Yearly Archives: 2017

Indian Embassy Participates in Hala Festival in Kuwait

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Indian Embassy took part in the Opening Ceremony of Hala Festival in Kuwait on February 10, 2017 and the Indian stall was exquisitely decorated with “Incredible India” posters and tourism material for the occasion.

India’s Bohra Band (Burhani Guards) held the audience spellbound with their performances and children from the Bohra community spread the message of importance of cleanliness in our daily lives by cleaning the surroundings during the event.

Kuwait’s HALA FESTIVAL was being held at Salem Al-Mubarak Street, Salmiya. The annual event being held in Kuwait since February 1999, is mainly to promote tourism and culture and it also offers arts, sports, live carnival shows, entertainment events and display of vintage vehicles and motorbikes. The event goes on for a month.

Kuwaiti Ministries, Government institutions and some Embassies had put up their stalls during the event and Indian Embassy focused on tourism with the theme “Incredible India”.

The Opening Ceremony also held a parade of children from various Kuwaiti schools, some Kuwaiti Ministries and government agencies, Embassies. India’s Bohra Band (Burhani Guards) also took part in the parade. “Many visitors, especially children took the opportunity to take photographs posing in front of the Embassy stall and highly enjoyed the event,” said the embassy in a statement.

Indian Embassy took part in the Opening Ceremony of Hala Festival in Kuwait on February 10, 2017 and the Indian stall was exquisitely decorated with “Incredible India” posters and tourism material for the occasion.India’s Bohra Band (Burhani Guards) also took part in the parade.(Indian Embassy, Kuwait)

MEA Opens First Batch of New Post Office Passport Seva Kendras

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The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Department of Posts (DOP), following the 24th January announcement, has opened the first batch of the Head Post Offices (HPO) in the various States as Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSK) for delivering passport related services to the citizens.

The move makes post offices escape the prospect of extinction and yet extend passport services on a larger scale and to ensure wider area coverage.

The pilot projects for this joint venture between MEA and DOP was inaugurated on 25 January, 2017 at the HPO at Mysuru in Karnataka and at Dahod in Gujarat. One hundred appointments are being released every day for each of these POPSK. Appointments for Mysuru are now available in 10 days while at Dahod it is available the next day.

With the successful pilot, the Government has now decided to scale up this programme by opening 56 POPSKs at the following places in the first batch of expansion:

Now applicants can apply online for their passports through the Passport Portal and get an appointment at the above POPSK to complete the remaining formalities for the passport. Ever since relaxation of rules of passport on 23 December, 2016, nearly 30% surge was seen in demand for passports.

A record number of 53,400 applications were processed on February 7th amd 49,259 of them were fresh applications, the highest since the commencement of the Passport Seva Project. Here is the full list of first batch of post offices which will serve as POPS Kendra:

Locations State Passport Office
1. Kurnool
2. Kadappa		 Andhra Pradesh Vishakhapatnam
3. Silchar Assam Guwahati
4. Purnia,
5. Gopalganj
6. Muzaffarpur
7. Bhagalpur
8. Siwan		 Bihar Patna
9. Surguja Chhattisgarh Raipur
10.Daman Daman Mumbai
11. Diu Diu Ahmedabad
12. Silvasa Dadra & Nagar Haveli Mumbai
13. East Delhi,
14. Noth East Delhi,
15. North West Delhi
16. South Delhi
17. West Delhi		 Delhi Delhi
18. Bhuj
19. Palanpur		 Gujarat Ahmedabad
20. Hisar
21. Karnal		 Haryana Chandigarh
22. Faridabad Delhi
23. Palampur
24. Hamirpur		 Himachal Pradesh Shimla
25. Leh
26. Udhampur		 J&K Srinagar
27. Jamshedpur Jharkhand Ranchi
28. Dhanbad
29. Deoghar
30. Belgaum
31. Devangere
32. Hassan
33. Gulbarga		 Karnataka Bengaluru
34. Pathanamthitta Kerala Trivandrum
35. Kasargod Kozhikode
36. Kavaratti Lakshadweep Cochin
37. Gwalior
38. Satna
39. Jabalpur
40. Vidisha		 Madhya Pradesh Bhopal
41. Rourkela
42. Sambalpur
43. Koraput		 Odisha Bhubaneshwar
44. Kota
45. Jaisalmer
46. Jhunjhunu
47. Bikaner
48. Jhalawar		 Rajasthan Jaipur
49. Salem Tamil Nadu Coimbatore
50. Vellore Chennai
51. Mehbubnagar
52. Warangal		 Telangana Hyderabad
53. Asansol
54. Nadia
55. North Dinajpur
56. North Kolkata		 West Bengal Kolkata

Challakere in Karnataka: No Secret City But Hub of Nuclear Power, Says Report

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Challakere in Karnataka is not only a hub for buses travelling to and fro Bangalaore and Bellary but also a hub for the Defence ministry, purported to be the nuclear city of future to generate the country’s nuclear power for submarines and weapons.

Last year, the US magazine Foreign Policy, quoting a former PMO official, said it may trigger competition from neighbouring nuclear powers China and Pakistan. Not China but Pakistan has recently complained that the hub is a “secret nuclear city.”

India has denied the allegations and stood to its ground it is a safer bet to hold on to its nuclear weapons unlike Pakistan, which was involved in smuggling nuclear secrets to North Korea and other threshold countries, violating all the norms of being a nuclear power.

The not-so-secret nuclear underground factory was set up in 2012 when the Congress government was in power at the Centre and the BJP was in power in the state of Karnataka, 203-km northeast of Bangalore on 4,290 acres of land in Challakere for scientific and nuclear use, said reports.

In its 14-page report. Foreign Policy claimed that the Challakere project will be the “subcontinent’s largest military-run complex of nuclear centrifuges, atomic-research laboratories, weapons and aircraft-testing facilities” when it is scheduled to be completed this year. It was expected to produce fuel for nuclear reactors and the navy’s fleet of new submarines, said the article.

“But another, more controversial ambition, according to retired Indian government officials and independent experts in London and Washington, is to give India an extra stockpile of enriched uranium fuel that could be used in new hydrogen bombs,” the report said.

As of 2015, India had 110 nuclear war heads compared to 120 in Pakistan and 260 in China, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). It quoted former White House official Gary Samore who said, “I believe that India intends to build thermonuclear weapons as part of its strategic deterrent against China.”

Other reports said the test center in the cordoned area may have a 3-mile long runway for a new generation of drones and long distance unmanned vehicles. The report also said Mysore district nearby is known for plutonium resources. The Center for Public Integrity has undertaken a field report on environmental fall out of the so-called secret city recently.

‘Secret Nuclear city’ is Pakistan’s Imagination: India

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India has refuted Pakistan’s allegations about a secret nuclear city with weapons calling it an imagination of Islamabad, which is a “diversionary tactic” to cover its own failure to stop state-sponsored terrorism that has come under global radar now.

Reacting to Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria’s reamrks on Thursday saying, “India is building a secret nuclear city,” and it has potential to threaten the strategic balance of power in the region.

On Friday, Indian external affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup said, “These are completely baseless allegations. The so-called secret city appears to be a figment of the Pakistan imagination. India has always been in compliance with all its international obligations.”

He said it was a very strange statement coming from a country that does not have a separation plan for nucelar weapons and has a strong record of nuclear “proliferation which is well known to the world.”

On the contrary, India has very different credentials. He said these remarks are clearly “a diversionary tactic by Pakistan which aims to deflect attention from the real issue at hand – the continued state-sponsored terrorism by Pakistan and its harbouring of internationally designated terrorists.”

Earlier, zakaria in a press conference alleged saying, “It (India) has been building Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles and an Anti-Ballistic Missile System. It has a stockpile of fissile material for producing nuclear weapons outside the IAEA safeguards… It is also building a secret nuclear city in south India which, according to Foreign Policy investigative report, is to produce thermonuclear weapons.”

However, he did not name the city nor give any details. To another question, Zakaria said the Donald Trump administration’s travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries, would not be extended to Pakistan and that the White House had assured Islamabad about it. He responded positvely on questions about Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz’s visit to Washington soon.

Haj Committee Formed to Review India’s HAJ Policy

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Indian Ministry of Minority Affairs has constituted a Committee on January 31, 2017 under a retired IAS officer Afzal Amanullah to review the Haj Policy 2013-17 and to suggest framework for Haj Policy for five years from 2018 to 2022.

This Committee comprises of Mr. Amanullah, former Secretary to Government of India and former Consul General, Consulate General of India, Jeddah, Justice S.S. Parkar, Retired Judge of Bombay High Court, Mr. Qaiser Shamim, IRS (Retd), former Chairman, Haj Committee of India, Mr. Kamal Faruqui, Chartered Accountant & Muslim Scholar, Mr. Michael Mascarenhas, former CMD, Air India and Mr. J. Alam, Joint Secretary, in-charge of Haj, Ministry of Minority Affairs.

The main issues to be examined by the Haj Committee will include review the existing Haj policy pertaining to HCoI and PTOs, examine implications of various directions of the Supreme Court to reduce Haj subsidy by 2022, review arrangements made by HCoI for Haj pilgrims’ accommodation and air travel including issues related with Haj subsidy.

The committee will also examine coordination in the functioning of Haj Committee of India and CGI, examine transparency, consumer satisfaction and disclosure requirements for PTOs to protect interest of the Haj Pilgrims.

The Committe will suggest measure for ensuring fair competition among PTOs and enhanced value for services and suggest the framework for new Haj policy for HCoI and PTOs.

The Committee has been given three months to submit its report, said Mr. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the Minister of State for Minority Affairs, in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

Haj Subsidy Halved by India in 4 years: Minister

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After the Supreme Court directive in 2012 to progressively decrease Haj subsidy and completely eliminate it in 10 years, Haj subsidy has been gradually reduced from Rs.836.56 crore in 2012-13 to Rs. 405 crore in the year 2016-17, said Mr. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the Minister of State (IC) for Minority Affairs, in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

Over the period, it has been progressively reduced to Rs.680.03 crore in the year 2013-14, Rs.577.07 crore in 2014-15 and Rs. 529.51 crore in 2015-16, informed the minister to the House.

Following representations made to the Ministry from time to time on Haj subsidy, the government has been making changes to the policy, he said. However, the responsibility for making air travel arrangements for Haj pilgrims identified by the Haj Committee of India (HCoI) is with Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), he noted.

The pilgrims make deposit as decided by the ministry towards airfare to HCoI and the balance fare payable to the Airlines is paid by MoCA as subsidy to facilitate the Haj pilgrims. The subsidy given by the Government during last three years and current year and the amount deposited to HCoI by each pilgrim towards airfare is as under:

The total amount charged from each Pilgrim varies depending on the category of accommodation and the amount of airport charges plus the fixed amount deposited towards airfare. For Haj 2016, the total amount for Azizia category was Rs.1,85,000 and for Green Category it was Rs.2,19,000, said the minister.

Every year a Haj Air Travel Committee (HATC) is constituted by the Ministry of Civil Aviation to make air travel arrangements for Haj and in 2017, the HATC has been constituted on January 2, 2017 under the Chairmanship of Joint Secretary, MoCA and other officials.

Under the bilateral pact with Saudi Arabia for Haj 2017, a quota of 1,70,025 pilgrims (1,25,025 seats for Haj Committee of India and 45,000 seats for Private Tour Operators) has been allocated compared to 1,36,020 pilgrims during previous year.

The quota allotted to to all States/ Union Territories Haj Committees including the States of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Telangana, in proportion with their Muslim population as per Census 2011, informed the minister.

FDI Rules Relaxed to Push SME Sector: Nirmala Sitharaman

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Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday said separate data regarding investment made by foreign companies in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) is not maintained but remittance-wise data is available in public domain at the website of Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion at www.dipp.nic.

Foreign Investments bring international best practices and latest technologies leading to economic growth in the country and providing much needed impetus to manufacturing sector and job creation in India, said the minister.

To boost the manufacturing sector and give impetus to the ‘Make in India’ initiative, the Government of India has permitted a manufacturer to sell its product through wholesale and or retail, including through e-commerce under automatic route, she noted.

For the benefit of SME sector, provisions have been provided for FDI in retail trading sector. For retail trading of single brand products, in respect of proposals involving foreign investment beyond 51%, sourcing within India of 30% of the value of goods purchased has been mandatory, preferably from MSMEs, village and cottage industries, artisans and craftsmen, in all sectors, she said.

With a view to benefit farmers and to push the food processing industry, 100% FDI under Government route for trading, including through e-commerce, has been permitted in respect of food products manufactured and or produced in India, she informed the House.

India Seeks Belgium Cooperation in Sagarmala Project

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India’s Minister of Shipping and Road Transport & Highways Mr. Nitin Gadkari on Monday 7th Feb, 2017, met the Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium Mr. Alexander De Croo, in Mumbai to seek greater participation of Belgian companies in Sagarmala projects, inland waterways and development of industrial clusters.

The minister explained the immense opportunities in India in coastal shipping, inland water transport, cruise, new port development, smart-port industrial city and development of green ports and urged the Belgian delegation to strengthen the cooperation that already exists between the two countries in the maritime sector.

Earlier, Belgium helped India in setting up the JNPT Antwerp Port Training Centre, which is now functioning well. The Belgium Deputy PM assured that Belgium would extend full cooperation for the development of the maritime sector in India. He said that these issues can be discussed in detail in the forthcoming Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union (BLEU) meeting to be held in May 2017. Another Belgian delegation is scheduled to visit India in November 2017.

The Mumbai meeting was attended by Mr. Ravindra Agrawal, Joint Secretary for Sagarmala in the Ministry of Shipping, Mr. Neeraj Bansal, Chairman In-charge of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust.

India Ropes in Czech, Russia for Heavy Industry Tech Transfer

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Indian Government is taking various measures for bringing investment from Central Eastern Europe such as opening up Foreign Direct Investment in many sectors, carrying out FDI related reforms and liberalization and improving ease of doing business in the Country, said minister of State in the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Mr. Babul Supriyo in reply to a written question in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, February

India has engaged Czech Republic in heavy engineering and has been interacting with Russian Federation in heavy engineering since its formation for technological cooperation, said the minister. Czech Republic and Russian Federation remain major partners of India in heavy engineering industry and several major achievements have been recorded due to continued support from these countries, he said.

Both the Ministry of Industry, Czech Republic have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 24th November 2015 for technology transfer in heavy engineering that includes modernization of Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC), which was set up with Russian collaboration.

Also, an MoU has been signed between HEC and CNIITMASH, a Russian Government Company, for transfer of latest technology to HEC and setting up a training infrastructure for highly specialized metallurgy like electro slag re-melting, welding, gearbox manufacturing and non-destructive testing, informed the minister.

BHEL has signed an MoU on 15th April 2015 with the Russian Joint Stock Company INTMA to set up a Gas-based Power Project in Kazakhstan. Andrew Yule & Co. Limited has signed an MoU with Togliatti Transformator of Russia on 10th January 2014 for technical knowhow and design in the field of manufacturing of transformer, noted the minister in his reply.

Kailash Manasarovar Yatra 2017: MEA Begins Registration Process

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The registration for Kailash Manasarovar Yatra being organized by Ministry of External Affairs has started with the Yatra scheduled from 12th June to 8th September, 2017. The Yatra will be conducted in two routes, said a statement.

Eligible applicants should be 18 years or above and not more than 70 years as on 1st January 2017 and the last date for registration is 15th March 2017.

The first route is via Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand, which involves some trekking and is estimated to cost about Rs.1.6 lakh per person. There will be 18 batches of 60 pilgrims each and the duration of the Yatra is 24 days for each batch including 3 days in Delhi for preparatory work.

The Lipulekh Pass will be conducted through Narayan Ashram, Patal Bhuvaneshwar, the scenic Chialekh Valley, or the ‘Om Parvat’, which has the natural occurrence of snow in the shape of ‘Om’ on this mountain.

The second route through Nathu La Pass in Sikkim is motorable and suitable for senior citizens as it involves no trekking. From Gangtok the Nathu La route passes through Hangu Lake, the Tibetan plateau and it is estimated to cost about Rs.2 lakhs person. The duration is 21 days including 3 days in Delhi and there will be 8 batches of 50 pilgrims each for this route.

Preference will be given first time applicants, medical doctors, and married couples and senior citizens will be given preference for the Nathu La route. Four persons may apply and undertake the Yatra together, and Yatris can select both routes indicating priority or select only one. The allottment will be done through computerized draw of lots.

To apply, click HERE or open the link given here: http://kmy.gov.in

Registration can be done online on the website given above. Applicants should fill in details and upload scanned passport pages with personal details, photo, address or last page of the passport. Besides, they should also upload a photo to complete the application. The online form is available both in Hindi and English.

Applicants will be informed about selection after the computerized draw via email or SMS. After selection, applicants should confirm and pay the fee. Applicants can get more information and track the status by calling helpline No: 011-24300655, said the ministry in a statement.

Indian Embassy in US Holds Open House for Community

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The Indian Embassy in Washington DC held its 3rd “Consular Open House” on Feb. 01, 2017 to address the grievances of Indians in the US and assured them quick resolution on problems ranging from visas, passports to OCI cards issued to people of Indian origin.

The Open House is a new initiative taken up by the mission in Washington DC. It is held every month on the first Wednesday from 10.00 AM to 01.00 PM and on the third Wednesday from 2.00 PM to 5.00 PM.

The Feb.1, 2017 witnessed the third Open House and it received a large number of applicants who turned up with their problems and grievances. They were all attended to by senior officers in Consular and Community Affairs Wings, said the mission in a statement.

Besides general applicants, community leaders from Sikh organizations and Gurudwaras based in Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland also had a meeting with the senior Consular Officers on issues related to local Sikh community.

Mr. Arun K. Sinha, Minister (Consular) addressed their grievances and listed the new initiatives taken by the Government of India to address their problems relating to the Indian diaspora, especially the Sikh community. He has also addressed issues raised by the community leaders.

The ‘Consular Open House’ is increasingly becoming popular and is receiving appreciation from the Indian community.

India Surrendered 2 Mozambique Coal Mining Licences: Minister

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Coal India Limited (CIL) has surrendered two licenses held by its subsidiary Coal India Africana Limited in Mozambique and with this has no foreign coal assets. However, CIL is looking for coking coal assets abroad since viable domestic coking coal reserves in the country are facing constraints, both commercial and technical, said Mr. Piyush Goyal, Minister of State for Coal & Mines.

The acquisitions by CIL have become necessary in view of the recent spurt in global coal prices especially for coking coal, said the minister, in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

CIL was allotted two exploratory blocks measuring 224 sq km at Tete province in Mozambique in August 2009 and it had floated a new subsidiary called Coal India Africana Limited in Mozambique but soon discovered that out of the 224 sq km of the total license area, 170 sq km had no ‘coaly’ horizon till a depth of 500 meter and this block was immediately surrendered and later the other one, 54 sq km of area, too was surrendered as it was not feasible to do mining.

CIL in its annual report said, “Based on the results of various exploration activities in the licenses area 3450L and 3451L, the geological report has been prepared… A mineability study has been undertaken based on the findings of the geological report. The study revealed that it is technically not feasible to do mining in the license area of CIAL. Accordingly, the CIL board accorded its approval for surrender of the blocks to the Mozambique government.”

Global mining company Rio Tinto had already conducted an extensive exploration in Mozambique.

Indian American Student Finds Simpler Solution to World Water Problem

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Chaitnya Karamchedu has discovered a cheaper way to desalination, revolutionizing the approach to address water crisis. (Photo courtesy: jesuitcrusader.org)

Indian American student Chaitanya Karamchedu’s project has potential to revolutionize the method to purify salt water into safe drinkable fresh water and no wonder, many firms are vying for its commercial use.

Chaitanya from Portland, Oregon in the US, is a senior student at Jesuit High Schoo, has hit upon the idea more scientifically. “Sea water is not fully saturated with salt,” he explained. While the research hitherto focused on 10% of water that’s bonded to the salt in the sea, Chaitanya addressed the problem experimenting on 90% of the water that is free from salt bond.

Using a highly absorbent polymer, Chaitanya was able to discover a cheaper method effective way to remove salt from ocean water and turn it into fresh water.

Using superabsorbent hydrophilic polymers, with no external energy, under room temperature and pressure Chaitanya was able to produce drinkable water which stands WHO standards for potable water.

Based on saponified starch-grafted-polyacrylamide’s hydrophilic properties, he was able to create a hydrogel to separate freshwater from seawater, then separated hydrogel from the brine, dewatered the gel resulting in aqueous sulfuric acid and then recovered fresh water from the aqueous solution.

The use of hydrophilic polymers to desalinate water required no thermal or electrical energy and the extracted water was comparable to fresh water with an average conductivity of 306.32 µS/cm, comparable to the conductivity of 200 µS/cm for the reference distilled water used. It involved no cost for pre-treatment and post-treatment and it is amenable for small scale use.

Chaitanya Karamchedu has already won a $10,000 award from the US Agency for International Global Development at Intel’s International Science Fair and MIT’s TechCon Conference provided him research. He was also named one of 300 Regeneron Science Talent Search Semifinalists.

India, Israel to Upgrade BARAK 8 Missile System

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To upgrade the Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LR-SAM) and Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MR-SAM), India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Isreal Aerospace Industry (IAI) will collaborate to upgrade Barak-8 missile system, said Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to Mr. Ram Charan Bohra in Lok Sabha on Friday.

LR-SAM is the Ship Launch Version and Project MR-SAM is the Land Launch Version of Barak-08 Missile system. MR-SAM detects incoming enemy aircraft while they are well over 100 km away and destroys them at range upto 70 km.

Basrak Missile 8 (Photo: Creative Commons)

LR-SAM has got long range engagement capability to penetrate in deep water or land to intercept all types of aerial targets like Subsonic and Supersonic Missiles, Fighter Aircraft, Maritime Patrolling Aircraft (MPA), Helicopter and Sea Skimming Missiles.

The Israeli Navy has already commenced equipping its Sa’ar 5 corvettes with the system, the first re-fitted vessel being the INS Lahav and the Sa’ar 4.5 flotilla will be next for the upgrade.

The first 32 missiles will be fitted on the Indian Navy stealth guided-missile destroyer INS Kolkata. Each Barak system costs about $24 million and India has signed a contract with Israel worth a $1.1 billion to supply the upgraded tactical Barak 8 air defence system in 2009.

India Seeks to Revise Tax Treaties with Foreign Nations: Minister

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Indian government is planning to revise the tax treaties with partner countries to enable the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) to use the data for prosecution of those who have stashed black money abroad, said a statement.

Treaty partner countries have been requested to modify the tax treaties to explicitly include provisions that will enable information exchanged for tax purposes, including criminal proceedings in non-tax matters.

About 40 treaties for avoidance of double taxation have been revised accordingly and India has also signed the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters, which also similarly facilitates exchange of information.

India is gearing up drive on compiling information by non-tax agencies, subject to agreement by the Competent Authorities of the Requested Contracting State.

However, not all treaty partner countries have agreed to the proposal. Since a bilateral treaty cannot be modified unless both treaty partners agree, it is not possible to provide any time frame for this purpose, said Mr. Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha.

India Holds Basmati Rice Promotion Event in Iran as Ban May be Lifted

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A 20-member Indian trade delegation led by Chairman of Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) visited Iran from January 28 to 30, 2017 to promote export of Basmati rice that was banned since five months.

In view negative publicity in Iran media about Indian rice, the promotional event was held at Hotel Espinas Palace in Iranian capital Teheran. About 250 people participated in it which witnessed preparation of Iranian dishes prepared by Iranian Chefs with use of Indian rice that was served for lunch.

Participants included about 30 media personnel, importers, inspection agencies and government officials from Food and Drug Organisation (FDO), said a statement. A film of about 3.5 minutes duration was also screened depicting different aspects of Basmati cultivation, processing, issue of health certificate and assurance of Indian rice being GMO free at the event.

The delegation also met several heads of government departments including Food and Drug Organisation, Governmental Trading Corporation and Trade Promotion Organisation, besides meeting members of Iran Chamber of Commerce and Rice Importers Association to dispel the negative publicity which appeared in some parts of Iran media causing doubts about the health and safety of rice from India.

The delegation said the Government of Iran may soon issue the notification about resumption of issuance of permits for import of Indian rice. To supplement domestic production of about 2 million MT, Iran imports about 1 million MT of rice every year out of which about 7 lakh MT is exported from India.

Reports said Iran has already lifted its ban on imports of basmati rice from India owing to increase in rice prices. A formal notification is awaited.

In 2015-16, basmati rice imports from India halved to $571 million from $1.1 billion in 2014-15. In 2016-17, basmati rice exports amounted to $356 million before ban was imposed after adverse reports in media casting doubts about the safety of Indian basmati rice.

Basmati rice is exported by India, Pakistan and Uruguay.

Missing Obama? Majority Americans Prefer to Have Him Back as US President

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Within two weeks after Barack Obama stepped down after completing his two terms as US President, the unpopular Muslim visa ban of new US President Donald Trump has shaken Americans to wish for Obama’s return. However, the Twenty Second Amendment to the US Constitution doesn’t allow it.

In an opinion poll conducted by the Public Policy Polling after surveying 725 registered voters on January 30 and 31, majority or 52% of the voters said they would rather have Obama as President and 43% said they prefer Trump.

The 52% voters said they would prefer to see the real estate businessman who became President be impeached and, whereas 35% said so just a week ago. Only 43% are glad that Trump is the US President. The findings of the survey wer not only shocking but appalling, said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling.

“Donald Trump’s making history once again with a sizeable share of voters already wanting to impeach him, and a majority of voters wishing they could have Barack Obama back,” he noted. The Muslim visa ban is the root-cause of apprehension, he said.

“Overall voters are pretty evenly split on Trump’s executive order on immigration from last week, with 47 per cent supporting it to 49 per cent who are opposed. But when you get beyond the overall package, the pieces of the executive order become more clearly unpopular. 52 per cent of voters think that the order was intended to be a Muslim ban, to only 41 per cent who don’t think that was the intent. And the idea of a Muslim ban is extremely unpopular with the American people — only 26 per cent are in favour of it, to 65 per cent who are against it,” said the survey in its findings.

Even if Trump is impeached, which is highly unlikely, Vice President will succeed him as per the Constitution. And there is no return of Barack Obama since the 22nd Amendment prohibits any person from contesting for the third time ever since 1951.

In American history, only Franklin D. Roosevelt served as President during the World War period for an unprecedented four terms, forcing the Twenty Second Amendment to the US Constitution.

India Ropes in Italian Firm to Avoid Rail Accidents, Maintain Railway Safety

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Indian Ministry of Railways and Italian state-owned Ferrovie Dello Stato Italiane Group, managing the Italian railway sector, have signed on Thursday an MoU for cooperation in rail safety and train operations.

The MoU covers areas of safety audit of Indian Railways and measures for enhancing safety in train operation, Assessment and certification of advanced technology based safety products and systems to Safety Integrity Level (SIL4), Training and competency development with focus of safety, modern trends in maintenance and diagnostics.

The MoU comes in the backdrop of emphasis given by India on safety in railway operations, which have seen several derailments of late and sabotage bids, killing scores of passengers. The move was taken up by the Railway Board to collaborate with the international experts to identify the best practices in this field.

Ferrovie Dello Stato Italiane Group (FS Group) is a fully owned company of the Italian Government working in the Railway Sector under Ministry of Treasure, Itlay. The Group was widely recognized globally for its most advanced expertise in fields of design and realization of High Speed and Conventional Lines, Safety Systems, Certification, Training and Operation and Maintenance.

The FS group employs 69,000 staff and operates more than 7,000 trains per day, carrying over 600 million/year of passengers and 50 million tons of freight on a railway network of more than 16,700 km.

FS Italiane Group is also operating in five continents, in more than 60 countries, with branches in Abu Dhabi, Riad, Muscat, Doha, Istanbul, Alger, and Bucharest. It has controlled several companies in countries such as France, Germany and Serbia.

The MoU was signed on behalf of the Ministry of Railways by Mr. Vinod Kumar, Executive Director/Safety(coordination), Railway Board and by Mr. Renato Mazzoncini, CEO of FS Group, Italy.

India Signs Agreement on $201 Mln Loan From World Bank for Quality Tech Education

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India has signed an Agreement for IDA credit of US$201.50 million for the “Third Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme” (TEQIP III) on February 1, 2017 in New Delhi.

The loan agreement envisages an active funding participation in Indian Engineering Education Institutes and improve the efficiency of the Engineering Education System in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, 8 North Eastern States and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

The Project seeks to improve quality and equity in engineering institutes in these states and to undertake system-level initiatives to strengthen sector governance and performance.

The World Bank loan, to be implemented till March 2022, will be disbursed based on achievement of specific outcomes and goals by these institutions, said a World Bank statement.

Mr. Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs signed the agreement on behalf of the Government of India and Mr. Junaid Kamal Ahmad, Country Director for World Bank, on behalf of the World Bank.

“The focus on strengthening engineering education and research under TEQIP III will help prospective labor market entrants acquire the skills needed to produce a world-class technical workforce,” said Junaid Ahmad, World Bank Country Director in India.

TEQIP III will intensify its efforts in the focus states with the support from the IITs, IIMs and other high-performing institutes across the country. “As with previous phases of TEQIP, the country’s top institutes will mentor TEQIP colleges and help them develop their curriculum, faculty and students”, said R. Subrahmanyam, Additional Secretary, Department of Technical Education, Ministry of Human Resources Development, the implementing agency for the project.

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.