The News Caravan

Tag: India

  • Little evidence that China is seriously approaching its India talks with a sense of goodwill: US

    Little evidence that China is seriously approaching its India talks with a sense of goodwill: US

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    Washington: Reiterating that the United States supports a resolution of the Indo-China border dispute through a negotiated settlement and direct conversations between the two countries, Biden Administration’s point person for South and Central Asia on Thursday said the US sees little evidence that Beijing is seriously approaching these talks with a sense of goodwill.

    “Our position on India’s border dispute with China is long-standing. We support a resolution of that border dispute through a negotiated settlement and through direct conversations between the two countries,” Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu told PTI in an interview.

    “Having said that, we see little evidence that the Chinese government is seriously approaching these talks with a sense of goodwill. What we see is the opposite. We see provocations that happen on the line of actual control on a pretty regular basis,” Lu said in response to a question.

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    India, the senior State Department official said, can count on the United States’ standing with India as it faces the challenge of its northern neighbour.

    “We demonstrated that resolve in 2020 during the Galwan crisis, and we continue to find opportunities to cooperate with India on information but also on military equipment, exercises and that will go forward into the years ahead,” he said.

    A top American think-tank Centre for a New American Security in a report last month said the increased prospect of India-China border hostility has implications for the United States and its Indo-Pacific strategy.

    As the United States considers the role that India will play in the Indo-Pacific and how to maximise US-India cooperation to meet security challenges in the region, US policymakers must closely monitor and be prepared to respond quickly to future India-China border crisis, said the report authored by Lisa Curtis who served as deputy assistant to the president and NSC senior director for South and Central Asia from 2017 to 2021 and senior defence analyst Derek Grossman.

    The report recommended the Biden Administration that to help deter and respond to further Chinese aggression along the border with India, the United States should elevate Indian territorial disputes with China on par with Beijing’s assertiveness against other US allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific and ensure this is reflected in all national security related documents and speeches.

    “Offer India the sophisticated military technology it requires to defend its borders and initiate co-production and co-development of military equipment. Assist India in strengthening its maritime and naval capacity, and conduct joint intelligence reviews with India to align assessments of Chinese plans and intentions along the LAC and enhance coordination with Indian officials on contingency planning in the event of a future India-China conflict,” it said.

    It urged the US to establish or support an official or unofficial organisation charged with collating unclassified commercial satellite imagery on the position of PLA troops along the LAC and disseminate these images routinely for public consumption. “Criticise Beijing’s efforts at land-grabbing in multilateral forums, including the UN, Shangri-La Dialogue, G20, and East Asia Summit.

    Message Pakistan and enlist help from Islamabad’s other important partners to convey similar points about the need to stay neutral in the event of a potential future India-China border flare-up. And be prepared to extend full support to India, in the event of another border crisis or conflict,” recommended the think-tank in its report.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • El Nino may spur deadly heat waves in India

    El Nino may spur deadly heat waves in India

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    New Delhi: Climate models have predicted that El Nino is on the horizon, which can lead to severe heat waves and droughts, in many countries, including India.

    El Nino is associated with a band of warm ocean water that develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific, including the area off the Pacific coast of South America. During El Nino, winds blowing west along the equator slow down, and warm water is pushed east, creating warmer surface ocean temperatures.

    Last month, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) warned of a likely spike in temperatures globally this year, due to the warming El Nino event.

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    El Nino will mean extreme weather around the globe and making it “very likely” the world will exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming. The hottest year in recorded history, 2016, was driven by a major El Nino.

    The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has also predicted a 70 per cent chance of El Nino in India. While the agency has predicted a normal monsoon, it said El Nino can affect the monsoon. The impact of El Nino may be felt during the second half of monsoon season.

    Latest climate models also suggest the phenomenon could develop as early as May 2023. This can possibly weaken the southwest monsoon season, which brings around 70 per cent of the total rainfall India receives and on which most of its farmers still depend.

    On one hand, the El Nino event will lead to heatwaves and droughts in India, South Africa, Australia, Indonesia, and the Pacific Islands. On the other hand, it will mean heavy rainfall and flooding in regions like California in the US and could also cause bleaching and death of coral reefs.

    Heatwaves in India are already increasing in frequency, intensity and lethality, burdening public health, agriculture, and other socio-economic and cultural systems.

    According to an alarming study led by Indian-origin researchers at the University of Cambridge about 90 per cent of India and almost all of Delhi is in danger zone from heat wave impact.

    The study, published in PLOS Climate, suggests that heatwaves made more likely by climate change may impede India’s progress toward its sustainable development goals (SDG). It showed that heatwaves in India and the Indian subcontinent become recurrent and long-lasting, it is high time that climate experts and policymakers reevaluate the metrics for assessing the country’s climate vulnerability.

    “This is a critical policy measure from an urban sustainability viewpoint that can promote resilient methods of mitigation and adaptation in cities like Delhi that are particularly vulnerable to heatwaves,” they said.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • India and US airforce’s joint exercise in WB

    India and US airforce’s joint exercise in WB

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    India and US airforce’s joint exercise in WB



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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • No state has below 30% household coverage of tap water connection in rural India: Official

    No state has below 30% household coverage of tap water connection in rural India: Official

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    New Delhi: No state has less than 30 per cent household coverage of tap water connection in rural India and there is no habitation in the country which does not have portable drinking water at least to the extent needed for cooking and drinking, a senior official said.

    Addressing the 16th Civil Services Day, Secretary, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation Vini Mahajan said more than 8.54 crore rural households with more than 40 crore people have benefitted under the programme.

    “This is more than the population of the US, almost twice that of Brazil and Nigeria,” she added.

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    “No state has below 30 per cent household coverage of tap water connection in rural India. No habitation in country which does not have portable drinking water at least to the extent of 8-10 lpcd needed for cooking and drinking,” Mahajan said.

    According to the Jal Jeevan Mission data, West Bengal has the lowest coverage of tap water connections at 32 per cent among states while Lakshadweep has the lowest coverage among union territories at 0 per cent.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • ‘Govt failure’, says Akhilesh on India becoming world’s most populous nation

    ‘Govt failure’, says Akhilesh on India becoming world’s most populous nation

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    Lucknow: With India becoming the world’s most populous nation according to the latest UN data, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday termed it a result of government failure.

    In a tweet in Hindi, Yadav said, “Worrying news: India’s population is the highest. Reason: failure of the government.”

    Explaining the reasons, he suggested people wanted more children due to poverty and unemployment and also to lend them a hand in work and support the family.

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    He said people feared child mortality because of medical shortage, besides the government failed to distribute contraceptives adequately. Not understanding the pressure of population due to lack of education was another reason for the rising population, he added.

    The latest UN data showed India has a population of 142.86 crore, the most in the world. Its population by 2050 is expected to rise to 166.8 crore while China’s population would dip to 131.7 crore by that time.

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    #Govt #failure #Akhilesh #India #worlds #populous #nation

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • India beats China in population; Hyderabad among 10 populous cities in the country

    India beats China in population; Hyderabad among 10 populous cities in the country

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    Hyderabad: India has surpassed China to become the most populous country in the world. As per the latest United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report, with a population of 1,428.6 million, India has overtaken China by a difference of 2.9 million.

    The report states that 25 percent of India’s population is comprised of children aged 0-14, with 18 percent in the 10-19 age group, and 26 percent belonging to the 10-24 age group. Meanwhile, 68 percent are in the 15-64 age category and only 7 percent are above 65 years.

    In contrast, China has 17 percent of the population under 14 years of age, with 12 percent in the 10-19 age group and 18 percent in the 10-24 age group.

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    Hyderabad among top 10 most populous cities in India

    According to the latest Indian census, Mumbai is the most populous city in the country, followed by Delhi. Hyderabad is among the top 10 most populous cities in India.

    Hyderabad has a population of 68 lakhs and it covers an area of 650 sq. km on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River. The city was established in 1591 by the Qutb Shahi dynasty’s Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah and served as the capital of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh from 1956 to 2014. Since 2014, Hyderabad has been the capital of Telangana state.

    As per census data, 64.93 percent of Hyderabad’s population is Hindu, 30.13 percent are Muslim, 2.75 percent are Christian, and 2.19 percent belong to other religions.

    China’s population decreased for the first time since 1960

    For the first time, India has topped the UN’s list since it began collecting population data in 1950. The report also notes that China’s population decreased for the first time since 1960.

    China had imposed a strict “one-child policy” in the 1980s to combat overpopulation fears, but lifted the policy in 2016. It began letting couples have three children in 2021 as the country’s workforce ages and fertility rates decline.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Two of 17 Sikhs arrested in California sought in murder cases in India: Police

    Two of 17 Sikhs arrested in California sought in murder cases in India: Police

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    Washington: Two of the 17 Sikhs arrested in California over the weekend from two rival gangs are facing murder charges in several cases in India, while another two are sought in other criminal cases, officials here said Wednesday.

    The two Sikhs who are facing murder charges in India are Pavittar Singh and Husandeep Singh, according to a spokesperson of California Attorney General. While their nationality has not been disclosed so far, it is believed that they are still Indian citizens and have a pending asylum application.

    A major mass casualty was prevented when local and federal law enforcement agencies in a series of raids arrested 17 Sikh men from various cities in northern California, mostly in and around the historic Yuba City, which has a predominant Sikh population, from two rival Sikh criminal syndicates.

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    The two rival gangs are called Minta Group’ and the AK47 group.’ The leader of the first group is Minta. Each of the two gangs has at least 30 members.

    To the surprise of even the law enforcement agencies, the group members were found to have several dangerous firearms upon arrest.

    “During the investigation, 41 firearms were seized. Those firearms included AR15, AK-47s, handguns, and at least one machinegun,” Jennifer Dupre, the district Attorney of Sutter County said.

    Two of those arrested from San Joaquin County Dharmvir Singh alias Minta and Jobanjit Singh were stopped on their way to Manteca, where they were allegedly going to commit a homicide, with pistols, large capacity magazines, and fully automatic weapons on them.

    Dupre said law enforcement was able to stop two vehicles before they could arrive at a Sikh parade in Sacramento over the weekend.

    “While a shooting did occur at the temple, we were able to stop a mass casualty incident. If those weapons had gotten into the parade, it could have been a blood bath,” Dupre said.

    California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta said during the investigation, they prevented at least two additional shootings from happening. “Because of this operation future gun violence, future crime, future harm has been prevented,” he said. The multi-agency, multi-county investigation was called “Operation Broken Sword.”

    “During the 2018 Sikh Parade here in Yuba City, there was an attack, a sword attack and the victim was being cut with swords, and he was also being beaten. And one of the swords broke due to the violence of that meeting. So that became the name of this operation, Operation Broken Sword,” Dupre said, adding, they also located some narcotics, and also child porn material, from the arrests.

    The shooting at a gurdwara in Sacramento last month accelerated the process of investigations.

    “Well, the fact that the parade was going to occur ramped up the investigation. Our goal was to try to keep that violence-free. It wasn’t completely violence-free, but as I stated, we 100 per cent believe we did prevent a mass casualty incident with our actions and the phenomenal work of law enforcement,” she said.

    Dupre told PTI that following the arrests of these two criminal syndicates the feedback from the community is “very positive” and the law enforcement agencies are being applauded for preventing any further mass shootings.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • India, US facing same security challenge from China, says US Indo Pacom Commander

    India, US facing same security challenge from China, says US Indo Pacom Commander

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    Washington: India and the United States are facing the same security challenges from China, a top American commander said here Wednesday, noting that the Biden Administration is not only providing assistance to New Delhi with cold weather gear, as it defends its border on the northern side, but also helping India in its effort to develop its own industrial base.

    “We value our partnership with India, and we’ve been increasing it and doing a lot more, over time. They have the same security challenge, primary security challenger that we do, and it’s real on their northern border. Two skirmishes now in over the past nine or 10 months on that border, as they continue to get pressurised by the PRC for border gains,” Admiral John Christopher Aquilino, commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, told members of the House Armed Services Committee during a hearing on Indo-Pacific National Security Challenges.

    Admiral Aquilino was responding to a question from Indian American Congressman Ro Khanna. “I would like you to reflect on the importance of the relationship — postcolonialism India and China had a relationship to emerge as the Asian voice. But that relationship now has really soured with a concern that there should not be a hegemon in Asia and that China is treating other countries as junior partners,” Khanna said.

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    “It seems to me that this gives us an opportunity to ensure that China doesn’t emerge as a hegemon to strengthen the relationship with India,” said the Indian American Congressman.

    Aquillino said both India and the US have the same security challenges. “We also have the desire to operate together, based on the world’s largest democracy. We have common values, and we also have people, the people ties for a number of years. I met with General Chauhan, my counterpart, at the Raisina Dialogue not long ago. I’ve been to India five times now in the past two years.

    “So, the importance of that relationship can’t be overstated. We operate together, frequently, with the Quad Nations. Again, the Quad is not a security agreement, it’s diplomatic and economic, but the Quad Nations come together, often, to operate together in multiple exercises. So, we continue to work to be interoperable and to expand the relationship,” he observed.

    In response to another question from Congressman Patrick Ryan, the admiral said India is a critical partner and besides conducting joint war exercises in the Malabar, the US is providing assistance to India “as it applies to cold weather gear and other capabilities that they might need, as they defend their border on the northern side.”

    “But additionally, we’re expanding our cooperation in the form of production as India tries to work to develop its own industrial base. So, C-130 critical components made in India, helicopter critical frameworks made in India. That is expanding the partnership and moving them towards self-sufficiency and increased partnership with the United States,” Aquilino added.

    Referring to the recently launched India-US initiative for critical and emerging technology announced by the national security advisors of the two countries, Jedidiah P Royal, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security, said: “We’re already delivering offers under the context of the ISAT arrangement. This is a real moment of convergence for the United States and India and we’re looking to take full advantage of it, going forward.”

    Testifying before the committee, Royal said: “India faces the same challenger that we face in the region. So what we’re seeing right now is a moment of strategic convergence in our relationship with the government of India. There’s a lot of momentum in that regard. With respect to your question on from whom do they buy their weapons, we believe that they are through a generational process of looking to diversify off of traditional suppliers.

    “We want to make sure that the US defence industrial base is in the best position possible to be India’s partner of choice moving forward,” he said.

    In response to another question, Aquilino said the US is working with our Indian partners both to advance their warfighting capabilities together to ensure that the US is sharing information that’s needed.

    “We do have the same strategic competitor or whatever definition we want to put on it and in my time over in the theatre now for five years straight, it has increased exponentially. It’s trending in the right direction. They’re really good partners,” he said.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • 90% of India, entire Delhi in ‘danger zone’ of heatwave impacts: Study

    90% of India, entire Delhi in ‘danger zone’ of heatwave impacts: Study

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    New Delhi: Heatwaves in India are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change, with over 90 percent of the country in the “extremely cautious” or “danger zone” of their impacts, according to a new study.

    The study, conducted by Ramit Debnath and colleagues at the University of Cambridge, also revealed that Delhi is particularly vulnerable to severe heatwave impacts, though its recent state action plan for climate change does not reflect this.

    It suggested that heatwaves have impeded India’s progress towards achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) more significantly than previously thought, and that the current assessment metrics may not fully capture the impacts of heatwaves linked to climate change on the country.

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    Heatwaves claimed more than 17,000 lives in 50 years in India, according to a paper authored by M Rajeevan, former secretary of Ministry of Earth Sciences, along with scientists Kamaljit Ray, S S Ray, R K Giri and A P Dimri.

    The paper published in 2021 said there were 706 heatwave incidents in the country from 1971-2019.

    Thirteen people died from heatstroke at a Maharashtra government award function in Navi Mumbai on Sunday, making it one of the highest death tolls from a single heatwave-related event in the country’s history.

    To assess India’s climate vulnerability and the potential impact of climate change on SDG progress, researchers at the University of Cambridge conducted an analytical evaluation of the country’s heat index with its climate vulnerability index.

    The heat index (HI) is a measure of how hot it feels to the human body, taking into account both temperature and humidity. The climate vulnerability index (CVI) is a composite index that uses various indicators to account for socioeconomic, livelihood, and biophysical factors to study the impact of heatwave.

    The researchers accessed a publicly available dataset on state-level climate vulnerability indicators from the government’s National Data and Analytics Platform to classify severity categories.

    They then compared India’s progress in SDGs over 20 years (2001-2021) with extreme weather-related mortality from 2001-2021.

    The study showed that more than 90 percent of India is in the “extremely cautious” or “danger” range of heatwave impacts through HI, otherwise considered “low” or “moderate” vulnerability through CVI.

    States that were categorized as “low” in CVI rankings were found to be in “danger” HI categories, indicating that heatwaves put more people at extreme climate risk across India than estimated by CVI.

    The authors concluded that the use of CVI may underestimate the actual burden of climate change concerning heat, and suggested that India should consider reassessing its climate vulnerabilities to meet the SDGs.

    They warned that if India fails to address the impact of heatwaves immediately, it could slow progress towards achieving sustainable development goals.

    The study also highlighted that the current heat-action plans designed and implemented according to the Delhi government’s vulnerability assessment do not include HI estimations, which is concerning since even the “low” climate-vulnerable areas in Delhi are at high heatwave risks.

    The high intensity of development in Central, East, West, and North-East districts can further elevate the HI risks through heat island formation, it said.

    The authors said some of the critical variables in Delhi that will aggravate heat-related vulnerabilities include concentration of slum population and overcrowding in high HI areas, lack of access to basic amenities like electricity, water and sanitation, non-availability of immediate healthcare and health insurance, poor condition of housing and dirty cooking fuel (biomass, kerosene and coal).

    The threshold for a heatwave is met when the maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius in the plains, at least 37 degrees Celsius in coastal areas, and at least 30 degrees Celsius in hilly regions, and the departure from normal is at least 4.5 degrees Celsius.

    Earlier this month, the India Meteorological Department predicted above-normal maximum temperatures for most parts of the country from April to June, except parts of the northwest and the peninsular regions.

    Above-normal heatwave days are expected in most parts of central, east, and northwest India during this period.

    In 2023, India experienced its hottest February since record-keeping began in 1901. However, above-normal rainfall in March kept temperatures in check.

    March 2022 was the warmest ever and the third driest in 121 years. The year also saw the country’s third-warmest April since 1901.

    In India, about 75 percent of workers (around 380 million people) experience heat-related stress.

    A report by the McKinsey Global Institute warns that if this continues, by 2030, the country could lose between 2.5 percent to 4.5 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per year.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Air India pilots’ unions reject proposed pay structure, warn of industrial unrest

    Air India pilots’ unions reject proposed pay structure, warn of industrial unrest

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    New Delhi: In a major development, the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) and the Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) of Air India have rejected the new pay structure proposed by the airline.

    The primary bone of contention is the reduction in flying allowance from 70 hours to 40 hours every month under the new structure, which the pilots believe is unfair.

    The two unions have warned of possible ‘industrial unrest’ if the management goes ahead with the new terms without their consent. While Air India has stated that it will “continue to engage with the remainder of its staff”, the airline has taken a tough stance on the issue, saying that there are “no recognised unions in Air India”.

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    This is the first wage revision offered by the Tata group-owned Air India since its takeover last year, and it will affect all 3,000 pilots across its four airlines – Air India, Air India Express, Air Asia India, and Vistara.

    The pilots’ unions have instructed their members to reject the new employment conditions and wage structure offered by the management.

    An agreement has been put in place for the employees to sign by April 25, but the two unions have stated that they will contest the terms and conditions, with their pilots refusing to sign the revised employment and compensation terms.

    The two unions have warned of potential industrial unrest if the company takes any coercive or victimising action against their members.

    In a joint statement, the unions stated that the company reiterated that “all previous understandings, representations and agreements of whatever nature that have been entered into with us are null & void and that the company further has the right to change any terms and conditions”.

    “The term cost to the company for an assumed flying of 70 hrs is deliberately misleading and creates an impression of a generous compensation and accompanying benefits package. The actual guaranteed money being offered is only for 40 hrs. Effectively, any time a pilot is on leave or is unavailable due to recurrent training requirements or document/licence renewals, not to mention any sick leave, there is an automatic pay cut involved,” the statement read.

    “The so-called rationalisations of allowances is not in line with any industry practices as projected by HR. Further, blanket consent is sought for any leave or insurance policy that the company may come up with & which is subject to amendment or outright withdrawal.

    “Suffice it to say that this is not an all-inclusive list but merely a selection of some of the most outlandish and labour-hostile provisions that we have come across to date. This is dishonourable and how the management is trying to force it down the employees’ throats is outright unethical,” it added.

    “Nor has the blatant attack on our rights as workmen to bargain collectively or seek legal redressal for any injustice or victimisation gone unnoticed. Where is the company requirement all of a sudden to forcibly promote almost all the permanent workmen of the union to the so-called Senior Commander management cadre? It is clear from all this that there is a concerted effort to gut the unions and isolate pilots into individual boxes where they can be exploited and victimised at will by the HR department,” the statement said.

    Meanwhile, Air India’s spokesperson has defended the new compensation structure, which includes parity among different groups, recognition of managerial and supervisory roles for experienced pilots, and individual contracts sent to pilots and cabin crew for necessary paperwork.

    “The managerial and supervisory role played by the experienced pilots is also being recognised in the form of designating them as Senior Commander as also offering them a special monthly allowance. The contracts reflecting these enhancements were individually sent to the pilots and cabin crew for necessary paperwork,” said the spokesperson.

    The spokesperson also claimed that a large number of pilots and cabin crew have already accepted the new contracts, and the salary improvements and advancement opportunities they enable.

    “The airline will continue to engage with the remainder of its staff through this process as currently there is no recognised union in Air India,” the spokesperson said.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )