by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Governance, News
New Delhi:(IANS) India and Germany on Monday inked 18 MoUs, including on setting up a fast-track system for German companies in India and on security cooperation, following talks here between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Prime Minister,Narendra Modi with the German Chancellor, Dr. Angela Merkel, at the Joint Press Briefing, at Hyderabad House, in New Delhi
Among the 18 agreements inked are: Promotion of German as a foreign language in India and the Promotion of Modern Indian Languages in Germany; a Summary Record of the Negotiations on Development Cooperation between India and Germany; a MoU on Indo-German Development Cooperation Regarding the Indo-German Solar Energy Partnership; on cooperation in the Field of Skill Development and Vocational Education and Training.
A MoU between the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Federal Ministry of the Interior of Germany on Security Cooperation; between India’s civil aviation ministry and the Federal Ministry of the Interior of Germany on Aviation Security; on Cooperation in the Field of Disaster Management was also inked.
Another MoU was between their science and technology ministries on extension of the tenure of the Indo-German Science and Technology Centre (IGSTC) and another one for Indo-German Partnerships in Higher Education (IGP).
One was a joint declaration of Intent between the Indian Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, (MoA&FW), and the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) of Germany on Plant Protection Products.
Both also inked a Joint Declaration of Intent on the further Development of Cooperation in the Field of Railways; plus an MoU on cooperation in the field of manufacturing.
A Joint Announcement on setting up a Fast-Track system for German companies in India was also inked.
Both sides issued a joint declaration on continuation of cooperation in the field of advanced training of corporate executives and junior executives from India.
Both sides issued a Joint Statement of Intent on Cooperation in Food Safety, between the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
A MoU was inked between the German Agribusiness Alliance and Agriculture Skill Council of India (ASCI) on Cooperation in Agricultural Studies.
A Letter of Intent was inked between the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India (DST), the Council for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings (Council), and the Foundation Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings (Foundation) on supporting participation of Indian young scientists in Natural Sciences for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings.
by admin | May 25, 2021 | World
IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde (Photo Credit;Alarabiya)
By Arun Kumar
Washington:(IANS) Even as India remains a bright spot, stronger policies would be needed in the face of disappointing and uneven growth to help lead the world economy to recovery, IMF managing director Christine Lagarde said on Thursday.
“I am calling on policymakers to make a policy upgrade to address the current challenges,” she said in a speech at the Council of the Americas ahead of the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings that take place October 9-11 in Lima, Peru.
Lagarde, noting that the IMF’s global projections will be released next week, warned that “global growth will likely be weaker this year than last, with only a modest acceleration expected in 2016”.
The “good news”, Lagarde said, is a modest pick-up in advanced economies, but the “not-so-good news” is that emerging economies are likely to see their fifth consecutive year of declining rates of growth.
“India remains a bright spot. China is slowing down as it rebalances away from export-led growth. Countries such as Russia and Brazil are facing serious economic difficulties,” she said.
“If we put all this together, we see global growth that is disappointing and uneven,” she said, putting the world at a “difficult and complex juncture”.
“The prospect of rising US interest rates, China’s slowdown, a sharp deceleration in the growth of global trade, and the rapid drop in commodity prices are contributing to global uncertainty,” Lagarde said.
With conflict and forced migration, she said there is the “human toll” from economic dislocation and low activity.
More than 200 million people remain unemployed worldwide, income inequality is rising, and women continue to be disadvantaged both in pay and labour market opportunities.
“My key message today, however, is this: with the right policies, strong leadership, and global cooperation, it can be managed,” Lagarde stressed.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Business
Carroll Rheem, vice president, research and analytics, Brand USA
By Aparajita Gupta
New Delhi:(IANS) Thinking of a holiday in the pristine wilderness of America or to try your luck in a casino in Las Vegas? Well, that is exactly what Brand USA is looking for. They are going all out to attract more tourists from here and are hopeful that India will figure in its top 10 countries list very soon.
“In 2014, India was ranked 11th amongst the top 20 tourist generating countries for the US with 961,790 arrivals, an increase of 11.9 percent over the previous year according to the US Department of Commerce. By 2021 we expect 1.85 million tourists from India,” Carroll Rheem, vice president, research and analytics, Brand USA told IANS.
The Obama administration has set a goal of attracting 100 million annual international visitors to the US by 2021.
The Brand USA, a public-private partnership initiative, was established by the Travel Promotion Act to spearhead the global marketing effort to promote the US as a premier travel destination. It started four years back and the Indian representative office is over two years old.
“It is a platform created to showcase destinations in the US and to promote travel and trade. In 2015, we will cross the mark of 1 million visitors,” she added.
Brand USA have partnered with 33 countries so far and India is one of its key targets. “We expect India to be in the top 10 list soon.”
Asked about how the mission strategises to increase the inflow of tourists, she said: “We will do a lot of social media promotion and digital marketing to touch that number. We will build enough offers in the market. It is very important to reach the people at the appropriate time.”
Chicago-born Rheem, whose parents are from Korea and migrated to the US in the 1970s, said the UK and Japan had been historically the largest tourist market for the US. But now the country is focusing to draw more tourists from Latin America and Asia.
The country is eyeing a higher tourist inflow from India, banking on a friendly visa regime and better air connectivity.
“The US has seen tremendous growth in airlift from the Middle East and Europe in the recent past,” Rheem said.
Brand USA delegation, with 43 participants from 31 companies, has already travelled across Mumbai and Chennai.
(Aparajita Gupta can be reached at aparajita.g@ians.in)
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Economy, News, World
Dubai:(IANS) Diplomats and business executives from BRICS countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — agreed on Wednesday that the emerging markets can retain growth momentum by developing their economies and expanding trade ties.
Speaking at the first BRICS forum held in Dubai, He Zhanghua, China’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), said BRICS countries were all big influential powers with distinctive shining points, potentials for future development and unique advantages in conducting cooperation, Xinhua reported.
“Just as Chinese President Xi Jinping pointed out at the Ufa Summit, BRICS countries are like the five fingers of a hand,” he said.
BRICS members make up 40 percent of the world population.
The ambassador said China is making efforts with other countries in the world, including the UAE and other BRICS countries, to push forward the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Maritime Silk Road.
At present, the trade volume between BRICS countries and the UAE accounts for one fourth of the UAE’s total trade.
Igor Egorov, chairman of the Russian Business Council, said the atmosphere of the forum is very promising. “All sides seemed to be open for cooperation, ready for progress and willing to achieve it, ” Egorov said.
Ahmed bin Sulayem, executive chairman of Dubai Multi-Commodities Center (DMCC), said companies from BRICS members were the driving force of the DMCC’s rise to be the biggest free zone in the UAE.
The DMCC harbors 11,000 firms from 170 nations and every month 200 new firms join, said bin Sulayem.
China’s oil giant Sinopec and Lukoil from the Russian Federation are among the licensed firms.
by admin | May 25, 2021 | B-School, Web Exclusive
Wellington:(IANS) Students from India and China helped to drive a record net gain in migrants to New Zealand in the first half of 2015, the government statistics agency said on Friday.
Annual permanent and long-term migration showed a record net gain — the number of arrivals over departures — of 59,600 migrants till July this year, resulting from 117,100 arrivals and 57,500 departures, Xinhua cited the Statistics New Zealand.
Of the arrivals, 13,800 were from India, with three-quarters having student visas, and 10,400 were from China.
July also set a record with the highest ever monthly net gain in migrants at 5,700, surpassing the previous record of 5,400 set in January this year.
The influx of migrants would put a strain on all public services, including hospitals, and demand for housing, especially in the overheated market of Auckland, the opposition New Zealand First party said.
