AIR World Service English

In a significant bid to beat the economic slowdown and continuing in its industry-support policy and programmes, the Government on Wednesday unveiled a jumbo plan, envisaging an investment of a huge one hundred lakh crore of rupees in the country’s infrastructure sector over the next five years. Contending that this investment binge of immense magnitude would go a substantial and substantive way in improving the availability and quality of infrastructure, the Union Minister of the Railways and Commerce & Industry Mr. Piyush Goyal asserted that all infrastructure-related sectors encompassing aviation, shipping, roads, highways, railways and ports, besides electricity and oil and gas would get a renewed impetus for rendering the domestic economy efficient in the next five years. Being the head of the vast rail networks, Mr. Goyal said the Indian Railways has drawn up a 12-year plan involving an investment of 50 lakh crore of rupees which is unprecedented in terms of the amount...

In an unusual move Pakistan Supreme Court suspended on Tuesday the summary issued by Prime Minister Imran Khan on August 19 to grant extension for another 3 years to the Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa. The 59-year old General was due to retire on 28th midnight as Chief of Army staff in his first stint but got a conditional 6-month reprieve from the Supreme Court on the assurance that parliament will pass a legislation in this regard. The issue led to a volatile debate in the country and a legal battle in the Supreme Court. The 3-judge bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Asif Sayeed Khosa took this stand on legal and administrative counts. The bench found the entire process “Upside down” causing huge embarrassment to both Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Arif Alvi. The court pointed out that the proposal should have been approved first by the Cabinet. Only then could the Prime Minister and the President act on it. As media reports reveal only 11 of the 2...

India launched its sharpest ‘eye in the sky’ from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on the east coast on Wednesday. Riding on ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C47 on its 49th flight, India’s 3rd-generation advanced earth imaging and mapping satellite Cartosat-3 was lofted into sun-synchronous polar orbit just over 17 minutes after launch. Cartosat-3 is the highest resolution civilian satellite put into orbit by ISRO. The PSLV-C47 used for the launch was the most powerful version of the PSLV, which used six strap-on boosters. The rocket also carried 13 nanosatellites of two US customers as part of commercial arrangement with New Space India Limited (NSIL) of India’s Department of Space. The nanosatellites were released sequentially after Cartosat-3 was inserted into its planned orbit of 509 kilometres. So far, the Indian Space Research Organisation, ISRO, has orbited eight Cartosats since May 2005 – one Cartosat-1 and seven in the Cartosat-2 series. Data from most of them, ...

In an attempt to seek a parliamentary majority to enact his Brexit plan, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced early elections on December 12, the elections are being held for the fourth time in five years. This, he has stated, was a way out of the political standstill that Britain has been facing since the Brexit referendum in 2016. The last snap election called in 2017 by the then Prime Minister, Theresa May had resulted in a loss of majority for the Conservative Party in British Parliament which then took the support of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to stay in power. As the general election campaign enters its third week, opinion polls show the Conservatives taking a 19-point lead over the Labour party. The Conservative share of the vote currently stands at 47 per cent, with Labour on 28 per cent, the Liberal Democrats at 12 per cent and the Brexit party falling back to 3 per cent. A brief observation of the election manifestos of the major parties on their ...

Ever since its launch in 2013, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), particularly the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has caused anxieties in India as it infringes on India’s sovereignty in addition to causing concerns on a rules-based order in the region. Taking a principled and firm stand, India has opposed the CPEC. As a matter of fact, it was the first country to oppose the BRI and is the only country that has not sent any representation to the two Belt and Road Forums held previously in China. India’s position on the BRI has been consistent since 2013. It has been expressing its reservations against the BRI-flagship corridor-CPEC, which passes through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). India’s official position is, “The inclusion of the so-called CPEC reflects lack of appreciation of India’s concerns on the issue of sovereignty and territorial integrity.” Not only India but several other countries have also expressed dissatisfaction about the BRI particularly the CPE...

My dear countrymen, welcome to ‘Mann Ki Baat’. Today’s episode begins with the young people of the young nation; their enthusiasm, patriotism and the sense of selfless service that envelops them. As you know, every year, the fourth Sunday of the month of November is celebrated as NCC Day. Generally speaking, our young generation is more likely to remember ‘Friendship Day’, without fail. But there are many people who, equally keep in mind NCC Day. So let’s talk about NCC today. I too will get an opportunity to refresh a few memories. At the outset on the occasion of NCC, Day, I extend my best wishes to all NCC Cadets, both former & present. More so, since I too have been a cadet once; I consider myself to be a cadet even, today. All of us know that India’s National Cadet Corps, NCC is one of the largest uniformed youth organizations of the world. It is a Tri-services organization comprising the Army, the Navy and the Air Force. NCC means, cultivating the qualities of Leadershi...

G-20 is the forum of the world’s top 20 developed and developing economies; it comprises of 19 member states plus the European Union. After its 14th Summit meeting held late June in Osaka, this year, Japan hosted it’s follow up meeting of Foreign Ministers in Nagoya city. India was represented by External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar. The foreign ministers meeting was held in closed sessions; the ministers deliberated upon the current international situation and the recessionary trends in global economy. After the meeting, the Foreign Minister of Japan, Toshemitsu Motegi, who was also the Chairman of the G-20 foreign ministers meeting, informed that the G-20 foreign ministers had agreed on the urgent need of reforming the World Trade Organisation (WTO), so that it can address several current issues. The member states also want the organisation to improve its dispute settlement mechanism, which was also deliberated upon during the Heads of States Summit in Osaka. Mr. Mo...

The winter session of the Indian Parliament started on Monday, with celebrations of the 250th Session of the Rajya Sabha (Upper House). It is the main highlight of the three-week long session. Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked Parliamentarians to maintain the balance between national vision and regional interest saying that they should prefer dialogue over obstruction to highlight people-oriented issues. He said in a democracy, the existence of the Upper Chamber is essential for checks and balances. At the same time, he cautioned that a distinction needs to be drawn between checking and clogging. Mr. Modi reminded that India's unity in diversity is beautifully reflected in the House of Elders. On the role of the house in the Indian Polity and the need for reforms, Prime Minister said the founding fathers of the Constitution envisioned a bicameral legislative framework, and this vision has enriched the country's democracy. He said the Rajya S...

Over the last one month, Pakistan has witnessed developments that makes politics so very interesting in a country beset with multiple problems. For an entire month, the political circus in Pakistan revolved around Maulana Fazlur Rahman’s “Azadi March” and debate over whether an ailing former three-time Prime Minister should be allowed to go abroad for treatment! Prime hours on the Pakistan television channels as well as lead pages in the print media were seen providing disproportionate space to these issues rather than focusing on issues that concern Pakistan’s future. Fazlur’s march grabbed media attention in a big way as his march started on October 27 from Sukkur and reached Islamabad few days later. The main purpose of the rally, the Maulana said, was to bring down the Imran government, ‘without which his men would not leave Islamabad’. With videos of his party-cadres wielding sticks going viral, many commentators predicted a violent outcome that would shake the governmen...

The controversy over the control of Kalapani area at the tri-junction of India, Nepal and China in the Himalayan region of Pithoragarh district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand has once again come alive after New Delhi issued a revised map following the constitution of two new Union Territories, bifurcating the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Nepal claims as its own, a part of Kalapani and its adjoining areas, shown in the map as Indian Territory. Kalapani controversy dates back to the historic Sagauli Treaty of 1816 between the King of Nepal and the then British India. The Treaty defines the Mahakali River as the boundary between the two countries, without indicating its place of origin or which of its tributaries was the main Mahakali River. But the Territorial maps issued by the Surveyor General of British India later clearly defined Kalapani, Lipu Lekh and Limpiyadhura areas as Indian territory while Nepal has been claiming sovereignty over these areas, disputing the origin of...

Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar was in Colombo to meet with the newly appointed seventh executive Sri Lankan President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa. He extended the invitation of Indian Prime Minister to visit India. The newly elected President accepted the invitation to visit India on 29th November 2019. It will be his first official overseas visit. By sending the External Affairs Minister to meet Mr. Rajapaksa, India has quickly driven home the point that New Delhi is ready to work with the new government and strengthen the bilateral relations for mutual benefit. Apart from India, the US, Pakistan, Iran and China also had congratulated Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The EU was cautious about the verdict and urged the newly elected President to honour the island-nation’s human rights commitments. The decisive victory of Gotabaya Rajapaksa will consolidate the Sri Lanka Podujana Perumuna’s (SLPP) power even in the country’s Parliament in future. The former President of Sri Lan...

As the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Indian parliament) marks the 250th session of the House, its significant role in the advancement of India’s political democracy needs to be recalled in glorious terms. It has undeniably risen to the occasion in the interest of nation, since its inception in 1952. From passing the Hindu Marriage and Divorce Bill in 1952 to the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill in 2019 to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill in 2019, it has left an indelible mark in the long, graceful and elegant political history of India. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu who is also the Chairman of Rajya Sabha rightly observed that the Upper House has come a long way in addressing the challenges and meeting the requirements of the nation from time to time. “But we still have miles to go in letting our country realize its full potential by making up for the missed time and opportunities and in respect of the functioning of the House itself”, the Vice Presid...

Bhutanese Foreign Minister Lyonpo (Dr.) Tandi Dorji’s week-long visit to India set a new benchmark for the bilateral ties. During the visit, Dr. Dorji held bilateral discussions with India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar and reviewed the entire gamut of Indo-Bhutan relations. The two sides discussed various aspects of bilateral relations, including economic cooperation, development partnership, and hydro-power cooperation. Before meeting his Indian counterpart, Dr. Dorji also met with Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale. After visiting Delhi, the Bhutanese Foreign Minister would be visiting Bodhgaya and Rajgir in Bihar. From there, the dignitary would be going to Kolkata, where he is expected to meet with both the Governor and Chief Minister of West Bengal. Lyonpo Tandi Dorji’s visit was in keeping with the tradition of regular visits and the exchange of views at the highest level between the two countries. The visit happened while the ‎Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) led ...