Category: National

There were 192 Member States present for voting and the 2/3 required majority was 128. India garnered 184 votes.

PTI

India was elected as non-permanent member of the powerful United Nations Security Council for a two-year term on June 17, winning 184 votes in the 193-member General Assembly.

Along with India, Ireland, Mexico and Norway also won the Security Council elections held on June 17.

There were 192 Member States present for voting and the 2/3 required majority was 128. India garnered 184 votes. Canada lost the elections.

Member States elect India to the non-permanent seat of the Security Council for the term 2021-22 with overwhelming support. India gets 184 out of the 192 valid votes polled, India’s Permanent Mission to the U.N. tweeted.

India will sit in the most powerful U.N. organ, for two years beginning on January 1, along with the five permanent members China, France, Russia, the U.K. and the U.S. as well as non-permanent members Estonia, Niger, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia and Vietnam.

India was a candidate for a non-permanent seat from the Asia-Pacific category for the 2021-22 term. Its victory was a given since it was the sole candidate vying for the lone seat from the grouping.

New Delhi’s candidature was unanimously endorsed by the 55-member Asia-Pacific grouping, including China and Pakistan, in June last year.

Previously, India has been elected as a non-permanent member of the Council for the years 1950-1951, 1967-1968, 1972-1973, 1977-1978, 1984-1985, 1991-1992 and most recently in 2011-2012.

The U.N. General Assembly on June 17 conducted elections for President of the 75th session of the Assembly, five non-permanent members of the Security Council and members of the Economic and Social Council under special voting arrangements put in place here due to COVID-19 related restrictions.

Turkish diplomat and politician Volkan Bozkir was elected as President of the 75th session of the U.N. General Assembly. He was the endorsed candidate from among the Western European and other States.

The elections began at 9 a.m. on June 17 and unlike previous years, when the sprawling General Assembly hall would be packed with U.N. envoys, diplomats and staff during the ballot, this year presence in the UNGA hall was sparse due to COVID-19 related restrictions.

U.N. diplomats, staff and other personnel arrived at the General Assembly hall wearing masks and immediately left the venue after casting their ballots.

In adherence to social distancing guidelines due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 193 U.N. Member States were allotted different time slots to cast their votes in the General Assembly Hall for the crucial elections.

Eight time slots were allocated to Member States to cast their ballots starting at 9 a.m., in adherence to social distancing guidelines. The voting continued well in the afternoon, with an additional 30 minute time slot for voters who were unable to visit the General Assembly hall during the specific time slot communicated to them. The time slot for India to cast its ballot was 11:30 a.m.-12 noon.

President of the U.N. General Assembly Tijjani Muhammad-Bande oversaw the proceedings in the General Assembly Hall and the tellers also observed the whole process.

For the two vacant seats from among the African and Asia-Pacific States, Djibouti, India and Kenya were the three candidates. For the one vacant seat from among the Latin American and Caribbean States, one endorsed candidate was Mexico. For the two vacant seats from among the Western European and other States, Canada, Ireland and Norway were the three candidates.

The 15-member Security Council has five permanent members — the U.S., the U.K., France, Russia and China — and 10 non-permanent.

Each year the General Assembly elects five non-permanent members for a two-year term. The 10 non-permanent seats are distributed on a regional basis as follows: five for African and Asian States; one for Eastern European States; two for the Latin American and Caribbean States; and two for Western European and other States. To be elected to the Council, candidate countries need a two-thirds majority of ballots of Member States that are present and voting in the Assembly.

India received overwhelming support: Tirumurti

India received overwhelming support in its election to the UN Security Council and it will continue to provide leadership and a new orientation for a reformed multilateral system, India’s Permanent Representative to the U.N. Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti said.

“I am truly delighted that India has been elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for 2021-22. We have received overwhelming support and I’m deeply humbled by the tremendous confidence which the member states of the United Nations have reposed in India,” Mr. Tirumurti said in a video message after the election results were announced.

Mr. Tirumurti said India’s election to the Security Council is a “testament” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “vision, and his inspiring global leadership, particularly in the time of COVID-19”.

“India will become a member of the Security Council at a critical juncture and we are confident that in the COVID, and the post COVID world, India will continue to provide leadership and a new orientation for a reformed multilateral system,” Mr. Tirumurti said.

“India’s journey with the United Nations is quite a remarkable one. As a founding member of the United Nations, India’s contribution to implementing the goals of the United Nations Charter and to the evolution of U.N. specialised agencies and programmes has been substantial. In many ways, quite extraordinary,” Mr. Tirumurti had said in a video message ahead of the elections.

“I’m confident that at a time when we are poised to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations and later the 75th anniversary of India’s independence in 2022, India’s presence in the Security Council will help bring to the world our ethos that the world is one family — Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,” he had said.

India has been at the forefront of the years-long efforts to reform the Security Council, saying it rightly deserves a place as a permanent member of the Council, which in its current form does not represent the geo-political realities of the 21st Century.

The Telecom Ministry has ordered BSNL, MTNL and other private companies to ban all Chinese deals and equipment. Old tenders will be cancelled and China won’t be allowed to participate, sources said.

The Telecom Ministry has ordered BSNL, MTNL and other private companies to ban all Chinese deals and equipment. Old tenders will be cancelled and China won’t be allowed to participate, sources said.

The move comes amid anger in the country after killing of 20 Indian soldiers at the LAC in Galwan Valley in Eastern Ladakh on Monday night. The relations between India and China have further soured after the incident this week. Anger has been simmering in the country ever since, with many calling for boycott of Chinese products and apps.

Meanwhile, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) called for boycott of Chinese goods, listing 450 imported items including cosmetics, bags, toys, furniture, footweara dn watches. The objective is to reduce the import of Chinese finished goods by $13 billion or about Rs 1 lakh crore by December 2021, CAIT said.

The Swadeshi Jagran Manch today demanded that Chinese companies be banned from participation in the tender process in the country. It also demanded the cancellation of the lowest bid made by China’s Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co Ltd for the construction of an underground stretch of the Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System project.

Earlier on Wednesday, India delivered a strong message to China that the “unprecedented” incident at the Galwan Valley will have a “serious impact” on the bilateral relationship. It also held the “premeditated” action by Chinese army directly responsible for the violence.

With inputs from India TV News Desk

Gen. Thapa has maintained a cautious distance from the dispute that erupted in May

Nepalese army chief General Purna Chandra Thapa on Wednesday began a visit of the westernmost border outpost of the forces in the Sudurpaschim Pradesh near the disputed Kalapani region. This is the General’s first visit to the area after the border dispute erupted with India in May.

Nepal set up a new outpost at Chharung manned by the Nepal Armed Police Force last month after India inaugurated the Darchula-Lipulekh link road on May 8.

General Thapa, who has maintained a cautious distance from the dispute so far, was accompanied by I-G of the Nepal Armed Police Force Shailendra Khanal. Official sources in Kathmandu said both were on a visit to the frontier. He is expected to stop at the Nepal army base camp at Ghanti Bazaar and inspect a temporary base camp near the border.

The visit comes a day before the upper house of Nepal’s parliament had passed the Second Constitution Amendment 2077 to legalise the new political map which depicts the Kalapani region as part of their territory. The region is known for the strategic Lipulekh pass that connects India with China’s Tibet Autonomous Region and has special significance in view of the tension between Indian and Chinese forces at the Galwan Valley of Ladakh.

India-Nepal relations saw some heated moments last month when Army chief General Manoj Naravane said China was behind Nepal’s claims over the Limpiyadhura-Lipulekh-Kalapani region. The Nepalese army had refused to respond to the comments saying such issues were not part of its mandate. The Nepal-India border at Sitamarhi district of Bihar witnessed violence on June 12 which left one Indian national dead in firing by the Nepal Armed Police Force.

The Nepalese lower house, Pratinidhi Sabha, has already passed the Amendment unanimously and the legislative process will be completed on Thursday before the bill is made part of the constitution.

With inputs from The Hindu

Martyrdom of soldiers on border has shaken up the entire country’s inner conscience, she says

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to assure the nation with “truth and facts” about what happened on the Ladakh border and spell out the government’s thinking to resolve the dispute.

In a video message, Ms. Gandhi said ‘the martyrdom of our soldiers on the border has shaken up the entire country’s inner conscience’ and offered her condolences to the families of those killed.

“For the past one and half months, Chinese troops have infiltrated into Indian territory in Ladakh. When there is so much outrage in the country over this, the Prime Minister should come forward and tell the truth to the nation”, she said.

“I would request the Prime Minister to assure the nation on the basis of truth and facts. How did the Chinese occupy our land and why did we lose 20 of our brave soldiers? What is the situation on the ground now? Are our soldiers in the captivity of the Chinese? How many of our soldiers have been injured? How much of our territory have been occupied by the Chinese and where all have they occupied?”.

The Congress stood behind the Indian Army, the families of every soldier and the government, she said.

“What is the thinking and strategy of the Government of India to deal with and resolve this situation”, she asked.

“We want to assure that in this time of crisis, the Congress party is fully behind our Army, their families and the government. I firmly believe that in these challenging times, the country will face the enemy as one”, she added.

With inputs from The Hindu

“Sacrifice made by soldiers will not go in vain.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday responded to the violent clash between Indian and Chinese troops that left 20 Indian soldiers dead in east Ladakh, saying the sacrifice made by soldiers would not go in vain. India was a peace-loving country but “let no one doubt that India will defend its sovereignty and integrity with all its might,” he asserted.

Mr. Modi said this as part of his opening remarks to Chief Ministers, the second part of his videoconference with them and Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories, (UTs) on handling the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I pay homage to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country and convey my condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones. I want to tell the country that the sacrifice of the soldiers will not go in vain. India wants peace but if antagonised it can and will give a befitting reply whatever the situation is,” he said.

India had through its history tried to get along with its neighbours in the spirit of cooperation, and resolved differences before they became disputes. “But we have also, whenever our sovereignity is challenged, reacted with strength in defending ourselves. Peace and sacrifice is in our national character but so is valour and resolve,” he said.

“Let there be no doubt that we will act to defend our integrity and sovereignity,” he stated.

The Prime Minister has been briefed in detail about the events that took place on Monday night in east Ladakh and his only reference to that in his statement was to assure Indians that “our soldiers died having battled and killed the enemy”, a signal that there were significant casualties on the Chinese side as well.

He then asked the Chief Ministers and Lt. Governors of 15 States and UTs present at the meeting to observe two minutes of silence as a mark of respect to the soldiers who died on Monday.

With inputs from The Hindu

PTI

New Delhi: Front-line bases of the Indian army and the air force along the nearly 3,500 km de-facto border with China were Wednesday put on high alert in view of the worst border clash between Indian and Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh that left 20 Army personnel dead, official sources said.

The Indian Navy has also been asked to raise its alert level in the Indian Ocean Region where Chinese Navy has been making regular forays.

The decision to raise the alert level of the three forces were taken at a high-level meeting Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held with Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and the three service chiefs, sources said.

The Army has already rushed in additional troops to all its key front-line bases and formations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh, they said.

The Indian Air Force has already raised the alert level in all its front-line bases tasked to keep an eye on the LAC, the de-facto border.

The sources said the Navy is increasing its deployment in the Indian Ocean Region to send across a strong message to the Chinese Navy.

PTI

New Delhi: Two Railway Protection Force constables were arrested for allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl in Delhi, police said on Wednesday.

The teenager, who used to work as a domestic help in east Delhi, left the house on Friday and reached the New Delhi Railway station to go back to her home in Ranchi, according to the police.

She was allegedly lured by the two RPF personnel on the pretext of helping her to board a train to Jharkhand, police said.

The suspects took her to a secluded place from the station, gave her some sedative substance and later raped her, an officer said, adding that the two dropped the her near the Old Delhi station.

Later, a policeman noticed the girl and took her to the Kotwali police station where a case under relevant sections was registered after she narrated the story, the officer said.

During investigation, the CCTV footage of the area was analysed and the two were arrested on Monday, police added.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office said the Indian statement “is a reprehensible attempt to distort facts and deny the culpability of these officials in criminal offences”.

PTI

Pakistan on June 16 rejected the “baseless allegations” by India over the arrest of two Indian High Commission officials in Islamabad for their alleged involvement in a hit-and-run incident.

The two officials were later released by the police on June 15 after the Foreign Office informed the authorities that they had diplomatic immunity.

Following the incident, India on June 16 summoned Charge d’ Affaires of Pakistan High Commission Haider Shah and lodged a strong protest with him over the “abduction and torture” of two officials of the Indian mission in Islamabad by Pakistani agencies.

In a media statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the Indian officials were subjected to “interrogation, torture and physical assault resulting in grievous injuries to them” and were released only after strong intervention by the High Commission of India in Islamabad and the MEA in Delhi.

The MEA also said that the two officials were video-graphed and coerced to accept a litany of fictitious allegations and concocted charges. The vehicle of the High Commission, in which they were travelling, was extensively damaged.

Reacting to the MEA statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said the Indian statement “is a reprehensible attempt to distort facts and deny the culpability of these officials in criminal offences”.

The two officials, identified as Dwimu Brahma and Paul Selvadhas, were arrested in the morning on June 15 from the Embassy Road in G-6 area of the capital after their vehicle allegedly hit a pedestrian.

The FO claimed that during the course of investigation, fake currency was also recovered from the officials.

After it was confirmed that the said officials were from the Indian High Commission, they were released and handed over to a senior diplomat from the Indian High Commission, it said.

PTI

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on June 16 said she was “deeply anguished and pained” over the killing of Indian Army personnel in a clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh.

“My tributes to their undaunting courage and condolences to the bereaved families. We stand together in defending our security and territorial integrity,” she said in a statement.

“Deeply anguished and pained by the reports of martyrdom of the brave officer and jawans of our Army in Galwan Valley, Ladakh,” she said.

Also read | There has been no firing on the border since 1975

Twenty Indian Army personnel including a colonel were killed in the fierce clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley on June 15 night, the biggest military confrontation in over five decades that has significantly escalated the already volatile border standoff in the region.

The Army initially said on June 16 that an officer and two soldiers were killed. But in a late evening statement it revised the figure to 20 saying 17 others who “were critically injured in the line of duty and exposed to sub-zero temperatures at the standoff location succumbed to their injuries.”

Government sources said the Chinese side too suffered “proportionate casualties” but chose not to speculate on the number.

This is the 11th straight day of increase in rates since oil companies on June 7 restarted revising prices in line with costs, after ending an 82-day hiatus in rate revision.

PTI

Petrol price on Wednesday was hiked by 55 paise per litre and diesel by 60 paise a litre, marking the 11th consecutive day of increase in rates that now totals to ₹6.02 for petrol and ₹6.4 for diesel.

Petrol price in Delhi was hiked to ₹77.28 per litre from ₹76.73, while diesel rates were increased to ₹75.79 a litre from ₹75.19, according to a price notification of state oil marketing companies.

Rates have been increased across the country and vary from State to State depending on the incidence of local sales tax or VAT.

This is the 11th straight day of increase in rates since oil companies on June 7 restarted revising prices in line with costs, after ending an 82-day hiatus in rate revision.

The freeze in rates was imposed in mid-March soon after the government hiked excise duty on petrol and diesel to shore up additional finances.

Oil PSUs Indian Oil Corp (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) instead of passing on the excise duty hikes to customers adjusted them against the fall in the retail rates that was warranted because of fall in international oil prices.

In 11 hikes, petrol price has gone up by ₹6.02 per litre and diesel by ₹6.4 a litre.