26 MARCH 2015: Dassault sends upgraded Mirage aircrafts

Ø Under criticism for voting against the U.N. Secretary-General’s decision to extend marriage benefits to LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) couples or same-sex couples, India sought to explain that the vote was more about principle rather than its “anti-gay rights” content. According to government officials, the reason for India’s vote was that the decision to extend the benefit was taken by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon “of his own accord” and “without consultations with member States.” India was among 43 countries, along with China, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, which voted for the Russian resolution to withdraw benefits to same-sex couples. The resolution was defeated by the UNGA vote on Tuesday. Faced with criticism over India’s vote, MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said, “It was a complex issue of whether nationals of a state governed by their laws or others’ decisions. That was the basis on which the decision was taken.” Significantly, India had abstained from voting on a previous resolution against LGBT discrimination that was passed by the UNGA in September 2014. However, officials claimed that the current resolution was related to “sovereignty issues” over the U.N.’s administrative and financial functions. Mr. Ban Ki-moon has taken a strong stand on gay rights and has passed several decisions seeking to end discrimination and violence against the LGBT community worldwide. During his visit to India in January 2015, he appealed to the government to repeal its anti-gay law -- Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalises homosexuality -- calling it a “matter of human rights and human dignity,”  Indian diplomatic sources also said the issue was complicated by the ongoing tussle between Russia and the U.S., which is seeking to isolate Moscow internationally. The resolution at the UNGA was proposed by Russia, a country that decriminalised homosexuality in 1993 but enforced a ban on “gay propaganda.” “We must speak plainly about what Russia tried to do today: diminish the authority of the U.N. Secretary-General and export to the U.N. its domestic hostility to LGBT rights,” the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, said in a statement after the vote. Interestingly, India and Pakistan were the only two South Asian countries to vote for the Russian resolution. While Sri Lanka voted against the resolution, along with the U.S. in a bloc of 80 countries, Bhutan, Nepal and the Maldives abstained and Afghanistan did not vote.

Ø Dassault handed over two upgraded Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft to the Indian Air Force at a formal ceremony at the Dassault Aviation Flight Test Centre in France on Wednesday, on a day when the government announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit France on April 9. In 2011, India signed a $2.4-billion grade deal with Thales and Dassault of France for upgrading its fleet of 51 Mirage-2000 fighters it acquired in the 1980s. A separate $1.23- billion deal was reached with the MBDA for equipping the aircraft with MICA air-to-air missiles. The upgraded aircraft would fill a crucial void as the fighter strength of the Air Force had been dwindling. After the upgrade, the aircraft are “almost new” with their life extended by 10-15 years. Upgrades include state-of-the-art avionics, multi-mode radar, mission computers, glass cockpit, helmet-mounted display and electronic warfare suites.

Ø In a departure from tradition, President Pranab Mukherjee will confer the Bharat Ratna on Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the residence of the former Prime Minister on Friday. The Bharat Ratna will be conferred posthumously on Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya at a ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on March 30, along with the civil investiture ceremony for the Padma awards. Pandit Malviya’s family will receive the honour. Government sources said Mr. Mukherjee would reach the residence of Mr. Vajpayee in the evening. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and a select group of senior Ministers and party leaders will be present.

Ø In a deal of particular significance for the large expatriate community, India and Qatar signed an agreement on transfer of sentenced persons on Wednesday, allowing Indian convicts in Qatar to complete their remaining sentence in India and vice versa. The agreement was one of the six signed during the State visit of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar. Under this agreement, Indian prisoners convicted in Qatar can be brought to India to serve the remaining part of their sentence. Similarly, Qatari Citizens convicted in India can be sent to their home country to serve their sentence.

Ø Beleaguered Finance Minister K.M. Mani has received a shot in the arm with the Union government deciding to pick him to head the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on Goods and Services Tax (GST). The committee, which is preparing the framework for implementation of GST, has by convention a chairman from a State not ruled by the party in power at the Centre. The post fell vacant when Abdul Rahim Rather quit following the defeat of the National Conference in the J&K Assembly elections.