EU cementing ties with India as bloc looks beyond China: Report

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

New Delhi, July 17 (IANS) The European Union (EU) and India have agreed to deepen ties on trade and technology, making India only the second country after the United States to have this level of formal partnership with Brussels, according to a report in The European Conservative news portal.

The move sends a clear political message that Brussels wants India to play a much bigger role in its supply chains, technology sector and wider economic strategy, the report states.

The third meeting of the EU–India Trade and Technology Council took place in Brussels on Wednesday, bringing together three Indian ministers and three members of the European Commission.

India was represented by External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, and Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada. The European delegation was led by Henna Virkkunen, Maros Sefcovic and Ekaterina Zaharieva.

The council was first launched by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2022. However, both sides agreed on Wednesday to expand its role before the end of the year.

The new plans include opening talks on India’s participation in the Horizon Europe research programme, creating a joint centre for electric vehicle charging technology, launching an alliance of high-tech start-ups, and expanding cooperation on semiconductors, artificial intelligence, supercomputers, quantum technology and 6G networks.

The two sides also agreed to work more closely on pharmaceutical, food and energy supply chains, the article by Javier Villamor points out.

The EU bloc is betting that India will become one of the main pillars of its future economic strategy. It is one of Brussels’ biggest diplomatic and commercial investments in recent years, the article observes.

The move also reflects a wider recognition that the global economy can no longer revolve around the transatlantic relationship alone. India is not joining the partnership as a junior ally, but as a major power with interests of its own. How the two sides manage those different interests will shape the future of the relationship, the article states.

Brussels is focusing on India’s growing industrial strength, large population and strategic position as a country that maintains its independence from Washington, Beijing and Moscow, the report added.

–IANS

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Drug peddler’s property worth Rs 22 lakh attached in J&K

Jammu, Nov 22 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday attached the property of a notorious drug peddler valued at Rs 22 lakh in Udhampur district.

A police statement said that movable property worth Rs 22 lakh of a notorious drug peddler, Mohd. Yousaf, a resident of Pulwama district in the Valley, was attached under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

During an investigation into a case registered at Police Station Rehambal, the accused, Mohd. Yousaf Joo, resident of Wuyan, Pampore, District Pulwama, was found to have movable property, a Toyota Innova vehicle.

“Based on material collected during the investigation, the Investigating Officer has reason to believe that the said vehicle has been acquired from the proceeds of crime generated through narco trade,” the police said in a statement.

Accordingly, the property has been attached under the relevant section of the NDPS Act for further legal action.

The value of the said vehicle is Rs 22 lakh, which now stands attached.

As part of a sustained crackdown against narcotics-related offences, Udhampur Police has so far attached property worth Rs 12 crore this year.

“This is proof of the commitment of Udhampur Police to ensure a drug-free society and protect the youth from the scourge of drug addiction,” the police statement said.

Police in Jammu district arrested four persons from whom a heroin-like substance, a car, a motorcycle and an electronic weighing balance were recovered.

Around 2.11 grams of heroin-like substance was recovered from accused Rohit Jamwal, 1.55 grams from Abhishek Jamwal, 2.23 grams from Arvind Singh, and 2.23 grams from Aditya Singh, all residents of Jindrah, the police said.

Jammu and Kashmir Police and the security forces are carrying out aggressive operations against drug smugglers, drug peddlers and those involved in hawala money rackets and other unlawful financial activities.

It is believed that the funds generated by these unlawful activities are finally used to sustain terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

–IANS

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Tripura Assembly witnesses pandemonium over minister’s ‘racist’ remark against LoP

Agartala, March 25 (IANS) Tripura Assembly on Tuesday witnessed bedlam and the opposition CPI-M members staged a walkout from the house over the “racist” remarks against Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Jitendra Chaudhury by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ratan Lal Nath.

LoP later moved a privilege motion against Minister Nath.

“It is a clear breach of privilege which has been committed by Minister Nath while I was initiating discussion on the budget for the year 2025-26,” Chaudhury, also a senior tribal leader of Tripura, said in his privilege motion submitted to Assembly Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen.

Chaos on the third day of the week-long budget session started after the CPI-M MLAs demonstrated in the well of the house seeking an apology from the Parliamentary Affairs Minister for his alleged racist remarks against the LoP.

Nath had made the comment on Monday when Chaudhury was addressing the House on the budget.

Senior CPI-M MLA Shyamal Chakraborty first sought an apology from the minister for his remark, and then other members of the Left party joined and subsequently rushed to the well of the house.

Both the Speaker and the Minister, however, denied such comments while Nath claimed that he did not have any intentions to hurt the opposition leader’s tribe, he wanted to refer to the “mindset of the CPI-M party”.

After the Speaker did not pay any heed to the opposition’s demand and continued with the normal proceedings of the house, the CPI-M MLAs walked out of the House.

Chaudhury, also a former minister and CPI-M Tripura state Secretary, in his privilege motion said: “Under Rule-173 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Tripura Legislative Assembly, the undersigned (LoP) intent to lodge a Privilege Motion against Ratan Lal Nath, Hon’ble Member (Hon’ble Minister for Parliamentary Affairs) in regards to the passing of most derogatory and racist remarks — ‘Jiten babu’ has demonstrated his tribe.”

The privilege motion said: “This was not only derogatory and abusive, but racially derogatory against myself, my family and my community. It is a clear breach of privilege which has been committed by Minister Ratan Lal Nath while I was initiating my discussion on the Budget.”

–IANS

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Ruckus in Bihar Assembly over SIR Opposition to Wear black in protest

Patna, July 21 (IANS) The monsoon session of the Bihar Legislative Assembly began on Monday with high drama, as the opposition created a ruckus inside and outside the House over the ongoing special intensive voter list revision ahead of the Assembly elections

After the adjournment of proceedings, the Mahagathbandhan Legislature Party held an important strategy meeting to intensify pressure on the government over the next four days of the session.

It was decided that all opposition MLAs will arrive at the Assembly on Tuesday wearing black clothes to protest against the rising crime in the state and the voter list revision.

Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav, after the meeting, said, “The monsoon session of the Assembly has begun today, and we have demanded from the Speaker that the issue of voter list revision be discussed in the House.”

Tejashwi emphasised that the opposition will fight this battle to protect democracy and prevent the erasure of its existence.

“If the government and the Speaker are unwilling to allow a discussion on this issue, it will not be possible for them to face the people in the coming days,” he said, adding that letters have been sent to all leaders regarding the matter.

He further stated that the opposition is raising the issue in Parliament as well and will strongly raise it in Bihar on Tuesday.

“The government will have to discuss this issue in the House at any cost,” he asserted, confirming that all Mahagathbandhan MLAs will wear black clothes to register their protest on Tuesday.

Earlier, as the proceedings began, opposition MLAs, wearing black bands, created an uproar in the House demanding a discussion on the voter list revision and other issues.

Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav expressed his displeasure at the continued disruptions, asking the opposition members to sit down and maintain decorum.

At one point, the Speaker reprimanded RJD MLA Bhai Virendra, saying, “Sit down. Is this what all you have learned?”

He also pulled up CPI(ML) MLA Satyadev Ram for the disruption as the ruckus continued in the House.

The opposition has been alleging that the ongoing special intensive voter list revision (SIR) before the elections is a conspiracy to remove the names of the poor and minorities from the voter rolls, accusing the Election Commission and the central government of collusion.

–IANS

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