New Delhi Mar 21 PTI India and Australia on Monday firmed up a series of new initiatives in the areas of critical minerals clean energy mobility of students and tax benefits for investments in sovereign funds at a virtual summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison The Australian side unveiled a total investment of around Rs 1500 crore in certain key sectors as the two sides vowed to further energise their ties including in the Indo-Pacific region The two strategic partners decided to set up a young defence officer exchange programme to boost military cooperation and announced the setting up of a task force to examine whether the two sides could recognise the same educational qualifications The exchange programme has been named after Indias first Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat who was killed in a helicopter crash in December Underlining the importance of unlocking untapped potential in bilateral trade and investment Modi and Morrison agreed that the two sides should attempt to conclude the proposed Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement CECA at the earliest The two sides also announced establishing a mechanism of annual summits between the two countries that is aimed at creating a structural system for regular review of the relationship At a media briefing Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said a memorandum of understanding MoU signed by Indias Khanij Bidesh India Ltd KABIL and Australias Critical Minerals Facilitation Office will facilitate establishing a framework for joint investments in Australian projects to mine critical minerals This is an important area for both our countries and this agreement will give us the opportunities to both invest in Australias critical minerals sector and get Australian expertise in this area he said India has been looking at boosting cooperation with Australia in areas of critical minerals with that country having a significant source of lithium cobalt and vanadium considered crucial for the manufacturing of critical electronic components The two sides also firmed up a letter of intent to work towards a migration and mobility partnership agreement A separate letter of arrangement was inked for examining the educational qualifications recognition Another MoU was signed for cooperation and collaboration on broadcasting between Prasar Bharati and the Special Broadcasting Service SBS of Australia In his opening remarks Modi said remarkable progress has been made on CECA in a very short time I am confident that the remaining issues will also be agreed upon soon The early completion of CECA will be crucial for our economic relations economic revival and economic security he said There is also good cooperation between us in Quad Our cooperation reflects our commitment to a free open and inclusive Indo-Pacific Quads success is very important for regional and global stability Modi said Morrison said an interim CECA will help to unlock new opportunities and benefits for the countries It will bring us closer to a full agreement as soon as I hope we can achieve that Australian High Commissioner Barry OFarrell on Sunday said the interim or the early harvest trade pact will be inked by end of this month Modi said that overall ties witnessed significant progress in the last few years Trade and investment defence and security education and innovation science and technology -- we have very close cooperation in all these areas Our collaboration has grown rapidly in many other areas such as critical minerals water management renewable energy and Covid-19 research he said A statement by the Australian government said the two countries will establish a task force to develop qualifications recognition arrangements for Australia and India to enhance two-way mobility The task force announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi will address the recognition of online and blended learning joint degrees and offshore campuses it said Australias acting minister for education Stuart Robert said the task force would consult with stakeholders to identify opportunities for the recognition of Australian and Indian higher education qualifications and to make recommendations to improve arrangements based on best principles and practices in recognition Shringla said the two sides also agreed to increase cooperation between Indias National Investment and Infrastructure Fund and Australias Future Fund which is a sovereign wealth fund We are willing to match the tax benefits Australia gives to its sovereign and pension funds once they invest in India he said In his remarks Modi also welcomed the announcement of the establishment of the Centre of Excellence for Critical and Emerging Technology Policy in Bengaluru It is imperative that we have better cooperation between us in cyber and critical and emerging technologies It is the responsibility of countries with similar values like us to adopt appropriate global standards in these emerging technologies he said PTI MPB SMN SMN

New Delhi Mar 20 PTI India and Australia are on course to ink an early harvest trade deal by end of this month while Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is set to unveil a Rs 1500-crore investment package to boost the bilateral ties at a virtual summit with PM Narendra Modi on Monday The likely finalisation of the early harvest or Phase-one of the comprehensive economic cooperation agreement was confirmed by Australian High Commissioner to India Barry OFarrell on Sunday We are hopeful of signing the Phase one early harvest trade deal by end of this month OFarrell told reporters At present the bilateral trade volume is estimated at around USD 12 billion and it is expected to witness an increase following the signing of the early harvest trade deal on goods and services Mondays summit follows the historic first virtual summit between Modi and Morrison in June 2020 when the India-Australia relationship was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Diplomatic sources said the summit will reflect that Australia and India are top tier partners and they are ready for wider ambition and practical progress in a fast-changing world They said Morrison will announce a Rs 1500-crore investment package Australian dollar 280 million for expanding cooperation in a range of areas including clean technology and critical minerals and the space sector At the summit the two sides are expected to make a specific announcement on cooperation in rare earth minerals Australia accounts for 55 per cent of global lithium production and it possesses over 20 per cent of global lithium deposits Union Mines Minister Prahlad Joshi is likely to travel to Australia soon to explore specific projects relating to rare earth minerals The sources said Rs 152 crore of the total package will be set aside for setting up of new centres to further enhance bilateral ties a separate amount of Rs 97 crore will be for skill development programmes and Rs 136 crore will be earmarked for boosting space cooperation The financial package of Rs 1500 crore will form the largest ever Australian government investment in the India-Australia bilateral relationship they said The sources said an announcement is likely to be made at the summit having an India-Australia young defence officers exchange programme The programme is likely to be named after Indias first Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat who died in a helicopter crash in December The two sides are also expected to firm up a letter of intent on the migration and mobility of citizens of the two countries Australia is also likely to announce the return of 29 Indian artefacts from its museums The sources said Modi and Morrison will focus on building a robust bilateral architecture considering the post-pandemic world Prime Minister Morrison will make announcements on a range of creative new initiatives to lift the relationship to even a higher level a source said The Ministry of External Affairs MEA on Thursday said Modi and Morrison are expected to commit to closer bilateral ties in trade critical minerals migration and mobility and education The virtual summit will lay the way forward on new initiatives and enhanced cooperation in a diverse range of sectors between India and Australia it said Prime Minister Modi and I will discuss deepening our trade and investment relationship and harnessing new economic opportunities to support our mutual economic recovery and growth Morrison said in a statement on Friday Ties between India and Australia have been on an upswing in the last few years In June 2020 India and Australia signed a landmark deal for reciprocal access to military bases for logistics support The Mutual Logistics Support Agreement MLSA allows militaries of the two countries to use each others bases for repair and replenishment of supplies besides facilitating scaling up of overall defence cooperation The Australian Navy was part of the Malabar naval exercise hosted by India in November 2020 as well as last year The navies of the US and Japan were also part of it Australia was part of the Malabar exercise this year as well PTI MPB CK

Patna Feb 25 PTI Governor Phagu Chauhan on Friday appreciated the Bihar Governments handling of the pandemic the ongoing vaccination drive and various other initiatives taken by it to fight COVID-19 Addressing a joint session of the state legislature Chauhan said the government did its best to handle and mitigate the adverse impact of COVID-19 Vaccine is a protective shield against Coronavirus and the Bihar government is working on a mission mode to expedite inoculation drive in the state Besides tests for detecting COVID-19 cases and vaccinations are being done on a large scale in the state Around 1188 crore people have so far been vaccinated in the state the governor said The month long budget session of Bihar Legislative assembly commenced on Friday with the Governors address He further said the top priority of the state government had been to establish rule of law Speaking on the state governments vision document Saat Nischay the governor said it is a roadmap of what the state government aims to achieve in sectors including health infrastructure employment and empowerment of women in the coming years On prohibition he said laws against liquor are being strictly enforced in the state The state government will also continue with its campaign against social evils like dowry and child marriage the governor said CPIML MLA Satyadeo Ram protesting against the Governors address read his own speech With the support of his party members Ram kept on raising issues pertaining to farmers labourers and law and order in the state After the governors speech both Houses met separately and made obituary references to those who had recently passed away including legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar and former Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat PTI PKD RG RG

Coimbatore Dec 30 PTI A medical camp was organised by the Military hospital on Thursday at Nanjappa Chatram village the site of tragic helicopter crash which claimed the lives of 14 people including Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat on December 8 The camp was conducted in the village in Nilgiris district by the Army in accordance with announcement made by Lieutenant General A Arun General Officer Commanding Dakshin Bharat Area during his visit to the crash site on December 13 an official release said here This was done as a gesture to thank the villagers for providing all possible assistance during the ill fated crash A team of doctors including a lady medical officer nursing officer and paramedical staff from the Hospital rendered medial consultation services to the village and patients requiring specialist medical consultation were referred to Military Hospital in Wellington in Nilgiris district There was active and maximum participation by the village administration during the camp A similar camp will be conducted every month for a period of one year from crash date as announced it said PTI NVM ROH ROH

New Delhi [India], December 11 (ANI): Positive identification of the mortal remains of the remaining four soldiers who lost their lives in a chopper crash in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, has been done through DNA testing and will be released to the family members on Sunday morning, the Indian Army said.

The funeral of India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, who lost his life in a tragic air accident this week, will be held shortly. On Wednesday, a military helicopter crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu in which General rawat, his wife and 11 others lost their lives. The sole surviving member is still in hospital fighting life and death battle. CDS Rawat’s funeral is scheduled for 4 pm, whereas the funeral of Brigadier LS Lidder, whose body was also identified as one of the other casualties of the air accident, was held at 9 am.The bodies of General Rawat and his wife Madhulika were kept at their Kamaraj Marg residence from 11 am to 12:30 pm for the general public to pay their final respects.

The funeral of India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, who lost his life in a tragic air accident this week, will be held shortly. On Wednesday, a military helicopter crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu in which General rawat, his wife and 11 others lost their lives. The sole surviving member is still in hospital fighting life and death battle. CDS Rawat’s funeral is scheduled for 4 pm, whereas the funeral of Brigadier LS Lidder, whose body was also identified as one of the other casualties of the air accident, was held at 9 am.The bodies of General Rawat and his wife Madhulika were kept at their Kamaraj Marg residence from 11 am to 12:30 pm for the general public to pay their final respects.

The funeral of India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, who lost his life in a tragic air accident this week, will be held shortly. On Wednesday, a military helicopter crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu in which General rawat, his wife and 11 others lost their lives. The sole surviving member is still in hospital fighting life and death battle. CDS Rawat’s funeral is scheduled for 4 pm, whereas the funeral of Brigadier LS Lidder, whose body was also identified as one of the other casualties of the air accident, was held at 9 am.The bodies of General Rawat and his wife Madhulika were kept at their Kamaraj Marg residence from 11 am to 12:30 pm for the general public to pay their final respects.

The funeral of India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, who lost his life in a tragic air accident this week, will be held shortly. On Wednesday, a military helicopter crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu in which General rawat, his wife and 11 others lost their lives. The sole surviving member is still in hospital fighting life and death battle. CDS Rawat’s funeral is scheduled for 4 pm, whereas the funeral of Brigadier LS Lidder, whose body was also identified as one of the other casualties of the air accident, was held at 9 am.The bodies of General Rawat and his wife Madhulika were kept at their Kamaraj Marg residence from 11 am to 12:30 pm for the general public to pay their final respects.

The funeral of India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, who lost his life in a tragic air accident this week, will be held shortly. On Wednesday, a military helicopter crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu in which General rawat, his wife and 11 others lost their lives. The sole surviving member is still in hospital fighting life and death battle. CDS Rawat’s funeral is scheduled for 4 pm, whereas the funeral of Brigadier LS Lidder, whose body was also identified as one of the other casualties of the air accident, was held at 9 am.The bodies of General Rawat and his wife Madhulika were kept at their Kamaraj Marg residence from 11 am to 12:30 pm for the general public to pay their final respects.