Avibrant democracy and the fastestgrowing economy, India is sprinting towards its goal of becoming the new global superpower. The feelgood sentiment is captured in this week’s Cover Story package. The Union Budget 2023-24, Modi Government’s last before the next year’s elections, encapsulates the Government’s growth journey since coming to power while staying away from making any populist announcements. As the Finance Minister put it, the first Budget of the ‘Amrit Kaal’ was guided by seven priorities, or ‘Saptarishis’. The Government, says our report quoting the FM, envisions a prosperous and inclusive India in which the fruits of development reach all regions and citizens. A perceptive analysis of the Budget is being carried on this page while its salient features and their potential impact on key sectors are being highlighted on the Centrespread.
A preliminary report on Uttar Pradesh Global Investors Summit (UPGIS) 2023, the flagship initiative of the Yogi Adityanath Government, finds another prime slot on the front page. Coming in the backdrop of similar investor summits in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, the UPGIS is an event aligned with PM Modi’s vision of making India a $5-trillion economy, says our report. It then elaborates the intense efforts being made by the CM and his core team of ministers and officials to make the summit a grand success. Encouraged by the massive response, the state Government has already hiked the target for investments in the UPGIS 2023 from Rs 10 lakh crore to Rs 17 lakh crore, informs our report.
The UPGIS package continues inside with a lead report that explains how the ‘doubleengine’ sarkar of Narendra Modi at the Centre and Yogi Adityanath in the state has brought about a radical transformation in the socioeconomic parameters of Uttar Pradesh. It then enumerates the series of measures taken in this regard, dwelling particularly on PM Modi’s doctrine of zero-tolerance against crime and criminals. The other story goes into the details of the upcoming summit – preparatory works, schedules, sessions planned and the expectations. Besides, we carry two reports, one on business chamber Assocham’s perspective of the investment opportunities in UP and the other on the under-construction Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS).
A little-known US firm’s attempt to derail India’s largest FPO launched by Adani Group floundered but the latter showed magnanimity by calling off the oversubscribed FPO a day later in view of the market volatility. We take note of this significant development on the front page and publish extracts from Adani Group’s detailed response to Hindenburg Research’s unsubstantiated accusations on an inside page. The week’s G20 Podium comprises detailed coverage of the B20 India inception meeting held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Speaking at the meeting, Union Minister Piyush Goyal listed four ‘I’s – tall efforts in Infrastructure mission, focus on Integrity, Inclusive development and International outlook – that are helping India’s transformation, according to our report. We conclude the edition with another feelgood report on India’s young women bringing home the inaugural ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup and yet another colonial vestige getting shredded with the renaming of Mughal Gardens at Rashtrapati Bhavan as Amrit Udyan.
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