Tag: India

Tharoor To File Nomination For Cong President On Sept 30

By LokMarg

Senior Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor will file a nomination for the post of party President on September 30, as per sources.

Tharoor said, “He will be approaching delegates from various states as he has taken 5 sets of nomination papers, for which he’ll need 50 delegates as proposers for his candidature”.
This will be the first time in 25 years that Congress will see a non-Gandhi chief after Sonia Gandhi defeated Jitendra Prasad in 1998. The last time the party had a non-Gandhi chief was in 1996 when Sitaram Kesri defeated Sharad Pawar and Rajesh Pilot.

Chairman of Central Election Authority Madhusudan Mistri will be available in Congress headquarters in the national capital to take the nomination papers as returning officer of the election.

As per the notification released by the Congress Party, the aforesaid elections for the party’s new president are slated to be held on October 17 at all PCCs, whose results shall be announced on October 19, immediately after the counting of votes.

The final list of candidates will be released at 5 pm on October 8.

Mistry has called upon the delegates of the Congress party to elect the President of the Indian National Congress in accordance with the provisions made under Article 18.

However, there were speculations that Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has expressed their willingness to contest for the party’s topmost position. But Gehlot cleared the air over his nomination for the All India Congress Committee (AICC) presidential election.

Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Friday said that he was not in the race for the party chief. Addressing a press conference in Jabalpur, the veteran leader said that he would not contest the Congress Presidential election, but he would follow the instruction given to him by the higher authority in the party.

There is an intense build-up to the Congress president election after Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot confirmed his candidature on Friday. Gehlot also confirmed that Rahul Gandhi has made it clear that “no member of the Gandhi family” would become the next party chief.

Meanwhile, with Digvijay Singh’s clarification, Ashok Gehlot and Shashi Tharoor are the top contenders for the post now.

Describing the post of Congress president as an “ideological post”, Rahul Gandhi said the position “represents a set of ideas and belief system and vision of India”. (ANI)

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UN Security Council members

Russia’s Lavrov Backs India For Permanent Member In UN Security Council

By LokMarg

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov backed India for becoming a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

While addressing the 77th United Nations General Assembly, Lavrov said, “We see prospective of making Security Council more democratic via representation of countries from Africa, Asia & Latin America. India and Brazil, in particular, are key international actors and should be counted for permanent membership in the council.”
While addressing the Assembly, Lavrov accused Western countries of “throwing a fit” over the referendum that is being conducted in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine on becoming a part of their federation.

The Russian Foreign Minister said the crises surrounding the war were growing, and the international situation was rapidly deteriorating, but instead of having an honest dialogue and searching for a compromise, the West was “undermining confidence in international institutions” and encouraging negative tendencies within the United Nations as well, according to UN News.

He said the United States was trying to turn the whole world into its “backyard”, and together with its partners, punishing dissenters from its world view, through what he called “illegal unilateral sanctions” which violate the UN Charter, and hurt poor citizens in poorer countries, targeting their medicines, vaccines and food imports.

Earlier, India with 31 other countries in a joint statement on reforms stated that an expansion of the Security Council in both permanent and non-permanent categories, as well as reform in its working methods, is indispensable to making this body more representative, legitimate and effective, delegations reiterated.

The signatories of the joint statement stated that they reaffirm that adapting the United Nations to contemporary world realities necessarily requires urgent and comprehensive reform of the Security Council, the principal organ for international peace and security.

According to the statement, the heads of delegations were convinced of the need to restore faith in effective multilateralism, “we stand united, as a group of pro-reform like-minded States, determined to work towards a more inclusive, responsive and participatory international governance architecture,” the statement reads.

“We further recognize that lack of progress in Security Council reform has serious implications, not only for the continued relevance of global governance institutions but also for global peace and security and delivering on the purposes, principles and promises of the United Nations Charter,” it added.

The head of delegations recognised that a reformed Security Council must better reflect the contemporary United Nations membership, including through enhanced representation of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which comprise approximately 20 per cent of the United Nations’ membership. (ANI)a

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MEA

Remain Vigilant: MEA Issues Advisory To Indians In Canada

By LokMarg

India on Friday issued an advisory for Indian nationals and students in Canada to remain vigilant amid increasing incidents of crimes and anti-India activities in the country.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Indian missions in Canada have taken up these incidents with the Canadian authorities and requested them to probe these crimes.
“There has been a sharp increase in incidents of hate crimes, sectarian violence and anti-India activities in Canada. The Ministry of External Affairs and our High Commission/Consulates General in Canada have taken up these incidents with the Canadian authorities and requested them to investigate the said crimes and take appropriate action,” the MEA said in a statement while stressing that “the perpetrators of these crimes have not been brought to justice so far in Canada.”

“In view of the increasing incidences of crimes as described above, Indian nationals and students from India in Canada and those proceeding to Canada for travel/education are advised to exercise due caution and remain vigilant,” the statement added.

The advisory also said Indian nationals and students from India in Canada may also register with the High Commission of India in Ottawa or the Consulates General of India in Toronto and Vancouver through their respective websites, or the MADAD portal madad.gov.in.

“Registration would enable the High Commission and the Consulates General to better connect with Indian citizens in Canada in the event of any requirement or emergency,” the advisory said.

This advisory comes a day after India on Thursday termed the so-called Khalistan referendum conducted by separatist groups as a “farcical exercise”.

Speaking at a weekly media briefing, MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India had conveyed concerns to Canada about the use of its territory by politically motivated “extremist elements”.

India has deeply objected that “politically motivated exercises by extremist elements” are allowed to take place in a friendly country like Canada, he said.

“We would term it as farcical exercise. A farcical exercise was held by extremists and radical elements supporting the so-called Khalistan referendum in Canada,” Bagchi said.

He said India has taken up the issue with Canadian authorities and they reiterated respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India.

“The matter has been taken up with the Canadian authorities through diplomatic channels.” The government of Canada has reiterated that they respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India and they will not recognize the so-called referendum which is taking place in Canada,” the MEA spokesperson said. (ANI)

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PFI

Read How The Crackdown On Popular Front Was Planned

By LokMarg

It took months of planning and coordination with multiple states and agencies to carry out the well-coordinated, wide-scale operation against the Popular Front of India (PFI), top government sources said on Thursday.

To keep the operation undercover as per the directives from the top, the security officials held meetings or talks with their counterparts very discreetly.

Such was the secrecy that National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval held meetings with Kerala Police at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kochi earlier this month for the commissioning of the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.

With directions from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the security team executed the operation with the NSA taking the charge. After Kerala, the NSA moved to Mumbai where he stayed at the Governor’s House in the city to hold meetings with security officials there.

The sources said that utmost care was taken to ensure that secrecy was maintained like it was done in the time when article 370 which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir was abrogated.

Sources said the planning to act against the PFI, which was allegedly involved in various anti-national activities, was on for the last three to four months and it was developed in a way that the action across the 11 states was coordinated and executed round the same time to prevent PFI cadres to get alarmed and flee.

On the D-Day, midnight operations were launched by investigation agencies and police forces in 11 states where so far over 105 PFI cadres have been arrested. Sources said more operations would be required to nab more PFI activists in view of the inputs coming from the arrested activists. (ANI)

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Jaishankar about China LAC

Growing Support For UNSC Permanent Seat To India: Jaishankar

By LokMarg

By Reena Bhardwaj

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday stated that there is greater support for India’s case to be a permanent member of the UN Security Council and that there is a broad global consensus over the need to reform the Council.

“I do believe that each passing year, I sense in the world that there is greater and greater support for India to be there (UNSC).”

The Minister said that a reform, particularly as it does not reflect the realities of the world, asserting that an expanded Council is not only in India’s favor but also in favor of other unrepresented areas.

“Within a few years India will be the third largest economy in the world, it will be the most populous society, and not to have such a country in the council- it’s obvious it’s not good for us, but I also think it’s good for the global council,” Jaishankar said while speaking at the Columbia University, New York.

Earlier, he also said that it is in the mutual interest of India and China to find a way to accommodate each other as the “Rise of Asia” is contingent on the economies of the two countries getting along well.

“The biggest thing we have seen in the world is the rise of China. It has risen in a dramatic manner. It’s in mutual interest to accommodate each other because the rise of Asia is contingent on the three biggest economies getting along with each other,” said Jaishankar at an event at Columbia University.

Over the last three days, Jaishankar has met with envoys and heads of states from around the world on the sidelines of the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and has more than 50 official engagements in total. The highlights of Jaishankar’s meetings particularly with developing countries from Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Small Islands are sharply focused on the reform of the UN Security Council.

” We do command the confidence and trust of a very large part of the world. I do not want to compare it with the current permanent 5 (P5) but I would say a lot of countries, perhaps think that we speak for them with a high degree of empathy and accuracy,” Jaishankar added.

Jaishankar will address world leaders at the General Assembly on Saturday, after which he will leave for Washington and a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. (ANI)

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Mosquito Nets

Is Pakistan Planning To Import Mosquito Nets From India?

By LokMarg

Even as it faces the fury of large-scale floods, Pakistan is confronted by another severe challenge as malaria cases have begun to achieve unprecedented proportions with some suggesting that the country should look towards India for remedial measures.

Senior Pakistani journalist Ghulam Abbas Shah, in fact, claimed that Pakistan’s ministry of health has sought permission to import 71 lakh mosquito nets from India to control the malaria outbreak. The grim health situation in Pakistan has resulted in a high demand for mosquito nets.
“After the spread of malaria in #Pakistan, the Ministry of Health asked the government of Pakistan for permission to buy mosquito nets from #India. There is an urgent need for 71 lakh mosquito nets in 26 districts of Pakistan. #FloodsInPakistan,” tweeted Ghulam Abbas Shah, a senior broadcast journalist.

He claimed that in the flood-affected Sindh and Balochistan, two lakh people have been infected with malaria in the last two months, in which 22 per cent of the cases are of Plasmodium falciparum type.

Skin infections, diarrhoea and malaria are rampant in parts of Pakistan’s flood-ravaged regions, killing 324 people, authorities said on Wednesday, as the country’s prime minister said it was going through one of the “toughest times,” reported Geo News.

Hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the floods are living in the open, and as floodwaters — spread over hundreds of kilometres — may take two to six months to recede, stagnant waters have led to severe health issues.

With Pakistan’s already weak health system and lack of support, displaced families have complained of being forced to drink and cook with disease-ridden water. Authorities have also warned that the situation may get out of control if required aid doesn’t arrive, reported Geo News.

“We know it can sicken us, but what to do, we have to drink it to stay alive,” flood victim Ghulam Rasool told local Geo News TV as he stood near where his home was washed away in southern Pakistan.

According to media reports, officials are warning they now risk losing control of the spread of infections in a dire situation that the World Health Organisation (WHO) described as “utterly heartbreaking”.

On Wednesday, the southern Sindh provincial government said makeshift health facilities and mobile camps in the flooded areas had treated more than 78,000 patients in the last 24 hours, and more than 2 million since July 1. Out of them, six died, it said.

Deaths from diseases aren’t among the 1,569 people killed in flash floods, including 555 children and 320 women, the country’s disaster management agency said on Wednesday.

The deluge has affected nearly 33 million people in the South Asian nation of 220 million, sweeping away homes, crops, bridges, roads, and livestock in damage estimated at USD 30 billion, according to media reports. (ANI)

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New COVID-19 Cases

6,422 New COVID 19 Cases In The Past 24 Hours

By LokMarg

India recorded 6,422 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Affairs on Thursday.

India’s active caseload currently stands at 46,389, which accounts for 0.10 percent of the total cases.
The recovery rate currently is at 98.71 percent.

As many as 5,748 recoveries were made in the last 24 hours, taking the total recoveries to 4,39,41,840.

The country has recorded a daily positivity rate of 2.04 percent.

As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, the government of India has been supporting the States and Union Territories by providing them with COVID-19 vaccines free of cost.

In the new phase of the universalization of the COVID-19 vaccination drive, the Union Government will procure and supply (free of cost) 75 percent of the vaccines being produced by the vaccine manufacturers in the country to the States and UTs.

So far, under the nationwide vaccination drive, 215.98 crore total vaccine doses (94.48 cr Second Dose and 17.92 cr Precaution Dose) have been administered, of which 31,09,550 doses were jabbed in the last 24 hours alone. (ANI)

India And Sri Lanka – Cleaning The Slate

By Seema Guha

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s visit to India this week (February 7-11) will be an opportunity to forget past bitterness and begin on a clean state. The former strong man will get a warm welcome in the Capital, when he arrives in for his first official visit in his new avatar. Delhi is as eager as the Rajapaksas to improve relations.

The emphasis will be on getting the political relations right, considering that the Rajapaksa’s second term as President, where he openly wooed China and gave short shrift to India, was a nightmare for New Delhi. This was the period when Colombo allowed Chinese submarines to dock in Colombo and allowed Beijing to spread its wings across the island nation, despite Delhi’s security concerns.

Mahinda Rajapaksa’s supporters allege that India had a hand in his defeat in the 2015 elections. They blame the former RAW official posted in the High Commission in Colombo of organising the anti-Rajapaksa front of like-minded people from both the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the United National Party to oust Rajapaksa. Whatever be the truth of the allegations, suspicion remained. But all that is now in the past as the two sides hope to rebuild frayed ties. 

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The Rajapaksa brothers (President Gotabaya and PM Mahinda as well as state defence minister Chamal) know that it is important to have good relations with India for all ruling dispensations in Colombo. Mahinda Rajapaksa who is the main strategist for the family, had built his bridges with India soon after he lost power. During private visits to India, he had made it a point to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His closeness to maverick politician Subramanian Swamy ensured access to the PM.

Though the LTTE has been wiped out, Tamil-speaking minorities in the north and east of the island, indeed even those living in Colombo, look to New Delhi for support. In the initial stages when the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam began their movement against discrimination by the Sinhala-Buddhist majority, they were solidly backed by New Delhi and Tamil Nadu. So far while the Tamils have been given some of their rights, the complete devolution of power to the provinces have not yet come through. India will be urging Mahinda Rajapaksa to carry out all the provisions of the 13th amendment, which was brokered by India in the past. The Tamil National Alliance, the party of Tamil MPs has been urging the government to fulfil the promised devolution provisions.

ALSO READ: Gotabaya Calls For Better Indo-Lankan Ties

It is unlikely that the Rajapaksa brothers, who believe in a unitary state, will be in a hurry to fully implement the 13th amendment to the Constitution. In fact President Gotabaya himself believes that rebuilding the Northern Province and bringing development to the Tamils is more important then giving them greater autonomy. `Development over devolution,’’ is what Gotabaya thinks is the need of the hour. The Tamil population which have long yearned for more meaningful devolution may not quite agree. Aware of this, New Delhi will continue to push for devolution.

India is also in the mood to ensure that the past mistakes are not repeated because that will push Sri Lanka into China’s waiting arms. This is at a time when PLA vessels, including warships are increasingly plying the Indian Ocean region and developing close ties with India’s immediate neighbours.The BJP government since 2014 has been working towards strengthening ties with all its Indian Ocean neighbours whether it is Mauritius, Seychelles, Sri lanka and Maldives.  

New Delhi’s tough policy towards Nepal and the decision to blockade that land-locked nation in 2015, has had severe consequences for India. Nepal turned to China for help. The Chinese naturally grabbed the opportunity. The Chinese are today well entrenched in neighbouring Nepal, thanks to Prime Minister Oli’s close ties with Beijing. China is giving India a run for its money in the Himalayan nation. India realises the dangers of China’s presence in its immediate neighbourhood, and is hoping to counter the dragon in its periphery. This means wooing the neighbours, and ensuring that Indian interests in the region are protected.

South Block is no mood to give more space to China in its immediate neighbourhood. And with China investing massively in Sri Lanka, from the Humbantota Port, to modernising the Colombo port and building the USD 1.4 billion port city in the capital, which would house an International Financial Centre. Delhi has no time to waste.

India has also stepped up its efforts. In fact, the move to woo the Rajapaksa brothers began with foreign minister S Jaishankar rushing to Colombo soon after Gotabaya’s election victory, inviting him to visit and reassuring him that Delhi was ready to do business with the new regime. Gotabaya helped matters by announcing that Sri Lanka’s foreign policy would be neutral as the island had no wish to get involved in the rivalry between the two Asian powers. Gotabaya came to India soon afterwards in November 2019, and had meaningful conversations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Indian leaders. India announced a credit of $400 million to boost development and a further $50 million for security. Sri Lanka lost 250 people after the Easter bombings. Anti-terror cooperation is high on the list of bilateral ties now. In fact, Indian intelligence had warned their Lankan counter part of a possible terror attack. But the squabbling coalition of Sirisena and Ranil Wickremasinghe did not act on the information.

Apart from the ongoing project of building 50,000 house in the war torn Northern Province, announced in 2010, India and Japan are joining hands to build a deep sea Container Terminal in Colombo port. This was announced in 2019. India will also work towards refurbishing the Trincomalee oil farm in the Eastern province.  At one time, decades back, India was worried about US eyeing the oil tank project in Trincomalee. Now though India has been working at refurbishing some of the old tanks. Sri Lanka has leased out the oil tanks to India, to jointly operate a strategic oil facility. This is not a new project but the Modi government now is paying much more attention and will take up the work in earnest. This will help in the integrated development of Trincomolee and the entire Eastern province. Trincomalee is strategically located in the eastern side of Sri Lanka and in the heart of the Indian Ocean. According to reports from Colombo the US is also eyeing Trincomalee port, perhaps to checkmate China’s presence in Humbantota further south of the island.

Keeping all this in mind, Mahinda Rajapaksa’s visit this weekend is important. Last month China’s foreign minister Wang Yi was in Colombo on an official visit. China will continue to be an important partner of Sri Lanka. Considering that Beijing has the money power to back it, no developing nation wants to close the door to China. So despite criticising Mahinda Rajapaksa for giving a free reign to China, the India-friendly government of Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickeremasinghe, allowed China to continue the projects it had signed with the previous government. So South Asian neighbours will benefit from the India-China rivalry playing out in the region.

Though China’s cheque book diplomacy works wonders, people to people contacts are much better with India. Buddhism is a strong link and Sri Lankans, including Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa does not miss an opportunity to visit the holy sites in India. He will be visiting Sarnath as well as Bodh Gaya during this trip. The religious and cultural bonds are India’s strong points. All this will come into play as India hopes to contain China in its neighbourhood.

INDIAN SCIENCE COMPETES WITH THE BEST

By LokMarg


By Rajan Suri

With a long history of highs and lows in science in India, the country is beginning to join the leaders of science in the world. Gaining orders to launch 68 foreign satellites with the ambition of gaining further for many hundreds in the future, puts India among the leaders. But India is still lagging in original ideas. It is an area that the Government and leadings scientists should pay attention to.

Unlike many other civilisations in the world, India’s civilisation has never been inimical to science. The Vedas have scientific concepts such as the earth going around the sun. Numbers were known to Indians long before anywhere else. Pythagoras triples were known at least as long as 8th century BC.  The Vedanga Jyotisa is a great book of early astronomy.

Kautalya’s  Arthashastra mentions bridges, dams and road works among other great projects. Earlier works include texts in metallurgy  and architecture. The Sushruta Samhita, the earliest book of systematic science of medicine goes as back as 6th century BC. There are endless examples of Indian civilisation once being a leader in science, medicine and mathematics. It will take books to list some of the great developments of early Indian science and its place in the evolution of science in the world.

Unlike Christian Europe and Islamic Middle East, science has never faced ridicule let alone censor in Indian dharmic traditions. It has coexisted and even integrated well in the dharmic tradition.

But somewhere along history, the people of South Asia lost the instinct for science and the ability to be original. It is common to blame this on colonial rule and to some extent Islamic rule. But that cannot be the entire story. It is true that Indian centres of learning  were not only subdued but even driven to extinction during colonial rule. Colonialism tried to claim all scientific knowledge as the gift of European civilisation. Most colonising Empires try and do that.

But today, there are no such constraints. Indians have proven themselves very capable to being great scientists. They become even greater scientists in leading western institutions of science. But in India, there is still that gaping hole of originality. Once India was creating the ideas of science. Now it lags behind.

It is not enough to blame India being only 70 years old. It is also not enough to blame lack of facilities. Both are lame excuses now. India is not 70 year old. It is thousands of years old. It was merely ruled at times by non Indians. And as for facilities, the country is rich enough to create the facilities. In fact there are plenty of advanced scientific and medical research facilities in India.

The reason lies elsewhere. The question to ask  is why were Indians so fertile in imagination and originality 2000 and 3000 years ago but now. There is no cultural or religious antagonism to science in Indian traditions. So what has gone wrong.

The contract for launching of 68 foreign satellites shows tremendous conviction in Indian science  around the world. Even countries as advanced as USA and UK are among those that have placed launch contracts and development contracts with Antrix, the commercial arm of the Indian space agency.

In the last 15 years Antrix has launched 74 foreign satellites. These have included Belgium, Canada, France, Germany and even Israel. They have used India’s advanced Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSV). It is hoping to launch some 2500 satellites in the next decade for countries and private companies. This will include nano satellites and satellites for surveillance and navigation.

Even in the nuclear technology, India is the leader in thorium based research in nuclear energy production. It can export nuclear power reactors.

Indian science is now advanced in every field of science. But India is still not the a trail blazer or originator of ideas. This is an area that the Government needs to put resources in. China on the other hand has invested large resources in science and is leading the world in some areas of science now. India can leave China and even USA behind. History is evidence of the great achievements of Indian science.