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Washington:  India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that India and the US are working collaboratively to build a strong, peaceful and harmonious global community. Her comments came during her visit to Washington for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank’s spring meeting . She said, “When we celebrate diversity, celebrate inclusiveness, it is also the point that we share a lot of positive thoughts when we are doing this.” “Today when we celebrate togetherness, it is that spirit which governs India and US relationship: a positive thinking relationship of two democracies, which have their own share of challenges and their own share of internal problems, but we don’t allow them to overwhelm us”, she added. She was addressing the Indian diaspora at an event organised by the Indian Embassy here to celebrate the country’s diversity. “You integrated yourself or do you recall with fondness the place of your origin, but you’re part of the US today and building a very dyna

New Delhi:  India recorded 10,753 fresh COVID-19 cases on Saturday, taking the total count of active infections to 53,720, according to Union Health Ministry data27. The total death toll, on the other hand, soared to 5,31,091, with 27 deaths recorded in the last 24 hours. Six deaths were recorded in Delhi, followed by four in Maharashtra, three in Rajasthan and one each in Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. The figure also includes six deaths reconciled by Kerala. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 6.78 while the weekly positivity rate was pegged at 4.49. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease rose to 4.42 crore (4,42,23,211) while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19. According to the ministry’s website, 220.66 crore vaccine doses have been administered under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive so far. With inputs from PTI Read all the  Latest News ,  Trendin

Washington:  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for people’s participation in the fight against climate change. He said that an idea becomes a mass movement when it moves from “discussion tables to dinner tables.” Addressing a conference organised by the World Bank, Modi said that when people become conscious that simple acts in their daily lives are powerful, there will be a very positive impact on the environment. “People across the world hear a lot about climate change. Many of them feel a lot of anxiety because they do not know what they can do about it. They are constantly made to feel that only governments or global institutions have a role. If they learn that they can also contribute, their anxiety will turn into action,” he said. During the address, he cited a program launched by him and the UN secretary-general last year called “Mission Life”. He said that the aim of launching the program was to democratise the battle against climate change. “Climate change can

New Delhi: An Indian-designed NavIC chip with potential in both the civilian and defence sectors has been introduced by a Bengaluru-based space technology business. It can utilise India’s own navigation satellite system to deliver location services. The 12-nanometer chip may be inserted into any handheld device, including mobile phones, and it can receive signals from the US Global Positioning System, the Russian GLONASS constellation, and the Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) or Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS). The chip, created by Elena Geo Systems, an IIT-Kharagpur spinoff, was delivered to Gen. Anil Chauhan, chief of the defence staff, on Thursday. Also present were Samir V. Kamat, chairman of the DRDO, and Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, chief of the air staff. To guarantee a consistent supply of the NavIC chip, Elena Geo Systems has a contract with a chip manufacturer in Taiwan. “We directly control the factory. Everything has been given to the

Itanagar: India has been developing border villages in its north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh as tourist hubs to assert dominance over China near the line of actual control (LAC). Tension between both the countries escalated further last week after Beijing renamed 11 places in the Indian state which it calls “Zangnan, the southern part of Tibet.” The development is seen as India’s fitting response to China’s so-called model villages or xiaokang close to the LAC in areas stretching from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh in last 10 years, a report by Hindustan Times quoted people familiar with the development as saying. Most of these villages are in close proximity to strategically important positions on the Indian side that has been raising concerns among the border forces in India who believe that China could use these regions as staging camps in case of a conflict. Who are staying in these villages? “Most of these model villages built by People’s Liberation Army (PLA) are occupi

New Delhi: Several countries are in talks with India’s central bank, RBI, to facilitate overseas trade in Indian rupee as it helps cut transaction cost, said Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. The Commerce Minister of India further said, gradually countries have been realising that there is need to change in currency for transaction as settling trade in US dollar and Euro involves a conversion cost, which in turn increase overall amount. So far, 18 countries have opened Special Vostro Rupee Accounts (SVRAs) to settle trade in INR. These countries are — Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, United Kingdom, Russia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Tanzania, Uganda, Botswana, Fiji, Germany, Guyana, Israel, and Kenya. Also Read: Rupee closer to replacing dollar as 18 nations agree to trade in INR “We can address these issues through rupee trade (arrangement),” Goyal said. In July last year, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the country’s Finance Ministry aske

Maputo, Mozambique:  The ‘Made in India’ tag has reached the East African nation of Mozambique. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday took a ride on a ‘Made in India’ train in the capital city of Maputo. Joining the journey with him was the Chief Managing Director of the infrastructure company Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) Rahul Mithal. Describing his experience on Twitter, Jaishankar said, “Took a ride in a ‘Made in India’ train from Maputo to Machava with Mozambican Transport Minister Mateus Magala. Appreciate CMD RITES Rahul Mithal joining us on the journey.” Took a ride in a ‘Made in India’ train from Maputo to Machava with Mozambican Transport Minister Mateus Magala. Appreciate CMD RITES Rahul Mithal joining us on the journey. @AshwiniVaishnaw pic.twitter.com/NhfIGwGHQj — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) April 13, 2023 In what he called a ‘novel experience’, the EAM also held a press conference in the moving train along with Mozambique

Washington:  India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, during her visit to Washington, said that members of the G20 group of nations have agreed to chalk out an understanding to deal with the challenges posed by crypto assets and look for ways to regulate them. Sitharaman told reporters that the group has willingly responded to the issue. A “synthesis paper” would be taken up on matters related to crypto assets during India’s G20 presidency. “I am glad to say that there is a greater acceptance among all G20 members, that any action on crypto assets will have to be global. “the G20, I think, has responded fairly with alacrity (on the crypto challenge),” she said. Nirmala Sitharaman and Reserve Bank of India Governor Shantikanta Das co-chaired a meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors from member countries during the annual spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. The finance minister said, “The G20 and its members agree that it’s

The hunt is on to nab two unidentified attackers after they allegedly shot dead four Indian Army soldiers in the wee hours of Wednesday (12 April) inside Punjab’s Bathinda military station. The Punjab Police have ruled out a terror angle in the firing incident and suspect it to be a case of fratricide. What does the term mean? What do we know about the Bathinda military station firing, the victims and the assailants? Let’s take a closer look. What is fratricide? Fratricide refers to killing one’s sibling. It is also used to describe the act of accidentally or intentionally murdering coworkers or friends in one’s own military troops. Bathinda military station firing According to the FIR filed by Major Ashutosh Shukla of 80 Medium Regiment of Artillery, the four Army soldiers were sleeping in a barrack near the officers’ mess when the incident took place. He further said in his complaint to the Punjab Police that these jawans were sleeping in pairs in two rooms after finishing the

New Delhi: The Government of India has asked the Britain to increase “monitoring” and take “appropriate proactive” action against the Khalistani extremists as it accused them of misusing the UK’s asylum status to carry out terrorist activities in India. During the fifth India-UK Home Affairs Dialogue (HAD) in New Delhi, India also raised the issue of the security breach at the Indian High Commission in London last month. A report by NDTV quoted an unnamed Indian official, who was part of the meeting, saying: “Many who were involved in vandalising the Indian embassy in London have taken political asylum there. We raised this matter in the meeting.” On 19 March, protests were carried out by alleged Khalistani supporters moments after police in the northern Indian state of Punjab launched a statewide manhunt for radical preacher Amritpal Singh. Also, the protesters have been demanding a new breakaway state in the Punjab. Around 2,000 agitators, carrying Khalistani flags, turned up i

New Delhi : India on Wednesday recorded a single-day rise of 10,158 new COVID-19 cases — highest in nearly eight months, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. As per the latest data, the number of active cases has increased to 44,998, while 19 more deaths were recorded including four reconciled by Kerala on Thursday — taking death toll due to the virus to 5,31,035. The new recorded deaths included nine from Maharashtra, two from Gujarat and one each from Delhi, Kerala, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu and four reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated. The 10,158 deaths reported on Wednesday are highest in 230 days. A total 10,256 cases were recorded on August 26 last year. India had reported 7,830 coronavirus infections yesterday. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 4.42 per cent while the weekly positivity rate was 4.02 per cent. The active cases now constitute 0.10 per cent of the total infections. The nationwide COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at

New Delh i: Enforcement Directorate has registered a FEMA case against the British Broadcasting Service (BBC) India for alleged foreign exchange violation, say officials The BBC has no FDI approval in India, the Enforcement Directorate stated earlier today. The BBC, in January, released a documentary film titled ‘India: The Modi Question,” that features the Gujarat riots of 2002. The film caused controversy for alluding to PM Modi’s role in the riots whereas disregarding the Supreme Court clean chit to Narendra Modi. Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had earlier in February questioned the timing of the documentary. “Actual politics” is being conducted “ostensibly as media” by people who do not have the “courage to come into the political field,” Jaishankar said while discussing the controversial documentary. Terming the furore as “politics by another means,” he said, “Sometime politics of India doesn’t even originate in its borders, it comes from outside.” “We are

After a lull in cases, India’s COVID-19 count is rising again — that too at an exponential rate. On Thursday, the country recorded a single-day rise of 10,158 cases, highest in nearly eight months. With this, the nation’s active caseload has risen to 44,998. The spurt in cases has prompted some states in India to impose COVID protocols such as mask mandates and social distancing. Even India Inc is directing pandemic-appropriate behaviour at workplaces and outside in light of the growing infections. Health experts blame this surge on a COVID variant known as Arcturus, a spin-off of the Omicron variant, and is thought to be the most contagious yet. What is even more worrying about this variant is that it’s causing symptoms in children that were not seen before. Here’s what we know about Arcturus and just how deadly it is? About Arcturus Technically the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 , the name Arcturus was made popular by Vipin M Vashishtha, former convenor of the Indian Academy of Pae

New Delhi: India’s retail inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), eased to 15-month low to 5.66 per cent in March 2023. India’s CPI was 6.44 per cent in the month of February and 6.95 per cent reported in the year-ago period, National Statistics Office (NSO) data said on Wednesday. Though the retail inflation for March 2023 was within Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) target band of 4 to 6 per cent, it came as a big respite. The retail inflation rose from 5.7 per cent in December 2022 to 6.4 per cent in February 2023 on the back of higher inflation in cereals, milk and fruits and slower deflation in vegetables prices. India’s factory output data Meanwhile, India’s factory output, based on the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), rose by 5.6 per cent year-on-year. India’s manufacturing sector’s output increased 5.3 per cent in February and mining output grew 4.6 per cent. India’s rural & urban inflation The country’s rural inflation for March 2023 was at 5.51

New Delhi: The Defence Ministry is seeking potential bidders for the procurement of 439 light electric vehicles for the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF). According to media reports, 415 of these electric light vehicles will be procured for the Indian Army while 24 will be given to the Indian Air Force (IAF). Apart from this, the defence ministry will also procure 35 fast chargers for these electric light vehicles of which 29 will go to the Indian Army and 6 to the IAF. These electric light vehicles will be procured under the “Buy (Indian-IDDM)” category with at least 50% indigenous content. According to the conditions set down by the ministry of defence, these electric light vehicles should be capable of reaching speeds of up to 120 kmph and have a range of 400 km. These vehicles should also be able to carry payloads of 900 kg and have a motor life of at least 8 years or 160,000 km. The Indian Army intends to conduct field evaluation trials with suppliers that submit b

New Delhi: The Raman Research Institute (RRI) in Bengaluru will collaborate with the combat systems engineering branch of the Indian Navy to create secure communication channels of strategic value utilising quantum technology. According to a report by Indian Defence Research Wing (IDRW), the RRI had revealed last week that it has successfully used quantum key distribution to show secure communication between a stationary source and a moving receiver. Quantum communications would offer secure communications for India’s missile submarines, creating the prospect that it could be used to connect with nuclear-armed submarines, even though the Indian Navy aims to utilise it for ship-to-shore communication in the first phase. The ability to stay in touch with submarines that are a part of India’s nuclear triad not only has strategic value but also guarantees that Indian military planners can direct order a nuclear strike in response to a first strike in the event of war in minutes rather

It has been dubbed the #MeToo movement of performing arts in India. And at the centre of it is Kalakshetra, India’s premier cultural institution teaching Bharatanatyam, Carnatic classical music and visual arts. There have been allegations of sexual abuse and harassment against faculty at the Chennai institute in Tamil Nadu – at the Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts run by Kalakshetra, which is known for teaching Bharatnayam. There have been protests by students and one arrest, as more victims speak up about the alleged harassment. The allegations and the arrest The rumbling started in December last year when Bharatnatyam dancer Leela Samson put up a social media post, only to delete it soon after. She was also a former student and the last director of Kalakshetra. Samson wrote in the post on the “haven of the highest art and contemplation — now turning a blind eye to how young girls are treated”. A male member of the staff is “known to be threatening and molesting (those) who are n

New Delhi : As many as 7,830 new COVID-19 cases were reported in India in the last 24 hours — the highest in 223 days. The active coronavirus cases in the country has increased to 40,215, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday. The death toll due to the disease has increased to 5,31,016 with 16 new fatalities being reported — two each in Delhi, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, and one each in Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, and five reconciled by Kerala. The tally of Covid cases in the country was recorded at 4.47 crore (4,47,76,002), it showed. The country had recorded a single-day jump of 7,946 COVID-19 cases on September 1 last year. The count of active cases now comprises 0.09 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.72 per cent, according to the health ministry website. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has surged to 4,42,04,771, while the case f

New Delhi: India on Tuesday gave a befitting reply to China “objection” to Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, saying that the state “was, is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India”. “Rejecting completely” the comments made by Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Shah’s visit to Arunachal, spokesperson of India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Arindam Bagchi said, “India leaders routinely travel to the state of Arunachal Pradesh as they do to any other state of India.” “Objecting to such visits does not stand to reason and will change the above reality,” the MEA spokesperson said. Our response to media queries regarding Chinese Official Spokesperson’s comments on the recent visit of Home Minister of India to Arunachal Pradesh: https://t.co/9NzmPQBZOD pic.twitter.com/csgI6JuQO3 — Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) April 11, 2023 China objects Amit Shah's Arunachal Pradesh visit Ahead on Shah's visit to Arunach

New Delhi: With the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) of China steadily increasing its deployment in bases near the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Indian Air Force (IAF) is also aiming to boost its fleet in preparation for a possible conflict in the future. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has already requested bids from multinational aerospace firms that might agree to jointly produce them in India under Transfer of Technology (ToT) for the purchase of 60–80 Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) to be utilised as Medium Haul Transporters. In a report by the Indian Defence Research Wing (IDRW), it is stated that whichever option is chosen will serve as a platform for the development of flight refuelling aircraft (FRA) and airborne early warning and control (AEW&C), as the country plans to have more indigenous platforms to meet its needs as the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) of China increases the number of force multipliers in its fleet. The IAF will purchase six Airbus A321 aircraft equipped with the next-

New Delhi: Due to serious quality concerns with the fighter jets, which frequently necessitate recurrent inspections at regular intervals, the Indian Navy will retire the whole fleet of about 41 MiG-29K supersonic fighter aircraft by 2025. The MiG-29K supersonic fighter aircraft will thus be put out of commission after less than 25 years in service. With a life extension programme, the MiG-29K could have continued to serve the Indian Navy for another 10 to 15 years after its 25-year design life of 6,000 hours. However, according to a report by Indian Defence Research Wing (IDRW), the Indian Navy has no such plans to extend the service life of its MiG-29K fleet which will be scrapped after retirement. Since its introduction, the fleet’s serviceability has ranged from 21.30 to 47.14 percent, according to the 2016 Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, with over 40 engines having to be removed owing to design-related flaws attributed to the Russian Military Complex’s subpar qu

Kibithoo : Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu targeted China and said that today’s India is not what it was in 1962, but a country that belongs to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He made the remarks in the presence of Amit Shah. He noted that it was perhaps for the first time that a Union home minister came to a place located so close to the border with China. On Monday, Amit Shah launched the “Vibrant Villages Programme” (VVP) to ensure all-round development of the villages located along the northern border. China had, on Monday, objected to Shah’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh. “It is not an India of 1962. Today, it is Narendra Modi’s India, it is Amit Shah’s India,” Khandu said amid applause from the audience that mostly consisted of those living close to the Sino-Indian border. India had faced Chinese aggression in 1962 and Kibithoo and neighbouring Walong had witnessed a fierce battle between the Indian Army and the China’s People’s Liber

New Delhi: In a big relief for farmers and people battling sweltering heat, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) Tuesday announced that the country will witness normal rainfall during the southwest monsoon season (from June to September). “It is likely to be 96 per cent (with an error margin of 5 per cent) of the long-period average of roughly 87 cm,” M Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences said at a press conference in national capital New Delhi. The forecast of normal rainfall during the southwest monsoon season comes as IMD sees a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) and a lower snow cover over the northern hemisphere which are likely to counter the evolving El Nino conditions. There is a 67 per cent probability of normal to above-normal rainfall, said M Mohapatra, Director General of Meteorology, IMD. He said the snow-covered area over the northern hemisphere and Eurasia was below normal from December 2022 to March 2023. A lower snow cover over the northern he