Consulate General of India, Vancouver www.cgivancouver.org
Republic Day Special Vol. 02, Issue No. 04 January 26, 2018.
India in Vancouver Weekly Newsletter
India Perspectives India Perspectives is the flagship publication of the Ministry of External Affairs. Richly illustrated, this magazine provides our readers with an insight into India’s culture and tradition along with elements of contemporary India. Click here to read more‌. Ministry of External Affairs, India
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Vol. 02, Issue. 04, January 26, 2018.
Consulate News 69th Republic Day of India Celebration at Consulate General of India, Vancouver
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Vol. 02, Issue. 04, January 26, 2018.
Consul General’s meeting with officials from Vancouver Economic Commission
Republic Day Special Supplement - 5 Articles on India 1. Responding First as a Leading Power Constantino Xavier, Fellow, Carnegie India, cxavier@ceip.org
The emerging concept of India as a “first responder” reflects the country’s growing capability and increasing willingness to assume the role of a leading power. By contributing its resources to prevent or mitigate regional and international crises, India is demonstrating its commitment as a responsible actor in the international order. Beyond narrow self-interest, such contributions help project India’s soft power abroad and portray India in a positive light. They also reflect India’s expanding sphere of influence and capacity to shape events abroad. The international order is facing a variety of transnational challenges that occasionally erupt into acute crises. Whether it is a natural catastrophe, an Internet disruption, or a sudden financial shock, the repercussions are often massive, with regional and global implications. This is where individual states must take immediate action, to mitigate the crisis impact and avoid further escalation. By taking the lead, they are providing a public good to the international order, supporting smaller or less capable states in dire need of assistance. Read more… Courtesy: www.arabnews.com
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Vol. 02, Issue. 04, January 26, 2018. 2. Reaching for the stars, India’s quest for the outer space: Aryabhata to Mangalyaan New Delhi, August 15, 2017, Pallava Bagla, Pallava.bagla@gmail.com India has a rich tradition of using outer space as a tool for national development. The poorest of the poor have always been the beneficiaries of India’s space technologies, from farmers to fisher folk Indian satellites touch the lives of almost the entire 1.3 billion population. As India celebrates its seventieth birthday it has already entered the golden era of space technology, sectors like satellite television, banking, smart city development, weather forecasting, smart phones, e-governance, satellite aided navigation are all catering to India’s unending appetite to deploy high technology to ease the life of the common man. India’s quest for space has been pioneered by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) set up in 1969 and today has an annual budget of about $ 1.4 billion. The country has a constellation of 44 satellites in orbit and can now on its own launch up to four tons of communication satellites into orbit. This gives India end to end capabilities in space technology from making its own satellites to launching its own rockets and has even sent an Indian made satellite Mangalyaan or the Mars Orbiter Mission all the way to the Mars travelling a distance of over 200 million kilometres. Read more… Courtesy: http://saudigazette.com.sa 3. Social Media: The Indian Success Story / Twitter Diplomacy Vineeta Pandey Senior Editor, The Pioneer The world has discovered fast and furious ways of communicating and social media is prime among them. The Indian government has not only quickly adapted to the new technological revolution in connecting with people but also taken lead which is why five of its Twitter handles figure among the top ten most followed in the world. These are of Prime Minister Narendra Modi (@NarendraModi), his office (@PMOIndia), External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj (@sushmaswaraj), Ministry of Eternal Affairs (@MEAIndia) and President of India (@Rashtrapatibvn). PM Modi has the third largest following on Twitter in the world and he is the highest following on Instagram. Swaraj is the most followed Foreign Minister in the world. MEA is among the top most followed government offices in the world. Be it connecting with its citizens in a distress situation, facilitating documentations, visas, helping foreign nationals, or a means to connect with foreign leaders – Indian government has made most use from #Hashtag Diplomacy. And in order to bridge the gap between government and people, Indian leaders and diplomats have perfected the art of speaking in 140 characters (on Twitter). India is one of the few countries that has all its missions and top diplomats highly active on Twitter, disseminating information and providing support to Indians abroad. Read more… Courtesy: http://saudigazette.com.sa 4. ‘E-Governance: The Indian paradigm for citizen friendly governance’ R S Sharma Chairman, TRAI Building trust between governments and citizens is fundamental to good governance. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been recognized as an essential tool for achieving the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by United Nations for the welfare of mankind. It is globally recognized that ICT promotes good governance. ICT can help build trust by enabling citizen engagement in the policy process, promoting open and accountable governance. Through e-governance, government services can be made available to citizens in a convenient, efficient and transparent manner. ICT can help in improving efficiency in mass processing tasks and public administration operations. India is ranked at position 107 on e-Government Development Index (EGDI)1 published by United Nations for the year 2016. Due to consistent efforts by all stakeholders, ranking of the country has improved by 11 positions as comparison to the year 2014 where it was 118. Similarly, improvements have been reflected in e-Participation Index (EPART). India has been ranked at 27 for the year 2016 in comparison the rank 40 in 2014. However, notwithstanding the economic progress over the last decade, the digital divide in the country continues to be significant. As per telecom data released by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India(TRAI), at the end of May, 2017, the Urban Tele-density has reached to 172.28 and the Rural Tele-density has reached to 55.89. Government’s Citizen friendly initiatives on e-Governance Digital India Program ‘Digital India’ initiative, announced as flagship program in 2015 by Govt aims to transform India into a digital economy with participation from citizens, businesses and promises to transform the country into a digitally empowered society and a knowledge economy with high intellectual capital. Among the nine pillars of ‘Digital India’, the government has inter-alia stressed upon to: Read more… Courtesy: http://saudigazette.com.sa 3|P a g e
Vol. 02, Issue. 04, January 26, 2018. 5. Buddhism: The Indian Heritage Prof. Lokesh Chandra, New Delhi The intrinsic strength of Buddhism is in its homocentric moral sense, the universality of its message, the serenity of its tenor, its scorn for excesses, its golden mean, and above all the personality of Lord Säkyamuni, so serene, and yet so human. The pain of life became the poem of Primal Buddhism, Human personality and its will for virtue were elevated to a supreme place. Humans are a part of all other humans, of all life, of all matter, of all stars and of the voids of eternity. They are the sons of Bodhisattva Varaprabha who voyages the wildemess of the worlds on the pristine gleam of light, and proclaims the Lotus Sutra in amazing exfoliations of simplicity and of an open mind. Buddhism has kissed this world with compassion, enwoven light and love in the hearts of men, kindled lamps in the forlorn recesses of sombre shades of life, and enlivened dead dogmas with logic. Buddhism arose as a spiritual force against social injustice, and advocated the equality of all men irrespective of their birth. It gave spiritual freedom to women. The welfare state created by the Buddhist emperor Koka is an outstanding example of the spirit of its perennial teachings. The Buddhist Middle Path summons us to a dialogue of timeless day, from thought to awakening awareness, from ideology to ideas, so that tiny pebbles gathered on the shoreline of life become fine like pearls, and when we carry these pebbles back home to our hearts, intertwined with them will be the Sea of Consciousness in our sleeves. It seeks glistening waters in the rhythms of the universe, in the flow of the spiritual and the scientific, evolving humans into a growing wholeness of inner unity and constant change. Read more…
Forthcoming Events in India THE PARTNERSHIP SUMMIT 2018 - “Charting New India’s Global Integration Strategy” 24-26 February 2018: APIIC Grounds, Harbour Park, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in partnership with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the State Government of Andhra Pradesh is organizing the 24th edition of its annual flagship initiative Partnership Summit 2018, a mega international event, for the third consecutive year in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh from 24- 26 February 2018. 2. Mr Suresh Prabhu, Hon’ble Minister for Commerce and Industry is the Chair of the Summit and the State Government of Andhra Pradesh is the ‘Partner State’ to this edition of the prestigious initiative. 3. The Partnership Summit, started in 1995, to mark the centenary of CII has established itself as an ideal platform for business networking between key stakeholders to develop best strategies and policies to help countries overcome the obstacles to improving competitiveness and integrate better into the globalized world. The 24th edition of the Summit aims to provide opportunities to look at how both advanced and emerging economies can collaborate and build new bridges to foster balanced and equitable growth. 4. Plenaries Sessions planned over three days of the Summit will feature discussions on Charting New India’s Global Integration strategy; The Reform Calculus: Continuous Change for India; Redefining the Global Value Chain: Dynamic Workforce, New Consumers and Starship Enterprise: The Universe of Startups to name a few. Please visit http://www.cii.in/ for registration and more details.
CII NATIONAL PACKAGING CONFERENCE - “Strategic Advantage through Packaging” 9 – 10 February 2018, Hotel Crowne Plaza, Chennai Greetings from CII. Packaging has an annual global turnover of about $550 billion, and India’s share is about $16.5 billion per annum and is one of the fastest growing sectors, partly because it spans almost every industry segment. India’s middle-class population which is expected to increase ten-folds by 2025, will further trigger the consumption of packaging materials. Packaging has led to greater specialization and sophistication over a period of years and will surge growth. Against this backdrop, CII is organizing National Packaging Conference with the theme “Strategic Advantage through Packaging” on 9 & 10 February 2018 at Hotel Crowne Plaza, Chennai. CII National Packaging Conference (NPC 2018) aims to cover various key aspects of packaging from technology, trends, innovation & newer business model etc. and will facilitate as a strong platform for stakeholders to discuss the opportunities in the packaging sector that will support the industrial growth. Key objectives: • Serve as platform for sharing knowledge, business and technology identification • Create awareness among the end-users and consumers on current trends in packaging • Understand from experts, industrial, government and key stakeholders on the best practices, global standards and emerging norms in packaging • Support industries in adoption of advanced technology and unique ideas • Forging partnerships for collaborative business and research amongst industries, institutions, innovators etc. For Registration - http://www.cii.in/OnlineRegistration.aspx?Event_ID=E000037589 For partnership, sponsorship and other branding opportunities, please contact – Shivek Gurubaran - shivek.g@cii.in | +91 9944457057. Please visit http://www.cii.in for more details. 4|P a g e
Vol. 02, Issue. 04, January 26, 2018.
BHEL tenders for Supply of 100kVA Auxiliary Transformers for 10MW WBSEDCL Santaldih SPV Project BHEL has published an advertisement in website on 18.01.2018 inviting two-part bid for following tenders: Supply of 100kVA Auxiliary Transformers for 10MW WBSEDCL Santaldih SPV Project Tender document is available at BHEL website link (uploaded on 18.01.2018): http://www.bhel.com/tender/view_tender.php?tenderid=36668 Request for Quotation No: ANKBOS0015 RFQ Due Date:29.01.2018 BHEL contact email ID: ankitareja@bheledn.co.in BHEL contact no: 080-26989637/9632395961
Cultural – heritage Tourism in India Khangchendzonga National Park (KNP) Located at the heart of the Himalayan range in northern India in the State of Sikkim, the Khangchendzonga National Park includes a unique diversity of plains, valleys, lakes, glaciers and spectacular, snow-capped mountains, rich in bio-diversity, while including the world’s third highest peak. The five treasures of the area from the wildlife point of view could well be the snow leopard, red panda, lammergeier, blood pheasant and rhododendron. These and many more high-altitude fauna and flora thrive in KNP’s habitat of pristine forests, lush green meadows dotted with wild flowers in spring and fast-flowing torrents of glacierfed rivers and streams. UNESCO recognition has given a further push to sustainable eco-tourism in the State of Sikkim. The site entered the World Heritage list on 17 July 2016.
News from India 1. India’s economy has multiplied over six times since 1997 when an Indian PM attended WEF last time! – PM Modi's speech at World Economic Forum Plenary Session, Davos
2. India leads world in FinTech investment returns: UK report The 'Asia as a financial services partner for London' report also found that the "demonetisation wave" in India led to a 1,000 per cent increase in demand for digital transaction technologies last year after the government banned the high-value bank notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000. India is a dominant force in the financial technology sector globally with 29 per cent annual returns on investments, a report released by the City of London Corporation said today. The Corporation — the municipal governing body of the British capital — released the report as part of its launch of a new “Asia Next Decade” campaign. Read more… 5|P a g e
Vol. 02, Issue. 04, January 26, 2018. 3. Canadian PM Trudeau to visit India from Feb 17-23; trade, investment to top agenda Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau will be visiting India from February 17-23. He will be visiting Agra, Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi. “The visit is aimed at further strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries in key areas of mutual interest including trade and investment, energy, science and innovation, higher education, infrastructure development, skill development and space. Cooperation in security and counter-terrorism as well as exchange of views on global and regional issues of mutual interest will also form important components of the visit,” said a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs on Monday. Trudeau was expected to visit earlier following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit there in April 2015. Read more… 4. Providing Impetus to Indian Innovation, PM Modi& Israel PM Netanyahu Dedicate iCREATE to the Nation During the inauguration of the iCREATE, PM Narendra Modi, accompanied by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, highlighted the key role of innovation in bringing the people of India and Israel closer to each other. He added that the Government is working to make the entire system innovation-friendly, so that intent can generate ideas; ideas lead to innovation; and innovation helps create a New India. Read more… 5. German varsity announces course with focus on 'Make in India' NEW DELHI: Germany's Steinbeis University has announced an MS degree in Global Technology Management Asia. It is a specially designed programme by the Berlin-based university to help build the technology framework for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' initiative. The programme will be managed by Steinbeis Global Institute Tubingen (SGIT), Germany in an exclusive collaboration with Ivory Education, an entity dedicated towards bridging the gap between employment and education. Read more… (TIMESOFINDIA.COM)
6. India fifth most attractive market for investments: PwC survey India has emerged as the fifth most attractive market for investments and the optimism over global economic growth is at a record level, a survey of CEOs by global consultancy PwC said. The findings come on a day when the rich and powerful are meeting here for the World Economic Forum's (WEF) annual summit starting today. "The US remains the top spot for global investment, while India moves into the top 5," PwC's 21st CEO Survey said, adding that there is surprising faith and optimism among chief executives in the economic and business environment worldwide, at least over the next 12 months. (Press Trust of India, Deccan Herald, Tue, 23 Jan, 10:17am)
7. India's growth set to lead the global economy: Global Trade Barometer India's economy holds the brightest growth prospects amongst the world's seven largest economies, according to results from the Global Trade Barometer released today by DHL, the world's leading logistics company. The first ever DHL Global Trade Barometer, an early indicator of global trade developments calculated using Artificial Intelligence, Big Data and predictive analytics, assigned India the highest growth indices of the seven countries assessed, due to strong and sustained increases in both air and ocean freight in and out of the country. The country's trade in machinery and high-tech goods continues to underpin its growth, while increased imports of industrial raw materials point to an extended period of trade development for the nation. (Domain-b, Wed, 24 Jan, 01:30pm)
8. Nano-capsule to help doctors in having a clear view of body organs through MRI The use of technology for developing smart drugs and drug delivery systems is growing across the world. An innovation by Indian scientists currently undergoing animal trials in the country is the nano-capsule, which, when ingested, helps in clear imaging of body organs to assist doctors in diagnosing diseases. “We have developed nano capsule made of carbon that can deliver highly crystalline nanoparticles inside the body for imaging. The capsules have shown superior biocompatibility, dispersion in body fluids, good bio-distribution. The nanoparticles inside the capsule will help doctors in having a clear view of body organs through the MRI machine,” Ashutosh Sharma, secretary, department of Science & Technology, said to Mint. (Brinkwire, Tue, 23 Jan, 12:05pm)
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