The Indian Panorama

Tag: Congressmen

  • SIGNING OF LOI FOR GUATEMALAN INTEROCEANIC CORRIDOR (GIC). (DRY CORRIDOR PROJECT ) IN GAUTEMALA

    SIGNING OF LOI FOR GUATEMALAN INTEROCEANIC CORRIDOR (GIC). (DRY CORRIDOR PROJECT ) IN GAUTEMALA

    The parties with signed copies of Letter of Intent to construct the Dry Corridor Project with Ambassador Dr Manoj Kumar Mohapatra.

    February 15, 2024

    GUATEMALA CITY (TIP): In recent times, Indian companies’ interest and involvement in Guatemala, particularly across sectors such as pharmaceuticals, automobiles, business process outsourcing (BPO), and textiles, has increased.  The establishment of Yash Pakka Inc, with an investment of US $350 million, stands out as a noteworthy initiative, showcasing how Indian enterprises are effectively leveraging Guatemala’s strategic location to access markets in the Western Hemisphere. This endeavor has garnered attention from various conglomerates, with a recent example being a textile company making a substantial investment of approximately $300 million in Guatemala. The growing demand for the Guatemalan market among Indian businesses has spurred a series of Indian business delegations to explore new avenues for partnerships in the region. These developments have further attracted companies like SRAM & MRAM to explore opportunities in this dynamic region.

    SRAM & MRAM, a company under Hiranandani Group, has shown a keen interest in investing a significant amount in various infrastructure development projects across Latin America, particularly in the northern triangle region. SRAM & MRAM is a United Kingdom-based company with branches in several countries. The company has its core competencies in Agro-products and Information Technology, Hedge Fund Management, FOREX Management, Hospitality Services, etc. Recognizing the immense potential within the Latin American market. SRAM & MRAM, through its subsidiary company, Lakshmi Capital has reached out to the Embassy to seek insights into market dynamics. The company has pledged to invest a substantial total amount of US $17 billion, with a significant portion, amounting to US $10 billion, earmarked for the, namely the Guatemala Inter-oceanic Corridor. This project is planned to be structured under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BoT) model.

    On February 13, 2024, a significant milestone was reached with the official signing of a Letter of Intent between M/s Grupo Odepal, S.A. and M/s Lakshmi Capital, representing an investment commitment of US $10 billion for the construction of the Guatemalan Interoceanic Corridor (GIC). This ambitious project aims to develop a state-of-the-art Multimodal Transport System stretching across a land strip spanning 372 kilometers in length and 140 meters in width, effectively connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

    The GIC project encompasses several key components, including the establishment of two new deep-water ports on each coast of Guatemala, which will be linked by a double-track railway system. Additionally, a pipeline network will be constructed for the transportation of hydrocarbons coast to coast, complete with storage tanks and buoys in the ports to facilitate efficient operations. Furthermore, the GIC will feature six strategically distributed industrial, commercial, and services zones along the inter-oceanic land strip, aimed at promoting economic growth and facilitating trade. Moreover, the project will provide various ancillary services to support the region’s development, including the implementation of water collection and distribution systems, the establishment of an electricity generation and distribution network, deployment of fiber optic connections for enhanced communication infrastructure, ecological development and compensation initiatives, establishment of tourism promotional centers, and improvement of people transportation facilities.

    In addition to the GIC project, the company is also involved in significant developmental projects in the Municipality of Xela, with the signing of five additional impactful projects totaling an investment of US $1.2 billion. These projects include the implementation of a hydroelectric system, a cable car system, supply of 7000 buses, construction of a waste management plant, and development of a 75MW solar energy plant in the region. Embassy of India in Guatemala acknowledges the potential impact of Indian involvement in the region for which it proactively supporting these projects in the region by exploring avenues for the participation of Indian companies in significant infrastructural endeavors within the area.

    The signing of the Letter of Intent (LOI) was attended by prominent dignitaries from Guatemala, including Ministers, Congressmen, Mayors, members of the diplomatic fraternity, and businessmen.
  • Congressman Elijah E. Cummings Dies at 68

    Congressman Elijah E. Cummings Dies at 68

    WASHINGTON (TIP):  Representative Elijah E. Cummings, a son of sharecroppers who rose to become one of the most powerful Democrats in Congress and a central figure in the impeachment investigation of President Trump, died on Thursday, October 17  in Baltimore, New York Times reported. . He was 68.

    His death was confirmed by a spokeswoman, Trudy Perkins, in a statement that said he died of “complications concerning longstanding health challenges.” No other details were given.

    As chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, Mr. Cummings, of Maryland, had sweeping power to investigate Mr. Trump and his administration — and he used it.

    A critical ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Mr. Cummings spent his final months in Congress sparring with the president, calling Mr. Trump’s effort to block congressional lines of inquiry “far worse than Watergate.”

    Mr. Cummings called the president’s stonewalling “far worse than Watergate.”

    He was sued by Mr. Trump as the president tried to keep his business records secret.

    Mr. Cummings was in his 13th term serving as a representative for Maryland. He had been absent from Capitol Hill in recent weeks because of his illness. But before that, he could often be found in the Speaker’s Lobby fielding reporter’s questions or quietly reading in the motorized wheelchair he used.

    Senator Benjamin L. Cardin, Democrat of Maryland, who served with Mr. Cummings in the House, said his death left an “irreplaceable void.”

    Hakeem Jeffries

    ✔

    @RepJeffries

    Deeply saddened by the passing of Chairman Elijah Cummings.

    He spoke truth to power, defended the disenfranchised and represented West Baltimore with strength and dignity.

    Congress has lost a Champion. Heaven has gained an Angel of Justice. May he forever #RestInPower.

  • Indian ambassador briefs US lawmakers on situation in Kashmir

    Indian ambassador briefs US lawmakers on situation in Kashmir

    WASHINGTON(TIP): India’s ambassador to the US Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Wednesday, October 16,  briefed lawmakers on the situation in Kashmir and the steps taken to maintain peace after Jammu and Kashmir’s special status was abrogated.

    The briefing, first such by the top Indian diplomat for members of the House foreign affairs committee, comes as there has been an increasing voice of dissent and uneasiness among lawmakers on the curbs in Kashmir, several of which have been removed.

    Since August 16, there was gradual removal of curbs and by September first week, most were removed, officials in Jammu and Kashmir had said. The most prominent being restoration of post-paid mobile phone services on October 14 for 40 lakh subscribers across networks.

    Several Congressmen who were not members of the committee also attended the ambassadorial briefing and a majority of the lawmakers were from the opposition Democratic Party. Congressman Ami Bera was the only Indian American lawmaker present at the briefing.

    Shringla and other diplomats from the Indian Embassy here and its consulates in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston and San Francisco have reached out to hundreds of Congressmen and their aides after abrogation of the state’s special status.

    Since August 5, the government besides restoring post-paid mobile phone services has opened the state for tourists. On August 17, partial fixed line telephony was resumed and on September 4, nearly 50,000 landlines were declared operational. Educational institutes are also open, but attendance has been slim.

    The government has claimed that over 99 per cent of the area of the state has no restrictions on movement.

    (Source : PTI)

  • Congress a divided house: Party in disarray ahead of Haryana elections

    Congress a divided house: Party in disarray ahead of Haryana elections

    Nothing unites Congressmen more than the sight of electoral victory while political wilderness brings to the fore bickering in the rank and file. The five years in opposition in Haryana seem to have done the party little good with factionalism out in the open. Earlier, it was state unit chief Ashok Tanwar who was in the firing line after the party lost all 10 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. The roles have now been reversed with Tanwar training guns at former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda and state unit president Kumari Selja, accusing them of selling the party ticket. Tanwar took his fight to Delhi protesting outside Sonia Gandhi’s residence and asking to be relieved of all poll panels. The rivalry spilled over after Selja was made the state president and Hooda the chief of the election management committee. A video went viral, allegedly to embarrass the party, a day before Hooda is slated to file his nomination.

    Tanwar is known to be close to Rahul Gandhi and with the latter stepping aside after the loss in the Lok Sabha elections, his replacement was only a matter of time. His fight for tickets for his loyalists is natural. But the party apparently wishes to throw its weight behind the old guard to have a go at the BJP in the Assembly elections.

    The Congress was known for strong regional satraps. Like Virbhadra Singh in HP and Capt Amarinder Singh in Punjab, the party’s decision probably is dictated by the prospect of facing a resurgent BJP. With Selja in the saddle, the Congress has tried to offset the possible loss of Dalit votes by Tanwar’s replacement. A ‘human bomb’ cost Rajiv Gandhi his life and Tanwar should be circumspect in using the term, however innocuous the context might be even as his grievance should be looked into. His next course of action is awaited but the party itself should be seen as fighting the BJP and not amongst itself.

    (Tribune, Chandigarh)