Page 24 - India

G20 meeting: India to showcase its success in the digital economy

Discussions expected on debt of poor nations, multilateral institution reforms

World is celebrating India's business today: Union minister Jitendra Singh

Union minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday said the world is celebrating India's business today and is acknowledging that this is the golden era of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Speaking at Big Impact Awards 2023 Celebrating Businesses of Jammu' here, the minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office also said the per capita income has doubled under the Modi-led government over the last eight years. The pro-business reforms unleashed by PM Modi-led government in the last nine years is laying a strong foundation of new India, opening up new vistas for the business community, improving India's rank in ease of doing business from 142 in 2014 to 63 in 2022, the minister said. He said India has had a huge quantum jump in the global benchmarks with the country being the fastest growing economy in the world having overtaken the United Kingdom, jumping 40 steps up in the global innovation index and ranking third in the startup ecosystem having more than 90,000 startups from 250

India, Nepal agree to add 200 MW to Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur transmission line

Nepal and India have inked an agreement to increase the power import and export capacity through the Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur transmission line from 600 megawatts to 800 megawatts, authorities here said on Sunday. The agreement was reached at the Energy Secretary-level Joint Steering Committee (JSC) meeting in Mount Abu, Rajasthan, on Saturday, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Energy on Sunday. During the 10th meeting of Nepal India Energy Secretary-level JSC, discussions were held on various important issues such as expanding the power of existing, under-construction and proposed transmission lines, Arun Third hydroelectric power, and related transmission line projects and international power export and import," the press release said. The meeting was co-chaired by Nepal's Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Madhu Prasad Bhetwal and Alok Kumar, Secretary at the Ministry of Electricity, India. According to the press release,

India will see 1.5 mn vacancies in cybersecurity in 2025: Microsoft's Gomes

India is one of the fastest-growing security markets for the company, said Terence Gomes, country head, security, Microsoft India

India, US making efforts for cooperation in civil nuclear energy sector

In the face of growing global concerns over energy security triggered by the Ukraine conflict, India and the US are giving a fresh look at exploring practical cooperation in the civil nuclear energy sector after failing to move forward since inking a historic agreement over 14 years back for partnership in the area. Ways for bilateral cooperation in areas of clean energy including nuclear commerce under the framework of the India-US nuclear agreement of 2008 figured prominently in the talks US Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffrey R Pyatt had with Indian interlocutors in Delhi on February 16 and 17. In an exclusive interview to PTI, Pyatt described India as a very crucial partner for the US in ensuring global energy security in view of serious disruptions in supplies of fossil fuel resulting from Russia's "brutal" invasion of Ukraine. Pyatt said the US supports Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "incredibly ambitious" energy transition goal of having 500 GW (gigawat

India reports 116 new Coronavirus cases, active tally rises to 1,867

India on Saturday recorded 116 fresh COVID-19 infections, while the number of active cases increased to 1,867, according to Union health ministry data. With this, the number of COVID-19 cases has increased to 4.46 crore (4,46,84,775). The death toll stands at 5,30,757, the data updated at 8 am stated. The active cases now comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has increased to 98.81 per cent, according to the health ministry website. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,52,151. The case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent. According to the ministry's website, 220.63 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.

12 cheetahs from S Africa released into enclosures at Kuno National Park

Hours after 12 cheetahs were brought to Madhya Pradesh from South Africa on Saturday, they were released into the quarantine enclosures at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Sheopur district of the state. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union Minister for Environment and Forests Bhupender Yadav released these felines into the quarantine bomas after they were transported to the KNP from Gwalior around noon. An Indian Air Force (IAF) plane carrying them in wooden boxes from South Africa had arrived at Gwalior airport around 10 am. From there, they were flown to the KNP in IAF helicopters. These cheetahs - seven males and five females - comprise the second set of big cats coming to the state, with the first group of eight from Namibia having been released into the KNP on September 17 last year at a function by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. With the addition of these 12 members, the count of cheetahs at the KNP has gone up to 20. "The cheetahs from South Africa ha

12 cheetahs from South Africa arrive in Gwalior; to be flown to new home

Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters carrying 12 cheetahs from South Africa landed at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district on Saturday. These felines were flown into Gwalior city of Madhya Pradesh from South Africa in an IAF plane around 10 am, from where they were shifted to the KNP. The helicopters carrying them arrived at the KNP around noon. These cheetahs - seven males and five females - comprise the second set of big cats coming to the state, with the first group of eight from Namibia having been released into the KNP on September 17 last year at a function by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. These animals had embarked on a journey to their new home thousands of miles away aboard an IAF transport aircraft from the O R Tambo International Airport, Gauteng in South Africa shortly before midnight, a project participant and expert told PTI. They will now be released into quarantine bomas by MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union Minister for ...

EAM calls on Australian PM Albanese to discuss bilateral strategic ties

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Saturday and held discussions on a range of subjects, including bilateral strategic partnership, economic opportunities, people-to-people ties and cricket. Jaishankar, who arrived here from Fiji, also conveyed personal greetings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his Australian counterpart. "Delighted to call on PM @AlboMP of Australia today morning in Kirribilli House in Sydney. Conveyed the personal greetings of PM @narendramodi. Our discussions reflected the full spirit of our strategic partnership. Apprised @AlboMP of recent developments in that regard," he tweeted. "It was wonderful to meet with @DrSJaishankar this morning ahead of my trip to India next month. We discussed our strategic partnership, economic opportunities and the people-to-people ties that enrich our nations," Australian Premier Albanese tweeted. Earlier, Jaishankar spoke at the Sydney Business Breakfast event where

Flight bringing Cheetahs to Kuno National Park takes off from South Africa

The cheetahs are being brought to India as part of the Cheetah Reintroduction project on the basis of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the South African and the Indian governments

Qatar lifts temporary ban on import of frozen seafood from India

The ban was imposed last year in November just ahead of the FIFA World Cup following the alleged detection of Vibrio cholera from a few consignments from India

India targets 7% growth this year, expects to cross it in 5 years: EAM

Jaishankar also spoke about migration mobility and said, "We've seen a very substantial movement of Indian talent to Australia. We have roughly about a million students staying in here"

India's procurement of Russia's oil at low price furthering G7 policy: US

By driving a hard bargain with Russia in procuring crude oil at the lowest price possible, India is furthering the policy of G7 nations to reduce Russian oil revenues and Washington is comfortable with New Delhi on issues relating to energy security, a top Biden administration official has said. Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffrey R Pyatt told PTI in an exclusive interview that there is "no contradiction at all" in India remaining one of the key global partners of the United States and the country's increasing procurement of discounted Russian crude oil. The comments are seen as the first such clear articulation of the Biden administration's position on India's increasing procurement of discounted crude oil from Russia. Pyatt, during his February 16-17 visit to New Delhi, said India is a critical partner for the US on everything around energy transition and both sides are looking at an array of options to significantly expand the collaboration, including in th

India setting up $4 billion fund to backstop corporate debt market

During times of stress, the backstop fund could step into the market to buy relatively illiquid investment grade bonds

Uncertainty on US Fed's stance, actions can impact demand in India: RBI

The uncertainty around the actions and stance by the US Federal Reserve will have a detrimental impact on the aggregate demand in India, a paper written by Reserve Bank of India executives said on Friday. Making it clear that the article published in the monthly bulletin does not represent the RBI views, the paper also asked major central banks to be circumspect on their actions and communication, saying the same have a bearing on emerging markets. Changes in the monetary policy stance of the US Federal Reserve tend to impact the Indian economy, altering domestic output and inflation, it said. "Heightened uncertainty around the stance and actions of the US Federal Reserve is estimated to reduce aggregate demand in the Indian economy," the paper added. The country's economic growth is widely expected to decline to 6 per cent or even lower in FY24. The US Fed has been hiking interest rates to record levels in order to cool inflation. The paper termed cross-border transmission of ...

India's deepwater exploration has vast investment potential: Research

He also tweeted that "Could India be the licensing wildcard of 2023" and added that this also means there's alignment & agreement from PM's office down to DGH that more offshore exploration is needed

Special event organised to celebrate signing of India-UAE CEPA in Abu Dhabi

A special business event was organised on Friday to celebrate the completion of one year of the signing of the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in Abu Dhabi.Marking a successful year of CEPA signing, a Special Business Event was organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) in association with the Embassy of India, Abu Dhabi, Consulate General of India, Dubai and Dubai Chambers on 17th February 2023 at Dubai, read the press release of the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, UAE.The event was participated in by more than 200 leading businesses from India and the UAE, added the release.India and UAE on February 18th, 2022 signed a historical Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).The CEPA was signed during the virtual summit in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the President of UAE, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan,Addressing the gathering at the special business event, Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, UAE ...

India can attract over $ 20 bn investment in renewables in 2023: Experts

India has the potential to attract an investment of over USD 20 billion in renewables in 2023 and requires a strong framework for sustainable power, say industry experts at the renewable energy conference REConIndia 2023 on Friday. Based on the discussion at REConIndia 2023, a white paper will be prepared on solar power challenges, roadmap to make green hydrogen viable, propelling wind energy and state of green financing in India, a statement said. The conference was organised by Blue Circle on Friday, where experts, stakehoders and industry leaders deliberated on the key issues, challenges and opportunities in renewable energy in India. Founder and CEO of Blue Circle Siddharth Anand said, "The industry estimates investment in excess of USD 20 billion in 2023". Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh in December 2022 also pegged the investment in renewables at around USD 25 billion in 2023. Anand also stated that the REConIndia 2023 brought together key ...

India, Russia finalise protocol on cooperation in civil aviation sector

India and Russia on Friday formalised a protocol on cooperation in the civil aviation sector. In a tweet, the civil aviation ministry shared pictures of the meeting between the delegations from India and Russia as part of the ninth session of the India-Russia Sub-Group on Cooperation in Civil Aviation. "A delegation from Ministry of Civil Aviation lead by Secretary, CA met Russian delegation from Ministry of Transportation of the Russian Federation lead by Deputy Minister in Moscow on 17 February, 2023, and formalized a protocol on cooperation in the civil aviation sector," the ministry said. It also retweeted a tweet by the Indian Embassy in Russia that said fruitful discussions were held in Moscow as part of the session and that the meeting was chaired by Rajiv Bansal & Russian Deputy Minister of Transport Igor Chalik. Details about the protocol could not be immediately ascertained.

Two NDRF teams deployed in earthquake-hit Turkiye return to India

Two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams that undertook rescue operations in earthquake-hit Turkiye returned to India on Friday, officials said. A total of three NDRF teams were sent to the quake-affected country on February 7 following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's directive to offer all possible assistance to that country. "Two teams comprising about 100 personnel have come back from Turkiye onboard IAF aircraft on Friday. The last team that has about 50 rescuers is expected to be here by Saturday," NDRF deputy inspector general (DIG) Mohsen Shahedi told PTI. Another officer said the NDRF rescuers, along with four canines, landed at the Hindon Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Ghaziabad after they were de-inducted from operation 'Dost' in Turkiye. As per official figures, the NDRF personnel brought out two survivors, girls aged 6 and 8, and retrieved 85 bodies from the flattened buildings in Nurdagi in Gaziantep province of Turkiye. They also provided medical assistance t