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India, China meet, world watches, says Chinese Prez after meeting PM Modi
FORTALEZA: In a significant development, China today invited India to attend a summit of Asia and Pacific
(APEC) leaders as Prime Minister Narendra Modi met President Xi Jin Ping and discussed various issues, including the need to resolve the boundary question in an amicable manner.
The two leaders, who arrived almost at the same time here last evening for attending the BRICS summit, engaged shortly thereafter for what was described as "good discussions and good meeting".
The meeting was scheduled for 40 minutes but it went on for 80 as it was free-wheeling discussion without any constraints.The two leaders appeared well prepared for the meeting as both of them referred to the statements made by the other before they assumed power, Akbaruddin said.
He quoted Xi as saying that "when India and China meet the world watches us".
President Xi in particular referred to Modi's experience in Gujarat as Chief Minister and his focus on development.
The discussions revolved around all aspects of the bilateral relations, regional and international matters, he said.
The surprise invitation for the APEC summit as part of partnership and engagement came in the context of the two leaders discussing the need for the two countries to work together in international fora like BRICS and other
fora.
Today's meeting was the fourth high-level engagement between the two countries since the Modi government assumed charge six weeks ago.
First Xi's emissary Wang came to Delhi, followed by the visits of Vice President Hamid
Ansari' and Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh to China recently.
Xi acknowledged his visit to India in September and extended an invitation to Modi to visit China, which was accepted.
The dates will be decided by diplomatic channels, he said.
Asked if India has accepted the invitation for the APEC summit, Akbaruddin said November was a busy month with SAARC and G 20 meetings scheduled but New Delhi considers the invitation as a significant gesture which will be given very serious consideration.
Xi also told Modi that India should work more deeply with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation but the prime minister pointed out that New Delhi was only an observer. If other members were willing, India was ready to work with SCO more closely.
On the boundary question, Modi said there was need for finding a solution and maintenance of peace and tranquility on the border was essential for resolving the issue.
It was a substantive and a very cordial and warm meeting in which the two leaders struck a personal rapport which augurs well for the future, the spokesman said.
He said the prime minister emphasised that there should be no incidents on the border that would undermine the bilateral relations.
To a question on the incursions by the Chinese army on the border, Akbaruddin said India conveyed its concerns to China on the issue.
On his part, Modi also emphasised on the economic relations between the two countries and talked about cooperation in the infrastructure sector, industrial parks and investment.
He referred to the adverse trade imbalance against India and sought correction of the situation.
Xi acknowledged that there was a possibility of enhanced trade, particularly in the services sector from the Indian side and the increased Chinese tourist numbers to India.
Modi referred to the visit of Chinese travellers coming to Gujarat in the ancient period.
The possibility of additional Mansarovar yatra route was raised by Modi considering the fact that he had himself undertaken that pilgrimage in difficult conditions in the present route.
Xi gave an assurance that China will consider the request for the additional route.
Both the leaders touched on the historic and civilisational links between the two countries, especially the Buddhist links.
The Prime Minister referred to terrorism and extremism and said India and China should work together to fight the menace in the region in view of the common civilisational heritage they had.
Replying to questions whether any timeliness were discussed on resolving the border question, Akbaruddin said obviously since it was a first meeting between them they could not go beyond their initial references and stated positions.
-PTI
Disapprove of Vaidik-Saeed meet, have sought report: Government
NEW DELHI: The government "disapproves" of the meeting between yoga guru Ramdev's aide Ved Pratap Vaidik and Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said Tuesday.
"Government of India disapproves of the meeting between Ved Pratap Vaidik with Hafiz Saeed. I condemn this. "We have sought a full report from the Indian high commissioner in Pakistan. Once the report comes, we will share it with the house," she told the Rajya Sabha after the issue was intermittently mentioned during the day. It had caused a storm in the house on Monday.
She dismissed the allegations that he was an emissary of the government and said the government did not assist his visit.
Raising concerns over the meet, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said how was it possible that the Indian high vommission in Islamabad was not aware of the meeting.
"It is an matter of concern for national security," he said.
Azad also said that he had seen only one article from Vaidik on his Pakistan journey, and it did not mention his meeting with Saeed.
Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) member P. Rajeev demanded the government should constitute an independent enquiry on the issue. — IANS
Did Indian embassy help Vaidik meet Saeed: Rahul
NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Tuesday said the party was "curious" to know whether the meeting between yoga guru
Ramdev's aide Ved Pratap Vaidik and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed was facilitated by the Indian embassy in Pakistan.
"The question is whether the Indian embassy in Pakistan facilitated this event...whether they helped this gentleman
(Vaidik) in anyway," Rahul Gandhi said, speaking to reporters here.
He also described Vaidik as a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) man, which he said was a "known fact".
The 69-year-old Vaidik's meeting with Hafiz Saeed in Pakistan has sparked off a major row with the Congress seeking to pin
down the Narendra Modi government by asking if he was sent as an emissary even as the ruling BJP has distanced itself from
the meeting, asserting Saeed was a "terrorist".
Hafiz Saeed was the mastermind behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, in which one Pakistani terrorist, Ajmal Amir Kasab, was
caught alive. He was tried and executed later. -IANS
Anti-Israel protests in Srinagar again
SRINAGAR: Scores of youths Tuesday walked through busy markets shouting slogans to denounce the Israeli bombing of Gaza that have killed nearly 190 Palestinians, officials and witnesses said.
Although schools and colleges were shut in the Kashmir Valley Tuesday for a 15-day summer recess, the young from the city took to the streets.
The demonstrators passed through the city centre Lal Chowk and other parts of Srinagar. Police and the Central Reserve Police Force were deployed on the streets in riot gear.
The protests were peaceful. The markets and other businesses functioned normally too.
Police had exercised maximum restraint also Monday when a larger number of students, lawyers and even government employees protested against the Israeli attacks.
Prominent leaders in the Kashmir Valley, including Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik, have condemned Israel's bombings in Gaza.
Since July 8, Israel has been engaged in a large-scale aerial operation on the Gaza Strip. Israel says it is targeting the Hamas and other militant groups in the coastal enclave.
The Gaza-based health ministry said the operation has killed at least 187 people, wounded 1,390 and destroyed more than 250
houses.- IANS
Heavy rain alert for Uttarakhand
DEHRADUN: An alert has been sounded in Uttarakhand after incessant rains in many parts of the state for the last 48 hours, officials said Tuesday.The hill state is likely to experience very heavy rainfall Wednesday, the Met Office said. District administration in "rain prone" areas has been asked to step up vigil.
In view of the unprecedented rains and flash floods in June 2013, the state government has made special arrangements in the
Badrinath, Kedarnath and Gangotri regions state officials said.
Minor landslides were reported Sunday and Monday after which traffic was held up on several arterial roads and highways in the state.
Landslides were also reported from Netalaa, Lambgaon, Uttarkashi and
Chorangikhal, an official said, adding that the Kedarnath Yatra, which was heavily affected by the flash floods last year, killing thousands, has not been disrupted.
"As a caution however we have alerted teams in that area," an official of the state disaster management centre said.
-IANS
10-day long Shrikhand pilgrimage begins in Himachal
SHIMLA: The first batch of devotees on Tuesday left for the arduous Shrikhand pilgrimage to pay obeisance to the giant natural rock resembling a Shiva Lingam at an altitude of 17,600 feet in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district, an official said.
For the first time, no devotee would be allowed to scale the Shrikhand Mahadev peak, considered tougher than the journey to the Amarnath cave shrine in Kashmir, without medical examination, said Deputy Commissioner Rakesh
Kanwar.
He said rescue and medical teams have been deployed on the 30-km one-way trek, mostly vertical, to handle any emergency.
"We have installed hyperbaric chambers to provide first-aid in case of any medical emergency," he said.
In a hyperbaric chamber, the oxygen pressure is above normal for the atmosphere and it used in treating breathing disorders at a high-altitude.
A rescue team of 21 people, comprising mountaineers, have been deployed.
Every year, people start their journey from Jaon, some 150 km from state capital
Shimla.
After passing through rugged, cold and inhospitable terrain at least in three days, it concludes at the Shrikhand peak, where the devotees pay obeisance to 72-foot tall lingam.
The pilgrimage would officially continue till July 25 and authorities are expecting 20,000 devotees.
Devotees believe that Lord Shiva meditated in Shrikhand and the Pandvas too had trekked to the peak.
-IANS
Government apathy sees Punjab colleges start session with strike
CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government's apathy towards aided colleges has not only left teachers without salaries for over a year but will also affect the students as the academic session will begin with a state-wide shutdown called by the teaching community.
The state's 136 aided colleges, which are private but have been getting grants-in-aid from the Punjab government for the past 35 years, have been left in the lurch with the funds not being released for over a year. The apex body of teachers of these institutions, the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers' Union (PCCTU), has called an Education Bandh (shutdown) on Thursday to protest against the indifference of the state government. The teachers have decided to march to the Punjab assembly during its budget session. (The academic session begins Wednesday-Thursday, depending on the college concerned.)
"We have been forced to resort to an agitation as the government refuses to listen and release the grant. We have done everything possible to convince the government in this regard but it seems hell bent on destroying college education in Punjab," PCCTU president P.S. Gill said.
"We have met the higher education minister at least 20 times and the secretary at least 50 times. They are now avoiding meeting us. We have sent requests to meet the chief minister and the deputy chief minister but have not got any response.
Salary grants have not been received in the past 13 months. It is unfortunate that the government is playing with higher education," Gill added.
The shutdown will affect thousands of students in private colleges across Punjab that is aided by the government. Even the federations of private colleges’ managements and principals have supported the strike call. The teachers also plan to court arrest. The grant-in-aid scheme was started by the Punjab government in 1978 to encourage private managements to open colleges for youth. Many posts of teachers get up to 95 percent grant-in-aid to pay salaries to the faculty.
"There has been some delay in giving grants but from our side the release of grants is updated now. We are looking into the matter," a senior officer of the Punjab higher education department.
But the teachers and college managements are also upset that the Punjab government is gradually reducing the grants for colleges.
"Reduction of grants for aided colleges has come as a shock to aided colleges. The Punjab government has reduced the grant by 15 per cent to private aided colleges and is allowing contractual appointments instead of regular ones for the posts to be filled," PCCTU general secretary Kuldip Singh pointed out.
Out of more than 3,500 posts of teachers in these colleges, over 1,925 have been lying vacant for the past few years as the government is not allowing regular recruitment. The government, it seems, is legalizing under payment by talking of contractual appointments for which there is no provision in the Panjab University calendar. The reduction in grant cannot be made without amending the executive order and the government is acting most arbitrarily," he added.
Even college managements and principals are worried about the situation."It seems like the Punjab government has completely ousted the issue of higher education from its agenda," Swaranjeet Singh Deol, the president of the principals' association of colleges affiliated to Panjab University.
"These steps are directly or indirectly supporting the privatization of higher education because aided colleges are reeling under acute staff crunch and are struggling for survival. Punjabi youths are indulging in various anti-social and suicidal activities due to lack of affordable quality education. Already the poor state of education in Punjab will worsen with the mess created by the state government," Deol warned.-IANS
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