by admin | May 25, 2021 | Economy, News
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi departing for his two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from New Delhi on August 16, 2015.
New Delhi:(IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for a “comprehensive strategic partnership” with the UAE and warned against “outside interference” in the Middle East.
Ahead of his two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates starting on Sunday, Modi also described the UAE as a “Mini India” and vowed to build a “regular and effective cooperation in … security challenges”.
In an interview to the Khaleej Times, the Indian leader said that the Gulf region was “vital for India’s economic, energy and security interests.
“I have begun my regional engagement with the UAE. This tells you the importance I attach to the UAE. We have resolved to sustain regular high level engagements and build a strong and comprehensive strategic partnership.”
Without naming any specific country or countries, he said India was “saddened and worried to see violence and instability in the region.
“I have always believed that regional or bilateral problems are best solved by the countries involved. We have often seen the consequences of outside interference.”
Modi, who will be the first Indian prime minister to visit the UAE in 34 years, lavished praise on the progress made by a country which is home to a large number of Indian expatriates.
“I have been hearing about the progress made by Dubai for years… This would be my first visit to the country. I always thought how this paradise could come up in a desert? What vision! What remarkable skill!”
The prime minister said the 2.6 million Indians who live and work in the UAE had made that Gulf country a “Mini India”.
“The Indian community has been embraced with such warmth in the UAE. The way the two communities work together represents a special bond.
“They have set an example for how an expatriate community can become a part of their resident country’s development journey.”
Saying India has emerged as one of the major global powers, Modi said that India and the UAE have everything to be a top priority for each other.
“The Gulf region is vital for India’s economic, energy and security interests…
“I would like to see a truly comprehensive strategic partnership evolve between our two countries. I want to see the UAE as our foremost trade and investment partner…
“We would build regular and effective cooperation in a full range of security challenges. Our armed forces would engage with each other more.”
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Entrepreneurship, Startup Basics
Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressing the Nation on the occasion of 69th Independence Day from the ramparts of Red Fort, in Delhi on August 15, 2015
New Delhi:(IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday promised steps to provide funds for start-ups, electricity in 18,500 villages in 1,000 days and a refashioned Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare to reflect the spirit of the intention.
Addressing the nation on its 69th Independence Day, Modi also listed key initiatives of his 15-month government in the area of curbing black money, financial inclusion, fighting graft and inducing transparency, and said true economic progress must touch the bottom of the pyramid.
He said the country’s youth be given opportunities and support to become entrepreneurs in their own right, notably the deprived. “In the coming days, start-ups will be promoted in every corner of the country. Start up India, Stand up India,” the prime minister said.
“All banks in our country must contribute to a start-up revolution. Each of the 125,000 bank branches must assist one Dalit or one Adivasi entrepreneur and one woman entrepreneur. They must also become entrepreneurs in the future.”
The prime minister said a lot had been done in the area of financial inclusion in the past year, and gave the example of his Jan Dhan Yojana, under which some 17 crore people have got bank accounts. Also, 10 crore people enrolled social security schemes in 100 days.
He said people thought that these zero-balance accounts will serve little purpose, but to everyone’s pleasant surprise some Rs.20,000 crore have been depsited into them. “If this richness of the poor was not there, such a feat would no have been possible.”
He said the doors of banking system were closed for the poor. “But this has to change. We wanted to strengthen financial inclusion,” he said. “Bank accounts are essential for integrating the poor into the financial system. That’s what we have done.”
The prime minister also said no person wants to remain poor and those who live in poverty want to move away to achieved a better quality of life. “That is why, all our programmes must be for the poor.” He also said inflation was controlled despite poor rains.
Modi also said that not a single charge of graft against his government had come to light in the past 15 months and promised a corruption-free India. “Corruption is like termites. It is every where. I will deliver on my promise of a corruption-free India.”
The prime minister said a host of steps had also been taken by his government to tackle the menace of black money — from the appointment of a special probe team to enacting a strict law to prevent such practices and punish its perpetrators.
Giving an example, he said, against 800 cases of black money being probes by the Central Bureau of Investigation when he took over in May last year, 1,800 fresh cases had been added.
“Many people did not like this,” he said, adding this had to be done and already Rs.6,500 crore had been collected from people who had begun to declare their ill-gotten assets.
Modi said the day after he took over the country’s reins, a Special Investigation Team, as directed by the Supreme Court, was formed to probe cases of black money. Within a year, a stringent legislation to deal with this issue was also enacted.
“Even at the G20 meeting, I raised the issue and we have been promised cooperation.”
The prime minister said every action that was taken by the government in the award of licences and contracts was done in a transparent manner, be it in the auction of coal blocks, telecom spectrum or FM licences.
While the previous government was faulted for causing a loss of Rs.176,000 crore by giving away coal blocks, his government conducted auctions in a transparent and time-bound manner and raised Rs.300,000 crore, Modi said. “Ask yourself. Has corruption gone or not?”
He said he had also faced a lot of pressure against the transparent processes such as on the e-auction of private FM Radio channels. But he did not yield.
“People said radio concerns the common man. I was pressured,” he said, alluding to calls for giving away the licences cheap. But the transparent process evoked a lot of interest and the 85 channels that were on the block fetched Rs.1,000 crore to the exchequer.
He said the new Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare will address the needs of the farmers in a much more focused way. While calling for a restructured agriculture practices, Modi expressed worry over shrinking farmland and paucity of power and water there.
He said the twin-motto must be: “Save Water, Save Fertilizer” and “Per Drop More Crop”.
Using the term “Team India” a number of times to indicate a united nation, Modi said people were also willing to contribute in their own way. As an example, he said, some 20 lakh people had given up their cooking gas subsidy on mere asking.
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr. Mohammad Javad Zarif calling on the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, in New Delhi on August 14, 2015. (Photo PIB)
New Delhi:(IANS) Speedy implementation of the Chabahar port, boosting oil import and terrorism were on the agenda of talks during the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif here on Friday. Zarif, who arrived here on a 20-hour visit, met Modi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari.
Sushma Swaraj raised the issue of nine Indian sailors who are in a jail in Iran for the past two years on charges of smuggling oil.
“I had a good meeting with Foreign Minister of Iran. I raised the issue of nine Indian sailors detained in Iran. I requested him for waiver of USD 2.9 million fine imposed on them and for their early release,” she tweeted after the meeting.
“I have advised our Ambassador designate to Iran Saurabh Kumar to follow this up on priority and secure their release at the earliest.”
When the Iranian minister called on Modi, the prime minister recalled his meeting with President Hassan Rouhani in Ufa, Russia, and said India attached high priority to its relations with Iran.
Modi congratulated Iran for the nuclear agreement with the P5+1 countries and expressed confidence that it would contribute to greater peace and stability in the region.
He conveyed India’s commitment to work with Iran for development of the Chabahar Port, which he said would have far reaching benefit, not only for the people of India and Iran, but also for Afghanistan and the entire Central Asia region.
Both exchanged views on the regional developments, including in Afghanistan, West Asia and South Asia.
Zarif conveyed that Iran considered India its strategic partner and cannot forget the support India extended to Iran during its difficult times.
He said Iran looked forward to working closely in all areas, including connectivity, oil and gas, investments, fertilizers, infrastructure development.
He also extended an invite on behalf of Rouhani to visit Iran. Modi agreed to visit Iran at mutually convenient dates.
During his meeting with Gadkari, the issue of Chabahar port came up. Gadkari had visited Tehran in May to ink an agreement for development of the strategically located port that is set to provide India access to Afghanistan and beyond to Central Asia.
Zarif’s visit was a follow up to the discussions between Modi and Rouhani at Ufa where both sides agreed to significantly upgrade the bilateral relationship, particularly its economic dimension.
During her talks with Zarif, Sushma Swaraj made several forward-looking proposals that will lay the foundation for realizing this vision.
Her proposals included a revamp of the manner in which the Joint Commission will function so that the focus is on energy, infrastructure and trade, said external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup.
“On energy, the aim is to move from the existing buyer seller relationship to a genuine energy partnership involving both upstream and downstream. We want Iran to regain its share of India’s oil imports and we expect Iran to also make efforts to help promote participation of Indian companies,” he said.
In this context, there was a discussion on Farzad B gas field in the Persian Gulf. OVL had successfully discovered the field and it is our expectation that it will get the opportunity to develop it, he said. Connectivity is also an important part of the economic relationship. “We are at an advanced stage” in two ongoing projects related to Chahbahar and the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC), he said. ”
On Chahbahar, we now have to operationalise the intergovernmental MoU signed by Minister Gadkari in May.” On INSTC, both sides acknowledged the need to speed up the process. In fact, the ministerial council meeting of the INSTC is taking place in New Delhi on August 21.
There was a discussion on India participating in the Iranian railways sector, “where we are both price and technology competitive”, he said. To enhance the trade relationship, Sushma Swaraj extended an invitation to the Iranian Minister for Economic Affairs and Finance Ali Tayebnia to visit India for the next Joint Commission Meeting which will be held in December. Proposals were also made to move ahead rapidly on a Preferential Trading Agreement, and a Business-to-Business platform.
There were also discussions on regional and multilateral issues, in particular the threat posed by ISIS, and the situation in Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen. All in all, Zarif’s visit will provide a significant fillip to the strengthening of our long standing ties with Iran, Swarup said.
