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US raises arms sales pitch to India to 'contain' China

July 24, 2012

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New Delhi, July 24: After describing India as "a linchpin" in its new strategic policy to "re-balance" military forces towards Asia-Pacific, in what is seen by many to be an unfolding grand design to "contain" China, the US is now cranking up its arms sales pitch to New Delhi.

From ballistic missile defence (BMD) and aeronautics to robotics and micro-UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), the US is eager to collaborate with India in top-end defence technology in a bid to displace countries like Russia, Israel and France as the pre-eminent defence supplier to India.

India plans to spend upwards of $100 billion in acquiring weapon systems and platforms over the next decade. Having already bagged defence deals worth over $8 billion over the last few years, the US is obviously hungry for more.

"As a country committed to enduring peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region, India deserves the best military equipment available... India is a top priority in our export considerations," said visiting US deputy secretary of defence Ashton B Carter on Monday.

"Practically, we want to be India's highest-quality and most trusted long-term supplier of technology...We trust India and know India is not a re-exporter or exploiter of our technologies," he added, speaking at a CII function.

Carter, who held talks with defence minister A K Antony, national security advisor Shiv Shankar Menon, defence secretary Shashikant Sharma and foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai during the day, said New Delhi had emerged Washington's second largest FMS ( foreign military sales) customer in 2011 with imports worth $4.5 billion.

India has certainly shed its long-held suspicions about the US not being a reliable long-term defence supplier to India, in part due to continuing problems with Russian propensity to jack-up costs mid-way through projects and not provide proper transfer of technology and product support.

But it still remains wary about whether the US will really provide cutting-edge defence technology.

Carter stressed US and India will move beyond mere defence trade, or a buyer-seller relationship, to joint R&D and co-production in the years ahead. He identified BMD as a potential area for this defence cooperation but said the two nations should first discuss it at the "strategic" level before engaging in technical discussions.

"We want to knock down any remaining bureaucratic barriers in our defence relationship, and strip away the impediments...Buying American systems, whether through direct commercial sales or FMS, will get India exceptionally high-quality technology, a high degree of transparency, and no corruption (this is mandated by our legal system)," he said.

The Indian defence ministry, too, seems to favour the direct government-to-government agreement under the American FMS system. India, for instance, is now close to inking $647 million contract for the acquisition of 145 M-777 ultra-light howitzers from the US in a FMS deal. This comes after the finalization of another such deal worth $4.1 billion for 10 C-17 Globemaster-III strategic airlift aircraft.

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News Network
May 21,2020

Bengaluru, May 21: The top two food-delivery startups, Swiggy and Zomato, will begin delivering alcohol in some cities starting from today, as they cash in on the high demand for booze during the country's coronavirus lockdown.

India was among the few countries to restrict liquor and tobacco sales as it announced one of the world's strictest lockdowns in March.

Hundreds of people started queuing up at liquor stores earlier this month when the government eased some restrictions, leading the police to resort to baton-charges to disperse crowds in some cases.

The companies will roll out the service in select cities in Jharkhand, starting with Ranchi from today, Swiggy and Zomato said in separate statements.

Swiggy said it was in advanced talks with multiple states to launch the service in more locations, and both firms said the move to allow alcohol orders through smartphones will promote social distancing and customer safety.

"By enabling home delivery of alcohol, we can generate additional business for retail outlets while solving the problem of overcrowding," said Anuj Rathi, vice president of products at Bengaluru-based Swiggy.

The new service also comes as both Swiggy and Zomato face sharp declines in their core business, with restaurants remaining shut during the two-month lockdown, forcing the companies to cut hundreds of jobs to save cash.

News agency reported earlier this month that Zomato was aiming to branch out into delivering alcohol. Swiggy is backed by South African internet group Naspers Ltd, while Ant Financial, an affiliate of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, is a major investor in Zomato.

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News Network
March 16,2020

Mar 16: A fourth batch of 53 Indians returned to India from Iran on Monday, taking the total number of people evacuated from the coronavirus-hit country to 389.

This comes a day after over 230 Indians were brought back from Iran to New Delhi and quarantined at the Indian Army Wellness Centre in Jaisalmer, the third batch to be evacuated from that country.

"Fourth batch of 53 Indians - 52 students and a teacher - has arrived from Tehran and Shiraz, Iran. With this, a total of 389 Indians have returned to India from Iran. Thank the efforts of the team @India_in_Iran and Iranian authorities," Jaishankar tweeted.

The Indians came in a Mahan Air flight that landed at the Delhi airport at around 3 am, officials said, adding that they were later taken to Jaisalmer in an Air India flight for being quarantined.

The first batch of 58 Indian pilgrims were brought back from Iran last Tuesday and the second group of 44 Indian pilgrim arrived from there on Friday.

Iran is one of the worst-affected countries by the coronavirus outbreak and the government has been working to bring back Indians stranded there. Over 700 people have died from the disease in Iran and nearly 14,000 cases have been detected.

Jaishankar had told Rajya Sabha last week that the government was focusing on evacuating Indians stranded in Iran and Italy as these countries are facing an "extreme situation".

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Agencies
July 30,2020

Mumbai, Jul 30: Counterfeiting incidents have increased 24 per cent in the country in 2019 over the previous year, creating an over Rs 1 lakh crore hole in the economy, according to a report.

The report also said counterfeiters are having a free run due to the pandemic-driven disruptions to organised supply chains and the resultant spike in consumer demand.

According to the report by ASPA, a self-regulated industry body of anti-counterfeiting and traceability solutions providers, counterfeiting has risen steadily in the last few years, and exploiting the pandemic as a cover for their activities.

Between February and April 2020, over 150 incidents of counterfeiting cases were reported, mostly about fake PPE kits, sanitisers and masks taking advantage of the high demand for these products, it noted.

"There was a 24 per cent increase in counterfeiting in 2019 over 2018, leading to the loss of more than Rs 1 lakh crore to the overall economy," said Nakul Pasricha, president of Authentication Solution Providers Association.

The association works with global authorities like the International Hologram Manufacturers Association, Counterfeit Intelligence Bureau of the Interpol, and domestic industry lobbies like Ficci, he said.

Counterfeiting is a universal issue and is 3.3 per cent of global trade, according to the OECD data, impacting social and economic development across the world.

The report lists the currency, FMCG, alcohol, pharma, documents, agriculture, infrastructure, automotive, tobacco, lifestyle and apparel, as the 10 sectors impacted most by counterfeiting.

Among these, currency, alcohol and FMCG continue to be the top three sectors with the highest counterfeiting in the last two years. The FMCG sector is most vulnerable, as counterfeit incidents rose 63 per cent between 2018 (79) and 2019 when the reported cases jumped to 129.

Within the states, the fakers have a free run in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bengal, Punjab, Jharkhand, Delhi, Gujarat, and Uttarakhand, calling for urgent actions to frame anti-counterfeiting policy measures.

According to the report, UP continues to be on top followed by Bihar, Rajasthan, and together these three states represent almost 45 per cent of all counterfeiting reported in the last two years.

What is more alarming is that counterfeiting is not limited to high-end luxury items today, as common everyday items as fake cumin seeds, mustard cooking oil, ghee, hair oils, soaps, baby care vaccines and medicines are aplenty in the markets.

"There is an urgent need for building and nurturing authentication ecosystems in the country with the active involvement and active participation of all stakeholders," said Pasricha.

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