Prime Minister Narendra Modi has won the online reader&#39;s poll for TIME Person of the Year 2016, beating out other world leaders like US President-elect Donald Trump, incumbent US leader Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Modi won with 18 per cent of the vote when the poll closed last night, getting significantly more votes than his closest contenders, including Obama, Trump and Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange, who all received 7 per cent of the &#39;yes&#39; vote.

Modi was also placed far ahead of other prominent figures of this year, like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (2 per cent) and US Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton (4 per cent), Time said.

Time&#39;s editors will decide the final Person of the Year later this week, but the online poll results provide a look at how the world sees these figures and Modi emerged as the most influential figure in 2016, according to the online poll. 
Time said the reader poll is an &quot;important window&quot; into who they think most shaped 2016.

It is for the second time that Modi has won the online readers&#39; poll for Time Person of the Year title, securing the honour in 2014, when he had got more than 16 per cent of the almost five million votes cast.

For the fourth year in a row, Modi is among the contenders for Time&#39;s &#39;Person of the Year&#39; honour, which the US publication bestows every year to the one &quot;who has most influenced the news and our world in the past year, for good or ill&quot;.

Last year German Chancellor Angela Merkel was Time&#39;s &#39;Person of the Year&#39;.

Time said in recent months, Modi saw high approval ratings from Indians, according to a September Pew poll. It added that Modi has come under scrutiny recently for getting rid of 500- and 1,000-rupee notes, impacting cash-based businesses and threatening India&#39;s economy.

Current poll results, analysed by poll host Apester, found that preferences differed across the world and the United States. Modi performed particularly well among Indian voters as well as those in California and New Jersey. 
Modi had been in the lead in this year?s online poll and according to the initial votes cast, he had got 21 per cent voting in his favour.

For a while Assange had overtaken Trump for the lead in the online poll, getting 10 per cent of all the &quot;yes&quot; votes cast by participants, Time had said.

Among the contenders this year are former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, FBI Chief James Comey, Apple CEO Tim Cook, parents of slain Muslim-American soldier Humanyun Khan, Khizr and Ghazala Khan, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, British Prime Minister Theresa May and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Time had also analysed the moments from 2016 when this year&#39;s poll contenders were most talked about. For Modi it was October 16 when the Indian leader had suggested during a summit of BRICS nations in Goa that Pakistan is the &quot;mothership&quot; for terrorism.

(PTI)

Modi won with 18 per cent of the vote when the poll closed last night, getting significantly more votes than his closest contenders

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has won the online reader's poll for TIME Person of the Year 2016, beating out other world leaders like US President-elect Donald Trump, incumbent US leader Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Modi won with 18 per cent of the vote when the poll closed last night, getting significantly more votes than his closest contenders, including Obama, Trump and Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange, who all received 7 per cent of the 'yes' vote. Modi was also placed far ahead of other prominent figures of this year, like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (2 per cent) and US Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton (4 per cent), Time said. Time's editors will decide the final Person of the Year later this week, but the online poll results provide a look at how the world sees these figures and Modi emerged as the most influential figure in 2016, according to the online poll. Time said the reader poll is an "important window" into who they think most shaped 2016. It is for the second time that Modi has won the online readers' poll for Time Person of the Year title, securing the honour in 2014, when he had got more than 16 per cent of the almost five million votes cast. For the fourth year in a row, Modi is among the contenders for Time's 'Person of the Year' honour, which the US publication bestows every year to the one "who has most influenced the news and our world in the past year, for good or ill". Last year German Chancellor Angela Merkel was Time's 'Person of the Year'. Time said in recent months, Modi saw high approval ratings from Indians, according to a September Pew poll. It added that Modi has come under scrutiny recently for getting rid of 500- and 1,000-rupee notes, impacting cash-based businesses and threatening India's economy. Current poll results, analysed by poll host Apester, found that preferences differed across the world and the United States. Modi performed particularly well among Indian voters as well as those in California and New Jersey. Modi had been in the lead in this year?s online poll and according to the initial votes cast, he had got 21 per cent voting in his favour. For a while Assange had overtaken Trump for the lead in the online poll, getting 10 per cent of all the "yes" votes cast by participants, Time had said. Among the contenders this year are former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, FBI Chief James Comey, Apple CEO Tim Cook, parents of slain Muslim-American soldier Humanyun Khan, Khizr and Ghazala Khan, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, British Prime Minister Theresa May and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Time had also analysed the moments from 2016 when this year's poll contenders were most talked about. For Modi it was October 16 when the Indian leader had suggested during a summit of BRICS nations in Goa that Pakistan is the "mothership" for terrorism. (PTI)

Indian Prime Minister Modi wins online reader's poll for TIME person of the year

Indian services activity dived into contraction in November after Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s surprise move to withdraw high denomination banknotes led to a sharp decline in demand, a survey showed on Monday.

The latest data, coupled with another last week that showed factory activity slumped as well, offers the first glimpse of the massive hit the economy is likely to take from Modi&#39;s demonetisation drive.

The Nikkei/Markit Services Purchasing Managers&#39; Index sank to 46.7 in November from October&#39;s 54.5, the first time since June 2015 that the index has gone below the 50 mark that separates growth from contraction.

It was also the biggest one-month drop since November 2008, just after the collapse of Lehman Brothers triggered the global financial crisis.

&quot;The latest set of gloomy PMI figures for the Indian service sector shows that companies were heavily impacted by the 500 and 1,000 rupee notes ban,&quot; said Pollyana De Lima, economist at survey compiler IHS Markit.

Modi&#39;s decision last month to scrap high-value banknotes, aimed at curbing corruption and tax evasion, removed 86 per cent of the currency in circulation virtually overnight, and rationed available cash among India&#39;s vast 1.2 billion population.

IHS Markit said the cash-driven economy saw financial services, hotels, restaurants, renting and business activities suffer the most as consumers curbed discretionary spending.

India&#39;s services sector makes up over 60 per cent of gross domestic product, so a contraction there is likely to drastically weaken the growth outlook.

A slowdown could rob India of its fastest growing major economy tag. Some of the more pessimistic views are that growth will halve from the annual 7.3 per cent clocked in July-September.

The new business sub-index that measures both foreign and domestic demand tumbled to 46.7 from 54.3 in October, according to the PMI survey, the first contraction in 1-1/2 years and its biggest month-on-month fall in eight years.

Firms also discounted prices at a steeper rate than in October, the survey showed, to try and convince buyers to part with the limited available cash.

&quot;The reduction in money supply curbed inflation in November. In light of these numbers, further cuts to the benchmark rate are expected,&quot; De Lima said.

A Reuters poll last week showed the Reserve Bank of India would cut its repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.00 percent at its two-day meeting that ends Dec. 7.

The composite PMI, which includes both manufacturing and services, fell to 49.1 in November from 55.4.

(Reuters)

It was also the biggest one-month drop since November 2008, just after the collapse of Lehman Brothers triggered the global financial crisis

Indian services activity dived into contraction in November after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise move to withdraw high denomination banknotes led to a sharp decline in demand, a survey showed on Monday. The latest data, coupled with another last week that showed factory activity slumped as well, offers the first glimpse of the massive hit the economy is likely to take from Modi's demonetisation drive. The Nikkei/Markit Services Purchasing Managers' Index sank to 46.7 in November from October's 54.5, the first time since June 2015 that the index has gone below the 50 mark that separates growth from contraction. It was also the biggest one-month drop since November 2008, just after the collapse of Lehman Brothers triggered the global financial crisis. "The latest set of gloomy PMI figures for the Indian service sector shows that companies were heavily impacted by the 500 and 1,000 rupee notes ban," said Pollyana De Lima, economist at survey compiler IHS Markit. Modi's decision last month to scrap high-value banknotes, aimed at curbing corruption and tax evasion, removed 86 per cent of the currency in circulation virtually overnight, and rationed available cash among India's vast 1.2 billion population. IHS Markit said the cash-driven economy saw financial services, hotels, restaurants, renting and business activities suffer the most as consumers curbed discretionary spending. India's services sector makes up over 60 per cent of gross domestic product, so a contraction there is likely to drastically weaken the growth outlook. A slowdown could rob India of its fastest growing major economy tag. Some of the more pessimistic views are that growth will halve from the annual 7.3 per cent clocked in July-September. The new business sub-index that measures both foreign and domestic demand tumbled to 46.7 from 54.3 in October, according to the PMI survey, the first contraction in 1-1/2 years and its biggest month-on-month fall in eight years. Firms also discounted prices at a steeper rate than in October, the survey showed, to try and convince buyers to part with the limited available cash. "The reduction in money supply curbed inflation in November. In light of these numbers, further cuts to the benchmark rate are expected," De Lima said. A Reuters poll last week showed the Reserve Bank of India would cut its repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.00 percent at its two-day meeting that ends Dec. 7. The composite PMI, which includes both manufacturing and services, fell to 49.1 in November from 55.4. (Reuters)

Indian services activity plunges into contraction in November on cash crackdown

It doesn&#39;t get more direct than what President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan had to say at Amritsar on Sunday.

&quot;Pakistan,&quot; he told representatives of nearly 50 countries or organisations, including Pakistan foreign affairs and security adviser Sartaj Aziz, who had gathered in the northern Indian town for the sixth edition of the Heart of Asia - Istanbul Process on Afghanistan,&nbsp;&quot;has pledged 500 million dollars for Afghanistan&rsquo;s development. This amount, Mr Aziz, can be spent to fight terrorists and extremists in Pakistan.&quot;

TV cameras did not capture Aziz&#39;s expression but the sting in&nbsp;Ghani&#39;s words was not lost on anyone. The Afghan President did not stop at that. 
 
&ldquo;A key Taliban leader,&quot; the Afghan President said, &quot;has himself admitted to getting sanctuary in Pakistan. He said that without Pakistan support, we would have&nbsp;not lasted for more than a month.&rdquo; 
 
As if on cue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, who co-chaired the conference with Ghani, called for action &quot;against those who support, shelter, train and finance&quot; terrorists.&nbsp;

&quot;Silence and inaction against terrorism in Afghanistan and our region will only embolden terrorists and their masters,&quot; he continued in the same vein.

This double-barrelled attack on Pakistan, by the Afghan and Indian leaders, was in keeping with India&#39;s attempts of late to shame their common neighbour and further isolate it diplomatically.&nbsp;The bonhomie between Kabul and New Delhi extended to the bilateral talks between Ghani and Modi on the margins of the conference.

Economic partnership via trade and connectivity, development assistance and security cooperation were among the bilateral, regional and global issues that came up for discussion in their meeting.

Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said that Ghani and Modi agreed to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation to combat especially the cross-border nature of the scourge which had caused immense suffering to the people of India and Afghanistan.

Both countries decided to operationalise the additional one billion meant as Indian development assistance for infrastructure and connectivity projects. They also plan to introduce an air transport corridor between India and Afghanistan&nbsp;to give India and Afghan consumers and producers unimpeded access to each other&#39;s products and services.

Modi was to amplify it later by saying that &quot;Afghanistan should be at the centre of our connectivity networks, not peripheral to them. On our part, we see Afghanistan as the hub for strengthening links of connectivity between South Asia and Central Asia&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;We,&quot; he said, &quot;cannot deny that the more connected Afghanistan is with the regional arteries of trade, capital and markets, the more assured would be its economic growth and progress. President Ghani and I have converged on the priority of strengthening trade and transport linkages with other partners in the region.&quot;

For his part, Ghani said that all the countries in Afghanistan&#39;s neighbourhood and beyond &quot;need to identify cross-border terrorism and a fund to combat terrorism&quot;. He lauded India&#39;s development role in his war-torn country by saying that Indian assistance is transparent and came without without strings attached. &quot;There are no hidden agreements [or] secret conditions...it is convergence of interests and values of two states inspired by the belief in cooperative advantage.&quot;

Aziz defended by saying in his intervention afterwards at the conference that &quot;it is simplistic to blame only one country for the recent upsurge in violence&quot; in Afghanistan. In an oblique reference to the continued India - Pakistan tensions, he said that peaceful resolution of outstanding disputes will further improve regional cooperation and connectivity in the region. (Pakistan does not allow India access through its territory for exporting goods to Afghanistan.) 
 
However, at a joint news conference with Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai of Afghanistan, Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley (standing in for Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is indisposed) said that terrorism was at the very core of the deliberations and that the tone had been set by Ghani and Modi earlier in the day. 
 
Karzai, in turn, spoke about how Pakistan, without naming it, is nurturing and flirting with terrorism, which has consequences not only for Pakistan itself but also for the region. 
 
The participating countries, Jaitley added, recognised that terrorism was the biggest threat to peace and stability and the Amritsar Declaration (see below) adopted towards the end of the summit expressed concern over violence perpetrated by terrorist groups, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad.

If there were fears that India - Pakistan tensions would hijack the conference agenda, it was not to be. In the end, Aziz&#39;s engagements did not go beyond the customary handshake and photo-op with Modi. Indian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup maintained that there was no pull-aside or bilateral meeting between Aziz and Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval either.&nbsp;

An excerpt from the Amritsar Declaration:

&quot;We remain concerned by the gravity of the security situation in Afghanistan in particular and the region and the high level of violence caused by the Taliban, terrorist groups including ISIL / DAISHand its affiliates, the Haqqani Network, Al Qaida, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, East Turkistan Islamic Movement, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, TTP, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, Jundullah and other foreign terrorist fighters. Acknowledging the support that terrorism derives in our region, we demand an immediate end to all forms of terrorism, as well as all support to it, including financing of terrorism. We recognize that terrorism is the biggest threat to peace, stability and cooperation in our region. We encourage the international community to continue to assist the Government of Afghanistan. We strongly call for concerted regional and international cooperation to ensure elimination of terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, including dismantling of terrorist sanctuaries and safe havens in the Heart of Asia region, as well as disrupting all financial, tactical and logistical support for terrorism.&quot;

(WION)

Silence and inaction against terrorism in Afghanistan and our region will only embolden terrorists and their masters: Modi

It doesn't get more direct than what President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan had to say at Amritsar on Sunday. "Pakistan," he told representatives of nearly 50 countries or organisations, including Pakistan foreign affairs and security adviser Sartaj Aziz, who had gathered in the northern Indian town for the sixth edition of the Heart of Asia - Istanbul Process on Afghanistan, "has pledged 500 million dollars for Afghanistan’s development. This amount, Mr Aziz, can be spent to fight terrorists and extremists in Pakistan." TV cameras did not capture Aziz's expression but the sting in Ghani's words was not lost on anyone. The Afghan President did not stop at that. “A key Taliban leader," the Afghan President said, "has himself admitted to getting sanctuary in Pakistan. He said that without Pakistan support, we would have not lasted for more than a month.” As if on cue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, who co-chaired the conference with Ghani, called for action "against those who support, shelter, train and finance" terrorists. "Silence and inaction against terrorism in Afghanistan and our region will only embolden terrorists and their masters," he continued in the same vein. This double-barrelled attack on Pakistan, by the Afghan and Indian leaders, was in keeping with India's attempts of late to shame their common neighbour and further isolate it diplomatically. The bonhomie between Kabul and New Delhi extended to the bilateral talks between Ghani and Modi on the margins of the conference. Economic partnership via trade and connectivity, development assistance and security cooperation were among the bilateral, regional and global issues that came up for discussion in their meeting. Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said that Ghani and Modi agreed to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation to combat especially the cross-border nature of the scourge which had caused immense suffering to the people of India and Afghanistan. Both countries decided to operationalise the additional one billion meant as Indian development assistance for infrastructure and connectivity projects. They also plan to introduce an air transport corridor between India and Afghanistan to give India and Afghan consumers and producers unimpeded access to each other's products and services. Modi was to amplify it later by saying that "Afghanistan should be at the centre of our connectivity networks, not peripheral to them. On our part, we see Afghanistan as the hub for strengthening links of connectivity between South Asia and Central Asia". "We," he said, "cannot deny that the more connected Afghanistan is with the regional arteries of trade, capital and markets, the more assured would be its economic growth and progress. President Ghani and I have converged on the priority of strengthening trade and transport linkages with other partners in the region." For his part, Ghani said that all the countries in Afghanistan's neighbourhood and beyond "need to identify cross-border terrorism and a fund to combat terrorism". He lauded India's development role in his war-torn country by saying that Indian assistance is transparent and came without without strings attached. "There are no hidden agreements [or] secret conditions...it is convergence of interests and values of two states inspired by the belief in cooperative advantage." Aziz defended by saying in his intervention afterwards at the conference that "it is simplistic to blame only one country for the recent upsurge in violence" in Afghanistan. In an oblique reference to the continued India - Pakistan tensions, he said that peaceful resolution of outstanding disputes will further improve regional cooperation and connectivity in the region. (Pakistan does not allow India access through its territory for exporting goods to Afghanistan.) However, at a joint news conference with Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai of Afghanistan, Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley (standing in for Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is indisposed) said that terrorism was at the very core of the deliberations and that the tone had been set by Ghani and Modi earlier in the day. Karzai, in turn, spoke about how Pakistan, without naming it, is nurturing and flirting with terrorism, which has consequences not only for Pakistan itself but also for the region. The participating countries, Jaitley added, recognised that terrorism was the biggest threat to peace and stability and the Amritsar Declaration (see below) adopted towards the end of the summit expressed concern over violence perpetrated by terrorist groups, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad. If there were fears that India - Pakistan tensions would hijack the conference agenda, it was not to be. In the end, Aziz's engagements did not go beyond the customary handshake and photo-op with Modi. Indian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup maintained that there was no pull-aside or bilateral meeting between Aziz and Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval either. An excerpt from the Amritsar Declaration: "We remain concerned by the gravity of the security situation in Afghanistan in particular and the region and the high level of violence caused by the Taliban, terrorist groups including ISIL / DAISHand its affiliates, the Haqqani Network, Al Qaida, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, East Turkistan Islamic Movement, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, TTP, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, Jundullah and other foreign terrorist fighters. Acknowledging the support that terrorism derives in our region, we demand an immediate end to all forms of terrorism, as well as all support to it, including financing of terrorism. We recognize that terrorism is the biggest threat to peace, stability and cooperation in our region. We encourage the international community to continue to assist the Government of Afghanistan. We strongly call for concerted regional and international cooperation to ensure elimination of terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, including dismantling of terrorist sanctuaries and safe havens in the Heart of Asia region, as well as disrupting all financial, tactical and logistical support for terrorism." (WION)

Heart of Asia: Modi, Ghani launch double-barrelled attack on Pakistan

Three suspected Al-Qaeda operatives were arrested on Monday by India&rsquo;s National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Madurai in India&rsquo;s southern state of Tamil Nadu.

The three were allegedly planning to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with 22 top leaders of India, police said.

Those arrested were identified as M Khareem, Asif Sultan Mohammed and Abbas Ali, PTI reported.

While Khareem was arrested from Usmannagar, Asif Sultan Mohammed was picked up from GR Nagar and Abbas Ali from Ismailpuram, police said.

Police said NIA raided several places on specific information that suspected Al-Qaeda activists were operating from South Tamil Nadu in and around Madurai. &ldquo;Explosive materials and arms have been seized from them,&rdquo; police said.

NIA is searching for two other suspected Al-Qaeda operatives, Hakeem and Dawood Sulaiman.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Police said the three allegedly planned to attack 22 top leaders of India

Three suspected Al-Qaeda operatives were arrested on Monday by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Madurai in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu. The three were allegedly planning to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with 22 top leaders of India, police said. Those arrested were identified as M Khareem, Asif Sultan Mohammed and Abbas Ali, PTI reported. While Khareem was arrested from Usmannagar, Asif Sultan Mohammed was picked up from GR Nagar and Abbas Ali from Ismailpuram, police said. Police said NIA raided several places on specific information that suspected Al-Qaeda activists were operating from South Tamil Nadu in and around Madurai. “Explosive materials and arms have been seized from them,” police said. NIA is searching for two other suspected Al-Qaeda operatives, Hakeem and Dawood Sulaiman. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Three suspected Al-Qaeda operatives planning to kill 22 top leaders including Indian PM Narendra Modi arrested

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the waters of rivers &nbsp;Sutlej, Beas and Ravi belong to India and will be stopped from going waste in Pakistan,

He said he will ensure that farmers here utilise it.

&quot;Indus Water Treaty- Sutlej, Beas, Ravi - the waters in these rivers belong to India and our farmers. It is not being used in the fields of Pakistan but flowing into the sea through Pakistan.&rdquo;

&quot;Now every drop of this water will be stopped and I will give that to farmers of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir and Indian farmers. I am committed to this,&quot; he said addressing a rally in the Indian state of Punjab.

He said a task force has been set up to ensure that &quot;each drop of water&quot; that flows out of Sutlej, Beas and Ravi reaches Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.

&quot;There is no reason that we cannot use our rights (over our waters) and let our farmers suffer,&quot; he said, adding, &quot;I need your blessings in order to fulfill your requirements for watering your fields.&quot;

The solution for the problems of water could be found out through common dialogue, he said.

Criticising the previous governments, Modi said, &quot;Waters kept flowing to Pakistan, but successive governments kept sleeping on this issue and my farmer kept crying for the want of water.&quot;

&quot;If Punjab farmers get sufficient amount of water, they could produce &#39;gold&#39; from the soil and could fill the coffers of the country,&quot; he said.

&quot;Our government is committed to work in tandem with the Badal government in Punjab to get farmers their rights and address their concerns,&quot; he said.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

Modi said a task force has been set up to ensure that 'each drop of water' that flows out of the rivers reaches Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the waters of rivers Sutlej, Beas and Ravi belong to India and will be stopped from going waste in Pakistan, He said he will ensure that farmers here utilise it. "Indus Water Treaty- Sutlej, Beas, Ravi - the waters in these rivers belong to India and our farmers. It is not being used in the fields of Pakistan but flowing into the sea through Pakistan.” "Now every drop of this water will be stopped and I will give that to farmers of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir and Indian farmers. I am committed to this," he said addressing a rally in the Indian state of Punjab. He said a task force has been set up to ensure that "each drop of water" that flows out of Sutlej, Beas and Ravi reaches Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. "There is no reason that we cannot use our rights (over our waters) and let our farmers suffer," he said, adding, "I need your blessings in order to fulfill your requirements for watering your fields." The solution for the problems of water could be found out through common dialogue, he said. Criticising the previous governments, Modi said, "Waters kept flowing to Pakistan, but successive governments kept sleeping on this issue and my farmer kept crying for the want of water." "If Punjab farmers get sufficient amount of water, they could produce 'gold' from the soil and could fill the coffers of the country," he said. "Our government is committed to work in tandem with the Badal government in Punjab to get farmers their rights and address their concerns," he said. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Waters of Sutlej, Beas and Ravi belong to India, will be stopped from going waste in Pakistan: Indian PM

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that demonetisation is &ldquo;for the larger social good&rdquo;, amid mounting criticism following his decision to withdraw all high-denomination banknotes from circulation. &nbsp;

&quot;The decision isn&#39;t being criticised much (by the common man),&quot; Modi said in a speech Friday, in which he praised citizens as &quot;soldiers in this fight against corruption and black (unaccounted) money&quot;, AFP reported.

&quot;Some things have to be done above politics for the larger social good,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

The move that came into effect on November 8, bans the 500 and 1,000 rupees ($7.30, $14.60) notes as legal tender which amount to approximately 85 per cent of all bills in circulation.

According to AFP, Ratings agency Fitch has said it would revise down India growth forecasts for the fourth quarter of 2016 after the shock move.

Critics have slammed the Modi government for its &quot;shoddy implementation&quot; of the scheme, that has led to chaos outside banks and ATMs.

Hitting out at critics, Modi said that those criticising his decision were &ldquo;sad that they didn&rsquo;t get any notice, a chance to prepare for the decision&quot;. 
&nbsp; 
&quot;It is such a great step. A big, big decision. And, for those who dream of a great future for the country, let`s come together to remove the problems being faced by the common man,&quot; he added.

People nationwide have complained of a cash-crunch. Rural areas are reported to be the hardest hit as local banks and post offices have been slow to receive new notes.

Modi also urged Indians to switch to non-cash methods of spending.&nbsp;

&quot;Every person has a right to spend his or her money. No one can take anyone`s money. Now people can also spend through mobile technology,&quot; he said, mentioning that the country had around a billion mobile handsets and 60 per cent of its population was under 35 years.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

Critics have slammed the Modi government for its 'shoddy implementation' of the scheme

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that demonetisation is “for the larger social good”, amid mounting criticism following his decision to withdraw all high-denomination banknotes from circulation. "The decision isn't being criticised much (by the common man)," Modi said in a speech Friday, in which he praised citizens as "soldiers in this fight against corruption and black (unaccounted) money", AFP reported. "Some things have to be done above politics for the larger social good," he added. The move that came into effect on November 8, bans the 500 and 1,000 rupees ($7.30, $14.60) notes as legal tender which amount to approximately 85 per cent of all bills in circulation. According to AFP, Ratings agency Fitch has said it would revise down India growth forecasts for the fourth quarter of 2016 after the shock move. Critics have slammed the Modi government for its "shoddy implementation" of the scheme, that has led to chaos outside banks and ATMs. Hitting out at critics, Modi said that those criticising his decision were “sad that they didn’t get any notice, a chance to prepare for the decision". "It is such a great step. A big, big decision. And, for those who dream of a great future for the country, let`s come together to remove the problems being faced by the common man," he added. People nationwide have complained of a cash-crunch. Rural areas are reported to be the hardest hit as local banks and post offices have been slow to receive new notes. Modi also urged Indians to switch to non-cash methods of spending. "Every person has a right to spend his or her money. No one can take anyone`s money. Now people can also spend through mobile technology," he said, mentioning that the country had around a billion mobile handsets and 60 per cent of its population was under 35 years. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Indian PM Modi hits back at critics, says demonetisation 'for larger good'

To try and ease the cash crunch following last week&#39;s decision to demonetise 500- and 1,000-rupee notes, the Indian&nbsp;government said Thursday that select petrol pumps would be allowed to dispense up to Rs 2,000 to customers against their debit or credit cards.

To start with, the facility will be available at 2,500 petrol pumps around the country.

&quot;It has been decided that an amount up to Rs 2,000 per day per person in cash can be dispensed against swiping of debit card from select petrol pumps where Point of Sale (PoS) machines of State Bank of India are already available,&quot; an official told Indian news agency PTI.

The facility will in time be extended to 20,000 petrol pumps.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

The facility will at first be available at 2,500 petrol pumps around the country, will in time be extended to 20,000

To try and ease the cash crunch following last week's decision to demonetise 500- and 1,000-rupee notes, the Indian government said Thursday that select petrol pumps would be allowed to dispense up to Rs 2,000 to customers against their debit or credit cards. To start with, the facility will be available at 2,500 petrol pumps around the country. "It has been decided that an amount up to Rs 2,000 per day per person in cash can be dispensed against swiping of debit card from select petrol pumps where Point of Sale (PoS) machines of State Bank of India are already available," an official told Indian news agency PTI. The facility will in time be extended to 20,000 petrol pumps. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Demonetisation: Swipe card at petrol pump, get up to Rs 2,000 cash

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s 97-year-old mother Hiraba today visited a bank at her village in Gandhinagar, just like other citizens, and exchanged her old notes in view of the demonetisation of the high-value currency notes.

Accompanied by relatives, Hiraba, who was in a wheelchair, came to a branch of Oriental Bank of Commerce at Raisan village this morning and got notes worth Rs 4,500 exchanged.

She came to the bank with Rs 500 notes, got the mandatory form filled, put her thumb impression on the form and exchanged her money.

After receiving a new note of Rs 2,000, she also displayed it in front of the mediapersons, who virtually mobbed her as they sought her reaction.

Hiraba lives with Prime Minister Modi&#39;s younger brother Pankaj Modi in Raisan on the outskirts of Gandhinagar. 
The prime minister had visited his mother on September 17 this year to take her blessings on his 66th birthday.

Hiraba is known to lead a very simple life and travels in public transport. Last time when she visited Gandhinagar civil hospital for a regular check-up, she was seen going in an autorickshaw.

Modi had on November 8 announced scrapping of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes to curb black money menace.

After the announcement, people have been queueing up at banks across the country to get their old high denomination notes exchanged for the new notes.

(PTI)

His nonagenarian mother is known to lead a very simple life and is even seen travelling in public transport often

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 97-year-old mother Hiraba today visited a bank at her village in Gandhinagar, just like other citizens, and exchanged her old notes in view of the demonetisation of the high-value currency notes. Accompanied by relatives, Hiraba, who was in a wheelchair, came to a branch of Oriental Bank of Commerce at Raisan village this morning and got notes worth Rs 4,500 exchanged. She came to the bank with Rs 500 notes, got the mandatory form filled, put her thumb impression on the form and exchanged her money. After receiving a new note of Rs 2,000, she also displayed it in front of the mediapersons, who virtually mobbed her as they sought her reaction. Hiraba lives with Prime Minister Modi's younger brother Pankaj Modi in Raisan on the outskirts of Gandhinagar. The prime minister had visited his mother on September 17 this year to take her blessings on his 66th birthday. Hiraba is known to lead a very simple life and travels in public transport. Last time when she visited Gandhinagar civil hospital for a regular check-up, she was seen going in an autorickshaw. Modi had on November 8 announced scrapping of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes to curb black money menace. After the announcement, people have been queueing up at banks across the country to get their old high denomination notes exchanged for the new notes. (PTI)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother goes to bank to exchange notes

Top diplomat Sartaj Aziz said that Pakistan joins BRICS nations in condemning terrorism

A day after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an indirect reference to Pakistan and made the 'mothership of terrorism' remark at BRICS Summit 2016, a top diplomat from Pakistan today lashed out saying that India has no right to point fingers. Sartaj Aziz, the foreign affairs adviser to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, said that India has no moral ground to talk about counter-terrorism efforts, Indian news agency ANI reported. In a statement released by Pakistan's foreign ministry, Aziz said: "Modi is misleading his BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and BIMSTEC (The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) colleagues." Aziz alleged that the Indian leadership was desperately trying to hide what he termed as "brutalities" in Kashmir. "The UN and OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) have rejected Indian attempts to equate Kashmiris' movement for self-determination with terrorism," Aziz was quoted as saying by ANI. He also said the UN has repeatedly stressed that people fighting for their self-determination cannot be categorised as terrorists by the occupying state. Aziz said that Pakistan joins all the members of BRICS and BIMSTEC in condemning terrorism and reaffirms its full commitment in fighting the menace of terrorism without discrimination. He alleged that Pakistan is a victim of "Indian interference and subversive activities, which are aimed at destabilising the country". Indian Prime Minister Modi, while addressing the BRICS Summit on Sunday, launched an indirect attack at Pakistan saying, "Tragically, the mother-ship of terrorism is a country in India's neighbourhood." "Terrorism has become its favourite child and the child in turn. has come to define the essential character and nature of its parents. The time for condemning the state-sponsored terrorism is long gone," he said. The two South Asian neighbours have been engaged in war of words over the past few weeks in the wake of ongoing unrest in Kashmir Valley, September 18 Uri attack that killed 19 soldiers and ensuing surgical strikes by Indian Army in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. Both the countries have also been accusing each other of ceasefire violations. While a senior Indian Army official was quoted as saying in media reports on Sunday that there have been more than 25 ceasefire violations by Pakistan since September 29 surgical strikes, Pakistan's foreign office spokesperson Nafees Zakria said today that there India has committed more than 90 ceasefire violations in 2016. #LoCViolationsbyIndia India again resorts 2unprovoked firing at LoC; during 2016 India violated ceasefire more than 90 times.This #must stop — M. Nafees Zakaria (@ForeignOfficePk) October 17, 2016 × (WION with inputs from agencies)

Indian PM misleading BRICS colleagues: Pakistan on 'mothership of terrorism' remark

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in the western Indian state of Goa on Saturday for the 17th India-Russia annual summit that will be held on the margins of the BRICS &nbsp;(Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa)&nbsp;Summit 2016&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The two leaders are expected to sign a number of defence deals. The meeting will also see the foundation of unit-3 and unit-4 of the nuclear reactors being set up with Moscow&#39;s assistance in Kudankulam, a seaside town in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

&nbsp;

&#39;A vast menu&#39;&nbsp;

The strategic partnership between India and Russia dates back to October 2000. However, over time, the bilateral relations&nbsp;waned. While Russia turned to China, and most recently Pakistan where it conducted joint military exercises, India veered towards the United States. Along the way, the US and Israel supplanted Russia as a major defence supplier for India.

&nbsp;

The Modi-Putin bilateral talks, however, are likely to re-establish Moscow&#39;s pre-eminent status in India&#39;s defence and security calculus.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

If the ambitious agenda of the talks (&quot;a vast menu&quot; is how an Indian official who spoke to WION defines it) and the proposed outcomes (about 18 agreements&nbsp;likely to be signed in the areas such as defence and civil nuclear cooperation) are indicators, the Modi-Putin meet promises to be as &quot;special&quot; and &quot;privileged&quot; as the strategic partnership between India and Russia.

&nbsp;

GV Srinivas, joint secretary (Eurasia) in the Indian ministry of external affairs, told reporters in Goa today that &quot;unmatched mutual confidence&quot;, &quot;trust&quot; and &quot;goodwill&quot; cutting across party lines mark the India-Russia bilateral relations. Their &quot;broad geopolitical interests do not clash&quot;,&nbsp;rather, in some cases, &quot;the interests coincide&quot;, he said&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Pankaj Saran, India&#39;s ambassador to Russia, told reporters that terror will remain one of&nbsp;the talking points during the meet.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Also, the &quot;wide range&quot; of defence deals to be signed on Saturday are likely to be far-reaching in their scope and importance for India&#39;s defence and security interests. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

India, Saran said, can also be expected to iterate its anxieties to Russia on its fledgeling military ties with Pakistan. &quot;India is confident that Russia will reflect upon India&#39;s concerns,&quot; &nbsp;he added.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Among the defence pacts to be signed on Saturday&nbsp;will be&nbsp;the S-400 Triumph advanced anti-aircraft defence system. Some other agreements will be signed out of public view. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

Several other regional and global issues such as the situation in Syria, Afghanistan and other countries are also likely to come up for discussion.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Saran highlighted&nbsp;that the &quot;policy position&quot; on Syria&nbsp;that Modi articulated when he visited Moscow in December last year for the annual India-Russia summit&nbsp;remains valid even today, in spite of the changes on the ground in Syria, and related developments at the United Nations.

&nbsp;

Modi to meet Jinping&nbsp;

The India-Russia talks will take place before the Indian Prime Minister sits down for a bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping of China. The Sino-Indian relations have been fraught with mutual distrust and suspicion, in sharp contrast to the nature of ties between New Delhi and Moscow.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

India&#39;s membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), which has been hanging fire for a long time now, has been opposed by China on the ground that India is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and that Beijing wants a criteria-based exemption rather a country-specific waiver in favour of India.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

China&#39;s reluctance to lift the technical hold on the proposed proscription of the terror&nbsp;group&nbsp;Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar by the United Nations 1267 committee is also expected to come up for discussion.

&nbsp;

(WION)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The two leaders are to sign deals expected to have far-reaching results as far as India's defence interests are concerned

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in the western Indian state of Goa on Saturday for the 17th India-Russia annual summit that will be held on the margins of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit 2016 The two leaders are expected to sign a number of defence deals. The meeting will also see the foundation of unit-3 and unit-4 of the nuclear reactors being set up with Moscow's assistance in Kudankulam, a seaside town in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. 'A vast menu' The strategic partnership between India and Russia dates back to October 2000. However, over time, the bilateral relations waned. While Russia turned to China, and most recently Pakistan where it conducted joint military exercises, India veered towards the United States. Along the way, the US and Israel supplanted Russia as a major defence supplier for India. The Modi-Putin bilateral talks, however, are likely to re-establish Moscow's pre-eminent status in India's defence and security calculus. If the ambitious agenda of the talks ("a vast menu" is how an Indian official who spoke to WION defines it) and the proposed outcomes (about 18 agreements likely to be signed in the areas such as defence and civil nuclear cooperation) are indicators, the Modi-Putin meet promises to be as "special" and "privileged" as the strategic partnership between India and Russia. GV Srinivas, joint secretary (Eurasia) in the Indian ministry of external affairs, told reporters in Goa today that "unmatched mutual confidence", "trust" and "goodwill" cutting across party lines mark the India-Russia bilateral relations. Their "broad geopolitical interests do not clash", rather, in some cases, "the interests coincide", he said Meanwhile, Pankaj Saran, India's ambassador to Russia, told reporters that terror will remain one of the talking points during the meet. Also, the "wide range" of defence deals to be signed on Saturday are likely to be far-reaching in their scope and importance for India's defence and security interests. India, Saran said, can also be expected to iterate its anxieties to Russia on its fledgeling military ties with Pakistan. "India is confident that Russia will reflect upon India's concerns," he added. Among the defence pacts to be signed on Saturday will be the S-400 Triumph advanced anti-aircraft defence system. Some other agreements will be signed out of public view. Several other regional and global issues such as the situation in Syria, Afghanistan and other countries are also likely to come up for discussion. Saran highlighted that the "policy position" on Syria that Modi articulated when he visited Moscow in December last year for the annual India-Russia summit remains valid even today, in spite of the changes on the ground in Syria, and related developments at the United Nations. Modi to meet Jinping The India-Russia talks will take place before the Indian Prime Minister sits down for a bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping of China. The Sino-Indian relations have been fraught with mutual distrust and suspicion, in sharp contrast to the nature of ties between New Delhi and Moscow. India's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), which has been hanging fire for a long time now, has been opposed by China on the ground that India is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and that Beijing wants a criteria-based exemption rather a country-specific waiver in favour of India. China's reluctance to lift the technical hold on the proposed proscription of the terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar by the United Nations 1267 committee is also expected to come up for discussion. (WION)

Modi-Putin bilateral will recalibrate Moscow's status in India's defence calculus

Continuing his stand to take firm action against the perpetrators of the deadly Uri attack, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met with the Army, Air Force Chiefs of Staff and Naval Vice Admiral to discuss the prevailing security conditions. 
 
Apart from Chief of Army Staff General Dalbir Singh Suhag, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha and the Naval Vice Admiral, the National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval was also present for the meeting at the Prime Minister`s residence. 
 
Besides discussing the prevailing security situation in the country, discussions were also held on India`s response to the Uri attack, in which New Delhi has held Islamabad responsible. 
 
Later in the day, the Modi will fly to the country&#39;s southern state of Kerala, where he will address party office-bearers in Kozhikode and is expected to break his silence on the government`s response to the terror attack on the Army base. 
 
Immediately after the Uri attack, Modi had vowed in a strongly worded tweet that he will not let the perpetrators go &quot;unpunished&quot;. 
 
Earlier, the country&#39;s Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had asserted that the Prime Minister`s promise to punish those behind the Uri terror attack would not remain just words. 
 
Last Sunday, a militant attack on an army base in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, had claimed the lives of eighteen soldiers. 
 
While 17 soldiers died on Sunday, the army confirmed that one more critically injured soldier succumbed to his injuries on Thursday, pushing the death toll to 18. 
 
The armed militants lobbed grenades into their tents and barracks, while the soldiers were sleeping. 
 
The ensuing fire led to a large number of casualties. Twenty-eight injured soldiers are being treated at a military hospital.&nbsp; 
 
(ANI)

Discussions were also held on India's prevailing security situation

Continuing his stand to take firm action against the perpetrators of the deadly Uri attack, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met with the Army, Air Force Chiefs of Staff and Naval Vice Admiral to discuss the prevailing security conditions. Apart from Chief of Army Staff General Dalbir Singh Suhag, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha and the Naval Vice Admiral, the National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval was also present for the meeting at the Prime Minister`s residence. Besides discussing the prevailing security situation in the country, discussions were also held on India`s response to the Uri attack, in which New Delhi has held Islamabad responsible. Later in the day, the Modi will fly to the country's southern state of Kerala, where he will address party office-bearers in Kozhikode and is expected to break his silence on the government`s response to the terror attack on the Army base. Immediately after the Uri attack, Modi had vowed in a strongly worded tweet that he will not let the perpetrators go "unpunished". Earlier, the country's Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had asserted that the Prime Minister`s promise to punish those behind the Uri terror attack would not remain just words. Last Sunday, a militant attack on an army base in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, had claimed the lives of eighteen soldiers. While 17 soldiers died on Sunday, the army confirmed that one more critically injured soldier succumbed to his injuries on Thursday, pushing the death toll to 18. The armed militants lobbed grenades into their tents and barracks, while the soldiers were sleeping. The ensuing fire led to a large number of casualties. Twenty-eight injured soldiers are being treated at a military hospital. (ANI)

India: Modi meets defence brass to discuss Uri response

US President Barack Obama today praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for&nbsp;ushering &quot;bold&quot; tax reforms in India. 
 
The Indian parliament had cleared a landmark tax law named Goods and Services Tax in August. The law has been broadly lauded&nbsp;for simplifying India&#39;s taxation structure.&nbsp; 
 
Modi first met Obama briefly when they were onstage to pose for a family photograph at the G20 Summit venue in this eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou. The two leaders had another opportunity to exchange views during an informal evening programme. 
 
Obama in his intervention during the G20 summit praised Modi for the recent tax reform as an example of &quot;bold policy&quot; in an otherwise &quot;difficult global economic scenario&quot;. 
 
Later, Modi said that more than just &quot;difficult conversations&quot; needed to be taken to tackle the economic downturn.&nbsp; 
 
China President Xi Jinping also sounded alarm about the current economic climate.

Rise in protectionist policies have pushed global economy to the brink, warned Xi Jinping on the first of the two-day G20 summit. 
 
Jinping stressed the need to come around to work towards righting the depressed global economy.&nbsp; 
 
The comments come a month after Australia stonewalled a Chinese bid of&nbsp;$7.7 billion&nbsp;to buy the country&#39;s biggest energy grid, a move perceived to be being protectionist in nature. 
 
&quot;Growth drivers from the previous round of technological progress are gradually fading, while a new round of technological and industrial revolution has yet to gain momentum,&quot; he said. 
 
Xi also asked the G20 nations to back the talk.&nbsp;&quot;We should turn the G20 group into an action team, instead of a talk shop,&quot; he said. 
 
Meanwhile, the security remained tight in Hangzhou to ensure the summit passed&nbsp;off&nbsp;incident-free.&nbsp;

Modi later stressed about the need to take tough decisions to tide over the current global economic crisis

US President Barack Obama today praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ushering "bold" tax reforms in India. The Indian parliament had cleared a landmark tax law named Goods and Services Tax in August. The law has been broadly lauded for simplifying India's taxation structure. Modi first met Obama briefly when they were onstage to pose for a family photograph at the G20 Summit venue in this eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou. The two leaders had another opportunity to exchange views during an informal evening programme. Obama in his intervention during the G20 summit praised Modi for the recent tax reform as an example of "bold policy" in an otherwise "difficult global economic scenario". Later, Modi said that more than just "difficult conversations" needed to be taken to tackle the economic downturn. China President Xi Jinping also sounded alarm about the current economic climate. Rise in protectionist policies have pushed global economy to the brink, warned Xi Jinping on the first of the two-day G20 summit. Jinping stressed the need to come around to work towards righting the depressed global economy. The comments come a month after Australia stonewalled a Chinese bid of $7.7 billion to buy the country's biggest energy grid, a move perceived to be being protectionist in nature. "Growth drivers from the previous round of technological progress are gradually fading, while a new round of technological and industrial revolution has yet to gain momentum," he said. Xi also asked the G20 nations to back the talk. "We should turn the G20 group into an action team, instead of a talk shop," he said. Meanwhile, the security remained tight in Hangzhou to ensure the summit passed off incident-free.

Obama lauds India PM Narendra Modi for ushering 'bold' tax reforms

Despite Indian&nbsp;Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s tough message against cow vigilantism, thousands&nbsp;of gau rakshaks (cow vigilantes) are set to descend on Delhi on November 6. 
 
A stadium is being booked in the national capital to accommodate the invitees, numbering more than a lakh. A ceremony will also be held on the banks of Yamuna river that very evening which may coincide with the North Indian festival of Chhath.

Former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)&nbsp;ideologue&nbsp;Govindacharya, the chief organiser of the event, said any person associated with the party cannot go against the cow protection movement. 
 
&quot;We will organise such awareness programmes at state levels throughout India,&quot; he said. 
 
It is pertinent to mention that RSS is the parent body of India&#39;s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, the BJP-ruled Indian government is worried about the fact that cow vigilantism has accentuated caste differences within the larger rubric of Hindu politics. The party feels that such activism may hurt them in next year&#39;s elections in Uttar Pradesh, the largest state in India.&nbsp; 
 
BJP, however, is trying to draw a fine line between vigilantism and &#39;love for cows&#39;. 
 
&quot;The prime minister did not speak against cow protection. He spoke against cow vigilantism and those who take the law into their own hands and create social conflict,&quot; said BJP spokesperson Sudesh Verma.

The headache doesn&#39;t seem to end for the BJP as a number of cow protection associations have started targeting BJP governments at the state level itself. 
 
One such meeting, held on Monday in Jaipur and attended by 550 members representing 125 cow shelters across western state&nbsp;Rajasthan, openly spoke against the government.

&quot;We decided that if the Rajasthan government does not improve the current infrastructure, then all the bovines in the state would be taken to respective district magistrate&#39;s residence and set free,&quot; said Govindacharya.

Sources say that at this juncture despite a strong position being taken by the Centre, RSS will not disassociate itself from the issue of cow protection. As expected, the Congress has found a good opportunity to attack the BJP on the issue. 
 
(This article first appeared on DNA)&nbsp;

The Modi administration is worried that cow vigilantism has accentuated caste differences within the larger rubric of Hindu politics

Despite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tough message against cow vigilantism, thousands of gau rakshaks (cow vigilantes) are set to descend on Delhi on November 6. A stadium is being booked in the national capital to accommodate the invitees, numbering more than a lakh. A ceremony will also be held on the banks of Yamuna river that very evening which may coincide with the North Indian festival of Chhath. Former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideologue Govindacharya, the chief organiser of the event, said any person associated with the party cannot go against the cow protection movement. "We will organise such awareness programmes at state levels throughout India," he said. It is pertinent to mention that RSS is the parent body of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Meanwhile, the BJP-ruled Indian government is worried about the fact that cow vigilantism has accentuated caste differences within the larger rubric of Hindu politics. The party feels that such activism may hurt them in next year's elections in Uttar Pradesh, the largest state in India. BJP, however, is trying to draw a fine line between vigilantism and 'love for cows'. "The prime minister did not speak against cow protection. He spoke against cow vigilantism and those who take the law into their own hands and create social conflict," said BJP spokesperson Sudesh Verma. The headache doesn't seem to end for the BJP as a number of cow protection associations have started targeting BJP governments at the state level itself. One such meeting, held on Monday in Jaipur and attended by 550 members representing 125 cow shelters across western state Rajasthan, openly spoke against the government. "We decided that if the Rajasthan government does not improve the current infrastructure, then all the bovines in the state would be taken to respective district magistrate's residence and set free," said Govindacharya. Sources say that at this juncture despite a strong position being taken by the Centre, RSS will not disassociate itself from the issue of cow protection. As expected, the Congress has found a good opportunity to attack the BJP on the issue. (This article first appeared on DNA)

Thousands of cow vigilantes to hit Delhi on November 6 despite Indian PM's stern message

The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi and the&nbsp;Chief Minister of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha,&nbsp;video conferenced&nbsp;with the President of Russia Vladimir Putin to&nbsp;inaugurate Unit 1 of Kudankulam nuclear power plant on August 10, 2016. 
&nbsp; 
India has an uphill task to accomplish its energy needs. In the long term strategy, nuclear forms a part of it is overall energy mix. 
&nbsp; 
Tarapore atomic power station was the first nuclear power plant in India, established with the help of two boiling water reactors provided by the United States. The US also agreed to provide fuel for this reactor for the next 30 years. However, the deal was suspended when India used the nuclear fuel provided by Canada for its power plants to conduct nuclear weapon tests in 1974. 
&nbsp; 
In 1998, the Vajpayee Government in India again conducted nuclear tests at Pokhran, understanding very well that India&rsquo;s strategic objectives were more important than the sanctions that the world would impose on India. Every country refused to provide nuclear fuel to India. The only country willing to support India was Russia. 
&nbsp; 
The sanctions were eventually lifted by the Bush Government in 2001. Consequently, India and the US initiated the civil nuclear agreement, also called the 123 agreement in 2005. The agreement was heavily debated in Parliament, as many politicians voiced opposition to being sold to the Americans with limited liability in case of a nuclear accident. The deal underwent many discussions and changes, and was finally ratified in 2016 by the Narendra Modi government in India. 
&nbsp; 
Also, India is not signatory to the major nuclear treaties, such as Non Proliferation treaty, Missile Technology Control Regime, or the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty, discouraging other countries to sign civil nuclear deals with India. 
&nbsp; 
While all other negotiations were ongoing, the Russian steadily made progress. In 2002, Russia started constructing the Kudankulam nuclear plant. The nuclear plant is the result of 1988 inter-government agreement between India and USSR. It has come out of the good relationship between the two nations. 
&nbsp; 
India and the US signed on to the historic nuclear civilian deal, but it is Russia that actually built up the plant and has harnessed the huge nuclear energy potential of India. The lack of trust between India and the US has put America long behind in the race of the economic benefit it could have harnessed by establishing power plants in India. 
&nbsp; 
Now, even, India and Australia have signed the nuclear civil agreement, and Australia will soon start providing uranium to the power plants of India. For the first time, Australia will provide nuclear fuel to a country that is not signatory to Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. 
&nbsp; 
But in the long term, the Americans are on their way to establish long term presence in India in the nuclear energy business. It would be companies like Honeywell and GE that stand to gain from their long standing expertise in the business. The Canadians are hoping they will be the future suppliers of nuclear fuel for India. India&rsquo;s energy needs will continue to grow, as an average Indian consumes only 1/16th of energy than an American, and this is bound to change. 
 
(WION)

Retrospective comes as India and Russia announce the inauguration of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu

The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi and the Chief Minister of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha, video conferenced with the President of Russia Vladimir Putin to inaugurate Unit 1 of Kudankulam nuclear power plant on August 10, 2016. India has an uphill task to accomplish its energy needs. In the long term strategy, nuclear forms a part of it is overall energy mix. Tarapore atomic power station was the first nuclear power plant in India, established with the help of two boiling water reactors provided by the United States. The US also agreed to provide fuel for this reactor for the next 30 years. However, the deal was suspended when India used the nuclear fuel provided by Canada for its power plants to conduct nuclear weapon tests in 1974. In 1998, the Vajpayee Government in India again conducted nuclear tests at Pokhran, understanding very well that India’s strategic objectives were more important than the sanctions that the world would impose on India. Every country refused to provide nuclear fuel to India. The only country willing to support India was Russia. The sanctions were eventually lifted by the Bush Government in 2001. Consequently, India and the US initiated the civil nuclear agreement, also called the 123 agreement in 2005. The agreement was heavily debated in Parliament, as many politicians voiced opposition to being sold to the Americans with limited liability in case of a nuclear accident. The deal underwent many discussions and changes, and was finally ratified in 2016 by the Narendra Modi government in India. Also, India is not signatory to the major nuclear treaties, such as Non Proliferation treaty, Missile Technology Control Regime, or the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty, discouraging other countries to sign civil nuclear deals with India. While all other negotiations were ongoing, the Russian steadily made progress. In 2002, Russia started constructing the Kudankulam nuclear plant. The nuclear plant is the result of 1988 inter-government agreement between India and USSR. It has come out of the good relationship between the two nations. India and the US signed on to the historic nuclear civilian deal, but it is Russia that actually built up the plant and has harnessed the huge nuclear energy potential of India. The lack of trust between India and the US has put America long behind in the race of the economic benefit it could have harnessed by establishing power plants in India. Now, even, India and Australia have signed the nuclear civil agreement, and Australia will soon start providing uranium to the power plants of India. For the first time, Australia will provide nuclear fuel to a country that is not signatory to Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. But in the long term, the Americans are on their way to establish long term presence in India in the nuclear energy business. It would be companies like Honeywell and GE that stand to gain from their long standing expertise in the business. The Canadians are hoping they will be the future suppliers of nuclear fuel for India. India’s energy needs will continue to grow, as an average Indian consumes only 1/16th of energy than an American, and this is bound to change. (WION)

India's nuclear energy and Russian, US part in its development

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today chaired a high-level meeting on the situation in Kashmir Valley, which has been rocked by violent protests in the wake of the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani.&nbsp;Back from a visit to four African countries, Modi convened a meeting of Union Ministers and senior officials. 
 
The Prime Minister was given a detailed presentation of the situation prevailing in the Valley which has witnessed escalating protests following the killing of Wani on Friday.&nbsp;Violent clashes between security forces and protestors have so far left 24 dead. 
 
The meeting was attended by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj,&nbsp;Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Minister of State for PMO Jitendra Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar among others. 
 
Yesterday, Parrikar, Jaitley and Doval, who returned a day earlier from Africa where he was accompanying the Prime Minister, had met to discuss the situation.&nbsp;The Ministers were briefed by Chiefs of central security agencies about the steps taken to bring back peace and normalcy in the Valley. 
 
All forces have been asked to ensure security of Amarnath pilgrims and enhance vigil along the border to check fresh attempts of infiltration from across the border.&nbsp;Sources said security forces were asked to ensure judicious use of force against protesting civilians. 
 
Parrikar had told reporters that an overall assessment of security situation in Kashmir has to be done by the Home Ministry and Army was ready to provide any assistance like increasing force levels in any areas required. 
 
Earlier, the Home Minister had reached out to opposition leaders, including Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Parliamentary leaders of all parties, and discussed the prevailing situation there. 
 
During the telephone conversation with Gandhi and National Conference leader Omar, the Home Minister had discussed with them efforts to bring back peace and normalcy in Kashmir Valley. 
 
(PTI)

The region has been rocked by violent protests in the wake of the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani, leaving 24 dead

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today chaired a high-level meeting on the situation in Kashmir Valley, which has been rocked by violent protests in the wake of the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani. Back from a visit to four African countries, Modi convened a meeting of Union Ministers and senior officials. The Prime Minister was given a detailed presentation of the situation prevailing in the Valley which has witnessed escalating protests following the killing of Wani on Friday. Violent clashes between security forces and protestors have so far left 24 dead. The meeting was attended by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Minister of State for PMO Jitendra Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar among others. Yesterday, Parrikar, Jaitley and Doval, who returned a day earlier from Africa where he was accompanying the Prime Minister, had met to discuss the situation. The Ministers were briefed by Chiefs of central security agencies about the steps taken to bring back peace and normalcy in the Valley. All forces have been asked to ensure security of Amarnath pilgrims and enhance vigil along the border to check fresh attempts of infiltration from across the border. Sources said security forces were asked to ensure judicious use of force against protesting civilians. Parrikar had told reporters that an overall assessment of security situation in Kashmir has to be done by the Home Ministry and Army was ready to provide any assistance like increasing force levels in any areas required. Earlier, the Home Minister had reached out to opposition leaders, including Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Parliamentary leaders of all parties, and discussed the prevailing situation there. During the telephone conversation with Gandhi and National Conference leader Omar, the Home Minister had discussed with them efforts to bring back peace and normalcy in Kashmir Valley. (PTI)

Indian PM Narendra Modi meets with ministers and senior officials over fatal Kashmir clashes

Visiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday lauded the Indian community in Mozambique for keeping the essence of being an Indian intact. 
 
Interacting with the Indian community in capital Maputo, Modi said Africa was the land which first shaped the identity of the Indian diaspora. 
 
He complimented the community for keeping their traditions alive even after so many decades. 
 
&quot;Some of you might be fourth generation or third generation (Indians) but still, you all have managed to conserve the essence of your Indianness, and you keep handing it over to the next generations,&quot; he said. 
 
He also posed for photographs with the diaspora at the event. 
 
Before the address, Modi met the president of Mozambique&#39;s National Assembly, Veronica Macamo, and visited the Centre for Innovation and Technological Development (CITD) at the Maluana Science and Technology Park where he interacted with students. 
 
Earlier in the day, the Indian prime minister held a closed-door meeting with President Filipe Nyusi. Afterwards, India and Mozambique signed key agreements in areas of drug trafficking, pulse trading and sports. 
 
Modi arrived in Mozambique on Thursday and is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the African nation in 34 years. 
 
He left for South Africa in the evening where he will have a series of events in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban and Pietermaritzburg, places associated with Mahatma Gandhi&#39;s stay in South Africa. 
 
(Reuters)

'You keep handing it over to the next generations,' he said

Visiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday lauded the Indian community in Mozambique for keeping the essence of being an Indian intact. Interacting with the Indian community in capital Maputo, Modi said Africa was the land which first shaped the identity of the Indian diaspora. He complimented the community for keeping their traditions alive even after so many decades. "Some of you might be fourth generation or third generation (Indians) but still, you all have managed to conserve the essence of your Indianness, and you keep handing it over to the next generations," he said. He also posed for photographs with the diaspora at the event. Before the address, Modi met the president of Mozambique's National Assembly, Veronica Macamo, and visited the Centre for Innovation and Technological Development (CITD) at the Maluana Science and Technology Park where he interacted with students. Earlier in the day, the Indian prime minister held a closed-door meeting with President Filipe Nyusi. Afterwards, India and Mozambique signed key agreements in areas of drug trafficking, pulse trading and sports. Modi arrived in Mozambique on Thursday and is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the African nation in 34 years. He left for South Africa in the evening where he will have a series of events in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban and Pietermaritzburg, places associated with Mahatma Gandhi's stay in South Africa. (Reuters)

Modi lauds Mozambique Indian community for keeping its Indianness intact

The World Bank said today&nbsp;it will lend&nbsp;India&nbsp;more than $1 billion for its huge solar energy programme, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought climate change funds from its visiting head.

Modi is banking on&nbsp;India&#39;s 300 days a year of sunshine to generate power and help fight climate change rather than committing to emission cuts like China.

The World Bank loan is the global lender&#39;s biggest solar aid for any country and comes as&nbsp;India has set a goal of raising its solar capacity nearly 30 times to 100 gigawatts by 2020 and is attracting mega investment proposals from top companies and institutions.

&quot;Prime Minister Modi&#39;s personal commitment toward renewable energy, particularly solar, is the driving force behind these investments,&quot; World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said in a statement released after he met Modi. &quot;The World Bank Group will do all it can to help&nbsp;India meet its ambitious targets, especially around scaling up solar energy.&quot;

India&nbsp;is the largest client of the World Bank, which lent it about $4.8 billion between 2015 and 2016.

Modi&#39;s office said he told Kim about the need for climate change financing for countries like India&nbsp;that are &quot;consciously choosing to follow an environmentally sustainable path&quot;.

India&nbsp;wants the share of non-fossil fuel in total installed power capacity to jump to 40 per cent by 2030 from 30 per cent currently, but there are challenges including weak finances of state distribution companies forced to sell subsidised power, difficulties hooking up solar projects to grids, and access to affordable capital.

Still&nbsp;India&nbsp;reckons its renewable energy industry could generate business opportunities worth $160 billion this decade, making it a lucrative market that has already attracted big global players such as Japan&#39;s Softbank Corp, Taiwan&#39;s Foxconn, First Solar, Trina Solar Ltd and Finland&#39;s state-controlled utility Fortum Oyj.

German development bank KFW has already agreed to offer&nbsp;India&nbsp;low-interest loans of around Euro 1 billion over the next five years to fund roof-mounted solar panels, and the construction of solar energy farms and self-contained solar power facilities not connected to the grid. 
 
(Reuters)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is banking on?the country's 300 days a year of sunshine to generate power and help fight climate change

The World Bank said today it will lend India more than $1 billion for its huge solar energy programme, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought climate change funds from its visiting head. Modi is banking on India's 300 days a year of sunshine to generate power and help fight climate change rather than committing to emission cuts like China. The World Bank loan is the global lender's biggest solar aid for any country and comes as India has set a goal of raising its solar capacity nearly 30 times to 100 gigawatts by 2020 and is attracting mega investment proposals from top companies and institutions. "Prime Minister Modi's personal commitment toward renewable energy, particularly solar, is the driving force behind these investments," World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said in a statement released after he met Modi. "The World Bank Group will do all it can to help India meet its ambitious targets, especially around scaling up solar energy." India is the largest client of the World Bank, which lent it about $4.8 billion between 2015 and 2016. Modi's office said he told Kim about the need for climate change financing for countries like India that are "consciously choosing to follow an environmentally sustainable path". India wants the share of non-fossil fuel in total installed power capacity to jump to 40 per cent by 2030 from 30 per cent currently, but there are challenges including weak finances of state distribution companies forced to sell subsidised power, difficulties hooking up solar projects to grids, and access to affordable capital. Still India reckons its renewable energy industry could generate business opportunities worth $160 billion this decade, making it a lucrative market that has already attracted big global players such as Japan's Softbank Corp, Taiwan's Foxconn, First Solar, Trina Solar Ltd and Finland's state-controlled utility Fortum Oyj. German development bank KFW has already agreed to offer India low-interest loans of around Euro 1 billion over the next five years to fund roof-mounted solar panels, and the construction of solar energy farms and self-contained solar power facilities not connected to the grid. (Reuters)

India to get over $1 billion from World Bank for solar energy programme

The World Bank said today&nbsp;it would lend&nbsp;India&nbsp;more than $1 billion for its huge solar energy programme, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought climate change funds from its visiting head.

Modi is banking on&nbsp;India&#39;s 300 days a year of sunshine to generate power and help fight climate change rather than committing to emission cuts like China.

The World Bank loan is the global lender&#39;s biggest solar aid for any country and comes as&nbsp;India has set a goal of raising its solar capacity nearly 30 times to 100 gigawatts by 2020 and is attracting mega investment proposals from top companies and institutions.

&quot;Prime Minister Modi&#39;s personal commitment toward renewable energy, particularly solar, is the driving force behind these investments,&quot; World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said in a statement released after he met Modi. &quot;The World Bank Group will do all it can to help&nbsp;Indiameet its ambitious targets, especially around scaling up solar energy.&quot;

India&nbsp;is the largest client of the World Bank, which lent it around $4.8 billion between 2015 and 2016.

Modi&#39;s office said he told Kim about the need for climate change financing for countries likeIndia&nbsp;that are &quot;consciously choosing to follow an environmentally sustainable path&quot;.

India&nbsp;wants the share of non-fossil fuel in total installed power capacity to jump to 40 per cent by 2030 from 30 per cent currently, but there are challenges including weak finances of state distribution companies forced to sell subsidised power, difficulties hooking up solar projects to grids, and access to affordable capital.

Still&nbsp;India&nbsp;reckons its renewable energy industry could generate business opportunities worth $160 billion this decade, making it a lucrative market that has already attracted big global players such as Japan&#39;s Softbank Corp, Taiwan&#39;s Foxconn, First Solar, Trina Solar Ltd and Finland&#39;s state-controlled utility Fortum Oyj.

German development bank KFW has already agreed to offer&nbsp;India&nbsp;low-interest loans of around 1 billion euro over the next five years to fund roof-mounted solar panels, and the construction of solar energy farms and self-contained solar power facilities not connected to the grid. 
 
(Reuters)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is banking on?India's 300 days a year of sunshine to generate power and help fight climate change

The World Bank said today it would lend India more than $1 billion for its huge solar energy programme, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought climate change funds from its visiting head. Modi is banking on India's 300 days a year of sunshine to generate power and help fight climate change rather than committing to emission cuts like China. The World Bank loan is the global lender's biggest solar aid for any country and comes as India has set a goal of raising its solar capacity nearly 30 times to 100 gigawatts by 2020 and is attracting mega investment proposals from top companies and institutions. "Prime Minister Modi's personal commitment toward renewable energy, particularly solar, is the driving force behind these investments," World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said in a statement released after he met Modi. "The World Bank Group will do all it can to help Indiameet its ambitious targets, especially around scaling up solar energy." India is the largest client of the World Bank, which lent it around $4.8 billion between 2015 and 2016. Modi's office said he told Kim about the need for climate change financing for countries likeIndia that are "consciously choosing to follow an environmentally sustainable path". India wants the share of non-fossil fuel in total installed power capacity to jump to 40 per cent by 2030 from 30 per cent currently, but there are challenges including weak finances of state distribution companies forced to sell subsidised power, difficulties hooking up solar projects to grids, and access to affordable capital. Still India reckons its renewable energy industry could generate business opportunities worth $160 billion this decade, making it a lucrative market that has already attracted big global players such as Japan's Softbank Corp, Taiwan's Foxconn, First Solar, Trina Solar Ltd and Finland's state-controlled utility Fortum Oyj. German development bank KFW has already agreed to offer India low-interest loans of around 1 billion euro over the next five years to fund roof-mounted solar panels, and the construction of solar energy farms and self-contained solar power facilities not connected to the grid. (Reuters)

India to get over $1 billion from World Bank for Modi's solar energy programme

Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), India&#39;s second-most valuable company, said on Friday that it took exception to media reports which suggested the company&#39;s top officials had armtwisted politicians for business gain.&nbsp; 
 
The media reports are based on phone taps allegedly made by another Indian company &ndash; the Essar Group. The taps were recorded over a six-year period by a former Essar employee and now make up a 29-page complaint submitted to the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi by a Supreme Court lawyer, Suren Uppal, who says he represents the former Essar employee. 
 
&ldquo;We are shocked at reports which suggest that we have been victims of unauthorised and illegal tapping of our telephones. Conversations attributed to us are false and appear to have been doctored by someone who seeks to defame us,&rdquo; said a statement released by the RIL spokesperson. 
 
The media reports allege the tapped conversations reveal businessmen soliciting favours from politicians, the widespread peddling of influence in the corridors of power, &ldquo;corruption in the business milieu&rdquo;, and the blurring of lines between business and government. 
 
The list of people tapped is a lit who&#39;s who and include current Indian railway minister Suresh Prabhu, current Indian minister of state for power with independent charge Piyush Goel, former national security adviser Brajesh Mishra, prominent politician Mulayam Singh Yadav, film actor Amitabh Bachchan, bureaucrats and, of course, RIL chief Mukesh Ambani and his brother Anil Ambani. 
 
The statement released by the company said that it had, at all times, abided by the law of the land &ndash; in letter and in spirit &ndash; &ldquo;in all our actions and business activities and any suggestion of any wrongdoing was plainly false&rdquo;.&nbsp; 
 
The company demanded that action be taken against these &ldquo;malicious falsehoods&rdquo; and that the alleged violation of their privacy be taken seriously. It added that it would cooperate fully with the authorities in the matter. 
&nbsp; 
The main Indian opposition party the Congress meanwhile demanded that the tapes be made public, and that the people would be the &ldquo;best judge&rdquo; of their veracity. &ldquo;The allegations are serious and multifaceted implications, but most importantly if those tapes exist, they need to be made public because the people need to know as to what is going on,&rdquo; Congress leader Manish Tewari told ANI. 
(WION)

Reliance Industries LImited added that it would cooperate with authorities to get to the bottom of the matter

Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), India's second-most valuable company, said on Friday that it took exception to media reports which suggested the company's top officials had armtwisted politicians for business gain. The media reports are based on phone taps allegedly made by another Indian company – the Essar Group. The taps were recorded over a six-year period by a former Essar employee and now make up a 29-page complaint submitted to the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi by a Supreme Court lawyer, Suren Uppal, who says he represents the former Essar employee. “We are shocked at reports which suggest that we have been victims of unauthorised and illegal tapping of our telephones. Conversations attributed to us are false and appear to have been doctored by someone who seeks to defame us,” said a statement released by the RIL spokesperson. The media reports allege the tapped conversations reveal businessmen soliciting favours from politicians, the widespread peddling of influence in the corridors of power, “corruption in the business milieu”, and the blurring of lines between business and government. The list of people tapped is a lit who's who and include current Indian railway minister Suresh Prabhu, current Indian minister of state for power with independent charge Piyush Goel, former national security adviser Brajesh Mishra, prominent politician Mulayam Singh Yadav, film actor Amitabh Bachchan, bureaucrats and, of course, RIL chief Mukesh Ambani and his brother Anil Ambani. The statement released by the company said that it had, at all times, abided by the law of the land – in letter and in spirit – “in all our actions and business activities and any suggestion of any wrongdoing was plainly false”. The company demanded that action be taken against these “malicious falsehoods” and that the alleged violation of their privacy be taken seriously. It added that it would cooperate fully with the authorities in the matter. The main Indian opposition party the Congress meanwhile demanded that the tapes be made public, and that the people would be the “best judge” of their veracity. “The allegations are serious and multifaceted implications, but most importantly if those tapes exist, they need to be made public because the people need to know as to what is going on,” Congress leader Manish Tewari told ANI. (WION)

India's 2nd richest company says it takes exception to news reports that its officials armtwisted politicians

<div paraeid="{8f4f7417-4c1c-4dc3-aa39-dba586701abe}{182}" paraid="1662290056">A few months after he was voted into office in May 2014, Indian&nbsp;Prime&nbsp;Minister Narendra Modi launched the&nbsp;Swachh&nbsp;Bharat&nbsp;Abhiyan&nbsp;or the Clean India Mission.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{8f4f7417-4c1c-4dc3-aa39-dba586701abe}{189}" paraid="962584056">The campaign aims to clean up India&#39;s cities by the time Mahatma Gandhi&#39;s&nbsp;150th birth anniversary comes round&nbsp;on October 2,&nbsp;2019.&nbsp;Gandhi was big on cleanliness. &ldquo;We can no more gain God&rsquo;s blessing with an unclean body than with an unclean mind. A clean body cannot reside in an unclean city,&rdquo; he wrote in the journal Young India in 1925.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{8f4f7417-4c1c-4dc3-aa39-dba586701abe}{192}" paraid="1084963738">The Clean India Mission also wants to put a stop to open defecation.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{8f4f7417-4c1c-4dc3-aa39-dba586701abe}{213}" paraid="1292518957">A&nbsp;billion people defecate in the open&nbsp;the world over. South Asia is among&nbsp;the worst offenders.&nbsp;In India&nbsp;597 million people &ndash; or half the country &ndash; defecate in the open, 41 million do so in Pakistan, as do 15 million (that&#39;s more than half the country) in Nepal. Diseases&nbsp;like&nbsp;cholera,&nbsp;diarrhoea&nbsp;and typhoid,&nbsp;for example, is a natural outcome.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{8f4f7417-4c1c-4dc3-aa39-dba586701abe}{218}" paraid="384175414">Prime Minister Modi kicked off his mission by picking up a broom and sweeping the road near Gandhi&#39;s memorial in Delhi. It is thought of as being one of his pet projects,&nbsp;but he is not going to find the going easy, as a short walk would tell him.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{8f4f7417-4c1c-4dc3-aa39-dba586701abe}{220}" paraid="1907312861">((insert picture of Modi with broom at&nbsp;Rajghat))&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{8f4f7417-4c1c-4dc3-aa39-dba586701abe}{242}" paraid="154697890">A&nbsp;stone&#39;s throw from&nbsp;his&nbsp;official&nbsp;residence, 7, Race Course Road,&nbsp;lies the&nbsp;Bhaiya&nbsp;Ram Camp slum. Of the 5,000 people who live here, 90&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;do not have toilets in their homes and have to make do&nbsp;with 16 communal toilets. There are no sewer lines, open drains run through the camp&nbsp;and as many as 90 households share one tap.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{8f4f7417-4c1c-4dc3-aa39-dba586701abe}{244}" paraid="45645244">The lack of sanitation is frustrating, says&nbsp;Jyoti, who lives in the slum. &quot;The government claims that they have built a million toilets across India but I think the Clean India Mission is active only near their bungalows and not in our slums.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{0285b3de-2e3d-4ab6-8b55-70cbb4708ed8}{17}" paraid="1744240119">Jyoti&nbsp;begins each morning with a 400-metre walk to the communal toilets. The toilets do not have running water&nbsp;so&nbsp;she carries a small bucket with her. There is no polite way to say this,&nbsp;but the toilets&nbsp;which&nbsp;Jyoti&nbsp;shows us, are filthy. And they smell.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{0285b3de-2e3d-4ab6-8b55-70cbb4708ed8}{23}" paraid="2007065508">Jyoti&nbsp;has had&nbsp;diarrhoea&nbsp;three times since last December.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{0285b3de-2e3d-4ab6-8b55-70cbb4708ed8}{30}" paraid="1133764903">That&#39;s not all. &ldquo;The situation worsens at night. Women have been assaulted at night in the communal toilets. So if we need the bathroom after dark we go near the drains behind our homes,&rdquo; says&nbsp;Jyoti. And adds, &ldquo;We have to risk our dignity every time we want to go to the toilet. Why does nobody care about our dignity?&rdquo;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{0285b3de-2e3d-4ab6-8b55-70cbb4708ed8}{56}" paraid="1890053748">Ministry of&nbsp;drinking&nbsp;water and&nbsp;sanitation&nbsp;secretary&nbsp;Parmeshwaran&nbsp;Iyer&nbsp;told WION that the government had&nbsp;built 13 million toilets since the start of the mission.&nbsp;&quot;It&nbsp;is not a number&#39;s game. More important is to look at the shift in&nbsp;behaviour&nbsp;and mindsets.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{0285b3de-2e3d-4ab6-8b55-70cbb4708ed8}{65}" paraid="597236208">What he means is that the government might build toilets, but you&nbsp;still&nbsp;have&nbsp;to convince people to use them. That,&nbsp;he says, is going to be the difficult part of the Clean India Mission. &ldquo;Today we have only 13 districts which are open defecation-free.&rdquo; (India has a total of 688 districts.)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{0285b3de-2e3d-4ab6-8b55-70cbb4708ed8}{74}" paraid="2097714748">Mr&nbsp;Modi&nbsp;could still manage to pull off what even the Mahatma (the honorific means great soul) was not able to. But for that he will have to look for inspiration to his country&#39;s smaller&nbsp;neighbour&nbsp;to the east, Bangladesh, which in the&nbsp;past 15 years has virtually wiped out open defecation from its soil.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{0285b3de-2e3d-4ab6-8b55-70cbb4708ed8}{99}" paraid="450883143">Only&nbsp;1&nbsp;per cent of Bangladesh&#39;s population today does not have access to toilets &ndash; the number was 42&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;in 2003. Bangladesh did it by focusing intensively on education, information, and interpersonal communication,&nbsp;which means that they&nbsp;did&nbsp;not&nbsp;just build a toilet in every home,&nbsp;but also talked to and educated their populace on why they should be using toilets.&nbsp;They got non-governmental and other&nbsp;organisations&nbsp;like the World Bank, WHO&nbsp;(World Health&nbsp;Organisation), and UNICEF&nbsp;(United Nations International Children&#39;s Emergency&nbsp;Fund)&nbsp;to help. Somewhat more coercively, the government also encouraged the creation of social pressure and got it to bear on people to get them to change their toilet etiquette.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{0285b3de-2e3d-4ab6-8b55-70cbb4708ed8}{111}" paraid="1247452205">Iyer&nbsp;says they&nbsp;are doing the same thing in India. That all hands are needed on deck&nbsp;and that NGOs&nbsp;(non-governmental&nbsp;organisations)&nbsp;and civil society are being roped in.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{0285b3de-2e3d-4ab6-8b55-70cbb4708ed8}{122}" paraid="873859267">Jyoti&nbsp;and her fellow residents&nbsp;at&nbsp;BR Camp say thank you and remind&nbsp;Iyer,&nbsp;and Prime Minister Modi,&nbsp;that not only will they have to build toilets but also maintain them. (They are somewhat upset that they seem to have been ignored while the rest of the country undergoes massive change.)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div paraeid="{0285b3de-2e3d-4ab6-8b55-70cbb4708ed8}{128}" paraid="623064894">Less euphemistically and pointing to the overflowing toilets, the heaps of garbage lying around&nbsp;and the blocked sewers,&nbsp;Jyoti&nbsp;says: &ldquo;The stench is unbearable, children have to walk through this everyday and our health remains at risk.&rdquo;&nbsp;</div>

Half of India still defecates in the open including those in the slum on the other side of the road from the PM

A few months after he was voted into office in May 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan or the Clean India Mission. The campaign aims to clean up India's cities by the time Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary comes round on October 2, 2019. Gandhi was big on cleanliness. “We can no more gain God’s blessing with an unclean body than with an unclean mind. A clean body cannot reside in an unclean city,” he wrote in the journal Young India in 1925. The Clean India Mission also wants to put a stop to open defecation. A billion people defecate in the open the world over. South Asia is among the worst offenders. In India 597 million people – or half the country – defecate in the open, 41 million do so in Pakistan, as do 15 million (that's more than half the country) in Nepal. Diseases like cholera, diarrhoea and typhoid, for example, is a natural outcome. Prime Minister Modi kicked off his mission by picking up a broom and sweeping the road near Gandhi's memorial in Delhi. It is thought of as being one of his pet projects, but he is not going to find the going easy, as a short walk would tell him. ((insert picture of Modi with broom at Rajghat)) A stone's throw from his official residence, 7, Race Course Road, lies the Bhaiya Ram Camp slum. Of the 5,000 people who live here, 90 per cent do not have toilets in their homes and have to make do with 16 communal toilets. There are no sewer lines, open drains run through the camp and as many as 90 households share one tap. The lack of sanitation is frustrating, says Jyoti, who lives in the slum. "The government claims that they have built a million toilets across India but I think the Clean India Mission is active only near their bungalows and not in our slums.” Jyoti begins each morning with a 400-metre walk to the communal toilets. The toilets do not have running water so she carries a small bucket with her. There is no polite way to say this, but the toilets which Jyoti shows us, are filthy. And they smell. Jyoti has had diarrhoea three times since last December. That's not all. “The situation worsens at night. Women have been assaulted at night in the communal toilets. So if we need the bathroom after dark we go near the drains behind our homes,” says Jyoti. And adds, “We have to risk our dignity every time we want to go to the toilet. Why does nobody care about our dignity?” Ministry of drinking water and sanitation secretary Parmeshwaran Iyer told WION that the government had built 13 million toilets since the start of the mission. "It is not a number's game. More important is to look at the shift in behaviour and mindsets.” What he means is that the government might build toilets, but you still have to convince people to use them. That, he says, is going to be the difficult part of the Clean India Mission. “Today we have only 13 districts which are open defecation-free.” (India has a total of 688 districts.) Mr Modi could still manage to pull off what even the Mahatma (the honorific means great soul) was not able to. But for that he will have to look for inspiration to his country's smaller neighbour to the east, Bangladesh, which in the past 15 years has virtually wiped out open defecation from its soil. Only 1 per cent of Bangladesh's population today does not have access to toilets – the number was 42 per cent in 2003. Bangladesh did it by focusing intensively on education, information, and interpersonal communication, which means that they did not just build a toilet in every home, but also talked to and educated their populace on why they should be using toilets. They got non-governmental and other organisations like the World Bank, WHO (World Health Organisation), and UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund) to help. Somewhat more coercively, the government also encouraged the creation of social pressure and got it to bear on people to get them to change their toilet etiquette. Iyer says they are doing the same thing in India. That all hands are needed on deck and that NGOs (non-governmental organisations) and civil society are being roped in. Jyoti and her fellow residents at BR Camp say thank you and remind Iyer, and Prime Minister Modi, that not only will they have to build toilets but also maintain them. (They are somewhat upset that they seem to have been ignored while the rest of the country undergoes massive change.) Less euphemistically and pointing to the overflowing toilets, the heaps of garbage lying around and the blocked sewers, Jyoti says: “The stench is unbearable, children have to walk through this everyday and our health remains at risk.”

Prime Minister Modi says clean India but his voice does not carry across the street from his official residence

Speaker of the US House of Representatives,&nbsp;Paul Ryan, has said that the Indian government is going to be America&#39;s &quot;great ally&quot;, and there is a need to nurture this relationship.
In a major foreign policy speech in which he was highly critical of President Barack Obama&#39;s policies, the US-India relationship was the only aspect of it which was appreciated by Ryan.
&quot;I think you need, in particular, specifically under Modi&#39;s leadership, and he and I have discussed this at great length yesterday, (US-India) have a great potential for the future. Particularly with the seas, in the Pacific and in the Indian Ocean, making sure that we help police the global commons and international order. Namely China building, you know, runways on islands in contested areas,&quot; Ryan said.

He said this in the speech at the Council on Foreign Relations on Thursday, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a joint meeting of the US Congress at his invitation.
Modi was the first foreign leader to be invited to address a joint sitting of the Congress under Ryan&#39;s speakership.&nbsp;On Wednesday, Modi and Ryan had a one-on-one interaction before the Prime Minister&#39;s address. Ryan also hosted a lunch for the visiting leader.

A day later, Ryan was all in praise for Modi.&nbsp;&quot;I think the Indian (government), the new Indian government, is going to be a great ally of ours and we have better security cooperation with them. That&#39;s one thing that we need to nurture and grow,&quot; Ryan told the audience at the Council on Foreign Relations, a top American think tank.

&quot;And those of us who are fans of Modi, you know, he&#39;s a conservative who wants, who embraces, free enterprise. He&#39;s bringing needed reform to the country,&quot; Ryan said, according to the remarks released by his office.

&quot;That&#39;s the kind of an alliance that we need to forge and build upon. That stands in stark contrast, I would argue, to the Obama foreign policy of the last eight years where we have neglected our allies and we have basically rewarded our enemies, our adversaries,&quot; said the Speaker of the US House of Representatives.

Except for his comments on India, Ryan slammed Obama&#39;s foreign policy.&nbsp;&quot;We know that this new Obama foreign policy concept, leading from behind, can now be declared an unambiguous failure. It is making us unprepared. It is reducing our military capability and strength,&quot; he alleged.

Though Ryan, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, criticised most of Obama's policies, he appreciated the US-India relationship

Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Paul Ryan, has said that the Indian government is going to be America's "great ally", and there is a need to nurture this relationship. In a major foreign policy speech in which he was highly critical of President Barack Obama's policies, the US-India relationship was the only aspect of it which was appreciated by Ryan. "I think you need, in particular, specifically under Modi's leadership, and he and I have discussed this at great length yesterday, (US-India) have a great potential for the future. Particularly with the seas, in the Pacific and in the Indian Ocean, making sure that we help police the global commons and international order. Namely China building, you know, runways on islands in contested areas," Ryan said. He said this in the speech at the Council on Foreign Relations on Thursday, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a joint meeting of the US Congress at his invitation. Modi was the first foreign leader to be invited to address a joint sitting of the Congress under Ryan's speakership. On Wednesday, Modi and Ryan had a one-on-one interaction before the Prime Minister's address. Ryan also hosted a lunch for the visiting leader. A day later, Ryan was all in praise for Modi. "I think the Indian (government), the new Indian government, is going to be a great ally of ours and we have better security cooperation with them. That's one thing that we need to nurture and grow," Ryan told the audience at the Council on Foreign Relations, a top American think tank. "And those of us who are fans of Modi, you know, he's a conservative who wants, who embraces, free enterprise. He's bringing needed reform to the country," Ryan said, according to the remarks released by his office. "That's the kind of an alliance that we need to forge and build upon. That stands in stark contrast, I would argue, to the Obama foreign policy of the last eight years where we have neglected our allies and we have basically rewarded our enemies, our adversaries," said the Speaker of the US House of Representatives. Except for his comments on India, Ryan slammed Obama's foreign policy. "We know that this new Obama foreign policy concept, leading from behind, can now be declared an unambiguous failure. It is making us unprepared. It is reducing our military capability and strength," he alleged.

Paul Ryan believes Indian government is going to be America's 'great ally'

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended Congressional Reception jointly hosted by Foreign Relations Committees and India Caucus in Washington DC on Wednesday. 
 
Addressing the gathering, Modi called for India-US collaboration to solve issues like global warming and climate change. 
 
&quot;Be it global problems like climate change, global warming, poverty or heath concerns, we can together find solutions for the world. We must use our skills, our intelligence, our resources and commit ourselves to move forward. I think my journey this time, my two-day visit to the United States has only reinforced this commitment,&quot; said Modi. 
 
Earlier in the day, Modi became the fifth Indian to address the joint session of US Congress. 
 
Modi called for a closer security relationship between his country and the United States as he stressed on the importance of warming ties between the two countries. 
 
He dedicated much of the speech to the importance of fighting militancy, thanking Congress for US support after a Pakistan-based military group&#39;s rampage in Mumbai killed 166 people in 2008. 
 
He leavened the speech to lawmakers, the first such address by an international leader since Pope Francis&#39; in September, with jokes about Congress&#39; bitter partisan divide and yoga. But Modi used it to make serious points about India&#39;s neighbour and arch-rival Pakistan and regional concerns about Chinese expansionism. 
 
In a 45-minute speech interrupted by cheers and at least eight standing ovations, the 65-year-old Indian leader said deeper US-Indian security cooperation should isolate anyone who harbours, supports or sponsors terrorists. 
 
Modi is on the US leg of an international tour. On Tuesday, he met with President Barack Obama at the White House, where the two leaders said India has agreed to work toward joining the Paris Agreement on climate change this year and discussed security and cyber-security issues. 
 
The visit, two years after Modi became prime minister, capped an improving relationship between New Delhi and the United States. Before he was elected, Modi was barred from even entering the country because of concerns about his handling of 2002 riots that killed at least 1,000 people, mostly Muslims. 
 
After the Congressional reception, Modi left for a day-long visit to Mexico. He will arrive in New Delhi this Friday.

Modi said that US and India should deepen their security cooperation and isolate anyone who harbours, supports or sponsors terrorists

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended Congressional Reception jointly hosted by Foreign Relations Committees and India Caucus in Washington DC on Wednesday. Addressing the gathering, Modi called for India-US collaboration to solve issues like global warming and climate change. "Be it global problems like climate change, global warming, poverty or heath concerns, we can together find solutions for the world. We must use our skills, our intelligence, our resources and commit ourselves to move forward. I think my journey this time, my two-day visit to the United States has only reinforced this commitment," said Modi. Earlier in the day, Modi became the fifth Indian to address the joint session of US Congress. Modi called for a closer security relationship between his country and the United States as he stressed on the importance of warming ties between the two countries. He dedicated much of the speech to the importance of fighting militancy, thanking Congress for US support after a Pakistan-based military group's rampage in Mumbai killed 166 people in 2008. He leavened the speech to lawmakers, the first such address by an international leader since Pope Francis' in September, with jokes about Congress' bitter partisan divide and yoga. But Modi used it to make serious points about India's neighbour and arch-rival Pakistan and regional concerns about Chinese expansionism. In a 45-minute speech interrupted by cheers and at least eight standing ovations, the 65-year-old Indian leader said deeper US-Indian security cooperation should isolate anyone who harbours, supports or sponsors terrorists. Modi is on the US leg of an international tour. On Tuesday, he met with President Barack Obama at the White House, where the two leaders said India has agreed to work toward joining the Paris Agreement on climate change this year and discussed security and cyber-security issues. The visit, two years after Modi became prime minister, capped an improving relationship between New Delhi and the United States. Before he was elected, Modi was barred from even entering the country because of concerns about his handling of 2002 riots that killed at least 1,000 people, mostly Muslims. After the Congressional reception, Modi left for a day-long visit to Mexico. He will arrive in New Delhi this Friday.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends Congressional Reception in Washington DC

India and the US welcomed preparations that could lead to the building of six nuclear reactors in India by US-based Westinghouse, in what would be the culmination of some 10 years of work to resolve civil-nuclear issues. 
 
The joint statement said India and the US&nbsp;Export-Import Bank were working to complete a financing package for the project and that the Nuclear Power Corporation of India and Westinghouse had confirmed engineering and site design work would begin immediately. 
 
It said Westinghouse and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India would work toward finalizing the contract by June 2017 - a year later than Westinghouse&#39;s chief executive&nbsp;Daniel Roderick&nbsp;said he had hoped for.&nbsp; 
 
The text of a logistics agreement, which will allow the countries&#39; militaries to&nbsp;use each other&#39;s land, air and naval bases, would be signed soon, a US&nbsp;official said. 
 
Modi&nbsp;told an event organized by the US&nbsp;India Business Council that relations between India and the United States were &quot;closer than ever&quot;. He said the planned reactor purchases would mark new era in nuclear and scientific cooperation. 
 
Modi&#39;s address to a joint session of Congress will be a significant personal step. Although this has become a&nbsp;tradition for Indian prime ministers, he was once banned from the United States for his alleged involvement in 2002 Gujarat riots. 
 
More than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in sectarian riots in Gujarat in 2002 when Modi&nbsp;had just become the state&#39;s chief minister.&nbsp;Modi&nbsp;has denied any wrongdoing, and India&#39;s Supreme Court in 2010 ruled there was no case. 
 
In the joint statement, the United States said it now recognized India as a &quot;Major Defence Partner&quot; and would work on technology sharing &quot;to a level commensurate with that of its closest allies and partners&quot;. 
 
Tensions between the United States and Pakistan, as well as regional concerns about China,&nbsp;have served as a backdrop to increased security cooperation. 
 
Senator John McCain, chairman of the US&nbsp;Senate Armed Services Committee, said the address to Congress was &quot;entirely appropriate&quot; given the new partnership. 
 
&quot;There&rsquo;s no doubt there are significant tensions and challenges in the region, which argues for closer coordination between our militaries,&quot; he said. 
 
While&nbsp;Modi&nbsp;is generally popular with the US&nbsp;lawmakers, they criticize what they see as lingering unfriendliness to US&nbsp;firms and a stifling bureaucracy, in spite of&nbsp;Modi&#39;s pro-business image. They also question New Delhi&#39;s record on human rights. 
 
Modi&nbsp;got a boost on Tuesday when Amazon Inc&nbsp;Chief Executive Jeff Bezos said his company will&nbsp;invest an additional $3 billion in India, increasing&nbsp;its committed investment in the country to over $5 billion.

The US said it now recognized India as a "Major Defence Partner" and would work on technology sharing "to a level commensurate with that of its closest allies and partners"

India and the US welcomed preparations that could lead to the building of six nuclear reactors in India by US-based Westinghouse, in what would be the culmination of some 10 years of work to resolve civil-nuclear issues. The joint statement said India and the US Export-Import Bank were working to complete a financing package for the project and that the Nuclear Power Corporation of India and Westinghouse had confirmed engineering and site design work would begin immediately. It said Westinghouse and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India would work toward finalizing the contract by June 2017 - a year later than Westinghouse's chief executive Daniel Roderick said he had hoped for. The text of a logistics agreement, which will allow the countries' militaries to use each other's land, air and naval bases, would be signed soon, a US official said. Modi told an event organized by the US India Business Council that relations between India and the United States were "closer than ever". He said the planned reactor purchases would mark new era in nuclear and scientific cooperation. Modi's address to a joint session of Congress will be a significant personal step. Although this has become a tradition for Indian prime ministers, he was once banned from the United States for his alleged involvement in 2002 Gujarat riots. More than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in sectarian riots in Gujarat in 2002 when Modi had just become the state's chief minister. Modi has denied any wrongdoing, and India's Supreme Court in 2010 ruled there was no case. In the joint statement, the United States said it now recognized India as a "Major Defence Partner" and would work on technology sharing "to a level commensurate with that of its closest allies and partners". Tensions between the United States and Pakistan, as well as regional concerns about China, have served as a backdrop to increased security cooperation. Senator John McCain, chairman of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, said the address to Congress was "entirely appropriate" given the new partnership. "There’s no doubt there are significant tensions and challenges in the region, which argues for closer coordination between our militaries," he said. While Modi is generally popular with the US lawmakers, they criticize what they see as lingering unfriendliness to US firms and a stifling bureaucracy, in spite of Modi's pro-business image. They also question New Delhi's record on human rights. Modi got a boost on Tuesday when Amazon Inc Chief Executive Jeff Bezos said his company will invest an additional $3 billion in India, increasing its committed investment in the country to over $5 billion.

Obama and Modi talks touch on nuclear power, military cooperation and Big Business

India has agreed to work towards joining the Paris Agreement on climate change this year, India and the United States said on Tuesday, pushing the international fight to curb global warming ahead.

President Barack Obama welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra&nbsp;Modi&nbsp;to the White House for their seventh meeting since&nbsp;Modi&nbsp;took office in 2014, underscoring the warm relationship between the leaders and the world&#39;s two largest democracies.&nbsp;

&quot;We discussed how we can, as quickly as possible, bring the Paris Agreement into force,&quot; Obama said. Climate change is a legacy issue for the US president who leaves office in January.India&#39;s potential entrance into the agreement this year would help accelerate its enactment, perhaps years ahead of schedule. India is the world&rsquo;s third-largest greenhouse gas emitter after China and the United States.

Obama and&nbsp;Modi&nbsp;agreed to work together on an &quot;ambitious&quot; amendment to an international pact known as the Montreal Protocol to reduce hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs),&nbsp;a&nbsp;potent greenhouse gas.

The two countries said India would take steps to join the Paris agreement this year.

&quot;India and the United States recognise the urgency of climate change and share the goal of enabling entry into force of the Paris Agreement as early as possible,&quot; the joint statement said.

&quot;The United States reaffirms its commitment to join the agreement as soon as possible this year. India similarly has begun its processes to work toward this shared objective.&quot;

The agreement, forged in 2015, will take effect when at least 55 countries representing 55 per cent of global emissions ratify it. By late last month 17 small countries had ratified it, according to the United Nations, and many others including the United States and China have pledged to do so in 2016.

Environmental groups had hoped&nbsp;Modi&nbsp;would say that India was ready to ratify the agreement during his Washington trip.

&ldquo;With India now on board, a growing chorus&nbsp;of countries are seeking to bring the Paris Agreement into full effect as soon as possible,&quot;&nbsp;said Andrew Steer, president of the World Resources Institute.&nbsp;

Environmental groups had hoped?Modi?would say that India was ready to ratify the agreement during his Washington trip

India has agreed to work towards joining the Paris Agreement on climate change this year, India and the United States said on Tuesday, pushing the international fight to curb global warming ahead. President Barack Obama welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House for their seventh meeting since Modi took office in 2014, underscoring the warm relationship between the leaders and the world's two largest democracies. "We discussed how we can, as quickly as possible, bring the Paris Agreement into force," Obama said. Climate change is a legacy issue for the US president who leaves office in January.India's potential entrance into the agreement this year would help accelerate its enactment, perhaps years ahead of schedule. India is the world’s third-largest greenhouse gas emitter after China and the United States. Obama and Modi agreed to work together on an "ambitious" amendment to an international pact known as the Montreal Protocol to reduce hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a potent greenhouse gas. The two countries said India would take steps to join the Paris agreement this year. "India and the United States recognise the urgency of climate change and share the goal of enabling entry into force of the Paris Agreement as early as possible," the joint statement said. "The United States reaffirms its commitment to join the agreement as soon as possible this year. India similarly has begun its processes to work toward this shared objective." The agreement, forged in 2015, will take effect when at least 55 countries representing 55 per cent of global emissions ratify it. By late last month 17 small countries had ratified it, according to the United Nations, and many others including the United States and China have pledged to do so in 2016. Environmental groups had hoped Modi would say that India was ready to ratify the agreement during his Washington trip. “With India now on board, a growing chorus of countries are seeking to bring the Paris Agreement into full effect as soon as possible," said Andrew Steer, president of the World Resources Institute.

In boost to Paris climate pact, India says it aims to join this year

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