Month: November 2020

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s tweets on Thursday alleging that the Haryana government was provoking farmers and resorting to force to prevent them from marching to Delhi evoked a sharp response from his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar who hit back at the former for “inciting innocent farmers”.

In a series of tweets, Amarinder Singh said the farmers protested peacefully for two months in Punjab, and on Constitution Day, their constitutional right was oppressed by Haryana government by using force against them.

“For nearly two months farmers have been protesting peacefully in Punjab without any problem. Why is the Haryana government provoking them by resorting to force? Don’t the farmers have the right to pass peacefully through a public highway?” Amarinder posted on Twitter tagging Khattar.

“It’s a sad irony that on Constitution Day 2020 the constitutional right of farmers is being oppressed in this manner. Let them pass Manohar Lal Khattar Ji, don’t push them to the brink. Let them take their voice to Delhi peacefully,” Amarinder Singh said in another tweet.

He further urged BJP to direct “their state governments” to not indulge in strong-arm tactics against the farmers.

“Urge BJP to direct their state governments not to indulge in such strong-arm tactics against the farmers. The hands that feed the nation deserve to be held, not pushed aside,” he said in another tweet.

In response to this, Haryana Chief Minister accused Amarinder Singh of “inciting farmers”.

“Captain (retired) Amarinder Singh ji, I’ve said it earlier and I’m saying it again, I’ll leave politics if there’ll be any trouble on the MSP – therefore, please stop inciting innocent farmers,” he said.

Khattar further said that he was trying to reach his Punjab counterpart from the past three days without any response from the other said, and questioned Amarinder Singh’s seriousness about farmers and their issues.

“I’ve been trying to reach out to you for the last 3 days but sadly you decided to stay unreachable – is this how serious you are for farmer’s issues? You’re only tweeting and running away from talks, why?” Khattar asked.

“Time for your Lies, Deception and Propaganda is over – let the people see your real face. Please stop putting the lives of people in danger during the Corona pandemic. I urge you to not play with the lives of the people – at least avoid cheap politics during the time of the pandemic,” he added.

Replying to Khattar’s allegations, Amarinder Singh said it is the farmers who’ve to be convinced on MSP, and not him. He further asked if he’s the one inciting farmers, then why farmers from Haryana are also marching.

“Shocked at your response Manohar Lal Khattar Ji. It’s the farmers who’ve to be convinced on MSP, not me. You should’ve tried to talk to them before their Dilli Chalo. And if you think I’m inciting farmers then why are Haryana farmers also marching to Delhi?” asked the Punjab Chief Minister.

“As for endangering lives during COVID-19, have you forgotten that it was BJP led central government that pushed through those Farm Laws amid the pandemic, uncaring about the impact they’d have on our farmers? Why didn’t you speak out then Manohar Lal KhattarJi,” he added.

Earlier today, security personnel used tear gas to disperse the protesting farmers at Shambhu border between Punjab and Haryana.

The protestors were marching towards Delhi against new farm laws which they believe will reduce their earnings, making large retailers more powerful.

Prior to that, Police used water gas to disperse the crowd of angry farmers pelted stones at security forces deployed to control the crowd at the Shambhu border.

Farmers have given a call for “Delhi Chalo” protest march, to coincide with the Constitution Day celebrations, against new farm laws.

While the government says the three laws will do away with middlemen, enabling farmers to sell their produce in the commercial markets, protestors fear that this could lead to the government not buying produce at guaranteed prices, thereby disrupting their timely payments. (ANI)

As relations between India and China sour, the role of Bhutan has become paramount with its internal developments having important implications in terms of how these countries position themselves politically, economically and strategically, a European think tank has said.

In a commentary, European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS) said that maintaining and expanding its alliance with Bhutan is going to be of paramount importance for India as it will remain keen to prevent further Chinese incursions into Doklam and Bhutan more generally.

Since the clashes between India and China in the Galwan Vally, both countries have accused each other of violating the status quo in the western Himalayas. This incident resulted in India imposing tariffs on Chinese goods.

Amid this tension, Bhutan, which is often “underappreciated”, plays a strategic role. Owing to its location, economic developments within Bhutan continue to be heavily connected to its bilateral relations with India in particular, EFSAS said.

Bhutan has enjoyed a friendly relationship with India due to cultural, historical, geographical and strategic factors.

“Bhutan relies on the permeability of the Indian border for access to the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean more generally. In recent years, though, Bhutan has sought to deepen its multilateral political integration, and has established its own diplomatic ties with some other countries. Although Bhutan’s diplomatic independence has grown since then, the country does lean on India as a political and diplomatic mediator,” the think tank said.

Meanwhile, Bhutan’s relations with China have been less cordial.

“The 1949 victory of the CCP in the Chinese civil war marked an existential shift in the threat-perception of the Bhutanese monarchy, incentivizing alignment with India. Shared cultural-religious ties, which operate as a decisive variable informing political decision-making in Bhutan, are, despite the heritage shared with Tibet, less pronounced between Bhutan and the Han-dominated China, especially following Tibet’s integration into China,” the EFSAS said.

In July, China made new territorial claims in Bhutan in an emerging Eastern sector surrounding the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary following the India-China border tensions in the Galwan Valley.

The EFSAS has opined that maintaining and expanding its alliance with Bhutan is going to be of paramount importance for India as it will remain keen to prevent further Chinese incursions into Doklam and Bhutan more generally.

It said, “For India, retaining an understanding of the domestic political processes in the adjacent Himalayan countries will be of key relevance in shaping the further political developments of the region in the future. In turn, Bhutan might face growing coercive behavior at the hands of China. This situation, in combination with the growing tensions and pressures in the region, will pose new and distinct challenges to Bhutan’s unique cultural heritage.” (ANI)

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday said he hoped that he and Navjot Singh Sidhu will continue to have cordial meetings like the one they had on November 25, where they spoke about cricket and a host of other things.

The Chief Minister invited the former cricketer and Congress leader for a luncheon meeting, which the latter accepted.

“I was satisfied and happy with the meeting, and so was Sidhu,” the Chief Minister said.

Quashing media speculation of serious discussions between the two, the Chief Minister quipped that contrary to what was being suggested, “We did not make any plans for Punjab or India or the world.” “We just had some simple talks, during which Sidhu shared a lot of his cricketing experiences,” said Amarinder Singh, adding that unfortunately, the media was making a mountain out of a molehill.

Taking a dig at the Shiromani Akali Dal’s remark on him hosting a banquet for Sidhu, the Chief Minister said while his former cabinet colleague had boiled vegetables, he himself partook a ‘missi roti with dahi’ during the lunch. “Does that look like a banquet to the Akalis?” he remarked.

Talking about the dissent in the Congress party, the Chief Minister said the grievances within the party shouldn’t be taken out on public platforms and should be raised internally.

“Who says there’s no democracy in Congress? Issues shouldn’t be taken out on the public platform if you’re a congressman. If you want to leave Congress then do so & talk about such things. But if you’re in the party, such matters have to be raised internally,” he stated.

When asked about the change in party leadership, Punjab Chief Minister said Sonia Gandhi is the party president and will remain so till she wants to leave.

“After which, she and the working committee will decide over it. Where is the need for change,” he quipped further. (ANI)

As relations between India, Taiwan and the United States grow closer in response to China’s moves in the Indo-Pacific region, the Chinese state media seems to have gone overboard.

Last month, Global Times had written in an article, “The Taiwan question is not a card that India can exploit as a bargaining chip toward China over the border issue. India’s recognition of the one-China principle and commitment not to support ‘Taiwan independence’ forces have been reciprocated by China’s promise not to support the separatist forces in India.”

This came in reply to media reports of India and Taiwan considering strengthening bilateral trade ties.”If India plays the Taiwan card, it should be aware that China can also play the Indian separatist card,” said the Chinese state media.

It further said, “If India takes the move to support ‘Taiwan independence,’ China has every reason to support separatist forces in Northeast Indian states such as Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Assam and Nagaland. China could even support the resurrection of Sikkim.”

According to a report by The Irrawaddy, there are at least three key reasons behind China’s near-hysterical response.

The first reason cited by the Burmese newspaper is that Taiwan is central to China’s geopolitical ambition of becoming a leading world power. If China’s dream of integrating Taiwan into the mainland comes true, then it would allow Beijing to “base its nuclear submarines in its deep-water ports, allowing them undetected access to the wider Pacific Ocean, turning the Chinese navy into an authentic blue water force”.

However, if denied, then China will suffer a strategic setback as then its navy will be stuck between “three island chains” constructed by the US and its allies since the beginning of the Cold War.

Of the three island chains, the first “starts from the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia’s Far East and weaves its way into Japan. Then, from the southernmost part of the Japanese mainland, it passes through Okinawa, a part of a larger Ryukyu island chain that ends with Taiwan. From Taiwan, the First Island Chain heads towards the Philippines and the island of Borneo, before looping towards the tip of the Malay Peninsula,” said The Irrawaddy.

The Second Island Chain is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and acts as the US’ second defence line. “It is formed by the Bonin islands–an archipelago of over 30 subtropical and tropical islands, some 1,000 km south of Tokyo–and the Volcano Islands, a group of three islands further to the south. The Second Island Chain terminates in Guam, a key US military base in the Indo-Pacific,” the article said.

Meanwhile, the Third Island chain begins in the north with the Aleutian Islands, most of them in Alaska, and runs through the central Pacific to Oceania, including Australia, New Zealand and the vast cluster of islands in Micronesia, Polynesia and Melanesia.

The second reason cited by The Irrawaddy for China’s hysterical behaviour is that if Taiwan becomes independent, then China would be on a “slippery slope” as Taiwan’s independence would encourage others to follow the move like Hong Kong, Tibet, etc.

“Third, Taiwan, known for its proven strengths in hi-tech and high-rise construction, can accelerate the process of economic decoupling from China, which the Trump administration in the US has already flagged, following the COVID-19 pandemic. Last month, trade ministers of India, Australia and Japan declared their intent to road map new supply chains which exclude China. Both Taiwan and the US would seamlessly fit into this ambitious initiative,” The Irrawaddy said.

As India continues to reduce its alliance on China, Taiwan can benefit by “bridging the commercial and technology breach”.

Last week, Taipei Times quoted Taiwan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang as saying, “With the government’s New Southbound Policy, India is a good place for Taiwanese businesses to build production bases, given its democracy, ample human resources and strategically important location.”

As India-China’s relations go south, The Irrawaddy has quoted India’s representative to Taiwan, Gourangalal Das, as saying in Taipei, that India’s start-up ecosystem, smart agriculture, precision medicine, skills training and industrial automation offer great opportunities for India-Taiwan collaboration. (ANI)

By Sahil Pandey

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is helping Indian textile industries produce yarns to end the reliance on imports of Chinese and other foreign clothing for making military uniforms.

Director of Directorate of Industry Interface and Technology management (DIITM) at DRDO, Dr Mayank Dwivedi said that for Indian army’s summer uniform alone, the approximate requirement of the fabric is 55 lakh metres and if all the requirements of Navy, Air Force and Para Military forces are added then the requirement may go well beyond 1.5 crore metres per annum.

“We’re following our Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for Atmanirbhar Bharat or self-reliance in all the products in India and particularly in defence products. If these yarns and fabric are manufactured in India for the purpose of uniform making for the armed forces, then it will be big achievement as it will help us move one step ahead towards Atmanirbhar Bharat,” Dr Mayank Dwivedi told ANI.

The advanced fabrics can be used for future requirement of the parachute and bulletproof jackets as well.

The DIITM Director further said that the scope of technical textiles such as glass fabric, carbon fabric, aramid fabric and advanced ceramic fabrics is enormous in defence application. Some industries in Ahmedabad and Surat are manufacturing advanced fabrics being used in defence applications.

In a recent digital interaction organised by Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) with the industries of Surat on September 17, the challenges faced by the textile industry were projected. During the interaction, Dr Dwivedi had talked about opportunities in the areas of textile in the defence sector. He expressed his views on various possibilities of advance textile material and fabric used in the Indian Armed Forces.

“We are working to make technical textile for rocket motors and composite structure for the missile system. We are using technical textile in bullet-proof jackets as well. Similarly, I shared the idea of making blends like nylon 6,6 yarn, lycra fibre, viscose, polyester to make army uniforms at the CII webinar in the Surat industry recently. For a particular requirement of the Indian armed forces, the uniform can be made in a much better way,” Dr Dwivedi told ANI.

The major application of advanced textile is required in the uniform worn by the Indian Armed Forces as well as all their accessories such as bags, shoes and tents which are used by the Forces

It was emphasised that the use of advanced textiles blends using yarns of polyester/ nylon 6,6 / cotton/polyurethane/rayon will enhance operational capabilities and comfort of Indian Armed Forces.

Pointing towards the initiative and the participation of Indian companies, he said, “In the webinar, more than 200 companies were interested in getting into this business. Bindal Silk Pvt Ltd, Lakshmipati Group among a few others were present and wanted to take up this initiative. This will not only boost the economy of the country but also generate lots of employment and eventually give a boost to the GDP also.” (ANI)

Actor Nushrratt Bharuccha on Thursday marked the beginning of shooting for her upcoming horror thriller ‘Chhori’ with a ‘muhurat pooja.’

The ‘Dream Girl’ actor took to Instagram to share a picture from the pooja session and another picture of herself with the clapperboard of the film.

She went on to compliment the post with a short note dedicated to the film and its team.

“Onto new beginnings, this time for #Chhori. Excited, nervous & charged up for this one! @furia_vishal cannot wait to create magic with you,” Bharuccha wrote in the caption.

“Thank you @ivikramix & @abundantiaent, along with @crypttv and the sweetest @notjackdavis for having put this thrilling film together and trusting me with it! @shikhaarif.sharma Girl you get me, kahaan thi tu ab tak,” she added.

The horror flick is a Hindi remake of hit Marathi movie ‘Lapachhapi.’

Directed by Vishal Furia, produced by Vikram Malhotra and Jack Davis, the film marks Bharuccha’s first horror flick in the Bollywood industry after many light-hearted films like ‘Dream Girl,’ ‘Pyaar Ka Punchnaama’ and others. (ANI)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday will attend a welcoming ceremony for the first commercial flight between Dubai and Tel Aviv in the Ben-Gurion International Airport, his spokesman Ofir Gendelman said.

“PM Netanyahu will attend this morning the welcoming ceremony for the first @flydubai commercial flight that will arrive at Ben-Gurion International Airport,” Gendelman tweeted.

He went on to welcome Emirati tourists in Israel.

Low-cost carrier flydubai earlier this month said it would begin a twice-daily flight between the two hubs on the back of the normalization in ties between the two countries.

Israeli flag carrier El Al is set to begin flights between the two countries next month while its Emirati equivalent, Etihad, has filed paperwork for flights in the first quarter of next year.

On September 15, the UAE and Israel signed a historic US-brokered peace agreement along with Bahrain, which envisaged establishing diplomatic ties and full normalization of relations between the countries. (ANI/Sputnik)

Security personnel had to use tear gas to disperse the protesting farmers at Shambhu border between Punjab and Haryana. The protestors were marching towards Delhi against new farm laws which they believe will reduce their earnings, making large retailers more powerful.

Police, earlier, had to use water gas to disperse the crowd of angry farmers pelted stones at security forces deployed to control the crowd at the Shambhu border.

Farmers have given a call for “Delhi Chalo” protest march, to coincide with the Constitution Day celebrations, against new farm laws. While the government says the three laws will do away with middlemen, enabling farmers to sell their produce in the commercial markets, protestors fear that this could lead to the government not buying produce at guaranteed prices, thereby disrupting their timely payments.

Farmers also gathered in Haryana’s Karnal to protest against farm laws near the Karna Lake area.

In view of farmers’ ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest march, heavy security has been deployed at Rohtak-Jhajjar border, Singhu border (Delhi-Haryana border), Delhi-Gurugram and Delhi-Jammu highway near Karna Lake in Karnal.

Earlier in the day, Delhi-Jammu Highway saw heavy traffic jam due to a strike called by farmers.

Forces from at least two police stations, besides three Central Reserve Police Force battalions, have been deployed at the Delhi-Faridabad border.

Barricading has been done at four to five places on the Delhi-Faridabad border and drone cameras are also being used for security surveillance.

The Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 were passed by the Upper House in September through voice vote despite objection from opposition parties. (ANI)

By Ajit K Dubey

In a major boost to its capabilities, the Indian Army is soon going to get Israeli Heron and American mini drones for upgrading its surveillance capabilities in Eastern Ladakh and other areas along the China border.

“The deals for the acquisition of the Heron surveillance drones is in the final stages and is expected to be inked in December. The Herons are going to be deployed in the Ladakh sector and they will be more advanced than the existing fleet in the Indian armed forces,” government sources told ANI.

The acquisition of these drones is being done under the emergency financial powers granted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government to the defence forces under which they can buy equipment and systems worth Rs 500 crores to upgrade their warfighting capabilities, amid ongoing border conflict with China, they added.

According to sources, the other small or mini drones are being acquired from the US that will be provided at the Battalion level to the troops on ground and the hand-operated drones would be used to attain awareness about a specific location or area in their respective areas of responsibility.

The Indian defence forces have been taking these initiatives to acquire weapon systems which can help them in the ongoing conflict with China. The last time such a facility was given to the defence forces was in 2019 right after the Balakot air strikes against terrorist camps in Pakistan.

Using the same facility, the Indian Navy has leased two Predator drones which have been taken from American firm General Atomics.

The Indian Air Force had exercised the same powers to acquire a large number of Hammer air to ground standoff missiles with a strike range of around 70 kilometres. (ANI)