6 MAY 2016

Ø  The Union Commerce Ministry has proposed an ambitious scheme to waive the visa requirement for business visitors and tourists from 18 countries, which are considered critical to economic and trade strategy, but the Home Ministry has raised objections to an omnibus exemption. The 18 countries belong to BRICS, in which India joins Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa, and the Asia Pacific group that is part of the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), senior officials in the two Ministries told The Hindu. China is a member of both groups.

Ø  Four superfast intra-Kashmir trains were flagged off in the Valley on Thursday, a move that will significantly reduce travel time between major towns and summer capital Srinagar. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who flagged off the trains at the Anantnag railway station in south Kashmir, said: “It’s the beginning of many more good initiatives to be taken by the Centre in the State. As India makes giant strides on the development front, we hope J&K will get its fair share in the country’s rise.” Ms. Mufti said lack of connectivity was the biggest determinant of development. “I am looking forward to the completion of 111-km-long Katra-Banihal Railway Line, which will provide an all-weather link to the Valley,” said Ms. Mufti. The State government is taking up with the Centre introduction of a new train service — Valley on Wheels — on the pattern of Palace on Wheels, which has given a huge fillip to tourism in Rajasthan.

Ø  In a move that is sure to raise eyebrows in Beijing, four Indian warships will join the navies of the United States and Japan in the second half of June for the next edition of Malabar exercises east of Okinawa, a Japanese island. Last December, India and the U.S announced formal expansion of the bilateral exercises into a trilateral format with the edition of Japan. Official sources said that two stealth frigates, a guided missile corvette and a fleet replenishment tanker of the Indian Navy would take part in the exercises. In September 2007, the navies of Australia, Japan and Singapore joined India and the U.S. in the Malabar exercises which forced China to issue a demarche to New Delhi. This is also not the first time these exercises will be held near Okinawa. Former Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash said it showed that India has made up its mind to form some sort of partnership with Japan and the U.S. and termed the exercises an acknowledgement of the “shared security concerns”. Australia has repeatedly expressed interest in joining Malabar on a permanent basis and the United States had been pushing its inclusion, but India has so far resisted the move so as not to antagonise China.

Ø  Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend a dinner hosted by the U.S –India Business Council (USIBC) on June 7 that will bring together around 400 CEOs, investors and business leaders during his two-day visit to the U.S capital. The Prime Minister is scheduled to address a joint session of the U.S Congress on June 8, and will also attend an event of the Indian community. USIBC dinner event will honour Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Dilip Shanghvi, founder and managing director of Sun Pharmaceuticals. Details of the Prime Minister’s address to the joint session of the Congress is still being worked out by Speaker Paul Ryan’s office, and the community event that will also have several U.S lawmakers participating, will be finalised after Mr Modi’s schedule on the Capitol is final, it has been learnt. The photo-op of the visit could the signing of the first commercial agreement under the Indo-U.S. civil nuclear deal, between the Westinghouse Electric and the Nuclear Power Corporation India Ltd(NPCIL), to build six nuclear reactors in Gujarat. Westinghouse CEO Daniel Roderick had told Reuters in March that he hoped sign the deal in June, after the negotiations could not conclude by the time of Mr Modi’s visit to attend the Nuclear Security Summit on March 31 and April 1. A source familiar with the development said the price of electricity is the lingering issue, and it could be resolved before Mr. Modi’s visit.

Ø  Vice-Admiral Sunil Lanba, currently the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command has been appointed the next Chief of Naval Staff. The government has appointed Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba, at present FOC-in-C Western Naval Command, as the next Chief of Naval Staff with effect from the afternoon of May 31. Vice Admiral Lanba, 58, is a qualified specialist in navigation and direction course and will have a full three-year-term in office till May 31, 2019. In a service spanning nearly 38 years, Vice-Admiral Lanba has served in a variety of Command, operational and staff appointments. He has commanded four frontline warships — INS Kakinada (minesweeper), INS Himgiri (frigate) and destroyers INS Ranvijay and INS Mumbai. Vice Admiral Lanba is a recipient of the Param Vishist Seva Medal and the Athi Vishist Seva Medal for distinguished service of an exceptionally high order.

Ø  The NDA government has proposed a law where wrong depiction of the map of India could land the violators in jail with a maximum term of seven years and fine up to Rs. 100 crore. This measure has been envisaged by the government against the backdrop of instances where certain social networking sites showed Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh as part of Pakistan and China respectively. Recently, Twitter had shown the geographical location of Kashmir in China and Jammu in Pakistan triggering protests from the Indian government after which it was corrected. According to the draft ‘The Geospatial Information Regulation Bill 2016,’ it will be mandatory to take permission from a government authority before acquiring, disseminating, publishing or distributing any geospatial information of India. The draft Bill will ensure that online platforms like Google will have to apply for a licence to run Google Maps or Google Earth in India. No person shall depict, disseminate, publish or distribute any wrong or false topographic information of India including international boundaries through internet platforms or online services or in any electronic or physical form. “Whoever acquired any geospatial information of India in contravention of the law shall be punished with a fine ranging from Rs. 1 crore to Rs. 100 crore and/or imprisonment for a period up to seven years.