Tag: India

India Inc should take equal blame for trade imbalance with China: Jaishankar

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Pune: The businesses should share equal responsibility for the skewed trade balance with China, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday, blaming India Inc for not developing sufficient sourcing capabilities within the country.
Stating that the government’s flagship ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative pitching for self-reliance is a corrective attempt, Jaishankar warned that “massive external exposure” puts our national security at threat.
With some experts, including former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan pitching India to focus more on services, Jaishankar said neglecting manufacturing will lead to damaging India’s “strategic future”.
In 2022, India-China trade touched USD 135.98 and New Delhi’s trade deficit with Beijing crossed the USD 100 billion mark for the first time despite frosty bilateral ties.
Terming the challenge posed by the trade imbalance with China as very serious and formidable, the career bureaucrat turned politician said the responsibility here is not just of the government, but it is an equal responsibility of businesses as well.
“Indian corporates haven’t developed the kind of backward (linkages), vendor supplies, components and parts, ingredients and intermediates that should be supporting us,” he said while speaking at the annual Asia Economic Dialogue organised by the external affairs ministry here.
Acknowledging that the government is also to be blamed for such a trade imbalance, Jaishankar said the self-reliance motto is a corrective step taken by the administration after the flaws that got exposed during the COVID pandemic.
“Atmanirbhar Bharat it is not a slogan. It is actually a messaging to (the) industry, to people saying, please, what you can source from India, you have an obligation to source, not as a moral obligation. Our national security is at threat if you have this kind of massive external exposure,” the career diplomat-turned-politician said.

With schemes like production-linked incentives (PLI), the purpose is to bring back the manufacturing prowess in the country, he said, arguing that a major economy like India cannot be service-centric and neglect manufacturing.
“Those who do down manufacturing, they are actually damaging this country’s strategic future,” he said, adding that significant industrial capacity is a prerequisite for national security requirements.
Jaishankar also said that under the previous UPA government, the country was contemplating signing a free trade agreement with China in 2006 when the ties with Beijing were better and we looked forward to an optimistic future where market access improved.
However, India did not get the market access it had hoped to get and also lost out on businesses which moved to China and that too under Chinese ownership, making it a flawed market.
He said that there is a “deep strategic intent” behind the “misleading rhetoric” of ‘Asia for Asians’, and asked all not to fall for what is essentially designed to appeal to “very primitive chauvinism” in people.
Asia is growing faster because it is global, and it will continue to grow till it is diverse and multipolar, Jaishankar said, asserting that the responsibility of ensuring the same falls on India.
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#India #equal #blame #trade #imbalance #China #Jaishankar
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 23, 2023
Israeli carriers can fly directly to India with Oman opening its airspace: Netanyahu

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Jerusalem: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday welcomed the authorisation for Israeli carriers to fly over Oman as a “great day” for the aviation industry as it will connect the country directly with India and also help establish Israel as the main transit point between Asia and Europe.
“The Far East is not so far away and the skies are no longer the limit”, Netanyahu said in a statement after receiving the Omani authorisation.
“This is a day of great news for Israeli aviation. Israel has, in effect, become the main transit point between Asia and Europe”, the Israeli prime minister added.
Israel received authorisation from Saudi Arabia and the Israeli leader said that he worked since his 2018 visit to Oman on getting permission for Israeli carriers to fly over its airspace so that they could go directly to India and onwards to Australia.
Oman and Israel do not have diplomatic ties.
“This was achieved today, after considerable effort, including in recent months. Here is good news Israel is opening up to the east on an unprecedented scale”, Netanyahu stressed.
Until now, Israeli airlines’ flights to East Asia, India and Thailand were forced to fly south to avoid the Arabian Peninsula a route that added two and a half hours and wasted expensive fuel, local media reported.
With the Omani announcement, Israeli flights can shave off two to four hours to popular destinations like India and Thailand.

The development could potentially reduce ticket prices as well, given that airlines would save money on fuel.
Air India has been flying from Tel Aviv to Delhi directly using Saudi and Omani airspace, which saves time and makes the flights much more cost-efficient.
Last year Saudi Arabia allowed Israeli airlines to use its airspace but because Omani airspace was closed, Israeli carriers could not use the route to fly to Asia. The Saudi Arabian decision came after United States President Joe Biden visited the region last year.
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#Israeli #carriers #fly #India #Oman #opening #airspace #Netanyahu
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 23, 2023
India is 15 pc of solution G20 is looking for in terms of economic growth: Jaishankar

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Pune: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said India is “15 percent of the solution” the G20 is looking for in terms of economic growth and development.
He was speaking at the Festival of Thinkers, an event organized by Symbiosis International University here.
The minister cited managing director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva’s statement that in “otherwise a fairly gloomy global economic scenario” India’s GDP base is growing at seven percent and is likely to increase in the coming decade.
“Kristalina Georgieva tells that 15 percent of the world’s growth this year is going to come from India, that means we are 15 percent of the solution that the G20 is looking for in terms of economic growth and development, but it isn’t just growth, the G20 is actually looking at how we handled the COVID challenges,” said Jaishankar.
India’s G20 presidency began in December 2022.
The G20 countries have noted India’s success in effectively vaccinating its vast population against coronavirus, he said.
“Getting shots in the arms” looks very easy, but there are countries which struggled to get it done while the world has seen that India managed to vaccinate all eligible persons, Jaishankar said.
“For them, it is a staggering achievement, it is a staggering achievement with the smoothness and organization with which it was done,” he added.

Soon after COVID-19 became a global concern in January 2020, “there was a sense of the briefing to the G20 that if there is any place in the world (that) is going (to) go under because of COVID, it is India,” the minister said.
“A set of very serious people” who had studied global health concluded that India’s health system, governance and ability as society would not allow it to deal with the pandemic, and “three years later, we showed them to be so wrong,” he said.
Today the same people marvel at how India “managed society, how the country fed people during that period, how money was put in the bank account of people,” Jaishankar said.
Aadhaar has become “a magic number”, and is “actually the backbone on which the daily existence of hundreds of millions of people (hinges), he said.
“If the world today has expectations, the contribution of India, it is the economic contribution that is underpinned by enormous governance record, especially in digital delivery,” he said.
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#India #solution #G20 #terms #economic #growth #Jaishankar
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 23, 2023
India is everything to me: Akshay Kumar on decision to renounce Canadian passport

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New Delhi: Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, who has often faced criticism over his Canadian citizenship, says India is everything to him and he has already applied for a change of passport.
He feels bad when people say things without knowing the reason for him taking up Canadian citizenship, Akshay said in an interview in the first episode of the new season of Seedhi Baat on Aajtak.
“India is everything to me… Whatever I have earned, whatever I have gained is from here. And I’m fortunate that I get a chance to give back. You feel bad when people say things without knowing anything…,” the 55-year-old star said.
Akshay, known for his films such as “Hera Pheri”, “Namastey London”, “Toilet: Ek Prem Katha” and “Padman”, also spoke about a lean phase in his career when he delivered more than 15 flops. This was in the 1990s. The poor box office performance of his films pushed him to apply for Canadian citizenship, he said.
“I thought that ‘bhai, my films are not working and one has to work’. I went there for work. My friend was in Canada and he said, ‘come here’. I applied and I got in.
“I had just two films left for release and it is just luck that they both became superhit. My friend said, ‘go back, start working again’. I got some more films and I kept getting more work. I forgot that I had the passport. I never thought that I should get this passport changed but now yes, I have applied to get my passport changed.”
Akshay’s citizenship became a topic of debate after an interview with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April 2019 just before the Lok Sabha elections.

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#India #Akshay #Kumar #decision #renounce #Canadian #passport
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 23, 2023
Earthquake in Tajikistan: India in touch with authorities for possible assistance

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken stock of the situation after an earthquake hit Tajikistan on Thursday, official sources said.
The earthquake of 6.8 magnitude hit eastern Tajikistan in the morning. They said India is in touch with Tajik authorities for any possible requirement of assistance.
“The Prime Minister has taken stock of the situation and is monitoring developments relating to the impact of the earthquake in Tajikistan,” said a source.
“We are in touch with Tajik authorities and relevant Government of India bodies are closely coordinating any required assistance,” the source said.
Earlier this month, India sent relief materials as well as medical and rescue teams to Turkiye after a powerful quake struck it.
As part of quake assistance, India also sent relief materials and medicines to Syria which was also hit by the quake.
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#Earthquake #Tajikistan #India #touch #authorities #assistance
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 23, 2023
Garmin announces 5 new watches in India

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New Delhi: Leading wearable brand Garmin on Thursday announced the launch of its new “MARQ (Gen2)” collection, which includes five new “modern tool” watches, in the country.
The new watches — MARQ Athlete, MARQ Adventurer, MARQ Golfer, MARQ Captain and MARQ Aviator — will be available for purchase on February 25, the company said in a statement.
The MARQ Athlete will be priced at Rs 1,94,990 and MARQ Adventurer at Rs 2,15,490, while, MARQ Golfer will be available at Rs 2,35,990; MARQ Captain at Rs 2,25,990 and MARQ Aviator at Rs 2,46,490.
Customers will be able to buy the watches offline from Garmin Brand Store and Just in Time Watch Stores; and online from Amazon, Tata luxury and Synergizer.
“The MARQ collection is a true testament to Garmin’s commitment to providing a luxury experience with super premium quality, innovation and reliability. Each watch from the MARQ collection is crafted in a beautiful design with gorgeous luxury materials and equipped with smartwatch capabilities which makes it a new standard in the watch industry,” said Yeshudas Pillai, Country Head, Garmin India.
The MARQ series is built with materials like sapphire crystal, ceramic and jacquard-weave nylon, and also features an AMOLED display.
It is built with “Grade-5 titanium”, making it more scratch-resistant and lightweight on the wrist compared to stainless steel, the company said.
The watches are said to provide up to 16 days of battery life in the smartwatch mode, andAup to 42 hours in the GPS mode.

The new series also includes support for multi-band global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and multi-frequency GPS.
“The MARQ collection includes Garmin’s suite of 24/7 health and wellness features like wrist-based heart rate, respiration and stress tracking, advanced sleep insights, Body-Battery energy monitoring and a new Jet Lag Adviser,” the company said.
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#Garmin #announces #watches #India
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 23, 2023
What is TU 160? The weapon India wants, Russia owns and US is likely to have

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In December 2022, a Russian military bomber engineer drove to USA’s southwest border and asked for asylum. In exchange, he said he would provide the US government with Russian military secrets.
This story, reported by Yahoo News is based on an unclassified Customs and Border Protection report. The man in question claimed to be worried for his life. He said that he feared persecution for participating in anti-Putin protests. The protests were in support of Alexei Navalny, the man imprisoned by Putin’s government for dissenting with them.
The man claimed to be a civil engineer and said that he worked from 2018 to 2021 making an airplane for the Russian military. The airplane in question? The man (who is still anonymous and is presumed to be in the United States currently) described the airplane as ‘an attack jet’. He called it ‘White Swan- TU160’, the largest military aircraft.
Why is the man’s testimony important? Why is TU-160 worth knowing about and what exactly is it?
About Tu-160:
The TU-160 is a strategic bomber, which means it can drop large amounts of weaponry from air to ground onto to distant targets. The intent of the TU-160 bomber aircraft is to destabilise one’s enemy. So far, Russia has 11 TU 160s and has been using the Tu-160 bombers in its ongoing operation against Ukraine.
Following the dissolvement of the Soviet Union, Ukraine inherited a fleet of 16 TU-160s. After negotiations, 11 Ukrainian TU-160s were purchased by Russia while the remainder were scrapped under the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat reduction agreement. As of 2022, Russia has 16 TU-160s.
This bomber has been used during Russia’s military intervention in the Syrian civil war and has been deployed to countries like Venezuela and South Africa.
The anonymous engineer and what happened next
The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) report stated that the engineer’s arrival could be construed as valuable.

“The TU-160 White Swan, also known by the NATO reporting name ‘Blackjack,’ is reportedly the most advanced strategic bomber in the Russian inventory and has been also used in a tactical airstrike role in the Ukraine war. According to open-source reporting, a major new construction program of an improved version of the aircraft as well as an upgrade program of existing aircraft got underway at the Tupolev facility during the past few years,” said the report.
Yahoo news also spoke to a Russian military expert, Michael Kofman who said that he was unaware of the man seeking asylum but said that someone in his capacity could have access to “defence industrial production, and the recent developments to the TU-160.”
The Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security in the USA worked to confirm the man’s identity. He was deemed credible and of interest to the USA on January 11.
How this information could be of strategic advantage?
The USA has been sending military equipment to Ukraine about this particular aircraft bomber. The bomber has been reproduced and upgraded during the time of the engineer’s employment which could greatly help the USA.
Even aside from Ukraine, Russia and the USA, Indian Air Marshal Anoop Raha last year said that India was interested in purchasing TU-160s. Reports have hinted at how India is in talks with Russia to acquire six of these strategic aircraft bombers. This is important to note because as of the moment only USA, Russia and China own strategic bombers which are in operation.
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#weapon #India #Russia #owns
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 22, 2023
What is TU 160? The bomber India wants, Russia owns and US is likely to have

[ad_1]
In December 2022, a Russian military bomber engineer drove to USA’s southwest border and asked for asylum. In exchange, he said he would provide the US government with Russian military secrets.
This story, reported by Yahoo News is based on an unclassified Customs and Border Protection report. The man in question claimed to be worried for his life. He said that he feared persecution for participating in anti-Putin protests. The protests were in support of Alexei Navalny, the man imprisoned by Putin’s government for dissenting with them.
The man claimed to be a civil engineer and said that he worked from 2018 to 2021 making an airplane for the Russian military. The airplane in question? The man (who is still anonymous and is presumed to be in the United States currently) described the airplane as ‘an attack jet’. He called it ‘White Swan- TU160’, the largest military aircraft.
Why is the man’s testimony important? Why is TU-160 worth knowing about and what exactly is it?
About Tu-160:
The TU-160 is a strategic bomber, which means it can drop large amounts of weaponry from air to ground onto to distant targets. The intent of the TU-160 bomber aircraft is to destabilise one’s enemy. So far, Russia has 11 TU 160s and has been using the Tu-160 bombers in its ongoing operation against Ukraine.
Following the dissolvement of the Soviet Union, Ukraine inherited a fleet of 16 TU-160s. After negotiations, 11 Ukrainian TU-160s were purchased by Russia while the remainder were scrapped under the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat reduction agreement. As of 2022, Russia has 16 TU-160s.
This bomber has been used during Russia’s military intervention in the Syrian civil war and has been deployed to countries like Venezuela and South Africa.
The anonymous engineer and what happened next
The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) report stated that the engineer’s arrival could be construed as valuable.

“The TU-160 White Swan, also known by the NATO reporting name ‘Blackjack,’ is reportedly the most advanced strategic bomber in the Russian inventory and has been also used in a tactical airstrike role in the Ukraine war. According to open-source reporting, a major new construction program of an improved version of the aircraft as well as an upgrade program of existing aircraft got underway at the Tupolev facility during the past few years,” said the report.
Yahoo news also spoke to a Russian military expert, Michael Kofman who said that he was unaware of the man seeking asylum but said that someone in his capacity could have access to “defence industrial production, and the recent developments to the TU-160.”
The Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security in the USA worked to confirm the man’s identity. He was deemed credible and of interest to the USA on January 11.
How this information could be of strategic advantage?
The USA has been sending military equipment to Ukraine about this particular aircraft bomber. The bomber has been reproduced and upgraded during the time of the engineer’s employment which could greatly help the USA.
Even aside from Ukraine, Russia and the USA, Indian Air Marshal Anoop Raha last year said that India was interested in purchasing TU-160s. Reports have hinted at how India is in talks with Russia to acquire six of these strategic aircraft bombers. This is important to note because as of the moment only USA, Russia and China own strategic bombers which are in operation.
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#bomber #India #Russia #owns
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 22, 2023
Eastern Ladakh row: India, China discuss proposal for disengagement in remaining friction points

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New Delhi: India and China on Wednesday held diplomatic talks in Beijing and discussed proposals for disengagement in the remaining friction points along the LAC in eastern Ladakh in an “open and constructive manner”, but there was no indication of any breakthrough.
During the meeting held under the WMCC framework, the two sides agreed to hold the 18th round of military talks at an early date to achieve the objective in accordance with the existing bilateral agreements and protocols, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
The Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) was established in 2012 as an institutional mechanism for consultation and coordination for the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas.
“The two sides reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of India-China border areas and discussed proposals for disengagement in the remaining areas in an open and constructive manner, which would help in the restoration of peace and tranquillity along the LAC in Western Sector and create conditions for the restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations,” the MEA said.
“To achieve this objective in accordance with the existing bilateral agreements and protocols, they agreed to hold the next (18th) round of the Senior Commanders meeting at an early date,” it said in a statement.
The MEA said the two sides agreed to continue discussions through military and diplomatic channels.
“The 26th meeting of the WMCC was held on 22 February 2023 in person in Beijing. This was the first WMCC meeting since the 14th meeting held in July 2019, to be held in person,” it said.
The Joint Secretary (East Asia) from the Ministry of External Affairs led the Indian delegation. The Chinese delegation was led by the Director General of the Boundary and Oceanic Affairs Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The 17th round of military talks was held on December 20 but there was no indication of any forward movement in the resolution of the remaining issues.
A joint statement released after the talks had said that both sides exchanged views in an “open and constructive” manner to resolve the “relevant issues” and described the talks as “frank and in-depth”.
The WMCC meeting in Beijing came a week before the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Delhi. Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang is expected to attend the meeting on March 1 and 2.
In line with a decision taken at the 16th round of military talks, the two sides carried out disengagement from Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area in September last year.
India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas. The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area.
The ties between the two countries nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.
As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in 2021 on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area.
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#Eastern #Ladakh #row #India #China #discuss #proposal #disengagement #remaining #friction #points
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 22, 2023
India, Israel keen on finalising FTA

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New Delhi: Israel’s handing over of the strategic port of Haifa to Indian company, the Adani Group, is a reflection of the trust that the country has on India, Israeli Ambassador Naor Gilon said on Wednesday.
At a media briefing, the envoy also said that both India and Israel are keen on finalising the proposed free trade pact as it could further boost overall bilateral trade ties.
Gilon indicated that there could be a forward movement on the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) during the upcoming “high-level” visit.
Describing defence ties between the two countries as very strong, he said Israel has an advantage to support India in its efforts to become self reliant in defence manufacturing because of the “long-standing” trust in the area between the two countries.
On the Adani Group acquiring the Haifa port last month, Gilon said it was sign of Israel’s trust on India and it could boost bilateral trade. It was a very important move from our side as Haifa is a strategic port, he said.
The Adani Group last month acquired the strategic port of Haifa for USD 1.2 billion (one billion =100 crore) and vowed to transform the skyline of this Mediterranean city as part of its decision to invest more in the Jewish nation.
The Port of Haifa is the second largest port in Israel in terms of shipping containers and the biggest in shipping tourist cruise ships.
In his remarks, the Israeli envoy also said that there is a great potential to expand cooperation in areas of renewable energy, smart mobility, agriculture, healthcare, water and cyber and homeland security.

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#India #Israel #keen #finalising #FTA
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 22, 2023