China claims approx 90,000 kms of Indian territory: Mukherjee

China illegally claims approximately 90,000 square kilometres of Indian territory including Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Wednesday. ''Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India and the government has conveyed this fact to the Chinese side,'' Mukherjee told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

In reply to another query, he said China disputes the international boundary with India. Since 1993, the two governments have agreed to maintain peace and tranquility along the line of actual control (LAC) in the India-China and border areas, without prejudice to their respective positions on the alignment of the LAC as well as on the boundary question, he said.

Mukherjee said both sides have agreed to clarify the LAC and to take up perceived violations through established mechanisms including the Joint Working Group, the Expert Group, border personnel meetings, flag meetings and diplomatic channels. I hope that the issue is resolved soon and in a peaceful manner. We do not want a repeat of any border wars and to put out army and nation in danger. I received this news through NDTV 24x7 through my DirecTV connection.

Govt to go ahead with Sethu project

Under pressure from its southern allies the government on Tuesday in a draft affidavit said it wants the project to go ahead, but a final decision will be taken the day after tomorrow. The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs on Tuesday agreed upon a draft affidavit that says the project to dredge a shipping canal between India and Sri Lanka should go ahead without any change in alignment. The draft also asks the court to vacate its stay on the project and dismiss a petition that said the project would harm the Ram Sethu.

According to sources, the culture ministry's objections in the meeting were overruled because no scientific exploration has been done to establish whether the Ram Sethu is natural or man made. The government has to submit the affidavit in Supreme Court by March 5. I have been looking forward to the Sethu project and I am glad that it is on its way. This news is courtesy of NDTV 24x7 through my DirecTV connection.

India, Russia finalise new deal on Gorshkov

India and Russia have finalised a new deal for the aircraft carrier, the Gorshkov. According to the sources, under the new deal that was hammered out over the weekend, India will pay more for the aircraft carrier. But in return, the Russians will put in several new parts instead of repairing them as agreed upon in the original contract.

The aircraft carrier was to be delivered by August this year according to a contract signed in 2004 but Russia stunned India in November by demanding more money. Russia had asked for $ 1.2 billion more for refitting and other works. Now, India will pay possibly up to 800 million dollars more than the original price of 1.2 billion dollars.

For the extra money, the Russians have now agreed to:

• Put in a new arrester gear for the planes
• Build a new ski jump for the MiG-29 planes
• Install new boilers in the engine room
• And lay new cables, estimated at 2,400 km

How much extra India will pay will be decided in March after two more rounds of negotiations take place. This deal will benefit India's military immensely as it will gain new technology and technical know-how. This news is from NDTV 24x7 through my DirecTV connection.

Stable Pakistan in India's interest: Antony

Expressing hope that peace will soon dawn upon our troubled , Defence Minister A K Antony on Sunday said a stable Pakistan is in the interest of India. ''We have our concerns. We have our problems with Pakistan. A stable Pakistan is in India's interest. I hope there will be stability and peace in Pakistan at the earliest,'' he told reporters.

Antony was speaking to reporters after a visit to Laungwala, the historic site where about hundred Indian soldiers thwarted an attack by Pakistani troops during 1971 Indo-Pak war. He also said the planned military exercises in Rajasthan later this year should not create panic in Pakistan as they were already informed about it earlier. ''Exercises by armed forces is a pattern all over the world. We have already informed them (Pakistan),'' he said. This sounds like a nice and friendly move from India. India's diplomacy is always something that I an NRI in the US look forward to. Right from the non-alignment movement India has always strived to be on every nations good side. I watched this news on NDTV 24x7 through my DirecTV connection.

West Bengal to start bidding process

The West Bengal government is all set to prepare a document for the interested developers to directly bid for its upcoming deep-sea port project. "At a meeting with Prime Minister's Principal Secretary TK Nair, we have decided that the state government can now do the bidding process directly involving the developers in the deep-sea port project," West Bengal Commerce and Industry Secretary Sabyasachi Sen told.

He said that the state would gain at least 2-3 years in getting the deep-sea port ready. "We are interested in getting this deep-sea port in our state as early as possible. The procedure of appointing a consultancy firm by the central government has already been delayed and if we still wait for the same it will be too late for us," he said.

Sen said that companies like Sajjan Jindal's JSW Steel and V.G. Dhoot's Videocon have already shown interest in the project. "We are in hurry because the proposed chemical hub - Prafulla Chandra Roy Chemical Complex (PCRCC) - at the Nayachar islands in the state is on the cards. The port would facilitate the chemical hub immensely," Sen said.

Earlier, the state government had approached the committee, which was formed by the central government, for the deep-sea port to skip the process of appointing consultants for the project and to allow the state to directly invite bids from investors and developers.

A tender was also floated for consultants but no one responded to that. Though many consultancy firms picked up papers for expression of interest (EoI), final bids were not submitted, as the companies were not satisfied with the terms of reference. The West Bengal government then approached the committee to entrust the state with the entire process of inviting bids and selection of developers.

Sen said Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Delhi Feb 6 and discussed the project. "While preparing the bidding document, we would consider all aspects ranging from the minimum number of terminals to be constructed to the total capacity for carrying bulk cargos from the port," Sen said. This is an interesting development in the West Bengal sea project. I would like to know more about which companies are going to bid for the project and who wins it in the end. I will follow it on NDTV 24x7 through my DirecTV connection.

Ramgoolam gifts $2.5 lakh to native village

Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam on Monday committed $2.5 lakh for construction of roads, a government hospital and a high school at his native Harigaon village in Bhojpur district. ''I am touched by the love and affection shown by the people of Bihar and the care taken by the Nitish Kumar government for the uplift of my ancestral village,'' he said addressing a dinner meeting at the Raj Bhavan in Patna.

Ramgoolam also announced that his government would provide scholarship to two students from Bihar pursuing subjects of their choice and interested in studying in his country every year.

Earlier, Kumar had welcomed Ramgoolam and his entourage saying the visit would strengthen social, cultural and economic exchanges between India and Mauritius.

Governor R S Gavai too expressed similar views. Ramgoolam congratulated Kumar for helping Bihar walk on the path for development. ''I am very glad to hear that under the stewardship of Nitish Kumar the state is witnessing significant progress.''

The Mauritius Premier concluded his speech in Bhojpuri showering praise on the people the state for the grand reception to him and his family. ''Gagan mein jab tak tare rahenge, jindagi rahi to milte rahenge (as long as there are stars in the sky, we will continue to meet each other in our life time),'' he said.

It gives one a warm feeling to treat our foreign guests in the most hospitable manner. I am sure that the guests have no complaints. I watched this news on NDTV 24x7 through DirecTV.

India condemns force against Palestinians

India has ‘condemned’ the use of force on civilians in Palestine and is seeking restoration of peace in region for which it is ready to help. New Delhi said that it was preparing an aid package for the “suffering” people of Palestine and will announce it shortly.

Noting the recent events in Gaza and West Bank, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej
Sarna said ''the misery and hardship faced by the people of Palestine, especially in the Gaza strip, is deplorable''. The situation is Palestine territories has gone worse over the last two weeks after a blockade was enforced by Israel and a flare up was witnessed since last week with both sides launching attacks on each other.

''India condemns the use of force on the civilian population of Palestine and calls upon all sides, including Israel, to exercise restraint,'' Sarna said, adding India stands ready to help the peace process move forward.

‘‘Peace cannot wait much longer, (it) threatens to become a casualty in the region and for its peoples, irrespective of boundaries, cultures and history.'' he said in support of Egypt’s moves to address the humanitarian needs through dialogue.

I got this news after watching it on NDTV 24x7 through my DirecTV connection. I am happy that I have installed DirecTV because channel. I am able to get a host of great channels at an economical price. It is obvious from my blog that NDTV 24x7 is my favourite

Indian docs welcome training closure

The move made by the British government to close training places for doctors from India and other countries outside Europe has been welcomed by a group representing Indian-origin doctors working in Britain. This move by the British government was made after being attacked over immigration. ''This should have happened four years ago. We don't have enough training posts and our UK doctors should have opportunities,'' added BAPIO President Ramesh Mehta.

But they feel that the new rules announced by the Home Office would be a disadvantage to a small number of Indian-born doctors who are already in Britain on work permits rather than High Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) visas. ''We welcome the step, but advance notice of these changes must be given to those to applicants,'' said Satheesh Mathew, vice chairperson of the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO).

From April 1, Tier 1 migrants (skilled Indian doctors) will not be able to apply for higher medical training posts under the new system. Those Indian doctors who are already in Britain under the HSMP scheme will be allowed to apply and be treated at par with British and European applicants. The government hopes that this will encourage foreign-born and -trained doctors to migrate to Britain and help run it’s National Health Service.

Hamish Meldrum, chairperson of the British Medical Association Council, said: ''This is a confusing move, which seems to achieve little apart from adding to the uncertainty for overseas doctors in the NHS.''

Being an Indian Doctor in the US I found this piece of news from NDTV 24x7 interesting. I have subscribes to NDTV 24x7 through my DirecTV connection and that is because I respect the news from this channel.