More than 51,000 young people received government appointment letters at the 20th Rozgar Mela on September 19.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed over the letters by video conferencing at around 12:30 pm.

The recruits are joining ministries and departments including Revenue, Railways, Home Affairs, Health and Defence.

The mela was organised simultaneously at 45 locations across the country.

After this edition, around 12.75 lakh youth will have received appointment letters under the initiative.

With the 20th edition, about 12.75 lakh young people will have received appointment letters through the Rozgar Mela initiative.

The Rozgar Mela initiative is aimed at accelerating recruitment to government posts and providing employment opportunities to eligible youth.

In his address, the Prime Minister wished the new appointees the very best for the new beginning in their lives.

He said that the world has high hopes from India’s innovators, entrepreneurs and youth power.

He told the new recruits that their signature on every file should advance the aspirations of young people.

He also urged public servants to adopt the philosophy of ‘Nagrik Devo Bhava’, which treats the citizen as divine.

The Prime Minister highlighted the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rojgar Yojana, a Rs 1 lakh crore initiative aimed at bringing two crore youth into the formal workforce.

He also referred to India’s reported 7.8 percent growth rate and a 12 percent surge in investment in the first quarter of the financial year.

New appointees from cities such as Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Pune were reported to have thanked the Prime Minister after receiving their letters.

Odisha was among the states hosting local Rozgar Mela events, with venues in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.

The 20th Rozgar Mela was held on September 19, 2026, and the Prime Minister distributed the letters through video conferencing at around 12:30 pm.

The event was organised simultaneously at 45 locations across the country.

Event at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC0

PM Narendra Modi today said that the practice of ‘cut money’ has ended in West Bengal, citing the Annapurna Yojana’s transfer system.

The scheme’s fourth instalment is going directly into the bank accounts of nearly 1.5 crore women beneficiaries, Modi noted.

‘Cut money’ describes the alleged practice of intermediaries taking a share of welfare funds before they reach beneficiaries.

Direct Benefit Transfer routes government payments straight to recipients’ bank accounts, aiming to prevent such diversion.

The statement comes amid active political debate over welfare delivery in West Bengal ahead of state assembly elections.

The Annapurna Yojana is aimed at providing financial support to women beneficiaries across West Bengal as part of the state’s welfare programming.

PM Modi’s remarks on the scheme come amid continued political debate over welfare delivery and governance in West Bengal.

The Indian government has expanded DBT infrastructure significantly over the past decade, covering hundreds of welfare schemes across states.

Aadhaar-linked bank accounts have played a central role in enabling direct transfers, reducing leakage compared to earlier cash or voucher-based systems.

West Bengal has multiple state-run welfare schemes targeting women beneficiaries, with Annapurna Yojana forming one component of this broader support system.

The claim regarding the end of ‘cut money’ practices is likely to feature prominently in ongoing political discourse ahead of the state’s assembly elections.

Government officials have periodically highlighted DBT statistics as a marker of administrative efficiency and reduced corruption in welfare delivery.

PM Modi said the fourth instalment of the Annapurna Yojana scheme is being transferred directly to the bank accounts of nearly 1.5 crore women beneficiaries.

The direct bank transfer mechanism is being cited by the government as evidence that the practice of ‘cut money’ has ended in West Bengal.

‘Cut money’ refers to the alleged practice of intermediaries deducting a portion of welfare scheme funds before they reach intended beneficiaries.

Women at a public information campaign, Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, GODL-India

The ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan,’ a twin bike yatra, began from Varanasi, launched by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath on PM Modi’s 76th birthday.

The campaign connects Kashi, PM Modi’s parliamentary constituency, with Vadnagar in Gujarat, his birthplace, covering 10 states, 193 districts and 1,159 villages.

Roughly 500 bikers on 250 motorcycles are taking part in each direction, with one convoy carrying Gangajal to Vadnagar and another returning with water from Gujarat.

The yatra is set to conclude on October 7 with rituals at Baba Hatkeshwar temple in Vadnagar and a Jalabhishek ceremony at Baba Vishwanath temple in Kashi.

Rajnath Singh described it as ‘a confluence yatra of service, values and sadhana,’ linking Modi’s birthplace to his governance base, and credited the government with achievements including women’s greater parliamentary participation.

Around 500 bikers on 250 motorcycles are participating in each direction of the twin yatra, with 60 to 80 local service programs planned daily at stops along the route.

Rajnath Singh described the initiative as ‘a confluence yatra of service, values and sadhana,’ linking PM Modi’s birthplace with his political and governance base.

The campaign is being organized by the BJP to mark PM Modi’s 25 years of public service and his 76th birthday on September 17.

Rajnath Singh credited the Modi government with several major national changes during the launch, including action against Naxalism and the removal of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Defence Minister also cited poverty reduction affecting crores of people, greater women’s participation in Parliament, and the promotion of the semiconductor industry among the government’s achievements.

The Seva Sankalp Abhiyan follows a template used in past years, including a similar ‘Seva Sankalp’ walk led by Delhi CM Rekha Gupta on PM Modi’s 75th birthday.

The campaign’s stated objective is to connect with public sentiment and reach citizens through local service activities across the covered districts and villages.

Dashashwamedh Ghat, Varanasi (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0