Tag: India

Nepali company gains expertise while working with Indian firm on railway project
Asia

Nepali company gains expertise while working with Indian firm on railway project

A Nepal-based company has said that working with Indian company Ircon on Janakpur-Jaynagar railway project has increased their expertise and knowledge in the sector and this experience has made the company more confident to carry out further works in Nepal.“India has the world’s largest railway connection and Ircon looks after these links. While working with them we have become confident that we can carry out further railway construction works in our nation,” said Raman Mahato, Director, Raman Construction.Raman Construction has been given the responsibility to complete the work of embankment and cutting, blanketing work for laying new railway line, construction of major and minor bridges, and any other incidental/ancillary works required in connection to the completion of the work.“Previo...
Government revives floriculture center in Srinagar destroyed in 2014 floods
Asia

Government revives floriculture center in Srinagar destroyed in 2014 floods

A floriculture center in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar that got damaged due to floods which had hit the region in 2014 has been revived with the help of substantial steps taken by the Indian government.“Nursery is the backbone for the landscaping work because all the initial plant material is prepared here. Because of the floods, several kinds of bulbs, ornamental bushes etc were destroyed. After the floods, the government took substantial steps to build this nursery again. We are also improving the quality of the soil by doing the maneuvering process,” Imran Ahmad, Assistant Floriculture Officer Gardens and Parks said.“Before 2014 floods, people use to visit the center to buy flowers and saplings. The earth filling is now been done. The carnations would be planted too,” Farooq Ahmad, an Em...
Nepal still banks on Indians to revive its tourism sector
Asia

Nepal still banks on Indians to revive its tourism sector

According to Nepal Tourism Board officials, despite the COVID-19 induced economic slowdown, Nepal is expecting to host about 2 lakh foreign tourists in the ongoing fiscal year 2020-21, that is set to end in mid-July 2021, of which majority will be Indians.This statement comes even after ties between India and Nepal have strained over the Himalayan nation's controversial map incorporating the Indian territories of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura, tourists from India continue to be the mainstay for Nepal's tourism industry."We still have 10 months of this fiscal year and flights may not resume before September. We have estimated that over 200,000 tourists will visit Nepal during this period. We have also finalized our policy and programmes that mentions the target," Deepak Mahat, a membe...
India announces $500 million connectivity project, cargo service to boost trade ties with Maldives
Asia

India announces $500 million connectivity project, cargo service to boost trade ties with Maldives

India has said that it will fund the implementation of the Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP) to revitalize the Maldivian economy through a $400 million Line of Credit (LOC) and $100 million grant linking its capital Male with Gulhifalhu Port and Thilafushi industrial zone.A new cargo ferry service will also be launched between the two countries, which will help India replace other countries to become the Maldives’ top trade partner. The measures were announced during a virtual meeting between external affairs minister S Jaishankar and his Maldives counterpart Abdulla Shahid.“Happy to announce the start of regular cargo ferry service between India & Maldives to boost trade and commerce. We are also starting an air travel bubble with Maldives to sustain and promote the dynamic peo...
India can play a crucial role in easing global reliance on China: British lawmaker
China, World

India can play a crucial role in easing global reliance on China: British lawmaker

An influential British lawmaker with the ruling Conservative party, Iain Duncan Smith has said that India could play a crucial role in reversing the alarming strategic dependence of the world’s democracies on China.Sir Iain pointed out that authoritarian China, under Xi Jinping, has made no secret about its ambition to emerge as an unrivalled global power by the middle of the century.“The Chinese government has become even more dictatorial and intolerant in the last few years under President Xi and as far as I can make out by what he has said and by their behaviour, that his government’s plan is that by 2040 or thereabouts, China wishes to be the world’s biggest economy possessing the world’s largest and most powerful military. Those things are what they said they wish to be, and everythin...
India-Bangladesh building maritime ties to easily ship goods to NorthEast India
USA

India-Bangladesh building maritime ties to easily ship goods to NorthEast India

In order to ship goods from Kolkata to northeastern Indian states, the ‘chicken’s neck’ or the 22-km wide Siliguri corridor is the only land-based connection which can be used.  However, with the strengthening of India’s maritime ties with neighboring Bangladesh, the goods are easily being transported through the Chattogram (Chittagong) Port now.The first trial container ship from Kolkata to Agartala through Chattogram port was launched by the Shipping Minister Mansukh Madaviya on July 16.Termed as a historic move, this sea route will open a new chapter in the India-Bangladesh maritime relations by allowing use of Chattogram and Mongla ports for transit of goods from India.Vineet Kumar, Chairman of Syama Prasad Mukherjee Port in Kolkata calls it the extension of the Look-East policy of the...
Sericulture in J&K to get boost with new silk weaving factory
Asia, Market, USA

Sericulture in J&K to get boost with new silk weaving factory

In order to give sericulture in Jammu and Kashmir a boost, the government of India has installed new silk weaving and silk filatures factories at Bari Brahmana area of Samba district.Equipped with modern machinery and equipment, the new facilities have been established with project cost of Rs 16.80 crore and Rs 6.64 crore respectively in a record time of two years.The Principal Secretary of Industries and Commerce, Jammu & Kashmir, Manoj Dwivedi said that with the establishment of these units, work ranging from the treatment of cocoons to the production of silk and designing of finished fabrics like sarees, everything can be done at one place from now onwards.The silk filatures and silk weaving factory has already produced 4,60,000 meters of silk fabric and it is estimated that in futu...
Article 370 abrogation impact: Skill development schemes in Kashmir valley empower women
Asia, USA

Article 370 abrogation impact: Skill development schemes in Kashmir valley empower women

Since the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, skill development schemes by the government of India have gained momentum in the valley, enabling thousands of youngsters to receive training under them and become independent.Women of Kashmir have especially been empowered and have become self-reliant with these government-backed initiatives.Ufia Jan, who is a programme manager at a skill development center for tailoring and stitching, said the central government schemes have proven to be instrumental in the overall growth of women in the Union Territory.“We have started this skill development center under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana scheme where youngsters from the economically backward sections are given skill training. This is an inclusive training programme and we p...
Asia’s largest tulip garden in Srinagar gets high-tech cold storage facility
Asia

Asia’s largest tulip garden in Srinagar gets high-tech cold storage facility

A new high-tech cold storage facility has been setup in Srinagar’s world-famous Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip garden for safekeeping of delicate tulip bulbs.Situated on the foothills of the Zabarwan Range with an overview of Dal Lake, the garden in India’s Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory is Asia’s largest tulip garden and was opened in 2007 with the aim to boost floriculture and tourism in Kashmir Valley.“We get several tourists every year and work very hard to take care of the flowers so that they are ready to bloom on the onset of the spring season,” said Nissar Ahmad, an employee at the garden.The new two-floor cold storage would increase the efficiency of producing and caring for the flowers, he added.Every March, a festival is organized to exhibit the tulips to tourists from across t...
Pakistan FM Qureshi faces criticism for slamming Saudi Arabia over Kashmir
World

Pakistan FM Qureshi faces criticism for slamming Saudi Arabia over Kashmir

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi is facing heat over his remarks against Saudi Arabia for refusing to interfere on Kashmir issue.The differences in their relations surfaced when Pakistan was made to pay back USD 1 billion to Saudi Arabia. This reflected the fact that Islamabad is gradually losing the support of other Muslim countries.Recently two Pakistani journalists -- Rauf Klasra and Amir Mateem -- held a discussion on the sudden policy shift of Saudi Arabia towards Pakistan."Sometimes Qureshi speaks emotionally. He gets carried away," Mateem said.“As Pakistan, which is in a financial crisis, is dependent on Saudi Arabia, Qureshi should have been cautious of making any statements”, he said, adding: "As we are very much dependent on Saudi Arabia, we should complain only t...