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President Murmu Is 1st Indian To Be Conferred With Suriname’s Highest Civilian Award

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President Droupadi Murmu has been conferred with Suriname’s highest civilian award by President Chandrikapersad Santokhi to honour the deep-rooted bilateral ties. Murmu arrived in Suriname on Sunday on a three-day state visit – her first since assuming office in July last year.

“An honour reflective of the deep-rooted India-Suriname ties! President Droupadi Murmu @rashtrapatibhvn conferred with the ‘Grand Order of the Chain of the Yellow Star’, the highest civilian award of Suriname by President @CSantokhi,” the Ministry of External Affairs tweeted.

Presidemt Murmu’s statement

President Murmu said she was greatly honoured to receive Suriname’s highest distinction.

“This recognition holds tremendous significance, not only for me but also for the 1.4 billion people of India whom I represent,” she tweeted after receiving the award on Monday.

She dedicated the honour to the successive generations of the Indian-Surinamese community, who have played a stellar role in enriching the fraternal ties between our two countries.

PM Modi congratulates President Murmu

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the President on receiving the award.

“Congratulations to Rashtrapati Ji on being conferred the highest civilian award of Suriname – Grand Order of the Chain of the Yellow Star. This special gesture from the Government and the people of Suriname symbolises the enduring friendship between our countries,” Prime Minister Modi tweeted.

Despite her many official engagements, President Murmu spent some time with a group of children who came to greet her in Paramaribo. She offered them India-made chocolates.

President also visited ‘Marinetrap’ where she witnessed the simulation and welcoming of the arrival of the First Indians in Suriname. She also inaugurated the simulated village at Independence Square.

Murmu’s visit to Surinam coincides with 150th anniversary of the arrival of Indians in Suriname

On Monday, President Murmu met her Surinamese counterpart Chandrikapersad Santokhi and later led delegation-level talks between the two sides. Speaking on the occasion, the President said that she was happy to be in Suriname on her first State Visit as President of India when it is commemorating the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Indians in Suriname.

She said that deep historical and cultural ties provide the foundation for the India-Suriname multifaceted and modern partnership.

Bilateral trade between India and Suriname

The President noted that bilateral trade between the two countries is well below potential. She said that there is a need to work together to expand bilateral trade for mutual benefit. She expressed confidence that the agreements signed during the visit would help boost the trade and economic ties. She said that there is scope for further collaboration in sectors like pharmaceuticals, Ayurveda, agriculture and defence, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a press release.

The President said that India is committed to enhancing technical cooperation and contributing to the capacity-building and skill development of Suriname’s human resources as per the country’s requirements. The two countries also signed three MoUs to enhance bilateral cooperation.

National News

‘Plans underway to arrest CM Atishi’, Arvind Kejriwal big claim

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New Delhi, Dec 25: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday claimed that there were plans to arrest Delhi Chief Minister Atishi by framing her in fake cases in the next few days and plans were also underway to conduct raids on senior party leaders ahead of the 2025 Delhi Assembly election.

This comes after the national capital’s Health and Family Welfare department red-flagged the ruling AAP’s registration drive for Sanjeevani Yojana, a scheme to provide free treatment to Delhi’s residents over 60 at private and government hospitals. In a public notice published in newspapers on Wednesday, the department said that it does not have “any such supposed Sanjeevani scheme in existence”. It added that it had not authorised anyone to collect personal data from elderly citizens and is not providing any card. The department said any individual or political party collecting such forms under the name of this scheme is “fraudulent and without any authority”.

Kejriwal claimed that Delhi Chief Minister Atishi would soon be arrested in a fake case as some people were rattled by the AAP government’s announcement of welfare initiatives like the Mahila Samman Yojana and the Sanjeevani Yojana.

“These people are badly upset by the Mahila Samman Yojana and Sanjeevani Yojana. They have planned to arrest Atishi ji in the next few days by making a fake case. Before that, raids will be conducted on senior AAP leaders. I will hold a press conference on this today at 12 o’clock,” Kejriwal said in a post on X.

The two AAP flagship schemes — Mahila Samman Yojana and Sanjeevani Yojana — were announced in the run-up to the Delhi Assembly Elections scheduled early next year. Kejriwal started the registration process of the two schemes aimed at women and senior citizens on Tuesday and held the door-to-door campaign.

Non-tax-paying eligible women will get Rs 1,000 per month in the Mahila Samman Yojana. The Sanjeevani Yojana promises free healthcare in government and private hospitals for senior citizens if AAP comes to power.

This comes after AAP leaders, including Chief Minister Atishi and party convener Arvind Kejriwal, visited several areas and launched doorstep registration for the Sanjeevani Yojana and Mahila Samman Yojana.

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Fraudulent, without authority: Two Delhi govt departments red-flag AAP’s ‘election’ schemes

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New Delhi, Dec 25: The Department of Women and Child Development and the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Delhi, on Wednesday issued a public notice refuting claims regarding the existence of the ‘Sanjeevani Scheme’ and ‘Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana.’

The Women and Child Development Department stated it has been alerted through media and social media reports that a political party is claiming to offer ₹2,100 per month to women in Delhi under the ‘Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana.’

The department clarified, “No such scheme has been notified by the Delhi government.”

The public notice, published in national newspapers, emphasised, “Since no such scheme is in existence, the question of accepting forms or applications for registration under this non-existent scheme does not arise. Any private person or political party collecting forms or information under this name is committing fraudulent and has no authority.”

Similarly, the Health and Family Welfare Department denied the existence of claims promising free medical treatment for individuals aged 60 and above at all government or private hospitals in Delhi, regardless of income criteria.

The department urged citizens to disregard such promises, terming them “misleading and unauthorised.” It also declared it would not bear responsibility for any liabilities or fraudulent activities arising from these false claims.

These statements come in the wake of the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) door-to-door registration drive for two alleged welfare schemes: the ‘Mahila Samman Yojana,’ which promises ₹2,100 monthly to women, and the ‘Sanjeevani Yojana,’ which assures free medical treatment for individuals aged above 60 years.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seized the opportunity to bash AAP and its national convenor Arvind Kejriwal.

Delhi BJP vice president Kapil Mishra slammed Kejriwal for misleading the public, stating, “What a big fraud Kejriwal is committing with the sisters of Delhi. On one side, Kejriwal is getting women to fill forms; on the other side, the Delhi government’s notice in today’s newspapers says there is no such scheme, and these forms are fake.”

Mocking the AAP leader, he concluded, “Wah re Farjiwal.”

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‘Delhi Chalo’ March: Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann Accuses Centre Of Ignoring Farmers’ Demands

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Chandigarh: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday hit out at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government for what he alleged, meting out step-motherly treatment to the farmers by not even giving them an opportunity to air their demands.

In a statement, the chief minister alleged that Prime Minister Modi appeared to be more worried about intervening in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine but was indifferent towards the farmers.

Mann further alleged that despite the immense contribution of farmers, the Union government appears to have adopted a hostile attitude towards them and held that it is strange that the Union government is not ready to talk to farmers sitting 200 km away from the national capital.

Urging the Union government to shun its haughty attitude and open way for dialogue with the agitating farmers, Mann said that the centre should not wait for any special moment to talk to the farmers, rather it should hold talks with the farmers and redress their grievances immediately.

Earlier in the day, Mann also posted on X: “ The central government should abandon its old stubbornness and open the way for talks with the farmers’ organizations… A cat does not run away when a pigeon winks.. I don’t know what penance the central government is doing now?? If Modi ji can stop the war between Russia and Ukraine, then can’t he talk to the breadwinners sitting 200 kilometers away? What time are you waiting for..’’

It may be recalled that a large number of farmers have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders of Punjab and Haryana under the aegis of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha since February 13 last and had repeatedly attempted to take out their “Delhi chalo’’ foot-march towards Delhi but were stopped by the Haryana police by lobbing teargas shells and using water cannons which left several farmers injured.

Also, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, 70, a cancer patient, has also been on a fast-unto-death at the Khanauri border since November 26 last to press for farmers’ various demands including MSP for crops and debt waiver. The doctors attending on him have also expressed their concerns about his worsening health.

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