Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed hope that digital transactions will soon surpass cash as Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is increasingly becoming the most preferred payment mechanism in the country. Modi after the launch of the cross-border connectivity between the UPI and PayNow of Singapore said about 74 billion transactions amounting to more than Rs 126 trillion, which is approximately 2 trillion Singapore dolla, was done through UPI in 2022. "Many experts are estimating that very soon India's digital wallet transactions are going to overtake cash transactions," he said.
The iconic Times Square in New York City, reverberating with the chants of 'Vande Mataram' and 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', was on Sunday drenched in hues of saffron, white and green as the biggest Indian tricolour was unfurled at the popular destination to mark the 75th anniversary of India's Independence Day.
'The Indian economy is expected to grow in terms of per capita income and GDP, and with that, the luxury segment becomes more relevant.'
Gandhi said the govt "tried everything to stop" his 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', but nothing was working against the "effect" of the foot march.
'Mahatma Gandhi's principle of non-violence was all-encompassing -- human against human, human against animal and more importantly human against nature.'
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesperson echoed a statement issued by Foreign Secretary James Cleverly in Parliament earlier this week to add that the government continues to invest in its relationship with India.
British High Commissioner in India, James Bevan called on IOA acting president V K Malhotra and assured full security for the Indian contingent which will take part in the London Olympics.
After inaugurating development projects worth nearly Rs 5,000 crore for boosting the agri-economy in the Union territory, Modi said he was "elated to be among the wonderful people of Srinagar".
India has repeatedly called on Russia and Ukraine to return to the path of diplomacy and dialogue and end their ongoing conflict.
Slogans like 'Vande Mataram', 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Modi, Modi' went up the air amid a mood of cheer.
Prime Minister Narendra D Modi had a typically hectic schedule soon after his arrival in the United States as he met with thinkers, businessmen and members of the Indian diaspora in New York City.
Those on H-1B visas have to find a new job within 60 days or head back to India.
PM Modi went to New York this time not to engage in polemics, but to find solutions to global problems. He made some progress on several matters, even on reform of the UN Security Council, when the US made a major concession for the first time that six permanent members without veto, including India, could be considered
Modi's statement came days after the Indian army's surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the Line of Control as also in the backdrop of Pakistan's constant clamour.
Trouble is brewing in the Indian camp at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver with majority of the contingent denying luger Shiva Keshavan's claim that the team didn't have coordinated uniform for the opening ceremony and rejecting the money raised by the Indian diaspora.
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry has set up a 'Diaspora Division' for forging a producive partnership with Indians living abroad as part of its efforts to tap the economic potential of overseas Indians.
The statements the separatists make, the abominable tableaux at their parades, the slogans, posters, and selfies with assault rifles are not India's problem. If they are a nuisance, it should bother their host countries, because they are armed and have their own underworld with deadly gang rivalries. Significantly, none of this happens in the US -- only in snowflaky Canada, points out Shekhar Gupta.
Gandhi also said such controversies seem to play out every time his party raises concerns of "crony capitalism".
India's Consul General in New York, Randhir Jaiswal hoisted the Indian flag during a special commemoration of the Independence Day at Times Square, organised by the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA), the leading umbrella diaspora organisation in the US.
Sunak is in India along with his wife Akshata Murthy to attend the two-day G20 Summit.
The Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour given by France is another in a series of top international awards and honours bestowed by various countries on Prime Minister Modi.
Thousands of Yoga enthusiasts and practitioners assembled at the iconic Times Square in New York for day-long sessions of the ancient Indian practice on the eve of the commemoration of the International Day of Yoga.
Shashi Tharoor, the minister of state for human resources development, the moderator for a discussion on heritage and the diaspora, was suave as ever as he described how Indians had influenced the world and drawn the best of foreign influences.
While 44-year-old Sunak was at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden on Sunday to promise to keep trying to "make the community proud", 61-year-old Starmer chose another north London Swaminarayan Temple in Kingsbury on Friday to reiterate his commitment to building a "strategic partnership with India".
The community is planning to welcome Modi at every possible location where he could be available during his three-day stay.
Frederiksen received Modi at the airport in Copenhagen where members of the Indian diaspora had turned up in traditional attire to welcome the prime minister.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi told British parliamentarians in London on Monday that functioning microphones in the Lok Sabha are often silenced against the Opposition.
Mumbai-born author Salman Rushdie has endorsed Kamala Harris's candidacy for the US presidency and said he believes she is the person who can prevent former president Donald Trump from dragging the country towards authoritarianism.
'Our approach has been to work with consumers and help them drink better, not more.'
Amid mass layoffs in the tech sector, the federal agency for immigration services has said it is wrong to assume that sacked workers holding the much-sought-after H-1B visas have to leave the country within 60 days, asserting they have multiple options to stay in the US. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's success at courting Indians abroad have been as much a result of his old contacts as efforts by a dedicated arm of the BJP abroad. Archis Mohan reports
'The prime minister is talking to his Chachaji and he is crying in the PM's lap, it was such an emotional scene.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin and they reviewed the full range of bilateral ties, including giving an impetus to trade as well as cultural linkages.
According to the external affairs ministry, the prime minister will first visit Hiroshima in Japan from May 19 to 21 to participate in the annual summit of the G7 advanced economies under the Japanese Presidency.
In a cabinet that was already being touted as the most diverse in British history, Priti Patel became the first Indian-origin home secretary with Pakistani-origin Sajid Javid moving from the UK Home Office to become the new chancellor.
He also accused the UK of not meeting the obligation of providing security to the diplomats of the Mission, which is expected of a country where a high commission or a consulate is located.
The Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Vikram Doraiswami, who was touring Scotland this week was blocked from entering a gurdwara in the capital Glasgow by pro-Khalistan extremists.
PM Modi recalled the historical connection between the two nations stating how South Africa had "transformed" Mahatma Gandhi.
While Modi has spent fewer days abroad than his predecessor (270 days versus Dr Singh's 306), he has travelled more extensively and actively than any other Indian PM.
'For the first time since I've been following Indian politics, one heard voters talking about India's role on the world stage and the fact that, due to Modi's leadership, India was once again a great power.'
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances