'Critics say the political leadership abandoned the army chief or did not back him. I disagree. 'Military leaders are trained to take decisions when given a free hand.' 'This was a clear go-ahead from the prime minister to the army chief.'
The fierce battles of Galwan, Rezang La, Gurung Hill, and Walong taught the PLA a hard lesson: Fighting the Indian Army would never be easy or inexpensive.
Nepal has reiterated its claim over the Lipulekh territory, stating it is an inseparable part of the country, after India and China agreed to resume border trade through the area. The Nepalese government has incorporated the territory into its official map and Constitution. India has rejected Nepal's claims, asserting they are not based on historical facts or evidence.
India and China have announced a series of measures aimed at improving their relationship, including maintaining peace along the border, reopening border trade, and resuming direct flights.
A total of 750 pilgrims have been selected through a computerised draw for the upcoming Kailash Manasarovar Yatra in Tibet, marking the resumption of the pilgrimage after a five-year gap. The Yatra's resumption is seen as an attempt to normalize India-China relations, which were strained by the eastern Ladakh border standoff. The pilgrimage will begin in June and continue until August, with pilgrims traveling in five batches via the Lipulekh route and ten batches via the Nathu La route. The selection process was deemed "fair, computer-generated, random, gender-balanced" by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), which organized the pilgrimage.
While a giant, it's a nimble-footed one, and is growing at a speed that even some of its private sector peers find enviable.
Between FY18 and FY24, it doubled its balance sheet. Despite being a late entrant in some segments, it has been able to grab market share, observes Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has announced that India and China have reached an understanding to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra in 2025. While an understanding has been reached, the modalities of the pilgrimage are yet to be firmed up. The Yatra has been suspended since 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak and non-renewal of Yatra arrangements by the Chinese side.
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Kangana Ranaut's decline as an actor feels complete, observes Utkarsh Mishra.
The exchange took place at five Border Personnel Meeting points along the LAC, the sources added.
'...spent 1/10th of his time at 24, Akbar Road...' 'He would have met thousands of party workers and ordinary Congress supporters who have love for the party.' 'Left of Centre intellectuals have shaped Rahul's values, but he lacks earthiness.'
Pilgrims travelling through the Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand will continue as scheduled.
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China said that it had put off the visit of Indian pilgrims who enter Tibet via the Nathu La pass "for safety reasons" in view of the border issue.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had a brief conversation with Chinese soldiers during her maiden visit to the Nathu La border post in Sikkim and was even seen teaching them how to say 'Namaste'.
In a move that is likely to boost border trade between India and China, the commerce ministry is considering to expand the number of items traded through Nathu La in Sikkim.
Meanwhile, the Indo-China Traders Association of Sikkim (ICTAS) demanded an upward revision in the number of items to be exported by the Indian traders at Nathu La mart in order to make the business financially viable for the traders. A function would be held at Nathu La frontier to mark the formal inauguration of the annual trade on May 1 and thereafter, the traders of the two countries would participate in trade of various commodities.
While the value of traded goods on both sides has been much below expectation at about Rs 700,000, Indian traders have also shown reluctance to visit the Renquingang Mart in the Tibet Autonomous Region to sell their products citing non-profitability of the business, the sources said. The number of Indian traders visiting the Renquingang Mart in TAR on a daily basis has been seven at the most, while on some other days a mere one to two, they said.
Ahead of the opening of the Nathu La pass later this month, the government has finalised the list of items for trade with China from the border point between Sikkim and Tibet.
The Indian Army and the CRPF rush to the rescue...
Actual trading between India and China through Nathu-La has resumed after a gap of 44 years with traders from both the countries visiting the marts on either side of the border and transacting business worth Rs 70,000.
The annual Sino-India border trade at Nathu La, which was to be reopened for the traders of the two countries on Thursday, has been postponed following the Union Commerce ministry's communique to the Sikkim government authorities, official sources said. Meanwhile, the Chinese authorities have cited the occurrence of landslides in several areas in the Tibet Autonomous Region disrupting the movement of people and goods as the reason behind postponement.
A befitting memorial for about 267 martyrs, who laid down their lives guarding the country along the Indo-China border in the post-independence period, will be inaugurated on Saturday. The memorial, which has been named 'Watershed', used to describe the border in military nomenclature, will be inaugurated at Sherathang, some 5 km ahead of the Nathu La border pass.
The Nathu La pass, which will open for border trade between India and China on July 6 after 44 years, may soon become an alternative to sea route with the government studying the possibility for normal bilateral trade through the land route.
Claiming that the historic border trade at Nathu la has become a 'non-profitable' business for the Indian traders, a traders' body - the Indo-China Traders Association of Sikkim (ICTAS) has urged the Centre to expand the existing list of of items so that the annual trade could become a viable and profitable business.
The Indian delegation, comprising several officers and soldiers of the army, attended the celebration following an invitation by the PLA.
China on Monday opened the second land crossing in Tibet via Nathu La to allow the first batch of Indian pilgrims undertaking the arduous Kailash-Manasarovar Yatra, in the latest confidence-building measure between the two neighbours.
The fourth edition of the annual border trade at the Sino-Indian frontier in Sikkim resumed on Tuesday after a six-month long winter break.
The long awaited-resumption of border trade between India and China through the Nathu La pass in Sikkim has been finally set for June 30.
India and China have reached a historic agreement to resume border trade through the strategic Nathu-La Pass from July 6 after 44 years of its closure.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced in Beijing that the second route for the Kailash-Manasarovar yatra will become operational from June.
India and China have agreed to trade in 44 items through the Nathu La pass which re-opens on Thursday after 44 years since it was closed in 1962 in the wake of Sino-Indian conflict.
Keisha Santwan, 16, and her travel-obsessed family love the joy of exploring new places.
While Dr Manmohan Singh's government went over board and claimed credit for opening the trade route between India and China through Nathu La Pass, former Sikkim chief minister Nar Bahadhur Bhandari feels otherwise.
With bilateral border trade through the historic Silk Route between India and China remaining open for one more month, the export turnover from India is likely to increase substantially. Annual border trade, which this year commenced three weeks after the scheduled date, had started on a tepid note to record a thin volume in the first two months, but the business picked up subsequently.
According to data released by the Sikkim commerce and industries department in Gangtok, utensils including copper bowls fetched a revenue of Rs 900,000 for Indian traders during four months of trade at the Renquinggang mart. Other products like black tea, textiles, woollen shawls, canned food, vegetable oils and cigarettes were in demand from importers.
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