[NATIONAL]

Rajnath Singh arrives in Hawaii to visit US Indo-Pacific Command HQ

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has arrived in Hawaii for a brief visit to the Headquarters of the US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), a unified combatant command of America’s Armed Forces responsible for the key Indo-Pacific region. The USINDOPACOM and Indian military have wide-ranging engagements, including several military exercises, training events, and exchanges. Singh will visit the USINDOPACOM, Pacific Fleet, and the training facilities in Hawaii on Wed, before returning to India. India, the US, and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open, and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China’s rising military maneuvering in the region. China claims nearly all of the disputed South China Sea, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam all claim parts of it, by building artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea.

Germany Weighs Snubbing India as G-7 Guest Over Russia Stance

Bloomberg-Berlin was considering inviting India’s PM to a summit before the war. Germany itself has come under criticism over Russian ties. Germany is debating whether to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 summit it’s hosting in June, given India’s reluctance to condemn Russia for invading Ukraine, according to people familiar with the matter. Germany is set to include Senegal, South Africa, and Indonesia as guests at the meeting in Bavaria, but India remains under consideration, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential matters. One of the people said India had been on a list drawn up before the war in Ukraine started, and a final decision hadn’t been taken. Wion (12 hrs later) -Meanwhile, the German government has dismissed reports of Berlin not keen to invite New Delhi for the summit due to its Russian policy amid the Ukraine war. Also, when German Security visited India late last month had said “we are no one to preach India as what it should do”

Indian consulate in Shanghai to be ‘inaccessible’ due to Covid curbs

Adhering to China’s policy of zero tolerance toward Covid, the Consulate General of India in Shanghai will remain shut and will not be able to provide services. Indians in eastern China have been advised to approach the Embassy of India in Beijing for emergency consular services. In a statement, the embassy said: “.. the Consulate General of India will remain inaccessible and will not be in a position to provide consular services in person.”

India, the US call on Pakistan to take ‘immediate, irreversible’ action against terrorism

The US and India in a joint statement on Tue urged Pakistan to take “immediate, sustained, and irreversible action” to ensure that no territory under its control was used for terrorist attacks. “[India] strongly condemned any use of terrorist proxies and cross-border terrorism in all its forms and called for the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attack, and Pathankot attack, to be brought to justice,” the statement — issued by the US Embassy and Consulates in India — read.

India hopes ‘Pharma City’ will break China’s grip on the industry

SCMP-The proposed US$8.4 billion complexes in Hyderabad are expected to employ 560,000 people in the pharmaceutical sector. Currently China accounts for about 28% of the US$236.7 billion global active pharmaceutical ingredients market. But after the Hubei shutdown of 2020, the Modi government drew up plans to allot land for three major bulk drug parks. It also sought to provide more than US$1 billion in funding to encourage companies to manufacture ingredients domestically, part of Modi’s nationalistic “Make in India” campaign that now looks to capitalize on firms searching for an alternative to China.

After a suspected cyber-attack, OIL says production and drilling unaffected

On Sun afternoon, some employees who were working noticed that some computers experienced outages. The IT team, which was informed immediately, detected that it was a malware attack and got those affected computers out from the local area network (LAN). PSU major Oil India Limited (OIL)’s registered headquarters at Duliajan in Assam’s Dibrugarh district is supposedly under a cyber attack which has led to the company shutting down all its computers and IT systems at the office, a company said on Tue. The systems have been shut down since Mon and efforts are on to resolve the issue, OIL spokesperson Tridiv Hazarika said. Notably, 3 ONGC employees have kidnapped the Last Apr, earlier, in Feb, ULFA kidnapped 2 oil firm workers and demanded Rs 20 cr.

India to extend Line of Credit to Cuba to meet its food shortage

Financial Express- India is soon going to extend a Euro 100 million Line of Credit (LOC) to the Caribbean nation Cuba. Confirming this, a senior officer told “Talks are in advanced stages to finalize the LOC of euro 100 million to Cuba. It is being extended to help the country to meet its food grain shortage and  more.”  Adding, “The LOC is expected to be handed over later this month.” Once the agreement is finalized, food grains and other edible goods can be exported to that country. Besides wheat, rice, beans, such as chickpeas or mung, and black or red beans are also of interest to the Caribbean nation. Expert says that India has been gradually but steadily making strides towards establishing deep and lasting relationships with Latin America and the Caribbean.

India delivers 3.25 lakh Covishield doses to Cambodia under Quad’s partnership

The first delivery of Covid-19 vaccines under the QUAD vaccine partnership was made on Tue, with representatives of the 4 member countries handing over 325,000 doses of made-in-India jabs to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. The Quad vaccine partnership was launched at the first virtual summit in March 2021 to provide more than 1.2 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines globally by the end of 2022. Vaccines developed in America are being manufactured by India’s Biological E with funding from the US and Japan. The vaccines were gifted by India as part of PMs’ commitment to donate 500,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines to the Indo-Pacific under the Quad vaccine initiative. These doses are in addition to the billion doses to be supplied by the end of the year.

Pakistani handler behind Pathankot attack notified as ‘terrorist’ under UAPA

The Centre has declared Ali Kashif Jan, a Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist who played handler to the four terrorists who unleashed a fidayeen attack at the Pathankot airforce base in 2016, as an individual terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. Kashif is named in the charge sheet filed by NIA in the Pathankot case.

Inter-ministerial coordination group to boost India’s Neighbourhood First policy

The first meeting on Tue of the inter-ministerial coordination group (IMCG), created to mainstream India’s “Neighbourhood First” policy, discussed issues such as the construction of border infrastructure to facilitate trade with Nepal and humanitarian aid for Afghanistan. The meeting, convened by the foreign secretary also took up key issues related to India’s neighbors, such as the special needs of Bhutan and the Maldives in terms of essential commodities, the opening of more rail connectivity links with Bangladesh, and the problem of detention of Indian fishermen by Lankan authorities. The meeting discussed various aspects of bilateral relations with Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in areas such as trade and investment, connectivity, border infrastructure, immigration, development cooperation, and border security. Besides the activities under the IMCG mechanism, ministries and departments were asked to accord priority to neighboring countries in their international activities, programs, and projects, the people said.

Delimitation In J&K May be Over By April-End, Call On Polls Next: Sources

NDTV-The Centre will take a final call on elections in Jammu and Kashmir after the Delimitation Commission submits its final report by Apr end. The decision will be taken after the Centre reviews all aspects, including security, sources said. According to him, after the next 3-4 months, draft rolls will be published and verification is done door to door. Resentment is also growing in parts of the Rajouri, Doda, Kishtwar, and Ramban districts against the new electoral map, which involves significant changes. The Commission has proposed 6 new constituencies in the Jammu region. This would take the strength of the Hindu-majority region to 43, up from the existing 37 in the J&K assembly. 1 new seat has been proposed for Kashmir, which will be carved out in the Kupwara district, taking the Muslim-majority’s existing tally of 46 seats in the legislature to 47.

Cabinet approves continuation of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan till 2025-26

ANI – The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wed approved the continuation of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) till 2025-26 with an outlay of Rs 5,911 crore, Union Minister said in a Cabinet briefing. CCEA, in an official statement, said that of the total financial outlay of the scheme, the Central Share is Rs 3.7K cr while the State Share is Rs 2.2K cr. It also said that the revamped centrally sponsored scheme of RGSA has been approved for implementation during the period from Apr 1, 2022- Mar 31, 2026 (co-terminus with XV Finance Commission period) to develop governance capabilities of Panchayati Raj Institutions.

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

New PM sends positive signals to China, US

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tue reiterated the need for cooperation with the United States and India (Keeping the Kashmir issue as a pre-condition) while assuring Beijing of further deepening of relations. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki had earlier said that a democratic Pakistan was critical to US interests. Ties between Islamabad and Washington touched a new low after former PM Khan accused the US of conspiring to dislodge his govt. His allegation was based on a diplomatic cable in which it was reportedly said that a State Department had warned of consequences for bilateral ties if the no-confidence motion failed.

Sri Lanka PM ready for talks on day 5 of protest near president’s office: report

Sri Lanka prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is ready for a discussion with the ‘Occupy Galle Face’ demonstrators as the agitation enters the 5^th day, his office was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. The protesters have been holding demonstrations near the office of president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, according to reports, as the country faces its worst-ever economic crisis, leading to a shortage of essentials. Sri Lanka has seen its largest-ever unrest in the last few weeks amid growing calls for the resignation of the Rajapaksa brothers. Visuals showed protesters sitting near Gotbaya’s office on patches of grass. [Irony is there is no food, no fuel, no money in Lanka, as per media report, despite that who is organizing these protests? Or, they are protesting empty stomach or this protest is going to sort out the problem?]

Nepal’s Central Bank Governor sacked

ANI-A meeting of the Council of Ministers has decided to sack Nepal’s Central Bank incumbent 17^th Governor MP Adhikari and start a probe accusing him of leaking crucial information and failing to complete his duties, later, Dy Governor Neelam Dhungana has taken over the post as acting governor. A letter of suspension was handed over on Fri, on the allegation of leaked information about the Fin Ministry’s directive to prohibit the import of luxury goods. An unofficial panel of ministers had also been formed to probe allegations leveled against Adhikari. Meanwhile, a 3-member panel led by a former judge has been tasked to probe the allegations against Adhikari and submit a report within a month. Fin Min and Adhikari had not been on good terms since Sharma took office. Also, a delegation of private sector businessmen had drawn PM’s attention to the existing financial crisis and held the governor responsible for it. Nepal is tightening imports of cars, gold, and cosmetics as its foreign exchange reserves have fallen, a central bank official said.

Two Pakistani soldiers were killed in an exchange of fire with terrorists in KP

ANI – Two Pakistani soldiers, including an army major, were killed during an exchange of fire between security forces and a group of terrorists in the Birmal area of South Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Tue night. Two other soldiers were also injured in the clash. According to a statement from the military’s media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), two terrorists were also killed in the exchange of fire between security forces and terrorists in the Angoor Adda area. Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the possession of the terrorists who had been involved in terror attacks against the security forces, according to the media outlet. Further, 5 policemen were also killed in a rocket attack carried out by terrorists in the Dera Ismail Khan district of KP- ARY News on Mon. According to the police officials, terrorists fired a rocket at the police van and later resorted to heavy firing, however, the terrorists managed to flee from the scene after the fierce attack.

Taiwan to boost defenses of tiny islet outpost Dongyin with short-range automated weapons

Taiwan expects to strengthen its tiny military outpost on an islet off the mainland province of Fujian before the end of this year, with the deployment of its home-grown short-range automated defense system. The plan to step up Dongyin’s combat capability follows concerns raised in Feb when a small civilian aircraft from the mainland flew near the islet, which is part of the Taiwan-controlled Matsu archipelago.

India hopes ‘Pharma City’ will break China’s grip on the industry

On the edge of Hyderabad in southern India, a vast patch of arid shrub-land the size of about 14,000 football fields is becoming a testing ground for a model that could help wean the world off its dependence on Chinese drug ingredients. This empty site of the Hyderabad Pharma City, marked out by scuffed signposts and a rubble-strewn access road is expected to attract about US$8.4 billion and employ 560,000 people in hundreds of sprawling plants.

• Within two years of land being allotted, officials say, it will be rolling out vital raw ingredients for medicines like penicillin, ibuprofen, and antimalarials that make their way around the world.
• India’s race to wrest control from China, which supplies almost 70% of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), is essential for Indian pharma to survive.
• It’s a vast project that shows how govt are growing increasingly concerned about China’s stranglehold over drug supplies – as well as the challenges they face in loosening it.
• A sign for Pharma City in Hyderabad, India, came on Mar 22^nd, 2022.
• India’s ability to secure not just its drug supply but that of Africa, the Americas, and Europe is at stake since it supplies most of the generics sold in American pharmacies.
• India’s reliance on China to keep the raw material supply going is increasingly fraught due to border clashes.
• PM Modi has eagerly promoted his country as the “pharmacy of the world,” but the glaring dependence of India’s US$42 billion drug manufacturing industry was exposed at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
• In early 2020, China locked down Hubei province, its medicine manufacturing heartland, as the coronavirus spread outside Wuhan.
• That caused missed shipments and shortages, with API prices surging as much as 100% in India and around the world.
• China accounted for 28% of the US$236.7 billion global API market in 2018.
• China has not ever halted drug supplies for political reasons and kept them flowing even at the height of the trade war with the US.
• Yet, the West has grown increasingly uneasy over the fact that the supply of their commonly used medications is reliant on a major geopolitical rival amid an ever-widening ideological rift.
• US lawmakers have recently introduced a batch of legislation to protect the country’s pharmaceutical supply chains from China.
• Multiple Indian efforts to redress the South Asian country’s reliance have sprouted, from the Hyderabad facility to a plan by Modi’s administration for three parks.
• The state government’s plan is the farthest along with 19,000 acres already acquired.
• Companies have already said they will consider building plants there, and officials say about 450 Indian and international companies have expressed interest.

The Indian city of Hyderabad is a sprawling metropolis spread across hills and picturesque lakes and has been at the forefront of attempts to transform the country into a scientific research hub.

• Chinese drugmakers must innovate to survive, industry leaders warn
• The man leading the initiative is Shakthi Nagappan, a slight, bespectacled 36-year-old government employee.

Missed Deadlines

Some Indian companies have largely pulled away from making pharmaceutical ingredients in recent years as the Chinese API industry gained an inherent advantage because of economies of scale and support from its government in the form of financial incentives.

• But after the Hubei shutdown of 2020, the Modi govt drew up plans to allot land for 3 major bulk drug parks.
• It also sought to provide more than US$1 billion in funding to encourage companies to manufacture ingredients domestically, part of Modi’s “Make in India” campaign that now looks to capitalize on firms searching for an alternative to China.
• Still, progress has been slow on both the state and national fronts, mired in tender processes, and missed deadlines. The Pharma City plan was announced in 2015, and it will supply finished products only some years down the line.
• There’s also a shortage of applicants wanting to make several “critical” active pharmaceutical ingredients, the kind that China churns out.
• China grants policy leeway to spur Shanghai as the nation’s growth pioneer
• Right now it’s easier for Indian pharmaceutical firms exporting to Western markets to buy ingredients from China that have already been approved by foreign regulators, rather than spend millions of dollars running clinical trials, they added.
• In Hyderabad itself, some of India’s biggest pharmaceutical tycoons are openly blunt about Modi’s drive.

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

Taiwan to boost defenses of tiny islet outpost Dongyin with short-range automated weapons

Taiwan expects to strengthen its tiny military outpost on an islet off the mainland province of Fujian before the end of this year, with the deployment of its home-grown short-range automated defense system. The plan to step up Dongyin’s combat capability follows concerns raised in Feb when a small civilian aircraft from the mainland flew near the islet, which is part of the Taiwan-controlled Matsu archipelago.

There was speculation the Chines Army was using the Harbin Y-12 to ramp up pressure on Taiwan by testing its response measures ahead of a potential attack aimed at returning the self-ruled island to mainland control.

• Dongyin lies less than 50km east of Fujian and has often been regarded as one of the islets which might be seized by the PLA before launching an attack on the island of Taiwan itself.
• Beijing has not ruled out the use of force to take Taiwan, which it claims as part of its territory, and has heaped pressure on the island.
• In a report sent to the legislature last week, the Taiwanese defense ministry said testing of the weapons system was complete and asked lawmakers to unfreeze funding for its deployment.
• The military has budgeted US$24.8 million for 7 sets of the system, 4 of which should be deployed in Wuchiu, another small islet in the Taiwan-controlled Quemoy islands, near Fujian province, around June.

• The deal, with the top Taiwanese weapons builder, includes 2 sets of command-and-control systems, as well as site construction and the installation of associated facilities.
• The developer said the short-range automated system features two T-75 20mm autocannons mounted side by side, along with sensors, power, and command-and-control equipment.

• Some military experts have said the Taiwanese system is comparable to the US Phalanx close-in weapon system which can fire against incoming threats at close range.
• Mainland Chinese Y-12 plane sent ‘to test Taiwan’s frontline response’
• The home-grown system can be mounted on armored vehicles, naval vessels, and in fixed ground positions.
• Its turrets can rotate 360^o at a max speed of 60^o/second at an elevation from 15-85^o.
• The system also features onboard optical imagery identification, target tracking, and fire control which ensures fast, fierce, vicious, and accurate firepower.
• The Chinese aircraft’s fly-by of Dongyin in Feb was first reported by residents, while Taiwanese defense ministry later confirmed the plane did not fly directly over the islet.