By TNV Desk

This is a weekly foreign media digest that tells you how India has been covered in the global media from September 17 – September 23

Bloomsberg – Working Moms-in-Law Lift Female Employment in India, Study Says

• Women in India are far more likely to seek formal employment if their mother-in-law has a job, a study has found.
• In urban households where the mother-in-law is employed, daughters-in-law are 70% more likely to be employed, and 50% more likely in rural areas, according to the State of Working India 2023 report by Azim Premji University released this week.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-09-23/working-moms-in-law-lift-female-employment-in-india-study-says#xj4y7vzkg)

RFI – India’s lower house of parliament votes to reserve a third of seats for women

• India’s elected lower house, the Lok Sabha, passed the Women’s Reservation Bill on Wednesday by 454 votes to two.
• It now needs approval from the Rajya Sabha, parliament’s upper house, as well as half of India’s 28 state legislatures. It is widely expected to get it.
• Once the bill, which was first drafted in 1996, finally becomes law, the number of female lawmakers in the Lok Sabha will rise to at least 181 from the present 82.
• Indian President Droupadi Murmu called it the most “transformative revolution in our times” for gender justice in India, where women currently occupy just 15.1 percent of parliamentary seats.
• Gender equality advocates also hailed the bill, which would make India one of some 30 countries worldwide to reserve seats for women.
• “The passage of the bill is testimony to India’s commitment to women-led development, for which it mobilised global support during its G20 presidency this year,” said Susan Ferguson of UN Women India.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.rfi.fr/en/international/20230922-india-lower-house-of-parliament-votes-to-reserve-a-third-of-seats-for-women)

BBC – Chandrayaan-3: Indian space agency Isro says no signal yet from Moon lander

• India’s space agency ISRO says it is trying to contact its Moon lander and rover as a new lunar day begins but has not received any signals so far.
• The lander, carrying the rover in its belly, touched down near the Moon’s little-explored south pole in August.
• They spent two weeks gathering data and images, after which they were put into ‘sleep mode’ at lunar nightfall.
• Isro hoped the batteries would recharge and the modules would reawaken when the Sun rose around 22 September. But it is possible that the extreme cold of the lunar night damaged the batteries.
• On Friday, Isro posted on X (formerly Twitter) that “efforts to establish communication with the Vikram lander and Pragyaan rover will continue”. India made history with its Chandrayaan-3 mission when it became the first country to successfully land a spacecraft near the lunar south pole.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-66893924)

Gulf news – India to delay import licensing of laptops by a year, sources say

• India is likely to delay a plan to require licenses for imported laptops, tablets and personal computers by a year, two government officials said, in a breather to companies such as Apple, Samsung and Lenovo.
• The licensing regime, announced abruptly on August 3, aims to “ensure trusted hardware and systems” enter India, reduce dependence on imports, boost local manufacturing and in part address the country’s trade imbalance with China.
• India restricts import of laptop, computers to push local manufacturing. After industry objections, the plan, which would also affect Dell and HP, was quickly delayed by about three months, and came under criticism from Washington.
• Now, instead, the electronics ministry has proposed a simpler import registration process to begin in November, said the officials, who have direct knowledge of the discussions. The ministry conveyed the proposal to industry officials in a meeting on Friday, they said.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://gulfnews.com/business/retail/india-to-delay-import-licensing-of-laptops-by-a-year-sources-say-1.98294888)

The Newyork Times – India’s ‘Lake Man’ Relies on Ancient Methods to Ease a Water Crisis

• Anand Malligavad turned to centuries-old knowledge to reclaim dozens of lakes in the high-tech capital of Bengaluru. Now, he is in demand across India, one of the world’s most water-stressed nations.
• After Anand Malligavad tumbled into a lake, he thought he might die. Not from drowning, but the stench.
• Like hundreds of other lakes in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru, the one Mr. Malligavad suddenly found himself in was a receptacle for sewage, plastic debris and construction waste. His unplanned dip happened in 2017, when Mr. Malligavad, a mechanical engineer, was on a stroll with friends near his office.The next day, Mr. Malligavad made an unlikely pitch to his company: He would restore the 36-acre lake if it funded the project.
• As he began his project, Mr. Malligavad turned to the knowledge left behind in records from the Chola dynasty that, starting about 1,500 years ago, ruled the surrounding Deccan Plateau for five centuries and built a sprawling, self-sustaining network of irrigation lakes.
• After four months of studying the Chola methods — including how to trap silt and sludge using carved stones, which need no maintenance — he won a $100,000 corporate social responsibility grant from his company for the cleanup project.
• In the seven years since that first success, Mr. Malligavad has restored 35 lakes in Bengaluru with a combined surface area of about 800 acres and a water-holding capacity of about 106 million gallons. Thanks in part to his efforts, the groundwater level in the region over that time period has also increased by about eight feet, according to the Groundwater Directorate, a government body.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/22/world/asia/bengaluru-india-lake-reclamation.html)

AP – Canada gets muted allied support after alleging India may have been involved in killing of Canadian

• When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stood up in Parliament and said India may have been involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen, the muted international response offered a lesson in modern geopolitics.
• India, it seems, may be too powerful to alienate.
• None of Canada’s most important allies — not the U.S., Britain, Australia or New Zealand, all knitted tightly together in the “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing alliance — echoed Trudeau’s allegations.
• They’ve declared their concern. They’ve urged full investigations. But none have stepped up to condemn India for its alleged involvement in the June slaying on Canadian soil of a Sikh separatist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
• Why?

Mainly there’s China, and the priority among the allies to bolster ties with India as a counterweight to Beijing’s rising power and assertiveness.

• But it’s more than that. Modern India has a fast-growing economy that many analysts believe will overtake Japan and Germany to become the world’s third-largest by 2030. It has become a major power in world affairs, with more than 1.4 billion people and one of the world’s largest militaries.
• India expels Canadian diplomat, escalating tensions after Trudeau accuses India in Sikh’s killing. All that makes it hard for Canada’s main allies — which are also some of India’s main partners — to loudly speak out.
• “I think Australia, U.S. and U.K. did about what was expected,” said Janice Stein, a political scientist at the Munk School of Global Affairs in Toronto.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://apnews.com/article/canada-india-sikh-killing-allies-8db67791c0d647c6051bb65f9283e45f)

Reuters – India stops new visas for Canadians, asks Ottawa to downsize missions as spat worsens

• India on Thursday suspended new visas for Canadians and asked Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence in the country, sharply escalating a spat triggered by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s accusations linking New Delhi to a Sikh separatist’s murder.
• India was willing to look into specific information in connection with the accusations, its foreign ministry said, adding that Canada has not shared anything so far.
• A blanket suspension of new visas by India for a Western country is unheard of and marks the lowest point of India-Canada relations.
• The announcement came hours after Canada’s high commission in India said it would temporarily “adjust” staff presence in the country after some diplomats received threats on social media platforms. The mission did not specify the nature of the threats, and India has said it would provide “all security and all support” to foreign diplomats.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-suspends-visa-services-canadian-citizens-bls-international-website-2023-09-21/

BBC – Tourists caught in India-Canada visa row

• The phone line at a Vancouver-based tourism company has been ringing non-stop since India announced that it will be suspending visa services for Canadian citizens.
• Those who are planning to travel in the coming months are worried about what the ban means for them, said Radhika Sharma, who works at Explore India, which organises tours to the country.
• Ms Sharma said travellers with a visa in hand should be fine “but people who have not yet applied, we’re not sure if they are going to get it or not”.
• Travel issues for tourists are among many concerns that have arisen after India’s announcement on Thursday, when it said it was suspended visa processing for Canadian citizens citing safety concerns for its staff.
• For many of Canada’s 1.86 million residents of Indian descent, the impact of the visa ban is less disruptive, though some say it has raised some questions about their future in the country.
• Those with an Indian citizenship, like Ms Sharma, are still able to visit India freely. So can Canadian citizens with an Overseas Citizenship of India card, which grants Indian nationals who live outside of India lifetime entry to the country.
• “The issue is not about travel to India – those who have valid visas and other kinds of document like OCI are free to travel to India – but the issue is of incitement of violence and the creation of an environment that disrupt the functioning of our high commission and consulates,” said Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66883889)

The Guardian – India urges its citizens to exercise ‘extreme caution’ in Canada

• India’s foreign ministry issues warning after rejecting Trudeau’s allegations government played role in murder of Sikh activist
• The diplomatic row between India and Canada over the murder of a Sikh activist has continued to escalate as New Delhi warned its nationals of “growing anti-India activities and politically condoned hate crimes” in Canada.
• After rejecting Trudeau’s allegations outright, on Wednesday India’s foreign ministry urged its citizens based in Canada to “exercise extreme caution and remain vigilant”, alleging that there was a “deteriorating security environment” in the country that could put the tens of thousands of Indian students at risk.
• There are currently more than 300,000 Indian students studying in Canada, its largest contingent of overseas students. Indian nationals living in Canada have also been advised to register with the consulate.
• The warning came after Canada updated its own travel advisory for India, informing citizens to “exercise a high degree of caution” while traveling to India due to the “threat of terrorist attack throughout the country”.
• The spat over travel advisories was the latest strain on diplomatic ties between India and Canada, which are widely acknowledged to have plunged to their worst since the 1980s.
• Trudeau was sidelined at the G20 leaders summit held in Delhi this month, where he had met with India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, and directly raised allegations of the involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar. Modi had then reprimanded Trudeau for allowing extremists associated with the Khalistan movement – which fights for the Indian state of Punjab to become an independent Sikh state – to operate freely on Canadian soil.
• While Canada has said it has sought India’s help in investigating circumstances around Nijjar’s killing, the Indian government showed little sign of being willing to cooperate with the investigation. On Wednesday, India’s national investigation agency (NIA) released its own list of individuals in Canada it alleged had “terrorist” links to the Khalistan movement.
• Politicians on all sides of the political divide in India came out to condemn the Trudeau’s allegations. Amarinder Singh, the former chief minister of Punjab, called his remarks “highly irresponsible”.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/20/india-warning-citizens-canada-sikh-activist-trudeau)

Reuters – Canada’s Trudeau wants India to cooperate in murder probe, declines to release evidence

• Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday called on India to cooperate with an investigation into the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia and said Canada would not release its evidence.
• Trudeau said on Monday that Ottawa had credible allegations linking Indian government agents to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June, prompting an angry reaction from New Delhi. Nijjar, 45, was a Canadian citizen.
• Traditional Canadian allies have so far taken a relatively cautious approach to the matter. Political analysts said this was partly because the United States and other major players see India as a counterweight to the growing influence of China.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.reuters.com/world/canadas-trudeau-wants-india-cooperate-murder-probe-wont-release-evidence-2023-09-21/)

(The report is curated by Dr Vinay Nalwa)