Divestment-bound Air India is looking to sell securities of its two provident trusts AIEPF and IAEPF, and has sought applications for transaction advisors to help with the proposed sale of the securities. The Air India Employees Provident Fund (AIEPF) trust and Indian Airlines Employees Provident Fund (IAEPF) trust are governed by the Provident Fund Trust Act, 1925. The two trusts' investments together amounted to Rs 4,500 crore as of August 31, 2021, according to the tender document, seeking RFPs for the appointment of the transaction advisors.
The Union budget for 2023-24 has allocated Rs 1,258.68 crore for various heads of expenditure of the Union cabinet, including salaries, sumptuary and travel by ministers and entertainment of foreign state guests.
"The President very much welcomes India's Look East approach. We believe that just as the United States, as a Pacific Ocean power, is going to be deeply engaged in the future of East Asia, so should India as an Indian Ocean power and as an Asian nation," Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communication Ben Rhodes said.
National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon on Monday held talks in Beijing with senior Chinese diplomat and his counterpart for the boundary negotiations Dai Bingguo and discussed wide-ranging bilateral issues.
In the first high-level Sino-India contact since the once-in-a-decade leadership change in the ruling Communist Party of China, National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon arrived in Beijing on Sunday for wide-ranging talks on bilateral ties, including the vexed border issue.
Ahead of National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon's visit to Beijing next week, China on Friday sounded buoyant about the resolution of the border problem with India, saying the two sides shared a lot of common ground on the issue and the talks have made positive progress.
The White House on Tuesday said that it was weighing whether to release pictures of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's corpse to put at rest speculation and disbeliefs in some quarters about the death of world's most wanted fugitive.
In a major confidence building measure, India and China on Tuesday signed an agreement for setting up a mechanism to avert any untoward incident on the border, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying good cooperation between the two countries would bring "great changes" in the world. The agreement was signed after two days of talks between Special Representatives -- National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon and Chinese State Councillor Dai Bingguo.
India and China will hold the 15th bilateral round of talks in this capital with an agenda to address border claims, visas, cooperation and improve current bilateral trade from $60 billion to $100 billion by 2015.
A Cabinet Committee on Security meeting, chaired by Prime Minister, has been convened to discuss the emerging scenario in Pakistan. This is the second briefing the Prime Minister will have on Pakistan.
In the wake of the Friday's Kabul bombing, a team of Indian investigators has been rushed to the Afghan capital and National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon will pay a visit there on March 5, to discuss security of Indians in Afghanistan. The Indian team, including officials of home and defence ministries, has joined their Afghan counterpart in probing the attack on the two hotels on Friday.
Menon arrived in Washington to review the implementation of initiatives launched during the November visit of US President Barack Obama to India.
The United States has assured India that the tragic shooting incident at a furdwara in Wisconsin will be fully investigated, Indian Ambassador to the US Nirupama Rao said.
After a detailed deliberations, it was decided a standard draft international agreement for establishing hotlines and a set of standard operating procedures will be prepared by DRDO and MTNL, which will be used for negotiations with foreign partners, the sources said.
Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and other top officials also attended the meeting.
The avoidable stresses and strains in ties helped in one way. It showed for the entire region how a matured India handled diplomatic relations, especially with a smaller and suspicious neighbour, with practised dignity and patience, unruffled by provocations in word, deed and action, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Sri Lanka on Friday briefed India about steps being taken towards political reconciliation with ethnic Tamils, amid a growing unease over the slow pace of reforms to enable devolution of power to the war ravaged north.
The US president said that there is a lot of "dislike" (between India and Pakistan).
'Reform of global governance in itself should not worry any but the most dyed-in-the-wool reactionary or conservative power. Surely it is in our common interest to improve the way the international community conducts its affairs, strengthening purposeful multi-lateralism and international law, says NSA Shivshankar Menon
The meeting came after terrorists carried out a series of targeted killings in the Kashmir Valley that include non-Muslims, security personnel, an artist and local civilians.
Qin, 57, was made the foreign minister in December last year, superseding many seniors, earning the distinction of a rising star in the ruling Communist Party of China.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj has apprised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of discussions with Sri Lankan leadership during the visit of a MPs' delegation led by her to look into the resettlement and rehabilitation process of displaced Tamils there.
After watching Uri: The Surgical Strike, Syed Firdaus Ashraf gets the feeling that Modi has added another tool to help him win the 2019 Lok Sabha election: Hindi cinema...
Accusing Pakistan of harbouring Taliban and Al Qaeda militants, a top Afghan official on Monday said the global community is committing a blunder by embracing it as a strategic partner despite the fact that terrorism emanating from the region is affecting India, United Kingdom and others. "Unfortunately, the military-intelligence establishment of one of our neighbours still regards Afghanistan as its sphere of influence," Rangin Dadfar Spanta said.
The meeting between Jaishankar and McMaster gains significance as the top military leader was appointed as the National Security Advisor by US President Donald Trump ten days ago.
Counter-terrorism experts from India, Pakistan and other member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation on Monday deliberated on boosting cooperation in combating various regional security challenges at a meeting hosted by New Delhi.
While Pakistan enjoys rough parity with India in legacy weapon systems, it is beginning to enjoy superiority in drone warfare, thanks to the RPVs supplied by China, explains Ajai Shukla.
Apart from S M Krishna's performance in Islamabad, a perusal of the statements made in recent weeks by the Indian side reveals an unfortunate lack of precision in the use of language.
Israel's National Security Advisor Yaakov Amidror on Monday met Home Minister P Chidambaram and is understood to have discussed with him the progress made in the probe into the terror attack on an Israeli woman diplomat in New Delhi.
A recent event in Delhi witnessed an interesting debate among strategic gurus about whether India could still stick to the policy of non-alignment. Sheela Bhatt and Priyanka listen in.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday hosted a farewell dinner for outgoing Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh.
After having successfully disengaged with China in the Pangong lake area, Armies of India and China are likely to hold talks again this week to discuss further disengagement from Gogra heights and Depsang plains, said sources.
Congress on Wednesday steered clear of the issue on the continuation of the post of National Security Advisor in the wake of M K Narayanan's exit from there and the government planning a National Counter Terrorism Centre.
The fresh round of India-China special representative talks, which were postponed in November after the Chinese protested the Dalai Lama's scheduled participation in a programme in New Delhi, will now be held on January 16-17 in the capital.
China is emerging as a naval entity and India cannot turn a blind eye to this, says West Bengal governor and former National Security Advisor M K Narayanan
India has expressed concerns over a rise in violence against Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh and Pakistan, reporting 2,200 cases in Bangladesh and 112 in Pakistan this year. The Indian government has urged both countries to take measures to ensure the safety of minorities and has highlighted the issue at international forums. The government has also stated that it is monitoring the situation closely and has shared its concerns with the respective governments.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran and India need to help spread justice in the world as the duo share humane perspectives on international affairs. Ahmadinejad spoke in a meeting with India's National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon on Monday in Tehran.
Speaking at the Gulf Forum 2011, in Riyadh, National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon said that if the centre of gravity of world politics has shifted to Asia, it is now also the cockpit of rivalries and the stage on which international competition is played out.
Sharma met US trade representative Ron Kirk, agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack and deputy assistant to the president and deputy national security advisor for International Economic Affairs Michael Froman and other senior Obama Administration officials.
Gen Bipin Rawat's appointment, first as army chief superseding two other army commanders, and then as CDS, was the consequence of his close personal rapport with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Now, with General Rawat gone and nobody named to replace him as CDS, it is evident that no other top military officer enjoys that relationship with Doval, observes Ajai Shukla.
