Monthly Archives: August 2018

France is a significant source of FDI in India with more than 1,000 French establishments already present in the country.

Representational image of Indian and French flags | Wikimedia CommonsText Size: A- A+

New Delhi: France, which has emerged as one of the closest strategic partners of India in recent years, is looking at bilateral business growth beyond defence by focusing on energy and technology, said an Indo-French trade body.

While defence has been a key element in bilateral trade, according to the Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IFCCI), the share of aviation and aeronautics has fallen to 30 per cent in 2020, from 50 per cent in 2019.

However, it is not clear if the dip also includes the defence sector since the chamber does not maintain the numbers in that regard.

“Traditionally, it is true that a big chunk of Indo-French economic ties have been defence and aerospace. Now, we see a number of industries doing so well and coming into limelight, even if we take the last two years,” Payal S. Kanwar, director-general of IFCCI, told ThePrint in an interview.

She said there is an increased focus in the clean energy and digital sectors, and these are the fields where the French can offer more.

France is a significant source of FDI in India with more than 1,000 French establishments already present in the country.

According to the official figures, France is the ninth largest foreign investor in India with a cumulative investment of $9.67 billion from April 2000 to September 2020, which represents 1.93 per cent of the total FDI inflows.

The highest FDI equity inflows are in the services sector (19.22 per cent), with cement and gypsum products (10.05 per cent) in the second place, followed by air transport, including air freight, (8.13 per cent), petroleum and natural gas (7.70 per cent) and electrical equipment (5.74 per cent).

Also read: 3 more Rafale jets take off for India from France

‘France is largest European employer in India’

Giving details of the new investments, Kanwar said these included Schneider Electric’s $2 billion acquisition of L&T’s electrical business, Total’s announcement of $2.5 billion in Adani Green Energy Limited, and French airport operator Groupe ADP carrying out a 49 per cent buyout of GMR’s airport business.

“Right now, in terms of French investment in India, it is currently about $9 billion, which has actually quadrupled in the last 10 years. France is also the largest European employer in the country with 3.5 lakh jobs with very few expats,” Kanwar said.

She added that what she sees at the chamber level is “expanded footprints within the country”.

“We see new plants, R&D centres coming up. French companies are quite bullish on India,” she said.

According to official figures, in 2020, the India-France bilateral trade stood at 9.04 billion Euros, a drop of 21.99 per cent as compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. This downfall could be due to the Covid.

India’s exports to France in the period were valued at 4.80 billion Euros, down by 22.9 per cent in the corresponding period. Indian imports from France decreased by 20.95 per cent to 4.23 billion Euros.

‘It is not going to be a cakewalk’

Kanwar said while companies do face challenges, the situation has improved under the Narendra Modi government.

“We all know it is not going to be a cakewalk,” she said, adding that GST was an issue for some companies, and customs and import duties for others.

Kanwar said the common issue was with regard to labour and land acquisition laws. However, the French industry welcomes the Modi government’s efforts to streamline these issues, she said. 

(Edited by Debalina Dey)

Also read: India, France to hold annual dialogue on bilateral issues on 7 January, says MEA

Farmer leaders at the Kirti Kisan Mahapanchayat at the grain market in Ludhiana on Sunday. Tribune photo: Himanshu Mahajan

Ludhiana, March 28

Farmer unions’ leaders today warned against the “divisive policies” of the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the ‘Kirti Kisan Mahapanchayat’ held at Dana Mandi near Jalandhar Bypass here.

• Balbir Singh Rajewal, BKU (Rajewal) President
• United fight can ensure justice
• Only a united fight by farmers, farm workers and other working classes will ensure justice from an adamant dispensation working to scuttle the ongoing stir and safeguarding the interests of big corporates.

“The danger of exploitation looms large not only on the farmers of the country with the three farm laws and the electricity Act, but also on the workers at large,” warned the speakers at the event.

The mahapanchayat, organised by a non-political organisation floated by former bureaucrats SR Ladhar and Jagtar Singh, was attended by cadres of several farmers’ groups, trade unions and the OBC Welfare Front.

BKU (Rajewal) president Balbir Singh Rajewal said protesting farmers’ unions would forever remain indebted to the people, especially the working classes of Punjab and other states, for making the agitation as a peoples’ struggle.

He said the three laws enacted by the Modi government without any debate or consultation with the farmers would not only destroy the basic structure of mandis and marketing of food grain, but would also make the common people suffer due to profit-oriented policies of corporates.

Ladhar and other speakers at the rally castigated the government for letting loose the reign of terror and oppression on farmers and workers. He said while the farmers would be left at the mercy of big corporates under the new laws, the labour would also face oppression and exploitation at the hands of employers under the labour laws which would become operative from April 1, 2021.

He said the government had made a nefarious attempt to snatch the basic rights of the workers like fixed working hours, right to form unions, right to strike work and reasonably good working conditions in the name of so-called labour reforms. “The farmers and workers would have to fight a united battle to secure their democratic and constitutional rights,” he said. — OC

BRO has restored this highway more than one-and-a-half-month ahead of schedule

The highway has been restored for traffic. — Tribune Photo

Dipender Manta
Tribune News Service
Mandi, March 28

Border Roads Organisation (BRO) authority has restored the 425 km long Manali-Leh Highway on Sunday which would provide access to military and common civilians.  

The first convoy of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) bowsers was flagged from the Himachal side by Stanzin Chosphel, Executive Councillor, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC). This was in the presence of BRO officials after they announced the opening of this highway. 

Despite the many challenges this year, the BRO has managed to restore this highway more than one-and-a-half-month ahead of schedule.  

Generally, the Leh Highway remains closed for about six months during the winters, cutting off Ladhak from the rest of the country. 

This makes the region dependent on supplies via aerial route.  

Because of the ongoing border tension with China, this year the Union Government had asked the BRO to restore the highway as soon as possible.  

As a result, the BRO had started a snow clearance operation between Manali to Leh in mid-February, simultaneously clearing four important passes along the route viz Baralachla (16,047 ft), Nakeela (16,170 ft), Lachungla (16,616 ft) and Tanglangla (17,582 ft). 

In order to increase attack points, a strategy was formed, and therefore,  Baralachla and Tanglangla were addressed from both sides.

According to sources with the BRO—this year—the latest hi-tech machinery was swiftly inducted, and BRO teams worked relentlessly day and night to provide early productivity. 

The dynamics were different this year with the inauguration of Atal Tunnel, Rohtang, and there was no necessity of opening Rohtang Pass as the Lahaul valley remains connected throughout the winters via Atal tunnel. 

This facilitated the complete focus of BRO to be diverted for the opening of Baralachala with additional resources to restore connectivity at the earliest.

According to sources, the opening of Baralachala Pass was formulated as a two-pronged thrust to commence, simultaneously, from two sides one from Patsio to Baralachla and the second point from Sarchu to Baralachala.

With the opening of the Manali-Leh highway, the residents of Lahaul valley have been delighted, who are expecting a huge tourist influx in the valley in the coming days. 

The snow festival is being celebrated in Lahaul valley these days to attract tourists here.

The people of Lahaul and Ladakh have conveyed their gratitude to Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhary, VSM, DGBR and applauded the tremendous efforts put in by BRO to restore this highway in time.

DSGMC chief Manjinder Singh Sirsa with farmers released on bail.

New Delhi, March 28

The legal team set up by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) has managed to secure bail for more than 100 farmers who were arrested during a clash between farmers and the police on January 26.

The farmers whose bails had been secured were honoured at Red Fort. A legal team of the DSGMC had been set up to get the detained protesters released. DSGMC president Manjinder Singh Sirsa had set up the team that worked from Rakabganj gurdwara.

After the clash on January 26, several families from Punjab had reported that their family members were missing. Protesting farmers had deviated from a pre-approved route of the tractor rally on Republic Day and clashed with the police when they were stopped from entering parts of Central and New Delhi. — TNS

Rs 5l relief for deceased tikri protester

Fazilka: Fazilka Congress MLA Davinder Singh Ghubaya handed over a cheque for Rs3 lakh to Sumitra Bai, the wife of late farmer Bhajan Singh who had died at the Tikri border while participating in dharna against the three farm laws. Bhajan Singh had died due to cardiac arrest on March 18 and his last rites were performed in a local gurdwara on Saturday. A cheque for Rs2 lakh was also given to the kin of the farmer at the time of his cremation.

• India and the US on Sunday kicked off a two-day naval exercise in the eastern Indian Ocean Region, reflecting the growing congruence in their defence and military partnership.
• The exercise came a week after US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin came to India. A spokesperson said the exercise was aimed at consolidating the synergy achieved during the Malabar exercise. PTI

SSG presents  High ankle Combat DMS boots made of leather and waterproof material.
Comfortable and is durable. This pair of leather DMS boot specially made for the defence forces has a PU sole with a leather collar having soft foam cushioning, its Toe (Front side) and Counter (Back-side) have  been fabric walled. Sizes 6 to 11, cost Rs. 1000/- incl courier. Please spread the word in all your groups(Regtl, Course, Sqn School or place types)…….Contact Col Gaurav Khanna a veteran – 9953999607 or gk_sangeeta@yahoo.com.

As a Major General he had commanded the 54 Infantry Division during the war that had moved from its peace time location in Secunderabad to Punjab

Lieutenant General Walter Anthony Gustavo Pinto

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 27

Lieutenant General Walter Anthony Gustavo Pinto, who had played a key role in the Indian victory in the Battle of Basantar, one of the most crucial operations in the Punjab-Jammu Sector during the 1971 war, passed away at the age of 97.

As a Major General he had commanded the 54 Infantry Division during the war that had moved from its peace time location in Secunderabad to Punjab. Tasked for offensive operations in the Shakargarh bulge, the Division crossed the border on December 6 and captured key areas. Troops from the division were conferred as many as 196 gallantry medals including two Param Vir Chakra and nine Maha Vir Chakra, while Maj Gen Pinto was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal.

The Indian Army won a hard-fought battle on the banks of the Basantar river from December 4 to 16 that secured this area. It was a strategically vital area for both sides as it comprised road links to Jammu from Punjab, which could be cut off by the enemy. Pakistan Army generally regards this as their most humbling defeat despite numerical superiority, next only to the Battle of Laungewala in Rajasthan.

Born in 1924 at Poona (now Pune), he was commissioned into the 13th Frontier Force Rifles in 1943. The unit moved to Burma during the Second World War, where then Second Lieutenant Pinto commanded a Medium Machine Gun Platoon.

Post Independence, he assigned to the 2nd battalion of Assam Regiment and when the Brigade of Guards was raised, he was transferred to 3 Guards. Later he commanded 4 Guards, which moved to Sikkim during the Chinese aggression. As a Brigadier, he commanded 66 Mountain Brigade in Binnaguri.

After the 1971 war, he became the Colonel of the Rajput Regiment. He also served as Director, Military Training where he also headed the Joint Training Committee, Services Sports Control Board, Army Mountaineering Federation and Army Rifle Association. He was also vice president of Indian Hockey Federation and Indian Olympic Association.

On promotion to Lieutenant General, he took over as General Officer Commanding 33 Corps in Sukhna and then moved as the Commandant, National Defence College. In July 1980, he was elevated as Army Commander and took over the Central Command in Lucknow from where he retired after a two year tenure. After hanging up his boots, he had settled in Pune.

Maj Gen Pinto’s father, Alexander Pinto, worked in the military accounts department. His elder brother Sydney Alexander was a Major General in the Corps of Engineers, while his elder sister, Phyllis Mary, served in the Women’s Auxiliary Corps in India and later in Burma. He was an alumnus of Robertson College in Jabalpur.

Exam to be held on March 28 postponed to April 25

Ludhiana (Punjab), March 27

The Army on Saturday postponed to April 25 the common entrance examination for recruiting general duty personnel in view of the surge in coronavirus cases in Punjab.

The examination to be held on March 28 has been postponed to April 25 on the advice of the district administration due to hike in coronavirus cases, officials said.

The officials at Army recruiting office Ludhiana said the candidates, who have successfully completed the physical and medical examination, were to appear for the common entrance examination.

These candidates are from Ludhiana, Moga, Rupnagar and SAS Nagar (Mohali).

The Army recruiting office Ludhiana had conducted a recruitment rally from December 7 to 27, 2020. PTI

Anandpur Sahib, March 27

The second phase of the Hola Mohalla started with an ‘ardas’ by Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh here today.

The international-level festival will conclude on March 29 with a procession by Nihang Sikhs in the town.

While political parties have decided not to hold any conference due to Covid, the local unit of the Bhartiya Kisan Mazdoor Union will organise a farmer conference over the agricultural laws today. Convener Shamsher Singh Shera said senior leaders of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha were expected to take part in the conference.https://00e0af1dbb3379c89d3e35940486cd1c.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

The devotees reaching here to pay obeisance at various gurdwaras have thrown norms to the wind. Deputy Commissioner Sonali Giri said one lakh face masks were being distributed by the administration to people reaching Anandpur Sahib. Ropar SSP Akhil Chaudhary said the police were ensuring that a majority of force deployed got vaccinated against Covid. — TNS

Lt Gen Walter Anthony Gustavo Pinto

Chandigarh, March 27

Lt Gen Walter Anthony Gustavo Pinto, who had played a key role in the Indian victory in the Battle of Basantar, one of the most crucial operations in the Punjab-Jammu sector during the 1971 War, passed away at the age of 97.

As a Major General he had commanded the 54 Infantry Division during the war that had moved from its peace time location in Secunderabad to Punjab. Tasked for offensive operations in the Shakargarh bulge, the division crossed the border on December 6 and captured key areas.

Played key role in Battle of Basantar

Lt Gen Walter Anthony Gustavo Pinto had played a key role in the Indian victory in the Battle of Basantar, one of the most crucial operations in the Punjab-Jammu sector during the 1971 war

Troops from the division were conferred as many as 196 gallantry medals, including two Param Vir Chakra and nine Maha Vir Chakra, while Maj Gen Pinto was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal. — TNS