challenges, for tomorrow, for our children, and for our future generations. This thinking of avoiding solutions to today’s problems and leaving them for the future is not good for the country,” he said, adding: “This thought process has pushed the power sector in many states into huge problems.”
The Prime Minister said losses in our distribution sector are in double digits. He said there is a lack of investment in reducing distribution and transmission losses in many states.
The Prime Minister remarked that people will be surprised to know that different states have outstanding dues of more than Rs 1 lakh crore. “They have to give this money to power generation companies. Power distribution companies are owed more than Rs 60 thousand crore from many government departments, and local bodies,” the PM said adding that these companies are not able to get even the money that has been committed for subsidy on electricity in different states on time and in full and this arrear is also more than Rs 75,000 crore.
The Prime Minister requested the states whose dues are pending, to clear them as soon as possible.
“Also, honestly consider the reasons that even when the countrymen pay their electricity bills honestly, why do some states have arrears again and again? He said this is not a matter of ‘Rajniti’ (politics) but pertains to ‘Rashtra Niti’ and nation building,” he said
The Prime Minister said awe had resolved to create 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by the completion of 75 years of independence.
Today we have come close to this goal. So far, about 170 GW capacity has been installed from non-fossil sources, he added.
The Prime Minister said that along with increasing the production of electricity, the emphasis of the government is also on saving electricity.
PM: Like ease of doing business and ease of living, ease of justice is equally important
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said ease of justice is as important as ease of doing business, and also underscored the issue of several undertrials languishing in jail for want of legal aid and urged the district legal services authority to expedite their release.
The PM was sharing the stage with Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and other senior judges of the Supreme Court – justices U.U. Lalit and D.Y. Chandrachud — along with law minister Kiren Rijiju.
He was addressing the inaugural session of the All India District Legal Services Authorities Meet. He emphasised that justice is very important for the country, and access to justice and justice delivery are also equally important for the society.
Prime Minister Modi said: “This is the time of Azadi ke Amrit Kaal. This is the time for the resolutions that will take the country to new heights in the next 25 years. Like ease of doing business and ease of living, ease of Justice is equally important in this amrit yatra of the country”.
The PM highlighted the place of legal aid in the directive principles of the state policy and added this importance is reflected in the faith of the citizens in the judiciary of the country. He said: “As important as access to the judicial system is for any society, justice delivery is equally important. The judicial infrastructure also has an important contribution to this. In the last eight years, work has been done at a fast pace to strengthen the judicial infrastructure of the country.” The PM said the government is spending Rs 9,000 crore towards modernising judicial infrastructure for improving justice delivery mechanisms. He commended e-court mission and use of technology in the judiciary.
He said: “Under the e-courts mission, virtual courts are being started in the country. 24-hour courts have started functioning for crimes like traffic violations. Video conferencing infrastructure is also being expanded in the courts for the convenience of the people.”
The PM added that more than one crore cases have been heard through video conferencing in the country and this proves that “Our judicial system is committed to the ancient Indian values of justice and, at the same time, is ready to match the realities of the 21st century.”
He emphasised that a common citizen should be aware of his rights and duties in the constitution and they should be aware of their constitution, and constitutional structures, rules and remedies, and technology can play a big role in this too.
PM Modi raised the issue of sensitivity towards undertrial prisoners. He said that the district legal services authorities can take up the responsibility of providing legal aid to such prisoners. He also appealed to the district judges, as chairpersons of undertrial review committees, to expedite the release of undertrial prisoners. The Prime Minister complimented National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) for undertaking a campaign in this regard and also urged the Bar Council to encourage more lawyers to get involved in this campaign.
