Indo-Korea trade expansion in mutual interest: Moon Jae

Agencies
July 9, 2018

New Delhi, Jul 9: South Korean President Moon Jae-in today called for expansion of bilateral trade with India, saying it was in the interest of both nations.

Addressing the India-Korea Business Forum here, Moon hoped that upgrade of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement negotiations can be “concluded as early as possible”.

"India and South Korea are the world's 7th and 11th largest economies.

However, trade between the two countries came to USD 20 billion last year, which is not small but far short of our expectations," Moon said at the forum attended by around 400 top business leaders from both countries.

Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu said he has held discussion on the ‘Early Harvest’ under CEPA with his Korean counterpart Kim Hyun-Chong.

Prabhu said the two nations are taking forward the discussion and have decided to take their relationship to the new level.

The two ministers today signed the joint statement on the Early Harvest package in the India-Korea CEPA upgradation, according to an official statement.

Stressing that India and Korea can lead the fourth industrial revolution, Moon said an MoU will be signed tomorrow towards the establishment of a Future Vision Technology Group to boost bilateral cooperation in science and technology.

Referring to the recent rapprochement between his country with North Korea, Moon said business opportunities in his country could rise substantially if “we can establish peace in the Korean Peninsula”.

“South Korea is facing a historic transition. We have opened a way to the establishment of peace through the South-North Korea summit and North Korea-US summit.

“Once peace is established, investment conditions in South Korea will improve and many new business opportunities may be created," the president said.

He shared that bilateral cooperation between India and Korea was being expanded to newer areas like ship building, medical devices and food processing.

Moon pointed out that Korean companies were keen to participate in large-scale infrastructure development in India, especially in the development of Smart Cities.

He said the two nations share many common values while both their governments pushed for what he termed the "3Ps" -- people-oriented peace and prosperity.

"I am committed to raise the relationship with India which is embodied in the New Southern Policy, which is also aligned with Act East Policy pursued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,"Moon said.

The president said Korea will contribute actively to Make in India initiative of the government, adding that around 500 Korean companies are present in India.

Besides, Prabhu referred to the processing of marine products exported from India as one of the sunrise sectors for future bilateral cooperation, adding that there lies a great opportunity for Korean companies to come and invest in India.

He said India was thinking of setting up a special economic zone which can only house the Korean companies.

“I will urge my Korean friends that this is the place where you should invest because in the next 7-8 years India will be a 5 trillion dollar economy and if you take 15 years from now India will be a 10 trillion dollar economy. So the growth in India is inevitable, we are on course to do that,” Prabhu said.

He outlined manufacturing, services and agriculture as the areas having huge potential to enhance bilateral economic cooperation, adding that he has already discussed this with his Korean counterpart.

“We would like to give a concrete shape to this through the business participation,” he added.

The minister highlighted the importance of the South Korean President’s visit to India at a time when the country was in a growth trajectory, and expressed confidence that his coming here would help India’s economy touch the 8 per cent mark soon from 7.6 per cent in the last quarter.

India and South Korea are working to revise the CEPA which has been in place since 2009.

According to estimates, India’s export to South Korea stood at USD 4.4 billion in 2017-18, with an annual growth of 5.2 per cent. On the other hand, import from Korea was four times larger at USD 16.4 billion and rose 30 per cent in 2017-18.

The Korean President also highlighted India’s contribution to the world through Bollywood, Yoga, Nobel Laureates and meditation, observing that his daughter was a Yoga instructor and movies like Haathi Mere Saathi, Three Idiots and Dangal have garnered huge popularity in Korea.

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News Network
March 13,2020

New Delhi, Mar 13: Delhi's Tis Hazari Court on Friday sentenced expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and six others to 10 years imprisonment for the death of Unnao rape survivor's father. Sengar is already serving life imprisonment for raping the minor.

While sentencing them, District Judge Dharmesh Sharma said, "There can be no denying that rule of law was broken. Sengar was a public functionary and had to maintain the rule of law. The way the crime has been committed, it does not call for leniency."

Sengar and his brother Atul has been directed to give 10 lakh compensation to family of the victim for loss of their father. "There are four minor children involved, three girls and one boy. They have also been uprooted from native place," the judge said.

Seven people, including Sengar, his brother and two police personnel, were held guilty for culpable homicide and criminal conspiracy, earlier this month.

The case pertains to the death of rape survivor's father in custody on April 9, 2018. It was alleged that he was assaulted following a quarrel with some of the accused in the case.

He was taken to the police station and then framed for allegedly possessing an illegal firearm. Pursuant to this, he was sent to custodial remand, during which he died.

The case was transferred to Delhi from a trial court in Uttar Pradesh on the Supreme Court's directions in August last year. Both the death and illegal firearm case was later clubbed by the court.

During the arguments on sentencing on March 12, Sengar had told the court that he should be "hanged and acid poured into his eyes if he has done anything wrong".

The former MLA had also raped the daughter of the deceased in 2017 in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao district and was sent to jail for "remainder of his natural biological life", last year.

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Agencies
February 4,2020

New Delhi, Feb 4: Saying the matter had been adjourned many times and it will have to hear it someday, the Supreme Court on Tuesday fixed April 14 for hearing a plea by Zakia Jafri, wife of slain MP Ehsan Jafri, challenging the SIT's clean chit to then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 riots.

A bench comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari posted the matter for hearing in April after Zakia's counsel sought an adjournment and urged the court to post it after the Holi vacation.

When advocate Aparna Bhat, appearing for Zakia, told the court that the issue in the matter is contentious, the bench said, "It has been adjourned so many times, whatever it is, we will have to hear it someday. Take one date and make sure you all are available." Zakia had filed a petition in the apex court in 2018 challenging the Gujarat High Court's October 5, 2017 order rejecting her plea against the decision of the Special Investigation Team.

Ehsan Jafri was among the 68 people killed at Gulberg Society on February 28, 2002, a day after the S-6 Coach of the Sabarmati Express was burnt at Godhra killing 59 people and triggering riots in Gujarat.

On February 8, 2012, the SIT filed a closure report giving a clean chit to Modi and 63 others, including senior government officials, saying there was "no prosecutable evidence" against them.

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Althaf
 - 
Tuesday, 4 Feb 2020

No use.. will Supreme court gives justice??? 

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News Network
May 29,2020

New Delhi, May 29: In a powerful display of inter community solidarity, a team of Sikh volunteers visited Delhi's Jama Masjid and sanitized the 17th century monument.

As the national capital battled coronavirus, the historic Jama Masjid is closed for congregational prayers. However, the team of Sikh volunteers effectively sanitized the monument to ensure it is safe for the caretakers and visitors.

The volunteers affiliated with United Sikhs organization also met Naib Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Syed Shaban Bukhari during the visit. The latter thanked the team for the humanitarian gesture and underlined the need for all sections of humanity to unite in the face of this crisis.

"The Sikh community has always displayed exemplary commitment to humanity and we are thankful to the United Sikhs' team for their initiative. This enormous crisis facing the human race can be fought off only if all communities, nations and people unite and fight it together. In recent weeks we have seen heart wrenching images of misery in the country as thousands of migrant workers return to their villages. At the same time we have also seen positive stories of different people uniting to help and feed them. We hope that together we will overcome this crisis," said Syed Shaban Bukhari, Naib Shahi Imam, Jama Masjid, Delhi.

Shaban Bukhari has also advised Muslims across the country to strictly avoid congregational prayers this Eid and pray at homes. He is young leader, who really believes in secularism. For him, humanity and kindness come first.

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