Ø Keen to avoid a diplomatic incident two days
ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s arrival in India, the government played
down allegations of incursions by Chinese soldiers and civilians in Jammu and
Kashmir’s Chumar and Demchok sectors of
Ladakh. Earlier in the day, an official in Leh complained that Chinese
civilians had entered India and opposed construction work of a bund under the
MGNREGA scheme. The government is preparing for what it calls a “once in a
decade” event when the Chinese President lands in Ahmedabad. This is only the
third visit by a Chinese President after Jiang Zemin in 1996 and Hu Jintao in
2006. During the visit, MoUs will be signed between India and China in more
than 20 different fields and agreements that would total more than $100
billion, with $50 billion and $20 billion being committed by China for the
industrial parks near Pune and Gandhinagar alone. Both sides will discuss the
possibility of a civil nuclear cooperation agreement, which would enable China
to sell reactors to India during the visit.
Ø All-India Services officers in eight Naxal-affected States will undergo specialised training at the
Chhattisgarh Academy of Administration on tackling Left-wing extremism. As
part of a mid-career interaction with the armed forces, conducted in
coordination with the Defence Ministry, the Department of Personnel and
Training (DoPT) has asked the State governments to nominate at least three
officers — one each from the Indian Administrative Service, the Indian Police
Service and the Indian Forest Service — for the training from October 15 to 17.
 |
| Presidents of India n Vietnam |
Ø Ahead of Chinese President Xi Jingping’s visit
to India, India and Vietnam have called for freedom of navigation in the
disputed South China Sea. In a joint communique issued after President
Pranab Mukherjee, who is on a four-day State visit to Vietnam, held talks with
his Vietnamese counterpart Truong Tan Sang here, the two countries said the freedom of
navigation in the East Sea/South China Sea should not be impeded.
Without naming any country, they called on all parties concerned to exercise
restraint, avoid threat or use of force and resolve disputes through peaceful
means. The two sides called for collective commitment of the parties concerned
to abide by and implement the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the
South China Sea and to work towards the adoption of a Code of Conduct on the
basis of consensus. India and Vietnam signed seven agreements, including
one for enhanced cooperation in the oil sector. ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) and Vietnam Oil signed a Letter of Intent
(LoI) for jointly exploring two more blocks. The two countries also
signed an MoU on operating and jointly promoting direct air services under
which Vietnam Airlines and India’s Jet Airways will operate flights. They also
agreed to undertake a focussed cooperation in defence related procurement.
The signed pacts include EXIM Bank of India’s
extension of a dollar credit line to Vietnam, agreement on cooperation and
mutual assistance in Customs matters, MoU on animal health and an MoU on
setting up of pangasius (basa fish) farming in India.
Ø Congress MP T. Subbarami Reddy, a former Union
Minister, has been appointed Chairman of the Committee on Subordinate
Legislation of the Rajya Sabha. As an important Parliamentary Committee which
was first constituted in the 1960s, it reviews all rules, regulations, by-laws,
schemes and other statutory instruments issued by various Ministries.
Ø The Union Cabinet, at its meeting gave its nod
for launching the National AYUSH Mission (NAM) with “core and flexible
components.” It is aimed at addressing the gaps in health services by
supporting AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and
Homoeopathy) care and education, particularly in vulnerable and far-flung areas.
No comments:
Post a Comment