Indo-B'desh border will be fenced by Dec: Gowda

Kohima, Jun 3 (PTI) The fencing of the India-Bangladesh border would be completed by this year end and not a single individual be allowed to illegally cross either side, Union Minister for Law and Justice D V Sadananda Gowda said today.

Interacting with reporters at the Raj Bhavan here, Gowda said, "A major initiative has been taken since the last six and a half decades in fencing the border, even to the extent of constitutional amendment being made on both sides."

The Union minister is in the state since yesterday in connection with the second anniversary celebration of the BJP-led NDA government.

He said the fencing would be completed by the end of December this year to plug any illegal infiltration and immigration on either side without proper passport in future.

"Bangladesh infiltration will be stopped within a very short period," he said.

Maintaining that safety and security of the country has been the prime concern of the government, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi held the vision that the boundaries across the country, be it with China, Pakistan or Bangladesh should be properly fenced.

Reaffirming that the two major initiatives of the BJP-led NDA government under Modi is "good governance" and "development", he said in the last two years there has been no charge of corruption, scam or scandal against the ministers.

He claimed that the NDA had revived 85 major stalled projects, while the government was in the process of providing electricity to 18,000 villages throughout the country. So far nearly 7,000 villages have been covered, he said.

Maintaining that cooperative federalism was one of the important areas of good governance, he said the Centre had adopted the policy of devolution of funds of up to 42 per cent to the state government so that the states could plan for themselves and take forward developmental activity.

Gowda said the development of the northeast has been the prime focus of the Prime Minister for which a separate ministry has also been formed.

PM Modi to visit US, Mexico, Afghanistan as part of 5-nation tour: 6 things on his agenda

PM Modi will embark on a five-nation visit from June 4, which will cover Afghanistan, Qatar, Switzerland, the US and Mexico. Here are the top 6 things on his agenda.
PM Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Herat on Saturday to inaugurate the Salma Dam. (PTI Photo)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a five-nation visit from June 4, which will cover Afghanistan, Qatar, Switzerland, the US and Mexico. Here are the top 6 things on his agenda:

1) Inauguration of Salma Dam: PM Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Herat on Saturday to inaugurate the Salma Dam. At over $275 million, this is the most expensive of India’s infrastructure projects in the region and is expected to generate 42 MW of electricity for the rapidly growing city of 435,000 and irrigate some 75,000 hectares.

2) Extensive talks with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani:During the two-day visit to energy-rich Qatar, Modi will hold talks on a range of bilateral issues including ways to further boost economic ties, particularly in the hydrocarbon sector.

3) Talks with Switzerland’s President Johann Schneider-Ammann: In Switzerland, the Prime Minister will hold talks with the Swiss leadership, and is likely to seek cooperation to unearth black money accounts of Indians in Switzerland which was a promise made by him during elections in 2014. According to sources, the two countries are working on finalising an arrangement that could pave the way for automatic exchange of information on tax-related issues.

4) Meeting with Barack Obama: PM Modi will travel to the US on June 7 at the invitation of the President, with whom he will review the progress made in key areas of defence, security and energy.

5) Addressing Joint Meeting of the US Congress: During his stay, he will also address a Joint Meeting of the US Congress.

6) Eyeing trade and investment tie ups with Mexico: On June 8, at the invitation of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, PM would be visiting Mexico. The main objective of Modi’s visit would be to carry forward the momentum in the bilateral relations and discuss cooperation in areas such as space, energy, agriculture and science and technology among others.

(With inputs from PTI)

Joint statement of India-Singapore after Defence Ministers’ Dialogue

The Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar is on a three-day visit to Singapore from June 03, 2016 for his introductory visit and to attend the 15th Shangri-La Dialogue. Shri Parrikar today met the Minister for Defence of Singapore Dr. Ng Eng Hen to co-chair the inaugural Singapore-India Defence Ministers’ Dialogue (DMD).

A joint statement issued after the DMD is as follows:-

“Dr Ng and Mr Parrikar commended the long-standing defence ties between Singapore and India, and noted the DMD would take the relationship to new heights.

Both Ministers welcomed the growth in the defence relationship since the signing of the Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) in 2003 and the revised DCA in 2015. Defence cooperation had been identified as a key sector under the India-Singapore Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership signed during the visit of Prime Minister of India Mr Narendra Modi to Singapore in November 2015.

The two Ministers noted that their bilateral defence cooperation has been longstanding. The two navies conducted the first Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) in 1994. SIMBEX has grown more ambitious over the years, incorporating the Republic of Singapore Navy’s Archer-class submarine and the Indian Navy’s Kamorta-class corvette and P-8I aircraft for the first time in May 2015.

The two air forces have also conducted 11 bilateral exercises since 2004, while the two armies have conducted joint artillery and armour exercises since 2005.

The high degree of complexity of the bilateral exercises between all three Services of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Indian Armed Forces reflects the growing confidence as well as mutual respect for each other’s professional capabilities. Both Ministers committed to further enhancing the scale and scope of bilateral exercises.

Dr Ng thanked Mr Parrikar for India’s strong support for the SAF’s training in India, covered under the ambit of bilateral agreements for Air Force and Army training. Both sides agreed to work toward the renewal of both agreements in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

Both Ministers also commended the progress made in bilateral cooperation in defence R&D and technology. Under the India-Singapore Defence Technology Steering Committee, which was set up in October 2006, both sides have undertaken several joint research projects in a wide spectrum of mutually-beneficial areas, and are deepening cooperation in unmanned systems and soldier performance.

Singapore and India also convened the first meeting of their Defence Industry Working Group in May 2016. Both sides agreed to set up industry level working mechanisms to foster cooperation in aerospace, electronics and other areas of mutual interest. Both Ministers noted that new opportunities for industrial collaboration, including through Joint Ventures, have opened up due to India’s Make in India initiative.

Both Ministers reaffirmed India’s vital role in the security of the Asia-Pacific region, in particular through the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM)-Plus platforms. Dr Ng thanked India for hosting the ADMM-Plus Humanitarian Mine Action and Peacekeeping Operations Exercise in March 2016, and for participating in the ADMM-Plus Maritime Security and Counter-Terrorism Exercise in May 2016 with one naval ship with embarked helicopter, Special Forces and infantry teams of over 200 personnel.

Both Ministers also emphasised the importance of international cooperation in tackling transnational security threats. In particular, both Ministers strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms, and renewed their commitment to cooperate in counter-terrorism efforts.

Both Ministers also emphasised their shared commitment to maintaining freedom of navigation in international waters, the right of passage and overflight, unimpeded commerce and access to resources in accordance with recognised principles of international law, especially the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The two sides agreed on the need to evolve protocols and norms of behaviour in the air and maritime domains aimed at building confidence, defusing tensions and reducing the risks of miscalculations.

Dr Ng also thanked Mr Parrikar for India’s support for the Information Fusion Centre and the Changi Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Coordination Centre.

Mr Parrikar extended an invitation to Dr Ng to visit India on mutually convenient dates to continue the bilateral ministerial dialogue. The invitation was accepted with pleasure”.

Exchange of terrorist screening information Arrangement between India and USA signed

The Union Home Secretary, Shri Rajiv Mehrishi and the Ambassador of the United States of America to India, Mr. Richard R. Verma exchanging the documents after signing the Arrangement between the authorised governmental agencies of the Government of India and the Government of the United States of America (USA) for exchange of terrorist screening information, in New Delhi on June 02, 2016.


An Arrangement between the authorized governmental agencies of the Government of India and the Government of the United States of America (USA) for exchange of terrorist screening information was signed here today. The Arrangement was signed by the Union Home Secretary, Shri Rajiv Mehrishi and Mr. Richard Verma, Ambassador of the United States of America to India.

As per this Arrangement, both sides shall provide each other access to terrorism screening information through the designated contact points, subject to domestic laws and regulations.

The Arrangement would enhance the counter terrorism cooperation between India and USA.

Govt to push reforms for 'more developed eco':FM

Osaka (Japan), Jun 2 (PTI) Enthused over encouraging GDP numbers, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said the government will push ahead with its reform agenda to retain the fastest growing large economy tag and help India move towards becoming "a more developed economy".

"For India to realise its full potential for the next few decades, India certainly needs to pursue its programme for economic growth more vigorously and it's only then by maintaining higher level of growth that we can attract best response as far as poverty alleviation is concerned," he said delivering a lecture at Osaka University here.

Notwithstanding an unsupportive global environment, India clocked a GDP growth of 7.9 per cent in the January-March quarter and 7.6 per cent for the entire 2015-16 fiscal on account of the government's pro-growth policies, he said.

Jaitley further said, "India will maintain this paramount position of fastest growing economy in the world. And if we did that we can present yourself as a society which evolves from an emerging economy and moves towards a more developed economy."

"And we have a pipeline of reforms still left over the next few years to be implemented and notwithstanding global slowdown and two years of bad monsoon, we have reached a situation where we still have the highest growth rate in the world," he said.

On future outlook, Jaitley said he wasn't sure if the world growth would be supportive, but monsoon rainfall in India this year promises to be better and that itself will push the growth.

"Our reform process I am confident is going to continue.

It had helped us in restoring the credibility of the economy and while restoring the credibility both domestic and international investors feel much more confident about investing in India. That has helped us," he said.

Jaitley, who arrived here on the second-leg of his six-day investor-wooing trip to Japan, said he has seen enthusiasm during his visit and various pension and sovereign funds as well as investors were "very seriously looking at India as a possible destination".

"We offer them much better returns and hopefully a combination of these factors are increasing domestic demand," he said.

BCCI set to allow Indian eves to play overseas leagues

 New Delhi, Jun 2 (PTI) After planning to introduce central contracts for India's women's cricketers, the BCCI is all set to give green light to the likes of Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami being allowed to play in tournaments like Women's Big Bash League (WBBL).

"India's women cricketers can now play in overseas leagues in Australia and England, subject to their contracts being approved by the BCCI. The decision, taken during a meeting of the BCCI's women's cricket committee on Wednesday, paves the way for India's players to take part in tournaments such as the Women's Big Bash League in Australia and the Women's Super League in England," ESPNCricinfo stated.

However BCCI's announcement may have come too late, however, for Indian participation in the inaugural WSL, which will be held this year from July 30 to August 14.

The BCCI had yet to decide on the issue when the ECB sent a letter to all Full Members seeking their permission to enlist players. The ECB signed up 18 overseas players - from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and West Indies - and unveiled its final squad lists in April.

'Kahaani 2' was meant to happen with me and Sujoy: Vidya Balan

 New Delhi, Jun 2 (PTI) Their brief fall-out after "Kahaani" put a question on the future of the sequel but Vidya Balan and Sujoy Ghosh reunited for part two and the actress says the movie was probably destined to happen with them.

"We were not talking to each other due to, I don't know, some kind of miscommunication. But I think with Sujoy and me that's very understandable because we either get along famously or we don't. So, we should just focus on today," Vidya said with a laugh when asked about her tiff with Sujoy.

Apart from "Kahaani 2", which just wrapped, Vidya is doing a special role in Sujoy's production "TE3N", starring Amitabh Bachchan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in lead roles.

"We have done another film ('Kahaani 2') together and I am glad that it has worked out. Maybe, 'Kahaani 2' was meant to be with Sujoy and me. Therefore, we patched up. We put in all that we had. Let us see what is in store for us," Vidya told PTI in an interview.

The actress, 38, says she did "TE3N" for the joy of working with Bachchan and Siddiqui.

"I love thriller genre. Ribhu (Dasgupta, director) has done something new within the genre and that interested me. It had Sujoy and Kolkata besides Mr Bachchan and Nawaz in lead roles. I knew there was not much for me but I did it for the joy of it."

Vidya, who will be next seen in Marathi movie "Albela" in the role of yesteryear actress Geeta Bali, says she had slowed down the pace of her work recently due to some health issue.

The actress is now back with a number of movies such as "Begum Jaan", biopic on author Kamla Das and "Kahaani 2".

"I only slowed down because I had some health issue and I focused on it. But thankfully, I am back with full throttle."

The actress says she has her own pace when it comes to doing movies.

"Thankfully, I never had to wait for interesting roles.

Since 2007, when I started making different choices, there has been no dearth of good roles. I just work at my own pace

and pick roles that challenge me."

Vidya will next begin shooting for filmmaker Srijit Mukherjee's Hindi debut "Begum Jaan", which is a remake of the director's Bengali movie "Rajkahini".

"'Begum Jaan' is extremely powerful. I have never done a movie set during the pre-Partition era. I have never done a historical as such. The story is fictional but the background is backed by history. I found that interesting. I have seen Srijit's films and I feel he is an interesting director to work with."

The actress, who previously played Silk Smitha in "The Dirty Picture", says she was drawn to Kamala Das' biopic because of her intriguing persona.

"She was controversial, interesting, individualistic, unique, temperamental... You can use every possible adjective for her. She was a modern woman and I was just intrigued by her persona.

India invites German firms to invest in infra sector

Berlin, May 31 (PTI) Seeking German investment in India's infrastructure sector, Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today said the partnership between the two countries "should and will flourish" as he invited participation of its business community in India's "urban renaissance".

"Indo-German partnership should and will flourish. You will be able to see for yourself the winds of change in India.

We are very keen to develop the sectors where you are strong.

We need your involvement," Naidu said while addressing a conference on '100 Indian Smart Cities Conference' here.

He said India is at the "threshold of rapid urbanisation" and is among the "fastest urbanising societies" of the world and is projected to be more urban than rural by 2050.


"With 17 per cent of people living in urban areas at the time of independence, urbanisation increased to over 31 per cent in 2011 and set to reach 40 per cent by 2030," he said, adding that this demographic transition brings along with it "serious challenges and opportunities too".

The High Powered Expert Committee of Indian Government in 2011 has estimated investment requirement for urban infrastructure over the 20-year period (2012-31) at over USD 650 billion and operation and maintenance (O&M) cost at over USD 330 billion.

The total urban infrastructure requirement works out to about USD 1 trillion over a 20-year period.

Naidu listed out various initiatives, including Smart City Mission, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Swachh Bharat Mission for addressing the "huge" gaps in urban infrastructure.

Noting that Germany is already assisting in development of Bhubaneswar, Kochi and Coimbatore as smart cities, he said, "My visit is to explore more investment assistance for remaining Smart Cities." 

Highlighting the potential of various shemes, he said the investment in the proposed 100 smart cities works out to USD 40 billion by 2020, while the total outlay under AMRUT is USD 8 billion over five years for 500 cities and estimated cost of implementation of Clean India Mission in Urban areas is USD 10 billion.

He said government will also introduce Public Utility (Resolution of Disputes) Bill later this year for dispute resolution in infrastructure related construction projects, public private partnership (PPP) and public utility contracts.

Stressing that an essential feature of "Urban Renaissance is 'green' development", the minister said, "This we will learn from Germany's leadership in environmental-friendly and sustainable urban development".

Earlier, Naidu and German Minister of Nature Conservation, Forests, Building and Nuclear Safety, Barbara Hendrics, inaugurated the three-day conference.

Leading global companies, policy makers and experts are attending the meet being organised to highlight investment opportunities in India's Smart City Mission.

Parrikar to travel to Singapore; hold talks on Rafale jets

 New Delhi, Jun 1 (PTI) Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar will tomorrow travel to Singapore to take part in the crucial Shangri-La Dialogue, an inter-governmental security forum, on the sidelines of which he will also hold talks with his French counterpart, with both countries looking at closing the deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets soon.

It is expected that Parrikar will strongly put forward India's viewpoint on Asia's complex security challenges, how to manage military competition in the region and make defence policy in uncertain times.

The Shangri-La Dialogue hosted annually by independent think-tank International Institute for Strategic Studies, is being held from June 3-5.

It is attended by defence ministers and military chiefs of 28 Asia-Pacific countries besides those of other countries.

One of the critical meetings Parrikar will have there is with French Defence Minister Jean Yves Le Drian.

The issues pertaining to Rafale jets deal such as consensus on actions to be taken in case of a material breach, stringent liability clause and guarantee by the French side are likely to be discussed when the two leaders meet.

Parrikar had last week said the government is looking at concluding the much-hyped Rafale deal next month, more than a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the purchase of 36 fighter jets during his visit to France.

The deal was announced by Modi in April last year when he had said that the jets would be purchased in a government- to-government contract.

Soon after the announcement, the Defence Ministry scrapped a separate process that was on to purchase 126 Rafale fighter jets built by French defence giant Dassault Aviation.

It is expected that the deal would work out be about Eur 7.8 billion including the missiles and other support system.

Modi, Obama have forged close working relationship: think-tank

From Lalit K Jha

Washington, Jun 1 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has gone from somebody who was basically a "pariah" to someone who is now going to be celebrated, in the course of just two years, a top American think-tank has said ahead of his meeting with US President Barack Obama at the White House next week.

"This would probably be the Prime Minister's seventh meeting with the President since he took office which probably is a record both for Modi and for the President with respect to meeting a head of government from a country which is not a formal ally of the United States," Ashley Tellis of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said yesterday.

"This speaks to the personal relationship that the two have developed over the last two years and also the surprising quality of it, given the history that Modi had with the United States," Tellis told a group of White House reporters ahead of the Obama-Modi meeting next week on June 7 at the White House.

During his US visit, the Prime Minister would also address a joint meeting of the US Congress on June 8.

"The close personal relationship that has now developed between Modi and Obama is one of the surprises of the last two years," Tellis said.

Echoing Tellis, Milan Vaishnav of Carnegie said the personal transformation that Modi has undergone is nothing short of remarkable.

"In the course of just two years, Modi has gone from just who could not step foot on American soil as a legal matter to addressing a joint meeting of the US Congress. He has gone from somebody who was basically a pariah to someone who is now going to be celebrated by Washington.

"Despite that President Obama and the US Government having zero relationship as a matter of stated US Government policy, it is fair to say that the two have forged a close working relationship. It is an achievement that should not be minimised. The two have forged a pretty close rapport and Modi has invested in broadening and deepening ties with the US," Vaishnav said.

Giving "full marks" to the foreign policy success of the Prime Minister in the two years that he has been in power, Tellis said it is "really hard to identify any conspicuous failures" and oddly the two areas where he has fallen short is within the region Pakistan and Nepal.

"The broader foreign policy of India (under Modi) has been remarkable successful," he said.

Modi has demonstrated, if not in words, but certainly by his actions that he is willing to take the relationship as far as he can take, Tellis said.

The India-US relationship, he noted, has a full agenda.

"Defence and defence cooperation is going to be the flagship deliverables coming out of this visit," Tellis added.