My visit to China will deepen ties: PM Narendra Modi
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NEW DELHI/BEIJING: PM Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that his three-day visit to China, which starts on Thursday, will further deepen India-China bilateral relations.
"I was waiting for a long time for the China trip," PM Narendra Modi said.
Ahead of his visit to China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had wonderful interaction with Chinese media during which he highlighted the immense scope for further growth in the India-China ties.
"I am looking forward to the trip to China... the 21st century belongs to Asia," the Prime Minister told Chinese media ahead of his visit.
The Prime Minister, who spoke in Hindi, hoped that his visit will "further deepen" India-China relations and set a "new milestone" for Asia and developing countries.
"I believe that my trip to China will not only deepen the China-India friendship, but also set a new milestone for the relations between developing countries in Asia as well as around the world. There is no doubt about that," he told state-run CCTV ahead of this visit.
He said India and China have made great progress in bilateral relations in recent years and managed their differences with patience and maturity.
"Interacted with the Chinese media, where I highlighted the strong potential of India-China ties," Modi tweeted.
"I talked about our shared responsibility to help developing nations, especially in poverty eradication," he added.
In another tweet, he said, "Asia, being the land of Buddha has the responsibility to ensure that this is a century free from war."
Modi noted that he had met President Xi three times during the last one year and held extensive talks on a wide range of issues.
NEW DELHI/BEIJING: PM Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that his three-day visit to China, which starts on Thursday, will further deepen India-China bilateral relations."I was waiting for a long time for the China trip," PM Narendra Modi said.
Ahead of his visit to China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had wonderful interaction with Chinese media during which he highlighted the immense scope for further growth in the India-China ties.
"I am looking forward to the trip to China... the 21st century belongs to Asia," the Prime Minister told Chinese media ahead of his visit.
The Prime Minister, who spoke in Hindi, hoped that his visit will "further deepen" India-China relations and set a "new milestone" for Asia and developing countries.
"I believe that my trip to China will not only deepen the China-India friendship, but also set a new milestone for the relations between developing countries in Asia as well as around the world. There is no doubt about that," he told state-run CCTV ahead of this visit.
He said India and China have made great progress in bilateral relations in recent years and managed their differences with patience and maturity.
"Interacted with the Chinese media, where I highlighted the strong potential of India-China ties," Modi tweeted.
"I talked about our shared responsibility to help developing nations, especially in poverty eradication," he added.
In another tweet, he said, "Asia, being the land of Buddha has the responsibility to ensure that this is a century free from war."
Modi noted that he had met President Xi three times during the last one year and held extensive talks on a wide range of issues.
Ganga cleaning mission gets Rs 20,000 crore boost
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NEW DELHI: Government's ongoing efforts to clean and protect the river Ganga on Wednesday got a major financial boost of Rs 20,000 crore which is to be spent by the Centre to rejuvenate the country's national river in the next five years.
The Union cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved this fund for the government's flagship programme of 'Namami Ganga' which was launched last year. The Rs 20,000 crore fund, approved on Wednesday, will be in addition to what the Modi government had earmarked (Rs 2037 crore) for rejuvenation of the river Ganga in its first budget last year.
The 'Namami Ganga' is an integrated Ganga conservation mission under the National Ganga River Basin Authority of the ministry of water resources and river development. This programme is aimed at integrating the efforts to clean and protect the Ganga river in a comprehensive manner by involving states, urban local bodies and Panchayats.
The approval of Rs 20,000 crore for this Mission is a significant four-fold increase over the central expenditure on Ganga cleaning in the past 30 years. The government had earlier incurred an overall expenditure of approximately Rs 4000 crore on this task since 1985.
Since the overall Ganga cleaning schemes will need more money, the government will raise the additional fund through initiating PPP model for implementing various projects including setting up of sewage treatment plants (STPs) in cities and towns along the river Ganga in five states -- Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
The programme will be implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), and its state counterparts like State Program Management Groups (SPMGs). The NMCG will also establish field offices wherever necessary to implement various schemes.
"In order to ramp up progress, the Centre will now take over 100% funding of various activities/projects under this programme. Taking a leaf from the unsatisfactory results of the earlier Ganga Action Plans, the Centre also plans to provide for operation & maintenance of the assets for a minimum 10 year period, and adopt a PPP/SPV approach for pollution hotspots", said an official note on the programme.
NEW DELHI: Government's ongoing efforts to clean and protect the river Ganga on Wednesday got a major financial boost of Rs 20,000 crore which is to be spent by the Centre to rejuvenate the country's national river in the next five years. The Union cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved this fund for the government's flagship programme of 'Namami Ganga' which was launched last year. The Rs 20,000 crore fund, approved on Wednesday, will be in addition to what the Modi government had earmarked (Rs 2037 crore) for rejuvenation of the river Ganga in its first budget last year.
The 'Namami Ganga' is an integrated Ganga conservation mission under the National Ganga River Basin Authority of the ministry of water resources and river development. This programme is aimed at integrating the efforts to clean and protect the Ganga river in a comprehensive manner by involving states, urban local bodies and Panchayats.
The approval of Rs 20,000 crore for this Mission is a significant four-fold increase over the central expenditure on Ganga cleaning in the past 30 years. The government had earlier incurred an overall expenditure of approximately Rs 4000 crore on this task since 1985.
Since the overall Ganga cleaning schemes will need more money, the government will raise the additional fund through initiating PPP model for implementing various projects including setting up of sewage treatment plants (STPs) in cities and towns along the river Ganga in five states -- Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
The programme will be implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), and its state counterparts like State Program Management Groups (SPMGs). The NMCG will also establish field offices wherever necessary to implement various schemes.
"In order to ramp up progress, the Centre will now take over 100% funding of various activities/projects under this programme. Taking a leaf from the unsatisfactory results of the earlier Ganga Action Plans, the Centre also plans to provide for operation & maintenance of the assets for a minimum 10 year period, and adopt a PPP/SPV approach for pollution hotspots", said an official note on the programme.
Rahul Gandhi's own UPA govt junked Amethi food park project in 2013
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NEW DELHI: While Congress and Rahul Gandhi are accusing the Modi government of resorting to "politics of vendetta" on mega food park in Amethi, the documents accessed by Times Now show that the Amethi project was shelved by the UPA government in January, 2003.
Amethi food park's corporate partner pulled out due to the UPA government's decision of not allowing it to access natural gas from GAIL plant, Times Now reported on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, the issue of mega food park in Rahul Gandhi's constituency Amethi again generated heat in the Lok Sabha.
There were verbal exchanges between members of Congress and treasury benches after leader of the Congress Mallikarjun Kharge referred to the food park scrapped by the Narendra Modi government.
Alleging that "politics of vendetta" was being resorted to either by cancelling or not proceeding ahead with projects cleared by the erstwhile UPA regime, he came out names of several such projects including a canal project in Rajasthan named after Indira Gandhi and 1000-bedded National Cancer Institute as part of expansion of AIIMS in Delhi.
"If this is not politics of vendetta, what is it," Kharge asked.
He then referred to the statement made by food processing minister Harsmirat Kaur on the reasons for cancellation of the Amethi food park.
Immediately Kaur repeatedly sought to have a say, contending that her name has been taken by the Congress leader and she should be given right to reply.
Egged on by BJP members including Kirit Somaiya and ministers like Smriti Irani sitting by her side, Kaur pressed for having a say despite Speaker Sumitra Mahajan repeatedly telling her that she was not allowing her to speak.
Kaur's attempts angered Congress members who stormed into the well of the House forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House for 20 minutes.
The issue was first raised by Rahul in the House last week.
When the House re-assembled, the Speaker allowed Kaur to table her response drawing sharp reaction from the Congress members.
As the Speaker pacified the Congress members and took up the Negotiable Instruments Bill for consideration, some BJP members from Rajasthan raised slogans alleging that Congress was misleading the House on the Rajasthan canal project aimed at providing drinking water to some towns.
A visibly annoyed Speaker then adjourned the House till 2pm observing that the members did not appear to be in a mood for smooth conduct of the House.
Rahul Gandhi, Congress vice-president, had last week attacked the government over the issue and also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of practising politics of revenge.
NEW DELHI: While Congress and Rahul Gandhi are accusing the Modi government of resorting to "politics of vendetta" on mega food park in Amethi, the documents accessed by Times Now show that the Amethi project was shelved by the UPA government in January, 2003.Amethi food park's corporate partner pulled out due to the UPA government's decision of not allowing it to access natural gas from GAIL plant, Times Now reported on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, the issue of mega food park in Rahul Gandhi's constituency Amethi again generated heat in the Lok Sabha.
There were verbal exchanges between members of Congress and treasury benches after leader of the Congress Mallikarjun Kharge referred to the food park scrapped by the Narendra Modi government.
Alleging that "politics of vendetta" was being resorted to either by cancelling or not proceeding ahead with projects cleared by the erstwhile UPA regime, he came out names of several such projects including a canal project in Rajasthan named after Indira Gandhi and 1000-bedded National Cancer Institute as part of expansion of AIIMS in Delhi.
"If this is not politics of vendetta, what is it," Kharge asked.
He then referred to the statement made by food processing minister Harsmirat Kaur on the reasons for cancellation of the Amethi food park.
Immediately Kaur repeatedly sought to have a say, contending that her name has been taken by the Congress leader and she should be given right to reply.
Egged on by BJP members including Kirit Somaiya and ministers like Smriti Irani sitting by her side, Kaur pressed for having a say despite Speaker Sumitra Mahajan repeatedly telling her that she was not allowing her to speak.
Kaur's attempts angered Congress members who stormed into the well of the House forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House for 20 minutes.
The issue was first raised by Rahul in the House last week.
When the House re-assembled, the Speaker allowed Kaur to table her response drawing sharp reaction from the Congress members.
As the Speaker pacified the Congress members and took up the Negotiable Instruments Bill for consideration, some BJP members from Rajasthan raised slogans alleging that Congress was misleading the House on the Rajasthan canal project aimed at providing drinking water to some towns.
A visibly annoyed Speaker then adjourned the House till 2pm observing that the members did not appear to be in a mood for smooth conduct of the House.
Rahul Gandhi, Congress vice-president, had last week attacked the government over the issue and also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of practising politics of revenge.
No change in civil prelims pattern; aptitude test to stay: Govt
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NEW DELHI: The aptitude test will continue to be part of civil services preliminary examination and there is no change in the pattern as of now, it was officially stated here on Wednesday.
At the same time, the government said an expert committee will be constituted to take a holistic view of the aptitude test.
"An expert committee would be constituted to comprehensively examine various issues raised from time to time namely, eligibility, syllabus, scheme and pattern of civil services examination," a statement issued on Wednesday by Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said.
Till such time the government takes decision on the recommendation of the committee, the general studies Paper-II (Civil Services Aptitude Test or CSAT) in the civil services (preliminary) examination will remain a qualifying paper with a minimum qualifying marks fixed at 33 per cent, it said.
"The English language comprehension skill portion from general studies Paper-II of civil services (preliminary) examination will continue to remain excluded," the DoPT said.
A controversy had erupted in July last year over the pattern of civil services examination conducted by the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) as students demanding change in CSAT or Paper II had taken to the streets in protest.
The students had claimed that mandatory English language and other questions asked in the paper put aspirants from rural areas or with Hindi background at a disadvantage.
Following the protests, the government had decided that marks of the English section questions, asked in Paper II, will not be included for gradation or merit in the exam. The change had come in force from civil services examination, 2014, onwards.
However, various students have been demanding change in the pattern of Paper II of civil services (preliminary) examination, saying it favours candidates of technical and management background.
After today's decision, the civil services examination, 2015 will be held as per the 2014 pattern, i.e. with questions on aptitude to be part of second paper and marks of English section not to be included for gradation.
At the same time, the government said an expert committee will be constituted to take a holistic view of the aptitude test.
"An expert committee would be constituted to comprehensively examine various issues raised from time to time namely, eligibility, syllabus, scheme and pattern of civil services examination," a statement issued on Wednesday by Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said.
Till such time the government takes decision on the recommendation of the committee, the general studies Paper-II (Civil Services Aptitude Test or CSAT) in the civil services (preliminary) examination will remain a qualifying paper with a minimum qualifying marks fixed at 33 per cent, it said.
"The English language comprehension skill portion from general studies Paper-II of civil services (preliminary) examination will continue to remain excluded," the DoPT said.
A controversy had erupted in July last year over the pattern of civil services examination conducted by the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) as students demanding change in CSAT or Paper II had taken to the streets in protest.
The students had claimed that mandatory English language and other questions asked in the paper put aspirants from rural areas or with Hindi background at a disadvantage.
Following the protests, the government had decided that marks of the English section questions, asked in Paper II, will not be included for gradation or merit in the exam. The change had come in force from civil services examination, 2014, onwards.
However, various students have been demanding change in the pattern of Paper II of civil services (preliminary) examination, saying it favours candidates of technical and management background.
After today's decision, the civil services examination, 2015 will be held as per the 2014 pattern, i.e. with questions on aptitude to be part of second paper and marks of English section not to be included for gradation.
52kg gold turns out to be lead & copper
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AHMEDABAD: The 'gold bars' seized last month by the Ahmedabad zonal unit of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) have turned out to be lead bars with a coating of copper. Sources confirmed that the 52 bars, each thought to be 1 kg gold, weigh less and have no gold in them; they are actually made of lead and copper.
Interestingly, the central agency had claimed at the time that it had busted a major attempt to smuggle gold worth Rs 14 crore into the country.
The DRI had seized the so-called 'gold' from Delhi-based Surender Singh Dagar, 39, and Gurgaon-based Saurabh Sarjit Saharan, 37, from room no 207 of Ashray Inn located on Ashram road. The two accused were later sent to judicial custody.
It was later found that the each 'gold' bar had marking of 1 kg but weighed less than that. According to sources, the government-approved valuer came to the conclusion that the gold bars weighed 28.717 kg and were worth Rs 7.01 crore.
The DRI had then sent the bars to FSL to determine the purity of the 'gold'. "The bars that were sent to FSL are not made of gold. They are made of lead and have a coating of copper," said a source.
Now that the bars have turned out to be made of lead and copper, the agency is likely to change tack in its investigation.
"Gold or no gold, the case is still there. The accused had smuggled goods in their possession which had markings of outside India. It is still a case of smuggling," said a source.
The two accused had claimed that they had brought the bars to show it as sample to prospective buyers. However, sources in the investigating agency said that it is difficult to believe that someone would bring 52 bars to show as sample for his product.
"Brother of Surender Dagar is already in jail for involvement in the case of 60kg gold seized by the crime branch at city airport. The chain of events point towards a 'deeper conspiracy'," said a source.
DRI officials are likely to submit the FSL report in the metropolitan court on Wednesday. The two accused they had arrested in the case are still in jail.
Interestingly, the central agency had claimed at the time that it had busted a major attempt to smuggle gold worth Rs 14 crore into the country.
The DRI had seized the so-called 'gold' from Delhi-based Surender Singh Dagar, 39, and Gurgaon-based Saurabh Sarjit Saharan, 37, from room no 207 of Ashray Inn located on Ashram road. The two accused were later sent to judicial custody.
It was later found that the each 'gold' bar had marking of 1 kg but weighed less than that. According to sources, the government-approved valuer came to the conclusion that the gold bars weighed 28.717 kg and were worth Rs 7.01 crore.
The DRI had then sent the bars to FSL to determine the purity of the 'gold'. "The bars that were sent to FSL are not made of gold. They are made of lead and have a coating of copper," said a source.
Now that the bars have turned out to be made of lead and copper, the agency is likely to change tack in its investigation.
"Gold or no gold, the case is still there. The accused had smuggled goods in their possession which had markings of outside India. It is still a case of smuggling," said a source.
The two accused had claimed that they had brought the bars to show it as sample to prospective buyers. However, sources in the investigating agency said that it is difficult to believe that someone would bring 52 bars to show as sample for his product.
"Brother of Surender Dagar is already in jail for involvement in the case of 60kg gold seized by the crime branch at city airport. The chain of events point towards a 'deeper conspiracy'," said a source.
DRI officials are likely to submit the FSL report in the metropolitan court on Wednesday. The two accused they had arrested in the case are still in jail.
Gunmen on bikes attack bus in Karachi, kill 47 Shia Muslims
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KARACHI: Gunmen donning police uniforms killed at least 47 people from minority Shia Ismaili community in an attack on a bus in Pakistan's southern city of Karachi on Wednesday, police officials said.
"Six to eight armed men on motorcycles opened fire on a bus at Safoora Chorangi, Gulistan-e-Johar area of Karachi, killing at least 43 passengers," a police official said.
A senior police official said the attackers entered the bus and shot the passengers in the head.
"It was a targeted attack," Sindh police inspector general Ghulam Haider Jamali told reporters.
Television channels carried pictures of a pink bus covered in bullet holes and lines of waiting ambulances.
The death toll could further rise as about 20 others are seriously injured. The injured and dead were shifted to various hospitals by rescue workers.
Taliban have claimed responsibility of the attack, Times Now reported.
Police and Rangers arrived at the scene and started manhunt.
More than 60 people were on the board the bus which was carrying the people of Ismaili community from Al-Azhar Garden area of the city to their place of worship near Aysha Manzil, police said.
Ismaili community is a branch of Shia Muslims and they are considered very peaceful people.
KARACHI: Gunmen donning police uniforms killed at least 47 people from minority Shia Ismaili community in an attack on a bus in Pakistan's southern city of Karachi on Wednesday, police officials said."Six to eight armed men on motorcycles opened fire on a bus at Safoora Chorangi, Gulistan-e-Johar area of Karachi, killing at least 43 passengers," a police official said.
A senior police official said the attackers entered the bus and shot the passengers in the head.
"It was a targeted attack," Sindh police inspector general Ghulam Haider Jamali told reporters.
Television channels carried pictures of a pink bus covered in bullet holes and lines of waiting ambulances.
The death toll could further rise as about 20 others are seriously injured. The injured and dead were shifted to various hospitals by rescue workers.
Taliban have claimed responsibility of the attack, Times Now reported.
Police and Rangers arrived at the scene and started manhunt.
More than 60 people were on the board the bus which was carrying the people of Ismaili community from Al-Azhar Garden area of the city to their place of worship near Aysha Manzil, police said.
Ismaili community is a branch of Shia Muslims and they are considered very peaceful people.
Trapped in crossfire, over 100 Indians seek evacuation from Saudi border town
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NEW DELHI: Over 100 Indians caught in crossfire in the Saudi Arabian town of Najran bordering Yemen have appealed to the Centre for speedy evacuation in view of intensified fighting between Houthi rebels and Saudi-led coalition forces.
According to a resident of Najran, at least one Indian was killed in shelling by the Yemeni rebels from across the border. The number could go up to five, he said.
A local Indian resident and parents of one of those caught in Najran said the government is yet to respond to their pleas for evacuation. Situated in the southwest of Saudi Arabia, Najran and its surroundings are home to over six hospitals besides many business establishments and military installations. Hundreds of citizens of countries such as India, Pakistan, the Philippines and Bangladesh work in the region.
According to a local contact, six Pakistanis were killed in shelling by the Yemeni rebels in the last 24 hours near a military installation in Najran. At least two Bangladeshis are also believed to have been killed in the ongoing fighting.
Sources said most of the Indians are unable to leave the town because their passports are with the authorities and they have been asked to remain at work. As the situation worsened, most Indians, who are working in hospitals, have been forced to stay back at their work place. There are four government hospitals in Najran, employing several dozen Indians. "We have been desperately calling consulate officials. But we are yet to hear from them," said one of the local Indian residents.
The parents of one of the stranded Indians said the ceasefire between the rebels and the coalition that was set to start in a few hours could be a good opportunity for evacuating them. "However, we are yet to see any action from the official side," said one of them. A local resident said there is continuous shelling from across the border into the Saudi town. The frequency is going up by the day, he said.
The situation in Yemen began to deteriorate over the last couple of years since rebellion led by Iran-backed Houthis flared up, and on March 26 Saudi the coalition launched aerial attacks to restore exiled president of Yemen Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
According to a resident of Najran, at least one Indian was killed in shelling by the Yemeni rebels from across the border. The number could go up to five, he said.
A local Indian resident and parents of one of those caught in Najran said the government is yet to respond to their pleas for evacuation. Situated in the southwest of Saudi Arabia, Najran and its surroundings are home to over six hospitals besides many business establishments and military installations. Hundreds of citizens of countries such as India, Pakistan, the Philippines and Bangladesh work in the region.
According to a local contact, six Pakistanis were killed in shelling by the Yemeni rebels in the last 24 hours near a military installation in Najran. At least two Bangladeshis are also believed to have been killed in the ongoing fighting.
Sources said most of the Indians are unable to leave the town because their passports are with the authorities and they have been asked to remain at work. As the situation worsened, most Indians, who are working in hospitals, have been forced to stay back at their work place. There are four government hospitals in Najran, employing several dozen Indians. "We have been desperately calling consulate officials. But we are yet to hear from them," said one of the local Indian residents.
The parents of one of the stranded Indians said the ceasefire between the rebels and the coalition that was set to start in a few hours could be a good opportunity for evacuating them. "However, we are yet to see any action from the official side," said one of them. A local resident said there is continuous shelling from across the border into the Saudi town. The frequency is going up by the day, he said.
The situation in Yemen began to deteriorate over the last couple of years since rebellion led by Iran-backed Houthis flared up, and on March 26 Saudi the coalition launched aerial attacks to restore exiled president of Yemen Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
To avoid provoking China, India leaves Japan out of drill with US
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NEW DELHI: In the run-up to PM Narendra Modi's visit to China this week, India has studiously kept Japan out of the initial planning for the major Indo-US Malabar naval combat exercise to be held in the Bay of Bengal in October.
Sources on Tuesday said the groundwork being done by India and the US for the Malabar exercise "did not as yet include Japan" despite the two Modi-Obama summits in September and January agreeing to "upgrade" the annual combat manoeuvres.
"The next Malabar planning conference between India and the US is slated for July. Japan does not figure in the talks till now," said a defence ministry source. Instead, the India-Japan naval exercise Jimex, which was held for the first time in 2012, is being separately planned for November.
Both Washington and Tokyo are keen for Japan to join the top-rung exercise on a regular basis but India does not want to needlessly needle a prickly China, which sees any multi-lateral naval grouping in the region as a security axis seeking to contain it.
Modi may still well invite Japan for the forthcoming 19th edition of Malabar in the Bay of Bengal — which will see the US participating with Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyers and nuclear submarines — since he and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe have decided to take their military ties to the next level. "Moreover, India and the US have also committed to upgrading Malabar exercises," said the source.
But there are no such indications till now, with the NDA government continuing with the earlier UPA regime's policy to keep Japan out of the exercise when it is held on India's western or eastern seaboard. "While building stronger ties with all these countries on a bilateral basis, India will refrain from any security grouping or bloc that may be construed as anti-China," said another source.
Under the previous UPA regime, India had largely restricted the Malabar exercise to a bilateral one with the US after China protested against its 2007 edition in the Bay of Bengal especially since they were expanded to include the Japanese, Australian and Singaporean navies as well. Japan has been inducted into the exercise only when it has been held in the north-western Pacific like in 2009 and 2014.
India, the US and Japan are all wary about China's growing military capabilities and assertive behavior in the crucial Asia Pacific region, which has fast emerged as the region for geopolitical shadow-boxing. But while the US-Japan combine is quite overt over its apprehensions about China, India wants to be seen as a neutral player in the jostling.
NEW DELHI: In the run-up to PM Narendra Modi's visit to China this week, India has studiously kept Japan out of the initial planning for the major Indo-US Malabar naval combat exercise to be held in the Bay of Bengal in October. Sources on Tuesday said the groundwork being done by India and the US for the Malabar exercise "did not as yet include Japan" despite the two Modi-Obama summits in September and January agreeing to "upgrade" the annual combat manoeuvres.
"The next Malabar planning conference between India and the US is slated for July. Japan does not figure in the talks till now," said a defence ministry source. Instead, the India-Japan naval exercise Jimex, which was held for the first time in 2012, is being separately planned for November.
Both Washington and Tokyo are keen for Japan to join the top-rung exercise on a regular basis but India does not want to needlessly needle a prickly China, which sees any multi-lateral naval grouping in the region as a security axis seeking to contain it.
Modi may still well invite Japan for the forthcoming 19th edition of Malabar in the Bay of Bengal — which will see the US participating with Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyers and nuclear submarines — since he and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe have decided to take their military ties to the next level. "Moreover, India and the US have also committed to upgrading Malabar exercises," said the source.
But there are no such indications till now, with the NDA government continuing with the earlier UPA regime's policy to keep Japan out of the exercise when it is held on India's western or eastern seaboard. "While building stronger ties with all these countries on a bilateral basis, India will refrain from any security grouping or bloc that may be construed as anti-China," said another source.
Under the previous UPA regime, India had largely restricted the Malabar exercise to a bilateral one with the US after China protested against its 2007 edition in the Bay of Bengal especially since they were expanded to include the Japanese, Australian and Singaporean navies as well. Japan has been inducted into the exercise only when it has been held in the north-western Pacific like in 2009 and 2014.
India, the US and Japan are all wary about China's growing military capabilities and assertive behavior in the crucial Asia Pacific region, which has fast emerged as the region for geopolitical shadow-boxing. But while the US-Japan combine is quite overt over its apprehensions about China, India wants to be seen as a neutral player in the jostling.
GENERAL AWARENESS PRACTICE QUESTIONS FOR BANK EXAMS
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1. Which of the following is the boundary line between India and Pakistan?
1) McMahon Line
2) Durand Line
3) Hindenburg Line
4) Radcliffe Line
5) 17th Parallel
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2. Riel is the currency of which of the following countries?
1) Malaysia
2) Thailand
3) Cambodia
4) Myanmar
5) Philippines
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3. Which of the following is the process by which a company collects money from the public for the first time?
1) Follow on public offering
2) Secondary offering
3) Initial public offering
4) Bonus shares
5) None of these
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4. Saurav Ghosal is associated with which of the following sports?
1) Squash
2) Wrestling
3) Boxing
4) Shot put
5) Discus throw
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5. Zend Avesta is the sacred book of the?
1) Jains
2) Buddhists
3) Jews
4) Parsis
5) None of these
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6. Palatana Power Plant is situated in which of the following States?
1) Jharkhand
2) Chhattisgarh
3) Tripura
4) West Bengal
5) Assam
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7. Which bank has launched ‘Bank Aap Ki Muththi Mein’ a mobile banking initiative, in December 2014?
1) ICICI Bank
2) Yes Bank
3) Axis Bank
4) HDFC Bank
5) None of these
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8. With effect from 2014 December29, the Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) business hours on week days have been increased to?
1) 10 hours
2) 9 hours
3) 12 hours
4) 11 hours
5) 8 hours
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9. Which private bank launched India’s first credit card with a transparent design in December 2014?
1) ICICI Bank
2) HDFC Bank
3) Axis Bank
4) Yes Bank
5) Karur Vysya Bank
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10. A government constituted task force has suggested creation of a Postal Bank of India (PBI). The task force is headed by?
1) Ravindra Dholakia
2) G. N. Bajpai
3) T.V. Mohandas Pai
4) T.S.R. Subramanian
5) Rakesh Garg
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11. India defeated which of the following teams in the final to win the men’s World Cup Kabaddi in December 2014?
1) Bangladesh
2) Pakistan
3) Sri Lanka
4) Nepal
5) China
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12. Which country won the women’s World Cup Kabaddi in December 2014?
1) New Zealand
2) Pakistan
3) India
4) Japan
5) China
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13. Which country won the fourth Cricket World Cup for the visually challenged in Cape Town, South Africa on December 7, 2014?
1) India
2) Pakistan
3) Sri Lanka
4) Australia
5) South Africa
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14. Who became the oldest player to score a one day international cricket century in November 2014?
1) Ahmed Nadeem
2) Arshad Ali
3) Ali Asad
4) Mohammad Tauqir
5) Khurram Khan
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15. The 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games mascot has been named?
1) Tom
2) Vinicius
3) Oba
4) Eba
5) Tiba
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16. Which of the following is a public sector bank?
1) Axis Bank
2) South Indian Bank
3) Nainital Bank
4) Karnataka Bank
5) IDBI Bank
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17. Human Rights Day is observed on?
1) December 5
2) December 20
3) December 7
4) December 10
5) December 24
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18. Carolina Marin is a badminton champion from?
1) Denmark
2) Australia
3) Spain
4) Norway
5) Ireland
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
19. The abbreviation NTCA stands for?
1) National Thermal Control Authority
2) National Tiger Conservation Authority
3) National Terrorist Control Authority
4) National Transport Control Authority
5) None of these
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANSWERS:
1) 4 2) 3 3) 3 4) 1 5) 4 6) 3 7) 4 8) 3 9) 1 10) 4
11) 2 12) 3 13) 1 14) 5 15) 2 16) 5 17) 4 18) 3 19) 2
1. Which of the following is the boundary line between India and Pakistan?
1) McMahon Line
2) Durand Line
3) Hindenburg Line
4) Radcliffe Line
5) 17th Parallel
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Riel is the currency of which of the following countries?
1) Malaysia
2) Thailand
3) Cambodia
4) Myanmar
5) Philippines
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Which of the following is the process by which a company collects money from the public for the first time?
1) Follow on public offering
2) Secondary offering
3) Initial public offering
4) Bonus shares
5) None of these
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Saurav Ghosal is associated with which of the following sports?
1) Squash
2) Wrestling
3) Boxing
4) Shot put
5) Discus throw
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Zend Avesta is the sacred book of the?
1) Jains
2) Buddhists
3) Jews
4) Parsis
5) None of these
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Palatana Power Plant is situated in which of the following States?
1) Jharkhand
2) Chhattisgarh
3) Tripura
4) West Bengal
5) Assam
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Which bank has launched ‘Bank Aap Ki Muththi Mein’ a mobile banking initiative, in December 2014?
1) ICICI Bank
2) Yes Bank
3) Axis Bank
4) HDFC Bank
5) None of these
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. With effect from 2014 December29, the Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) business hours on week days have been increased to?
1) 10 hours
2) 9 hours
3) 12 hours
4) 11 hours
5) 8 hours
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Which private bank launched India’s first credit card with a transparent design in December 2014?
1) ICICI Bank
2) HDFC Bank
3) Axis Bank
4) Yes Bank
5) Karur Vysya Bank
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. A government constituted task force has suggested creation of a Postal Bank of India (PBI). The task force is headed by?
1) Ravindra Dholakia
2) G. N. Bajpai
3) T.V. Mohandas Pai
4) T.S.R. Subramanian
5) Rakesh Garg
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11. India defeated which of the following teams in the final to win the men’s World Cup Kabaddi in December 2014?
1) Bangladesh
2) Pakistan
3) Sri Lanka
4) Nepal
5) China
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. Which country won the women’s World Cup Kabaddi in December 2014?
1) New Zealand
2) Pakistan
3) India
4) Japan
5) China
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13. Which country won the fourth Cricket World Cup for the visually challenged in Cape Town, South Africa on December 7, 2014?
1) India
2) Pakistan
3) Sri Lanka
4) Australia
5) South Africa
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14. Who became the oldest player to score a one day international cricket century in November 2014?
1) Ahmed Nadeem
2) Arshad Ali
3) Ali Asad
4) Mohammad Tauqir
5) Khurram Khan
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15. The 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games mascot has been named?
1) Tom
2) Vinicius
3) Oba
4) Eba
5) Tiba
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16. Which of the following is a public sector bank?
1) Axis Bank
2) South Indian Bank
3) Nainital Bank
4) Karnataka Bank
5) IDBI Bank
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17. Human Rights Day is observed on?
1) December 5
2) December 20
3) December 7
4) December 10
5) December 24
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18. Carolina Marin is a badminton champion from?
1) Denmark
2) Australia
3) Spain
4) Norway
5) Ireland
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
19. The abbreviation NTCA stands for?
1) National Thermal Control Authority
2) National Tiger Conservation Authority
3) National Terrorist Control Authority
4) National Transport Control Authority
5) None of these
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANSWERS:
1) 4 2) 3 3) 3 4) 1 5) 4 6) 3 7) 4 8) 3 9) 1 10) 4
11) 2 12) 3 13) 1 14) 5 15) 2 16) 5 17) 4 18) 3 19) 2
1) McMahon Line
2) Durand Line
3) Hindenburg Line
4) Radcliffe Line
5) 17th Parallel
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Riel is the currency of which of the following countries?
1) Malaysia
2) Thailand
3) Cambodia
4) Myanmar
5) Philippines
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Which of the following is the process by which a company collects money from the public for the first time?
1) Follow on public offering
2) Secondary offering
3) Initial public offering
4) Bonus shares
5) None of these
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Saurav Ghosal is associated with which of the following sports?
1) Squash
2) Wrestling
3) Boxing
4) Shot put
5) Discus throw
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Zend Avesta is the sacred book of the?
1) Jains
2) Buddhists
3) Jews
4) Parsis
5) None of these
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Palatana Power Plant is situated in which of the following States?
1) Jharkhand
2) Chhattisgarh
3) Tripura
4) West Bengal
5) Assam
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Which bank has launched ‘Bank Aap Ki Muththi Mein’ a mobile banking initiative, in December 2014?
1) ICICI Bank
2) Yes Bank
3) Axis Bank
4) HDFC Bank
5) None of these
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. With effect from 2014 December29, the Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) business hours on week days have been increased to?
1) 10 hours
2) 9 hours
3) 12 hours
4) 11 hours
5) 8 hours
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Which private bank launched India’s first credit card with a transparent design in December 2014?
1) ICICI Bank
2) HDFC Bank
3) Axis Bank
4) Yes Bank
5) Karur Vysya Bank
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. A government constituted task force has suggested creation of a Postal Bank of India (PBI). The task force is headed by?
1) Ravindra Dholakia
2) G. N. Bajpai
3) T.V. Mohandas Pai
4) T.S.R. Subramanian
5) Rakesh Garg
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11. India defeated which of the following teams in the final to win the men’s World Cup Kabaddi in December 2014?
1) Bangladesh
2) Pakistan
3) Sri Lanka
4) Nepal
5) China
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. Which country won the women’s World Cup Kabaddi in December 2014?
1) New Zealand
2) Pakistan
3) India
4) Japan
5) China
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13. Which country won the fourth Cricket World Cup for the visually challenged in Cape Town, South Africa on December 7, 2014?
1) India
2) Pakistan
3) Sri Lanka
4) Australia
5) South Africa
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14. Who became the oldest player to score a one day international cricket century in November 2014?
1) Ahmed Nadeem
2) Arshad Ali
3) Ali Asad
4) Mohammad Tauqir
5) Khurram Khan
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15. The 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games mascot has been named?
1) Tom
2) Vinicius
3) Oba
4) Eba
5) Tiba
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16. Which of the following is a public sector bank?
1) Axis Bank
2) South Indian Bank
3) Nainital Bank
4) Karnataka Bank
5) IDBI Bank
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17. Human Rights Day is observed on?
1) December 5
2) December 20
3) December 7
4) December 10
5) December 24
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18. Carolina Marin is a badminton champion from?
1) Denmark
2) Australia
3) Spain
4) Norway
5) Ireland
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
19. The abbreviation NTCA stands for?
1) National Thermal Control Authority
2) National Tiger Conservation Authority
3) National Terrorist Control Authority
4) National Transport Control Authority
5) None of these
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANSWERS:
1) 4 2) 3 3) 3 4) 1 5) 4 6) 3 7) 4 8) 3 9) 1 10) 4
11) 2 12) 3 13) 1 14) 5 15) 2 16) 5 17) 4 18) 3 19) 2
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