Category Archives: GENERAL

Festival of India to be Held in Senegal

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A Festival of India is being organized in Senegal from 26 January to 28 February, 2017 to showcase diverse Indian culture, including classical and folk dance, music and an exhibition on Mahatma Gandhi.

The following events will be held in the Senegal capital City of Dakar:

· Kathak Dance by Richa Jain and Group from 27-29 January, 2017.
· Bharatnatyam Dance by Priya Venkataraman and Group from 1-3 February, 2017.
· Music (Bollywood) by Melody Magic – Deepak Mehta & group from 6-8 February, 2017
· Rajasthani Folk Music and Dance by Anita Ordia and Group from 11-13 February, 2017
· Music (Vocal) by Dhananjay Kaul and Group from 16-18 February, 2017
· Exhibition on Mahatma Gandhi from 30 January – 28 February, 2017.

Indian culture, especially the dance and music are popular among the people of Senegal, which is home to about 40 India-friendship associations whose members are the local people who conduct cultural programmes involving Classical and even Bollywood music on important occasions, with active support from the Indian Mission.

Diplomatic ties between India and Senegal were established in 1962 and both countries enjoy friendly bilateral relations sharing common values such as democracy  and secularism. They are both members of the Non-Aligned Movement and G-15.

India has been a key partner of Senegal in the field of urban transport, agriculture, rural electrification, human resource development and information technology with more than 300 Indians working in several companies set up here.

 

 

India Provides NRs.24.9 Lakh to Nepal for Highway Projects

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Indian embassy in Nepal has handed over a cheque for NRs.24,97,10,698.17 towards 25 percent of the cost of the four contracted road stretches in Nepal, as part of the aid to support infrastructure development in the Himalayan neighbour.

The roads — Birendrabazaar-Mahinathpur, Janakpur-Yadukuwa road, Manmat-Kalaiya-Matiarwa (0-15 km road) and Manmat-Kalaiya-Matiarwa (15-26.660 km road) — are being built under Postal Highway Project in Nepal with Indian grant assistance of NRs.8,000 million.

On Monday, January 30, 2017, Ambassador of India Mr. Ranjit Rae handed over a Cheque for an amount to Nepal Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Mr. Ramesh Lekhak at Singha Durbar in Kathmandu.

Recently, the two completed roads — Dhangadhi-Bhajaniya-Satti road and Lamki-Tikapur-Khakraula road — constructed with India’s grant assistance worth NRs 1,020 million were inaugurated on 19 January 2017 at Dhangadhi jointly by the Indian Ambassador and Nepal Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport.

Since 1950, India has been supporting infrastructure development of Nepal and has provided financial assistance for construction of various Highways, Roads, Bridges, Airports, among others as part of the India-Nepal Economic Cooperation Programme.

Earlier, Indian Ambassador Ranjit Rae inaugurated on Friday, January 27, 2017, a campus building for Chautara Multiple Campus, Chautara in Sindhupalchok district that has been constructed with financial assistance of NRs. 27 million provided by the Government of India under its Small Development Projects Scheme as part of India–Nepal Economic Cooperation Programme.

India’s US Mission in Washington DC Holds Joint Workshop on Defence Preparedness

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In view of deepening Indo-US defence scientific cooperation, a Joint Workshop on “Medical and Chem Bio-defence” is being organised by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), Delhi (of DRDO), is being held from 31st January to 2nd February 2017 at the Indian Chancery in Washington DC.

The workshop has focused on medical, chemical and biological defense strategies to seek future cooperation in areas of combat casualty care, neurocognitive assessment, military operational environment, detection and diagnostics for chemical and biological defence, medical countermeasures, radiation countermeasures as well as individual and collective protection/ decontamination.

A delegation of 27 members from the US Department of Defense, headed by Dr Patrick Mason (SES), Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering is participating.

The Indian delegation, constituting about 25 members from the DRDO Life Sciences Cluster laboratories, is headed by Dr A K Singh, Director INMAS, and is being inaugurated by Dr Shashi Bala Singh, Director General (Life Sciences), DRDO.

“This workshop will prove a significant milestone in furthering the bilateral relationship of USA with India, and will give impetus to future scientific collaboration in the field of medical, chemical and biological defence,” said the Chancery in a statement.

With the rising threat perception at global level, both countries will find avenues of extending the desired protection to their armed forces and civilian populations.

India Invited as Guest Nation at St. Petersburg Economic Forum 2017

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India has been invited as a Guest Country in the St. Petersburg International Forum, Official Spokesperson said, confirmin the news on Wednesday in a briefing to the reporters.

“This is to confirm that India has been invited as a Guest Country at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) which will be held in the city of St. Petersburg, Russia from June 1 to 3, 2017,” said MEA spokesperson Mr. Vikas Swarup.

The invite comes following the current visit of Ajit Doval, India’s National Security Advisor (NSA), who visited Moscow to discuss security and anti-terrorism issues with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov. Recent media reports have said that Iran, Russia and India trilateral security arrangement is on the cards.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the Forum as a Guest of Honour and other details of the visit are being worked out, and “we will announce them as and when they are finalized,” he said.

Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russia attaches great importance to Modi’s visit.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) is an annual event held in St. Petersburg devoted to discuss global economic and business issues. It is also called the “Russian Davos,” and the first conference was held in 1997.

Post-Hafiz Saeed House Arrest, India Seeks Credible Crack Down by Pakistan

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In an official response to the preventive detention of Hafiz Saeed and others by Pakistan on Tuesday, India’s spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, Mr Vikas Swarup said credible steps by Pakistan required to show its commitment to end terrorism.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior placed on Tuesday the Jamaat-ud-Dawa and the Falah–e-Insaniyet Foundation under the watchlist. Also the Falah-e-Insaniyet Foundation has been included in the second schedule of their anti-terror legislation under United Nations Security Council Resolution No. 1267.

“We have also noted that Hafiz Saeed and four others have been placed under preventive detention,” said Mr. Swarup.

The United Nations Security Council 1267 provisions maintain that the countries should list and prosecute known terrorist entities and individuals effectively. India said it has consistently called for bringing known terrorists under the ambit of the 1267 sanctions.

“Exercises such as yesterday’s orders against Hafiz Saeed and others have been carried out by Pakistan in the past also. Only a credible crack down on the mastermind of the Mumbai terrorist attack and terrorist organizations involved in cross border terrorism would be proof of Pakistan’s sincerity,” said Mr. Swarup in a cautious response to the development.

Hafiz Muhammad Saeed is a co-founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, which operates from Pakistan soil and has had sanctions placed against it by the United Nations as a terrorist organisation. India has long been demanding his arrest and prosecution.

Foreign Investment Promotion Board to be Demolished Next Year

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Presenting the General Budget 2017-18 in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017, Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) will be abolished in a phased manner by the end of fiscal year 2018-19.

Since the Government has already introduced substantive reforms in FDI policy with more than 90% of the total FDI inflows through the automatic route, Jaitley said that the FIPB has already completed the implementation of e-filing process for FDI. Hence, the FIPB has reached a stage where it can be phased out, he said.

On markets, the Finance Minister proposed that high net worth NBFCs can also now participate in IPOs just like the banks and insurance companies. He said a proposal to allow NBFCs regulated by RBI with a certain net worth, to be categorised as Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs) by SEBI so as to make them eligible for IPO route. The minister was actually hinting at prospective MBFC-MFIs or microfinance institutions which have a good record, work under RBI guidelines and seek to enter the IPO route to raise funds.

On banking reforms, he said a common application form for registration, opening of bank and demat accounts, and issue of PAN will be introduced for Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) and said SEBI, RBI and CBDT will put in place the required plan and procedures, to enhance operational flexibility and ease of access to Indian capital markets. As for the commodities and securities derivative markets, he said they will be further integrated with the participants, brokers, and operational frameworks.

In an effort to improve the ease of doing business, the Indian Finance Minister said the process of registration of financial market intermediaries like mutual funds, brokers, portfolio managers, etc. will be made fully online by SEBI and steps will be taken for linking of individual demat accounts with Aadhar.

To check bank NPAs and enhance capital flows into the securitisation industry, Jaitley said that the listing and trading of Security Receipts issued by a securitisation company or a reconstruction company under the SARFAESI Act will be permitted in SEBI registered stock exchanges.

To ensure the Cyber security for safeguarding the integrity and stability of the financial sector, a Computer Emergency Response Team for our Financial Sector (CERT-Fin) will be established in coordination with all Financial Sector Regulators and other stakeholders, he added.

Addressing the issue of dubious or ponzi deposit schemes, Jaitley said that a Bill will soon be tabled in Parliament to protect the poor and gullible investors from dubious deposit schemes, operated by unscrupulous entities.

He said a draft bill has been placed in the public domain and will be introduced in parliament shortly seeking to amend the Act in consultation with various stakeholders, as part of our ‘Clean India’ agenda, he added.

Indian Budget 2017 Aims at New Thrust on ‘Ease of Doing Business’

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The Indian government has announced in its Budget 2017-18 severral measures to make India a favourable destination for foreign investments by providing an environment of “Ease of Doing Business”.

The Finance Minister Mr Jaitley raised the threshold limit for audit of business entities that opt for presumptive income scheme from Rs. 1 crore to Rs. 2 crore. Similarly, the threshold for the maintenance of books for individuals and HUF is proposed to be increased from turnover of Rs. 10 lakhs to Rs. 25 lakhs or income from Rs. 1.2 lakhs to Rs. 2.5 lakhs.

The Finance Minister said that the Foreign Portfolio Investor (FPI) Category I & II will be exempt from indirect transfer provision under the IT Act. Besides, indirect transfer provision shall not apply in case of redemption of shares or interests outside India as a result of or arising out of redemption or sale of investment in India which is chargeable to tax in India, thus removing apprehensions over taxation on funds located abroad but investing in India-based companies.

Bringing relief to individual insurance agents, the Budget 2017 sought to exempt them from the TDS provision of 5% being deducted from commission payable after filing a self-declaration that their income is below taxable limit. Professionals with receipt upto Rs. 50 lakhs p.a. can pay advance tax towards presumptive taxation in one installment instead of four, under this budget proposal.

In order to allow the people to claim the refund expeditiously, the Finance Minister said that the time period for revising a tax return is being reduced to 12 months from completion of financial year, at par with the time period for filing of return.

Also the time for completion of scrutiny assessments is being compressed further from 21 months to 18 months for Assessment Year 2018-19 and further to 12 months for Assessment Year 2019-20 and thereafter, he added.

The Finance Minister proposed to restrict the scope of domestic transfer pricing only if one of the entities involved in related party transaction enjoys specified profit-linked deduction. He said this will reduce the compliance burden for domestic companies since the number of entities being covered under domestic pricing had gone up substantially resulting in longer scrutiny.

Axe on H1B Visa? US Bill Placed in Upper House; How Indian IT Firms Stack Up?

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Finally, the Bill on High-Skilled Integrity and Fairness Act of 2017 has been introduced in the US House of Representatives seeking to double the minimum salary of H-1B visa holders to US$130,000, making it a mockery if American firms deny recruiting locals at a lower cost. Currently, the minimum wage cap on H1B Visa seekers is US$60,000 that was set in 1989.

The anti-H1B Visa Act, as is known among the Indian IT workers and firms in the US, was introduced by California Congressman Zoe Lofgren based on market requirements for visas to those companies willing to pay 200 percent of a wage given to local employees.

“My legislation refocuses the H-1B programme to its original intent to seek out and find the best and brightest from around the world, and to supplement the US workforce with talented, highly-paid, and highly-skilled workers who help create jobs here in America, not replace them,” said Lofgren. He said the Bill seeks to remove the ‘per country’ cap on immigrant visas so that employers hire the most skilled workers without regard to nation of origin.

It raises the salary level at which H-1B dependent employer are exempt from attestation requirements to a new required wage level of 35 percentile points above the median national annual wage for Computer and Mathematical Occupations published by the Department of Labour Occupational Employment Statistics, which eliminates the Master’s Degree exemption for dependent employers.

The legislation also seeks 20 percent of the annually allocated H-1B visas for small and start-ups. It also removes visa hurdles for students by building a bridge from F-1 student status to Lawful Permanent Residence without any paperwork and reducing administrative costs.

The Bill, if approved, would affect the entire gamut of IT companies in India which are solely dependent on H1B visa to depute its skilled techies to the US and save millions of dollars in projects running into months or few years.

Infosys alone has 14,659 employees working in the US on H-1B visas and 1,364 employees on L-1 visas as of FY ending March 2016. TCS has reduced its dependence on visa in the past three years and stepped up local hiring, while Wipro has 40% locals in its overseas offices. HCL has 65 percent locals in its US offices.

According to a study by the Bank of America Merrill Lynch, every 10% hike in H1B visa holder abroad would amount to 5% negtive impact on an average on a company’s earnings. Since the new Bill seeks almost 100% over the existing salary, it may virtually undercut the earnings by 50 percent, which may force several IT companies either to hire local workforce or stop seeking H1B visas altogether.

Beijing Mission Celebrates Republic Day, Ambassador Gokhale Unfurls Flag

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India’s 68th Republic Day was celebrated at the Embassy of India, Beijing on 26 January 2017 with Indian Ambassador Vijay Gokhale unfurling the Tricolor at Embassy premises. Later, he read out passages from the President of India’s Address to the Nation.

The Culture Wing of the Embassy then screened a short movie on “A Day in the Life of India”, which was followed by a reception for the Indian community, about 200 of them present.

Prior to the Republic Day, on 24 January 2017, the Embassy of India held a Republic Day reception for Chinese guests and the diplomatic community in Beijing, ahead of the Chinese New Year holidays. Assistant Foreign Minister of China, Mr. Kong Xuanyou was the Chief Guest at the event.

Ambassador Gokhale recalled that 2016 was an important year in India-China bilateral relations which witnessed the State Visit of the President of India Pranab Mukherjee to China in May 2016 and three meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Other high level engagements included the visits of India’s Defence Minister, Finance Minister and National Security Advisor to China and those of the Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, State Councillor, Foreign Minister and Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission from China to India.

Ambassador Gokhale quoted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks on the occasion:”I see the development of India and China as an unprecedented opportunity, for our two countries and for the whole world. At the same time, it is not unnatural for two large neighboring powers to have some differences. In the management of our relationship, and for peace and progress in the region, both our countries need to show sensitivity and respect for each other’s core concerns and interests.”

Ambassador Gokhale said 2017 would also mark further progress in bilateral ties.

More than 200 Indian community attended the 68th Republic day celebrations at the embassy. (Photo: Beijing India Mission)

Indian Embassy in US Observes Martyr’s Day

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Indian embassy in Washington DC on Monday observed the Martyr’s Day to mark the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on Jan. 30, 1948. Indian Ambassador Navtej Sarna and other officers paid floral tributes to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi located in front of the Indian Embassy on Massachusetts Avenue in the US capital.

All the staff and visitors who participated in the event observed 2 minutes’ silence as a mark of respect to the Father of the Nation. Also Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite Bhajans were sung by on the occasion.

The Chancery of the Embassy of India in Washington DC, located at 2107 Massachusetts Avenue, has a history of more than a century. It consists of two adjacent buildings, one constructed in 1885, and the other (Depew House) in 1901, making them probably the oldest properties owned by the government of India abroad. Four floors were added to the first building in 1907.

Dephew Building which is now Indian chancery in Washington DC. (Photo: Indian Chancery)

Morris Murray, a prominent Washington physician, had built the second adjacent building based on 18th century French architecture style in 1901 in granite and limestone. This building over the years was occupied by some of the illustrious families including that of U.S. Senator Peter Gerry (1914-1915), Undersecretary of the Treasury Ogden L. Mills (1928) and the widow of U.S. Senator Chauncey Depew, May Palmer Depew. It was during her stay, the building came to be known as Depew House.

After her death in 1940, her cousin leased the Depew House to various tenants, including the British Purchase Agency. The Indian government had acquired the building in 1946 and connected it with the adjacent building to create the present Chancery. Gandhi’s statue was added later.

 

Sri Lankan Navy Commander Visits Delhi, to Proceed to Goa, Kochi Next

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Vice Admiral RC Wijegunaratne, Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, who is on an official visit to India from 29 January to 02 February 2017, held bilateral discussions with Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of the Naval Staff and other senior officials of the Indian Navy on 30 January 2017.

The Admiral is also scheduled to meet the Chief of the Air Staff, Chief of the Army Staff as well as the Director General, Indian Coast Guard, the Minister of State for Defence and Defence Secretary have also been scheduled as part of his official meetings in New Delhi.

Naval cooperation between India and Sri Lanka has been traditionally strong, encompassing a wide span which includes operational interactions through bilateral exercises, Training, Port Calls, Hydrographic co-operation, Special Forces interactions, Capability Building and Capacity Augmentation initiatives. Two Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessels (AOPVs) are also being constructed for the Sri Lankan Navy at Goa Shipyard Limited.

In addition to New Delhi, the Admiral is also scheduled to proceed to Goa where he will be visiting Naval War College and Goa Shipyard Limited besides interacting with Flag Officer Commanding Goa Area.

The Admiral would later visit the Training Command of the Indian Navy based at Kochi, where he would be briefed on training aspects and would also visit various training facilities/ professional schools. During his visit to Kochi, the Admiral would also interact with Sri Lankan Naval personnel undergoing training in India.

The Commander, Sri Lankan Navy’s visit follows closely on the visit of the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba’s visit to Sri Lanka wherein he also participated in the 7th International Maritime Conference, Galle Dialogue 2016.

Nepal SAARC Meeting on Feb 1 to Decide on Next Summit Schedule

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The nations of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) will meet in Kathmandu on February 1-2 to attend the Programming Committee meeting over the next SAARC summit schedule.

This is the first meeting of the SAARC members after the controversial postponement of the 19th SAARC summit scheduled in Islamabad last year in November due to India’s objections over the escalation of border tensions.

The meeting in Nepal will witness all the SAARC member states to discuss the budget of the SAARC Secretariat and five regional centers of SAARC, besides the rescheduling of the next SAARC summit. The meeting will be attended by joint secretaries of the SAARC countries.

The decisions at the programming committee will be sent to the Standing Committee. SAARC, set up in 1985, consists of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Last November, the SAARC Summit was postponed after four nations — Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh and India — requested the summit in Islamabad to be postponed over the border tensions between India and Pakistan. The four countries had blamed Pakistan for not creating a conducive environment and not cooperating on combating cross-border terrorism in the region for holding the SAARC Summit. Pakistan rejected the charges.

Trump Ban on Immigration Unnerves Indian IT Workers in US

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India, first among the countries playing to the gallery when congratulating US President-elect Donald Trump, is slowly biting its fingers for the knee-jerk reaction as the first week of his presidency has clearly spelled Doomsday on H1B visas, while the ban on Muslims from 7 countries, though partially, was rolled out in haste.

Though a New York federal judge issued an emergency stay on the order on Saturday, the shocking weekend Visa ban from the Trump Administration was not entirely unexpected and the music to many ears is that there are still four more drafts in his war chest to be fired off in the next weekend, affecting all IT companies, hitting hard the business returns of Indian companies in particular.

Ironic but our budget will be out on February 1, increasing the Service tax and an array of other corporate taxes choking the business environment in India further from within and outside. Trump cannot be faulted as India is equally harping on “Make in India” slogan for foreign companies, which is in the same spirit as “Buy American and America First” policy of Modi’s counterpart.

Trump’s Friday order was on illegal immigration, which Trump has put at 30 million while national research institutes like the Pew Research Center reported in March 2015 that the number of illegal immigrants could be 11.2 million as of 2012. On the issue of legal immigration, especially of Indians under the H1B visa, his next order is reportedly drafted already impacting them with a variety of limits on their legal immigration and guest-worker visas, including a “temporary ban” on granting green cards.

Wary about the weekend developments, several US tech companies have asked their employees on H1B to return to the US immeidately, but the over-reactive immigration at the airports has already created chaos augmenting the fears of Indians, who are the major beneficiaries of the H-1B visa program.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai in an internal note to employees said that more than 100 Google staff are affected by the order. “It’s painful to see the personal cost of this executive order on our colleagues. We’ve always made our view on immigration issues known publicly and will continue to do so.”

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg criticised Trump’s decision to limit immigrants and refugees from Muslim nations as against the spirit of America which is essentially an immigrants’ nation.

Besides these announcements, reports said other drafts on “improved monitoring of foreign students”, “making site visits” of workplaces that employ L1 visa holders by US Department of Homeland Security officials, scrapping of visa permit to students with STEM degrees to stay in the US for as much as three years after graduating from college among others.

Indian tech lobby NASSCOM chief R Chandrashekhar said the industry is in a “wait-and-watch” mode over the rising protectionist sentiments in its largest free market.

The current ban of Syrians and travellers with passports from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, including those with dual nationality that includes one of those countries, will have to bear the brunt of ban for the next 90 days while the courts and executive will strive to wriggle out a solution.

Republic Day Celebrated in Kyiv, Ukraine; Tunis, Tunisia

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Indian Republic Day function was celebrated with traditional fervor and gaiety at the Embassy of India, Kyiv on Thursday morning.

Flag hoisting ceremony was performed by Indian Ambassador Manoj K. Bharti, which was followed by singing of the Indian National Anthem. Mr Bharti later read out speech of Indian President on the occasion, which was well attended by the Indian community in Kyiv.

Another report from Tunis said the Republic Day was observed by the Indian mission with hoisting of the tricolour in the embassy premises on Thursday. Here is a photo of the event:

Indian embassy in Tunis, Tunisia hoisted tricolour on the occasion of Indian Republic Day on Thursday. (Photo: Indian mission, Tunis)

 

68th Republic Day celebrated in Indonesia at Indian Embassy

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The 68th Republic Day was celebrated at the Embassy of India in Jakarta, the Consulate General of India in Bali and the Consulate General of India in Medan with traditional gaiety and fervour on Thursday.

Mr. Manish, Deputy Chief of Mission, hoisted the National Flag at the Indian Embassy premises as large gathering of Indian nationals and members of Indian diaspora watched with pride and joy. Similar ceremonies took place at the Indian Consulates in Bali and Medan.

The President’s address to the nation on the eve of Republic Day was read out by the Deputy Chief of Mission in Jakarta and the Consuls General in Bali and Medan.

President’s address touched upon several issues such as inclusive innovation; rapidly evolving science and technology and need for education system to evolve with it; demonetization; aspirations of youth; employment generation; pluralism and tolerance; and public welfare.

Other flagship programs of the government such as Swachh Bharat Mission, MGNREGA, Aadhaar, Digital India, Atal Innovation Mission and Skill India, the President noted in his address, are designed to promote well-being of the society. President’s speech urged Indian to work hard to overcome poverty, unemployment and deal with terrorism and to ensure pluralist culture and tolerance for a better of the country and the people.

Nearly 300 members of the Indian community, Persons of Indian Origin and Friends of India participated in the Republic Day ceremony and about 80 school children from three Indian schools in Indonesia – Gandhi Memorial International School, the Rama International School and Texmaco DPS School – sang the National Anthem and patriotic songs.

The students of Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural Centre (JNICC) also performed a songs event with patriotic songs and a dance on the occasion. Later, Deputy Chief of Mission Manish interacted with members of Indian community and gave a broad overview of various functions scheduled to be held in future by the Mission. The event was followed by a feast of Indian food delicacies served to the visitors.

Indian Republic Day Celebrated in Venezuela

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The 68th Republic Day of India was celebrated in Caracas at the Indian Embassy Residence on Thursday.

India’s Ambassador Rahul Shrivastava unfurled the national flag and read out President of India’s address to the nation on the eve of the Republic Day. More than 60 members of the Indian community and friends of India in Venezuela participated in the event.

Prior to the Republic Day, a three-member Violin cultural group led by Santosh Kumar Nahar, sponsored by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) visited Venezuela from 21 to 24 January 2017.

The Violin group performed on January 22, 2017 at Casa del ALBA Hall in Barinas province and Governor of Barinas, Ms. Zenaida Gallardo had witnessed the performance, which opened with a dance by two children. President of Casa De ALBA later addressed the audience.

a three-member Violin cultural group led by Santosh Kumar Nahar, sponsored by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) visited Venezuela from 21 to 24 January 2017. (Photo: MEA)

 

Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar Gets One More Year of Extension

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Foreign Secretary S.Jaishankar has been given an extension of tenure by one more year by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on Monday. He was scheduled to retire on January 28, after serving already on a two-year extension of service.

In a statement, the government said Jaishankar’s term has been extended from 29th January 2017 to 28th January 2018. A blued-eyed boy of both Manmohan Singh and Narendra Modi governments, Jaishankar, a 1977-batch IFS officer, is known more for his workholic nature and serving throughout the night when in demand.

He was appointed Foreign Secretary on 29 January 2015, a couple of days before his retirement, replacing incumbent Sujatha Singh, who resigned in protest. Jaishankar worked in Japan, China, the US and his understanding of the work ins within the corridors of power are well-known.

Aadhar Card Enrolls 111 Crore Out of 125 Crore Indians

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With 68th Republic Day celebrated, India can bask upon its Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) or Aadhaar Card that has covered 111 crore of the 125 crore population in the country.

Ushered in 2009, the Aadhaar card has emerged as the world’s largest and unique biometrics based identification programme with a real time online authentication infrastructure which was recognised as a highly potential tool for financial inclusion in UN Report on World Social Situation, 2016.

Though a Manmohan Singh government’s initiative, the Aadhaar Card remained politically neutral and was adopted by the successive government to take it to the current level of instant identification online, that was used by private sector too to cite Reliance Jio recently.

“It has come a long way in less than six and a half years of its journey from being a unique identification programme to transform itself into a critical development tool of public–centric good governance and targeted delivery of services/benefits/subsidies,” said Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Electronics & IT and Law & Justice.

UIDAI has 28,332 Permanent Enrolment Centres where people may go for enrolment, updation and other Aadhaar related services. UIDAI has a capacity of generating and dispatching over 15 lakh Aadhaars every day.

“Aadhaar which began in its first phase as a unique identification programme with an authentication infrastructure grew into its second phase as the tool of public sector delivery reforms by becoming the permanent financial address of the Aadhaar holder;and as a tool for de-duplication, e-KYC anddirect benefit transfer in its third phase, it started contributing to the management of the fiscal budget by generating saving to the Government exchequer to the tune of 36,144 crore in a few welfare schemes only in just two years,” he said.

“Now in its fourth phase, with demonetisation and Digital India drive towards less-cash economy, Aadhaar is all set to be the game changer with Aadhaar Pay – a non-traditional digital payment system without a need of card, pin, password or mobile with the consumer”, he added.

Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) on which 119 banks are live, more than 33.87 crore transactions have taken place. While only 7,406 AEPS points were available in May 2014, currently over 1,65,000 agents are available in the villages.

Secondly, the opening of bank accounts with Aadhaar eKYC, in which 97 banks are live and 4.47 crore bank accounts have been opened till now, which was only 1 lakh in May 2014.

Thirdly, Aadhaar Payment Bridge (APB) or Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), has shown considerable growth in the past two years at 167.36 crore worth Rs.44,967 crore which has risen by ten folds in value since 31st May 2014 (7 crore transactions, worth Rs.4,000 crore).

Fourthly, with the Aadhaar Pay, soon to be launched, any person with his Aadhaar number linked to Bank account, can make and / or receive payment, with his thumb impression alone.

President Underlines Need for Closer Ties with UAE

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President of India Pranab Mukherjee on the eve of the 68th Republic Day received Chief Guest Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces at Rashtrapati Bhavan and hosted a banquet in his honour on Wednesday evening.

Welcoming the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, the President said the State visit is a reflection of the warm relations and intensifying co-operation between India and the UAE. “With our shared vision, we are committed to take our partnership to the highest strategic level as we realise its true potential. This State visit provides an opportunity to further enhance co-operation between India and UAE,” he said.

The President said the well-balanced bilateral trade turnover between India and UAE has been impressive. The bilateral trade during 2015-16 was US $ 49.729 billion. UAE is amongst India’s largest trade partners. To realise the potential for further growth, both countries have agreed to increase the bilateral trade by 60 % in next three years.

In his banquet speech, President Pranab Mukherjee said with India’s plans for rapid growth in the infrastructure sector, the liberalisation of foreign direct investment and as one of the fast growing economies in the world, India holds immense possibilities for investments.

The President reiterated India’s invitation to business houses of the United Arab Emirates to participate in our flagship projects like “Make in India”, “Digital India” and “Smart Cities” programmes. India looks forward to a robust partnership with UAE in our National Infrastructure Investment Fund.

The President reiterated the urgent need for responsible nations to continue collective efforts against the forces of extremism, terrorism and intolerance which attempt to weaken the very fabric of our societies. He said it is in the shared interest of both countries to work for peace and stability in both West Asia as well as South Asia.

Modi Invites Trump to Visit India

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When the much-awaited telephone call came from the new US President, Donald Trump, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was upbeat because the call has accredited India with a prime status of being the fifth country made by Washington’s new leader.

Trump, in his typical style called India a “true friend and partner,” and invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US, before the ritual October visit to the UN. Modi, in turn, invited the President too to visit India and he would be the next Republic Day chief guest. In 2015, US President Barack Obama graced the occasion as the chief guest.

The conversation mostly surrounded the need for both nations to stand “shoulder-to-shoulder” in the fight against terror. The defence and economic ties too came under discussion.

India is happy that US President trump called Modi ahead of other major powers and their leaders, ahead of China or Russia, for instance. Later Modi tweeted that they “agreed to work closely in the coming days to further strengthen our bilateral ties”.

“Had a warm conversation with President @realDonaldTrump late last evening,” he said in his tweet and revealed: “Have also invited President Trump to visit India.”

The White House said, “During a call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, President Trump emphasised that the US considers India a true friend and partner in addressing challenges around the world. President Trump looked forward to hosting Prime Minister Modi in the US later this year.”

The defence ties take centre stage as Beijing is turning aggressive on the Soputh China Sea with other Asian nations warily looking at its bullish stance. “They also discussed security in the region of South and Central Asia. President Trump and Prime Minister Modi resolved that the US and India stand shoulder-to-shoulder in the global fight against terrorism,” the White House statement said.

However, on the domestic front, the H1B visa issue is still primary as Trump is keen to scrap it and retain jobs in the US for its own people under his “America First” policy.