Newsletter 11 December

Sino-Indian Standoff:

Over 120 warships deployed in Indian Ocean Region, said CDS Bipin Rawat

Highlighting the importance of the India-Pacific region, Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat on Fri said while delivering a keynote address at the Global Dialogue Security Summit, that there are over 120 warships of extra-regional forces deployed in the Indian Ocean Region in support of various missions. General Rawat said Speaking on the theme of “Contesting the Indo Pacific for Global Domination”,
“In recent years, China’s economy and military rise coupled with competition to increase the influence in the region has attracted a great deal of interest.
Till now, the region, by and large, has remained peaceful albeit under contestation,” CDS said.
“In the military field, technology must be a means of deterrence not a source of destruction.
Our approach to security hence needs to shift from unilateral to the multilateral mode which mandates increasing training engagements with partner nations in order to fortify future,” he said.
He further said governance and security are under constant threat of being undermined by non-state actors and also naval competition among the states

Army Chief MM Naravane holds talks with UAE's Land Forces Commander on defense cooperation

Chief of Army Staff Gen. MM Naravane has met Commander of the UAE’s Land Forces and Staff Major General Saleh Mohammed Saleh Al Ameri and discussed key issues of mutual interest and defense cooperation, the Indian Army said on Fri.
Naravane is currently on a 6-day tour of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, in a first-ever visit by a head of the Indian Army to the two strategically important Gulf countries.
According to the Indian Army, Gen. Naravane on Wed received a Guard of Honor at the headquarters of the UAE’s Land Forces and laid a wreath at the Martyr’s Point.
It said that Gen. Naravane also visited the Land Forces Institute, Infantry School and Armor School on Thu.
His visit is seen as a reflection of India’s growing strategic ties with the two countries and is expected to further open up new avenues for cooperation in the defense and security sphere.
COAS’s visit comes in the midst of fast-paced developments in the Gulf region including normalization of Israel’s relations with several Arab countries as well as situation arising out of the assassination of Iran’s top nuclear weapons scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.
Ahead of his visit to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the Army stated that “During the visit, he will be meeting his counterparts and senior military leadership of these countries.
The visit is historic in the sense that it will be the first time an Indian Army chief is visiting the UAE and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”.
Defense cooperation between India and the Gulf is an avenue that has had to be built almost from scratch. Historically, India has not exactly been absent from the region’s geo-political and defense environment
According to the official schedule, the Army chief will visit Saudi Arabia from Dec 13 to 14.
India is using the fissures developed between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to bolster its case as a long-term partner in heir apparent Mohammed bin Salman’s (MbS) bid to open up the Saudi economy and society, allowing India to promote its position on issues such as Kashmir more successfully within the Muslim world.
COAS visit to the Gulf region comes days after External Affairs Min S Jaishankar’s trips to Bahrain and the UAE.
In the last few years, India’s ties with Saudi Arabia and the UAE have witnessed a major upswing.
Last month, the Army chief travelled to Nepal on a three-day visit that had significant diplomatic overtone.
In October, Gen. Naravane travelled to Myanmar along with Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on a very crucial visit during which India decided to supply an attack submarine to the Myanmar Navy besides agreeing to further deepen military and defense ties.

Afghanistan peace process must preserve gains of past 20 years, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held first virtual summit on Fri to discuss the entire spectrum of the bilateral relationship of India and the Central Asian country, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
Sources on Thu said that several MoUs/ Agreements in the field of the development partnership, renewable energy, capacity building, etc, are expected to be signed during the summit.
“We agree that the restoration of peace in Afghanistan requires a process that is led, owned and controlled by Afghanistan itself. It is also necessary to preserve the achievements of the last two decades,” he said, speaking in Hindi.
Mirziyoyev, in his opening remarks, endorsed the Indian PM’s comments on common threats and challenges and the need for a peaceful settlement in Afghanistan.
He also said the two sides should synchronize their positions on countering the impacts of the pandemic.
India sees Central Asia as part of “extended neighborhood” and forged a strategic partnership with Uzbekistan in 2011.
Shortly after beginning his first term as prime minister, Modi made back-to-back visits to all 5 Central Asian states in 2015.
Bilateral ties now encompass political and strategic issues, defense and security, trade and investment, energy, science and technology and people-to-people contacts.
Indian officials say bilateral trade, worth $247 million a year, is well below potential and both sides have now set a trade target of $1 billion.
Uzbekistan is the first Central Asian state to which India has extended lines of credit for development projects.
Modi announced a $1-billion line of credit and buyer’s credit for Uzbekistan in 2018, and four proposals in roads, sewerage and IT, amounting to $448 million, have been approved by India.

Farmer Protest ---16th Day

In solidarity with the call given by farmers, AAP would lay siege to district headquarters across Punjab on Dec 14^th against the new agrarian laws introduced by Modi government at the Centre: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)

Bharatiya Kisan Union challenges farm laws in Supreme Court

The Bharatiya Kisan Union has approached the Supreme Court challenging the 3 farm laws passed but the Parliament. The farmers have said that the laws will make the farmers vulnerable to cooperate citizen. A date for the hearing is yet to be fixed.

Covid Violation: Case Against Farmers Squatting At Delhi Border Traffic Signal

The farmers entered Delhi on Nov 29 and have failed to follow social distancing norms, officials said.
Anna Hazare, a front ‘face’ of Arvind Kejariwal’s protest in 2014 for a LOKPAL at various level, warns of ‘Jan Andolan’ if farmers’ demands remain unaddressed.
Mahavir Narwal, Natasha Narwal’s father speaks to TIMES NOW’s Priyank. Natasha Narwal is one of the Pinjra Tod activists who has been jailed under UAPA for her alleged role in Delhi riots. ‘I thank the farmers for including this issue in their struggle‘.

Ready for more talks, agriculture minister urged farmers

Have not received any reply from farmers on govt proposal, said Union Agriculture Minister
Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Thu urged the farmers to reconsider govt’s draft proposal to amend the three contentious farm laws.
The farmer leaders had rejected the proposal sent by the govt on Wed and stuck to their demand of repealing the three laws.
In its draft proposal, govt had said it is ready to give a written assurance that MSP will continue.
Two senior Delhi Police officers heading security arrangements at Singhu border where thousands of farmers have been camping for two weeks have tested positive for COVID-19, an officer said said on Fri.
On more than 25 occasions, PM Modi himself has assured farmers of the benefits that these reforms are expected to reap.

5th phase of J-K DDC polls ends with over 51% polling

Over 51% of people voted across 37 seats in the of District Development Council (DDC) elections that passed off peacefully across Jammu and Kashmir, said State Election Commissioner (SEC) KK Sharma on Thu. “Polling has been peaceful in 37 constituencies of DDC including 17 in Kashmir division and 20 in Jammu division” he said.

PM Modi will address the global climate summit on Dec 12,

on the 5^th anniversary of the landmark Paris Climate Agreement.

Climate change isn’t an overnight phenomenon. It has taken the last 100 years. Historically the USA has 25% of all emissions, Europe has 22% whereas China has 13% & India, only 3%. We are in no way responsible for this climate change: Prakash Javadekar, Union Environment Minister, said in media briefing.

PSLV-C50 to launch communication satellite CMS-01 on Dec 17th: ISRO

The launch of communication satellite CMS-01 onboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C50), is scheduled on Dec 17^th from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, the Indian Space Research Organization said on Fri.
CMS-01 is a 42^nd communication satellite envisaged for providing services in Extended-C Band of the frequency spectrum, which coverage will include Indian mainland, Andaman-Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands.

MHA summons Bengal DGP, Chief Secretary after Nadda convoy attack

The report sent by the Governor of West Bengal following the attack on BJP chief J P Nadda’s convoy mentions lack of adequate security. Nadda’s convoy was attacked in Bengal on Thu and the Governor’s report says that there was inadequate security at that time. Meanwhile the Ministry of Home Affairs has summoned the DGP and Chief Secretary of WB on Dec 14.

NEIGHBORHOOD/ WORLD

The United Nations Security Council sanctions committee has allowed payment of Pakistani Rs 1.5 lakh a month to 26/11 Mumbai attack planner Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the operations head of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.

U.N as 100 nations reject the Resolution Pakistan

In a first, a Pakistan back UN resolution saw over half the members of the New York headquarter body not voting for. The resolution “Promotion of interreligious & intercultural dialogue”, saw 52 abstentions, and 51 countries not voting for.

Covid-19

Serum Institute of India to get India nod soon after UK approval

Serum Institute of India may get emergency use approval for Covishield in India soon after the UK’s drug regulator MHRA gives a nod to the vaccine, which officials here expect to be before Christmas.
India recorded less than 30,000 fresh COVID-19 infections, the second time this month.