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Tag: Indians

  • CM Channi requests Jaishankar to make arrangements for safe evacuation of Indians from Ukraine 

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Friday wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, requesting that the central government makes immediate arrangements for the safe evacuation of Indians, including Punjabis, stuck in Ukraine following a Russian military offensive.

    “I would like to bring to your notice that a number of students and other Punjabis are stranded in Ukraine. Their parents and family members are worried about their safety because of the situation which has developed there. They are facing a number of problems like place to stay, cash crunch, etc. ,” Channi wrote.

    He requested the Centre to make immediate necessary arrangements for the safe evacuation of the Indians, including Punjabis, stuck in Ukraine. He requested the External Affairs Ministry to further intensify its efforts to explore all diplomatic channels to ensure safe return of Indians.

    “While the evacuation may take some time, meanwhile, Govt. of India may ensure safety of these people within Ukraine,” he said. On Thursday, Channi had sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention for the rescue and safe return of Indians, including Punjabis, stuck in Ukraine.

    Former union minister and SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Friday urged Jaishankar to take immediate steps to ensure the safety of Punjabi students trapped in Ukraine as well as their safe passage to India. She shared with the government a list of 33 students from Punjab who are studying in various colleges in Ukraine.

    She said there was a likelihood of more Punjabis being stranded in Ukraine, besides people from other states, according to a statement.

    Badal said a concerted effort needed to be taken through the Indian embassy in Ukraine to ensure the safety of the students and Indian nationals there. Badal also reached out separately to Reenat Sandhu, Secretary (West) in the External Affairs Ministry, and requested that all help be extended to Indian students through the embassy in Ukraine.

    Earlier, Aam Aadmi Party’s Punjab chief ministerial candidate Bhagwant Mann too had appealed to the Union government to make arrangements to bring back Indian students safely and had also raised the issue of “multi-fold increase in air ticket prices”.

    Punjab Lok Congress president and former chief minister Amarinder Singh have also urged the Centre “to put all mechanisms in place for the safe and early return of all our nationals stuck there”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday stressed that India attaches the highest priority to the safe exit and return of its citizens from Ukraine.

  • Situation is evolving in Afghanistan; focus on evacuation of citizens, says India amidst rising tension

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India on Friday said a vast majority of its citizens who wished to return home from Afghanistan have been evacuated and it is carefully monitoring the situation in the neighbouring country.

    Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India’s focus has been to evacuate its citizens who are stranded in Afghanistan.

    “We continue to monitor the situation very carefully. It is an evolving situation,” he said at a media briefing.

    ALSO READ: At least 95 Afghans killed in Kabul airport bombings, say officials

    Asked whether India will recognise a Taliban dispensation in Afghanistan, Bagchi said there is currently a lack of clarity or no clarity about any entity forming a government in Kabul.

    “The situation on the ground is uncertain. The prime concern is the security and safety of the people. Currently, there is a lack of clarity or no clarity about any entity forming a government in Kabul,” he said.

    Bagchi said India is in touch with various parties regarding operating evacuation flights from Afghanistan.

  • No plan to evacuate Indians from Afghanistan is gross abdication of duty: Congress

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: With the Taliban taking over Afghanistan, the Congress on Monday asked the Modi government to wake up from its slumber and protect Indians in the strife-torn country.

    Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the situation in Afghanistan is extremely alarming and India’s strategic interests are at stake, but the government has not put in place any plan to evacuate its citizens there which is a gross abdication of duty.

    Modi government’s refusal to set in motion a well thought out plan to evacuate our citizens is a gross abdication of its duty and is totally unacceptable.

    “The Congress Party stands solidly behind protecting India’s interests and expects a mature political and diplomatic response from our Government over the complete collapse of Government in Afghanistan and Taliban takeover,” he told reporters.

    “Despite this, the stunning silence of Narendra Modi Govt is deeply disturbing and highly intriguing, which is beyond any reasonable understanding.

    “Modi government’s refusal to set in motion a well thought out plan to evacuate our citizens is a gross abdication of its duty and is totally unacceptable,” he also said.

    ALSO READ: Taliban in control of Afghanistan, panic ensues in Kabul as many try to flee

    “Situation in Afghanistan is extremely alarming. India’s strategic interests are at stake. Safety and security of our embassy and its personnel and Indian citizens is at stake. Modi government need to wake up from its slumber and protect Indian citizens in Afghanistan,” he also tweeted.

    The Congress leader said the Taliban and Haqqani Network connections with Pakistan’s ISI and JeM, LeT, JuD are well known.

    “There is an urgent need to revisit our geo-political interests in this background and its impact on J&K. Sadly, Modi Government is oblivious of the same,” he said.

    Surjewala said the prime minister and External Affairs Minister need to come out and clearly spell out our policy for safe return of our citizens, embassy personnel as also our future relationship.

    “Unexplained silence at this extremely critical juncture gives rise to a reasonable apprehension that Modi government is hiding something from the country. We are still in the dark over Modi government’s role in Doha talks,” the Congress leader said.

    Need of the hour is that Modi government wakes up from its slumber and tells the country how it will tackle the dangerous situation in the immediate neighbourhood, he said.

    ALSO READ: Kabul airport mobbed as Afghans make a desperate dash to exit

    He cited media reports quoting External Affairs Ministry that the Indian government does not take responsibility of Indians returning from abroad, and said it is shameful.

    “If the safe return of Indians from abroad is not your responsibility then whose responsibility is it. No other country has done so. Every country is taking care of its citizens and evacuating them and are taking their assets back,” he said.

    It is a very strange statement by the External Affairs Ministry, he also said.

    Taliban insurgents swept into Afghanistan’s capital on Sunday after the government collapsed and President Ashraf Ghani eft the country.

    The US has said it would deploy 6,000 troops at the vital Kabul airport to ensure the safe departure of American citizens and its allies from Afghanistan which has been taken over by the Taliban, in a sudden and unprecedented collapse of the elected regime.

    Unprecedented scenes and being witnessed in the Afghan capital Kabul, where panic-stricken people are scurrying to escape from the country.

  • Centre intervenes to ensure safety of Indians in Israel

    By Express News Service
    THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A day after a Malayali woman was killed in clashes between Israeli  forces and Hamas in Gaza, the Centre has intervened to ensure the safety  of Indian citizens in the strife-torn region.  Soumya Santhosh from Idukki, who was working as a caregiver in Ashkelon  on the border with Gaza, was killed in a mortar attack on Tuesday  evening.

    Union Minister for External Affairs V  Muraleedharan told reporters in New Delhi that he had spoken to India’s  ambassador in Tel Aviv Sanjeev Singla and enquired about the situation.“The Centre is making the necessary interventions to ensure the safety of Indian citizens in Ashkelon and surrounding areas. The situation is  tense and the Indian Embassy is in constant touch with the Israeli  authorities,” Muraleedharan said. The minister said  the body of Soumya has been handed over to the Indian Embassy.  

    An inside view of the destroyed house“Arrangements are being made to bring her body to Kerala at the  earliest,” he said.  Muraleedharan said he had spoken  twice to the family of Soumya after the tragedy. She leaves behind a  small child which makes her demise even more tragic, the minister  remarked.

    Israel condoles deathIsrael’s ambassador to India Ron Malka condoled the death of Soumya on behalf of his country.   “I just spoke to the family of Ms Soumya Santhosh, the victim of the  Hamas terrorist strike.

    I expressed my sorrow for their unfortunate loss  and extended my condolences on behalf of the state of Israel. The whole  country is mourning her loss and we are here for them,” he said in a  series of tweets.Malka said his heart goes out to  Soumya’s nine-year-old son Adone who lost his mother at a young age. He  said the attack reminded him of Moshe Tzvi Holtzberg — a two-and-a-half- year-old Israeli boy — whose parents were killed during the 26/11 Mumbai  attacks. 

    CM writes to CentreChief  Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and  sought his intervention in bringing back Soumya’s body and ensuring the safety of Indian citizens in the region. Pinarayi said Principal Secretary (Norka) K Ellangovan has spoken to the Indian  ambassador in Israel. “The principal secretary has urged the  ambassador to ensure that Soumya’s family who is shattered by her loss is given adequate compensation,” he said. Paying tributes to Soumya, the  chief minister said he shares the grief  with her family and friends.  

    CHENNITHALA’S LETTER TO AMBASSADORLeader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala wrote to the Indian Ambassador in Israel urging his urgent intervention in the repatriation  of Soumya’s body to Kerala. Chennithala also urged the Indian envoy to ensure the safety of all those Indians working in Israel.

  • Indians take 1.3 billion days off work yearly due to effects of air pollution: Study

    By Express News Service
    CHENNAI: Indian workers take 1.3 billion days off work annually because of the adverse effects of air pollution on their health, amounting to $6 billion in lost revenue, according to a study undertaken by Dalberg Advisors in partnership with Clean Air Fund and the Confederation of Indian Industry 

    Stating that air pollution costs Indian business about $95 billion (Rs 7 lakh crore) every fiscal year around 3% of India’s total GDP, the report highlights that air pollution has shown to have significant effects on workers’ cognitive and physical performance,  lowering their on-the-job productivity and thereby decreasing revenues by up to $24 billion.

    The report also states that India had 1.7 million premature deaths from air pollution in 2019 – which is 18 per cent of all deaths in the country. The figure is projected to increase by 2030, making the country a major contributor to the global economic costs of premature mortality. In economic terms, the lost working years cost the Indian economy $44 billion in 2019.

    Air pollution hasn’t spared the IT sector – the source of 9% of the country’s GDP – too. It lost USD 1.3 billion due to pollution-induced productivity loss per year. If the pollution levels continue to increase at currently projected rates, this figure could nearly double by 2030.

    Gaurav Gupta, Partner, Asia Director, Dalberg, said, “It has now become important for Indian business to include air emissions in their profit and loss statements. Clean air is a precondition for businesses to thrive and for India to realise its vision of becoming a USD 5 trillion economy by 2025. Achieving this goal would require industry leaders to take more ownership and become advocates in the  movement for cleaner air.”

  • Hundreds of Indians stuck in Dubai as Saudi Arabia imposes entry ban

    Express News Service
    MANGALURU: Hundreds of Indians are stranded in Dubai following Saudi Arabia’s temporary ban on the entry of people from 20 foreign countries, including India, in order to contain the surge in Covid-19 cases.Saudi-bound Indians who had already left their home country and those who were eager to finish their 14-day quarantine in Dubai in order to enter Saudi are now hit by uncertainty.Indians who had reached Dubai as foreigners bound to Saudi Arabia cannot enter the kingdom unless they undergo a 14-day quarantine in any one of the bordering countries such as UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait.   

    PA Hameed, an advocate and social worker in Riyadh , said many who completed the 14-day quarantine period in Dubai Wednesday onwards have not able to continue their journey to Saudi owing to the ban. He said a majority of the Indians stranded are blue collar employees who cannot afford an extended stay in Dubai. 

    “They have already spent a huge amount for 14-day  quarantine. Many had flown from India to Dubai with just the money required for the quarantine. Now, they are in deep trouble as they have to shell out a huge amount of money for hotel stay. Dubai is a very expensive place and most of them cannot bear this burden,” said Hameed.

    He has also written a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar seeking his intervention in order to bail out the Indians from the crisis. The letter says those stranded include families, children and pregnant women.    Indian government has been requested to immediately take appropriate steps to secure the entry of stranded Indians into Saudi on humanitarian grounds by effecting diplomatic discussions with the Saudi Arabian government. 

    Sufiyan, who hails from Mangaluru and works as a labourer in Saudi Arabia, said he had travelled to Dubai after taking a loan from his relatives. “Now, I am stuck in Dubai and I do not have enough money for this extended stay,” he said.

  • Parthiv Patel associated with Mumbai Indians a day after retirement

    Former wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel of the Indian cricket team, after retiring from all three formats of cricket on Wednesday, joined Mumbai Indians as the ‘Talent Scout’ with the most successful team of IPL on Thursday. Parthiv has also played for Mumbai Indians and was part of the Mumbai team that won the IPL titles in 2015 and 2017. Parthiv will work with the coaching staff and find new talent for the team after joining with Mumbai Indians.

    Mumbai Indians owner Akash Ambani welcomed Parthiv into the team, saying, “When Parthiv used to play for Mumbai Indians, we got an opportunity to know his understanding of cricket. Parthiv has a deep knowledge of cricket and this makes me very confident about his contribution to our new talent hunt program. “Parthiv said,” I enjoyed the game on behalf of Mumbai Indians. I still remember those moments spent with this champion team for three years. It is time to start a new chapter in my life. I am excited, confident and grateful for this opportunity from the Mumbai Indians management. “

  • Gambhir and Akash clash over captaincy between Virat and Rohit in T20

    Former Indian cricket team player Gautam Gambhir advocated handing over T20 team captaincy to five-time IPL winner Rohit Sharma while commentator and former player Aakash Chopra has the right to retain current captain Virat Kohli as captain in all three formats of the game. Are in

    Former Indian players Gautam Gambhir, Akash Chopra and Parthiv Patel discussed about who is the better captain of Rohit and Virat in the Star Sports program Cricket Connect, in which the three players expressed their opinion. These days, in fact, this discussion is very loud whether T20 captaincy should be handed over to Rohit.

    Under Rohit’s captaincy, Mumbai Indians have won their fifth title in the IPL, while Virat’s Bangalore team could only reach the playoffs and under their captaincy, Bangalore has not won the title even once in eight years. Amid the ongoing debate over sharing of captaincy, however, India’s first World Cup winning captain and legend all-rounder Kapil Dev, dismissed the idea of ​​Team India’s sharing of Test and limited-overs captaincy, saying that Indian cricket culture is two captains. Is not there and if Virat is doing well in T20, then he should be allowed to remain captain.

    Gambhir said about Virat and Rohit being the better T20 captain, “Virat is not a bad captain but the discussion here is who is better captain and according to me Rohit is a much better T20 captain and in the captaincy of both There is a huge difference. “Akash Chopra said,” This is not the time for change. Now you do not have time to prepare a new T20 team. If you want to start the team process or something new, then for that you must have many matches to play but before the T20 World Cup, the team has only five to six T20 matches. “

  • Great performance in IPL reduces pressure: Mohammed Shami

    Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami believes that the great performance in IPL 2020 has worked pressure on him and it will help him to prepare for the upcoming Australia series. Shami took 20 wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL), playing for Kings XI Punjab, including saving five runs in the double super over played against Mumbai Indians. Shami told BCCI TV on Saturday, “My performance in IPL has boosted my confidence. The biggest advantage of this is that I can now prepare for the upcoming series without any pressure.

    There is no pressure on me. I have worked very hard on my bowling and fitness during lockdown. I am very comfortable right now. “He said,” This tour will last a long time. It will start with white-ball cricket, after which test matches will be played with pink and then red ball. My focus has always been on red ball cricket and I am working on my length and seam movement. Once you start putting the ball in the right place, then you start doing well in every kind of format. “

    Indian fast bowlers have taken the most wickets in Test cricket since 2018. Indian bowlers have taken 292 wickets in 24 matches at an average of 21.33. During this period, the bowlers have taken five wickets in 15 innings, which is the highest for any one country. Jasprit Bumrah (68), Mohammad Shami (61) and Ishant Sharma (53) are the highest wicket-takers in the last two years on foreign soil. They are followed by Pat Kanimas (51) and Mohammad Abbas (48).

  • Rohit Sharma Begins Fitness Training for Australia Tour in NCA

    India batsman Rohit Sharma has begun his fitness training at the National Cricket Academy on Thursday, PTI reported. Other than Rohit, India’s Test squad will be eagerly waiting on the news of fast bowler Ishant Sharma’s fitness.

    On Wednesday, senior pacer Ishant Sharma, who is also doing his injury rehab at the NCA, bowled full tilt under the supervision of chief selector Sunil Joshi and NCA head Rahul Dravid.

    Rohit is not part of India’s limited overs squad for the Australia tour and selectors included him in the revised Test squad after he played two IPL games for Mumbai Indians besides the final. Though Rohit said he was absolutely fine, the BCCI felt he needed more time to recover from his hamstring injury he had suffered during the IPL, triggering a massive debate over his fitness status.

    Rohit had also scored a fluent 68 in the IPL final which his team won by a handsome margin.

    Rohit’s fitness has become even more crucial since regular skipper Virat Kohli won’t be available after the first Test in Australia as his wife Anushka Sharma is expecting.

    Both Ishant and Rohit will fly to Australia together and undergo a 14-day quarantine before joining the team.

     Virat Kohli (c) (first Test only), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed SirajRead Full Article