Archives for September 2023

JAKARTA: Calling for building a rules-based post-COVID world order, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the progress of a free and open Indo-Pacific and elevating the voice of the Global South is in the common interest of all.

In his address at the annual ASEAN-India summit here in the Indonesian capital, Modi described the 10-nation grouping as the epicentre of growth as the region plays a crucial role in global development.

ASEAN is considered one of the most influential groupings in the region, and India and several other countries including the US, China, Japan and Australia are its dialogue partners. India supports the ASEAN outlook on Indo-Pacific, Modi told the leaders of the grouping.

“The 21st century is Asia’s century. It is our century. For this, it is necessary to build a rule-based post-COVID world order and efforts by all for human welfare,” the prime minister, co-chairing the summit, said.

“The progress of free and open Indo-Pacific and elevating the voice of the Global South is in the common interest of all,” he said.

The prime minister also reaffirmed that ASEAN is the central pillar of India’s Act East Policy and it fully supports ASEAN centrality and its outlook on the Indo-Pacific.

“Our history and geography connect India and ASEAN. Along with shared values, regional unity, peace, prosperity, and a shared belief in a multipolar world also binds us together,” he said, adding the grouping holds a “prominent place” in India’s Indo-Pacific initiative.

It was the first summit between the two sides since the elevation of their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership last year.

“Today, even in an environment of global uncertainties, there is continuous progress in every field in our mutual cooperation. This is a testament to the strength and resilience of our relationship.”

In his opening remarks, Modi said: “ASEAN matters because here everyone’s voice is heard, and ASEAN is the epicentre of growth because the ASEAN region plays a crucial role in global development.”

“‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ — ‘one earth, one family, one future’, this sentiment is also the theme of India’s G-20 Presidency,” Modi noted.

ASEAN-India dialogue relations started with the establishment of a sectoral partnership in 1992.

This graduated to a full dialogue partnership in December 1995 and a summit-level partnership in 2002. The ties were elevated to a strategic partnership in 2012.

The 10 member countries of ASEAN are Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia.

The ties between India and ASEAN have been on a significant upswing in the last few years with the focus being on boosting cooperation in the areas of trade and investment as well as security and defence.

Bengaluru: A group of five people in the city brutally attacked VK Guruswamy, a resident of Madurai and a close associate of MK Alagiri, son of former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M Karunanidhi and leader of the DMK.

Guruswamy, who was grievously injured in the attack, is being treated at a hospital in Bengaluru and his condition is learned to be critical.

He was having tea at Hotel Sukh Sagar at Kammanahalli under the jurisdiction of the Banaswadi Police Station when the group, which had allegedly followed him in a car during his journey from Tamil Nadu to Bengaluru, barged into the hotel and attacked him with lethal weapons.

The police officers have said that Guruswamy has undergone a surgery at the hospital. “There was animosity for 35 years between Guruswamy and the group that attacked him. Several attempts had been made earlier too, to murder Guruswamy. On Monday, the group followed him all the way to Bengaluru and attacked him at the hotel. The scene of the assault has been recorded on the CCTV camera at the hotel and we are checking the footage,” the police officers added.

DCP (East Division) Bheemashankar S Guled visited the crime spot for an investigation.

Kalaburagi: An FIR has been filed against Manikantha Rathod, a prominent BJP leader, and four others by Madaboola Police for their alleged involvement in threatening sand tipper drivers. The incident occurred on Saturday when Abdul Hafiz and Abdul Rashid, both residents of Ranjola in Sedam taluk, were transporting sand with official permission.

As per their complaint to the police, the drivers were en route to Kalaburagi with two tippers when they were intercepted near Gundagurthi village in Chittapur taluk. The interceptors, purportedly sent by Manikantha Rathod, including Umesh Rathod and three others, accused the drivers of illegal sand transportation. The drivers were made to wait for approximately an hour, with the group claiming that their ‘boss’ would soon join them.

Later in the evening, Manikantha Rathod arrived at the scene and allegedly demanded that the tipper drivers supply him with four tippers of sand daily. He warned them that failing to comply would result in a payment of Rs 7 lakh.

Based on the complaint, Madaboola Police officers have initiated an FIR against Manikantha Rathod, Umesh Rathod, and the three others involved in the incident.

Kolkata : Asserting that India is Bharat, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday questioned what suddenly happened that the country should be called only Bharat.

Referring to the controversy over a G20 dinner invite in the name of ‘President of Bharat’, she said the world knows the country as India.

“I heard that India’s name is being changed. The G20 invite that went out in the name of the honourable president has Bharat written on it. We call the country Bharat, what is new in this? In English, we say India… There’s nothing new to be done. The world knows us as India. What happened suddenly that the name of the country needs to be changed?” she asked, addressing a government function here.

“History is being rewritten in the country,” she added.

Banerjee also attacked Governor CV Ananda Bose, alleging that he was holding back bills passed by the state assembly.

“The governor’s actions are an attempt to paralyse state administration. He cannot hold back finance bills,” she said.

“If need be, I will sit on dharna outside the Raj Bhavan,” she said.

The chief minister also alleged that the governor was interfering in the functioning of schools, colleges and universities in the state.

“If the governor continues to interfere in the functioning of universities, we will block the funds,” she said.

NOIDA: There were only four space startups in India in 2014 and that number has increased to more than 150 in 2023, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said here Monday, noting that currently, the country’s space economy is valued at USD 8 billion and estimated to reach $40 billion by 2040.

“In 2014, the country had 350 startups but today we have more than 1.25 lakh startups and 130 unicorns. Of the 1.25 lakh startups, 6,000 are in the unicorn sector itself which has transformed the landscape of innovation in the country,” Singh said while inaugurating the S20 Conference under the aegis of G20 at Amity University.

“There were only four space startups in the country in 2014 whereas in 2023, there are more than 150 startups. Our Space economy is currently at USD 8 billion and estimated to reach USD 40 billion by 2040,” the minister added.

MADIKERI: Hundreds of women rushed to a private bank in Madikeri on Monday morning. The queue outside the bank touched nearly a kilometre long even as the women shared that they were waiting to collect the funds transferred under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme. 

“We have come from Shanivarasanthe and have been waiting in line from 8 a.m.,” shared a group of women. They explained that they had received a message from the bank alerting them about the inactive bank account opened at the branch. “We opened a bank account in the bank under the Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project in 2021. However, the bank account has been inactive for several months now. If we do not withdraw the Gruha Lakshmi amount now, it might be sent back,” they added. 

Further, several other women beneficiaries have linked their Aadhar cards to private bank accounts, which were opened to receive benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana during COVID-19 times.

However, as they stopped receiving the benefits during the pandemic situation, the unused accounts became inactive. “Several beneficiaries have forgotten about the accounts opened in the bank under the Jan Dhan project. Nearly 30,000 accounts were opened in our bank during the Jan Dhan scheme.

However, several accounts were inactive,” confirmed an employee of the bank. Nevertheless, as the Aadhar cards have been linked to these accounts, the Gruha Lakshmi and Anna Bhagya schemes funds have been transferred to them and hundreds gathered in front of the bank on Monday to collect the funds. “If the accounts are active, we will hand over the funds. If they are inactive, the beneficiaries have to submit an application for reactivation and only then they can utilize the funds,” he added.

MUMBAI:  On June 2, four days after the inauguration of the new Parliament building, former President Ram Nath Kovind had two visitors, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Dr P K Mishra, principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

That meeting apparently set the ball rolling for the much-debated scheme under the stewardship of Kovind, sources privy to the development said. It all began after the BJP’s defeat in the Karnataka polls. It really hurt the party and made it increasingly worried about the numbers in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, hence the simultaneous polls gambit.

Sources said the former President keeps a low profile but is capable of handling intricate legal matters. Besides, he is trusted by Modi. “Modi quietly asked his trusted party functionaries to prepare the ground for simultaneous polls so as to loosen the Opposition consolidation ahead of the 2024 polls,” said a source. 

On Friday the former president of india said of the ‘one nation, one poll’ panel. The names of its members were announced the following day. On Sunday, Union law ministry. But preparatory work is what the former President appeared to be doing ever since he was sounded out on June 2.

A cursory look at his social media timeline indicates how he went about preparing the ground, meeting at least 10 governors within the last three months. Retired Presidents don’t have a busy itinerary. They generally enjoy their sunset years, perhaps writing a memoir or two. In contrast, Kovind started travelling around to Raj Bhavans and hosting governors and party leaders.

Between June 9 and August 29, he met at least 10 governors/administrators, some of them more than once, besides senior party leaders and the head of the RSS (see timeline). With the government formalising the panel’s appointment, it has already begun work on firming its proposals for simultaneous elections. Its report could also be tabled during the five-day special session of Parliament from September 18 to 22.

The thinking behind the draft is that Assemblies whose tenures expire around 2025 (like Maharashtra, West Bengal and ) would be dissolved, while the tenures of states that recently went to polls, such as Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh, will get a year’s extension so that elections there can be held simultaneously in the next cycle, that is in 2029.

A senior leader said holding the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections together could put the Opposition bloc, INDIA, in disarray. “In West Bengal, it will be difficult for Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Congress and Left parties to sew up an alliance for both the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls, as each party would want to first protect its local interest. Similar problems would arise between the AAP and the Congress in Delhi, Punjab and elsewhere. The BJP hopes the regional parties that are with the Congress will squabble, giving the saffron party more elbow room,” said sources.