India and the World

Indian government projects pro-poor agenda, inclusive growth

- by India Writes Network

In a defining policy statement — ahead of its maiden full-spectrum budget — the Indian government sought to buttress its pro-poor credentials by stressing a host of policy initiatives aimed at uplifting the have-nots. The government also conjured up a vibrant picture of the Indian economy, which, it said, is the world’s fastest growing economy at 7.4 per cent growth rate.

President Pranab Mukherjee addressed joint session of both houses of Parliament to begin the budget session of the parliament on February 23. In his address, Mr Mukherjee said that the government was determined to work for the welfare of the poorest of poor, the most vulnerable and disadvantaged sections of society.

Alluding to a host of pioneering initiatives taken by the BJP-led NDA government to stimulate national resurgence and economic rejuvenation, the president said: “A strong beginning has been made. A promising future awaits us.”

“The fundamental tenet of my Government is Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas– All Together, Development of All. Within a span of nine months, my government has articulated and embarked on a comprehensive strategy for unleashing the full potential of our country and its precious resource of 125 crore people,” Mr Mukherjee said.

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Budget session begins in India, focus on inclusive growth

- by India Writes Network

The crucial budget session of the Indian parliament began on February 23 with President Pranab Mukherjee stressing on the government’s unflinching commitment to inclusive growth, protecting the interest of the poor and tackling pressing national challenges like terrorism, black money and corruption.

“The fundamental tenet of my Government is Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas– All Together, Development of All. Within a span of nine months, my government has articulated and embarked on a comprehensive strategy for unleashing the full potential of our country and its precious resource of 125 crore people,” Mr Mukherjee said in his address to the joint session of Indian parliament.

Alluding to a host of pioneering initiatives taken by the BJP-led NDA government to stimulate national resurgence and economic rejuvenation, the president said: “A strong beginning has been made. A promising future awaits us.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his part, reached out to the opposition and hoped that the budget session will be an opportunity to work together and produce constructive outcomes for the nation.

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Triumph of diplomacy: Indian priest abducted in Afghanistan freed

- by India Writes Network

In a triumph of persistence and diplomacy, India has managed to rescue an Indian aid worker who was abducted by the brutal Taliban militia from Afghanistan’s Herat province. Father Alexis Prem Kumar, a Jesuit priest from Tamil Nadu, returned home on February 22, after months in captivity.
“Delighted at securing the release of Indian Jesuit priest Father Alexis Prem Kumar from captivity in Afghanistan,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.
The Jesuit priest’s release was the culmination of intense negotiations by India through National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. The priest’s kidnapping is not the first time an Indian has been targeted in Afghanistan. In the past few years, the Indian embassy and consulates have been attacked many a time in the past. India has pledged over $2 billion for a host of reconstruction activities in Afghanistan ranging from building roads, bridges and roads to dozens of grassroot projects which have spawned enormous goodwill for India in that country.

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Gandhi statue to shine outside British parliament

- by India Writes Network

In an ironic twist and a symbol of changed times, Mahatma Gandhi, the man who liberated India from the imperial rule, will have his statue installed at Parliament Square in London.
Moving beyond historical wrongs and in a gesture that underscores robust India-Britain ties, India’s Finance minister Arun Jaitley will be inaugurating the statue in Parliament Square in London on March 12, the 85th anniversary of the day Gandhi launched the Dandi March from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi in 1930.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has justified the decision to install a Gandhi statue alongside Britain’s war-time Prime Minister Winston Churchill and South Africa apartheid leader Nelson Mandela saying, “the initiative would lead to Britain cementing its historical connection with India.”
The installation of the statue was announced during British Foreign Secretary William Hague’s visit to India in 2014.

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Aero India: Modi pitches for Make in India in defence, seeks investments

- by India Writes Network

Pitching for the transformation of India’s defence industry, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has enlisted the support of foreign investors for the success of ‘Make in India’ campaign for modernising the country’s military and industrial complex.
Inaugurating the 10th edition of the South Asia’s biggest air show ‘Aero India 2015’ at the Air Force Station Yelahanka near Bengaluri on February 18, the prime minister said it was important to modernise India’s defence forces and increase preparedness and voiced confidence that the country can emerge as a global centre for defence industry.
India is one of the largest importers of defence equipment. Mr Modi stressed that this is one area where he would not like India to be number one and made a robust pitch for cutting down on defence imports to make the country empowered and self-sufficient in cutting-edge defence technologies.

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Religious violence in India is simply on: PM Modi

- by India Writes Network

Breaking his months-long silence on a slew of attacks on churches and the shimmering controversy over attempts at religious conversions by Hindu fundamentalists, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has underlined that his government will not allow any religious group belonging to the majority or minority to spread hatred against any group.
“My government will ensure that there is complete freedom of faith and that everyone has the undeniable right to retain or adopt the religion of his or her choice without coercion or undue influence. My government will not allow any religious group, belonging to the majority or the minority, to incite hatred against others, overtly or covertly,” he said at a function in India’s capital Delhi on February 17 to celebrate the elevation of two members of the church to sainthood.

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India, Israel to focus on defence deals, counter-terrorism

- by India Writes Network

Shedding the veil of secrecy that has tended to envelop India-Israel relations, the Modi government is rolling out the red carpet for Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon, a landmark trip that is set to impart a renewed momentum to the burgeoning defence relations between the two countries.
The importance of the trip is clear from the fact that it is the first trip by an Israeli defence minister to India since the two countries established full diplomatic ties in 1992.
Mr Ya’alon will hold meetings with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar in New Delhi and also participate in Aero India 2015 in Bengaluru to inaugurate the Israeli Pavilion at Aero India.
The India-Israel relations have acquired a new momentum under the new government in New Delhi, which looks at Tel Aviv as an important partner in a host of areas, including defence, counter-terrorism, and water conservation. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met in New York in September 2014 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. With a host of terror groups active in the region, India is looking to step up counter-terror cooperation with Israel.

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