India, Suriname discuss ways to enhance bilateral relations

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Paramaribo, Sep 5 (IANS) India’s Ambassador to Suriname, Subhash Gupta, and Suriname’s Minister for External Affairs, Alva Baptist, discussed ways to enhance bilateral relations, the Indian Embassy in Suriname said.

“High Commissioner Subhash Gupta paid a farewell courtesy call to the Minister for External Affairs, Alva Baptist, Senior Minister Stephenson King & Keithson Hermine Charles on September 4. They discussed ways to enhance bilateral relations,” the Indian Embassy said on social media platform X.

Last week, Ambassador Gupta also handed over Quick Impact Projects (QIPs).

A plaque was unveiled jointly by Stephen Tsang, Minister of Public Works and Spatial Planning and Ambassador Gupta.

“Today, India handed over a pedestrian safety project in Paramaribo under QIP. A Plaque jointly unveiled by Suriname Minister of Public Works and Spatial Planning and Ambassador Subhash Gupta is a tangible outcome in the Golden Jubilee year of India-Suriname relations,” the Embassy said on X.

In May, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar handed over a fruit processing facility in Paramaribo city of Suriname, which was established with financial assistance from India.

India provided fruit processing machinery to Suriname, funded under the $1 million Small and Medium Enterprises grant announced by EAM Jaishankar in 2025.

During his remarks at the event, Union Minister Jaishankar said, “This project also serves to underline a larger message of India as a partner of Suriname and of the Global South.”

He noted that India’s commitment to ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, which means the world as a family, is demonstrated not just in words but through particular projects and specific activities, and noted that this is a very good illustration of it.

“In the times to come, as Suriname advances in its quest for progress and prosperity, India will always be a reliable partner,” he added.

EAM Jaishankar was joined by Suriname Foreign Minister Melvin Bouva and Agriculture Minister Nike Noersalim at the event.

–IANS

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Mysuru (Karnataka), Aug 29 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister, D.K. Shivakumar, on Saturday said he would send Minister for Planning and Statistics B. Nagendra’s resignation letter to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot today, after the former minister resigned from the Cabinet amid a political controversy surrounding the alleged Valmiki Corporation scam.

Addressing the media in Mysuru, CM Shivakumar said Nagendra had voluntarily tendered his resignation to prevent embarrassment to the Congress party and accused the BJP and JD(S) of focussing on politics instead of issues concerning the state and its people.

“The man has come and voluntarily submitted his resignation to avoid embarrassment to the party. I am sending the resignation letter to the Governor today,” CM Shivakumar said.

Reacting to the BJP and JD(S) moving ahead with a protest march, Shivakumar stated that the Opposition was more interested in politics than addressing issues such as drought and the Cauvery water dispute.

“For them, politics is important. Drought and the lives of people are not important. They are not concerned about the welfare of the state. They do not want to discuss the Cauvery issue or how we are managing the drought,” he said.

Shivakumar said he had asked the Opposition to submit a notice and come forward for a discussion in the Assembly, but alleged that they had instead focussed on the resignation of Nagendra.

“I asked them to give a notice and come for a discussion. They only focussed on taking the sacrifice of an innocent person,” he said.

Taking a swipe at the BJP and JD(S), Shivakumar alleged that the Opposition was unable to accept his becoming Chief Minister.

“What they want is politics. They are not able to tolerate that I have become the Chief Minister. The whole NDA is not able to digest this fact. Let good happen to them,” he said.

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and former minister B. Sriramulu alleged the BJP was not responsible for Nagendra’s emotional distress and blamed the Congress party for his resignation.

“We are not responsible for the tears of Minister Nagendra. The Congress party is responsible for your tears. BJP leaders are not responsible for your tears. The Congress is the root cause of your suffering,” Sriramulu claimed.

Addressing Nagendra directly, Sriramulu said the former minister appeared restless and claimed that the alleged scam involving the Valmiki Corporation had continued to haunt him.

“You are not in control. You are not able to sit in one place. Even during the Assembly session, I observed that you were always moving from one person to another and talking. Your karma has caught up with you,” he said.

Sriramulu also referred to Chandrashekar, the Dalit officer who died by suicide, and said the incident and the grief of his family members were continuing to haunt Nagendra.

“The tears of Chandrashekar’s family are following you like a curse and haunting you wherever you go. Because of this, your tears are coming,” he said.

Responding to Nagendra’s challenge to BJP leaders in the region to face him in elections, BJP MLA Gali Janardhana Reddy said the party was ready to face him at the polls.

“We are ready to face you. Let MLAs and MPs from the region resign and go to the polls. We will show our capabilities,” Reddy said.

Reddy also launched a sharp attack on Nagendra questioning whether the BJP had asked him to transfer the money to hundreds of accounts.

“Did we tell you to loot Rs 187 crore and send it to 600 accounts? Did we advise you to ensure Tukaram’s victory in the Lok Sabha election with that scam money? Did we ask you to send money to Mumbai, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh?” he asked.

–IANS

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Shimla sees mild snow, bringing cheer with promise of White Christmas

Shimla, Dec 23 (IANS) The Himachal Pradesh capital and its nearby tourist resorts on Monday experienced mild spells of snow, bringing cheers among members of the hospitality industry with the sublime promise of a White Christmas, which has been elusive since 2016 when heavy snowfall occurred on Christmas Eve.

“Shimla and its nearby areas have been experiencing light snowfall and this was the season’s second snowfall in Shimla town,” an official of the Meteorological Department here told IANS.

Places near Shimla like Kufri and Narkanda have also been experiencing snowfall, turning the tourist destinations more picturesque.

Though the snowfall was light, it has warmed up the Yuletide spirit of the hospitality industry. There is the expectation of more spells before the New Year dawns as the MeT Office forecasts scattered rain or snow in the state till Tuesday.

After the opening of the skies, the minimum temperature across the state could plummet by three to four notches, a weatherman said.

The mountain peaks viewed from Shimla’s historic Ridge and Dharamsala and Palampur towns have been wrapped in a blanket of snow.

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Reports said some of the areas in the apple belt Jubbal and Kharapathar also experienced snow.

“High-altitude areas of Lahaul-Spiti, Chamba, Kullu, Kinnaur and Shimla districts have been experiencing snow,” the official said.

The majestic Dhauladhar ranges in the Kangra Valley have also got snow cover. Lower areas of the state like Dharamsala, Palampur, Solan, Nahan, Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur and Mandi towns received rain, bringing down the temperature considerably.

Shimla saw a low of 3.4 degrees Celsius, while it was 1.8 degrees in Manali, 4.5 degrees in Dharamsala and 1.5 degrees in Palampur. The past week was largely sunny across the state.

Before 2016, the erstwhile capital of British India saw Christmas snows in 1991 when 49 cm of snowfall was recorded. Though some years between 2014 and 2018 had mild spells before the Yuletide spirit.

Also except in 2010, there has been no white New Year’s Eve in Shimla either in the past 12 years.

Deforestation and pollution are blamed for the change in Shimla’s climatic conditions, says a study by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

It says Shimla’s harsh winter, which normally commenced in November and ended in March, has declined after the mid-1980s. The study examines the snowfall trend in Shimla from 1990 to 2007.

–IANS

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PM Modi in Katihar rally questions Tejashwi’s silence on father’s legacy; slams RJD, Cong

Patna, Nov 3 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took a sharp dig at the Mahagathbandhan’s chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav, questioning why he appeared “ashamed” of mentioning his father’s name.

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“Look at the posters of the RJD and Congress. A leader who remained chief minister for several years and brought Jungle Raj here — his photograph has either disappeared or is printed in one small corner. It is not even visible with binoculars,” PM Modi said, without directly naming Lalu Prasad Yadav — a former Union Minister and ex-Bihar CM.

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PM Modi also targeted the RJD-Congress alliance over what he termed as “appeasement politics” and alleged support for infiltrators in Katihar and adjoining districts.

“The people of Bihar and the country have the first right over the nation’s resources. I will not allow anyone to snatch this right. But the RJD and Congress prefer katta (country-made pistol) and kattarpanthi (fundamentalists). Whenever the BJP and NDA talk about removing infiltrators, they come out to defend them,” he said.

He further accused the INDIA bloc of bowing to pressure from hardline elements, pointing out their opposition to the Triple Talaq law and alleged move to scrap the new Waqf Act passed by Parliament.

“The truth is — they have surrendered before fundamentalist forces. Hence, I urge you to keep the RJD and Congress thousands of miles away from power in Bihar,” PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister’s remarks hold significance as Katihar district, which is not very far from Bangladesh border, is part of Seemanchal, a region with a sizeable Muslim population considered influential in determining poll outcomes across districts like Kishanganj, Purnea, and Araria.

PM Modi appealed to voters in Katihar to extend full support to NDA candidates across all constituencies in the region.

Earlier, he addressed another election rally in Saharsa, where he also made a pitch for development and stability under the NDA government.

–IANS

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