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World’s highest battlefield Siachen declared open for tourists

Rajnath Singh
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated Col Chewang Rinchen Setu bridge in Ladakh

Leh (Ladakh) (NVI): India on October 21 announced that the Siachen Glacier area will be open for tourists now, about 35 years after the world’s highest battlefield located in Ladakh was closed for civilians.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made the announcement during his visit to Ladakh for inaugurating a strategic bridge on Shyok River.

Significantly, the move to allow tourism in Siachen comes about one-and-a-half months after the central government carved out Ladakh as a Union Territory from Jammu and Kashmir state.

Rajnath Singh

“The Siachen area is now open for tourists and tourism. From Siachen Base Camp to Kumar Post, the entire area has been opened for tourism purposes,” Singh tweeted.

“Ladakh has tremendous potential in tourism. Better connectivity in Ladakh would certainly bring tourists in large numbers,” the tweet said.

The Siachen Glacier area in the Karakoram mountains used to be a non-militarised zone till 1984, before India rushed its Army to the region under ‘Operation Meghdoot’ to pre-empt a bid by Pakistan to deploy its armed forces there.

Rajnath Singh

Prior to the ‘Operation Meghdoot’, India used to allow mountaineering expeditions to the region where the border is not properly defined under the Karachi Agreement of 1949.

However, Pakistan too started sending tourist expeditions to the glacier in early 1980s, which was seen as a garb to send its forces to capture the region, which could hurt India’s strategic interests.

Ever since the ‘Operation Meghdoot’, India has been controlling the strategic heights in the icy mountains even though Pakistan has been desperately trying to capture these.

The region, which is highly inhospitable because of extreme cold conditions, has seen several skirmishes between the Indian and Pakistani troops, often involving use of high caliber weapons.

In 2005, when the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Siachen, he had pitched for converting Siachen into a “mountain of peace”.

 

The two countries have held several rounds of talks to resolve the Siachen matter, which was one of the eight outstanding issues identified under the Composite Dialogue.

The talks saw much progress and the two countries were close to demilitarizing the region in 2008 but an agreement could not be reached as Pakistan refused to authenticate the present deployment of the two armies there.

India moots Ayurveda, Yoga for its soldiers’ physical and mental health

SIGN MOU
Ministry of AYUSH and Ministry of Defence signs agreement

New Delhi (NVI): Government has mooted Ayurveda and Yoga for soldiers of Indian Army to help them attain the best of physical and mental health as its Ministry of AYUSH and Ministry of Defence signed a MoU on October 21 to take the idea forward.

“Ayurveda and Yoga can help the soldiers of Indian army to attain the best of physical and mental health and can improve their endurance,” Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH and Defence Shripad Yesso Naik said while inaugurating the Ayurveda Palliative Care Centre, base Hospital, here.

He further informed that Ayurveda medicines and Panchkarma procedures like Snehana and Swedana are very effective in treating the Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WRMSDs).

On this occasion, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between Ministry of AYUSH and Ministry of Defence for the Integration of AYUSH under the health establishments of Directorate General of Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS), an official statement said.

The Minister said that our Army soldiers work in very challenging environmental conditions right from Glaciers of Siachin to the Desserts of Thar, which takes a toll on their physical as well as mental health.

Secretary AYUSH Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha and Director General of Armed Forces Medical Services Lt. General Bipin Puri were also present on this occasion.

Under the MoU Ayurveda Units will also be established at Palliative Care Centre, Army Research and Referral Hospital, Air Force Hospital, Hindon, Ghaziabad and Five identified Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) Polyclinics in Delhi –NCR.

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India is scheduled to sign Kartarpur Sahib Corridor agreement on Oct 23

Construction work on four-lane Highway connecting Dera Baba Nanak from Gurdaspur-Amritsar Highway. File photo

New Delhi (NVI): India on October 21 conveyed that it will be ready to sign the agreement on Kartarpur Sahib Corridor on 23 of this month, while again urging Pakistan to reconsider its insistence to levy service fee on pilgrims, an External Affairs Ministry statement said.

India would be ready to amend the agreement accordingly at any time, the statement added.

While expressing disappointment on levying service fee, the Ministry said, “It is a matter of disappointment that while understanding has been reached on most of the elements for facilitating the visit of pilgrims from India, Pakistan continue to insist on levying a service fee of USD 20 per pilgrim per visit”.

Government has consistently urged Pakistan that in deference to the wishes of the pilgrims, it should not levy such a fee, the statement added.

The Government has taken the initiative to put in place the state of art infrastructure and open the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor on the auspicious occasion of the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev ji so that the pilgrims from India and those holding Overseas Citizen of India Card can undertake visit to the holy Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan.

Notably, the foundation stone was laid for the construction of Dera Baba Nanak — Kartarpur Sahib corridor on the India side on November 2018.

Indo-US trade talks progressing on right track: Govt

File photo.

New Delhi (NVI): Commerce and Industry & Railways Minister Piyush Goyal on October 21 said the Indo-American trade negotiations are progressing on the right track with India looking to US for technology, innovation, skills and quality education.

Addressing the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) here, Goyal said Indo-US relationship is at its best ever and trade relations between the two countries have a huge potential which is yet to be tapped.

“India on the other hand offers an attractive market to US businesses and skilled labour that can add value to American companies,” the Commerce Minister said.

According to USISPF estimates India-US bilateral trade is projected to grow to USD 238 billon by 2025.

Commerce and Industry Minister informed the Forum that the Commerce and Industry Ministry is working to create a single window for investments into India and he welcomed innovative ideas and solutions for the creation of this single window, an official statement said.

He also informed the gathering that the Department of Commerce is also working to bring down the cost of logistics that have to be borne by manufacturing companies in India.

The massive Indo-US trade potential underscores the pathways for growth and economic opportunities in bilateral ties by highlighting current trends. Sectors like defence trade, commercial aircrafts, oil and LNG, coal, machinery and electronics are areas of potential growth in US investments and commerce into India. Indian industry has an opportunity to promote automotive, pharmaceuticals, seafood, IT and travel services to the US market.

-nad

Govt decides to promote ‘Make in India’ in solar energy realm

New Delhi (NVI): In a major move that is likely to give big boost to domestic manufacturing of solar cells in India, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has decided to disqualify the manufacturers concerned from its incentivised schemes and programmes if they don’t use ‘made in India’ raw material for making the solar PV cells.

It may be noted that a number of flagship programmes of MNRE such as KUSUM, have provisions for mandatory use of domestically manufactured solar PV cells. However, it was seen that some manufacturers have been importing semi–processed solar PV cells, generally called blue waferm and making final Solar PV cells with little value addition in India.

The Ministry on October 21 clarified that if diffused silicon wafer (generally called ‘Blue Wafer’) is imported and the same is used as raw material for the manufacture of solar PV cells in India, such solar PV cells shall not qualify as domestically manufactured solar PV cells, for the purpose of MNRE’s Schemes / Programmes. A solar PV cell shall be considered to be domestically manufactured only if the same has been manufactured in India, using undiffused silicon wafer (generally called ‘Black Wafer’), an official statement said.

It is expected that this decision will help in establishing a strong solar manufacturing base in India.

-nad

292 police personnel added to martyrs list: Amit Shah 

police commemoration day
Home Minister Amit Shah presided as Chief Guest on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day

New Delhi (NVI): As many as 35,136 police personnel have laid down their lives in the line of duty to the nation so far, including 292 martyrs whose names were added to the list on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day here on October 21. 

This was informed by Home Minister Amit Shah at a programme organised to mark the police commemoration day at the National Police Memorial. 

Addressing the event, Shah said, “Police are the silent sentinels of the nation and without a stable law and order situation, fruits of development cannot reach the last mile.”

“The guarding of borders to traffic management and fighting the menace of illicit drugs to battling terrorism, police personnel have played a quiet yet seminal role in the nation’s development,” he added. 

Amit Shah

Acknowledging the difficult realities of the police work environment, Shah said, “The Modi government is committed to holistic welfare of police personnel.”

Speaking on the difficult conditions under which police personnel operate, Shah said, “Police forces in India are severely understaffed, with an actual strength of 144 police personnel per one lakh population as opposed to the sanctioned strength of 222.” 

“Because of this shortage of manpower, most policemen work long hours and not take weekly leaves,” he added. 

Speaking on the occasion, Shah recalled the battle of Hot Springs and remembered the valour of the CRPF men martyred in it. He acknowledged the service of all police personnel and hailed the history of police forces as a legacy of pride and valour.

Amit Shah

The Police Commemoration Day owes its origin to the unflinching dedication and commendable courage of CRPF men. In 1959, when CRPF scripted a saga of valour and sacrifice in the snow-laden, inaccessible, inhospitable terrain of Hot Springs in Ladakh. A patrol party of twenty personnel of CRPF and Intelligence Bureau had gone to search for a missing reconnaissance party when it was ambushed by PLA (Chinese Army). 

In spite of the sudden attack and disadvantageous tactical position, they fought valiantly against the Chinese army personnel who were in large numbers and heavily armed.  In this battle, ten CRPF men were martyred in defense of the country. Since then, Police Commemoration Day is observed on 21st October every year to honour the loyalty and supreme sacrifice of police personnel for the nation.

–PS

70 pc of India’s surface water unfit for consumption: Report

A polluted water body. File photo

New Delhi (NVI) About 70 percent of surface water in India is unfit for consumption, while 40 million litres of waste water enters rivers and other water bodies with only a tiny fraction being adequately treated, a World Bank Report said.

Quoting the World Bank report at a presentation during the India economic Summit, it suggested that such a release of pollution upstream, lowers the economic growth in downstream areas, thus reducing the GDP growth in these regions by up to a third.

To make it worse, middle-income countries like India, where water pollution is a bigger problem, the impact increases to a loss of almost half of GDP growth.

Moreover, another study estimates that being downstream of polluted stretches in India is associated with a 9 percent reduction in agricultural revenues and a 16 percent drop in downstream agricultural yields.

The report said that as India grows and urbanizes, its water bodies are getting toxic.

The presentation made during the India Economic Summit said, “The cost of environmental degradation in India is estimated to be Rs 3.75 trillion equivalent to 80 billion dollar a year. The health costs relating to water pollution are alone estimated at about Rs 470-610 billion (6.7-8.7 billion dollar per year) – most associated with diarrheal mortality and morbidity of children under five and other population morbidities”.

“Apart from the economic cost, lack of water, sanitation and hygiene results in the loss of 400,000 lives per year in India. Globally, 1.5 million children under five die and 200 million days of work are lost each year as a result of water-related diseases,” The presentation said.

Indo-Japan ties touched new highs under Modi, Abe: Japanese envoy 

Kenji Hiramatsu 2
MoS PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh with Ambassador of Japan Mr Kenji Hiramatsu

New Delhi (NVI): There has been unprecedented transformation of India-Japan ties under the leadership of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese premier Shinzo Abe, with the latter having launched various projects in J&K, Ladakh and North East region in recent times, The outgoing Ambassador of Japan to India has said.

The Ambassador Mr Kenji Hiramatsu, who called on the MoS PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh here on October 21, assured to extend Technical Intern Training Programme (TITP) programme in North Eastern region with participation of Government of Japan. Mr Hiramatsu spent about 3 years and 11 months in India 

During the meeting, the Minister particularly discussed various projects from J&K, Ladakh and North East region. Dr Singh mentioned about the training of Nursing Care Workers (NCW). He said that under the (TITP), 12 candidates from Jammu have been selected in Japanese companies.

The Minister proposed that in future, 100 students can be taken under TITP programme from Ladakh as well, with 50 each from Leh and Kargil respectively.

The Minister said that a huge headway has been made in the level of collaboration in various fields such as bullet trains, nuclear, space technology and railways.

Dr Singh said that Japan shares emotional and historical relation with India, especially in North East. He added that Japan has specialisation in food processing units. He said that there is huge potential for opening specialised food parks for J&K apples, cherry, strawberry and Ladakh berry, on the lines of citrus fruit parks in North East.

Minister said that substantial engagement and investment has been done by Japan in North East under Modi Government, specially in the state of Manipur.

The Minister congratulated the Japanese Ambassador for his successful tenure in India and his contribution towards realisation of the vision of the two leaders.

He mentioned that Mr Hiramatsu’s tenure saw some major achievements, such as conclusion of a bilateral Nuclear Deal (December, 2016), establishment of Digital and Health Partnerships (October, 2018), agreement on commencement of ACSA negotiations (October, 2018), agreement on Japanese Language Education in India and Disaster Risk Reduction (September, 2017).  

The Minister particularly thanked the Ambassador for his contribution in establishment of the India-Japan Act East Forum which is an important mechanism for synergising India’s “Act East Policy” and Japan’s “Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy”. Speaking about the Act East Forum, the Minister said that the Forum has brought all the relevant stakeholders together, and synergised towards implementation of ongoing and new projects in the North-East region.

-sb

India excels in antimicrobial resistance surveillance: Vardhan

g20 health
G20 Okayama Health Ministers’ Meeting

Okayama, Japan (NVI): India has established a unique national antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance system, which is seen as a serious emerging threat to global public health, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan told G20 Health Ministers in a meeting here on October 20.

“In a short span of time India has made commendable progress by implementing a national action plan, establishing a national antimicrobial resistance surveillance system, and has decided to contribute to global AMR R&D efforts,” he said.  While voicing his concern on AMR, he called upon all relevant UN agencies to align themselves in their endeavour to combat antimicrobial resistance, an official statement said.

The deliberations of the G 20 Health Ministers focused on four major global health issues, namely (i) Achievement of Universal Health Coverage (ii) Response to population aging (iii) Management of health risks and health security management including Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR) and its containment. Vardhan made specific interventions on all of them.

Intervening on Universal Health coverage (UHC), Prime Minister’s vision of  ‘Sab Ka Saath; Sab Ka Vikas; Sab Ka Vishwas’ for inclusive health was highlighted along with Ayushman Bharat, FIT India Movement and Eat Right Campaign. 

He also shared India’s vision for its  projected 20% elderly population by 2050. He conveyed to G20 countries the efforts done so far under National Programme for Health Care of Elderly to provide accessible, affordable, and high-quality long-term, comprehensive health care services to an ageing population. He also made a mention of public health measures to tackle Dementia. He concluded his intervention by highlighting India’s commitment to ensure dignity with care for its elderly.

The G20 Health Ministers meeting concluded by adopting the “Okayama Declaration of the G 20 Health Ministers”. The declaration, having 52 articles endorses the Commitment of G20 countries to address the major global health issues, as highlighted above and to pave the way towards an inclusive and sustainable world, as envisioned in the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. Further, G20 members have committed to continue this dialogue during the upcoming G20 presidency in Saudi Arabia.

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Ganesh makes school premises free of drunkards

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