Month: June 2022

Even as the Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has said that he will not allow the rights of his country to be “trampled upon,” China continues to block boats of the archipelago in Ayungin Shoal, in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea.

Latest incidents suggest that despite the presence of the Philippine Navy ship BRP Sierra Madre in the region, China is eyeing a greater control, said a maritime expert. This comes at a time when the Department of Foreign Affairs on June 10 said that Beijing is carrying out “illegal fishing” and blocking Philippine boats on a resupply mission using fishing nets and buoys near the shoal.
It is important to note that these Chinese activities come in the shoal, a low-tide elevation located 194km (105 nautical miles) off Palawan, which is well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), reported The Star.

The department said, “China has no right to fish, monitor, or interfere with the Philippines’ legitimate activities therein.” The Philippines also registered a diplomatic protest regarding this issue.

There were a series of blockades of Philippine ships by China. According to a senior security official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that when they arrived to address the blockade of two resupply boats escorted by BRP Cape Engano of the Philippine Coast Guard, the Chinese military vessels were there.

Two China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels and four militia vessels were already in the area when they arrived, said the official.

China remains undeterred even amid the presence of the Philippine Navy ship BRP Sierra Madre. BRP Sierra Madre serves as an outpost of the Philippine Marine Corps to assert Philippine sovereignty in the country’s dispute with China over the ownership of the Spratly Islands, as per the media portal.

As per Jay Batongbacal of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and the Law of the Sea, “[The challenge is] sustaining our presence there and making sure China knows that we are serious about keeping it.”

“They will make it clear that Philippine vessels will not be able to approach BRP Sierra Madre without their escort or permission, and that at any time, they can be prevented from reaching her. So if we act the way they expect us to, we lose,” he added.

Batongbacal also stated that China was focused on Ayungin because it was the “most vulnerable” out of the nine detachments occupied by the Philippines in the Kalayaan Island Group (Spratly Islands). He said it was because of three reasons for Ayungin — “small contingent; entirely dependent on outside support; not that easy to get to; requires the least effort to kick the occupants out.” (ANI)

Singer-actor Shehnaaz Gill dropped a set of pictures from her latest photo shoot in a white organza ruffle dress.

The ‘Bigg Boss 13’ fame took to her Instagram handle and shared some stunning glimpses in a short white organza ruffle dress, flaunting her fashionable side.

Shehnaaz looks absolutely stunning in a short white organza ruffle dress with a detailed black outlined border.

She styled her hair into a curly messy bun and wore brown heels to complete her look.

She donned this outfit with confidence and class and impressed her fans with these pictures.

Netizens also reacted to the post and showered love in the comment section. A fan commented,” What an incredible look and another fan wrote, “Strong-headed girl, more power to u.”

Meanwhile, on the professional front, Shehnaaz is all geared up for her Bollywood debut with Salman Khan’s film, ‘Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali.’ (ANI)

The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved the attractive recruitment scheme “AGNIPATH” which provides an opportunity for Indian youth to serve in the regular cadre of the Armed Forces for a period of four years.

This is a major defence policy reform introduced by the Government to usher in a new era in the human resource policy of the Army, Air Force and Navy. The policy, which comes into immediate effect, will hereafter govern the recruitment of personnel below officer rank (PBOR) in the three services, according to the Ministry of Defence.

The Agniveers will form a distinct rank in the three services, and will also wear a distinct insignia as part of their uniform. Here’s everything you need to know about the scheme.

What is “AGNIPATH” scheme?

AGNIPATH scheme allows patriotic and motivated youth to serve in the Armed Forces for a period of four years. Soldiers who are recruited under this scheme will be known as Agniveers.

The AGNIPATH Scheme has been designed to enable a youthful profile of the Armed Forces and provide a fresh lease of ‘Josh’ and ‘Jazba’ whilst at the same time bring about a transformational shift towards a more tech-savvy Armed Forces – which is indeed the need of the hour, the defence ministry highlighted.

It is envisaged that the average age profile of the Indian Armed forces would come down by about 4-5 years with the implementation of this scheme.

The selection will be the exclusive jurisdiction of the Armed Forces. A total of 46,000 Agniveers will be recruited this year.

Key features of “AGNIPATH” scheme

1. Opportunity to serve the nation as Agniveers through enrolment in Armed forces
2. Pan India merit based recruitment
3. Four years tenure
4. Attractive monthly emoluments and handsome “Seva Nidhi” package
5. Based on merit and organisation requirement, 25 per cent of Agniveers will be enrolled in regular cadre of the Armed Forces.

Benefits and salary

Agniveers will be given an attractive customised monthly package along with Risk and Hardship allowances as applicable in the three services.

On completion of the engagement period of four years, Agniveers will be paid a one-time ‘SevaNidhi’ package which shall comprise their contribution including accrued interest thereon and matching contribution from the Government equal to the accumulated amount of their contribution including interest.

In the first year, Agniveers will get Rs 30,000 per month but they will receive only Rs 21,000 as 30 per cent of their remuneration or Rs 9,000 will be their contribution to Agniveer Corpus Fund and the government will contribute the same amount to the corpus fund.

Agniveers will receive Rs 33,000 in the second year, Rs 36,500 in the third year and Rs 40,000 in the fourth year.

They will get Rs 11.71 lakh as Seva Nidhi Package after four years. The ‘Seva Nidhi’ will be exempt from Income Tax. There shall be no entitlement to gratuity and pensionary benefits.

Agniveers will be provided non-contributory Life Insurance Cover of Rs 48 lakh for the duration of their engagement period in the Indian Armed Forces.

During this period of service to the nation, the Agniveers will be imparted with various military skills and experience, discipline, physical fitness, leadership qualities, courage and patriotism. The skills gained by each Agniveer will be recognised in a certificate to form part of his unique resume. The individuals, selected for enrolment in the Armed Forces as regular cadre, would be required to serve for a further engagement period of minimum 15 years and would be governed by the existing terms and conditions of service of Junior Commissioned Officers/Other Ranks in Indian Army and their equivalent in Indian Navy and Indian Air Force and that of Non Combatant enrolled in the Indian Air Force, as amended from time to time.

Advantages

A transformative reform of recruitment policy of the Armed Forces.

A unique opportunity to the youth to serve the country and contribute to Nation Building.

Armed Forces profile to be youthful and dynamic.

Attractive financial package for the Agniveers.

Opportunity for Agniveers to train in the best institutions and enhance their skills & qualifications.

Availability of well-disciplined and skilled youth with military ethos in civil society.

Adequate re-employment opportunities for those returning to society and who could emerge as role models for the youth.

Enrolment and eligibility criteria

Enrolment will be based on ‘All India All Class’ basis and the eligible age will be in range from 17.5 to 21 years. Agniveers will meet the medical eligibility conditions laid down for enrolment in the armed forces as applicable to respective categories/trades. The educational qualification for Agniveers will remain as in vogue for enrollment in various categories. {For example: For entry into General Duty (GD) soldier, the educational qualification is Class 10).

Under the AGNIPATH scheme, the Agniveers will be enrolled in the Forces under respective Service Acts for a period of four years. Upon the completion of four years of service, based on organisational requirement and policies promulgated by the Armed Forces from time-to-time, Agniveers will be offered an opportunity to apply for permanent enrolment in the Armed Forces.

These applications will be considered in a centralised manner based on objective criteria including performance during their four-year engagement period and up to 25 per cent of each specific batch of Agniveers will be enrolled in regular cadre of the Armed Forces. Enrolment will be undertaken through an online centralised system for all three services with specialised rallies and campus interviews from recognised technical institutes such as Industrial Training Institutes and National Skills Qualifications Framework, among others. (ANI)

Raising questions over the Centre’s announcement of providing 10 lakh jobs in the next 18 months, Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Tuesday asked why the government did not fill the “lakhs of government jobs lying vacant” during the last eight years.

Earlier today, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that the recruitment of 10 lakh people will be done by the Government in a mission mode in the next 1.5 years.
Speaking to ANI, Yechury said, “Have you not heard such rhetoric before? How many times have you heard in the last 8-10 years such a thing? Every year 2 crore jobs had been announced by the Modi government.”

Calling the move “gross injustice to the youth”, the CPI(M) leader said that the government should fill the vacant seats first before announcing new jobs in the future.

“Our youth are facing unemployment. People are throwing another jumla of employment. We understand that it is a gross injustice to the youth of our country. If you have some desire to work for the youth, then Prime Minister, the government jobs which are still vacant and are not being recruited, should be filled in lakhs,” he said.

Asked if his party would participate in the meeting of the Opposition leaders convened by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on June 15 in a bid to unite the opposition parties ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and prepare a joint strategy for the presidential polls, Yechury confirmed that CPI(M) will take part in the meeting.

“The way Mamta Banarjee convened the meeting of Opposition leaders without the consultation with political leaders is wrong, but despite that Left parties will take part in tomorrow’s meeting,” he said.

Meanwhile, Yechury on Tuesday wrote to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for convening Opposition leaders meeting on Wednesday and said that meetings of Opposition parties have always followed a procedure of prior mutual consultations to enable the maximum participation of those wishing to join.

In a letter to Mamata Banerjee, the CPI(M) General Secretary said, “I received your letter dated June 11, 2022 informing me of a meeting of opposition parties on June 15, 2022 at 3 pm at the Constitution Club in New Delhi to discuss the forthcoming election to elect the President of India.”

“Such meetings of opposition parties have always followed a procedure of prior mutual consultations to enable the maximum participation of those wishing to join. However, in this instance, we received a unilateral communication informing the date, time, venue and agenda,” said Yechury.

Banerjee had written a letter to 22 opposition leaders, including Left parties, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Farooq Abdullah among others, urging them to attend the June 15 meeting in New Delhi. (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in a virtual summit of the quadrilateral economic forum — I2-U2, comprising India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United States, alongside US president Joe Biden and others, said a US official.
The four nations decided to launch this new Quad as External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar joined his counterparts at a meeting via videoconference from Jerusalem.

Biden’s first trip to the Middle East region next month, visiting Israel, West Bank and Saudi Arabia from July 13-16, PM Modi will participate in I2-U2 virtual summit alongside Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed, the official said.

It would be the highest-level gathering of the forum to date. The leaders will discuss “the food security crisis and other areas of cooperation across hemispheres where the UAE and Israel serve as important innovation hubs,” the US officials added.

India and Israel have a truly special relationship and since PM Modi’s visit to the country in 2017, the relationship had really taken off. Referring to the new Quad consisting of India, Israel, UAE and the US, Jaishankar hoped this group can play an important role in furthering economic cooperation in that region.

This meeting comes as Biden will be undertaking his first trip to the Middle East region next month, visiting Israel, West Bank and Saudi Arabia from July 13-16, the White House confirmed in a statement.

According to a senior Biden official, the US President will begin his travel in Israel, where he will meet with Israeli leaders to discuss the country’s security, prosperity, and increasing integration into the greater region.

He will also visit the West Bank to consult with the Palestinian Authority and to reiterate his strong support for a two-state solution, with equal measures of security, freedom, and opportunity for the Palestinian people, the official further added.

The US President will then travel to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Saudi King Salman, to attend a Summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council plus Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan (known as the GCC+3). (ANI)

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday called for preserving special and differential treatment at the WTO in dealing with fisheries subsidies saying India cannot compromise on the livelihoods of over 9 million fishermen families.

“I see a lot of countries very concerned about their fishermen. But what are the number of fishermen? One may have 1,500 fishermen, another may have 11,000 fishermen, another has 23,000 fishermen, and yet another 12,000,” Goyal said in his intervention on Fisheries Subsidies Negotiation at the 12th World Trade Organisation (WTO) conference here.
“The concern of the small number of fishermen prevails over the livelihood of 9 million fishermen in India. This is completely unacceptable! And that is the reason, India is opposed to the current text, also opposed to the way De minimis is sought to be institutionalised,” he said.

Opposing the WTO proposal on fisheries subsidies, Goyal said, “I see in every which way, the Uruguay round asymmetries and discrimination in agriculture being sought to be institutionalised in fishing today.”

“I strongly feel that this outcome of the exercise being carried out now, has not provided a level-playing field to the developing nations to address the aspirations of the traditional fishers and their livelihood. Several million fishers, nearly 9 million families in India depend on assistance and support from the Government, albeit very small which I just demonstrated, for their livelihood,” he said.

“Any decision not to provide space for small-scale and traditional fishers to expand their capabilities would only rip away their future opportunities,” Goyal added.

In his intervention on ‘Fisheries Subsidies Negotiation’ at the WTO, Goyal noted that India’s subsidies are one of the lowest.

India, for every fisher family that we have, gives barely $15 in a year to its fishermen families and there are countries here, which give as high as $42,000, $65,000 & $75,000 to one fishermen family. That is the extent of disparity that is sought to be institutionalised, through the current fisheries text, he said.

“India’s fisheries sector is traditional and small-scale in nature and we are essentially one of the disciplined nations in sustainably harnessing the fisheries resources,” he added.

Fish is an inseparable part of Indian mythology, religion and culture. India’s engagement in the sustainable harnessing of its fish and aquatic resources has always been exemplary, he said.

“The traditional fishers’ life in India has been intertwined with the oceans and seas since times immemorial. Fish is the only source of their livelihood over generations; responsible and sustainable fishing is ingrained in the ethos of our fishers,” the minister said.

“Our traditional fishers toil under harsh and extreme conditions to bring the highly delicious and nutritious fish protein to our plates and to the plates of many other countries,” he added. (ANI)

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met Sharad Pawar at his residence in Delhi on Tuesday ahead of the Opposition leaders’ meeting tomorrow to discuss Presidential polls.

“Our honorable chairperson @MamataOfficial met Shri @PawarSpeaks today. Two stalwart leaders set the stage for the meeting of all progressive opposition forces; set to happen tomorrow at the Constitution Club, New Delhi. Our resolve to fight divisive forces grows stronger!” tweeted Trinamool Congress on Tuesday.
The 81-year-old Maratha stalwart appears to be the Opposition’s consensus nominee in the July 18 presidential election.

Pawar has been one of the seniormost politicians of the country. He was a former Union minister and three-time chief minister. Pawar has been the fulcrum of the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition government since it was formed two-and-a-half years ago.

Mamata Banerjee has convened the Opposition leaders’ meeting on June 15 in a bid to unite the opposition parties ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and prepare a joint strategy for the presidential polls.

Banerjee had written a letter to 22 opposition leaders, including left parties, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Farooq Abdullah among others, urging them to attend the June 15 meeting in New Delhi.

Communist Party of India General Secretary D Raja on Tuesday said that left parties are likely to attend the meeting convened by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the national capital on Wednesday at Constitution Club to discuss the name for Opposition President candidates.

Speaking to ANI, D Raja said, “Left parties are likely to attend the meeting because left parties want all secular democratic parties, which are in opposition, to remain United. That is our concern and let us see how things are going to emerge tomorrow.”

On being asked about whether the Congress wants to propose Sharad Pawar as a joint Opposition candidate for President, the CPI General Secretary further said, “I don’t know. You must ask Congress party. If the Congress party wants, then the Congress party has to explain. Congress party has not told me about this matter or left parties. I do not know that is why I am saying who is going to be the candidate? or what the other parties are thinking? nobody knows.” (ANI)

The Monsoon Session of Parliament is likely to be held from July 18 to August 12, sources said.
The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has recommended that the Monsoon Session can be held between July 18 and August 12, 2022, as per top sources.

The upcoming session is likely to have 17 working days. During the session, elections for the President and the Vice President are likely to be held.

While the Election Commission of India has announced the Presidential elections, no official schedule for the election of the Vice President has been announced yet.

The President elections will take place on July 18 and the results will be declared on July 21. The term of Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu will end on August 10.

Several bills including at least 4 bills which had been referred for parliamentary scrutiny in the last budget session will be brought up for passage in the Monsoon Session. (ANI)

Breaking his silence over the appointment of the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) in India, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the ‘appointment of Chief of Defence Staff will be made soon’.

“The appointment of the CDS will be made soon. The process for it is underway,” the Defence Minister said today during a media briefing here on the rollout of the ‘Agnipath’ recruitment scheme for the armed forces.
This comes six months after General Bipin Rawat, India’s first Chief of Defence Staff, died in a helicopter crash in December 2021. Now the government has amended service rules of the armed forces, making all serving and recently retired three-star officers — Lt General, Air Marshal and Vice Admiral — under the age of 62 eligible for the post of CDS, according to notification of the government.

The CDS is the most senior uniformed officer in rank, the first among equals — the only four-star officers in the country are the CDS, the chiefs of the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force.

The post has been lying vacant since December 8 last year after the death of the country’s first CDS late General Bipin Rawat in an air crash.

The appointment of the CDS by the Narendra Modi government, within six months of coming back to power in 2019, has been hailed as one of the biggest reforms in the higher military structure of the country.

The CDS was appointed as the Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs which functions at present under an Additional Secretary-rank Lieutenant General.

The government, in its data, highlighted that CDS will be in-charge of the Make in India in defence programme and has been given the mandate of promoting and ensuring the Aatmanirbhar Bharat scheme in the defence sector.

The CDS is also the single point of contact for the government for giving military advice and is the senior-most bureaucrat in the defence ministry which has four major departments. (ANI)