INDIA NEWS
Aug 16-31, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 4
Firdaus’ paradise Kashmir embraces a new life A
Working with Australia to build a better world
s India celebrates its 75th year of independence, Jammu and Kashmir has completed two years of the passing of the historic Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act 2019 (abrogating Article 35A and amending Article 370 to alter J&K’s special status).The erstwhile state has experienced the following key path-breaking changes ever since, proving local, regional and international propaganda baseless and misguided. Governance
Now central laws are applicable, including the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2007 etc.
electrification achieved and over 180,000 rural households are to be given functional household tap connections by March 2022. Industrial development J&K Industrial Development Policy 2021-30 has been notified and Industrial Land Allotment Policy 2021-30 adopted to allocate land to 15 industrial projects worth $US 200 million. Employment opportunities and skill training Over 2000 people have been employed and 15,000 new vacancies created. New publicprivate partnership based centres for invention, innovation, incubation and training will provide training to unemployed engineers. Two IT parks will also be built in J&K. Social inclusion Social security schemes now include over 270,000 additional people, including transgender people for the first time to grant pension benefits.
Grassroot democracy
Health
District Development Council elections were held in October -November 2020 with a 51.7% voter turnout. The Panchayat Act has been amended creating the 3rdtier of panchayats at district level and 44 digital village centres established at panchayat level to provide internet access to rural areas and access to government e-delivery services. First ever Block Development Councils elections were held in October 2019 with a 98.3% voter turnout. Women now benefit from reservation and under the Back to Village program over 15,000 loans, including 4600 loans for women entrepreneurs, have been disbursed.
Free and universal healthcare insurance scheme has been extended to all residents. Seven new medical colleges and hospitals, including two AIIMS, two cancer institutes, bone institutes and child hospitals, are being constructed. Over 85%healthcare workers have been vaccinated and 100% vaccination of 1stdose (45+ years) in nine out of 20 districts delivered. Two new 500-bed specialty COVID hospitals have been established and special monthly pensions/ scholarships are being disbursed to families who have lost their breadwinners to COVID-19.
Over 70,000 ration cards were seeded with the Aadhar Card, while 50,000 families were covered under the statesponsored health insurance schemes. The new integrated grievance redressal and monitoring system received 85,000 grievances and addressed over 90% satisfactorily. Infrastructure development Under the $US 7.5 billion PM’s Development Package, 54 projects have been identified, of which 20 projects have been completed or substantially completed, including an all-weather 8.45 km long hi-tech tunnel between Qazigund and Banihal, Rambagh flyover in Jammu and Indian Institute of Technology, Jammu. 13 more projects will be completed by the 2022-23 end. The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link project and the world’s highest railway bridge being constructed over the river Chenab. Power generation capacity is being doubled, with 3000 MW to be added by 2024-25. Pakal Dul (1000 MW) and Kiru (624 MW) hydroelectric projects have begun already and 100 % household
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Education 50 new colleges are being established to educate over 20,000 additional students and translation of textbooks in local languages of Dogri, Hindi, Kashmiri and Urdu for primary schools has commenced. Under the PARVAAZ scheme tutoring and guidance is being provided to students for civil services and other competitive examinations. Agriculture Government of J&K will receive National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) investment worth $US 230 million into apple, walnut, cherry and pear plantations over the next five years.
By His Excellency Manpreet Vohra
I
ndia-Australia relations are underpinned by several commonalities, including our democratic ethos, common values, economies full of strong complementarities and our shared Indo-Pacific region. It is a comfortable and natural partnership where we also see eye to eye and cooperate on most major international issues, be they challenges or opportunities. As Prime Minister Scott Morrison has himself said, “Our cultures might be different, but we believe in similar things. We believe in the supremacy of the ballot-box in our national life; in the rule of law; in institutions that safeguard rights; and the responsibility of free people to build a better world.” The over 700,000 strong Indian diaspora, growing rapidly, serves as a living bridge between our nations and our people. Besides enriching Australia’s economy and society in multiple ways, they have assimilated seamlessly here. They are law-abiding and deeply respect the Australian way of life even while proudly preserving their Indian roots, traditions and culture. The Virtual Summit between Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Morrison on 4 June, 2020 was historic. Our bilateral relations were elevated to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’’, 11 years after we had forged our ‘Strategic Partnership’ in 2009. This is testimony to the steady transformation of our ties over the last decade. The warmth and personal connect between our leadership is noteworthy. Our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is marked by growing convergence of views on geostrategic and geo-economic issues and a strong desire to work together for a region that is more free, secure and prosperous. Foreign Affairs, Economy and Trade, Defence, Education and a host of other ministries, departments, institutions and organisations on both sides have
EDITORIAL
stepped up their collaboration and are working together on myriad issues. We have also agreed to elevate our 2+2 Foreign and Defence Secretaries Dialogue to Ministerial level, underlining the positive trajectory of our bilateral relations. India and Australia engage with each other in various plurilateral and multilateral formats as well. The Quad came of age with the first-ever Quad Leaders’ Summit in March this year. The positive outcome of the Summit, especially in the areas of vaccines, climate change and emerging technologies for the IndoPacific underlines our strong commitment, as democratic and like-minded partners, not only for the provision of global commons but also in promoting a free, open, secure, prosperous and inclusive region. Given the imbalances in global supply chains with regard to critical health, technology, intermediate goods and services, sharply highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic, we have decided to work cooperatively to strengthen and diversify these supply chains. In April this year, Trade Ministers of India, Australia and Japan formally launched the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative. India and Australia are also working bilaterally on the supply chain diversification of critical and strategic minerals and metals. Our bilateral trade and investment remains significantly below its potential. We are jointly committed to improving this for the mutual benefit of both economies. We have reengaged on negotiating a fruitful and enduring Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement since it is time to take our economic and trade relations to a much higher growth trajectory. Recent World Bank and IMF projections that India will be the fastest-growing major economy in 2021 and 2022 should be exciting news for Australian businesses. India is today also one of the
most attractive destinations for Foreign Direct Investment. We have ushered in simplification and reduction of taxes, new labour laws, Production Linked Incentive schemes in exciting manufacturing sectors and empowered institutional arrangements to hand-hold new investors. Infrastructure stands vastly improved and supply logistics and transportation speeds are now among the best in the world. The stock market is booming and setting new records. It is not surprising, therefore, that FDI into India did not decrease in 2020 despite the pandemic. This open and globalised market of over 1.3 billion, together with the new ease of doing business has opened up vast opportunities including for Australian investors. Make in India, for India and for the world. The number of Indian students coming to Australia has steadily increased and there are well over 100,000 now, making Australia the second-largest foreign destination for Indian students and of huge benefit to Australia in multiple ways. I hope that an early solution is found to bring back those of these students who have found themselves unable to return to Australia since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. As we enter India’s 75th year of independence, every Indian can justifiably take pride in the growth and success of India in diverse domains since 1947. I look forward to celebrating India@75 with all Indians and friends of India in Australia. His Excellency Manpreet Vohra is a career diplomat and currently the Indian High Commissioner to Australia
Sports $US 26 million have been allocated under the PM’s development package for upgradation of sports infrastructure which includes two Khelo India Khelo centres of excellence in Jammu and Srinagar. Undoubtedly, Firdaus’ paradise has turned a new leaf, deflating all false propaganda that was being peddled against the historic August 2019 decision.
Besides enriching Australia’s economy and society in multiple ways, the Indian diaspora has assimilated seamlessly here
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