Ex-Cricketer, UP Minister Chetan Chauhan Passes Away

Former Indian cricketer and Uttar Pradesh Minister Chetan Chauhan, who had been admitted to a hospital after being tested positive for COVID-19, passed away in Gurugram on Sunday. He was 73.

Chauhan was admitted to Medanta Hospital, Gurgaon for COVID-19 treatment, and his condition was stated to be critical on Saturday.

Chauhan was UP Minister for Sainik Welfare, Home Guards, Civil Security and Prantiya Rakshak Dal (PRD).

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has condoled the demise of Chauhan.

“Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expresses deep sorrow over the passing away of Uttar Pradesh Minister and former cricketer Chetan Chauhan,” said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

Chetan Chauhan was a vital cog in the Indian lineup during the 1970s and he used to open the batting along with Sunil Gavaskar. He had made his Test debut against New Zealand in 1969. The right-handed batsman went on to play 40 Tests, managing to score 2,084 runs at an average of 31.57.

The right-handed batsman also played 7 ODIs in his career, in which he scored 153 runs with the highest score being 46 against New Zealand in Sydney.

Chauhan was the first player in international cricket to finish his career with over 2000 runs but without a century.

Earlier on August 2, Uttar Pradesh Minister Kamal Rani succumbed to coronavirus in Lucknow. (ANI)

US To Arm Taiwan With $62 Billion F-16 Jets Against China

American company Lockheed Martin Corp. was awarded a USD 62 billion, ten-year contract for the production of F-16 Foreign Military Sale (FMS) aircraft.

According to a report in The EurAsian Times, the contract released by the US Department of Defence on August 14, 2020, contract does not mention the country where the sales of the latest F-16V jets are aimed at, experts are sure that it is directed towards Taiwan, following the deal to procure 66 such fighters, which was given a green signal by the Trump administration last year.

The ten-year, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ), fixed-price-incentive contract for new production of F-16 Foreign Military Sale (FMS) aircraft involves 100 per cent FMS to FMS partner nations. The contract is expected to meet its objectives till December 31, 2026, the report said.

The initial delivery order is for 90 aircraft, out of which 66 are said to be for Taiwan while Morocco is also said to be a customer for 24 new. As per the report, the deal of 66 F-16s to Taiwan was set to be completed and delivered in stages till 2026, which coincides with the dates mentioned in the DoD contract.

This is likely to ruffle feathers in Beijing as the development comes amid worsening tensions between the US and China over a range of issues including Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea.

The ties between the two countries further deteriorated following US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar’s Taiwan visit.

Azar’s visit was the highest-level visit by a US Cabinet official to Taiwan since 1979, when Washington switched its official recognition to Beijing and established formal diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China.

The contract awarded to Lockheed Martin could probably allow Taiwan to procure additional latest F-16 Viper jets under this continuous FMS (Foreign Military Sales) process instead of waiting to seek diplomatic permission again and again from maybe a less friendly Washington government, The EurAsian Times report said.

The purchase marks the first time since 1992 that the jets have been sold to the island nation. China claims Taiwan as its part and has not renounced the use of force against the island nation.

Taiwan was also one of the first nations to support India after clashes emerged in Galwan valley in Ladakh, which resulted in 20 Indian and unspecified number of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops killed, the report said.

Earlier this month even as Azar was in Taiwan on a visit, Beijing deployed fighter jets that briefly crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait on Monday, South China Morning Post reported citing Taiwan’s Defence Ministry.

According to the report, Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said it had tracked the PLA fighters with its land-based anti-aircraft missiles and had “strongly driven them out”. (ANI)

Shaheen Bagh Activist Shahzad Ali, Others Join BJP

Shaheen Bagh social activist Shahzad Ali and others joined the BJP on Sunday in the presence of State BJP president Adesh Gupta and leader Shyam Jaju.

Speaking to ANI, Shahzad Ali said, “I have joined the BJP to prove wrong those in our community who think that the BJP is our enemy. We’ll sit together with them over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) concerns.”

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta said that the party wants to bring all the Muslim brothers in the mainstream of development.

“Today hundreds of Muslim brothers have joined the party after realising that there is no discrimination with Muslims and we want to bring them into the mainstream of development. I would like to congratulate all those women who have joined the party after observing the steps Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken in triple talaq matter,” Gupta told ANI.

BJP leader Shyam Jaju said that every Muslim got to know that nobody has to prove their nationality.

“When there was talk about CAA, some political parties tried to mislead Muslim community but now every Muslim of the country has got to know that there is no need to prove anything. Nobody will be ripped off their right of vote and nationality. After realising that they will get justice only through this party, a huge number of Muslims who were present in the protest at Shaheen Bagh have joined the party today,” Jaju said.

The protest at Shaheen Bagh against the Citizenship Amendment Act continued for several months.

The Citizenship Amendment Act grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist and Christian refugees who came to India from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh on or before December 31, 2014. (ANI)

Joe Biden In Delhi

India, US Have Common Goal To Check Assertive China: Biden

India and US have a common challenge which has to deal with an increasingly assertive China across the board, including using aggression toward New Delhi at the Line of Actual Control and using its economic might to coerce others and reap unfair advantage, said Antony Blinken, a former deputy secretary of the state.

During a panel discussion moderated by US former envoy to India Richard Verma, Blinken said Biden administration would be an advocate for India to play a leading role in international institutions and that includes helping India get a permanent seat on the reformed United Nations Security Council.

“We have a common challenge which has to deal with an increasingly assertive China across the board, including its aggression toward India at the Line of Actual Control but also using its economic might to coerce others and reap unfair advantage. Ignoring international rules to advance its own interests asserting unfounded maritime and territorial claims that threaten freedom of navigation in some of the most important seas in the world,” he said.

“In a Biden administration, we would be an advocate for India to play a leading role in international institutions and that includes helping India get a seat on a United Nations Security Council,” he added

Former Vice President Joe Biden sees the United States and India as “natural partners”, and that is the vision he would help to make real if elected as US president, said Blinken.

Blinken remembered that Joe Biden had a vision for future India and US relations in 2006 that ‘My dream is that in 2020, the two closest nations in the world will be India and the United States’.

“We are not quite there, but it’s a terrific vision and one that I know. He will act, to realise as President of the United States… Joe Biden sees the United States in India as natural partners, and that’s the vision he would help to make real as president,” Blinken said.

Blinken chided the Trump administration of using transactional trade war while dealing with India, rather than partnership.

“President Trump. I think his approach to India has been basically full of photo ops. In short, on actual, real demonstrable progress. He takes a transactional approach, including a transactional trade war, rather than partnership,” he added.

In Obama-Biden administration, Blinken said that Washington made significant progress in strengthening the relationship between our countries, both under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and then Prime Minister Narendra Modi

“In Obama-Biden administration itself, We made significant progress in strengthening the relationship between our countries, both under Prime Minister Singh and then Prime Minister Modi, a lot of you know this we’re engaged in this but for example, we launched the defense technology and trade initiative to strengthen India’s defense industrial base, and also to pave the way for American and Indian companies to work together to co-develop and co-produce technology,” he added. (ANI)

Bangladesh – The Next Asian Tiger

Last December, after witnessing Bangladesh’s ‘Bijoy Divas’, the day in 1971 Pakistani military had surrendered to Indian and Bangladeshi joint command, I experienced a sad, solemn moment at the home of its founding father, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He was assassinated along with 20 of his family members on August 15, 1975.

On that fateful night of August 14-15, a group of serving and retired Bangladesh Army officers had, in a planned conspiracy, stormed this house located in Dhanmondi Residential Area. After killing other inmates including his wife, three sons, one of them just ten, and two daughters-in-law, one of them pregnant, they confronted Mujib as he came down from the second floor bedroom.

They demanded he resign. When he refused, he was gunned down. Bullet marks bear testimony and rose petals spread where Mujib fell remind of the mayhem. Then posted at Dhaka, I had reported that coup d’etat. As memories came rushing, the passage of almost 45 years couldn’t steel my senses. I cried while signing the Visitors’ Book.

India had played a key role in 1971. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s government hosted ten million refugees. On diplomatic front, she could persuade lawmakers like the US’ Edward Kennedy, sections of the international media, artistes like violinist Yehudi Menuhin and philosophers like France’s Andre Malraux. But she could not shake the Western governments driven by Cold War bias.  

Signing the Friendship and Peace Treaty with the then Soviet Union, India, when attacked, responded with full military fury. Its confidence showed at the massive rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan that Indira addressed, with fighter jets providing air cover.

The two-week war ended with surrender of 93,000 Pakistani soldiers. It was the swiftest and most decisive outcome of a war since the World War II. And precisely three months later, the Indian Army left, its departing columns saluting Mujib. There is no precedence.

Viewed in the backdrop of the Cold War, this was a debacle for the West. Bangladesh was not recognized for long by the West and the Islamic world. An unrepentant Henry Kissinger called Mujib “history’s favourite fool.”

That Mujib’s assassination, like Chile’s Salvadore Allende, was a conspiracy is glossed over today, post-Cold war. American journalist Lawrence Lifschultz, in his book ‘Bangladesh: An Unfinished Revolution’, writes that the “CIA station chief in Dhaka, Philip Cherry, was actively involved in the killing of the Father of the Nation—Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.” Cherry, of course, denied this. His boss, the US Ambassador, said he was unaware. But, among the many pointers, one is of Cherry’s woman colleague being friendly to Major Shariful Haq Dalim, one of the “killer majors”, who announced on the radio Mujib’s killing and the success of the coup.

ALSO READ: Bangladesh – March Towards Prosperity

Final touches to the conspiracy were given during Dhaka visit of the first Pakistani trade delegation barely ten days before it unravelled. It included a retired Pakistan Army major general, a former Intelligence chief. As per official itinerary, the delegation met Khandaker Moshtaque Ahmed, then Commerce Minister. Within hours of Mujib’s assassination, Moshtaque became the President.

Moshtaque replaced the national slogan “Joy Bangla” with “Bangladesh Zindabad”. He was removed in November 1975 after he had signed the Indemnity Ordinance that blocked any punishment to the “killer majors”. Two decades later, after Hasina Government took office, the National Assembly repealed it.

In office, Mujib left a mixed record. An astute politician and agitator, his experience of and hold over governance were poor. He fought against heavy odds, even natural calamities like drought and flood during his short tenure that witnessed chaos and food shortages. Bangladesh came to be called an “international basket case.”

Daughters Hasina and Rehana escaped the massacre as they were in Germany. They were hosted for six years at a safe house in New Delhi, protected from hostile governments in Dhaka. This has been a less-known chapter of India helping in the well-being of Bangladesh.

This contemporary history, it seems, is poised to take a full circle. Pakistan and Bangladesh are set to normalize relations, almost half-a-century after they were violently snapped. A thaw is building. Imran Khan last month phoned Hasina to invite her to Islamabad.

This will be epochal for the generation of Indians that suffered while hosting ten million refugees in 1971, paying Refugee Relief Tax. Those who fought and families of those who died in the conflict that year, may find this heart-breaking.

But shorn of Indian sentiments, and that of Bangladesh’s own freedom fighters, this is also inevitable when seen from a larger prism. After all, Vietnam, last century’s most violated nation, has normalized ties with the US.

ALSO READ: Pak Bid To Court Bangladesh Will Fall Flat

Times are a-changing. The US is about to hand over Rashed Chowdhury, one of the “killer majors”, to be hanged by Dhaka, so that the latter doesn’t get too close to Beijing!

The regional context explains it better. There is definitely a nudge from China that has crossed the Himalayas. It is wooing all of South Asia, once India’s backyard, with its deep pockets and political determination.

For Pakistan, if the Indian enemy’s enemy (China) has been a long-time friend and now a saviour, then the enemy’s friend (Bangladesh) should be more so. It would be is getting back at India.

Arguably, Pakistan under Khan and his mentors, the Army, is trying to cleanse its image as militancy hotbed. Unable to sell its line to the world since India ended Kashmir’s special status, reaching out to Bangladesh serves multiple purposes: a) it can hope to be seen as a conciliator in the western eye and also please the Muslim ummah, b) it can in the long run hope to drive a wedge between Delhi and Dhaka when the latter is already peeved with the Modi Government’s Hindutva agenda and; c) it can tug at the sentiments of those that once lived as part of Pakistan and enjoyed privileges.

Although Khan renewed invitation to Hasina to visit Pakistan, it seems unlikely for now as she prepares to lead Bangladesh into 50th anniversary celebrations, already underway. She wouldn’t like to answer this query: liberation from whom? Would she invite Khan to the celebrations, the way her father had invited Z A Bhutto to Dhaka in 1974?

A rush is unlikely. Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abdul Momen asked the Pakistani envoy who met him that Pakistan formally apologize for 1971. Khan can’t sell this to the army, forget his people.

Undoubtedly, it is for Bangladesh to decide how to respond to Pakistan’s overtures. Separation from Pakistan was not only due to political and economic discrimination. Bengalis had shed blood to preserve their language and culture. That ethos sustains among emotion-driven Bangladeshis. It was evident while fighting the Islamist extremists.

One thing is clear. Bangladesh is not Pakistan’s neglected kid brother. Pakistani scholar Pervez Hoodbhoy last year extolled Bangladesh’s strides in numerous areas that have eluded his country.

He sees Bangladesh as the next Asian Tiger. Its population graph has reversed in Pakistan’s comparison. The health indicators are positive. “Bangladesh and Pakistan are different countries today because they perceive their national interest very differently. Bangladesh sees its future in human development and economic growth,” says Hoodbhoy.

“For Pakistan, human development comes a distant second. The bulk of national energies remain focused upon check-mating India. Relations with Afghanistan and Iran are therefore troubled; Pakistan accuses both of being excessively close to India. But the most expensive consequence of the security state mindset was the nurturing of extra state actors in the 1990s. Ultimately they had to be crushed after the APS massacre of Dec 16, 2014.” This, Hoodbhoy points out, “coincidentally, was the day Dhaka had fallen 43 years earlier.”

The writer can be reached at mahendraved07@gmail.com

PM Announces Unique Health ID For Citizens On I-Day

Announcing the National Digital Health Mission on the occasion of 74th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that a unique health ID will be provided to every citizen which will have their details of diseases, diagnosis, report, medication and so on.

Speaking from the ramparts of the Red Fort, the Prime Minister addressed the nation and highlighted the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ spirit of the country that has resulted in achieving self-reliance amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his Independence Day address to the nation, Modi mentioned India’s strategy for the development of COVID-19 vaccine. The Prime Minister stated that scientists are working on this mission with strong determination.

“Presently, three vaccines are in different stages of testing. As soon as the scientists give a nod, mass production shall commence. A blueprint for the production and distribution of the vaccine is also ready,” he said.

The Prime Minister said that the country is now producing PPE kits, N95 masks, ventilators etc, which were earlier not being manufactured domestically. The increase in the production capacity of such world-class items also echoed in his call “vocal for local”.

Modi highlighted the country’s steady escalation of its COVID testing capacity, “From merely one lab, we have today more than 1,400 labs across the country. We were earlier conducting just 300 tests on a day. Today, we are conducting more than seven lakh tests in a day. We have achieved this in a very less amount of time.”

He expressed his condolences to the families who lost their loved ones to COVID-19 disease. The Prime Minister reassured the nation that “we will win against corona. Our strong will shall lead us to victory.”

He hailed people in the frontline of the battle against coronavirus, saying that “corona warriors have lived the mantra of ‘Seva Parmo Dharma’ and served the people of the country”.

On the 74th Independence Day, the Prime Minister said it is an occasion to remember freedom fighters who laid down their lives for the freedom of the country.

“Congratulations and best wishes to all the countrymen on this festival of Independence Day. The sacrifice and the resolve to free the country of lakhs of sons and daughters of Maa Bharati is the reason for us being able to breathe in independent India today. This is a day to remember the sacrifices of our freedom fighters. This is also a day to show gratitude to security personnel including that of Army, paramilitary and police ensuring our safety,” Modi said.

He referred to the restrictions due to COVID-19 and said that children, who are the future of the country, were not at present at the celebrations and recalled the tireless contributions of corona warriors. (ANI)

Ram Temple

‘Tears Of Joy Filled My Eyes As I Watched Bhoomi Poojan’

Avadhesh Singh (74), a retired engineer in New Delhi, never thought he would see the Ram temple being built at Ayodhya in his lifetime. Now, he has no other desire left in heart

I never thought I would see this day in my lifetime but I did. Watching the Ayodhya Ram Mandir bhoomi poojan ceremony live on television, on August 5, made me so emotional that I can’t express it in words. Every time I think about it I have tears of joy in my eyes. I feel as if my life has served its purpose; there are no other desires left to be fulfilled. After the full telecast of the bhoomi poojan got over, utter peace descended on me.

Maybe the current generation won’t understand what we feel for Ram Ji. He feels like a family member, a very important part of our lives. Ramlilas were an important part of small towns in North India for long and it would be every child’s dream to be a participant in the Ramlila.

We embodied Ram, Sita, Lakshman, Hanuman and many other characters as well as their characteristics in these events. Everyone has a sense of attachment to one’s birthplace and I feel at peace to know that Ram Ji will finally be established in his birthplace.

ALSO READ: ‘Bhoomi Poojan Was Rubbing Salt On Our Wounds’

Babri Masjid was demolished in 1992. We all know how things dragged after that day. But I am surprised at how Modiji gets everything done calmly. To say that I am in awe of his communication skills and how he strategically goes ahead about everything, would be an understatement. There weren’t even token protests on the day of the bhoomi poojan ceremony. Modiji ne apna vada poora kiya (Modiji fulfilled his promise).

I wish to visit Ayodhya soon. I hope the pandemic gets over and I can see the sanctum sanctorum with my own eyes. Modi hai to mumkin hai (Modi makes everything possible) were not just hollow words after all, you see.

Singh plans to visit Ayodhya soon.

Yes, Ram lives on in our hearts but faith is too huge a concept to be felt just by the heart. Temples are an important place to calm our minds and make our hearts come alive. When you visit a place of historical importance, you can be transported into that era and wonder how things took place at that time. Similarly, being able to visit Ram Ji’s birthplace would make us feel deeply connected to him.

ALSO READ: ‘Glad That Muslim Have Accepted Ayodhya Verdict’

Finally, after nearly 500 years, we can feel that sense of belonging. It took a long, long time for the Ram Mandir to finally begin taking shape, but it is happening.

I am a devout man and I have done a lot of vrats (fasting) in my life and regularly participate in many a religious ceremony. Rarely has a day gone by in my long life when I have put a morsel in mouth before my morning prayers. My aim is not to make anyone feel bad, but I want my space, to be able to practice my faith in my homeland. I hope many youngsters get reacquainted with the importance of faith in life in times as unpredictable and unprecedented as the pandemic.

I believe the Ram Mandir finally became a reality because of the faith of the people. I accept everything in my life as the will of God and as they say: Hoyi hai soi jo Ram rachi rakha (Everything happens as per God’s will and in him we should trust.

SC Holds Prashant Bhushan Guilty Of Court’s Contempt

The Supreme Court on Friday held senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan guilty of contempt of court for accusing past Chief Justices of India (CJIs) of involvement in corruption.

“These charges are serious charges against the contemnor,” a three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Arun Mishra and also comprising Justice BR Gavai and Justice Krishna Murari, said while pronouncing the verdict through video conferencing.

The apex court said that it will hear on August 20 the arguments on sentencing in the matter.

The top court had earlier refused to accept the regret expressed by Bhushan or grant any relief and reserved its order in the matter saying that it will examine whether his statements amount to contempt of court.

Bhushan was held guilty of contempt of court for two of his tweets, the first one posted on June 29, related to his comment /post on a picture of CJI Sharad Arvind Bobde on a high-end bike worth around Rs 50 lakh.

In his second tweet, Bhushan expressed his opinion on the role of last four CJIs amid the state of affairs in the country.

“When historians in the future look back at the last 6 years to see how democracy has been destroyed in India even without a formal Emergency, they will particularly mark the role of the Supreme Court in this destruction, and more particularly the role of the last 4 CJIs,” Bhushan’s second tweet on June 27, said. (ANI)

Test Swab For Covid-19

India Clocks 64,553 Covid-19 Cases, 1,007 Deaths In A Day

As many as 64,553 new coronavirus cases and 1,007 deaths were reported in India in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The country’s coronavirus count has risen to 24,61,191 including 6,61,595 active cases, 17,51,556 discharged/migrated and 48,040 deaths.

COVID-19 testing continues to grow and 8,48,728 samples were tested on August 13 which is the highest in a single day so far.

Over 2.76 crore samples have been tested so far, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

On Wednesday, the Union Health Ministry said that the week-wise average daily tests conducted saw a sharp increase from around 2.3 lakh in the first week of July 2020 to more than 6.3 lakh in the current week.

With an increasing number of recoveries, while the recovery rate has crossed 70 per cent, the case mortality among COVID-19 patients has further regressed to 1.96 per cent and steadily declining, the ministry had said. (ANI)

India Announces $5mn Air Bubble Passage To Maldives

India on Thursday announced a USD 500 million-package to the Maldives for the largest connectivity project in the island nation to connect Male with three neighbouring islands.

New Delhi also announced the creation of an air travel bubble between India and the Maldives. The first flight under the Air Bubble is expected to commence on August 18.

These ‘landmark’ announcements were made during a meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Maldivian counterpart Abdullah Shahid. The interaction which took place through video conference on Thursday was part of regular high-level exchanges between India and Maldives, according to a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

The two ministers reviewed the state of “time-tested” relations between India and the Maldives and noted with satisfaction that the COVID-19 pandemic has not been able to slow down the pace of bilateral cooperation.

During the meeting, Jaishankar assured the Maldives government that India stood by its close maritime neighbour and friend in difficult times.

Jaishankar made the five announcements including a start of a direct cargo ferry service between India and Maldives and India’s decision to support the Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP) in the Maldives through a financial package consisting of a grant of USD 100 million and a new Line of Credit of USD 400 million.

Jaishankar noted that this will be the largest civilian infrastructure project in the Maldives, connecting Male with three neighbouring islands – Villingili, Gulhifahu and Thilafushi (new industrial zone) – by the construction of a bridge-and-causeway link spanning 6.7 km.

“Once completed, this landmark project will streamline connectivity between the 4 islands, thereby boosting economic activity, generating employment and promoting holistic urban development in the Male region,” the MEA statement read.

In a bid to enhance enhancing bilateral trade and connectivity, Jaishankar also announced that a direct cargo ferry service between India and Maldives will commence shorty.

“EAM underscored the significance of this service in enhancing bilateral trade and connectivity and in further boosting the economic partnership between the two countries. The cargo ferry service will enhance sea connectivity and provide predictability in supplies for importers in Maldives and exporters in India. It will also reduce logistics costs and times for traders,” the statement read.

Announcing a creation of Air Travel Bubble, Jaishankar said the Maldives is the first neighbouring country with which an Air bubble is being operationalised to facilitate the movement of people from both sides for employment, tourism, medical emergencies etc.

“The air bubble symbolizes India’s support to shore up tourism arrivals and revenues in the Maldives. Health protocols in both countries will be strictly followed,” it read.

Fulfilling India’s commitment under the bilateral Trade Agreement of 1981, Jaishankar conveyed the decision to renew quotas for supply of essential commodities including food items like potatoes, onions, rice, wheat, flour, sugar, dal and eggs as well as river sand and stone aggregates to the Maldives for the year 2020-21.

“The quotas assure food security, and the supply of essential construction items, and thereby provide certainty and price stability for such essential items in the Maldives,” the statement read.

Jaishankar also announced that the Indian government has decided to extend in-principle urgent financial assistance to the Maldives government, by way of a soft loan arrangement.

Exact modalities of the loan arrangement are being finalised by the two sides, the statement noted.

Expressing a deep appreciation for the steps taken by the Indian Government in meeting the development priorities of his Government, Maldives foreign minister Shahid noted that GMCP will be a new milestone in India- Maldives ties and will anchor the economic and industrial transformation of the Maldives.

Shahid conveyed gratitude for the timely financial assistance being extended by India. He noted that this financial support will help in revival of the Maldivian economy which is grappling with the impact of the Covid-19 crisis, according to the statement.

He also welcomed the decision to create an Air bubble and a direct cargo ferry service between India and Maldives. Both these steps will further strengthen bilateral trade and the close people-to-people relations between the two countries which forms the bedrock of our dynamic partnership.

The MEA said that since November 2018, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, New Delhi and Male have embarked on a dynamic and ambitious phase of the partnership that builds on our enduring ties based on mutual trust and shared interests.

The ‘Neighbourhood First’ foreign policy of India and the ‘India First’ policy of Maldives complement each other and now demonstrate concrete outcomes. PM Modi and President Solih have met four times in the last one-and-a-half years. President Solih is likely to visit India later this year, subject to the COVID-19 related conditions.

Jaishankar and Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid expressed satisfaction at the progress that has been achieved in the implementation of bilateral projects and initiatives, especially those under the USD 800 million Line of Credit. Both leaders agreed to continue to work closely together so that bilateral relations continue to be broadened and deepened, the statement noted. (ANI)