India makes a strong pitch for protecting the interests of the developing and under-developed countries at the WTO
India makes a strong pitch for protecting the interests of
the developing and under-developed countries at the WTO
Shri Piyush Goyal does some plain speaking at the 12th Ministerial Conference
of the WTO in Geneva
Raises concerns about the “skewed” WTO reforms proposal, need to retain the
S&DT provisions for the developing world, global inequities in Covid
vaccination and Public Stockholding of food grains
“Current proposals for WTO Reform could fundamentally change its institutional
architecture, skewing the system against the interests of developing
countries”: Shri Goyal
COVID Pandemic has exposed the inability of the world to promptly respond to
any crisis, whether on food security or health, economic well being or open
supply chains, says Shri Goyal
Shri Goyal proposes adopting environmentally-conscious lifestyles, more
sustainable lifestyles, based on 3Ps of “Pro Planet People” to tackle climate
change
India has made a strong pitch for
protecting the interests of the developing and under-developed countries at the
WTO. Plain speaking, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs,
Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal, representing
India at the 12th Ministerial Conference of the WTO in Geneva,
raised concerns about the “skewed” WTO reforms proposal, imperative need to
retain the Special and Differential Treatment (S&DT) provisions for the
developing world, global inequities in Covid vaccination and Public
Stockholding of foodgrains.
Why is it in news?
Speaking on the ‘Challenges
confronting the Ministerial Session’ yesterday, Shri Goyal said the current
proposals for WTO Reform could fundamentally change its institutional
architecture, skewing the system against the interests of developing countries.
“We need to move ahead preserving the core principles of consensus and ensuring
S&DT, with people and development being at the core of WTO’s future
agenda,” said Shri Goyal.
“Friends, those who question the
need for S&DT provisions are aware that the per capita GDP of the developed
countries is 20 to 50 times that of the developing countries. Even India is at
the lower end of the per capita GDP supporting 1.4 billion people. I believe,
the developing world aspires to work for a better future. Is it humane, fair or
even equitable that the developing world takes the same obligations as the
developed nations?,” he added.
Shri Goyal said the COVID pandemic
has exposed the inability of the world to promptly respond to any crisis,
whether on food security or health, economic well-being or open supply chains.
“When the world was desperately
looking for relief, the WTO was found wanting. As an example, vaccine inequity
persists even two years after COVID. When people in LDCs and several developing
countries are yet to be vaccinated, there are some countries who have already
administered the 3rd or 4th dose,” he said, adding, “This
is a collective failure of global governance & we need to introspect. Those
responsible need to seriously reflect deep within their hearts, it will help us
craft a more equitable, fair and prosperous future for every citizen of the
world and finally achieve the Sustainable Development Goals we had all
collectively agreed upon.”
To rebuild trust and credibility,
Shri Goyal said, we must first address mandated issues, like the Permanent
Solution to Public Stockholding agreed nearly a decade ago.
“The current global food crisis is a
reminder to us thatwe act now! Can we risk the lives of millions of people dependent
on food stocks maintained for the poor and vulnerable?,” Shri Goyal asked.
“During the pandemic, India alone distributed
100 million tonnes of food grains free of charge to 800 million Indians at a
cost of nearly US$50 billion. This was over and above the foodgrains distributed
as a part of our National Food Security Programme thus ensuring that nobody
ever slept hungry,” he said.
Shri Goyal argued that while
negotiating the Fisheries Subsidies, the livelihood of traditional fishermen
cannot be compromised.
“We cannot institutionalize the
privileges of a few countries and take away the right to progress for those who
are working for the vulnerable marginalized sections of society. Particularly
for those countries, who are not engaged in harmful deep seafishing, we need to
have different views. Otherwise, we may have a similar situation like the
Agreement on Agriculture, where inequities & asymmetries persist, causing
several countries to still depend on food aid,” he said.
On climate issues, Shri Goyal
proposed we need to adopt environmentally-conscious lifestyles, more
sustainable lifestyles, based on 3Ps of “Pro Planet People”.
“The WTO needs to rebuild trust. It
is time to demonstrate goodness, concern for people, more sensitivity to the
poor & vulnerable sections of society in the spirit of “Vasudhaiva
Kutumbakam”, which we believe in India as “The World is one Family”,” he said.
38th India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol begins in Andaman Sea and Straits of Malacca
38th
India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol begins in Andaman Sea and Straits of Malacca
The
38th India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol (IND-INDO CORPAT) between the Indian
Navy Units of Andaman & Nicobar Command (ANC) and Indonesian Navy is being
conducted from June 13 to 24 2022 in the Andaman Sea and Straits of Malacca.
Why is it in news?
The
38th CORPAT is the first post pandemic Coordinated Patrol
(CORPAT) between the two countries. It includes a visit by the Indonesian Navy
units to ANC at Port Blair from June 13 to 15, 2022 followed by a Sea Phase in
the Andaman Sea and visit by IN Units to Sabang (Indonesia) from June 23 to 24,
2022.
Highlights
· As part of Government of
India’s vision of SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region), Naval
Component under the aegis of HQ ANC undertakes coordinated patrols with other
littoral countries of the Andaman Sea along respective Exclusive Economic Zones
(EEZ) towards enhancing regional maritime security.
· India and Indonesia have
enjoyed especially close relations, covering a wide spectrum of activities and
interactions which have strengthened over the years. The two Navies have been
carrying out CORPAT along their International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL)
since 2002. This has helped build understanding and interoperability between
both the Navies and has facilitated measures to prevent and suppress Illegal
Unreported Unregulated (IUU) fishing, drug trafficking, maritime terrorism,
armed robbery and piracy, etc.
· The IND-INDO CORPAT
contributes towards forging strong bonds of friendship across the Andaman Sea
and Straits of Malacca.
PM shares transformative initiatives for all-round development of the Northeast – ‘8 Years of Purvottar Kalyan’
PM shares transformative
initiatives for all-round development of the Northeast – ‘8 Years of Purvottar
Kalyan’
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra
Modi has shared articles and tweet thread from his website, Namo App and MyGov
about transformative initiatives for all-round development of the Northeast
during the last 8 hears.
The Prime Minister tweeted:
“The last 8 years have seen
unprecedented development in the Northeast. The focus is on infrastructure
creation, ensuring better healthcare, education and popularising the rich
cultures from the different states of the region. #8YearsOfPurvottarKalyan”
“Transformative initiatives for
all-round development of the Northeast. #8YearsOfPurvottarKalyan”
Project for Construction of New Link NH-133B in Jharkhand including Ganga Bridge , Construction of Manihari Bypass and Widening of NH-131A in Bihar targeted to be completed by October 2024
Project for Construction of
New Link NH-133B in Jharkhand including Ganga Bridge , Construction of Manihari
Bypass and Widening of NH-131A in Bihar targeted to be completed by October
2024
The project for the construction of New Link NH-133B From
0.200 km in Jharkhand to 15.885 km including Ganga Bridge , Construction of
Manihari Bypass From 0.000 km To 5.500 km and Widening of NH-131A from 5.500 km
to 6.000 km in Bihar to 4-Lane standards is in full swing. This
information was shared by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri
Nitin Gadkari in a series of tweets today
.The Minister said the new
link of NH-133B project spanning 21.68 km, is a one of its kind project
involving the construction of a 6 km long Ganga Bridge (world’s third longest
extra-dosed bridge), Manihari bypass and widening of NH-131A.
Shri Gadkari said the highway once constructed shall connect
Sahibganj (Jharkhand) to Manihari (Bihar) and aims to reduce travel distance by
1/10th. This will serve as a strategic connecting point to North East
also.Currently under construction, 2750 construction workers have been engaged
to deliver this project costing Rs 1900 Crore, he added.
The Minister said it will further reduce the traffic
congestion at Vikram Shila Setu bridge in Bhagalpur and provide impetus to
creation of job opportunities for the local population .He said the project is
targeted to be completed by October 2024. New India is being forged with the
vision of incredible infrastructure everywhere, he added.