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Business Standard
35 minutes ago
- Business Standard
'Bipartisan backing for India-Maldives ties': PM hails cross-party support
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held a meeting with various political party members during his two-day visit to Maldives. He highlighted that the meeting reflected bipartisan support for the strong and time-tested friendship between India and the Maldives. PM Modi underlined that the shared values continue to guide the important India-Maldives partnership. In a post on X, he said, "Had a meaningful meeting with members of different political parties of the Maldives. The participation of leaders across the political spectrum underscores the bipartisan support for the strong and time-tested India-Maldives friendship. Our shared values continue to guide this important partnership." Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with the Speaker of the Parliament, Abdul Raheem Abdulla and former President Mohamed Nasheed, on Saturday, on the second day of his visit to the Maldives. He welcomed the formation of the India-Maldives Parliamentary Friendship Group in the 20th Majlis and underscored how Maldives will always be a valued pillar of India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy and Mahasagar vision. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also met the Vice President of the Maldives, Hussain Mohamed Latheef, on Saturday. He stated that the leaders discussed the key pillars of India-Maldives friendship, such as technology, infrastructure, energy, and climate change. PM Modi is in the Maldives at the invitation of President Mohamed Muizzu. He is the guest of honour for the 60th Independence Day celebrations in the country. On Friday, while speaking at the banquet hosted in his honour, PM Modi emphasised the depth of the bilateral relationship. He said, "India-Maldives relations are centuries old. We are neighbours, partners and true friends who stand together in times of need. Maldives holds a special place in India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy... This is not just diplomacy but a relation of deep affinity." President Mohamed Muizzu praised PM Modi's leadership and reaffirmed the strong ties between India and the Maldives. "India has long stood as the Maldives's closest and most trusted partner. Our collaboration spans a wide range of areas, from security and trade to healthcare, education and beyond, touching the everyday lives of our citizens," Muizzu said. On Friday, during a special press briefing, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had remarked, "This very timely and productive visit has provided an opportunity to both countries and both leaders to review our very close cooperation and to continue to build further on it. The two sides reviewed the joint vision for the India-Maldives Comprehensive Economic and Maritime Security Partnership, and as a result of the discussions today, arrived at the conclusion that we should continue to implement various elements of this vision, and explore newer avenues to collaborate further between the two sides." India and the Maldives exchanged eight key agreements on Friday covering a wide range of sectors, including a Line of Credit, debt repayment, fisheries, digital transformation, and the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu.
News18
an hour ago
- News18
India-UK FTA 'Game-Changing', Every Section To Benefit: Piyush Goyal
Goyal says 99% of India's exports to the UK would now be duty-free, significantly boosting India's trade footprint in one of the world's largest economies. Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has described the recently signed India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) as a 'game-changing" deal that will benefit every section of Indian society, from farmers and youth to the MSME sector and large industries. Speaking at a press conference at the BJP headquarters on Saturday, Goyal announced that 99% of India's exports to the UK would now be duty-free, significantly boosting India's trade footprint in one of the world's largest economies. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement — as the FTA is officially known — was signed on Thursday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Keir Starmer. The agreement was formalised by Piyush Goyal and UK Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds. Calling it a landmark moment, Goyal said, 'It is a game-changing agreement." He added that it would bring 'immense opportunities to the farmers of India, Indian industry, the MSME sector, the workers, youth and fishermen". Goyal also emphasised that the agreement was negotiated confidently and on India's terms, ensuring protection for sensitive sectors such as agriculture and ethanol. The Minister credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership for the successful conclusion of the deal and expressed confidence in the positive long-term impact of the agreement. 'I believe that this FTA carries a very big message for the future economy of India. We will all see the benefits that India will get under it in the coming years," Goyal said. The agreement will come into force after it is ratified by the UK Parliament. Goyal also urged Indian businesses to explore new opportunities under the FTA in sectors like footwear, leather, toys, pharmaceuticals, gems and jewellery, food processing, and services. 'I appeal to the Indian Industry to study the agreement and start looking for markets," he added. The trade deal, the UK's biggest such agreement since Brexit and India's first with a European economy, aims to expand the bilateral trade. The FTA is expected to boost bilateral trade between India and the UK by 25.5 billion pounds every year. India and the UK on Thursday inked a landmark free trade agreement (FTA) that will cut tariffs on British whisky, cars and an array of items, besides boosting bilateral trade by around USD 34 billion annually The deal was signed by Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and his British counterpart Jonathan Reynold in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Keir Starmer. The FTA is expected to benefit 99 per cent Indian exports from tariff and will make it easier for British firms to export whisky, cars and other products to India, besides boosting the overall trade basket, according to Indian officials. The deal, the UK's biggest such agreement since Brexit and India's first with a European economy, aims to expand the bilateral trade. The India-UK FTA, firmed up after three years of negotiations, is expected to ensure comprehensive market access for Indian goods across all sectors and India will gain from tariff elimination on about 99 per cent of tariff lines (product categories) covering almost 100 per cent of the trade values, they said. The UK said Indian consumers will benefit from improved access to the best British products — from soft drinks and cosmetics to cars and medical devices — as average tariffs will drop from 15 per cent to 3 per cent after the FTA kicks in. First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Print
an hour ago
- The Print
Angamaly-Sabarimala line work can proceed once Kerala starts land acquisition: Railway minister
New Delhi, Jul 26 (PTI) The construction on Angamali-Sabarimala new line can proceed once Kerala begins acquiring land, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has told the Rajya Sabha. In a written reply to Parliament on Friday, he said that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was requested in a recent meeting to acquire land with the state's 50 per cent share of the cost of the project. The reply came in response to a query by Congress MP from Kerala, Jebi Mather Hisham. Vaishnaw said the Angamaly-Sabarimala via Erumeli line project was sanctioned in 1997-98, and the work on the 7-km Angamaly-Kalady and long lead work on the 10-km Kalady-Perumbavoor is on. 'However, further works on this project could not be taken forward due to protests by local people against land acquisition and fixing of alignment of the line, court cases filed against the project and inadequate support from the State Government of Kerala,' he said. Vaishnaw said the estimated cost of the project was updated to Rs 3,801 crore and submitted to the state government in December 2023 for acceptance and to share the cost of the project. In August 2024, the Kerala government communicated its conditional consent, but the Railways sought an 'unconditional consent' for cost sharing. Vaishnaw said the Kerala government was asked to enter into an agreement with the railway and the RBI for the project. But, in a memorandum submitted by the state on June 3 this year, it refused the proposal. PTI JP VN VN
