Author: India Writes Network

Fear of an emergency in troubled Maldives, India watches closely

- by India Writes Network

With President Yameen Abdul Gayoom yet to implement the court verdict ordering the release of nine political prisoners, including the democratically elected former president Mohammed Nasheed, the island nation faces the possibility of an emergency that will plunge it deeper into a crisis.
Jailed in 2016 on charges of terrorism, Mr Nasheed has since then lived in Britain after travelling there on medical leave from prison. Shortly after his release, the former president announced his decision to contest elections, unsettling Mr Yameen’s plan of running for re-election virtually unopposed with most of his opponents behind bars or in exile. The court also reinstated 12 opposition Members of Parliament, who had been disqualified during a combined opposition attempt to impeach Yameen in 2016.

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Swaraj to showcase India’s soft power, economic growth at Saudi festival

- by India Writes Network

Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi showcased the India growth story at the gathering of the global elite in Davos, India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj heads to Saudi Arabia to inaugurate the popular festival of Janadriyah, which will put the spotlight on the country’s soft power and economic prowess. The February 6-8 visit by Swaraj will mark the first high-level visit after Mr Modi’s visit to the Gulf kingdom in 2016 and comes ahead of his three-nation tour of Palestine, the UAE and Oman. Organized annually since 1985 by the National Guard, Janadriyah is a cultural and heritage festival that draws more than one million visitors every year. This year India is the “Guest of Honour country” at the 18-day festival.

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Operation Green to overhaul agriculture: Jaitley focuses on strengthening the rural sector

- by India Writes Network

Announcing a ₹500 crore Operation Green for the development of the agricultural sector Finance Minister ArunJaitley has reinforced the focus of the government in increasing the income of farmers and raising the minimum support price.
Presenting the Union Budget for the fiscal year 2018-19, the minister proposed an Agri-Market Development Fund with a corpus of Rs 2000 crore and the upgradation of rural haats to Grameen agricultural markets. In increasing the Minimum Support Price of all cropsto at least 1.5 times that of the production cost, he promised the full support of the government in ensuring the payment of full MSP even if farmers sell below MSP. He proposed the introduction of Kishan credit cards.

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China challenge tops priority of India’s new foreign secretary Gokhale

- by India Writes Network

A key interlocutor in India’s diplomatic negotiations with China to defuse the 73-day long Doklam standoff that threatened to bring the Asian giants on the brink of a war, veteran diplomat Vijay Gokhale took charge as India’s foreign secretary on January 29. Mr Gokhale succeeded S. Jaishankar.

Widely acknowledged as an expert on East Asia, Mr Gokhale was India’s ambassador to China from January 20, 2016 to October 21, 2017 before moving back to the Ministry to External Affairs headquarters as the secretary (economic relations).
Well versed in mandarin, Mr Gokhale, the 1981 batch India Foreign Service officer, had previously held the posts of director (China and East Asia) and joint secretary (East Asia) in the MEA. He had also served as India’s ambassador to Germany between October 2013 and January 2016 and served in Indian missions in Hong Kong, Hanoi and New York.

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India@69: President Kovind bats for a cohesive India where you can disagree

- by India Writes Network

Unveiling his vision of a tolerant and modern India, India’s President Ram Nath Kovind batted for right “to disagree with another viewpoint” in his Republic Day eve address and called for a robust nation-building process that would contribute of a “composite and cohesive world”.
Speaking on the eve of India’s 69th Republic Day, the president spoke about many facets of a nation – one of happy and equal-opportunity, innovation, civic-mindedness, selflessness, cultural vibrancy, discipline and moral uprightness – that together make up a “modern India that is both a land of talent – and a land of unlimited opportunities for that talent”.
In a veiled allusion to a raging controversy around the screening of the film Padmaavat which has triggered violence in parts of India, President Kovind underscored the need to maintain harmony through respect of one another’s viewpoint, as against the divisiveness that marks the society at present. “Where one can disagree with another viewpoint – or even with a historical context – without mocking a fellow citizen’s dignity and personal space. This is fraternity in action”, he said.

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Amid South China Sea flux, India, Vietnam to step up maritime connect

- by India Writes Network

With defence cooperation becoming a key pillar of their partnership, India and Vietnam have decided to engage more effectively in maritime cooperation against the backdrop of growing Chinese assertion in the South China Sea. In a bilateral meeting on January 24, ahead of the India ASEAN Commemorative Summit, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc discussed ways to strengthen and expand their defence ties, with a special focus on the disputed waters of the South China Sea where China continue to construct artificial islands claiming historical rights.

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