Tag Archives: Rajiv Kumar

Elections 2024: Full Schedule of Lok Sabha, 4 State Assemblies announced in 7 Phases; Counting on June 4

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The Election Commission of India announced the schedule for the 543 parliamentary constituencies for the 18th Lok Sabha elections, marking the commencement of the world’s largest democratic exercise encompassing 96.8 crore voters, including 21.5 crore young voters aged between 18 to 29 years.

Additionally, the election schedule for four state assemblies was announced, comprising Sikkim (32 seats), Arunachal Pradesh (60 seats), Andhra Pradesh (175 seats), and Odisha (147 seats).

Polling in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim in the Northeastern region is slated for April 19, while Andhra Pradesh will witness elections on May 13. Odisha’s elections will be conducted over four phases on May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1, with results declared on June 4, coinciding with the announcement of Lok Sabha poll results.

The Lok Sabha elections will unfold across seven phases, commencing on April 19 and concluding on June 1.

Additionally, by-elections for 26 Assembly seats in Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Tripura, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu will be held. The Model Code of Conduct has been enforced with immediate effect, following the announcement.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, accompanied by newly appointed Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, declared that the elections will span seven phases, mirroring the pattern from 2019.

Spanning from April 19 to June 1, the elections will unfold across 10.5 lakh polling stations, with vote counting scheduled for June 4. The phases are scheduled as follows: April 19 (Phase 1), April 26 (Phase 2), May 7 (Phase 3), May 13 (Phase 4), May 20 (Phase 5), May 25 (Phase 6), and June 1 (Phase 7).

The current term of the 17th Lok Sabha concludes on June 16. Despite widespread anticipation, the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections have not been synchronized with the parliamentary elections, possibly due to security concerns in the region.

The Supreme Court has directed that elections for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir must be completed by the end of September.

Rajiv Kumar takes over as the New Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog

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Dr. Rajiv Kumar has taken charge as the new Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog today. A renowned economist, he replaces Shri Arvind Panagariya as the head of the premier think tank of the country. Addressing a press conference in the capital after assuming office, he said the priority would be to carry forward the spirit of Team India for a better future, keeping in mind the aspirations of millions across the country.

The new Vice Chairman said there would be more emphasis on improving Government capacity at the state level to ensure the values of co-operative and competitive federalism. He underlined the need to bring in out of the box thinking and ideas to bring about transformational changes in the country to fulfil the Prime Minister’s dreams of a Shreshtha Bharat.

Dr. Kumar said policy making should not be elitist, rather it should be rooted in ground realities. He added that participative governance involving various sections of society can ensure that development becomes a mass movement. He said that in the Indian context, cross cutting issues are very important be it agriculture, environment, water, finances, investment and so on. NITI Aayog is well placed to play the role of a platform that cuts across these issues. The thematic focus will be on generating employment, enhancing investment, improving ease of doing business, transforming agriculture, and reforming education and health.

The new Vice Chairman highlighted the need to tap into the potential of the social capital of the country to have an Indian Model of Development. The focus would be on generating employment to meet the rising aspirations of the people and for India to earn the demographic dividend. There is also the need to capitalize on our intellectual capacity.

The Vice Chairman intends to visit all states over the next three months and to begin with he would visit NE states. He said it would be a good idea to have sub groups of states such as Himalayan or NE/ Gangetic / Blue economy states and they should have state specific blue prints of their own. That would be more effective in reducing regional inequalities. NITI would play the role of a consultant as well as a catalyst to help States achieve their goals.

Terming his new assignment as a dream job for an Economist, Dr Kumar thanked the Prime Minister for the opportunity given to him to serve the country. He lauded the contributions of his predecessor, Dr. Arvind Panagariya for nurturing the NITI Aayog and leaving behind a rich legacy. Members of NITI Aayog, Shri Ramesh Chand, Shri VKSaraswat, Dr.VKPaul and CEO NITI Aayog, Shri Amitabh Kant were present on this occasion.