Tag: minister

Nepal appoints new Foreign Minister, says PM’s India visit soon

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Kathmandu: Nepali Congress leader N.P. Saud was on Sunday appointed the country’s new Foreign Minister – filling the key post that was lying vacant for over one and half months.
Saud, who is considered close with former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, was administered the oath of office and secrecy by President Ram Chandra Poudel.
After assuming the office, he said that homework for the India visit of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ will now begin.

According to some media reports, Prachanda is now planning to visit India by mid May, instead of April as planned earlier.
“I have just assumed office today… I will take a briefing from the officials regarding the India visit of the Prime Minister,” Saud said after assuming the office.
“We will strengthen our ties with the neighbouring countries,” he added.
A slew of agreements across various sectors are expected to be signed during Prachanda’s visit, including signing of an agreement for the construction of the Raxaul-Kathmandu railway with India’s financial assistance as its detailed project report (DPR) has been prepared by the Indian consultant Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd (KRCL).
The KRCL has already handed over the DPR to India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

During a press conference on March 27, Deputy Prime Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha, who then held the Physical Infrastructure and Transport portfolio, had said that the DPR of the proposed Kathmandu-Raxaul railway would be prepared within a month and the Nepali side could receive the report a month later.
To discuss the DPR of the 136-km-long railway that will link Kathmandu with the Indian town Raxaul, Nepal and India are holding a meeting of their joint working group on railway by the end of this week, said an senior official at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport.
Some other agreements and issues related to development of two hydropower projects in Nepal, energy cooperation, trade, commerce, digital payments, import of wheat, air routes, water resources, transit, cross-border transmission line among others will be signed or discussed in the visit.
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#Nepal #appoints #Foreign #Minister #PMs #India #visit
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 16, 2023
Telangana: Minister Gangula injured after dias collapses

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Hyderabad: Backward Classes (BC) Welfare and Civil Supplies Minister Gangula Kamalakar on Sunday met with minor injuries when the dais collapsed in Cherlabuthkur of Karimnagar.
The minister had come to launch a paddy procurement centre in Cherlabuthkur. After taking part in ‘Chirutala Ramanayana’ program, he walked onto the stage followed by others.
The dais suddenly caved in and everyone fell.

However, the minister continued even after sustaining minor injuries and later went on to launch another paddy procurement centre in Mugdumpoor.
After the program he went to a private hospital in Karimnagar where he was advised to take two weeks rest.
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#Telangana #Minister #Gangula #injured #dias #collapses

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 16, 2023
UAE approves additional $1 billion funding to Pakistan: Finance Minister Dar

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Islamabad: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday announced that the UAE has approved USD 1 billion in financial support, taking the cash-strapped nation a step closer to unlocking the crucial IMF bailout.
Pakistan is tackling a major economic crisis as it awaits a much-needed USD 1.1 billion tranche of funding from the Washington-based International Monetary Fund, part of a USD 6.5 billion bailout package the IMF approved in 2019.
Finance Minister Dar said the Gulf nation has confirmed its commitment to the International Monetary Fund, paving way for the staff-level agreement to unlock a USD 1.1 billion loan by the global lender.

“UAE authorities have confirmed to IMF for their bilateral support of USD 1 billion to Pakistan,” Dar said in a tweet, adding that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) was now “engaged for needful documentation for taking the said deposit from UAE authorities”.
IMF program — 9th Review Update:
UAE authorities have confirmed to IMF for their bilateral support of US $ One billion to Pakistan.
State Bank of Pakistan is now engaged for needful documentation for taking the said deposit from UAE authorities.
AlhamdoLilah!
— Ishaq Dar (@MIshaqDar50) April 14, 2023
The UAE rolled over its deposits of USD 2 billion in January this year too, providing critical support to cash-starved Pakistan’s depleting foreign exchange reserves.
In another tweet, Dar announced that the apex bank is getting the third and last disbursement from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), worth USD 300 million, out of its USD 1.3 billion loan.
“Out of Chinese bank’s ICBC approved facility of USD 1.3bn (which was earlier repaid by Pakistan), State Bank of Pakistan would receive back third and last disbursement today in its account amounting to USD 300mn,” the finance minister tweeted.
The ICBC approved a rollover of a USD 1.3 billion loan for Pakistan on March 3 and made the first payment of USD 500 million on the same day, while the second payment of the same amount was made on March 17.

The IMF lowered its forecast for Pakistan’s economic growth rate days ago from 2 per cent to just 0.5 per cent for the current fiscal year amid high inflation and a growing unemployment rate in the cash-strapped country.
The new development brought debt-struck Pakistan closer to signing the staff-level agreement with the IMF and getting access to multilateral loans.
Pakistan is tethering on the verge of default with just over USD 4 billion in reserves as it grapples with high external debt and a weak local currency.
All its hopes are tied to the IMF reviving the USD 7 billion bailout programme and releasing a USD 1.1 billion tranche, originally due to be disbursed in November last year.
The funds are part of a USD 6.5 billion bailout package the IMF approved in 2019, which analysts say is critical if Pakistan is to avoid defaulting on external debt obligations.
The IMF programme, signed in 2019, will expire on June 30, 2023, and under the set guidelines, the programme cannot be extended beyond the deadline.
Pakistan and the IMF have been negotiating the programme’s resumption for months but have yet to reach an agreement.

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#UAE #approves #additional #billion #funding #Pakistan #Finance #Minister #Dar
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 14, 2023
AP: Union Minister hands over appointment letters at ‘Rozgar Mela’

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Vijayawada: Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary on Thursday handed over appointment letters to new recruits at 4th Rozgar Mela here. A total of 258 people received appointment letters at the event.
The South Central Railway, Vijayawada Division, organized the 4th tranche of Rozgar Mela-Mega Job Fair.
Rozgar Mela has been envisioned by the Centre with a commitment to provide continuous job opportunities for the youth and to ensure the welfare of citizens of the country.

The dignitaries and participants at the event witnessed the launch of Rozgar Mela by Prime Minister Narendra Modi through video conferencing.
The Prime Minister distributed about 71,000 appointment letters to newly inducted recruits in various Government departments and organizations.
Speaking on the occasion, Pankaj Chaudhary congratulated the newly selected recruits of Central Government and wished them all the best at the beginning of a new chapter in their lives.
He said the main priority of the government is to enrol 10 lakh jobless youth into various government sectors on mission mode.
The minister said that the government is supporting educated youth through Stand-Up and Start Up India initiatives to nurture entrepreneurship talent.

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#Union #Minister #hands #appointment #letters #Rozgar #Mela
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 14, 2023
There will be no power cut in Odisha this year, says Energy Minister

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Bhubaneswar: With heatwave continuing to grip Odisha, state Energy Minister Pratap Keshari Deb on Wednesday assured people that there will be no power cuts in the state this year.
Talking to media persons here, Deb said: “There are speculative reports in the media about chances of power cuts. I assure everyone that there will be no power cut in Odisha, including rural areas, this year.”
However, there might be temporary power cuts due to technical issues, he said, adding, electricity is being supplied in the state as per the demand of the people.

The minister’s statement holds significance as the state is currently reeling under an intense heatwave situation.
According to a bulletin of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) at least 14 places recorded a maximum temperature of 40 degrees Celsius or above on Wednesday.
Jharsuguda was the hottest place of Odisha at 43 degrees Celsius followed by Baripada, which sizzled at a maximum temperature of 42.5 degrees Celsius.
Similarly, Sambalpur recorded a maximum day temperature of 42 degrees Celsius while it was 41.6 degrees at each of Boudh and Talcher.
Bolangir and Titlagarh towns in western Odisha witnessed a maximum temperature of 41.2 degrees followed by Angula at 41.1 degrees,Bhadraka at 41 degrees, Sundergarh at 41 degrees, Hirakuda at 40.7 degrees, Rourkela at 40.6 degrees, and Chandbali at 40.3 degrees.

The Met department issued an alert for heat waves in several parts of Odisha in the next three days.
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#power #cut #Odisha #year #Energy #Minister
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 13, 2023
Ukraine minister says India should recognise danger of rising impunity in neighbourhood

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New Delhi: Ukraine has indicated to India to recognise the danger of not stopping “impunity”, in an indirect reference to China and Pakistan.
As per reports, Emine Dzhaparova, Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister, told mediapersons at an interactive session held at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) on Tuesday that India also has a difficult neighbourhood with China and Pakistan and the Crimea episode has a lesson for India too.
“Whenever impunity happens and if it is not stopped, it becomes bigger,” Dzhaparova was quoted as saying by reports.

Her comments could be seen as referring to India’s territorial disputes with China and Pakistan.
The Ukraine minister’s reference to Crimea was in relation to the events preceding the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine last year.
Dzhaparova said that these developments could serve as an example of how to handle “difficult neighbours”.
She was further quoted as saying that “Ukraine really wants India and Ukraine to be closer. Yes, there is a history between us. But we want to start a new relationship with India”.

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#Ukraine #minister #India #recognise #danger #rising #impunity #neighbourhood
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 11, 2023
TN: Oppn MLA seeks free IPL tickets, Sports Minister says ‘ask Jay Shah’

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Chennai: AIADMK legislator S.P. Velumani on Tuesday asked Tamil Nadu Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin to provide free IPL tickets to the Opposition MLAs, claiming that legislators were given free match tickets when the AIADMK was in power in the state.
Speaking on the floor of the Assembly, Velumani also claimed that the DMK government received 400 tickets for IPL matches, but did not give a single ticket to the Opposition MLAs.
Replying to Velumani, Udhayanidhi Stalin, Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development, said, “The BCCI Secretary is Jai Shah, the son of your close friend Amit Shah… It’s better that you talk to him.”

The DMK leader added: “He (Jay Shah) does not listen to us… You better speak to him and get at least five tickets each for the MLAs.”
Stalin also said that he had paid for 150 tickets for the sportspersons of his constituency.
The minister then took a dig at the Opposition party, saying, “The AIADMK leader here said that they had given IPL tickets to the MLAs for matches held at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. But no matches were played at the stadium in the last four years. I wonder for whom did the party buy tickets.”
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#Oppn #MLA #seeks #free #IPL #tickets #Sports #Minister #Jay #Shah
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 11, 2023
Banned TTP still using Afghan soil to attack Pakistan: Defence Minister Asif

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Islamabad: Amid a surge in attacks by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that the banned militant group was still using Afghan soil to carry out attacks inside the country, a media report said on Tuesday.
Asif expressed his concern at the TTP using neighbouring Afghanistan for terrorism in an interview with the Voice of America on Monday, the Dawn newspaper reported.
“TTP is using (the) Afghan soil even today for attacks in our country, especially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” the minister said, adding that Pakistan enjoys good ties with the interim Taliban government.

Asif’s remarks come as Pakistan has witnessed a surge in TTP violence since peace talks between the militant group and the government began to falter in the latter half of last year.
The TTP formally ended the ceasefire on November 28 and has executed more than 100 attacks since then.
Many of these attacks were planned and directed by the militant group’s leadership based in Afghanistan.
During the interview, Asif recalled that the issue of increased attacks by the TTP was brought to the notice of the Afghan Taliban rulers during his recent visit to Kabul.
Earlier this year, a Pakistani delegation comprising of Asif, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum, Foreign Secretary Asad Majeed Khan, Charge d’Affaires to Afghanistan Ubaidur Rehman Nizamani and Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq visited the Afghan capital for talks on security-related matters, including counter-terrorism measures.

“(In the meeting) The (Afghan) Taliban had expressed their determination to deal with this problem and said that they won’t allow their land to be used for terrorism as per the Doha Agreement,” the minister said in the interview.
According to the report, Asif said the Afghan Taliban and TTP shared a “camaraderie” because they have been fighting against NATO for the past 20 years.
“According to my information on TTP militants, between 7,000 to 8,000 of them have been involved in the war against Nato with the Afghan Taliban,” the defence minister was quoted as saying.
“In this context, there is a camaraderie between the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban which was also seen in their (Afghan Taliban’s) words during our meetings that they are not in a position to oppose them (TTP), but they also want to help Pakistan,” he added.
Asif also said that the banned militant group was equipped with advanced weapons, such as night vision goggles left behind by the American forces when they withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021.
Talking about the recent protests in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province against rising militancy, the minister said the province’s residents were not ready to “co-exist” with the TTP.
“It is remarkable that people are protesting unarmed against the return of the Taliban (in Pakistan). These people have been poisoned by the Taliban in the past as well, Asif said.
“What is encouraging is that people protested of their own will. They did not protest in the past. They have realised that they don’t want to live with the TTP, considering the peaceful life they have lived in the last eight to 10 years,” he added.
The minister also admitted that due to the political situation in Pakistan, protests against militancy in several areas of the country were often overlooked by the media.
In response to a question, the minister said there was no difference between the TTP and the Afghan Taliban.
“But according to our talks with the Afghan Taliban it seems that they want to distance themselves from the TTP,” Asif pointed out, adding that the Afghan Taliban were “politically astute” people.
Asif’s remarks came days after the National Security Committee (NSC) – the principal decision-making body on national security matters – agreed to launch an “all-out comprehensive operation” to rid the country of the menace of terrorism, the report said. PTI SH
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#Banned #TTP #Afghan #soil #attack #Pakistan #Defence #Minister #Asif
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 11, 2023
Japan prime minister vows to boost G7 security after smoke bomb attack

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Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he would increase security at G7 meetings taking place in his country, a day after a man threw a smoke bomb at him at a campaign event.
Kishida was campaigning Saturday ahead of next week’s by-elections for the Japanese parliament when an explosive device was hurled toward him. Footage on Twitter appeared to show a bodyguard kicking a smoke bomb away from the prime minister and bundling him away, after the device landed near them. A 24-year-old man was arrested at the scene.
Japan will host the leaders of the Group of Seven most industrialized nations at a summit in Hiroshima next month.
On Sunday, speaking after emerging unscathed from the smoke bomb incident, CNN quoted Kishida as saying: “Japan as a whole must strive to provide maximum security during the dates of the summit and other gatherings of dignitaries from around the world.”
G7 foreign ministers are meeting Sunday for a three-day conference in Karuizawa, where they are expected to discuss China’s aggression toward Taiwan, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and North Korea’s missile testing. G7 climate ministers, meanwhile, are completing a two-day meeting in Sapporo.
The Kishida incident had eerie echoes of the shocking assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last July.

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#Japan #prime #minister #vows #boost #security #smoke #bomb #attack
( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )

April 11, 2023

Israel’s PM rescinds firing of Defence Minister amid security concerns

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Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has withdrawn his decision to dismiss the Defence Minister whom he had recently said to fire for outspoken criticism of a controversial judiciary overhaul plan.

In a televised press conference on Monday, Netanyahu said that he decided to keep Yoav Gallant in his position, citing the escalating violence in the region, Xinhua news agency reported.

“I decided to put the differences we had behind us,” Netanyahu said, adding “Gallant remains in his position and we will continue to work together for the security of the citizens of Israel.”

While having embroiled for weeks in an internal debate over the contentious plan to reform its judicial system, Israel faced two Palestinian attacks that cost the lives of four people and barrages of rockets from Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip amid escalating tensions with Palestinians in recent days.

Netanyahu announced the removal of Gallant, a senior member of Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party, on March 26 after the minister called for a pause in the judicial overhaul that would weaken the powers of the Supreme Court and expand the authorities of the government.

Despite the announcement, Gallant technically remained in his ministerial post because Netanyahu never made the necessary formal steps needed for the firing to take place.

On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of Israelis held rallies across the country for the 14th week, calling on Netanyahu’s hard-right coalition government to cancel the reform plan.

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#Israels #rescinds #firing #Defence #Minister #security #concerns

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 11, 2023