Sakshi Education
- After Pangong pullback, India and China to push for resolution elsewhere
Making significant headway in attempts to resolve the nine-month military standoff along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, Chinese and Indian troops have completed the first phase of disengagement on the north and south banks of Pangong Tso.
Senior commanders will meet Saturday morning to discuss the pullback of troops from the other friction points in the region.
The disengagement of artillery, tanks and troops from heights was completed.
“Everything that was agreed upon at the ninth round of talks (on January 24) has been achieved. At Pangong Tso, status quo ante has been achieved.
On the north bank, China has pulled its troops east of Finger 8 (which India says marks the LAC) and India is holding its position behind Finger 3 at the Dhan Singh Thapa post.
All temporary structures, erected by China in the (temporary no-patrolling) stretch between, have been levelled,” a government official said.
India has vacated the heights at Rechin La and Rezang La on the south bank as per the agreement. In fact, China has shown unexpected alacrity in vacating the positions it held. This has raised hopes of results in the forthcoming meetings on outstanding issues,” the official said.
The disengagement process that remained partial at Hot Springs and Gogra, apart from the long-standing issue of patrolling rights on the Depsang Plains.
Issue of the CNN (Charding-Ninglung Nallah) area, which includes Demchok, where grazing rights of Indian people have faced opposition from the Chinese in the last three years.
The scheduling of the tenth round of talks means that troops from the two sides have vacated the heights near Finger 4 on the Pangong Tso north bank, and Indian troops have also vacated the heights of Magar Hill, Gurung Hill, Mukhpari, Rechin La and Rezang La in the Chushul sub-sector.
India was able to place tanks at Rechin La and Rezang La which was unthinkable before. This turned the tables on the PLA and brought them to the negotiating table,” Lt General Joshi said, underlining that vacating these positions would not put India at a disadvantage.
India occupied (the heights) with a purpose to push the negotiations to disengagement in the north bank.
- India, China to push for solution of remaining issues on LAC
Disengagement of frontline troops in the Pangong Tso area was a significant step forward for the resolution of issues in other areas in the Western Sector.
India and China, at the 10th Corps Commander talks, agreed to push for a mutually acceptable solution for the remaining issues.
The two sides agreed to follow the important consensus of their state leaders, continue their communication and dialogue, stabilise and control the situation on the ground, push for a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues in a steady and orderly manner, so as to jointly maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas.
The Corps Commanders had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on other issues along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Sector, the statement said.
The two sides positively appraised the “smooth completion” of disengagement of frontline troops in the Pangong Lake area and said that it provided a “good basis” for resolution of other remaining issues.
The focus of the talks was to work out a phased disengagement plan for the other friction areas. These include Gogra, Hot Springs, Depsang and Demchok.
In the previous two rounds, India sought restoration of the status quo as it existed before the standoff began in May 2020.
Indian and Chinese troops scuffled at Pangong Tso in Ladakh on 5/6th May.
After the first round of talks on 6th June, 2020, clashes occurred in Galwan Valley (Ladakh) that claimed 20 Indian soldiers’ lives and an unknown number of casualties on the Chinese side.
While faceoffs and standoffs keep occurring on the LAC due to differences in perception on the alignment, there has been no instance of firing on the LAC since 1975.
- Maldives Parliament debates defence deal with India
A day after Male and New Delhi signed an agreement to jointly develop the Maldives National Defence Force Coast Guard Harbour, Maldives’s Parliament, ‘the People’s Majlis’, took up an emergency motion, demanding greater transparency on the bilateral pact.
Following the signing of the agreement, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar quoted by saying that the agreement will strengthen Maldivian Coast Guard capability and facilitate regional HADR efforts. Partners in development, partners in security.
An MP from the Opposition Progressive Party of Maldives submitted an emergency motion in the House, objecting to the signing of the pact, linked to the “independence and sovereignty” of the Maldives, without the approval of Parliament.
Maldivian Defence Minister said the project was “vital” to the effective functioning of the Maldivian Coast Guard.
Given our expansive maritime territory, the need to enhance local coast guard capabilities cannot be overstate. explaining why the government is “elated” that the project is “finally under way”.
This dockyard and harbour will, in time, afford us the opportunity to protect our maritime interests on our own thereby enhancing our sovereignty.
The harbour development agreement, effectively a defence pact, was signed following a request from the government of Maldives for Indian assistance to enhance the capability of the Defence Forces.
Not all in the ruling coalition agree with the government’s current foreign policy. Government MP said Male should avoid seeking assistance on military matters from any big power.
Whether it is India, China or the U.S., their agreements here are bound to have conflicting interests.
We should not end up in a situation where we have to choose one partner over another, we should not become part of a proxy [geopolitical] war.
Last year, New Delhi welcomed the Maldives’s decision to sign a military agreement with the U.S.
- New freight plan: Loaded trucks will take the train
Trucks loaded with goods reach their destinations hundreds of kilometers away three times faster than before. They will take the train.
That’s the new business model designed by the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) for one of its newly opened stretches in the western region with a projected annual earning close to Rs 100 crore.
The “Roll-On-Roll-off (RORO)” service will be started between Palanpur in Gujarat and Rewari in Haryana, a distance of 636 km, to transport a wide range of goods unloaded in ports to markets in north India, especially the National Capital Region.
Approximately 2,500-3,000 trucks ply between Rewari and Palanpur, riding on the traffic between the three Gujarat ports, the hinterland and the northern regions of Rewari, Hisar, Agra, Ghaziabad, Haridwar, Dehradun, Chandigarh, Ludhiana etc.
DFCCIL, a Railways PSU, has floated a Request for Proposal for private players to bid for sole rights to market this service – 900 trips, each carrying 45 loaded trucks on specially designed wagons.
The bids will be opened next month for the year-long contract that can be extended by another year.
The RORO model has not really taken off as a viable offering for the Railways.
But the Dedicated Freight Corridor ecosystem, with its own tracks and no passenger trains or red tape, may be a different story, officials believe.
And once it is a success, it may be replicated on other stretches of the corridor — “wherever there is viability”.
On road, the distance between Palanpur and Rewari is around 720 km with at least 13 major toll points costing around Rs 5,000 in all per truck.
By train, the distance is reduced by around 84 km with no barriers, at an average speed of 75 km per hour.
Besides, officials said, the distance of 36 hours by road will be reduced to a 10-hour ride coupled with assured, predictable transit for truck owners, along with less wear and tear of the trucks.
The approximate calculations by the DFC expect the cost to the customer per trip will work out to be a few thousands of rupees cheaper.
The other benefit, they said, is that 40,500 trucks travelling over 636 km one way on trains every year is a “huge gain” in terms of emissions and decongestion of roads.
Various stretches of the critical infrastructure project have started getting commissioned, with Prime Minister last month inaugurating two stretches, including the 300-km Rewari-Madar section, for which this new plan has been worked out.
- Manish Sisodia launches month-long drive for registration of construction workers in Delhi
The Delhi government recently launched a month-long drive for registering construction workers with the board meant for their welfare, Deputy Chief Minister said.
This comes six months after the government attempted a similar initiative that was marred by software glitches.
Deputy Chief Minister said out of the estimated 10 lakh construction workers in Delhi, 2.12 lakh are currently in the government’s “registration network”.
Out of the 2.12 lakh, 29,000 workers need to renew their annual membership with the construction workers welfare board.
SMSes have been sent to them. In case of around 50,000 workers, registration process is underway. The rest remain outside the net of the board.
The board runs a number of welfare schemes funded by the cess collected from building projects under the Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Cess Act, 1996.
The Delhi High Court has been hearing a PIL on the dip in the number of registered workers and issuing necessary directions since last year.
As part of the drive, at 262 labour chowks, an awareness campaign will be carried out to apprise workers about the benefits of registering with the board, while 45 camps will be set up for carrying out registrations and renewals.
The camps will run between 9 am to 5 pm every Monday to Friday during this period.
“Mobile units would be deployed in the districts to travel between different construction sites and register construction workers at the construction site itself so that workers don’t have to forego their daily wage.
- All about Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 3.0
The Union Health Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, launched the Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 3.0.
The mission will be divided into two rounds.
The first phase will start on February 22, 2021, and the second phase will start on March 22, 2021.
It will spread across 250 districts or urban areas in 29 States or Union Territories.
In addition, the Minister also launched the IMI 3.0 portal and issued Operational Guidelines for it.
He also launched promotional materials or IEC packages developed under the campagin.
The Central Government initiated the IMI 3.0 program, which aims to provide free immunizations for pregnant women and children in India.
This scheme will strengthen and reinvigorate the immunization programme.
This will help quickly achieve full immunization of children and pregnant women.
This mission also aims to reach the unreached population. It will receive all vaccines available under the Universal Immunization Program (UIP).
- Propose bilateral green deal to U.S., says energy expert Arunabha Ghosh
CEO of Council on Energy Environment and Water (CEEW) says India needs to proactively negotiate a bilateral climate agreement with the U.S.
CEO suggests that hill States such as Uttarakhand be given a concrete plan to transition from reliance on large hydropower plants for energy.
This is an opportunity for India to be proactive and propose a bilateral deal, where the U.S. and India can work more closely on climate change.
The focus should be on what can be achieved in the near-term. There will be pressure on India to give a plan on when it will achieve Net Zero (when a country’s carbon dioxide emissions are balanced by the amount locked back in).
However, India must have an agreement on say the use of hydrogen, and form a Green Hydrogen Alliance.
The U.S. will predictably try to nudge, cajole other countries into raising ambition (in the form of greater emission targets, for example) but India shouldn’t be swayed by emotion.
India can use this opportunity to ask the U.S. to raise ambition, given that it has been out of the agreement for four years. We can ask for concrete targets, finance, technology.
COP 26 will be a very significant event though probably not as much as the conference in Paris (in 2015). The reason for its importance is because it’s coming in a year after the pandemic began.
It will reveal if the world’s recovery has been a green one and [if] we are building a world that is better.
COP26will likely be about the mechanisms, especially financial ones, to operationalise plans.
- India, Pakistan agrees to observe 2003 ceasefire
In a first joint statement issued by the two sides in years, India and Pakistan recently said they have agreed to a “strict observance of all agreements, understandings and cease firing along the Line of Control (LoC) and all other sectors” with effect from the midnight of February 24-25.
The decision was announced after discussions between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both sides over the established hotline.
In the interest of achieving mutually beneficial and sustainable peace along the borders, the two DGMOs agreed to address each other’s core issues and concerns which have [the] propensity to disturb peace and lead to violence.
It added that they would use existing mechanisms of hotlines and flag meetings to resolve any “misunderstandings”.
As per the existing mechanism, there is a discussion by officials from the Military Operations directorate every Tuesday but the DGMOs speak only when one side requests for a conversation.
However, Army sources reiterated that there would be “no let-up” in counter-terror operations as a result of the agreement, adding that the agreement with Pakistan was “an attempt to bring violence levels down.
India desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan and has always been committed to addressing issues, if any, in a peaceful bilateral manner.
- India, Nepal sign MoU for reconstruction of six secondary schools in Himalayan Nation
India and Nepal signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the reconstruction of six secondary schools in the Himalayan nation.
The MoU was signed between the Indian Embassy and Nepal's Central Level Project Implementation Unit (Education) of Nepal Reconstruction Authority (NRA).
The MoU was for the construction of six secondary schools at a total cost of Nepali Rupees 518 million, according to a statement by the Indian Embassy.
Of the six schools, four including KantiBhairab Secondary School, Champa Devi Secondary School, Dhapasi Secondary School and Bishnu Devi Secondary School are located in Kathmandu district and remaining two Siddheshwar Secondary School and Harisiddhi Secondary School are located in Kavre district.
- India, U.S. call for rule of law in Myanmar
India recently joined Australia, Japan and the United States for a ministerial meeting under the quadrilateral grouping during which key issues, including Myanmar, came up for discussion.
External Affairs Minister and U.S. Secretary of State said the military takeover in Myanmar featured in the talks and participants reiterated democratic values for the region.
India also emphasised in its statement that the meeting expressed commitment to “upholding rules-based international order” and “peaceful resolution of disputes”.
EAM said our positive agenda underlines our shared commitment to global good. Quad members discussed contemporary challenges, especially impact of COVID-19 and exchanged views on issues across the Indo-Pacific.
The leaders referred to the military crackdown in Myanmar, with the U.S. highlighting “the urgent need to restore the democratically elected government in Burma, and the priority of strengthening democratic resilience in the broader region.
Significantly, the U.S. statement referred to Myanmar as Burma, the name that Naypyitaw had stopped using since 1989 after a brutal crackdown against the democratic movement.
The quadrilateral security dialogue includes Japan, India, United States and Australia.
All four nations find a common ground of being the democratic nations and common interests of unhindered maritime trade and security.
The idea was first mooted by Japanese Prime Minister in 2007. However, the idea couldn’t move ahead with Australia pulling out of it.
Quad is an opportunity for like-minded countries to share notes and collaborate on projects of mutual interest.
Members share a vision of an open and free Indo-Pacific. Each is involved in development and economic projects as well as in promoting maritime domain awareness and maritime security.
It is one of the many avenues for interaction among India, Australia, Japan and the US and should not be seen in an exclusive context.
- First India-EU high-level dialogue on trade, investment held
The first India-EU High-Level Trade and Investment Dialogue were held.
The dialogue is the outcome of the 15th India-EU Leaders Summit held in July 2020. The goal is to guide bilateral trade and investment relations at the ministerial level.
The ministers also agreed to hold meetings in the next three months with an objective to reach consensus on a series of bilateral trade and investment cooperation issues viz. a Bilateral Regulatory Dialogue; India-EU Multilateral
Dialogue to explore the possibility of further cooperation, etc.
In an important step forward, it was also discussed to relaunch the regular interaction of bilateral trade and investment agreements, with an interim agreement, to start with, were also discussed.
- Israel wants India by its side against ICC ruling, Delhi silent
Israel is pushing “good friend” India to take a stand against a ruling last week by the International Criminal Court claiming jurisdiction over Palestinian territories.
Delhi, still navigating its way through the big shifts in West Asia, is reluctant to be drawn in.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote to Indian Prime Minister, whom he described recently as a “great friend”, asking India to speak out against the decision, and to send a clear message to the ICC “to stop this assault on justice and common sense”.
Delhi has not responded to Netanyahu’s February 7 communication, which came two days after the ICC ruling.
Instead Delhi has conveyed through diplomatic channels that since India is not a member of the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC, it would not want to comment or take a position on any of the court’s decisions or rulings.
Israel, which is also not a member of the Rome Statute, has condemned the ICC ruling as “outrageous” and said the decision had exposed the court as “a political body”.
Israel said the ICC “has no authority to make such a decision” since Israel does not recognise the court’s jurisdiction and the Palestinian Authority is not a sovereign state. Netanyahu called the ruling “antisemitism”.
The ICC’s majority 2-1 decision on February 5 was made on the basis of Palestine’s 2015 accession to the Rome Statute after its acceptance as a “non-member observer state” of the UN General Assembly in 2012.
The court made it clear that the ruling was not a determination of Palestinian statehood.
The ruling came 14 months after ICC prosecutor said there was “reasonable evidence” that war crimes were being committed in Palestinian territories of West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. Prosecutor named both the Israeli Defence Forces and Hamas as possible perpetrators.
- India One of Most Important Partners in Indo-Pacific Region: US
Describing India as one of the most important partners of the U.S. in the Indo-Pacific region, the Joe Biden administration recently said it welcomes India’s emergence as a leading global power.
India is one of the most important partners in the Indo-Pacific region for us. USA welcomes India’s emergence as a leading global power and its role as a net security provider in the region.
India and USA reaffirmed the strength of the U.S.-India partnership and discussed issues of mutual concern, including the situation in Myanmar.
India and US also discussed regional developments, including the value of U.S.-India cooperation across the Indo-Pacific.
Both sides look forward to expanded regional cooperation, including through the Quad, and to address the challenges related to COVID-19 and climate change.
U.S.-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership is both broad as well as multifaceted.
Both the nations will continue to engage at the highest levels to deepen cooperation on many fronts, and are confident that the strong and upward trajectory of the partnership will, in fact, continue.
US welcomes India joining the Security Council in the last month of this year for a two-year term.
The U.S. also remains India’s largest and most important trading partner, with the total bilateral trade increasing to $146 billion in 2019. U.S. companies are a large source of India’s foreign direct investment.
- India, Bangladesh foreign secretaries review ties, discuss PM Modi’s visit to Dhaka
Foreign Secretaries of India and Bangladesh on Friday carried out a comprehensive review of the overall bilateral ties and held discussions on preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s likely visit to Dhaka on March 26.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said both sides reviewed progress in the bilateral relationship, including in the areas of defence and security, border management, trade, connectivity, power, energy and cooperation in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen arrived here on Thursday on a three-day visit, primarily to prepare ground for Modi’s upcoming visit to Dhaka.
In the talks held under the framework of India-Bangladesh foreign office consultations, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Momen agreed to maintain the steady momentum of bilateral cooperation and people-to-people ties.
“Both sides held a comprehensive review of the progress achieved in the bilateral relationship, including in the areas of Covid-19 cooperation, trade, connectivity, development partnership, power, energy and water resources, regional and multilateral cooperation as well as border management and security and defence cooperation,” the MEA said in a statement.
At a virtual summit with his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina last month, Modi described the neighbouring country as a “key pillar” of India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.
The MEA said discussion also focussed on preparations for the forthcoming visit of Modi to Dhaka and events relating to the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
“Both sides also agreed to hold the next home secretary level talks, commerce secretary level talks and the secretary level meeting of joint rivers commission before the March summit,” it said.
It said both sides noted with appreciation the cooperation on the coronavirus-related issues, including India’s gift of two million doses of Covishield vaccine to Bangladesh in keeping with its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.
- India & France Alliance to Work in Sustainable Development, RE
Indo-French alliance moves towards the "Green Planet" year. The Union Environment Minister, together with his French Prime Minister, launched the Indo-French Environment Year.
The Union Environment Minister, together with his French Prime Minister, launched the Indo-French Environment Year.
The basic goal is to strengthen cooperation between India and France in sustainable development, increase the effectiveness of actions that are conducive to global environmental protection, and make them more well-known.
The Indo-French Environment Year 2021-2022 will be based on five main themes:
Environmental protection
Climate Change
Biodiversity conservation
Sustainable urban development
Develop renewable energy and energy efficiency
It is also a platform for discussing key areas of cooperation related to the environment and related fields.
On the French side, it will be held under the auspices of the Ministry of Ecological Transition, with the support of the French Embassy in Delhi and its partners, in close collaboration with the Europe and Foreign Affairs.
In India, it will be coordinated/organized by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and other relevant ministries.
A joint review committee will also be established to finalize the calendar of events for the Indo-French Environment Year.
- 5th Joint Meeting of the India-Japan Act East Forum
The fifth joint meeting of the India-Japan-French Eastern Forum was held between India and Japan. The meeting was also chaired by Harsh Vardhan Shringla (Foreign Minister) and Japanese Ambassador to India Suzuki Satoshi.
At the Far East Forum, India and Japan reviewed the progress of ongoing projects in Northeast India.
These projects are launched in areas such as hydropower, connectivity, water resource utilization, sustainable development and skills development.
The two countries also discussed several new projects underway under the bilateral cooperation between India and Japan.
They also exchanged views on cooperation in new areas, including agricultural industry, healthcare and small and medium enterprises, smart cities, tourism, bamboo industry value chain development, and people-to-people exchanges.
Both sides also appreciate the role played by the Bill East Forum in simplifying bilateral cooperation between India and Japan since its establishment in 2017. The forum can help the Northeast to achieve modernization.
The East India Action Forum also provided a platform for India-Japan cooperation in the Northeast region based on India’s East India policy and Japan’s vision of a "free and open Indo-Pacific".
The Act East Forum was established in 2017. During his visit to India, Prime Minister Abe signed an agreement to establish a forum in September 2017. This platform is in line with Japan's vision of achieving a "free and open Indo-Pacific" and cooperation between India and Japan in the Northeast under India's "East French Policy".
Act East Policy was launched at the Myanmar East Asia Summit in November 2014. The introduction of this policy focuses on economic and security integration. The policy is mainly aimed at Southeast Asia and East Asia. It is said that this policy is a modification of "Look East Policy".
India’s Look East policy was introduced by the former prime minister in 1991 by P V Narasimha Rao introduced this policy with the purpose of shifting India’s trade focus from the West and neighbouring countries to Southeast Asian countries. With the promulgation of the Eastern Act, this policy was terminated in 2014.
- Indian envoy meets Gotabaya, Mahinda as ECT deal falls through
In a flurry of meetings a day after Sri Lanka backed out of an agreement with India and Japan to develop the East Container Terminal (ECT) at the Colombo Port, Indian High Commissioner met President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, PM Mahinda R and Foreign Minister.
The thrust of the Indian envoy’s message to the Sri Lankan leadership was that Colombo must adhere to its commitments in the tripartite agreement of May 2019.
The agreement was to jointly develop the strategic terminal with the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) holding a 51% stake and India and Japan holding 49% together.
In 2019, Sri Lanka, Japan and India signed an agreement to jointly develop the East Container Terminal at the Colombo Port.
The three countries will jointly build the East Container Terminal at the Port of Colombo.
As per the agreement the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) retains 100% ownership of the East Container Terminal (ECT), while the Terminal Operations Company is jointly owned, the SLPA
Sri Lanka will hold a 51% stake in the project and the joint venture partners will retain 49%.
Japan is likely to provide a 40-year soft loan with a 0.1% interest rate; details of India’s contribution to the initiative are awaited.
While the ECT, which is in its first stage and awaits upgrade, has a 450-metre-long quay wall and water depth of 18 metres, equipping it to accommodate large vessels, the West Container Terminal (WCT) exists merely as a proposal, with no infrastructure yet.
Over 70% of the trans-shipment business at the strategically located ECT is linked to India
The involvement of India and Japan is the project is being seen as a big development aimed at neutralising the growing influence of China, which has poured money into the South Asian island nation under its mammoth Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) infrastructure plan
The Indian side conveyed that the signals emanating from Sri Lanka should boost the confidence of potential investors.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has pledged to draw foreign direct investments to the country, rather than take loans.
This is the second instance of Sri Lanka reversing an agreement on a large infrastructure project involving Japan, after the government scrapped the $1.5 billion, Japan-funded Light Rail Transit system last year.
The development has sparked alarm in India and Japan, according to diplomatic sources, who said Sri Lanka had neither conveyed its decision, nor offered the alternative proposal to either of the partners.
Published date : 02 Mar 2021 12:40PM
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