Iran vows security for pipeline

January 5, 2013

Saeed_Jalili

New Delhi, Jan 5: Tehran on Friday sought to allay New Delhi’s concerns over security of the proposed pipeline for bringing natural gas from Iran to India through Pakistan, stating that it was capable of protecting its energy supplies to the countries in the region.

A skeptical New Delhi, however, refrained from committing itself afresh to the ambitious project, but stated that issues like security of the pipeline and pricing of the gas could be discussed during the India-Iran Joint Commission Meeting, which might take place in Tehran in the next few months.

Saeed Jalili, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, is understood to have conveyed to External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon that Tehran was ready to guarantee security of the pipeline that would run through troubled Balochistan and Sindh provinces of Pakistan.

“Iran not only has the resources to cater to the energy requirements of the countries in the region, but also has the capability of guaranteeing security to its supplies even beyond its border,” Jalili told journalists at the end of his three-day tour to New Delhi. He was replying to a query about India’s apprehensions over the security of the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline.

Jalili cited the example of Iranian Navy’s anti-piracy operations in the international waters in Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman to drive home the point that the Islamic Republic was capable of guaranteeing not only continuous supply of gas to India through Pakistan, but also security of the pipeline even beyond its borders.

India cited concerns over cost of the gas and security of the pipeline to virtually withdraw from the project over the past couple of years, ostensibly under pressure from the United States, which is keen to isolate Iran and effectively implement sanctions it imposed on the Islamic Republic to dissuade it from making nuclear weapons.

Khurshid on Friday told journalists that India and Iran would discuss the pending issues about the IPI pipeline during the Joint Commission Meeting in Tehran. “Some issues about costs are yet to be sorted out. We will have a joint commission early this year sometime and in that joint commission, this issue will be taken up,” he told journalists after a meeting with Jalili.

India and Iran held the 16th Joint Commission Meeting in New Delhi in 2010. Khurshid was earlier scheduled to travel to Tehran to jointly co-chair the next Joint Commission Meeting with his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi in December. The meeting was, however, postponed and New Delhi and Tehran are now working on new dates for the meeting.

New Delhi earlier conveyed to Tehran that it would want Iran to be responsible for the safe passage of the gas through the pipeline’s 1,035-kilometre-long stretch in Pakistan and would pay for the fuel only when it would cross the Pakistan-India border.

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Agencies
January 15,2020

Mumbai, Jan 15: Michael Debabrata Patra took over as Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday.

He was an Executive Director of India's central bank before being elevated to the post of Deputy Governor.

An RBI release said that as Deputy Governor, Patra will look after Monetary Policy Department including Forecasting and Modelling Unit (MPD/MU), Financial Markets Operations Department (FMOD), Financial Markets Regulation Department.

He will also look after Market Intelligence (FMRD/MI), International Department (Intl. D), Department of Economic and Policy Research (DEPR), Department of Statistics and Information Management (including Data and Information Management Unit) (DSIM/DIMU), Corporate Strategy and Budget Department (CSBD) and Financial Stability Unit.

Patra, a career central banker since 1985, has worked in various positions in the Reserve Bank of India.

As Executive Director, he was a member of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of RBI, which is invested with the responsibility of monetary policy decision making in India. He will continue to be an ex-officio member of the MPC as Deputy Governor.

Prior to this, he was Principal Adviser of the Monetary Policy Department, Reserve Bank of India between July 2012 and October 2014.

He has worked in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as Senior Adviser to Executive Director (India) during December 2008 to June 2012, when he actively engaged in the work of the IMF's Executive Board through the period of the global financial crisis and the ongoing Euro area sovereign debt crisis.

The release said that his book "The Global Economic Crisis through an Indian Looking Glass" vividly captures this experience.

He has also published papers in the areas of inflation, monetary policy, international trade and finance, including exchange rates and the balance of payments.

A fellow of the Harvard University where he undertook post-doctoral research in the area of financial stability, he has a PhD in Economics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai.

He will hold the post for three years or until further orders. The post fell vacant after Viral Acharya resigned on July 23 last year.

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News Network
January 24,2020

New Delhi, Jan 24: Under attack for doling out subsidies, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said freebies in limited dose are good for the economy as they make more money available to the poor and boosts demand.

Opposition parties have been attacking the AAP-led Delhi government for giving "freebies" ahead of polls after it announced schemes like free bus rides for women and 200 units of free electricity.

"Freebies, in limited dose, are good for economy. It makes more money available to poor, hence boosts demand. However, it should be done in such limits so that no extra taxes have to be imposed and it does not lead to budget deficits," Kejriwal said in a tweet.

Slamming the BJP, Kejriwal said he is happy that the people of Delhi have forced the Saffron party to ask for votes on the basis of CCTVs, schools and unauthorised colonies.

Reacting to a tweet of the BJP Delhi in which Home Minister Amit Shah had asked how many schools have been constructed and cameras installed by the AAP government, Kejriwal said he is happy that Shah saw some CCTV cameras as earlier he had claimed that he could not find a single one.

"I am happy you saw some CCTV cameras. A few days back you said there was not a single camera. Take out some time we will show you our schools also. I am extremely happy that the people of Delhi have changed the politics by which the BJP has to ask for votes on CCTV, schools and raw colonies here," he said in a tweet.

Responding to Shah's allegation that he could not find WiFi in Delhi as promised by Kejriwal and that his battery drained out in the process, the Delhi chief minister said along with free WiFi they have also made arrangement for free charging points.

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Agencies
February 11,2020

New Delhi, Feb 11: People of Delhi have explained the true meaning of nationalism through their mandate, AAP's prominent face Manish Sisodia said as he clinched victory on the Patparganj seat.

Sisodia, who retained his seat for the third time, said the BJP indulged in "politics of hate", but people refused to be divided.

"I am happy to have won the Patparganj seat again. The BJP indulged in politics of hate, but I thank the people of Patparganj. Today, Delhi's people have chosen a government which works for them and explained the true meaning of nationalism through their mandate," he told reporters.

Sisodia, who was the Deputy Chief Minister and led the government's education reforms agenda, defeated BJP's Ravinder Singh Negi by a margin of over 3,500 votes.

The initial trends saw a seesaw battle between Sisodia and Negi.

In 2013, Sisodia had won by a margin of 11,000 votes and in 2015 by over 28,000 votes.

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