In an age dominated by information flow, understanding how a nation is portrayed on the global stage becomes paramount. The “India in Global Media” weekly digest serves as a compass, guiding readers through the diverse lenses of international news agencies from February 11 – February 17

Arab News – India’s Modi extols ‘small government’ credentials at WGS ahead of general election

• India’s prime minister said on Wednesday he would continue to push for “minimum government, maximum governance” should he win a third term in power as leader of the world’s largest democracy.
• Indians will go to the polls no later than May this year to vote in a general election that Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party are expected to win, giving the Hindu nationalist premier another five years in charge.
• Speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, Modi played up his domestic achievements over the past 10 years as prime minister and extolled his “small government” approach.
• “I believe that people should neither feel the absence of a government, but at the same time, nor should there be pressure from the government,” he said. “In fact, I believe that the government should interfere as little as possible in the lives of people.”
• He claimed that, under his premiership, trust in the Indian government had increased, and not decreased as it had in other countries, in a post-COVID-19 world, adding that Indians had “trust in the intent and commitment” of their government.

For detailed report click on : https://www.arabnews.com/node/2459851/world

Reuters – Indian farmers to postpone protest march to Delhi as talks with govt continue

• Indian farmers demanding higher prices for their crops will postpone a planned protest march to New Delhi until unions hold another round of talks with government ministers on Sunday.
• Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda, who met farmers’ representatives on Thurdsay along with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, said the talks were “positive”.
• “We have decided that the next meeting to take the discussion forward will take place on Sunday at 6 pm…We believe we will all find a solution together peacefully,” he told reporters following Thursday’s meeting.

For detailed report click on : https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indian-farmers-postpone-protest-march-delhi-talks-with-govt-continue-2024-02-16/

Gulf News – Bharat Mart, a new marketplace for Indian businesses in Dubai

• His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, laid the foundation stone for Bharat Mart, a market and trading platform for Indian businesses in Dubai, during a ceremony held at the World Governments Summit 2024.
• The plans for a new marketplace were unveiled by DP World. Expected to open in 2026, Bharat Mart will offer a trading platform for Indian manufactures and exporters to access global markets.
• Stronger trade ties

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman and CEO of DP World Group, said, “By laying the foundations for Bharat Mart, we are paving the way for stronger trade ties between the UAE and India. Our nations have set themselves the target of reaching $100 billion in non-oil bilateral trade by 2030, and Bharat Mart will support this goal, creating more opportunities for Indian manufacturers and contributing to government initiatives like Make in India and D33.

For detailed report click on : https://gulfnews.com/business/markets/bharat-mart-a-new-marketplace-for-indian-businesses-in-dubai-1.101052823

Reuters – India’s law enforcement agency summons offices of foreign airlines in country – CNBC-TV18

• India’s law enforcement agency overseeing indirect taxes has summoned Indian offices of international airlines over alleged tax evasion on import of services, CNBC-TV18 reported on Thursday citing sources.
• The Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) was seeking clarification over payment of crew salaries and staff expenses at the offices of the international airlines, the report said.
• The report named British Airways-owner International Consolidated Airlines Group (ICAG.L), Lufthansa (LHAG.DE), Singapore Airlines (SIAL.SI), and Thai Airways (THAI.BK), Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Saudi Arabia Airlines, Emirates, Oman Airlines and Air Arabia as the airlines under the DGGI scanner.

For detailed report click on : https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indias-law-enforcement-agency-summons-offices-foreign-airlines-country-cnbc-tv18-2024-02-15/

BBC – Electoral bonds: India’s Supreme Court scraps anonymous election funding

• India’s top court has struck down a scheme that allowed people to make anonymous donations to political parties, calling it unconstitutional.
• Electoral bonds were launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in 2018 to make political funding more transparent. But critics say it’s done the opposite and made the process more opaque.
• On Thursday, a five-judge constitution bench ruled that electoral bonds violate citizens’ right to access information held by the government.
• The government had defended the policy, saying it was introduced with the aim of eliminating cash donations to political parties as much of India’s elections are funded through private donations.

For detailed report click on : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-68302442

Arab News – India’s PM inaugurates Abu Dhabi’s first Hindu temple

• Developed in the desert on 27 acres, the BAPS Hindu Mandir stands off the main highway linking Abu Dhabi to Dubai. It has been constructed from more than 25,000 pieces of pink sandstone from Rajasthan, and white Italian marble carved by artisans in India and assembled in the UAE.
• Modi arrived at the site on Wednesday afternoon to perform consecration rituals with the temple’s priests. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated on Wednesday the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi.
• The temple was built by BAPS, or Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha — a Hindu organization headquartered in Modi’s home state of Gujarat.
• Navdeep Suri, who served as India’s ambassador to the UAE from 2016 to 2019, told Arab News that the inauguration of the temple marked a “key milestone” in India’s ties with the UAE under Modi’s leadership.
• “It was in August 2015 that he made his first visit to the Gulf nation — the first by an Indian prime minister since Indira Gandhi in 1981. The bilateral agenda was wide-ranging and set the foundation for a truly remarkable transformation in India’s ties with the UAE,” he said.

For detailed report click on : https://www.arabnews.com/node/2459956/middle-east

Gulf News – India’s angry farmers mass 25,000 tractors in march on Delhi

• India’s farmers have amassed a protest fleet of 25,000 tractors and more are expected to join as growers march on the nation’s capital, demanding guaranteed crop prices and loan waivers to ease cost pressures.
• Farmers mainly from Punjab and Haryana are seeking to congregate at an 18th-century observatory called Jantar Mantar in Delhi “- a traditional protest point “- but police have set up metal barriers and barbed wire to halt their advance. Footage has also showed the use of teargas to disperse people.

For detailed report click on : https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india/indias-angry-farmers-mass-25000-tractors-in-march-on-delhi-1.1707910040584

Reuters – India, UAE sign pact on trans-continental trade corridor

• India and the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday signed an agreement on a trade corridor that aims to connect Europe with India through parts of the Middle East by sea and rail, an ambitious plan backed by the U.S. and the European Union.
• The announcement of the framework agreement, reached during a visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Gulf state, was released in a statement by the Indian foreign ministry, although few details on what the sides had agreed on were made public.
• “This would build on previous understandings and cooperation on this matter and foster India and the UAE cooperation furthering regional connectivity,” the ministry statement said.

For detailed report click on : https://www.reuters.com/world/india-uae-sign-pact-trans-continental-trade-corridor-2024-02-13/

Reuters – India’s Modi may prioritise labour reform if he wins polls, party says

• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi could make labour reforms, cleared by parliament in 2020, a priority if he wins the upcoming general elections as widely expected, a spokesperson for his party said on Tuesday.
• Opinion polls suggest Modi’s nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will easily win the next general election due by May, as an opposition alliance struggles to stay together.
• Modi said last week he would take “big decisions” in any next term to end poverty and accelerate economic development but did not give specifics.

For detailed report click on : https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indias-modi-may-prioritise-labour-reform-if-he-wins-polls-party-says-2024-02-13/

(The Report is curated by Dr Vinay Nalwa)