Tag: Indian Politics

NEW DELHI (TIP): Stressing that labor reforms hold the key to the success of the ‘Make in India’ campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 16 unveiled a new roadmap, including measures to end ‘Inspector Raj’ with a system that is expected to sharply curb the element of discretion with labour inspectors and a single window compliance process for companies on labourrelated issues.

As a step in this direction, all 1,800 labor inspectors will be disallowed from swooping down on companies and instead, a computerised system will randomly send them on inspections, based on data trends and objective criteria. Following inspections, they will have to upload their reports within 72 hours and cannot modify them thereafter. “Let’s start with trust,” said Modi, while inaugurating the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Shramev Jayete event organised by the Labour Ministry here on Thursday. “Ease of business is the first and foremost requirement if Make In India has to be made successful,” he said.

Central labour inspectors have already been sent text messages on behalf of the Prime Minister to sensitize them to the reforms, and the ministry is hopeful that the annual inspections — currently about 3 lakh — will come down sharply. Modi also unveiled nearly half-a-dozen schemes, including a Shram Suvidha Portal where employers can submit a single compliance report for 16 labour laws, a new web-based labour inspection system, unique account numbers for members of the EPFO, a revamped Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana as well as a new skill development and apprenticeship scheme.

Sharply streamlining the cumbersome compliance process, manufacturers can now register online at the Shram Suvidha portal and file a self-certified single compliance report for 16 Central labour laws. In return, labour inspections by four central agencies — EPFO, Employees’ State Insurance Corporation, Central Labour Commissioner and Director General of Mines’ Safety — will be based on a computerised list of units that are picked up from this database. Noting that it is the government’s responsibility to simplify trade, he said the new schemes put the onus of compliance with the citizens who are expected to self certify their reports and also curb the arbitrariness of labour inspections.

“These facilities are what I call minimum government, maximum governance,” he said. Asserting that Shramev Jayate is essential to boost economic development, Modi said it is important to bring back dignity of labour and respect those who choose to undertake vocational training or work as apprentices. “In our country, only white collar jobs are considered good… We have to change our perceptions and give respect to labour,” he stressed, adding that the revamped apprenticeship scheme and Industrial Training Institutes have a total of 34 lakh seats for students.

These initiatives, he said, would also pave the way for skilling of youth, and even create an opportunity for India to meet the global requirement of skilled labour workforce in the years ahead. To showcase the success of skilling programmes, the Prime Minister and the Labour Ministry also felicitated former students from these institutes. Significantly, in a bid to clarify the NDA’s labour-friendly image, the Prime Minister also said that labour issues must be looked at from the perspective of the labour, not industrialists.

“Such a compassionate approach would result in the shram yogi (labourer) becoming a rashtra yogi and a rashtra nirmaata (nation-builder),” he said. His comments are significant given that the NDA government has received flak from trade unions for its recent reform measures including amendments to the Factories Act and the Apprentices’ Act. However, trade unions remained skeptical of the government’s stance.

“The announcement of the new schemes is most welcome but we have to wait and watch for the actual implementation,” said B N Rai, president, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh. The Left parties were more critical. “It is only cheating of workers as, while the government is launching these schemes, simultaneously it is changing the labour laws to push out the labor from their purview “ said Tapan Sen, Rajya Sabha member and general secretary, CITU, adding that there is nothing new about efforts such as the UAN that have been going one for the last six years.

NEW DELHI (TIP): Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook, was in India recently. Star-struck audience assembled to hear the 30-year-old billionaire on his first ever business trip to India.

Mark appeared a little awkward to begin but soon after a few slides into the presentation on his pet theme –
Internet.org, an ambitious project aimed to bring internet access to the unconnected billions – the awkwardness ebbed.

Over some 20 minutes or so Zuckerberg, a self-professed atheist, held forth with near religious zeal on his desire to bring the next five billion people on to the Internet. “Connectivity cannot be the privilege of the rich,” he told the 500 or so people assembled in Delhi’s Taj Palace hotel, many of them Facebook’s top customers in India, a bunch of internet entrepreneurs and assorted media.

It also helps that this vision aligns with his business, whose future growth in large parts depends on getting more and more people embrace the Internet. India is a crucial piece in achieving his internet for all mission, launched last August and is a joint initiative of Facebook, Ericsson, MediaTek, Nokia, Opera, Qualcomm and Samsung.

And Zuckerberg (or Zuck as he is called by friends), unsurprisingly perhaps, was lavish in his praise about the country which he has visited only once before in 2010 to attend a friend’s (Dropbox founder Aditya Agrawal) wedding and when he was photographed in a sherwani dancing barefeet. “Culturally this is the country that is very forward leading in science, engineering and research that make the benefits of connectivity here very profound for all,” said Zuckerberg, who is worth around $34 billion and the third richest American in the technology industry.

In India, he said, the impact will be even more profound “because you have some of the best engineers in the world and a vibrant technology industry”. On Friday, he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an avid user of Facebook who exploited its networking and communicative abilities to the hilt during his successful election campaign and has also sought to make it an integral part of his administration. Modi’s verified Facebook page currently has nearly 2.3 crore “likes” or followers, and almost all major government departments and ministries have Facebook pages.

By meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi has recognized how important Tel Aviv is to New Delhi. Modi and Netanyahu met in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The two countries have an old association. And as Modi pointed out, Jews, who settled here, were never persecuted. Although Israel had come to India’s aid in the past, New Delhi had close relations with the Palestine Liberation Organization, and it was only in 1992 that diplomatic contact was formally established. Thereafter, Israel has established itself as a major trade partner, providing vital defense equipment to India, as well as cooperating on other security matters.

The BJP’s reluctance to condemn Israel in Parliament for the assault on Gaza has shown the new government’s inclination towards improving ties with Israel. During the meeting Modi sought more Israeli investments, especially of the kind that would be a part of the “Make in India” program. India is also keen to get cyber security expertise, agriculture, water management and solid waste treatment in urban areas.

While Israel and India both seek to thwart terrorists, they have a different approach and focus. Battling with the ISIS is the main concern of both the US and Israel right now, whereas India is more focused on Pakistan-based terror groups. Such differences are natural and the two countries have their own priorities in West Asia. In fact, India has a longstanding relationship with many countries that are inimical to Israel, including Iran. Indo-Israeli relations have never been showy, but they have deepened as both counties have demonstrated mutual respect and increased cooperation. Even as the increase in economic ties is on the card, New Delhi will need to tread cautiously in the diplomatic minefield that West Asia is. South Block will need to keep a firm focus on maintaining its traditional ties with Arab nations, even as it improves newer alliances.

(The Tribune, Chandigarh)

Excerpt: Call it the PM effect. A police station in the heart of the capital was meticulously cleaned by a team from Sulabh International after a surprise inspection by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Oct 2. PM Modi was on his way to the Valmiki Basti, a colony that houses sanitation workers, nearby when he suddenly stopped his car and walked into the Mandir Marg police station in central Delhi. The parking lot was littered with garbage. The PM picked up a broom and tackled it for nearly 10 minutes, leaving the police officers who work at the station deeply embarrassed. The PM told them cleanliness is important. Then he left for a busy morning, crammed with events linked to the launch of the massive five-year Clean India campaign

NEW DELHI (TIP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched his nationwide cleanliness campaign, the
‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ or ‘Clean India Campaign’ from the Valmiki Basti in New Delhi on October 2. Addressing the nation at the launch, Modi asked India’s 1.25 billion people to join the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ and promote it to everyone.

After paying tribute at the memorials of Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on their birth anniversaries, Modi himself swept a pavement at Valmiki Basti, a colony of sanitation workers before the formal launch of the ‘Clean India’ drive at Rajpath. While launching the mission at Mandir Marg, he also made a surprise visit at the local police station to check on its cleanliness.

Modi said, “Today is the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhiji and Lal Bahadur Shastriji. We have gained freedom under leadership of Gandhiji, but his dream of clean India is still unfulfilled.”

He added, “Swachh Bharat Campaign logo is not just a logo, through it Gandhiji is watching us and we all should clean India. I am not claiming that the newly elected government is doing everything. Be it temples, mosques, gurudwaras or any place, we must take efforts to clean our surroundings. Cleanliness is not only the responsibility of the ‘safaai kaamgar’, it is the responsibility of 125 crore Indians. If Indians can reach Mars at a cheap cost, can we not clean our neighbourhoods?”

Giving credit to previous governments, Modi said, “I do not make any claim that only the newly elected government has done everything. All governments have done something or the other to achieve cleanliness in the country; I greet all of them for this. Swachh Bharat mission is beyond politics. It is inspired by patriotism and not politics.”

Thanking the media for supporting this campaign, he said, “I know people will criticise me in the next few days, but to clean India I am ready to face the criticism.”

Stating that this campaign cannot be done by only the government or the ministers, Modi said, “The work is to be done by all Indians. This campaign is for 1.2 billion people and I repeat it 1.2 billion times. This work is not only about a ‘prachar abhiyan’. It is a big effort but we have a lot of time.”

Mentioning that the response he is getting on the social media is heartening, Modi said, “There are thousands of organisations which have been doing the great work of cleanliness, and they should also brought into the picture.”

Modi asked people to take pictures of areas where they saw garbage, then clean the area and take pictures of the clean area. He asked people to upload these images on social media using MyGov, a mobile application.

He added, “I have also started a social media campaign, I have invited nine people to post pictures of them cleaning and they will invite another nine people. It includes Goa Governor Mridula Sinha, master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, Bollywood actor Aamir Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Salman Khan, Yoga guru Ramdev baba and a team of Tarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashmah.”

“I feel pained to see mothers and daughters to go in the open to relieve themselves. More than 60% people defecate in the open. Constructing more toilets is extremely important and we can at least do this to respect them. Don’t trust my government, but trust Mahatma Gandhi’s devotion to cleanliness,” he added.

Prime Minister Modi also pledged to people saying ‘na main gandagi karoonga,na main gandagi karne doonga’ (I would not litter and won’t allow anyone to do so). He further flagged off a walkathon as part of the Swachh Bharat Campaign.

Millions of people across the country are also joining daily the cleanliness initiatives of the government departments, NGOs and local community centers to make India completely clean by 2019.

The Centre will spend nearly Rs 2 lakh crore in a five-year span as part of its ambitious plan to completely clean India by October 2019, coinciding with the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. While the Urban Development Ministry will allocate Rs 62,000 crore for cleaning towns across the country, the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation will spend Rs 1,34,000 crores for the programme to be launched by Modi on October 2.

NEW DELHI: Indian security establishment has gone in a tizzy with the discovery of a defused grenade inside an Air India aircraft kept standby in Delhi for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent trip to the US.

The Boeing-746 was kept on standby at IGI Airport, which means it was fully ready to fly out for the PM in case the Jumbo Jet being used by him developed a snag. According to sources, the aircraft was released for commercial operation when Modi landed here.

“The B-747 was sent on a Delhi-Mumbai-Hyderabad-Jeddah flight. On reaching Jeddah in the early hours of Saturday (India time), security agencies there found a defused grenade inside the business class of the aircraft. This sensational discovery of a defused bomb on an aircraft kept standby for the PM has sent everyone in a tizzy,” said highly placed sources.

The aircraft is now grounded in Jeddah and held back from operating, as per schedule, to Calicut.

“Jeddah airport security has sanitized the aircraft and given it the clearance to fly out. But now Indian security agencies have taken over this case and are investigating how a defused grenade could make it inside the aircraft. All night long, AI and security agencies have been trying to resolve this mystery, which would be a serious security lapse unless it happens to be an exercise by the security/intelligence agencies to check the alertness of our aviation security wing,” said sources.

NEW DELHI (TIP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his five-day visit to the U.S. arrives at JFK Airport in New York today, September 26. He will spend two days in New York, during which he will address the United Nations General Assembly and attend a community reception to welcome him before heading to Washington for his first meeting with US President Barack Obama. In a statement ahead of his departure, Modi said he was “confident that the visit will mark the start of a new chapter in our strategic partnership”. Time bound reform of UN Security Council, reforming international financial institutions, development agenda for third world countries and strong coalition to fight global terror will top the agenda of Narendra Modi’s maiden speech as India’s PM at UN General Assembly in New York on September 27. Modi, who will deliver his speech in Hindi, will utilize this opportunity to outline his global vision, sources said.

This is his maiden foray at global stage, the first being BRICS Summit at Brazil in July. The PM gave a glimpse of his focus at UN in his statement on Thursday, September 25 before departing for New York via Germany. “I will call for a stronger global commitment and more concerted multilateral action in meeting these challenges. I will urge early adoption of the Post-2015 Development Agenda with focus on growth, development and elimination of poverty. As we head towards the 70th Session of the UNGA in 2015, I will also stress the urgency of early reforms in the United Nations, to ensure that it remains relevant and effective in dealing with the challenges of the 21st Century’ said Modi in his statement.

Besides, global economic and health challenges will also be his focus at the maiden outing in the General Assembly. Here is the text of PM Modi’s statement before he left for his US trip: I am visiting the United States from 26 to 30 September 2014. I will attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York and, thereafter, visit Washington DC on 29-30 September 2014 for a bilateral summit with U.S. President Barack Obama. Since its participation as a founding member of the United Nations in 1945, India has shown unwavering commitment to multilateral processes to advance peace and security and promote broad-based inclusive economic development in the world. India’s contribution to UN peacekeeping operations over decades is a strong testimony of our efforts to contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the UN charter. The 69th session of the UN General Assembly is meeting at a moment of many pressing challenges for the international community – a still fragile global economy, turbulence and tension in many parts of the world, growth and spread of terrorism, the Ebola health crisis in Africa, climate change and the endemic global challenge of poverty.

I will call for a stronger global commitment and more concerted multilateral action in meeting these challenges. I will urge early adoption of the Post-2015 Development Agenda with focus on growth, development and elimination of poverty. As we head towards the 70th Session of the UNGA in 2015, I will also stress the urgency of early reforms in the United Nations, to ensure that it remains relevant and effective in dealing with the challenges of the 21st Century. I will also meet the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and leaders from other countries on the margins of the UNGA. The New York leg of my visit will also cover important elements of our bilateral relations with the United States. I look forward to meeting business leaders to invite them to participate more actively in India’s economic growth and transformation. This is message that I will also convey to the U.S. business community in Washington DC. My participation in a public event in Central Park in New York that on poverty is to focus international attention on this great challenge for humanity and affirm my support for global civic action, especially involving the youth, to address it. I keenly await the opportunity to meet the Indian American Community at the Madison Square Garden in New York. Their success in diverse fields, their contribution to the United States, their abiding bonds with India and their role as a vibrant bridge between the two largest democracies is a source of pride for us.

They serve as a window to our heritage, progress and potential. I look forward to meeting President Obama over two days in Washington DC. This will be my first meeting with him. His life’s journey is a remarkable testimony to the rights and opportunities that democracies provide, and an inspiration for people around the world. Shared values, convergent interests and complementary strengths provide the foundation for natural partnership between the world’s oldest and largest democracies. I see the United States as a vital partner for our national development, drawing especially on the rich possibilities of partnership in education, skills, research, technology and innovation – and, above all, a shared commitment to human values. Working together, and with others, we can bridge the many divisions of our times and contribute to building a more peaceful, stable, secure, sustainable and prosperous world. I will discuss with President Obama how we can use the strength of all that we share and all that we have built so far to take our relationship to a new level in the interest of our two countries and the cause of this world. I am confident that the visit will mark the start of a new chapter in our strategic partnership.

NEW YORK (TIP): Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi will be arriving in New York a day before he addresses the 69th General Assembly of the United Nations on September 27th. It will be his first global speech and he will give his address in Hindi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit ‘Ground Zero’ after delivering a speech at United Nations General Assembly on September 27.

Ground Zero is the site where Twin Towers of World Trade Centre stood before they collapsed in the deadly terror strike on September 11, 2001. Modi is also expected to make a stop at the 9/11 museum inaugurated in May this year by US President Barack Obama to commemorate the victims of the terror strike. It is expected that Modi’s will have his hands full as he would be required to attend a Global Citizen Festival being organized in the Great Lawn of the Central Park.

The event is specially organized to coincide with the UNGA. On the sidelines of UNGA meeting, Modi is scheduled to meet the head of the states of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Later, he will see former US President Bill Clinton. On September 28 morning, over 20,000 Indian Americans, largest congregation of community members, will accord a grand reception to the Prime Minister at Madison Square Garden. The reception will be followed by a dinner, organized by the Indian Embassy, in the evening at the Taj Pierre hotel near Central Park. Modi is also expected to attend the investors’ conference in New York before visiting Washington DC.

On September 29, Modi will leave for Washington to hold much-anticipated bilateral meeting with Barack Obama. Announcing the Modi-Obama meeting, White House Press Secretary Josh Ernest said, “President Obama looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India to the White House on September 29-30.” It is expected that both the leaders will discuss a wide range of issues concerning both the countries. It will include trade ties as well.” Obama will host a working dinner for India’s visiting Prime Minister before initiating bilateral talks at the White House the next day followed by a lunch hosted by Vice President Joe Biden at the State Department.

“Modi’s challenge will, however, be to balance competing interests between the U.S., Japan and China even as he pursues an independent Indian foreign policy based on national interest”, says the author.

If photo-ops are considered to be vital part of conveying messages in diplomacy then the image of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe hugging each other last week should go down as a defining moment in India- Japan relations.

Traditionally, the Japanese are not known to be demonstrative or even to encourage physical contact but if the enthusiastic reception accorded to Modi during his five-day trip to Japan – his first bilateral trip outside the Indian sub-continent – is any indication, New Delhi and Tokyo are all set to transform geo-politics in Asia.

The two prime ministers, also close personal friends, not only discussed a wide range of bilateral issues during an unusually long trip but also worked towards building a counterweight to an increasingly assertive China. Although the only reference – and an oblique one at that – to China came from Modi, the joint statement was dominated by plans to cooperate on security issues that will have far-reaching implications in Asia.

“Everywhere around us, we see an 18thcentury expansionist mind-set: encroaching on another country, intruding in others’ waters, invading other countries and capturing territory,” Modi told his Japanese audience without mentioning China. Even the joint statement by the two countries spoke about regional tensions and steps that they intend to take to control the situation.

It said, in parts: “The two Prime Ministers affirmed their shared belief that at a time of growing turmoil, tensions and transitions in the world, a closer and stronger strategic partnership between India and Japan is indispensable for a prosperous future for their two countries and for advancing peace, stability and prosperity in the world, in particular, in the inter-connected Asia, Pacific and Indian Ocean Regions.

Prime Minister Abe briefed Prime Minister Modi on Japan’s policy of ‘Proactive Contribution to Peace’ and Japan’s Cabinet Decision on development of seamless security legislation. Prime Minister Modi supported Japan’s initiative to contribute to peace and stability of the region and the world.” The joint statement was labeled “Tokyo Declaration for India – Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership,” a fact that would not have gone unnoticed in Beijing. While the fine print of various agreements will be known in due course, the larger message of Modi’s visit is loud and clear: For the first time India is willing to throw in its lot with Japan, a known U.S. ally. So far, New Delhi has refrained from an overt alliance with the U.S. but it has accepted a need to have closer defense cooperation with both Tokyo and Washington.

One early manifestation of this was the recent trilateral naval cooperation Exercise Malabar held off the Japan coast in June. This was a significant departure from the recent past. Since 2007, Japan had kept away from Exercise Malabar after Beijing had protested in the wake of a five-nation exercise in the Indian Ocean. But under Abe’s leadership, Japan is turning many of its defensive policies on their head.

The easing of Japan’s defense exports rules will allow Japanese defense firms to participate in India’s huge weapons market. An amphibious military aircraft is likely to be one of the first exports to India. A civil nuclear deal is also progressing well, although much against Modi’s wishes it could not be clinched during his visit. However, Japan’s commitment to invest around $34 billion in India’s key infrastructure projects over the next five years will boost the India- Japan partnership further.

Officially, there was no reaction by China but Modi’s breakthrough visit was certainly keenly watched in Chinese official media, where it drew some pointed comment. Global Times, the hardline voice of the Chinese establishment in China had two strident back-to-back editorials on the Modi-Abe tango. In the first, the paper commented: “The increasing intimacy between Tokyo and New Delhi will bring at most psychological comfort to the two countries. What is involved in China-India relations denotes much more than the display of the blossoming personal friendship between Modi and Abe. After all, Japan is located far from India. Abe’s harangue on the Indo- Pacific concept makes Indians comfortable.

It is South Asia where New Delhi has to make its presence felt. However, China is a neighbour it can’t move away from. Sino-Indian ties can in no way be counterbalanced by the Japan-India friendship.” The second one attacked Japan directly in an editorial titled, ‘Tokyo lost the war, and must accept defeat,’ threatening Japan openly: “What we need is a rational Japan that behaves itself and stops serving as a pawn of the US to sabotage China’s strategic interests. We need to crush Japan’s will to constrain a rising Beijing and only in this way can Sino- Japanese friendship garner a fresh, solid foundation.” It is instructive to note that Chinese criticism so far is muted as far as India is concerned.

The reason is clear. In less than a fortnight after Modi ended his successful Japan trip, Chinese President Xi Jingping is expected in India. Xi has an ambitious agenda for his visit. China wants to take full advantage of a probusiness regime under the new prime minister and raise bilateral trade beyond 100 billion dollars. Economic partnerships apart, China would want to keep its negotiations on the contentious border issue going, if only to keep India interested since India is now being wooed by the world.

The U.S. has already sent three of its cabinet secretaries to India, all before Modi has even visited America. That visit is due in late September, where he will hold a summit meeting with President Barack Obama. Clearly, Washington wants to reboot ties with New Delhi after a downslide in relationship over the past four years. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has left for Mumbai and New Delhi, and is expecting to sign a deal to supply uranium to India. Canberra has already indicated it wants much closer defense cooperation with India.

Modi’s foreign minister Sushma Swaraj has toured Vietnam – one of several of China’s neighbors that have territorial disputes with Beijing – and Bangladesh to re-establish India’s primacy in the region. The prime minister has himself decided to reach out to smaller but important nations in the Indian sub-continent by visiting Bhutan and Nepal, the two Himalayan countries wedged between India and China. His decision to call off talks with Pakistan also shows he is prepared to make a departure from conventional practice.

Clearly, Modi is the international flavor of the season. His challenge will, however, be to balance competing interests between the U.S., Japan and China even as he pursues an independent Indian foreign policy based on national interest.

(The author is Security & Strategic Affairs Editor at NDTV) British English (Source: The Diplomat)

Japan to invest $34 billion in India, no nuke deal

NEW DELHI (TIP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned home, September 3, after concluding his successful visit to Japan, which promised to give $35 billion to India over the next five years for developmental projects, as the two sides agreed to enhance their strategic cooperation to a new level.

Earlier in Tokyo, Japan announced doubling of its private and public investment in India to about $34 billion over the next five years even as the two countries decided to elevate their ties to a special strategic global partnership but failed to conclude a civil nuclear deal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe during their summit talks also reaffirmed the importance of bilateral defense relations in their strategic partnership and agreed on greater defense equipment and technology cooperation.

The summit meeting took place on the third day of Modi’s five-day visit to Japan when the two countries also decided to expedite talks on sale of US-2 amphibian aircraft to India for enhancing maritime security. At a joint press conference, Abe also announced that as an example of Indo- Japan cooperation, Tokyo will help India in providing financial, technical and operational support to introduce Bullet trains, a project that Modi has been actively pursuing.

Japan will also help India in providing better connectivity with its neighbors, he said. On the civil nuclear deal, which was expected to be finalized during the visit, Abe said they have directed the officials to accelerate negotiations for early conclusion of an agreement to strengthen partnership. While India is said to be pursuing the deal with Japan on the template of the landmark Indo-US nuclear accord, Tokyo is said to be not that enthusiastic about that being the basis.

The 3.5 trillion yen ($34 billion) of investment from Japan to India including Official Development Assositance (ODA) during a 5-year period will be under the aegis of India-Japan Investment Promotion Partnership for development of projects including infrastructure and building of smart cities. The five-year period will also see the doubling of the presence of Japanese firms in India, Abe said.

Thanking Abe for providing him an opportunity to make Japan his first bilateral visit outside South Asia, Modi said,” we both have decided to raise the relationship to a special strategic and global partnership by giving it a special emphasis”. Asserting that his visit ushered in a dawn of new era in Indo- Japan relations, Modi said there is no “limit” to partnership between the two countries. Coinciding with the summit, Japan removed six of India’s space and defenserelated entities from its Foreign End User List.

On the nuclear cooperation issue, Abe said “important progress” has been made in the past several months. He said the two sides were able to have a frank discussion and a deeper understanding on this issue. Modi said India and Japan are old friends and that his current visit will give an opportunity to both of them to further intensify their ties. Modi said a developed India and a prosperous Japan was important for Asia and for global peace and security. India and Japan are two big democracies and they are also part of the three big economies of Asia, he noted.

He said 21st century is said to be Asia’s century but for that to become a reality it is dependent on cooperation between India and Japan and that is why the two countries have decided to elevate their relationship. “This is not just raising the relationship from one category to another… Our relationship is not only regional in its framework, but will have a global impact,” he added. Modi also said that Japan occupies top priority in India’s foreign policy.

He was effusive in his praise for Abe saying he spent a considerable amount of his valuable time to be with him in Kyoto for two days and in Tokyo today. The Prime Minister said Abe has agreed to cooperate with India in all areas taking into account his vision of inclusive development of the country. “We will help you,” Abe told Modi, adding he was ready to extend his help in Ganga cleaning project when he raised the issue. “This is an example of his love and respect for India,” he said, adding the relationship between the two countries was also spiritual in nature.