In a dynamic world where information is abundant, understanding India’s global representation is essential. This edition of “India in Global Media,” spanning to March 03 – March 09, offers an in-depth exploration of India’s portrayal through the lenses of international news outlets. Delve into this weekly compilation as we navigate the narratives that frame India’s image on the world stage.

Reuters – India begins deporting first group of Myanmar refugees who fled 2021 coup

• India on Friday began deporting the first group of Myanmar refugees who sought shelter there after a military coup in 2021 and plans to send back more in the coming days, weeks after saying it would end a visa-free border policy with Myanmar.
• Thousands of civilians and hundreds of troops from Myanmar have fled to Indian states, where communities between the two countries share ethnic and familial ties, which has worried New Delhi because of the risk of communal tensions spreading to India.
• Manipur planned to send back at least 77 refugees starting from Friday, according to a state government document seen by Reuters. The state has been roiled by sporadic violence that has killed nearly 200 people so far since ethnic clashes broke out in May last year.
• New Delhi has not signed the 1951 U.N. Refugee Convention, which spells out refugees’ rights and states’ responsibilities to protect them, nor does it have its own laws protecting refugees.
• India last month said it would end a decades-old visa-free movement policy with Myanmar for their border citizens for reasons including national security, days after the interior minister announced fencing of the 1,643-km (1,020 mile) border with Myanmar.

For detailed report click on : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/india-deports-first-group-myanmar-refugees-who-fled-2021-coup-2024-03-08/

BBC – Sudha Murthy: Rishi Sunak’s mother-in-law to sit in India’s parliament

• UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s mother-in-law has been nominated to serve in the upper house of India’s parliament. Sudha Murthy, 73, is married to NR Narayana Murthy – the billionaire co-founder of global tech giant Infosys.
• Most members of India’s upper house are elected but 12 of them, usually high achievers, are nominated to the chamber by the president for a six-year term.
• Indian PM Narendra Modi said the appointment was an example of “‘Nari Shakti’ [women’s power], exemplifying the strength and potential of women in shaping our nation’s destiny.”
• Mr Modi added in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that Ms Murthy’s “contributions to diverse fields including social work, philanthropy and education have been immense and inspiring.”
• Ms Murthy – who trained as an engineer – thanked Mr Modi, saying she was “grateful for the opportunity to serve” her country.

For detailed report click on : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68511113

Gulf News – India opens new naval base INS Jatayu on Minicoy Island near Maldives amid tense ties

• India on Wednesday opened a new naval base on its Indian Ocean island close to the Maldives, as ties with Male remain tense.
• INS Jatayu, the new base on Minicoy Island, on India’s Lakshadweep archipelago, had been under construction for years, and is India’s most distant base on its western coast. The navy has had a small presence on the island for decades.
• India’s new base on Minicoy is around 125km (78 miles) from the Maldives. The region is important to New Delhi for securing the passage of maritime traffic through the Indian Ocean, and the new base will help in its surveillance efforts in the region.
• The Indian Navy said in a statement on Wednesday that the base will strengthen its “foothold in the Lakshadweep island while extending capacity building, operational reach and sustenance in the region.” The navy also commissioned a new squadron of American MH-60R “Seahawk” helicopters in Kochi, also on India’s western coast.

For detailed report click on : https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india/india-opens-new-naval-base-ins-jatayu-on-minicoy-island-near-maldives-amid-tense-ties-1.101493685

BBC – Footage shows Indian navy rescuing cargo ship crew after Houthi missile attack

• The Indian Navy has released footage of a rescue operation after a Houthi missile strike on a cargo ship off southern Yemen.
• The owners of the Barbados-flagged True Confidence says two Filipino and one Vietnamese crew members were killed in the attack, which forced the crew to abandon the vessel.
• The Houthis say their attacks are to support the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

For detailed report click on : https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-middle-east-68500221

CNN – Maldives signs China military pact in further shift away from India

• Maldives on Tuesday said China will provide it with “military assistance,” in the latest sign that the Indian Ocean archipelago’s pro-China shift is well under way following the election of President Mohamed Muizzu last year.
• Details of what the assistance would entail were not released but the ministry said the deal was “gratis” — or given for free.
• The move is part of a push by President Muizzu since taking office in November to develop closer relations with China, following his “India Out” election campaign that promised to remove Indian troops from Maldivian soil.
• China has increasingly expanded its footprint in Maldives, most visibly through large-scale infrastructure projects such as the $200 million China-Maldives Friendship Bridge.
• Analysts have previously told CNN that a Chinese presence in Maldives could affect Indian security, given the island chain’s proximity to India’s western coast.

For detailed report click on : https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/05/asia/maldives-china-military-assistance-pact-india-intl-hnk/index.html

Reuters – Kashmir has been transformed, Indian PM says on first visit in five years

• The Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir has been transformed and integrated with the rest of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, crediting the change to his government’s contentious decision to revoke its special status.
• Visiting the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley for the first time since 2019 – the year the status was revoked – Modi said Kashmir’s development was a priority for India as it sits like a crown in the country’s north.
• “This new Jammu-Kashmir has the courage to overcome any challenge,” Modi told thousands of people attending a public meeting at a stadium in Srinagar, the region’s summer capital, amid tight security.
• “The country is seeing these smiling faces of yours … (and) feeling relieved to see you all happy.”

For detailed report click on : https://www.reuters.com/world/india/kashmir-has-been-transformed-indian-pm-says-first-visit-five-years-2024-03-07/

BBC – Ukraine war: India busts network trafficking people to Russia

• Authorities in India say they have busted a network of agents sending people to fight for Russia in Ukraine under the pretext of giving them jobs.
• The agents were luring people through social media, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said. The network stretches across several states and about 35 people have fallen victims to the racket, the agency said.
• The development comes after two Indians, who were duped into traveling to Russia, were killed in the war. The CBI said in a statement that the traffickers were operating under an “organised network”.
• It said that agents were using social media channels such as YouTube and their local contacts to lure “gullible” youth to travel to Russia by promising them “lucrative jobs”.

For detailed report click on : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-68499211

BBC – India urges citizens working in Israel to ‘relocate to safe areas’

• India has urged citizens working in Israel to “relocate to safe areas” after an Indian national was reportedly killed near the border with Lebanon. Two Indian citizens were also seriously injured when an anti-tank missile hit a plantation in Margaliot on Monday. The Indian embassy in Israel has since advised all its nationals to stay away from the border.
• In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the embassy added that it was in contact with Israeli authorities to “ensure the safety of all our nationals”.
• Media reports in both India and Israel say the man was an Indian national, while the Israeli embassy in Delhi has also expressed grief over the death of the man. According to reports, the man had only moved to Israel two months ago to work on a farm.

For detailed report click on : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68477000

Reuters – India aims for green shipping on inland waterways in five years – officials

• India aims to convert its entire coastal and inland waterways shipping to renewable energy in the next five years, the shipping secretary said on Thursday, aiding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal for net zero carbon emissions by 2070.
• “We envision that all our vessels, which now use waterways, will all get converted into green. In five years, it is doable”, T. K. Ramachandran said at an event organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
• India, which extensively depends on foreign fleets, is also planning to add around 5,000 new vessels over the next decade to its existing capacity of about 1,500 vessels.
• Last month, Modi launched the first Indian-made hydrogen-run ferry. Warship maker Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE.NS), opens new tab has announced plans to develop green energy vessels that would use solar power and batteries.

For detailed report click on : https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-aims-green-shipping-inland-waterways-five-years-officials-2024-03-07/

Gulf News – Photos: India’s ‘drone sisters’ steer farming and social change

• Scheme aims to help reduce farming costs and for women to join the labour force
• Once a housewife in rural India, Sharmila Yadav always wanted to be a pilot and is now living her dream remotely, flying a heavy-duty drone across the skies to cultivate the country’s picturesque farmlands. Yadav, 35, is among hundreds of women trained to fly fertiliser-spraying aircraft under the government-backed “Drone Sister” programme.
• The scheme aims to help modernise Indian farming by reducing labour costs, as well as saving time and water in an industry hamstrung by its reliance on outdated technology and growing climate change challenges. It is also a portent of rural India’s changing attitudes towards working women, who have traditionally found few opportunities to join the labour force.

For detailed report click on : https://gulfnews.com/photos/news/photos-indias-drone-sisters-steer-farming-and-social-change-1.1709719044821?slide=4

Gulf News – India PM Narendra Modi to contest from Varanasi as BJP kickstarts poll campaign

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will again contest from the holy Hindu city of Varanasi, topping the first list of candidates which gives his Bharatiya Janata Party a headstart over the opposition alliance that’s still negotiating seat shares.
• Modi’s constituency, Varanasi, is in Uttar Pradesh which sends the highest number of lawmakers to parliament and has given India most of its prime ministers.
• The first list comprises of 195 candidates from 16 states and two federal-controlled provinces. The list includes 34 federal ministers, including India’s Home Minister Amit Shah.
• Amit Shah, perceived as Modi’s point man for more than three decades, will contest from Gandhinagar in the western state of Gujarat, according to the party. Declaring candidates early gives the BJP more time to reach out to voters, as Modi attempts to increase representation in the lower house.
• India is the world’s biggest democracy and polls are scheduled in April with voting typically spanning several weeks. The new government is expected to take office in May.

For detailed report click on : https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india/india-pm-narendra-modi-to-contest-from-varanasi-as-bjp-kickstarts-poll-campaign-1.1709408251331

(The Report is curated by Dr Vinay Nalwa)