India and the World | India Writes

Maggi noodles ‘safe’ for consumption, but removed from market

June 5, 2015June 5, 2015 - by India Writes Network

Though Nestle made a presentation to India’s Health Ministry on June 4th defending its star product- the Maggi instant noodles- saying that the samples detected with excess lead were past the expiry date, the food giant has decided to withdraw the product from sales in India. The company said the nation-wide uproar over the product has “created an environment of confusion” for consumers. Since consumers’ trust was a key priority, the company had taken a decision to withdraw the product from the market.

A Nestle spokesperson said, “Unfortunately, recent developments and unfounded concerns about the product have led to an environment of confusion for the consumer, to such an extent that we have decided to withdraw the product off the shelves, despite the product being safe”.

Modi’s Dhaka visit raises new hopes

June 5, 2015June 5, 2015 - by India Writes Network

Peace and stability in Bangladesh is vital for India to improve connectivity with the North Eastern states and with East Asia, as envisaged in the Act East Policy. Mr Modi’s two day visit to the Bangladeshi capital, which begins on 6th June, is important for the multifarious issues which shall be on the table with our largest trading partner in South Asia.
Economic cooperation can be a win-win situation, and Bangladesh has offered space for Indian industries in its Special Economic Zone. New Delhi has offered financial assistance in tune of $200 million grant for development projects. Bangladesh has allowed India to use its territory and infrastructure to ferry 10,000 tonne foodgrains to Tripura. Bangladesh which proposes to build a deep sea port can be a partner with India in ship building.
Bangladesh is the first Muslim majority country that PM Modi has is visiting, before he embarks on his tour to West Asian and Central Asian countries in the coming months. If he wins the hearts of Bangladeshis, it will strengthen not only his neighbourhood first policy, but also his agenda for sub-regional cooperation within SAARC (mandated under the SAARC Charter) and revitalise his Act East Policy. Keeping in view the difficulties in taking the SAARC agenda forward owing to issues with Pakistan, India can catalyze cooperation within SAARC by taking Bangladesh into confidence.

India, US sign new defence framework pact, focus on co-development

June 4, 2015June 4, 2015 - by India Writes Network

In a major thrust to the India-US Strategic Partnership, the two nations signed a new 10-year defense framework agreement during an official visit of the US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter to India. The agreement builds upon the previous framework and shall guide the bilateral defense and strategic partnership for the next ten years.

The groundwork for this was done during the successful January visit of President Barack Obama to India. The agreements were signed during the meeting of Mr Carter and India’s Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar on June 3rd in New Delhi.
During Mr Carter’s visit, apart from inking the framework agreement, the two sides have agreed to expedite discussions to take forward cooperation on jet engines, aircraft carrier design and construction, and other areas. Continued bilateral cooperation in the areas of mutual interest, including maritime security and joint training in defense, was also agreed to.

Taking on the ISIS monster: Building a credible coalition

June 4, 2015June 4, 2015 - by India Writes Network

Representatives of over twenty countries, which are included in the anti-ISIS coalition, came together on Paris on June 2 to discuss their strategy of countering the terror outfit. They renewed commitments to remain “united, determined and focussed” in what was reemphasised to be a long fight against the Daesh (an acronym used for the ISIS by the Western media and detested by the group).
West Asian politics is multi-pronged, with several games being played simultaneously. A political and diplomatic solution needs to precede and follow up on a military one, as is the need to resolve political situations in Syria, and a multitude of unstable states, which provide safe haven for terror outfits. Thus, military, diplomacy and politics all need to come together for a humanitarian solution to counter the crisis sparked by the rise of The Islamic State.

Sweden backs India for UN permanent seat & MTCR

June 2, 2015June 2, 2015 - by India Writes Network

STOCKHOLM: Sweden, a key Scandinavian country and a member of the NSG, has come out in support of India’s global aspirations by backing New Delhi for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). In a recognition of India’s non-proliferation credentials, Sweden also backed India’s bid for membership of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), one of the four crucial multilateral nuclear export regimes that New Delhi is looking to be a part of.

Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefen Lofven conveyed his support for India’s UNSC aspiration to India’s President Pranab Mukherjee, who is on a state visit to the Nordic country, and underlined that India has requisite credentials for the UN high seat.

During the meeting, the two leaders decided to restart the bilateral strategic dialogue stalled since 2011. Mr Lofven also appreciated Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led “Make in India” campaign, and vowed to invest in India’s growing defence sector.

Israel upbeat about Modi visit

June 2, 2015June 2, 2015 - by India Writes Network

With India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj announcing the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Israel, Tel Aviv has voiced confidence that the first-ever trip by an Indian leader will take India-Israel relations to new heights.

On May 31, Mrs Swaraj had stunned many when she said at her annual media interaction that the Indian prime minister will visit Israel, bringing one of India’s key relationships out the closet. Mr Modi’s visit will be preceded by Sushma Swaraj’s trip to Israel as well as Palestine and Jordon. Mrs Swaraj stressed that India’s policy towards Palestine hasn’t changed at all.

Israel is upbeat about an upswing in ties with India under the Modi government. Israel’s Ambassador to India Daniel Carmon welcomed his proposed visit, and said that the high level visits between the two countries were natural ingredients of further enhancing relationship between India and Israel.

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.