Page 80 - India

India rejects Chinese automaker BYD's $1 billion factory proposal: Report

"Security concerns with respect to Chinese investments in India were flagged during the deliberations," the report quoted an Indian official as saying

India looks forward to strengthening partnership with Sri Lanka: Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday said India looks forward to continuing and strengthening its developmental partnership with Sri Lanka. Welcoming Sri Lanka's President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who had called on Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here, she said Sri Lanka occupies a special place in India's Neighbourhood First' Policy and SAGAR (Security and Growth of All in the Region) vision. "India's multi-pronged support to Sri Lanka in the last one year to tide over its economic challenges is a testament to India's long-standing commitment to bilateral relations with Sri Lanka," the president said. She emphasised that India has always stood with Sri Lanka during its hour of need and would continue to do so in future as well. The president said India looks forward to continuing and strengthening its developmental partnership with Sri Lanka under the leadership of President Wickremesinghe, according to a statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Murmu said "our partnership is endur

Nearly 26,000 cases disposed of by Supreme Court so far: Law Minister

The Supreme Court has disposed of nearly 26,000 cases so far this year while the 25 high courts have settled over 5.23 lakh cases, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal informed Lok Sabha on Friday. On Thursday, the minister had informed Rajya Sabha that cases pending in various courts in the country had crossed the five-crore mark. Citing data from the Supreme Court's Integrated Case Management Information System (ICMIS), Meghwal, in a written reply in Lok Sabha, said the top court had settled 25,959 cases till July 15 this year. The 25 high courts disposed of 5,23,338 cases till July 17 this year, he said, citing National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) data. Meghwal said the disposal of pending cases in courts is within the domain of the judiciary. "No time frame has been prescribed for disposal of various kinds of cases by the respective courts. The government has no direct role in disposal of cases in courts," he said. He said timely disposal of cases in courts depends on several factors

WFI elections on Aug 12, Maharashtra declared ineligible for participation

The much-delayed elections of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) will be conducted on August 12, it was announced on Friday, but the state of Maharashtra will not be part of the poll process as Returning Officer Justice MM Kumar declared that both rival factions were ineligible for participation. The ad-hoc panel had scheduled the elections for July 6 but it was forced to reschedule the polls to July 11 after disaffiliated state bodies from Maharashtra, Haryana, Telangana, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh approached it for a hearing, claiming that their dismissal was not appropriate. Panel heard the aggrieved representatives of the state bodies but the polls could not go ahead even on July 11 with Gauhati High Court staying the elections after Assam Wrestling Association (AWA) sought right to participate in the poll process. The Supreme Court then paved the way for elections on Tuesday after staying the Gauhati High Court order. The electoral college will now have 48 members wit

India's forex reserves top $600 billion, rise to near 15-month high

They rose by $12.74 billion from the week earlier - the biggest gain in four months - having risen by a total of $3.08 billion in the prior two weeks

India's coal production grows 8.55% to 223 MT in Apr-Jun: Coal Ministry

India's coal production increased by 8.55 per cent to 223.36 million tonnes in the April-June quarter of 2023-24 compared to the year-ago period, an official statement said on Friday. Coal production was 205.76 million tonnes (MT) in the same period during FY 2022-23, the Ministry of Coal said. Coal India Limited (CIL) registered 175.48 MT production between April and June 2023, marking a commendable growth rate of 9.85 per cent in comparison to 159.75 MT during the corresponding period of the previous year. The rest came in from other captive mines. While coal imports increased by 16.76 per cent in April-May 2023 as compared to the same period in the previous year, it is important to note that this rise is primarily attributable to the substantial decline in coal import prices, the ministry said. Import prices for coal have plummeted by over 60 per cent in the first quarter of FY24, compared to the year-ago period. "There is enough stock of coal available in the country which is

Achieved target of producing energy via non-fossil fuel sources: Singh

Union minister R K Singh on Friday said that India has achieved its target of producing 43.6 per cent of its total energy through non-fossil fuel sources nine years ahead of the schedule. The Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy was addressing the opening session of the G20 14th Clean Energy Ministerial meeting and 8th Mission Innovation meeting in Goa. "India has already achieved the target of producing 43.6 per cent of its total energy through non-fossil fuel sources. The country has achieved nine years ahead of its schedule of 2030," he said. India's installed electricity capacity through non-fossil fuel sources is 183 gigawatts (GW), out of the total capacity of 421 GW. "We have 88 GW under installation and 55 GW tendered out. If you take the capacity which is installed and under installation, that comes to about 270 GW, which is well above 50 per cent of our service capacity," he said. Singh said that India will add 50 GW every year. The minister said that the wor

No loss to India on removal of customs duties on 8 US products: Minister

The removal of retaliatory customs duties on eight American products, including apples, walnuts, and lentils, will not result in a loss to the country, Parliament was informed on Friday. India had imposed these duties on 28 US products in retaliation to America's move to increase import duty on certain steel and aluminium goods. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Washington, both sides decided to resolve six trade disputes at the World Trade Organisation. India also agreed to remove the duties. The government has decided to remove retaliatory customs duties on import of almonds (fresh or dried, in shell), walnuts, chickpeas, lentils, apples, medical diagnostic reagents, and boric acid, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. "The removal of retaliatory tariffs or cuts in import duty with the US does not result in a loss to India," she said. "It simply means that the additional duties imposed as a ...

India, Sri Lanka agree to boost ties via energy, power and port projects

The two countries also will soon restart negotiations on a more expansive trade deal known as the Economic and Technological Cooperation Agreement

India may continue supply interventions to curb food inflation: Nomura

Earlier this month, the government stepped in to procure tomatoes from certain centres to redistribute them in regions of high consumption to bring down prices

India, Sri Lanka adopt vision document to expand economic partnership

India and Sri Lanka on Friday adopted an ambitious vision document to significantly expand economic partnership after wide-ranging talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe. In his media statement, Modi, referring to the economic difficulties in Sri Lanka last year, said India stood "shoulder-to-shoulder" with the people of the island nation during the crisis as a close friend. The prime minister said firming up of an agreement for launch of the UPI payment system in Sri Lanka will result in fintech connectivity between the two sides. The past one year has been full of challenges for the people of Sri Lanka, he said, adding that being a close friend, as always, India stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of Sri Lanka. In his comments, Modi said the security interests and development of India and Sri Lanka are intertwined and it is necessary to work together keeping in mind each other's security interests and sensitivities. Modi

Convergence among G20 members on key issues except Ukraine conflict: MEA

India on Thursday said there has been high degree of convergence among the G20 nations on all key developmental issues but differences persist on the Ukraine conflict. The comments by External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi came days after the G20 Sherpas held extensive deliberations on the draft leaders' declaration at a three-day meeting in Karnataka's Hampi. The aim of the third Sherpas' meeting under India's G20 presidency was to give shape to the leaders' declaration to be adopted at the New Delhi summit of the grouping in September. There have been sharp differences among the Russia-China combine and the Western countries over the text to describe the Ukraine crisis. At a media briefing, Bagchi said the Sherpa meeting was "very constructive". He said there have been differences on paras relating to the conflict in Ukraine but largely there is "high degree of convergence" among the participants on all other issues and that is a "very positive thing". "I would n

India's G20 presidency strived to strengthen EWG legacy: Bhupender Yadav

Union Labour and Employment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Thursday said India's presidency of G20 has strived to strengthen the legacy of the group's Employment Working Group (EWG). Addressing the two-day Labour and Employment Ministers' (LEM) meeting here, he hailed the G20 EWG for effectively collaborating and working towards finalising the outcome documents. Recognising employers' associations and workers' unions as key facilitators for effective policy making, Yadav appreciated the presence of Labour20 (L20), Business20 (B20), and International Organization of Employers (IOE) in the LEM meeting. In a joint statement, the L20 and B20 called for cooperative industrial relations based on trust and supported by tripartite cooperation, dispute settlement, collective bargaining and involvement of social partners in policy development discussions. It also underscored the proactive role of policy makers in monitoring global trends on employment creation, fluctuation in commodity prices a

India, Japan sign pact for semiconductor development: Ashwini Vaishnaw

India and Japan on Thursday signed an agreement to develop the semiconductor ecosystem, including research and manufacturing, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Thursday. The agreement was signed between Vaishnaw and Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yasutoshi Nishimura in the national capital. "Japan and India have signed a memorandum for semiconductor design, manufacturing, equipment research, talent development and to bring resilience in the semiconductor supply chain," Vaishnaw said. The nations will create "implementation organisation" that will work on government-to-government and industry-to-industry cooperation, Vaishnaw added.

Govt bans exports of non-basmati white rice to boost domestic supply

The government on Thursday prohibited export of non-basmati white rice, according to a notification of the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT). "Export policy of non-basmati white rice (semi-milled or wholly milled rice, whether or not polished or glazed)...is amended from free to prohibited," the DGFT said in a notification. However, it said that the consignments of this rice will be allowed to be exported under certain conditions such as where loading of this rice on the ship has commenced before this notification. Export will also be allowed on the basis of permission granted by the government to other countries to meet their food security needs and based on the request of their governments, it added.

IAF Command develops satellite-based real time aircraft tracking system

The Indian Air Force's Maintenance Command has developed a satellite-based real time aircraft tracking system that can get information about the location of an aircraft, a senior official said here on Thursday. Talking to reporters, Air Marshal Vibhas Pande, Air Officer Commanding in Chief (AOC-in-C), Maintenance Command located here, said the aircraft tracking system would be implemented once the final trial pending in the eastern sector gets over. "One of the Base Repair Depots (BRD) under the aegis of Air Force's Maintenance Command has indigenously developed a real time aircraft tracking system, wherein the Air Force can get the update on the location of a flying aircraft every 30 seconds," he said. The tracking system is satellite-based and can track the path of an aircraft, Air Marshal Pande said. The final trial of the aircraft tracking system is pending in the eastern sector and once it is completed then modification will be implemented in all the aircraft, he said. "Trial

Don't make it an issue of prestige: SC tells govt on Cheetah deaths

A bench of Justices BR Gavai, JB Pardiwala and Prashant Kumar Mishra made these observations while hearing the issue related to the death of cheetahs.

India, Germany to strengthen bilateral ties: German Vice Chancellor

Germany's Vice Chancellor and Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck on Thursday said India and Germany want to further strengthen bilateral cooperation and increase investments and collaboration among companies. He arrived on a three-day visit to India on Thursday. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the Indo-German Business Forum here, Habeck also said China is Germany's biggest trading partner and a lot of German and European companies have invested in that country. "It is a huge market and this goes the same for India and for the US for example. On the other hand we see that being dependent on only one market could be a risk and even more so if we see that economic issues are not politically neutral, that interests are interwoven in the economic relations," he said. He further said "we can't decouple from China" but de-risking and diversification is of highest importance. Diversification, he said means that other partnerships, the Indo-German ...

Indian truckmakers eye electric as one of the ways to tackle pollution

15 companies including Amazon.com Inc., Nestle SA and India's Aditya Birla Group joined forces to advance the electrification of the nation's truck fleet

India likely to rise as great power, West making sensible bet: Martin Wolf

India is indeed likely to be a rising "great power" and its economy will have the size similar to that of the US by 2050, according to noted economics commentator Martin Wolf who has also highlighted that Western leaders are making a sensible bet on the country. "I judge that India should be able to sustain growth of GDP per head at 5 per cent a year, or so, up to 2050. With better policies, growth might even be a bit higher, though it could also be lower," Wolf said in a column written in the Financial Times. He also said India is an obvious location for companies following a "China plus one" strategy and has the advantage over obvious competitors of a large home market. India is the world's fifth largest economy and third largest one in terms of purchasing power. The United Nations has forecast the country's population to touch 1.67 billion by 2050 and currently it is 1.43 billion. Wolf noted that the country's bank balance sheets have been repaired and in all, "the credit engine