India and the World | India Writes

Ashton Carter visit: India, US to sign 2015-25 Defence Framework pact

June 1, 2015June 1, 2015 - by India Writes Network

Ahead of his upcoming visit to India next week, US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said America was looking for ways to complement India’s Act East policy and cooperate in important areas of the Asia Pacific region.

Dr Carter will sign the 2015 US-India Defence Framework, which will further enhance the two countries’ defence cooperation across various areas- from maritime security to aircraft carrier and jet engine technology. He will also visit the Eastern Naval Command at Vizag in Andhra Pradesh.

Honouring UN peacekeeping heroes: India launches a virtual memorial wall

May 31, 2015May 31, 2015 - by India Writes Network

In a pioneering initiative towards building a permanent monument at the U.N. headquarters in New York, India has launched a virtual memorial wall as a tribute to the U.N. peacekeeping heroes who died during their services since 1952.
India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Asoke Kumar Mukerji, unveiled the digital memorial wall at a formal reception hosted in New York on May 29. At the ceremony, 126 recipients of the Dag Hammarskjold Medal were awarded posthumously to the UN peacekeepers.
The reception was attended by defence officers from around the world. Mr Mukerji invited them to put forward the name of their heroes to the virtual wall, which is hosted on the website – www.pminewyork.org – the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations. The wall includes names of 161 Indians who died in several peacekeeping operations.
So far, India has contributed more than 180,000 troops to 44 UN operations so far. Currently, 8,112 Indian personnel are serving from the Indian military, police and civilians in seven U.N. operations

India’s economic growth outpaces China’s in 2nd quarter

May 31, 2015May 31, 2015 - by India Writes Network

he Indian economy grew at 7.3 percent in 2014-15 compared to 6.9 per cent in 2013-14, making it the second straight quarter during which it grew at a faster rate than that of China.
According to reports released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on May 29, the economy surged primarily due to the improvements in the performance of service as well as the manufacturing sector. Although the GDP growth saw a marginal surge during 2014-15, it was lower than the earlier estimated figure of 7.4 percent. The fourth quarter (January-March 2015) recorded the highest percentage growth at 7.5 percent, better than 6.6 percent recorded in the previous quarter.
The manufacturing sector showed better improvement in 2014-15, as it grew at 7.1 percent against 5.3 percent recorded in the year 2013-14. The output of electricity, gas, water supply and other utilities increased by 7.9 percent against 4.8 percent in the previous year.

Marrying India’s IT prowess with German technology

May 29, 2015May 29, 2015 - by India Writes Network

Barely six weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Germany, Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen’s ongoing visit to New Delhi has set in motion a series of steps aimed at boosting defence and cyber security cooperation between the two countries.

The German minister met India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28 and pitched for a win-win alliance of India’s IT prowess and German technology.

The minister noted that India has excellent human resource which is highly skilled in information technology, while Germany has the technology and knowhow. Working together would create a win-win situation for both of them, she stressed.

Focus on cyber security

According to recent reports, about one billion computers in Germany are infected with Botnet viruses, which makes the country vulnerable to cyber-attacks, making cybercrime a prime concern for the German defense industry. India too, suffered a loss of nearly four billion dollars due to cyber-attacks in 2014.

Holocaust course in Hungary: Remembrance and national identity

May 28, 2015May 28, 2015 - by India Writes Network

A news item likely to go unnoticed by most is that of a university in Hungary making a course on the Holocaust compulsory for all undergraduate students. It is not the content of the course (which is no doubt very important for a discussion on its possible impacts) but a larger context of remembrance- how it shapes national consciousness and its international ramifications- that this article deals with.

Recently, the Peter Pazmany Catholic University, one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Hungary, made a course on the holocaust, titled ‘The Holocaust and its Remembrance’, compulsory for all students in its undergraduate program. It’s the kind of news report that is likely to go unnoticed by most, but such an initiative deserves closer reflection and need to be placed in the larger context of remembrance – how it shapes national consciousness and its international ramifications.

Hungarian Jews, too, suffered terribly during the Second World War, with several thousand being sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps, into forced labour camps and summarily executed on the banks of the Danube.

France to fund Kochi, Bengaluru and Nagpur Metro rail projects

May 28, 2015May 28, 2015 - by India Writes Network

Building upon its commitment to aid Make in India project, France is looking to fund the second phase of Bangalore and Kochi Metro projects and Nagpur Metro project, said France’s …

India, South Korea upgrade ties, sign 7 pacts

May 18, 2015May 18, 2015 - by India Writes Network

SEOUL: India and South Korea have infused a new energy into their multi-faceted partnership by upgrading ties to “special strategic partnership” and signing seven bilateral agreements in diverse areas.

“Our relationship started with a strong economic emphasis. But, it has also now become strategic in content,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday.

“The decision to upgrade bilateral ties reflect how seriously we take the new framework of our relationship. Republic of Korea is the second country with which India will have a diplomatic and security dialogue in 2+2 format,” PM Modi said while addressing a joint press conference with South Korean President Park Geun-hye in Seoul.

South Korea’s $10 billion boost for India’s infrastructure

May 18, 2015May 27, 2015 - by India Writes Network

As India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in South Korea, on his last leg of three-nation visit, Seoul has announced that it will offer $10 billion to support several of India’s ambitious projects including bullet trains and smart cities.

“My country is offering India a financial package amounting to a total of $10 billion. This will comprise an economic development cooperation fund of $1 billion and export credits of another $9 billion,” said Joon-gyu Lee, South Korea’s envoy to India.

Several South Korean companies are doing well in India, and this has given confidence to other Korean organisations to expand its manufacturing and other operations in the country.

PM Modi unveils e-visa for Chinese tourists

May 15, 2015May 15, 2015 - by India Writes Network

BEIJING: In an important move that is poised to boost people-to-people contacts between Asia’s leading economies, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced New Delhi’s decision to grant e-visas to Chinese tourists.

“We have decided to extend electronic tourist visas to Chinese nationals,” the prime minister said while addressing students and faculty at the renowned Tsinghua University in Beijing on May 16.
There has been a constant increase in the number of Chinese travelers visiting the other neighboring countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives. Where Nepal saw an increase of 70 percent, Sri Lanka witnessed a surge of 130 percent Chinese tourists flocking in the countries over the last year. However, India did not get many Chinese tourists, largely due to cumbersome visa procedures. Against this backdrop, India announced ‘Visit India Year’ in China’ with an aim to attract more Chinese tourists to the country and boost its tourism revenue.

China is home to the world’s largest Buddhist population, and the e-visa scheme is expected to sharply enhance the flow of Chinese tourists to ‘Land of Buddha.”

India, China raise bar for economic ties, talk Asian century

May 15, 2015May 15, 2015 - by Manish Chand

India and China have imparted a fresh momentum to their
burgeoning ties by signing over twenty agreements in diverse areas,
and raised the bar for their economic and strategic partnership by
placing their cooperation in the context of an emerging Asian century.
Beijing has launched a charm offensive to welcome India’s Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on his maiden visit to China. In a
first-of-its-kind gesture, China’s President Xi Jinping personally
welcomed Mr Modi in Xian, an ancient cultural city and hometown of the
Chinese leader, on May 14. And on the second day, Mr Modi was
accorded a captivating ceremonial welcome, with Premier Le Keqiang
accompanying the Indian leader for the tri-service guard of honour.
PM Modi’s maiden visit to China has been pitched as an opportunity to
create a new dynamic and architecture in relations between the two
Asian giants. “The leaders agreed that the simultaneous rise of India
and China as two major powers in the region and the world offers a
momentous opportunity for realization of the Asian century,” a joint
statement said after wide-ranging talks between Mr Modi and Premier
Li.