Crown Prince orders release of 850 Indian prisoners from Saudi jails on PM Modi's request
Saudi Arabis' Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on February 20 ordered the release of 850 Indian prisoners lodged in his country's jails on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's request as the two leaders held extensive talks here, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
After the talks, it was also announced that India has decided to extend e-Visa facility to Saudi nationals.
In an important development, Saudi Arabia also joined the International Solar Alliance, a move welcomed by the prime minister, MEA officials said.
Both sides noted the potential of cooperation in the renewable energy sector, not only in investment but also in research and development, a joint statement issued after the talks said.
In another significant move, Saudi Arabia has also agreed to resolve issues relating to Indian workers who are currently stranded in the kingdom due to the closure of a foreign company, T S Tirumurti, Secretary (Economic Relations) in the MEA, said.
Squash Queen Nicol David to Retire at End of Season
Eight-time world champion Nicol David has announced she will retire at the end of the 2018-19 squash season, bringing down the curtain on the Malaysian's illustrious career.
The 35-year-old is the most successful woman squash player of all time and spent an unprecedented nine years as world number one between 2006-2015.
David said she had thought long and hard about calling it a day.
"This decision has been thought through for quite some time and I do know that this is my last season," David said in a statement posted late Monday on the website of the Professional Squash Association, the sport's governing body.
"My mind and body have battled it out to stay at the very top of my game for such a long time that I feel that I only have this last big push left for the final season to give it all I have before I enter the next phase of my life."
Noted Hindi writer Namvar Singh dies at 92
Noted Hindi writer Namvar Singh passed away in New Delhi last night. He was 92. Prof. Namvar Singh was ill for some time and was being treated at All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
His last rites will be performed in Delhi today. Born on 28th July, 1926 in a village in Varanasi, Singh was the first chairman of JNU's Centre of Indian Languages.
He has authored over dozen books including 'Kavita Ke Naye Pratiman', 'Chhayavad' and 'Dusri Parampara Ki Khoj' among others. He received Sahitya Academy Award for literary criticism in 1971 for 'Kavita Ke Naye Pratiman'.
He had also unsuccessfully contested Lok Sabha election as a candidate of Communist Party of India in 1959 from Chandauli in Uttar Pradesh.
Angel tax: Govt widens startup definition, makes them easier to invest in
In a move that would diminish the adverse impact of angel tax on the startup ecosystem to a large extent, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday widened the definition of startup thus making it smoother for investors to put in their money in these companies.
To begin with, the government has increased the age cap for startups from 7 to 10 years. It has revised the turnover limit for them from Rs 25 crore to Rs 100 crore and also relaxed the norms for startups seeking exemption under Section 56 (2) (viib).
Under the IT Act, Section 56 (2) (viib) money invested by angels in a company is treated as income from other sources.
Many startups who raised angel investments in assessment year 2015-16 and 2016-17, received notices from the Income Tax department under this Act.
PM Modi to embark on his two-day visit to PM Modi today
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on his two-day visit to South Korea tonight which he will hold talks with Korean leadership and various other stakeholders.
Speaking to our Special Correspondent Anshuman Mishra, Ambassador of India to South Korea, Sripriya Ranganathan said that South Korea can become a very good partner in achieving the New India vision of Prime Minister Modi.
Asia's premier Air show 'Aero-India' to take off in Bengaluru
12th edition of Asia's premier Air show 'Aero India-2019' will begin at Yelahanka air force station, Bengaluru today. 61 aircraft, including HAL's indigenous products LCA Tejas are all set to roar in the city skies.
The five-day long biennial event, which will showcase India's air defence prowess, will also act as a platform for aviation companies, the defence sector and government to forge new alliances and contracts.
The global event will see participation of the highest ever aircrafts, Airbus 330Neo.
The event will see participation from countries like Israel, US, UK, Germany, Russia and France to name a few.
Addressing a press conference yesterday, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said efforts will be taken to ensure that the incident like Pulwama is never repeated.
PM Modi to hold talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman in New Delhi today; Several agreements likely to be signed
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold talks with Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad Bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in New Delhi today on wide range of issues of mutual interest. Several agreements are expected to be signed following the talks.
The Crown Prince will also call on President Ram Nath Kovind. Saudi Crown Prince arrived in New Delhi yesterday evening on a two-day visit to India. Mr Modi received him Prince upon his arrival.
The Crown Prince, who is also the Vice President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Ministers, senior officials and leading Saudi businessmen.
The visit follows the highly successful visit of Prime Minister Modi to Saudi Arabia in April 2016, during which the two countries agreed to further elevate existing strategic partnership.
India and Saudi Arabia have historically enjoyed close and friendly relations anchored in mutually beneficial partnership and extensive people to people contacts.
In recent years, there has been significant progress in bilateral cooperation in key areas of mutual interest, including energy security, trade and investment, infrastructure, defence and security.
The bilateral trade was 27.48 billion dollars during the last financial year 2017-18, making Saudi Arabia, India’s 4th largest trading partner.
Government clears National Policy on Electronics to make India global hub in this sector
Government has cleared the National Policy on Electronics 2019. It envisions positioning India as a global hub for Electronics System Design and Manufacturing.
This will also create an enabling environment for the industry to compete globally.
Some of the other important decisions taken by the Cabinet include re-promulgation of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Ordinance and additional DA of three per cent to Central government employees and pensioners.
Union Cabinet approves continuation of PMAY to build nearly 2 crore houses for rural poor
Union Cabinet has approved the implementation of Phase-2 of the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana - Gramin beyond March, 2019. Under this, government has set a target to construct one crore 95 lakh houses by 2022.
Briefing reporters in New Delhi yesterday, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said, in Phase-2, the scheme will continue as per the existing norms of PMAY-G Phase-1, with a target of 60 lakh houses till 2019-20 involving financial implication of 76,500 crore rupees.
The left out rural households who are houseless will be provided pucca houses by 2022.
India, Morocco sign four MoUs
India and Morocco on Monday signed four MoUs following the delegation-level talks between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita in Rabat.
Briefing media after the meeting, Mrs Swaraj said, the MoUs include setting up of Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism, Cooperation in Housing and Human Settlement, Reciprocal facilitation of procedures for issue of Business Visa and Cooperation in Youth Matters.
In a series of tweets, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, both countries agreed to set up a Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism to develop a comprehensive approach to combat the menace, including cross- border terrorism, terrorist financing and recruitment of terrorists.
He said, Mrs Swaraj and her Moroccan counterpart discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in a number of areas, including defence and security, counter-terrorism and trade and investment.