G20 podiumDraupadi Murmu is NDA pick for the President
NEW DELHI: The BJP-led NDA on June 21 announced Draupadi Murmu as its candidate for the upcoming Presidential elections. Murmu would become the first tribal President of India and second ever female President if she is elected. Born on June 20, 1958, Murmu served as the Governor of Jharkhand from 2015 to 2021. Hailing from Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district and coming from a tribal community, Murmu started out as a teacher and then entered into Odisha politics. She became MLA twice on BJP ticket from Rairangpur in Mayurbhanj.
Punjab among five highly stressed states: RBI study
MUMBAI: Bihar, Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal are the five highly stressed states after taking into account the warning signs flashing from all the indicators, a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) study has said. “We can identify a core subset of highly stressed states from among the 10 states identified by the necessary condition i.e., the debt/ GSDP ratio. The highly stressed states are Bihar, Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal,” said the RBI study on state finances released last week.
Neeraj Chopra wins first gold of season in Finland
HELSINKI: Fighting rain and slippery conditions, Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra won the javelin throw gold with his opening effort of 86.69m at the Kuortane Games in Kuortane, Finland, on June 18. It was Chopra’s first gold this year after the massive 89.30m that bettered his national record and brought him the silver at the Paavo Nurmi Games at Turku, also in Finland, earlier this week. The 24-year-old had just one legal throw and it was enough to take him to the gold.
Bengaluru suburban rail project in 40 months: PM
BENGALURU: Hailing Bengaluru as the “city of dreams” for lakhs of youngsters from across the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 20 assured the people of the city that he would strive to complete in 40 months the suburban railway project that had seen “just discussion” for the last 40 years. “The project got stuck in files for 16 years. If it had been completed 40 years ago, the congestion in Bengaluru would not have increased,” PM Modi said, while addressing a public programme at Kommaghatta ground in Kengeri.
PM unveils Vanijya Bhawan, launches NIRYAT
NEW DELHI: Inaugurating a new premises of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry – ‘Vanijya Bhawan’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 23 launched a portal NIRYAT (National Import-Export Record for Yearly Analysis of Trade) – a one-stop place for all info needed on India’s foreign trade. “This new Vanijya Bhawan and NIRYAT portal represent our aspirations of an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. It will bring positive changes in the field of trade and commerce, especially for MSMEs,” said PM Modi on the launch of the new premises of Ministry of Commerce, and the portal. Despite global disruptions last year, India exported a total of $670 billion- ₹50 lakh crore. Exports are vital to a country’s progress. Initiatives like ‘Vocal for Local’ have also accelerated country’s exports, he added. “Today, every ministry, every department of the Government is giving priority to increasing exports with a ‘whole of Government’ approach,” said PM Modi.
China blocks India-US move on LeT’s Makki
UNITED NATIONS: China has blocked a joint move by India and the US to list Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leader Abdul Rehman Makki as a global terrorist at the UN Security Council by placing a “technical hold” on the proposal. The method is identical to the steps it took to repeatedly block the listing of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar under the UN Security Council’s Al-Qaeda and ISIL Sanctions Committee, before finally relenting in May 2019.
ASEAN ministers agree to back multilateralism
NEW DELHI: As External Affairs minister S Jaishankar flagged the “geopolitical headwinds” triggered by the Ukraine crisis and its knock-on effects on food, energy security, prices of fertilisers and commodities as well as logistics and supply chains, foreign ministers of India and ASEAN countries on agreed to uphold multilateralism in jointly responding to the regional and global challenges. With Myanmar not participating, the joint statement issued after the meeting did not mention the situation in the country
Mutual cooperation can help global post-Covid recovery: PM Modi at BRICS summit opening
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 23 said member nations of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) grouping had managed to undertake structural changes over the last few years that increased the influence of the institution. In his opening remarks at the 14th BRICS summit hosted by China, the PM said cooperation among the member nations in several sectors has benefited our citizens. Among other leaders present at annual were Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and top leaders of Brazil and South Africa. “BRICS members have a similar approach regarding the governance of the global economy. Our mutual cooperation can make a useful contribution to the global post-Covid recovery,” he said, adding, “Confident that our deliberations today will produce suggestions to further strengthen our ties.” The Prime Minister said, “There’re multiple areas wherein through cooperation between BRICS nations, the citizens have benefitted. By increasing connectivity between BRICS Youth Summits, BRICS Sports, civil society organisations and think-tanks, we have strengthened our people-topeople connect.” It is a matter of happiness that membership of the New Development Bank (NDB) has increased, PM Modi, said adding that cooperation among the member countries has benefitted their citizens.
Reliance fined by Sebi for violation of norms
MUMBAI: India’s market regulator Sebi on June 20 fined Reliance Industries and two of its compliance officers for violating fair disclosure norms during Facebook’s $5.7 billion investment in its digital unit in 2020. In April 2020, Meta’s Facebook invested $5.7 billion in Reliance’s Jio platforms, aiming to allow WhatsApp to offer payments services to millions of small businesses. The deal helped billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance slash its heavy debt load.
Air India prepares one of the largest jet deals
MUMBAI: Air India is considering ordering as many as 300 narrowbody jets, in what could be one of the largest orders in commercial aviation history as the formerly staterun airline looks to overhaul its fleet under new ownership. The carrier may order Airbus SE’s A320neo family jets or Boeing Co.’s 737 Max models, or a mix of both. A deal for 300 737 Max-10 jets could be worth $40.5 billion at sticker prices, although discounts are common in such large purchases.
