RECORDS, INDIA (National) – Page 20

India to host Quad senior officials’ meeting

Meeting comes ahead of PM Modi’s visit to SCO summit with Russia, China

New Delhi will host an official-level meeting of the Quad grouping with the U.S., Japan and Australia next week, the first such “Senior Officers Meeting” (SOM) to be held since tensions with China over Taiwan have risen. The Quad SOM meeting slated for September 5-6, is one of a number of meetings to be held between India and its Indo-Pacific partners in the week, seen as part of the government’s “balancing” moves ahead of the SCO summit in Uzbekistan in mid-September. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the SCO summit along with leaders of Russia, China, Pakistan, Central Asia and Iran, the first such in-person summit since the COVID pandemic and beginning of the Ukraine war.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) officials will follow the Quad meeting with an India-U.S. 2+2 “inter-sessional” meeting, with U.S. Assistant Secretary of States for South and Central Asia Donald Lu leading the American delegation to discuss bilateral issues. Senior counterparts from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Deputy Secretary Justin Hayhurst, and the Director General of the Foreign Policy Bureau in Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Keiichi Ichikawa will attend the meetings on Monday and Tuesday, which will review progress in a number of Quad initiatives that were discussed during the Quad summit in Tokyo in May this year.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will also travel to Tokyo later in the week for an India-Japan “2+2” ministerial meeting. In addition, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal will travel to the U.S. for bilateral trade talks, September 5-10, as well as to attend the third Indo-Pacific Economic Forum ministerial meeting (IPEF) in Los Angeles, which is being held in person for the first time since its launch by U.S. President Joseph Biden in May. The meetings will take place amidst a particularly busy diplomatic calendar, as Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also begins her state visit to India on Monday.

“I think this is a reflection of the close coordination and collaboration that we have with our partners — you know, the Quad partners, but also bilateral partners,” said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, when asked about the flurry of meetings, during a weekly media briefing on Thursday, but declined to confirm the dates.

“Japan is one of those few countries with whom we do a 2+2. And the U.S. is obviously the other one, which is the first one we started and I think we would look forward to the 2+2 inter-sessional with the U.S. here,” he added referring to the “2+2” ministerial mechanisms that India shares with only the Quad partners, and with Russia.

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INS Vikrant is a unique reflection of India becoming self-reliant, says PM Modi

“INS Vikrant is not a mere war machine but proof of India’s skill and talent. It is special, different,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Security concerns in the Indo-Pacific region and the Indian Ocean had long been ignored, but today this area is a major defence priority of the country, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 2, 2022 as he commissioned INS Vikrant, the country’s first indigenous aircraft carrier and the most complex warship ever built.

“Vikrant is a unique reflection of India becoming self-reliant,” he said, adding that his government is working in every direction, from increasing the budget for the Indian Navy to increasing its capability.

The ship is christened after India’s first aircraft carrier Vikrant, which played a vital role in the 1971 war. From 2013 to 2017, the Navy had fielded two aircraft carriers – the erstwhile Viraat acquired from U.K. and the INS Vikramaditya from Russia which is currently in service. Once Vikrant becomes fully operational, Indian Navy will once again be able to deploy two full-fledged carrier groups significantly expanding its footprint across the Indo-Pacific.

“So far, such aircraft carriers were only made by developed countries. India has taken a step towards being a developed country by being part of the league,” said Mr. Modi speaking at the formal commissioning ceremony which saw the presence of several naval veterans who commanded and served on the erstwhile Vikrant. Envoys and Defence Attaches of few countries were also present at the ceremony including Australian High Commissioner Barry O’Farrell, British High Commissioner Alex Ellis and Russian Ambassador Denis Alipov.

Terming INS Vikrant ashuge,the ceremonymassive, vast, distinguished and also very special, Mr. Modi said itis not just a warshipbuta testament to the hard work, talent, influence and commitment of India in the 21st century. “If the goals are distant, the journeys are long, the ocean and the challenges are endless – then India’s answer is Vikrant.”

The Commanding Officer, Capt Vidhyadhar Harke, read the commissioning warrant and the nishaan (ensign) was hoisted as the national anthem was played followed by the breaking of the commissioning pendent. INS Vikrant adorned the new ensign with effect from its commissioning.

The ship with a displacement of 42,800 tonnes was designed by the Navy’s Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), a public sector shipyard under Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterway.

In line with the prevailing practiceglobally among carrier-operating nations,the aviation trials are expected to commence by November and expected to continue till mid-2023. Officials had statedthatthe carrieris expected to be fully operational by end of next year.

The ship would be capable of operating an air wing of 30 aircraft comprising MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31 early warning helicopters, and MH-60R multi-role helicopters, in addition to indigenously manufactured Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) and Light Combat Aircraft (LCA-Navy). Fighter aircraft are launched using the Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) method and INS Vikrant is equipped with a ski-jump for launching aircraft, and a set of three ‘arrester wires’ for their recovery onboard.

The Navy is expected to soon finalise procurement of another carrier-based fighter, between the Boeing F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet and Dassault Aviation Rafale, to operate off its carriers till the indigenous under-development Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF) is available.

The 26,000 tonnes of steel that INS Vikrant is made of is warship-grade, produced for the first time in the country by Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), in collaboration with Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) and the Navy. The steel is now being used in the construction of all warships in the country.

Steel cutting began in April 2005, ship’s keel was laid in February 2009 and it was launched into water in August 2013. The 262m long and 62m wide INS Vikrant is powered by four General Electric LM 2500 engines which give it a maximum speed of 28 Knots and endurance of 7500 NM, which means she can make a voyage from Kochi to Brazil without refuelling.

The ship has around 2,200 compartments, designed for a crew of around 1,600 that include specialised cabins to accommodate women officers and sailors.

Vikrant is the first ship in the Navy and the country which has a 64 slice CT scan machine onboard, in addition to ultrasound and digital X-ray machines and two purpose-built operation theatres.The ship’s reverse osmosis plants produce over four lakh litres of water every day.

The carrier has a large number of indigenous equipment and machinery and the indigenisation efforts have also led to development of ancillary industries, besides generation of employment opportunities for 2,000 CSL staff and about 13,000 employees in ancillary industries.

Globally, there is renewed push by major powers to deploy aircraft carriers despite the growing threats to big surface platforms from missiles and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). While the U.S. is fielding new generation of super carriers, U.K. has fielded new carriers while Japan is converting its helicopter carriers to operate F-35 fighter jets. China which is on a massive maritime modernisation spree, presently operates two carriers, and has launched a third carrier, Fujian, into water in June this year.

India overtakes U.K. to become fifth largest economy in the world

With India being the world’s fastest growing major economy, its lead over the U.K. will widen in the next few years

India has overtaken the U.K. to become the world’s fifth-largest economy and is now behind only the US, China, Japan and Germany, according to IMF projections.

A decade back, India was ranked 11th among the large economies while the U.K. was at the fifth position.

With record beating expansion in the April-June quarter, the Indian economy has now overtaken the U.K., which has slipped to the sixth spot.

The assumption of India overtaking the U.K. is based on calculations by Bloomberg using the IMF database and historic exchange rates on its terminal.

“On an adjusted basis and using the dollar exchange rate on the last day of the relevant quarter, the size of the Indian economy in ‘nominal’ cash terms in the quarter through March was $854.7 billion. On the same basis, the U.K. was $816 billion,” stated a Bloomberg report.

With India being the world’s fastest growing major economy, its lead over the U.K. will widen in the next few years.

“Proud moment for India to pip the U.K., our colonial ruler, as the 5th largest economy: India $3.5 trillion vs UK $3.2 trillion. But a reality check of population denominator: India: 1.4 billion vs UK 0.068 billion. Hence, per capita GDP we at $2,500 vs $47,000. We have miles to go… Let’s be at it!,” Uday Kotak, CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank, said in a tweet.

India has a population 20 times that of the U.K. and so its GDP per capita is lower.

“We just became the 5th largest #economy in the world, surpassing the U.K.!,” tweeted Anil Agarwal, chairman of mining giant Vedanta group. “What an impressive milestone for our rapidly growing Indian economy… In a few years, we will be in Top 3!”

India’s GDP expanded 13.5% in the April-June quarter, the quickest pace in a year, to retain the world’s fastest growing economy tag but rising interest costs and the looming threat of a recession in major world economies could slow the momentum in the coming quarters.

Gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 13.5% year-on-year compares to a 20.1% expansion a year back and 4.09% growth in the previous three months to March, according to official data released earlier this week.

The growth, though lower than the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) estimate of 16.2%, was fuelled by consumption and signalled a revival of domestic demand, particularly in the services sector.

Pent-up demand is driving consumption as consumers, after two years of pandemic restrictions, are stepping out and spending. The services sector has seen a strong bounce back that will get a boost from the festival season next month.

But the slowing growth of the manufacturing sector at 4.8% is an area of worry. Also, imports being higher than exports is a matter of concern.

Additionally, an uneven monsoon is likely to weigh upon agriculture growth and rural demand.

The GDP print will, however, allow the RBI to focus on controlling inflation, which has stayed above the comfort zone of 6% for seven straight months.

The central bank has raised the benchmark policy rate by 140 basis points in three installments since May and has vowed to do more to bring inflation under control.

Besides tighter monetary conditions, Asia’s third-largest economy faces headwinds from higher energy and commodity prices that are likely to weigh on consumer demand and companies’ investment plans.

Also, consumer spending, which accounts for nearly 55% of economic activity, has been hit hard by soaring food and fuel prices.

The GDP growth in the first quarter of the current fiscal was higher than China’s 0.4% expansion in April-June.

India’s first vaccine against cervical cancer to launch on September 1

The most awaited vaccine will be launched by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology Jitendra Singh on September 1.

The Serum Institute of India (SII) and the Department of Biotechnology(DBT) are set to launch India’s first indigenously developed Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus vaccine (qHPV) against Cervical Cancer on September 1, official sources told ANI

The most awaited vaccine will be launched by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology Jitendra Singh on Thursday.

According to Dr N K Arora, Chairperson of the COVID working group, National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) said it is an exciting experience to launch a made-in-India vaccine.

“It is very exciting and I must say it makes us very happy that our daughters and granddaughters will now be able to get this much-awaited vaccine.”

“In fact, this is one of the last major vaccines to be introduced. In fact, this is one of the last vaccines that will be launched in the programme. Now, Indian vaccines will be available and we hope that it will be launched in the National Immunisation programme for 9-14-year-old girls,” he added.

“It is very effective and prevents cervical cancer because, 85 per cent to 90 per cent cases, cervical cancer is because of this particular virus and this vaccine is against those viruses. So, if we give it to our young children and daughters, they are protected from the infection and consequently probably 30 years later, cancer does not occur,” Dr Arora further explained.

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Noida twin towers: India joins list of nations to raze 100m high buildings

The illegal twin towers in Noida’s Sector 93A were grounded by waterfall implosion technique in a matter of 12 seconds, South African firm Brinkman told reporters on Sunday.

With the successful demolition of the Supertech twin towers, India has joined the club of countries that have razed buildings taller than 100 metres, Joe Brinkman of South African firm Jet Demolitions has said.

The illegal twin towers in Noida’s Sector 93A were grounded by waterfall implosion technique in a matter of 12 seconds, Brinkman told reporters on Sunday.

The Apex (32 storeys) and Ceyane (29 storeys) towers of Supertech had a height of 103 metres each, according to officials.

Mumbai-based Edifice Engineering, which was tasked with the demolition, had selected Jet Demolitions as its expert partner for the job. The two had together previously demolished four residential complexes in Maradu municipal area of Kochi, Kerala, in a similar fashion.

“India and Edifice have now joined the 100-metre club of countries which have buildings over this height that have been demolished and that too with residential buildings standing so close to them, making the project extremely challenging,” Brinkman, 62, said, heaping praises on the Edifice-Jet team.

India ‘world’s pharmacy’: UNGA president

External Affairs minister S Jaishankar, after meeting Shahid, said India’s “Neighbourhood First” and the Maldives’ “India First” policies complement each other.

President of the United Nations General Assembly and Maldives foreign minister Abdulla Shahid on Monday stressed on the role played by India at the UN. External Affairs minister S Jaishankar, after meeting Shahid, said India’s “Neighbourhood First” and the Maldives’ “India First” policies complement each other.

Punjab teen, who made a world record in fitness without ever going to a gym, reveals his secret: ‘Desi ghee, butter and milk’

Kuwar Amritbir Singh set the Guinness World Record for doing most push-ups with claps (finger tips) in one minute in February.

A teenager from Punjab’s Gurdaspur district who has never been to a gym or taken protein supplements is making his mark in fitness by following his own unconventional methods of training. Kuwar Amritbir Singh is not yet 20 but has managed to create a few world records and he has no intention to stop.

Gautam Adani now world’s 3rd richest person, overtakes Louis Vuitton chief

This is the first time an Asian person has broken into the top three of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Business conglomerate Adani Group’s chairman Gautam Adani is now the world’s third-richest person after overtaking France’s Bernard Arnault according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

With a total net worth of USD 137.4 billion, 60-year-old Adani has surpassed the wealth of Louis Vuitton chairman Arnault and is now just behind business magnate Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos in the ranking.

In the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Reliance chief Mukesh Ambani is at number 11 with a total USD 91.9 billion worth.

This is the first time an Asian person has broken into the top three of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

The index is a daily ranking of the world’s richest people. Details about the calculations are provided in the net worth analysis on each billionaire’s profile page. The figures are updated at the close of every trading day in New York.

The net worth of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are currently at USD 251 billion and USD 153 billion, respectively.

Adani is a first-generation entrepreneur and the Adani Group comprises of 7 publicly listed entities with businesses spanning energy, ports and logistics, mining and resources, gas, defence and aerospace and airports. In each of its business areas, the Group has established a leadership position in India.

The Adani Group is the third largest conglomerate (after Reliance Industries and the Tata Group) in India.

Listed Adani group companies are Adani Enterprises, Adani Green Energy, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, Adani Power, Adani Total Gas, and Adani Transmission.

Over the past 5 years, flagship company Adani Enterprises has invested heavily in new growth sectors that include airports, cement, copper refining, data centres, green hydrogen, petrochemical refining, roads and solar cell manufacturing.

Looking ahead, it plans to foray into the telecom space and has massive plans to grow its green hydrogen and airports businesses.

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Unheralded Tamil short film ‘Shashthi’ wins 25 film festival awards

Featured in 59 film festivals, ‘Shasthi’, which digs into the world of a girl and her journey, has already won 25 awards.

From a career in chartered accountancy to winning accolades in international film festivals, it may seem like a long shot. But producer and director Jude Peter Damian has done just that with ‘Shashthi’, his first short film.

Featured in 59 film festivals, ‘Shasthi’, which digs into the world of a girl and her journey, has already won 25 awards.

As a director, Jude always wanted to make movies projecting “good characters” who can be examples for developing nations and societies.

‘Shashthi’ narrates the interesting tale about Devi, a woman from an economically weaker background, who changes society to the extent that she is equated with ‘Shashthi’, the goddess of children. It is about how ordinary people (particularly women) can do ‘great’ things and about how perceptions change in different circumstances.

While talking about the recognition that the film is receiving constantly, Jude shared: “Right from the time of writing/planning of the film production, I had international film awards in my mind.”

“I’m happy about the recognition from so many international film festivals, but, honestly, I’m slightly disappointed that the film was not able to enter the Academy Awards competition. I hope I’ll be able to make a film in the near future that gets nominated for the competition sections of the Academy Awards and Cannes Festival.”

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Meet Karthik Thulasi, a 24-year-old Indian-origin footballer in La Liga

Karthik Thulasi’s love for the game brought him to play in four different countries in the span of his career.

Karthik Thulasi still remembers knocking the football back and forth in his apartment building. The living room would become his ground, the sofa and coffee table became obstacles, and the table in the corner would become a goalpost.

The now 24-year-old football aspirant standing at the gates of La Liga laughs as he adds, “My mother smacked me on my head for breaking everything from window shields to light bulbs, and shattering even her precious porcelain.”

Born and brought up in the Sultanate of Oman, he aspired to be a professional footballer. His love for the game brought him to play in four different countries in the span of his career. Currently playing for La Liga’s Rayo Vallecano Development Squad, he began like any other football fan, but with a lot more fire!

“The game spellbinds me with the multitude of prospects that lie ahead of me – the need to thrive and achieve still burning deep,” he says.

Karthik studied at Indian School Nizwa, Oman. Besides playing for the school football team, he started his career playing with FC Nizwa, a native football club in the country. Continuing his graduation in Muscat, he was rooted in his passion for the sport and persistently played for several other clubs in Oman. Soon after graduating, he relocated to Kerala and joined training with Gokulam FC.

“I trained with Gokulam (FC) for a while and everything was going fine. I wanted a leap in my career and decided to join Universidad Europea de Madrid, well known as Real Madrid University. The decision opened the door to my all-time dream,” he says.

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