Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday said the construction of a new Parliament building and redevelopment of the Central Vista Avenue, stretching from Rashtrapati Bhavan to the India Gate, will be completed in a time-bound manner.
The mortal remains of co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar were cremated on Sunday "with attendance from all family members as well as with the officials of Air India and Air India Express present to mark respect to the departed soul at Mathura, his hometown".
The United Nations Security Council on Thursday condemned the Syrian government's violent crackdown on civilians demanding democratic reforms and widespread human rights violations, saying those responsible for the atrocities should be held "accountable."
As violence in Syria worsens, India has called on all parties within and outside the troubled country to fully cooperate with international envoy Kofi Annan to bring an end to the crisis.
A group of 219 employees of Air India along with a private financial institution have submitted an expression of interest (EOI) for the national carrier.
India on Wednesday said that mere "cosmetic changes" to the United Nations Security Council will not improve its effectiveness, asking its five permanent members to realise that the reform of the powerful body, including its expansion, is necessary to reflect contemporary realities.
India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri said a military approach to tackle the Syrian crisis would result in "havoc" as it would lead to aiding and abetting of terrorism which would have serious consequences for the entire region.
Revelations about motherboards' origin have cast doubts about its India tag.
India has said the 15-nation United Nations Security Council should be expanded to include 10 more members, cautioning that delay in reforming the powerful world body will be at the international community's "own peril". Participating in the 8th round of intergovernmental negotiations on UN Security Council reforms, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri said India is of the view that reform and expansion of the Security Council are essential
India has given over four million dollars to the United Nations Democracy Fund, bringing to nearly 30 million dollars its total contribution to the entity launched in 2005 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the then United States President George W Bush for promotion of democratic values. India's Permanent Representative to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri handed over a cheque for $ 4.17 million on Friday to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.
India's permanent representative to the United Nations Hardeep Singh Puri explains New Delhi's stand on Syria to Suman Guha Mozumder.
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri Monday said the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will continue to receive revenue share after the government sells its stake in the airports in Delhi and Mumbai. "Those who are raising concerns should also know that the Delhi's airport and the Mumbai airport are on a 60 yr lease. "These & the 6 other airports will be back with AAI after the lease period. So, nothing as they claim, is being 'sold out!" he said on Twitter. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday attacked the government over reports that it plans to sell its residual stake in the already privatised Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad airports, alleging that such privatisation hurts the public and benefits only a handful of cronies.
Yoga was the mantra and asanas the discipline on Wednesday as millions across the globe and distant corners of India stretched for the skies and dived for their toes, breathed in and out -- mindfully -- and twisted and turned to celebrate the International Day of Yoga.
As India assumes the month-long presidency of the United Nations Security Council, the international community has "very high expectations" from it, New Delhi's envoy to the United Nations, Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday.
India on Friday called for the full implementations of United Nations Security Council resolutions imposing sanctions against Iran without harming its legitimate economic activities, as New Delhi underlined the need to resolve the row over Tehran's nuclear programme peacefully.
Hooking on to Facebook lingo, India's envoy to the United Nations Hardeep Singh Puri said revitalisation of the UN General Assembly is highly "commented upon" but rarely "shared" and faces the danger of having its status "updated" once a year.
The home ministry on Wednesday dropped domestic air travel from the list of prohibited activities during the ongoing lockdown, paving the way for operations of regular commercial flights. Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla issued the order in this effect in his capacity as chairperson of the national executive committee under the National Disaster Management Act.
More than a decade after India launched a spirited campaign for a United Nations Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism as well as reform of the UN Security Council, both in the permanent and non-permanent categories, there is renewed hope that both campaigns may succeed, thanks to India's untiring diplomatic efforts at the world body. Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri.
Global oil prices have slumped and India has access to larger amounts of discounted Russian crude oil, yet refiners are not passing on their savings to consumers
Voicing its opposition to the use of force to resolve the crisis in Syria, India on Wednesday asked all sides to cooperate with the Arab League and start a political process that should respect Damascus' sovereignty.
Russia has welcomed India's decision to not support the price cap on Russian oil announced by G7 and its allies and offered it cooperation on leasing and building large-capacity ships to overcome the ban on insurance services and tanker chartering in the European Union and Britain to continue buying discounted oil. The offer came as Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak held a meeting with the Indian Ambassador to Moscow, Pavan Kapoor, on Friday. "The Deputy Prime Minister welcomed India's decision not to support the price cap on Russian oil, which was imposed on December 5 by the G7 countries and their allies," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
Despite a strong call for establishing a no-fly zone in Libya by Britain, deliberations on the measure were still "very preliminary", according to a top Indian envoy in United Nations, who stressed that key questions like "objective" and "assets" remain unanswered.
Indian envoy to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri said while there is no word yet of a formal bilateral meeting between Krishna and Khar, the "possibility" of a meeting in a social set-up "is very likely."
Agnivesh was critically ill and was on ventilatory support since Tuesday
Indian ambassador to the United Nations Hardeep Singh Puri has been elected Chairman of the all important Security Council Committee on Counter-terrorism and two other key committees of this 15-member body.
International oil prices have hit a six-month low, helping Indian fuel retailers breakeven on petrol but they continue to lose money on diesel - the most used fuel in the country, officials said. The world's best-known crude benchmark, Brent was trading at $94.91 per barrel on Thursday after concerns of a global recession led to it slipping to a six-month low of $91.51 on the previous day. The current rates are a relief to India, which is 85 per cent dependent on imports for meeting its oil needs.
India has said that the United Nations Security Council was persistently 'encroaching' and 'undermining' the work of the General Assembly as it asked for it's revitalisation as the representative organ of the world body.
L Murugan, 44, is the only newly-sworn minister who is not a member of Rajya Sabha or Lok Sabha.
The Indian envoy to the UN, Hardeep Singh Puri asked the Security Council to devise clear and achievable goals for missions serving in post-conflict areas around the world and provide greater resources for their implementation.
Hardeep Singh Puri, India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and the architect of India's stunning diplomatic victory this week, speaks to Aziz Haniffa.
Osama bin Laden's killing did not mean the end of the war against terrorism, India has said, underlining the need to root out the "syndicate of terrorism", which includes elements of the Al Qaeda, the Taliban and the Lashkar-e-Tayiba. "Without the elimination of terrorist safe heavens and sanctuaries, there can be no end to the global war on terror," India's envoy to the United Nations Hardeep Singh Puri said at a UN counter-terrorism meeting, without referring to Pakistan.
'Many people are still not taking the lockdown seriously. . I request state governments to ensure rules and laws are followed'
Both ministers on Thursday greeted each other warmly and made inquiries about their stay in New York so far, Indian envoy to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri said. Krishna then asked Qureshi about the flood situation in Pakistan and how the relief efforts were coming along. Qureshi, in turn, spoke about the steps his government was taking and also thanked India for its aid of USD 20 million routed through the UN
India on Friday handed over a cheque of Rs 90 crore to United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon for relief and rehabilitation of flood-affected in Pakistan, after Islamabad's insistence that the aid be routed through the world body.
Petrol doped with 20 per cent ethanol was rolled out on Monday at select petrol pumps in 11 states and union territories as part of a programme to increase use of biofuels to cut emissions as well as dependence on foreign exchange-draining imports. At present, 10 per cent ethanol is blended in petrol (10 per cent ethanol, 90 per cent petrol) and the government is looking to double this quantity by 2025. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the higher 20 per cent ethanol blended petrol two months ahead of the planned rollout in April, at the India Energy Week (IEW) 2023 in Bengaluru.
"A stable and settled Afghanistan, where the rank and file of the Taliban has given up violence against the government, and the people, cut all links with terrorism, subscribe to the values of the Afghan Constitution and its laws, and where development is the hard rationale, is what we seek and quest for," Permanent Representative to the UN, Hardeep Singh Puri said.
He also asserted that ease of living and ease of doing business were behind the spirit of the work being done under the Central Vista project.
India has underlined the need for the United Nations to focus on humanitarian works in Haiti, saying the world body shouldn't get too deeply embroiled in the country's internal politics.
Expressing concern over the terror attack on Indian embassy in Kabul, India's envoy to United Nations Hardeep Singh Puri has asked the world leaders to negotiate an international treaty to tackle terrorism expeditiously.
Air travel will now become a little expensive as the government has decided to increase the lower limit on airfares by five per cent amid rising aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday. The upper limit on airfares will remain as it is for now. Just a month back, the Centre had increased the lower and upper limits on domestic airfares by 10-30 per cent due to rising ATF prices. While announcing resumption of scheduled domestic flights in May last year, the aviation ministry had placed limits on airfares through seven bands classified on the basis of flight duration.