News18.com Daybreak : PM Modi at News18 Rising India Summit and Other Stories You May Have Missed

In case you missed it

From importing to having excess coal, from gasping for natural gas to striding towards the construction of gas grids and strengthening the renewable energy sector in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi set India an ambitious target of becoming an energy surplus state by 2022 while addressing the News18 Rising India Summit on Friday. "Today, we are moving towards an energy surplus status. We are also moving towards our dream of One Nation, One Grid. By 2022 we will have excess energy in the country," said Modi.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh fired a warning shot to Pakistan saying that the Indian Army was ready to not only protect the country from within but can also "cross the border if needed”.

India's first full-time woman defence minister called war preparedness and lack of modern equipment with the armed forces, a cause of concern. The minister also quashed the Opposition’s allegations of a scam in the Rafale fighter jet deal and asserted that there was no need for a probe.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said that if secularism meant not taking sides, then there was "nobody more secular" than the nation's Hindu majority.

The Information and Broadcasting minister may not check her Twitter account every morning, but she is well aware of the hatred on social media. Smriti Irani revealed that the government is planning to bring about regulations on social media.

Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut said that she is open to the idea of joining politics.

Morgan Stanley’s chief global strategist Ruchir Sharma spoke about his time in Russia when he faced Vladimir Putin. In Putin’s presence, Sharma took to the stage to make his own presentation about the Russian economy. He had to leave the country next day. Once bitten, twice shy— Sharma is not willing to advise Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Indian economy.

The infectious energy that Ranveer Singh brings was on full display at the Summit as he made his entry on the song 'Khalibali' from his film Padmaavat and talked about how the fringe groups had desecrated his temple — the film set.

In other news,

A large number of Muslim women staged a silent protest in Lucknow against the Triple Talaq Bill and requested Narendra Modi Government to reconsider it. The protest was organised by the women wing of All India Muslim Personal Law Board.

The Supreme Court may have paved the way for passive euthanasia in terminal cases by allowing ‘living wills’, but in a country where religious ramifications hang heavy on an individual’s daily life, can the question of when and how to die be exempt? Here’s how Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism view living will and passive euthanasia. 

In election-bound Karnataka, the district administration in Uttara Kannada is diving into deep sea water to give out Voter Identity Cards. The Deputy Commissioner, who is also the district returning officer, is trying to distribute voter IDs to “millennial voters”.

India gave a Note Verbale to Pakistan through its high commission in Islamabad protesting the "intimidation and harassment" of its staff there, the 12th such diplomatic note in less than three months.

The Kerala government will very soon contribute Rs 2 lakh for the juvenile justice schemes. But the twist in the tale is that this contribution may not be a sign of magnanimity of the Pinarayi Vijayan-government at all. The benefaction for the social welfare cause has come by virtue of the Supreme Court orders, slapping a penalty of Rs 2 lakh on the Kerala government. 

Union Finance Ministry topped the list of ministries to receive the maximum number of RTI applications in 2016-17. It also happened to be the one to reject the maximum number of requests under the RTI Act for disclosure of information.

Taking the stage amid a roaring applause, Congress president Rahul Gandhi started off his speech at the 84th plenary session of the Congress party by drawing an analogy between the BJP-RSS and Kauravas while likening the Congress party to the "humble" Pandavas. At the party event on Sunday, Rahul Gandhi was in a mood to spare none. From calling BJP president Amit Shah a "murder accused" to attacking PM Modi for diverting attention from issues such as unemployment and farmer suicides, Gandhi sounded the poll bugle for the 2019 General Elections and said that it is a "fight between two ideologies".

Agree or disagree?

“We can turn the tables on the BJP by making them accountable for all the economic failures on their watch – both rural and urban,” writes Shashi Tharoor in this piece.“Congress should ask every Indian voter the same simple question: “are you better off than you were in 2014?” The vast majority will respond with an emphatic NO. In that reality lies the Congress’ best prospect of reversing the BJP’s recent dominance.”

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has submitted an apology in the court of a judicial magistrate in Amritsar and understandably bought peace with former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia, whom he had alleged to be kingpin of drug cartels operating in the state. This is a major climbdown by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, who had made the character assassination of rivals into a fine art of politics. Four years down the line, what has made Kejriwal go on an apology bingerather than stand by the charges levelled by him? Probably the realisation that the politics of hit-and-run doesn’t take one very far.

Behind the craftily managed and organised plenary session of the Congress, which showcased Rahul Gandhi in a rare form, is the hidden hand of Priyanka Vadra all the way. From choosing the venue to the look, the feel and even managing the mosquito problem, Priyanka Vadra was hands-on at this two-day mega show. A top party source said, “She pulled us up for some of the empty chairs and she ordered us to get more people for the second day.” Nor just this, when many delegates, including Sonia Gandhi, complained about the mosquitoes at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Priyanka came down late night and stayed for over two hours to supervise the fumigation process.

On reel

Self-made bagpiper Archy J has over 98 lakh views on her Youtube videos. Also known as The Snake Charmer, Archy was awarded the First Lady Award by the President in January 2018.