India, Thailand Discuss Measures To Strengthen Navy-to-Navy Cooperation

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar held a meeting with his visiting Thai counterpart Admiral Adoong Paan-Iam on Monday and discussed measures to further strengthen Navy-to-Navy cooperation.

The two sides also held discussions on the present situation in the Indian Ocean region, with emphasis on the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and the need for collaborative efforts towards ensuring peace, stability and maritime security.

Admiral Adoong Pan-Iam, Commander-in-Chief of Royal Thai Navy, is on an official visit to India from April 1-3.

In a post on X, Indian Navy Spokesperson stated, "Adm Adoong Pan-Iam, Commander-in-Chief, #RoyalThaiNavy on an official visit to #India interacted with Adm R Hari Kumar #CNS at South Block, New Delhi. Both Principals discussed measures to further strengthen Navy to Navy cooperation incl Ops, Trg & related issues. The present situation in the #IOR with emphasis on Red Sea & Gulf of Aden, and the need for collaborative efforts towards ensuring peace, stability & #maritimesecurity was also deliberated."

According to the Ministry of Defence press release, discussions between Admiral R Hari Kumar and Admiral Adoong Pan-Iam centred around issues of mutual cooperation in the maritime domain, training exchange programmes and information sharing.

Earlier in the day, Admiral Adoong Pan-Iam laid a ceremonial wreath at the National War Memorial. He was welcomed by the customary Guard of Honour presented by the Indian Navy at the South Block.

His visit to India is a testimony of strong "bilateral relations and lasting friendship" between the navies of India and Thailand, the MEA said.

He is also scheduled to call on Chief of the Defence Staff, Chief of the Air Staff, Defence Secretary, and the National Maritime Security Co-ordinator.

"To further deepen Defence Cooperation between both countries, Adm Adoong Pan-Iam is scheduled to meet officials of the Indian Defence Industries and the Department of Defence Production at New Delhi," the MEA release said.

"Following this, an interactive session with Indian Navy Officials from the Warship Design Bureau is also planned to explore current trends in ship building and identify future opportunities, including scope of ship maintenance and repairs in India," it added.

The navies of India and Thailand have been conducting regular Coordinated Patrols on biannual basis since 2005, and the maiden IN-RTN bilateral Exercise, viz, Ex- Ayutthaya was held in December 23 last year.

Recently, one Royal Thai Navy ship, HTMS Prachup Kheri Khan, participated in MILAN 24, held in February 2024 in Visakhapatnam. The two navies are also active members of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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देशभर में लोकसभा चुनाव का शोर, दिल्ली के बॉर्डर पर अब भी डटे हैं किसान; बताया क्या है आगे का प्लान?

लोकसभा चुनाव (Lok Sabha Elections 2024) को लेकर देश भर में जारी तैयारी के बीच पंजाब के किसानों का आंदोलन जारी है. , पंजाब के किसान लगभग दो महीने से हरियाणा के साथ लगती राज्य की सीमा पर डेरा डाले हुए हैं. किसान पहले दिल्ली मार्च की तैयारी कर रहे थे हालांकि बाद में सरकार के साथ कई दौर की बातचीत के बाद उन्होंने अपने मार्च को स्थगित कर दिया.  इन किसानों ने अपनी फसलों के लिए न्यूनतम समर्थन मूल्य (MSP) की कानूनी गारंटी और कृषि ऋण माफी आदि की मांगों को लेकर 13 फरवरी को दिल्ली तक मार्च शुरू किया, लेकिन सुरक्षा कर्मियों ने उन्हें हरियाणा सीमा पर रोक दिया. किसान तब से पंजाब और हरियाणा के बीच शंभू और खनौरी बॉर्डर पर डेरा डाले हुए हैं.

ऑल इंडिया किसान सभा के सदस्य कृष्ण प्रसाद ने कहा कि किसान भारतीय जनता पार्टी (BJP) सरकार और उसकी नीतियों का विरोध करने के लिए प्रतिबद्ध हैं.

क्या तमिलनाडु के किसानों वाला मॉडल अपनाएंगे पंजाब के किसान?
करीब तीन दशक पहले सरकारी नीतियों से नाखुश तमिलनाडु के एक हजार से अधिक किसानों ने अपनी शिकायतों की ओर ध्यान आकर्षित करने के लिए लोकसभा चुनाव में एक ही निर्वाचन क्षेत्र से नामांकन दाखिल किया था. यही वह समय था जब निर्वाचन आयोग (EC) को इरोड जिले के मोदाकुरिची से अप्रत्याशित 1,033 उम्मीदवारों को समायोजित करने के लिए पारंपरिक 'मतपत्र' के बजाय 'मतपत्र पुस्तिका' जारी करनी पड़ी.

ऑल इंडिया किसान सभा के सदस्य कृष्ण प्रसाद ने ‘पीटीआई-भाषा' से कहा, ''हालांकि हमारा वह (चुनावी) रास्ता अपनाने की योजना नहीं है. दिल्ली में हुई महापंचायत में हमने भाजपा का विरोध करने और उसकी नीतियों को उजागर करने के अपने रुख की घोषणा की थी. हम इस मुद्दे पर एकजुट हैं.'' 

किसानों को राजनीतिक दलों से कोई उम्मीद नहीं
राष्ट्रीय किसान महासंघ  के सदस्य अभिमन्यु कोहाड़ ने कहा, ''हम 13 फरवरी से सीमाओं पर बैठे हैं और हमने खुद को चुनावी राजनीति से दूर कर लिया है. हमारा मानना है कि जब विपक्ष में होते हैं तो सभी दल किसानों का समर्थन करते हैं लेकिन जब सत्ता में होते हैं तो वे सभी कॉर्पोरेट समर्थक और किसान विरोधी बन जाते हैं.” 

14 मार्च को दिल्ली में किसानों ने की थी महापंचायत 
पुलिस ने किसानों को कुछ शर्तों के साथ ही 'किसान मजदूर महापंचायत' आयोजित करने की अनुमति दी थी. जिसमें कहा गया था कि वह ट्रैक्टर ट्रॉली नहीं लाएंगे और न ही कोई मार्च निकालेंगे और 5,000 से अधिक प्रदर्शनकारी एक जगह इकट्ठा भी नहीं हो सकेंगे. इस महापंचायत का मकसद "सरकार की नीतियों के खिलाफ लड़ाई को तेज करना", एमएसपी जैसे मुद्दों पर ध्यान केंद्रित करना और स्वामीनाथन आयोग की सिफारिशों को लागू करवाना था."

मोदाकुरिची में किसानों के अनोखे विरोध के कारण EC को हुई थी परेशानी
गौरतलब है कि तमिलनाडु के किसानों के अनोखे विरोध के कारण मोदाकुरिची में चुनाव करवाने में चुनाव आयोग को काफी परेशानी का सामना करना पड़ा था. मोदाकुरिची के 1,033 किसानों ने 1996 के लोकसभा चुनाव के लिए नामांकन दाखिल किया था, तो निर्वाचन आयोग को 'अखबारों की तरह मतपत्र' छापने पड़े थे और चार फुट से अधिक ऊंची मतपेटियां रखनी पड़ी थी. उम्मीदवारों की लंबी सूची को समायोजित करने के लिए मतदान के घंटे भी बढ़ाए गए थे. उस चुनाव में द्रविड़ मुन्नेत्र कषगम (द्रमुक) की सुब्बुलक्ष्मी जगदीशन अन्नाद्रमुक के आर एन किट्टूसामी को हराकर विजयी हुई थीं.

जगदीशन, किट्टुसामी और एक निर्दलीय को छोड़कर सभी उम्मीदवारों की जमानत जब्त हो गई. 88 उम्मीदवारों को कोई वोट नहीं मिला, वहीं 158 को केवल एक-एक वोट मिला. वर्ष 1996 के आम चुनाव में सबसे अधिक 13,000 उम्मीदवार थे. इसके बाद निर्वाचन आयोग ने जमानत राशि 500 रुपये से बढ़ाकर 10,000 रुपये कर दी. इससे 1998 के लोकसभा चुनावों में उम्मीदवारों की संख्या प्रति सीट 8.75 तक लाने में मदद मिली.

ये भी पढ़ें-:

• लोकसभा चुनाव 2024 : जेल में बंद अरविंद केजरीवाल ने दी 6 गारंटी, पत्नी सुनीता ने महारैली में पढ़कर सुनाई
•  "तीसरी सबसे बड़ी अर्थव्यवस्था बनते ही भारत से गरीबी भी हो जाएगी दूर" : मेरठ की रैली में PM मोदी

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3 Reasons Behind PM Modi's Popularity As Listed By UK Magazine

Elites may usually dislike populist leaders globally, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeing increasing support among educated voters, international publication The Economist has said.

In an article titled 'Why India's elites back Narendra Modi', the publication said, "Three factors -- class politics, economics, and elite admiration for strongman rule -- help explain why." Calling it 'the Modi paradox', The Economist said India's prime minister is often lumped together with right-wing populists such as Donald Trump, but Modi, who is expected to win a third term, is no ordinary strongman.

"In most places, support for anti-establishment populists, such as Trump, and policies such as Brexit tends to be inversely correlated with university education. Not in India. Call it the Modi paradox. It helps explain why he is the most popular leader of any major democracy today," it noted.

Quoting a Gallup survey, it said that in America just 26 per cent of respondents with a university education approved of Trump, compared with 50 per cent of those without, but Modi bucks this trend altogether.

Citing a Pew Research survey, it said that in 2017, 66 per cent of Indians who had no more than a primary school education said they had a "very favourable" view of Modi, but the number rose to 80 per cent among Indians with at least some higher education.

After the 2019 general election, a Lokniti survey found that around 42 per cent of Indians with a degree supported PM Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, while around 35 per cent of those with only a primary-school education did.

At the same time, The Economist said, PM Modi's success among the well-educated does not come at the expense of support among other groups.

Like other populist leaders, his biggest inroads have been made among lower-class voters, it quoted Neelanjan Sircar, a political scientist at the Centre for Policy Research, as saying.

While the pattern of his support is comparable to other countries in which less-educated or rural people have shifted right, unlike many of his counterparts abroad, PM Modi has also been able to increase his support among the educated, it said.

Citing economics as a major factor, the article said that India's strong GDP growth, albeit unequally distributed, is driving a rapid increase in the size and wealth of the Indian upper-middle class.

The Congress party enjoyed strong support among the upper-middle class during the fast-growing late 2000s and it took a slowdown and a series of corruption scandals in the 2010s to change things, it said.

"But Modi's tenure has increased India's economic and geopolitical standing in the world, too," it added.

Also, some think a dose of strongman rule is exactly what India needs and they point to China and the East Asian tigers, the experiences of which they believe show that muscular governance can tear down barriers to economic growth, it said.

On what could shake Modi's elite fan base, the publication said, "Continued weaponisation of the state, as in the case of (Delhi Chief Minister Arvind) Kejriwal, could come back to bite him; most elites still say they believe in democracy." It further said that elites feel that their support for Modi will continue until a credible alternative appears.

"Most elites have lost faith in Congress and its leader, Rahul Gandhi, who is seen as dynastic and out of touch," it said.

It quoted an unnamed senior Congress official as saying that PM Modi "has taken our best ideas" such as distributing welfare payments digitally, and "executed them better" than his party could have done.

"A stronger opposition is probably the only thing that will cause India's elites to abandon Modi. But for now, that is nowhere in sight," it concluded.

India will vote to elect a new government in seven phases between April 19 and June 1, and the results will be announced on June 4.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Top INDIA Bloc Leaders To Attend AAP's Delhi Rally On Sunday

Top INDIA bloc leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Akhilesh Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav among others will attend a 'maharally' to be held by the AAP at the Ramlila Maidan on March 31, senior party leader Gopal Rai said on Friday.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has received the permission of the authorities concerned to hold the rally for an attendance of more than 20,000 people. It is being held in the backdrop of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest, he said.

The call on whether Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal will address the 'Maharally' will be taken later, Mr Rai said.

Other prominent political leaders and members of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) like TMC's Derek O'Brien, DMK's Tiruchi Siva, NC's Farooq Abdullah and Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren of JMM will also attend the rally, he said.

Kalpana Soren, the wife of former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, who is currently in jail, will also attend the rally, he said.

The party leaders said they are also in touch with PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti, who may join the rally.

According to the party's senior leadership, they are planning a show of strength at the Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, from where they may launch a massive campaign against the ruling BJP government for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Mr Rai said after Arvind Kejriwal's arrest, the party has held multiple protests across Delhi. They noticed two kinds of law and order on road -- the Delhi police easily gives permissions to hold protests to the BJP but the opposition is not allowed for that, he said, and added that all this is happening when the model code of conduct of the Election Commission is in force.

The AAP finally managed to get the permission to hold the rally. It has also given some undertakings to the Delhi Police, the sources said.

The AAP has made a three-tier plan to motivate the people to come to the rally. First the meetings were held at the Vidhan Sabha level, then all the 2600 polling stations level and now a door-to-door campaign has started.

"We are going door-to-door to distribute invitation letters and urging people to come to Ramlila Maidan and raise their voices peacefully against democracy and dictatorship," he said.

Mr Rai claimed that ever since the BJP government at the Centre and the prime minister arrested the popularly elected chief minister of Delhi, there has been grave anger among the people. He said the people from every class and profession, students, youths and members of RWAs are expected to come in the rally.

On Thursday, Mr Kejriwal alleged in a Delhi court that the BJP government has given bail by taking Rs 60 crore from the same businessman on whose statements he has been jailed. Therefore, today there is significant anger among the people. Entire Delhi is going to gather in Ramlila Maidan at 10 am on March 31 against this "dictatorship", Mr Rai said.

A party leader said the theme of the party will be "tanashahi hatao, desh bachao" (save the country by abolishing dictatorship).

The AAP is expecting that all major leaders of the INDIA bloc will participate in the rally.

"To make the mega rally successful and to ensure the participation of as many people as possible, the Aam Aadmi Party has initiated the campaign of distributing invitation letters," a party statement said.

A party leader accused the BJP government of forcing them to indulge in law and order situation, so that they could get an opportunity to impose president's rule in Delhi.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Red-Headed Vulture With Satellite Ring Tied To Leg Released In Sky

A red-headed vulture, a scavenger and predatory bird was released into the open sky with a satellite ring tied to its leg in the Chilla range of Rajaji Tiger Reserve, a forest official said on Thursday.

"Every organism in the ecosystem has a role to play in maintaining its balance," Saket Badola, the reserve's Director, who released the bird on Wednesday, said.

The satellite ring will track the bird's movements and areas frequented by it, locations or tree species it prefers to make its nest in, and the ambience it selects for breeding, Badola said.

The bird was released under a programme being conducted jointly by the forest department personnel and an NGO, he said.

Due to the use of banned chemicals like diclofenac, birds of prey and scavengers have been under constant threat for the last several years and their numbers have declined.

Therefore, there is a great need for scientific research and study on birds of raptor class, said Badola. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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3 Punjab AAP MLAs Claim They Were Offered Crores To Join BJP

Soon after AAP's lone Lok Sabha MP from Punjab and an MLA joined the BJP on Wednesday, three AAP legislators from the state claimed that they received calls offering them money to join the BJP.

The Aam Aadmi Party alleged that the BJP had "again started Operation Lotus" in Punjab and was trying to break Arvind Kejriwal's party. There was no immediate reaction from the BJP on the allegations.

AAP legislator from Jalalabad Jagdeep Kamboj Goldy claimed that he received a call from one Sewak Singh from an international number on Tuesday with an offer to join the BJP.

Mr Kamboj told reporters that he asked the MLA to join the BJP and said, "'We will give Rs 20-25 crore'. I said I do not need it." Similar claims were made by Balluana MLA Amandeep Singh and Ludhiana South legislator Rajinder Pal Kaur Chhina.

They asserted that they would not leave the party.

Mr Kamboj alleged that the BJP was scared of Arvind Kejriwal and AAP. "Where they fail to win people's mandate, they try to buy MLAs, MP and other AAP leaders at any cost," he charged.

"Arvind Kejriwal is the leader who fought against corruption in politics and always did politics of work. But false cases have been registered and many AAP leaders have been sent to jail without any proof," he said.

They are trying to break the Aam Aadmi Party, he claimed.

"If they want to do horse trading, what is the need for an election system in the country? Punjab is a revolutionary state. After Delhi, the people of Punjab elected change.

"They can try all they want" but they won't be able to buy the ideology of Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann, said Mr Kamboj.

Ludhiana South legislator Chhina too claimed she got a call from one Sewak Singh. It was a call from an international number, she said.

He told me to join the BJP, she alleged.

Balluana MLA Amandeep Singh said he got a call on Tuesday and the person said he was calling from Delhi. "He asked me to join the BJP and offered Rs 45 crore," alleged Amandeep Singh.

The Aam Aadmi Party levelled the allegations on a day its lone Lok Sabha member Sushil Kumar Rinku joined the BJP along with party MLA Sheetal Angural, dealing a blow to the party already facing a crisis following the arrest of its leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Mr Rinku, the MP from Jalandhar in Punjab, and Angural, who was elected to the state Assembly from Jalandhar West, joined the BJP in the presence of Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri and its national general secretary Vinod Tawde.

The parliamentarian had quit the Congress to join AAP last year to fight the bypoll to the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat.

The BJP is likely to field him in the Lok Sabha polls as the party has been inducting a number of influential leaders of different parties in Punjab to emerge as a strong force in the state with 13 constituencies.

Three-term Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu from Punjab joined the BJP on Tuesday and asserted that people have made up their mind to elect Prime Minister Narendra Modi to power again.

Mr Bittu is the grandson of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh who was assassinated in a terror attack while still in office.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Arvind Kejriwal's Wife Reaches Probe Agency Office To Meet Him

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife, Sunita Kejriwal, reached the office of the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Tuesday evening to meet the AAP chief.

The Rouse Avenue Court on Friday remanded Mr Kejriwal to six days of ED custody in the money laundering case related to the alleged liquor policy scam case till March 28, following his arrest on March 21.

Earlier on Saturday, March 23, Sunita Kejriwal met CM Kejriwal at the ED's office.

Meanwhile, the BJP has been demanding that Mr Kejriwal relinquish the chief minister's post after his arrest in connection with the liquor policy case. However, the AAP has maintained that he will run the government from ED custody.

Earlier in the day, Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said that CM Kejriwal has issued a second order from the ED custody, asking him to address the shortage of medicines and diagnostic tests at mohalla clinics and hospitals in the national capital.

Mr Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate in relation to the excise policy case.

The case pertains to alleged irregularities and money laundering in framing and implementing the Delhi Excise Policy 2022, which was later scrapped.

While Mr Kejriwal was not named in the FIRs registered by the ED or the Central Bureau of Investigation in the Delhi excise policy case, his name first found a mention in the ED's chargesheet, wherein the agency claimed that he allegedly spoke to one of the main accused, Sameer Mahendru, in a video call and asked him to continue working with co-accused and AAP communications-in-charge Vijay Nair.

Nair was among the first people to be arrested by the CBI in the case, in 2022. Subsequently, former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh were arrested in connection with the case.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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