Tag: india

India, Iran sign 10-year contract for Iran’s Chabahar Port operation

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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India and Iran on Monday (May 13) signed a 10-year contract for the operation of a terminal at the Chabahar Port in Iran.

The contract was signed between Indian Ports Global Ltd of India and the Port & Maritime Organisation (PMO) of Iran, in the presence of Ports, Shipping & Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Mehrdad Bazrpash, Minister of Roads & Urban Development, Iran.

As part of the agreement, India will procure (MHCs) mobile harbour cranes, (RMQCs) rail-mounted quay cranes, (RTGCs) rubber-tyred gantry cranes, reach stackers, forklifts, pneumatic unloaders, among others, at Chabahar Port.

Sonowal said, “Today is a historic day for the maritime sector of the region as India and Iran signed this long-term agreement on Chabahar Port heralding a new age of trade, marine cooperation as well as transhipment while boosting trilateral trade among India, Iran and Afghanistan.”

Also Read: India may clock 8% GDP growth for FY24, says chief economic advisor

Sonowal added that the signing of this contract will have a multiplier effect on the viability and visibility of Chabahar Port. According to him, Chabahar is not only the closest Iranian port to India but it is also an excellent port from a nautical point of view.

Earlier, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the development of Chabahar Port by India was signed in May 2015. Thereafter, the contract was executed on May 23, 2016, in Tehran during the visit of the Prime Minister Modi to Iran.

This agreement aims to enhance regional connectivity and facilitate trade, particularly between India, Iran and Afghanistan. The India Ports Global Chabahar Free Zone (IPGCFZ), a subsidiary of IPGL, facilitated the first consignment of exports from Afghanistan to India in 2019.

The operations continued through short-term contracts while negotiations on the long-term agreement peaked pace with the visit of Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to Chabahar in August 2022.

Also Read: India must prepare for a US stagflation, says Sanjeev Sanyal

Located in the Sistan-Baluchistan province on Iran’s southwestern coast, the Chabahar Port is an important point on the Arabian Sea with easy access from India’s west coast.

Kandla Port in Gujarat is the closest to Chabahar Port at 550 nautical miles while the distance between Chabahar and Mumbai is 786 nautical miles. Since 2019, it has handled container traffic of more than 80,000 TEUs and bulk and general cargo of more than eight million tonnes.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Is Pakistan losing its grip on PoK? Posters emerge demanding merger with India amid protests

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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A people’s rights movement has surged in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir as citizens there have revolted against what they call brutality in the hands of Pakistan police and Pakistan administration.

Officials familiar with the developments told CNN-News18 that the recent protests and the violent suppression of those demonstrations indicate that Pakistan could be losing its grip on the territory it has illegally occupied for decades.

Several instances of locals in Muzaffarabad and Rawalakot clashing with the law enforcement authorities have been reported. Aforementioned people also told CNN-News18 that posters have emerged in Rawalakot demanding merger with India.

Police officials were met with protests by angered residents of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir following tear gas shelling on protesters. A group of peaceful protesters were hit by tear gas shells in Dadyal.

“Pak stands to lose grip on PoJK, edging closer to becoming part of India. (There are) major protests in PoJK and a military intelligence vehicle was also destroyed (by protesters),” one of the aforementioned officials said.

The officials said that the protests were spurred by the deaths of two minor girls. The two girls died after being baton-charged and exposed to tear gas.

Ten districts have protested against alleged human rights violations. “Pakistan’s hollow solidarity with Kashmiris (has been) unveiled,” the official said.

They said that the assistant commissioner of PoJK was beaten up by the resident after he issued the order to lob tear gas shells at peaceful protesters.

The first set of protests were taken out by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee who announced a series of “shutter-down and wheel-jam” strikes because the Pakistani government did not comply with an agreement reached between the two in February.

The committee has been protesting against the ‘unjust’ taxes that have been imposed on electricity bills and held a shutter-down strike over the taxes in August 2023 and have also demanded that electricity should be provided to consumers as per the production cost of hydel power in PoJK.

However, these protests have now spread further and protesters have raised human rights violation issues and police brutality in the hands of Pakistan police as issues affecting them.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

India to host ‘Bharat Parv’ at 77th Cannes Film Festival

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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India is set to host a ‘Bharat Parv’ at the 77th Cannes Film Festival for eminent dignitaries and delegates from around the world to showcase the myriad creative opportunities in the country At the prestigious film gala, a delegation consisting of representatives from central and state governments as well as members of the industry will showcase India’s creative economy in Marche du Films through a series of significant initiatives, the Information and Broadcasting ministry said on Friday.

It will be for the first time that the country will host a Bharat Parv at the Cannes Film Festival to engage with film celebrities, filmmakers, directors, producers, buyers and sales agents from across the world and showcase the creative opportunities and a rich bank of creative talent. The official poster and trailer of the 55th India International Film Festival (IFFI), to be held in Goa on November 20 to 28, will also be unveiled at the Bharat Parv, the release stated.

At the Bharat Parv, the delegation will also see the release of the Save the Date for the first edition of the World Audio-Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES), which will take place alongside the 55th IFFI. The Bharat Pavilion, which serves as a platform for the Indian film community to engage in various activities, at the 77th Cannes Film Festival at 108 Village International Riviera will be inaugurated on May 15 in the presence of eminent celebrities. The Pavilion will be organized by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) as an industry partner.

A Bharat Stall’ will be put in the Marche du Cannes through the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The Bharat Pavilion has been designed by the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. It is christened on The Sutradhara’ to depict this year’s theme of Create in India. At the internationally recognised festival, several Indian movies and productions will be showcased. The highlight will be filmmaker Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine As Light”, which has been selected in the Competition section, where it will vie for the top prize Palme d’Or.

British-Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri’s “Santosh” will be showcased at the 77th edition under the Un Certain Regard section. “Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know”, a short film by the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) students, has been shortlisted in the La Cinef Competitive section.

Karan Kandhari’s “Sister Midnight” will be screened in Directors’ Fortnight and Maisam Ali’s compelling “In Retreat” in L’Acid. A restored version of veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal’s 1976 film “Manthan” will be screened under Cannes Classics, a section created 20 years ago that features celebrations, restored prints and documentaries.

National Award-winning cinematographer Santosh Sivan will be the recipient of the prestigious Pierre Angenieux tribute at the festival, where he will also deliver a masterclass, becoming the first Indian to be recognised with the honour.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

India projects biggest power shortfall in 14 years in June

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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India is projecting its biggest power shortfall in 14 years in June after a slump in hydropower generation, the government told Reuters and is racing to avoid outages by deferring planned plant maintenance and re-opening idled units.

The deficit also follows delays, a government source said, in the commissioning of 3.6 gigawatts (GW) of new coal-fired plants that had been targeted to be operational before March.

A peak shortage of 14 GW is forecast in June during nighttime hours, when solar capacity is offline, the Central Electricity Authority, the country’s planning body for the power sector, told Reuters in a statement.

“The planning process relies on worst-case scenarios,” it said.

The gap is the widest since 2009-10, according to publicly available government data. India’s hydroelectricity output fell at the steepest pace in four decades in the year ended March 31, while renewable energy generation was flat.

Power Minister RK Singh held an emergency meeting last week to take stock of the situation, and decided to defer shutting down power plants for planned maintenance during June and revive 5 GW of idled coal plant capacity, two separate government sources present in the meeting said.

“All efforts have been made to maximise generation, and with the measures in place it is expected that the power demand would be adequately met during the day and the non-solar hours in the coming months including June 2024,” the statement said.

Grid administrator Grid-India projects maximum night-time demand of 235 GW in June, the statement said. On the supply side, nearly 187 GW of thermal capacity is available, and about 34 GW from renewable sources, according to government sources.

The figures on power demand and capacity projections have not been previously reported.

In April, the power ministry invoked emergency rights for the first time to direct gas-based and imported coal-based power plants to operate at full capacity.

India has long defended the use of coal but Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration had slowed capacity growth based on the heavily polluting fuel to focus on the green energy transition, with an eye to meeting 2070 net zero emission goals.

Plans to set up new coal power plants in the country, which is under pressure from rich economies to stop coal use, gathered momentum last year, but they will take a minimum of four years to start generation.

Existing coal-fired power plants and solar plants will help the nation meet its electricity demand during daytime hours, one of the government sources said.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Pannun murder plot case: Russia refutes US allegations against India, says ‘no reliable evidence’

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Russia has refuted allegations of the United States (US) against India in Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun murder plot case. Russia said there has been no evidence of involvement of Indian citizens in the alleged plot to kill Sikh separatist leader.

“According to the information we have, Washington has not yet provided any reliable evidence of the involvement of Indian citizens in the preparation of the murder of a certain GS Pannun. Speculation on this topic in the absence of evidence is unacceptable,” Maria Zakharova, the official spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said at a press briefing on Wednesday (local time), as reported by news agency ANI.

On Tuesday, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters that the US is waiting to see the results of the Indian investigations in the alleged murder plot. “They (Indian government) opened a committee of inquiry to look into the matter, and that work is ongoing; we’ll wait to see the results. But we made it very clear that it’s something that we are taking seriously and we think they, too, should take this seriously,” he said.

The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, recently named a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officer in connection with the alleged plot to kill Pannun on American soil in 2023.

Slamming the report by the US daily, India has strongly rejected the claims, saying that the report made “unwarranted and unsubstantiated” imputations on a serious matter and that an investigation into the case was underway.

“The report in question makes unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in New Delhi on April 30.

Jaiswal said a high-level inquiry committee set up by New Delhi to look into inputs provided by the US on the alleged plot was still probing the case.

With inputs from PTI

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Chinese President Xi appoints senior diplomat Xu Feihong as new envoy to India

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Chinese President Xi Jinping has appointed senior diplomat Xu Feihong as the new Ambassador to India after an unusually long delay of 18 months amid frozen relations between the two countries over the eastern Ladakh military standoff.

While there is no official announcement yet, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has confirmed to PTI that Xu, former Ambassador to Afghanistan and Romania, has been appointed as China’s new envoy in India.

Xu, 60, is expected to travel to New Delhi soon to take over his new posting. He will succeed veteran Chinese diplomat Sun Weidong who completed his tenure in India in October 2022.

Sun, who was China’s envoy to Pakistan before his India stint, is currently the Vice Foreign Minister overseeing China’s South Asia policy.

Xu’s appointment which coincides with the ongoing general elections in India comes amid protracted military and diplomatic negotiations between Beijing and New Delhi to resolve the prolonged military standoff.

Relations between the two countries were frozen except for trade ever since the eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong Tso (lake) area. The eastern Ladakh standoff has resulted in a freeze of bilateral ties.

The two sides have so far held 21 rounds of corps commanders-level talks to resolve the standoff.

According to the Chinese military, the two sides so far agreed to disengage from four points, namely the Galwan Valley, the Pangong Lake, Hot Springs, and Jianan Daban (Gogra).

India is pressing the People’s Liberation Army to disengage from the Depsang and Demchok areas, maintaining that there cannot be restoration of normalcy in its relations with China as long as the state of the borders remains abnormal.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Waiting for results of India’s probe into alleged plot to kill Sikh separatist leader: US

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The United States is waiting to see the results of the Indian investigations on allegations related to a plot to assassinate Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the US, a State Department official has said.

“They (Indian government) opened a committee of inquiry to look into the matter, and that work is ongoing; we’ll wait to see the results. But we made it very clear that it’s something that we are taking seriously and we think they, too, should take this seriously,” State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at his daily news conference.

Miller was responding to a question on the allegations that Indian government officials were involved in a plot to assassinate Pannun, a US citizen and a separatist Sikh leader.

“I would refer you to the Canadian authorities to speak to the details of the investigation there. With respect to the indictment that was returned in the United States, I will let the Department of Justice speak on behalf of that in detail,” he told reporters.

“And then the only thing further I would say: when it comes to the State Department, we had made it clear right when these allegations were first made public that it’s something we think India should take very seriously and investigate,” Miller added.

The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, recently named a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officer in connection with the alleged plot to kill Pannun on American soil in 2023.

Slamming the report by the US daily, India has strongly rejected the claims, saying that the report made “unwarranted and unsubstantiated” imputations on a serious matter and that an investigation into the case was underway.

“The report in question makes unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in New Delhi on April 30.

Jaiswal said a high-level inquiry committee set up by New Delhi to look into inputs provided by the US on the alleged plot was still probing the case.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

India, Ghana agree for early operationalisation of UPI on Ghana interbank payment systems

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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India and Ghana are working to link their payment systems – Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GHIPSS) respectively to permit users to make instant, low-cost fund transfers on a reciprocal basis.

The two countries have also delved into discussions regarding the possibilities of a Memorandum of Understanding on Digital Transformation Solutions; Local Currency Settlement System and the opportunities offered by African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

“They agreed to work expeditiously towards the operationalisation of NPCI’s (National Payments Corporation of India) UPI on Ghana’s GHIPSS within a period of 6 months,” the Department of Commerce said on the social media platform X (formerly twitter). India’s UPI has already reached countries including Singapore and the UAE.

Also Read: UPI transactions dip slightly in April, but see 50% growth year-on-year

Talks are also on with Nigeria for the same. These issues were discussed during the visit of a seven-member Indian delegation led by Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce Amardeep Singh Bhatia to Accra, Ghana on May 2-3.

NPCI International has recently announced its partnership with Bank of Namibia to support them in developing a UPI-like real-time payment system in the African nation. The bilateral trade between India and the West African nation Ghana has increased to $2.87 billion in 2022-23 from $2.6 billion in 2021-22.

The trade gap is in the favour of Ghana mainly due to imports of gold by India which accounts for nearly 80% of total imports from Ghana. Ghana exports gold, cocoa, cashew nuts and timber products, among others, to India.

It imports pharmaceuticals, agricultural machinery, transport vehicles, electrical equipment, plastics, iron and steel, ethyl alcohol, beverages and spirits, cereals, made-up textiles from India.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

PM Modi dials Georgia Meloni to fortify India-Italy strategic partnership, extends greetings for 79th Liberation Day

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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In a significant diplomatic exchange, Prime Minister Narendra Modi engaged in a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Georgia Meloni of Italy. The discussion, which took place on Thursday, April 25, highlighted the deepening ties between the two nations and set the stage for collaborative efforts on the global stage.

Prime Minister Modi commenced the conversation by extending his warm greetings to Prime Minister Meloni and the people of Italy on the auspicious occasion of the 79th anniversary of Liberation Day.

During the dialogue, Prime Minister Modi expressed gratitude for the invitation extended by Prime Minister Meloni to the G7 Summit Outreach Sessions scheduled to be held in June 2024 in Puglia, Italy.

A key focus of the conversation was the commitment to build upon the significant outcomes achieved during India’s G20 Presidency, particularly in supporting the Global South.

Both leaders emphasised the importance of leveraging the upcoming G7 Summit, under Italy’s Presidency, to further advance these shared objectives.

Furthermore, Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Meloni reaffirmed their dedication to strengthening the bilateral strategic partnership between India and Italy.

In addition to discussing bilateral matters, the two leaders exchanged views on regional and global developments of mutual interest.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

US NSA Jake Sullivan’s visit to India postponed

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has postponed his visit to India this week due to the evolving situation in West Asia following escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran.

The senior Biden administration official was scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval on the progress in implementing the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) besides other issues.

It was the second time this year that Sullivan has postponed his trip to India “Due to ongoing events in the Middle East, NSA Sullivan has postponed his trip to India this week,” a US embassy spokesperson said.

“NSA Sullivan looks forward to holding the iCET annual review at the next earliest possible date and remains personally committed to advancing our deeply consequential and multifaceted partnership with India,” he said.

The spokesperson said US President Joe Biden looks forward to the next meeting of Quad leaders.

“Similarly, the President looks forward to the next meeting of the Quad leaders and continuing our efforts with India to deliver results for the American and Indian people, as well as our partners, in support of our shared vision for a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” he said.

The Quad leaders’ summit was planned in India in January. However, it could not take place as Washington conveyed to India that Biden would be unable to travel.

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Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow