Page 20 - India

India pressing for resolving Ukraine conflict through diplomacy: PM Modi

India has been pressing for resolving the Ukraine conflict through diplomacy and dialogue and it is ready to contribute to any peace process, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday after holding wide-ranging talks with visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The talks between the two leaders covered the entire gamut of bilateral ties as well as key regional and global issues, including the Ukraine conflict. In his media statement, Scholz said the world is suffering as a consequence of Russia's aggression against Ukraine and asserted that no one can change borders through the use of violence. The war in Ukraine has led to immense loss and destruction, he said, adding "it is a catastrophe". The German Chancellor's visit to India came a day after the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. "We have to make sure that countries in Asia, Africa and America are not strongly and negatively impacted by the terrible war of aggression," Scholz said. In his statement, Mo

India asks IMF, FSB to prepare technical paper on regulating crypto

India, which is currently holding G20 Presidency, has asked the IMF and Financial Stability Board (FSB) to jointly prepare a technical paper on crypto assets, which could be used in formulating a coordinated and comprehensive policy to regulate them. The international organisations are expected to present their joint paper during the 4th Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting in October 2023, said a finance ministry release. "To complement the ongoing dialogue on the need for a policy framework, the Indian Presidency has proposed a joint technical paper by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the FSB, which would synthesise the macroeconomic and regulatory perspectives of crypto-assets. This would help in the formulation of a coordinated and comprehensive policy approach to crypto assets," it said. In their entirety, the IMF's discussion paper, the policy seminar and the joint IMF-FSB paper are expected to integrate the policy questions pertaining to macro-financi

New tea auction process to be introduced in March in north India

The Bharat Auction model for tea, which is already functional in south India, will be introduced in north India from end of March, an official in the industry said on Saturday. The pilot project will be conducted on March one so that all the features get tested by the stakeholders, following which the Bharat Auction model will be introduced in Kolkata, Guwahati and Siliguri from March 22, 2023. "The auction system will shift from the existing English system to the Bharat Auction model from March 22. The pilot auction will be done on March one so that all the features are tested by the stakeholders", secretary of Calcutta Tea Traders Association (CTTA) J KalyanaSundaram said. CTTA conducts the auctions in Kolkata, while Tea Auction Committee does both in Siliguri and Guwahati. He said the new auction has been already functioning in south India, adding that the volume of tea transacted there is much lower than in north India. "Out of odd 600 million kg sold in the country through the

US to do everything to support India to make its G20 presidency a success

The US is looking forward to doing everything it can to support India's work to make its G20 presidency a success and Secretary of State Antony Blinken would attend the crucial meeting of the foreign ministers of the grouping next week in New Delhi, a senior official has said. Blinken will also attend a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Quad grouping and will hold bilateral talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar in Delhi. India assumed the Presidency of the G20 on December 1 last year. The top American diplomat is travelling to New Delhi on a three-day official visit from March 1 to 3. Blinken looks forward to going to Delhi as part of India's G20 presidency year. We look forward to doing everything we can to support India's work to make its G20 presidency a success," Ramin Toloui, Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs, told reporters here. "There is no shortage of common challenges, and we want to deepen our partnership with other G20 countr

Why India must put lithium reserves to commercial production soon

The country imports about 70 per cent of its battery-cell requirements from China and Hong Kong, according to the international management consulting firm Arthur D. Little

India's G20 Presidency comes at incredibly important time: UK Foreign Secy

India's G20 Presidency comes at an incredibly important time when the world confronts challenges like the Ukraine conflict, global food supply disruptions and China's increasingly assertive actions" on the world stage, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said. He also announced that he will travel to New Delhi next week for the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting and engage with partners from across the globe. India assumed the Presidency of the G20 on December 1, last year. India is an incredibly important global player of increased, not only economic prosperity but diplomatic influence. We're very very pleased with that. We're very proud of the longstanding relationship the UK has of course with India, Cleverly told PTI in an exclusive interview here on Friday. Cleverly, the UK's Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, addressed the high-level UN Security Council debate on Maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine' here Friday, held on the one-year

India records 180 new Covid-19 infections in a day, active tally at 2,090

India reported 180 new cases of coronavirus infections while the active caseload increased to 2,090, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Saturday. The death toll stands at 5,30,764, the data updated at 8 am showed. The total tally of Covid cases was recorded at 4.46 crore (4,46,85,799). The national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.80 per cent, according to the Union Health ministry website. The number of people who have recuperated surged to 4.41 crore (4,41,52,945) while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent. According to the ministry website, 220.63 crore vaccine doses have been administered so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive.

Rising heat across parts of India raises alarm on another energy crunch

Peak demand for electricity touched 211 gigawatts in January, close to an all-time high last summer when heavy industry roared back from pandemic curbs

India ranks 42 in 55 countries on International IP Index, shows data

India ranks 42nd among 55 leading global economies on the International IP Index released by the US Chambers of Commerce, according to which India is ripe to become a leader for emerging markets seeking to transform their economy through IP-driven innovation. As India's size and economic influence grows on the world stage, India is ripe to become a leader for emerging markets seeking to transform their economy through IP-driven innovation, Patrick Kilbride, senior vice president of the US Chamber of Commerce Global Innovation Policy Center who publishes the annual report said Friday. According to the report, which covers everything from patent and copyright laws to the ability to monetize IP assets and the ratification of international agreements, India has maintained continued strong efforts in copyright piracy through the issuing of dynamic injunction orders. India not only has generous R&D and IP-based tax incentives, but also has a strong awareness-raising efforts regarding ...

We remain committed to multilateralism: Envoy to UN after India abstains

In her address, Kamboj reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement that this cannot be an era of war

India abstains in UNGA on resolution underscoring need for peace in Ukraine

India abstained in the UN General Assembly on Thursday on a resolution that underscored the need to reach as soon as possible a "comprehensive, just and lasting peace" in Ukraine in line with the principles of the UN Charter. The 193-member General Assembly adopted the draft resolution, put forward by Ukraine and its supporters, titled Principles of the Charter of the United Nations underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine'. The resolution, which got 141 votes in favour and 7 against, underscores the need to reach, as soon as possible, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in line with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. India was among the 32 countries that abstained. The resolution called upon member states and international organisations to redouble support for diplomatic efforts to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, consistent with the Charter.

G-20: India working on Russia consensus, keeping eye on other core issues

Communique is a consensus document and needs the consent of every member of G-20

Over 31,179 fake customer care numbers duping Indian consumers: Report

About 44% of the fake numbers are from outside India; 80% of those from India were found to be valid and still operational

Common man bogged down by corruption in India, need accountability: SC

The common man in India is bogged down by corruption and there is a need to fix accountability at all levels, the Supreme Court observed on Friday as it dealt with a petition seeking debarment of those against whom charges have been framed in criminal cases from contesting elections. The top court said India will have to go back to its core values and character if it has to truly become what it is striving for. "The common man in India is bogged down by corruption. Go to any government office, you cannot come out unscathed. Noted jurist Nani Palkhivala in his book 'We the People' has spoken about this. If we have to truly become a nation we are striving for, we need to come back to our core values and character. If we get back to our values, we will have a nation we strive for," Justice K M Joseph said while hearing the plea with Justice B V Nagarathna. Advocate Ashwini Updhyay, who has filed the PIL, said a person against whom charges have been framed in heinous offence cannot beco

Most Indian female blue collar employees confident about equal pay: Survey

A significant percentage of female blue collar employees in India are confident they receive equal pay, says a survey. According to leading job site Indeed's report titled 'The Pulse of India's Blue Collar Workforce', over 95 per cent of Indian female blue collar employees are confident they receive equal pay and 93 per cent of male employees have also said the same. The research was conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Indeed with 508 employers and 1,001 employees in the blue collar segment. The survey examined the state of men and women representation among the blue collar workforce in India and how blue collar organisations measure up in terms of diversity and work culture. "Our data shows that men and women in blue collar are more or less on the same page when it comes to equal pay, importance of equal gender representation and the benefits of it," Sanjukta Ghosh, Social Impact Manager at Indeed, said. The survey further noted that in case of pay disparity, 70 per cent of the

Need to relook at UNSC, support greater role for India: Liz Truss

Former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss Friday stressed the need for a relook at the UN Security Council and supported a greater role for India in the world body. Speaking at ABP Network's Ideas of India Summit here, Truss also there was a need to fast-track Ukraine's NATO membership. We need to be on the front foot about freedom and democracy. Our adversaries like China and Russia are very good at promoting their economic model. They use misinformation and technology to communicate in all kinds of ways to the world, she said. They also use the power of economic coercion to try and influence the way people think, Truss said. She said India's voice is going to be incredibly important being the world's largest democracy. Truss said she is a great supporter of trading more with allies like India. When I was trade secretary, I kicked off the free trade negotiations with India, she said. I also want to see us work together with like-minded countries to create what I describe as an economic

Antony Blinken to travel to India on March 1 to participate in G20 meeting

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to India next week to attend the meeting of G20 foreign ministers and meet senior Indian officials to reaffirm America's strong partnership with the country. India has taken over the Presidency of the G20 on December 1, last year. On March 1, Blinken will travel to New Delhi to participate in the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, which will focus on strengthening multilateralism and deepening cooperation on food and energy security, sustainable development, counter-narcotics, global health, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and gender equality and women's empowerment, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said on Thursday. He (Blinken) will meet with Indian government officials and civil society to reaffirm our strong partnership, Price said. The US Secretary of State would be in India till March 3. Blinken will reach India after his trip to two Central Asian nations Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan beginning February 28. On

Unprecedented opportunity for India US defence co-production: ORF America

Of the view that there is an unprecedented opportunity for India-US defence co-production, a US-based think-tank that is dedicated to addressing policy challenges has said that operationalising more defence industry partnerships between the companies of the two countries is contingent on commercial and regulatory factors. In a report titled Precision Targets: Accelerating the US-India Defense Industrial Partnership that was released on Thursday, the Observer Research Foundation (America) said that there is a requirement for making a strong business case for long-term investments and technology transfers, ensuring predictable demand in India. The US-India defence industry partnership is ripe for acceleration given a range of factors, spanning supportive domestic policies and favorable geopolitics, including the urgent circumstances that have arisen due to the war in Ukraine, ORF (America) said in the report. Capitalising on these factors will require making a strong business case for

India logs 169 new Covid-19 infections, active case tally rises to 2,016

India recorded 169 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases increased to 2,016, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday. The death toll stands at 5,30,764 with one death reported by Karnataka, the data updated at 8 am stated. The virus case tally was recorded at 4.46 crore (4,46,85,619), while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.81 per cent, the ministry said. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,52,839, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent. According to the ministry's website, 220.63 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.

Pak provides safe havens to terrorists and does so with impunity: India

Indian Counsellor Pratik Mathur said, "I am taking the floor to say that India chooses this time not to respond to Pakistan's mischievous provocations"