by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
By Jaideep Sarin,
Dera Baba Nanak (Punjab) : A massive political slug-fest was played out on Monday in full public view, shoving protocol to the side in the presence of Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, as political leaders from opposing sides in Punjab bared it at what was meant to be solemn celebration related to the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara corridor project.
Naidu and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday laid the digital foundation stone of a road project that will link the Kartarpur corridor (in Pakistan) by pressing a button.
The actual foundation stone was removed by the authorities just three hours before the event after Punjab cabinet Minister and local legislator Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa objected to the names of former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal and Union Minister Harsimrat Badal on the foundation stone.
A clearly upset Randhawa announced that he would ‘boycott’ the foundation stone ceremony and even put black tape on the stone where the names of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Punjab PWD Minister Vijay Singla and his own (Randhawa) were put on the foundation stone along with the names of the Badals.
Officials of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), sensing that the situation could get unpleasant in the presence of dignitaries, removed the foundation stone and replaced it with the digital one.
The foundation on the screen carried the names of Vice President Naidu, Punjab Governor V.P. Singh Badnore, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.
Though the ceremony was to celebrate the approval of the governments of India and Pakistan to allow the Kartarpur corridor to enable people to pray at the gurdwara in Pakistan, leaders of the Akali Dal and its ally BJP on one side and Punjab’s ruling Congress on the other not only indulged in running each other down and claiming credit for getting the project cleared but even raised slogans against each other in the presence of the Vice President.
Harsimrat Badal, in her address at the function, took a dig at the Congress leaders over the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. There was immediate sloganeering against her by Congress leaders and activists.
When Gurdaspur MP and Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar was giving his vote of thanks, he hit back at the Akali Dal leadership by making Punjab a drugs hub. This led to protests and sloganeering by Akali Dal leaders, including Harsimrat’s brother and former Minister Bikram Singh Majithia.
Earlier, Randhawa was seen speaking and gesturing angrily to officers making while they made arrangements for the high-profile function.
The Minister, the Congress legislator from Dera Baba Nanak, was visibly disturbed and shouted at officers. He later told a TV channel: “I will not boycott the function but I will boycott the foundation stone itself. I cannot see my name and those of my ministerial colleagues along with the Badals.”
“The Badals have no contribution in getting the Kartarpur corridor project cleared. They ruled Punjab from 1997 to 2002 and again for 10 years (2007-17). Did they come here to offer prayers while in power? They are only trying to take credit (for the Kartarpur corridor) just because they (Akali Dal) have an alliance with the BJP,” the Minister said.
Randhawa blamed the NHAI officers for the foundation stone controversy. He said that he had serious objections to the foundation stone carrying the names of the Badals.
“The sanctity of the function should have been kept. The foundation stone should have carried only the names of the Vice President and Chief Minister Amarinder Singh,” Randhawa said.
The Minister was also upset that the Congress leadership in Punjab, including him (as the local minister and legislator), Gurdaspur MP Sunil Jakhar (the Punjab Congress President) and cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu were being deliberately ignored for the function while all attention was being given to the Badal family.
Randhawa’s outburst came even as the SAD-BJP and Congress leaders in Punjab were in the midst of a major controversy in claiming credit for getting the Kartarpur corridor project cleared by the governments of India and Pakistan.
The NDA government at the Centre, of which the SAD is a part, approved the project in Punjab linked to the Kartarpur corridor on November 22. The date of the foundation stone was hurriedly decided for November 26 to ensure that it was done before Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone of the actual Kartarpur corridor in Pakistan on November 28 (Wednesday).
The Congress government in Punjab was going to hold its own function here this week but Chief Minister Amarinder Singh decided to be part of the central government function itself.
The SAD-BJP combine leadership has also been trying hard to take the credit away from state cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu who in August went to Pakistan for the swearing-in of his cricketing friend Imran Khan and was the first to announce that Pakistan was keen to open the Kartarpur corridor for devotees from India.
The Akali Dal leadership, including Harsimrat Badal, branded Sidhu as a ‘traitor’ for hugging Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the swearing-in function. They questioned his statements regarding Pakistan’s move on the Kartarpur corridor.
Harsimrat Badal is now herself headed to Pakistan as the central government’s representative for the foundation stone ceremony of the Kartarpur corridor on Wednesday. Sidhu is also going for the same event.
It was at the Kartarpur gurdwara, which is located around two to three kilometre from the India-Pakistan border and is situated right opposite the border belt in Dera Baba Nanak in Indian Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, that Sikhism founder, Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539), spent 18 years of his life till he died in 1539.
The gurdwara, which fell in Pakistan territory following the partition of India in 1947, has major significance in Sikh religion and history.
For the past over 71 years, even since partition, Sikhs have been offering prayers near the international border.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Chandigarh : Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday said that he and President Ram Nath Kovind will jointly lay the foundation stone of the Kartarpur corridor project in Dera Baba Nanak area of Gurdaspur district on November 26.
“Happy to share that I’ll be joining President Ram Nath Kovind ji in laying foundation stone for Kartarpur Corridor to International Border at Dera Baba Nanak, Gurdaspur, on November 26. It will be a great moment indeed for all devotees of Sri Guru Nanak Dev,” the Chief Minister tweeted.
The Union Cabinet on Thursday decided to develop the corridor from Gurdaspur in Punjab to the International Border (IB) to facilitate the passage of pilgrims to the Kartarpur Sahib gurudwara in Pakistan as part of the 550th birth annversary celebrations of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev, next year.
However, the Centre clarified that India’s decision was not in response to any proposal from Pakistan.
The resolution was passed after many weeks of internal consultations and preparations within the government.
The gurdwara is significant for the Sikh community since Guru Nanak Dev spent 18 years of his life in Kartarpur till he died in 1539.
It is located around 2 km from the IB between both countries and can be seen from the Indian side.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Business, Corporate, Corporate Governance, Economy, Emerging Businesses, Investing, Markets, News, Politics
Ranchi : Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Friday laid foundation stone for 151 companies at the fourth groundbreaking ceremony of “Momentum Jharkhand” in Deoghar. These companies will invest Rs 2,700 crore in the state.
Speaking after laying the foundation stone in Deoghar of Jharkhand, the Chief Minister said: “Jharkhand will become a developed state of the country by 2020-2021. In the next 10 years, it will be developed at par with the developed countries.”
The state government had taken several steps to end poverty and generate jobs, he said. The condition of Jharkhand had changed in the last two years as businesses were now investing in the state, he added.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Jharkhand on May 24 or 25. Rs 50,000 crore will be invested in the state the day Prime Minister will be here,” he said.
Das said that the Prime Minister would lay the foundation stones for Sindri factory, Adanai ultra power plant in Godda, and for a plastic park and AIIMS in Deoghar.
A number of state ministers, Lok Sabha MPs and legislators were present at the foundation stone laying ceremony.
On Wednesday, Mines and Industries Secretary Sunil Barnawal had said that the Friday’s investment of Rs 2,700-crore investment would create nearly 10,000 direct and 25,000 indirect jobs in the state.
Through Momentum Jharkhand, Rs 8,800 crore had already been invested in the state, which would create around 60,000 direct and 1.75 lakh indirect jobs, he said.
Jharkhand had organised “Momentum Jharkhand: Global Investors’ Summit” in February 2017. The state had received investment proposals worth over Rs 3-lakh crore during the summit.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Governance, News, Politics
Raigad (Maharashtra) : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday laid the foundation stone of the Rs 16,000-crore Navi Mumbai International Airport and inaugurated the country’s largest container terminal at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, constructed at a cost of Rs 4,719 crore here.
He performed the ground-breaking ceremony and the inauguration electronically in the presence of Maharashtra Governor C.V. Rao, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Ramdas Athawale and state ministers.
The Navi Mumbai International Airport will be the second international aviation hub for the financial capital, presently served by the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport that has almost reached saturation point.
The new airport will be constructed by GVK Power and Infrastructure Ltd (GVKPIL) as per a concession agreement signed on January 8, with the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), the nodal authority of Maharashtra to oversee the project implementation.
The agreement has created a special purpose vehicle – Navi Mumbai International Airport Pvt. Ltd (NMIAL), in which the GVKPIL, through its subsidiary, Mumbai International Pvt Ltd, holds 74 percent equity, while the rest is held by CIDCO.
The initial concession period is 30 years, from the appointed date, which is extendable by another 10 years, for the project in which GVKPIL was declared the successful bidder in February 2017.
The NMIAL, a greenfield airport, will be constructed in the PPP mode on 1,160 hectares on the mainland in Navi Mumbai, across the Mumbai harbour, with the advantage of the upcoming Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, a Special Economic Zone and other major infrastructure developments coming up.
The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust’s Fourth Container Terminal (FCT)’s Phase I in this Maharashtra district has been completed in a record time at a cost of Rs 4,719 crore and is expected to boost container trade and logistics in a big way.
In October 2015, Modi had laid the foundation stone for this terminal which will double JNPT’s current container handling capacity.
The FCT will add capacity of 24 lakh containers per annum in the first phase and after completion of the second phase in 2022, the capacity will be quadrupled to a whopping 100 lakh containers per year.
Gadkari said the FCT was developed on Design, Build, Fund, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) basis for a concession period of 30 years with an estimated investment of Rs 7,915 crore for both the phases.
The terminal will be able to dock mother vessels, handle the biggest container ships from a quay length of one km, handle three container ships simultaneously with sufficient yard space, and cranes which can reach 22 rows wide or more.
The FCT will be linked to the dedicated road access and a rail freight corridor and will receive around 350 containers per rake besides provision for storing 1,600 refrigerated (reefer) containers for perishables, agriculture and horticulture produce.
The commencement of operations at FCT will offer immense opportunities for the EXIM community so that trade flourishes.
The rail facilities will be the largest in India with the only on-dock Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) compliant facility in the country, capable of handling 1.5-km long, 360 Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (TEU) container trains on completion of the DFC, said Gadkari.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Business, Corporate, Corporate Buzz, Investing, Large Enterprise
Nagpur : Dassault Aviation, France Chairman Eric Trappier and Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani on Friday laid the foundation stone for the Rs 6,500 crore-Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited (DRAL) manufacturing facility here that will manufacture components of the offset obligation linked to the purchase of 36 Rafale jets from France.
The ceremony was witnessed by French Minister of Armed Forces Florence Parly, Union Minister for Shipping Nitin Gadkari, and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, France’s Ambassador to India Alexandre Ziegler, and Kokilaben Ambani, Tina Anil Ambani and Anmol Anil Ambani.
The DRAL facility, named Dhirubhai Ambani Aerospace Park (DAAP), is located in the Mihan SEZ adjoining Nagpur’s Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport.
The joint venture also represents the largest single Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) by Dassault Aviation of over 100 million Euros in one location in India.
Under the JV company, DRAL (51% Reliance Aerostructure and 49% Dassault Aviation), the facility will initially manufacture components for the Legacy Falcon 2000 Series of civil jets manufactured by Dassault Aviation and thus will become part of its global supply chain.
These first steps are expected to achieve in the coming years, the possible setting up of final assembly of Rafale and Falcon aircraft.
The DRAL facility will train thousands of skilled workers in aviation assembly and integration, and lead to huge employment generation in Nagpur and its surrounding areas.
It will also attract and house an organic ecosystem of over 200 MSMEs to secure the component and avionics manufacturing needs of Rafale and Falcon jets.
Dassault Aviation Chairman, Trappier, declared that “this Foundation Stone laying demonstrates Dassault’s firm commitment to implementing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ programme. It gives the 65 year-long strong association of Dassault Aviation in India a new momentum and the will of future manufacturing developments.”
Reliance Group Chairman, Anil D. Ambani, stated that “this facility in MIHAN Nagpur within the Aerospace Park named after my late father Dhirubhai Ambani could not have happened without the strong and consistent support of Gadkari and Fadnavis”.
The Reliance Dassault partnership will bring high levels of Technology Transfer to make India a major supplier in the global aviation supply chain, he added.
“It will be the endeavour of both Dassault and Reliance to fully support Prime Minister Modi’s ‘Make in India’ and ‘Skill India’ policies and to accelerate India’s pursuit of self sufficiency in the aerospace sector,” Ambani assured.
Explaining how the project germinated during the ceremony, Ambani said: “First, owing to the general mindset, Bengaluru, was the choice, then Hyderabad. Eric (Dassault chairman) even suggested going to Gujarat.”
“But I said I wanted to go to Nagpur, which was first suggested by Gadkari or he said he would banish me from the country if I took the project elsewhere,” Ambani said on a lighter note.
“Then Fadnavis assured that everything I need would be done for the project at Mihan,” he said.
He lauded the state government for the ease of doing business, speed of doing the work and clarity in the entire process which finally helped the Reliance-Dassault project see the light of day.
He revealed that the Indian Navy has requested for 57 aircraft for its aircraft carriers, the feasibility for which would be worked out.
—IANS
