S Jaishankar On What "Separates India From Rest" In Dealing With Trump 2.0

US President-elect Donald Trump has had a positive political view of India and it is in a much more advantageous position than many other countries to build "deeper" relations with his administration and take forward the bilateral ties, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday.

In an interactive session at industry chamber ASSOCHAM, Mr Jaishankar at the same time noted that like many other countries, India may also have some issues and it will deal with them.

The External Affairs Minister said there are countries which are looking at Trump 2.0 as a political challenge but for India, that is not the case.

"We'll have to work out a political equation with America and that is one area where we score because we've always had a positive political relationship with Trump. I would say Trump has always had a positive political view of India," he said.

"Like everybody else, we may also have some issues. We will deal with those issues, but I would say when I look around the world today, you know there are countries who (are) looking at Trump 2.0 as a political challenge. We are not," he said.

"And I think that separates us from a very large number of countries. We are in a much more advantageous position to translate 2.0 into a deeper relationship," he added.

Mr Jaishankar said the US would need India in many areas where they would like to take technology leads.

The two countries would have to build an understanding of mutual benefits and relationships in several areas like emerging and critical technologies as trusted partners.

There have been concerns in many countries over the Trump administration's policy over a range of sensitive issues including tariff, climate change and overall foreign policy priorities against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the situation in West Asia.

On India's proposed free trade agreements with the European Union and the UK, Mr Jaishankar said there are certain non-trade complex issues.

"In the case of the EU, there are multiple members. So everybody has their interest. So how to harmonise it? That is a challenge. But overall we believe that it will benefit us," he said.

Mr Jaishankar said that a free trade deal with the EU will improve India's market access.

The external affairs minister described the markets in Europe as predictable and stable markets. "I would say from an economic standpoint, we should definitely put great effort into improving our access with Europe...In many ways, the risk factors are much less than in many other parts," he said.

Mr Jaishankar also said that the way important economies look at India has undergone a tremendous change in the last 10 years.

He said the third back-to-back term of the Narendra Modi government has impressed most nations and political leaders of the world.

Talking about the MSMEs and their role in manufacturing, the external affairs minister said it is one of the top priorities of the Modi government.

"We have to create more manufacturing zones, improve logistics and make ourselves more competitive. I think we have made progress but there is a lot we will have to do," he said.

The MSMEs have to deal with unfair competition and the government has to be protecting their interest, especially when negotiating free trade agreements.

He said the Modi government has been careful in this regard and has even sought review of FTA with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) as the existing agreement has been leaving a negative impact on India's agriculture and MSMEs.
 

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IIT-Roorkee Student Found Dead In Hostel, Police Suspect Suicide

A 19-year-old student of IIT-Roorkee was found dead in the institute's hostel on Wednesday, police said, adding that they suspect it to be a case of suicide. 

The body of the student, who hailed from Nagaur district in Rajasthan, was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his room at Jawahar Bhawan, one of the men's hostels of the institute.

The student was pursuing a BS-MS (Mathematics and Computing) Program at the institute, and was in his fifth semester.

According to the police, a preliminary probe revealed that the student was reportedly upset over securing less marks in the semester examinations. The student's friends and classmates said he appeared depressed and gradually stopped communicating with others, police added. 

The teen's friends and classmates said he was last seen roaming in the hostel at 2am on Wednesday.

The body has been sent for post mortem and a detailed probe is underway, police said.

In a statement, IIT-Roorkee said the "heartbreaking event has deeply impacted the entire IIT Roorkee community". "The institute is cooperating fully with the authorities as the police investigate the circumstances surrounding this incident," it said.

Earlier in February, a 20-year-old BTech third year student from Hyderabad alleged died by suicide in her hostel room at IIT-Roorkee. Police said a suicide note purportedly written by her said no one was responsible for her death.

In October, a 21-year-old IIT Delhi student allegedly died by suicide in his hostel room. Police said no suicide note was found in the room but the student from Jharkhand's Deoghar was under psychiatric treatment and had visited the IIT Hospital a day before he took the extreme step. 

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Centre To Give 95% Quota To Locals In Ladakh Gazetted Officers' Posts

In a big breakthrough, the Centre has in-principle agreed to reserve 95 per cent gazetted officers' posts for locals in the Union Territory of Ladakh.

"It's big news for the people of Ladakh. People have been praying for some good news from this meeting and now their prayers have been answered. The MHA has agreed to reserve 95 per cent gazetted officers' jobs for locals," Ladakh MP Hanifa Jan told NDTV.

According to him, the finer details about how it is going to be implemented will be discussed in the next meeting on January 15.

"We were very straightforward with MHA officials and took up issues concerning youth and employment, and we have been assured that our concerns are genuine and will be addressed," he said, referring to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

"On the details whether we would get a separate Public Service Commission or will it be merged with Jammu and Kashmir are going to be worked out in the next meeting. But this meeting was good and our voices were heard by ministry officials," former BJP MP Thupstan Chhewang told NDTV.

According to him, as soon as the meeting began, a list of doables were discussed.

"There are over 400 posts vacant, and we have been assured they would go to the people of Ladakh and tribals here," Mr Chhewang said.

After months of the stalled dialogue, the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), an amalgam of social, political, trade, students and religious groups from Ladakh, met Union Minister of State Nityanand Rai, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, and MHA officials.

The delegation has been seeking statehood for Ladakh to ensure people's participation in governance, administrative efficiency, better governance, and economic development.

Their second demand includes pushing for Ladakh's inclusion under the 6th Schedule for greater autonomy, cultural identities, environmental preservation, and protection of tribal rights.

They are also urging for setting up a public service commission for Ladakh and expedited recruitment of gazetted officers to address administrative needs.

As far as separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil are concerned, that has been stalled as the Centre has made it clear that this can be discussed only after the 2026 Census.

The Centre also proposed to work on a draft to ensure "constitutional safeguards" to preserve the land and culture of Ladakh, and agreed to declare Urdu and Bhoti the official languages of Ladakh. The MHA proposed to review 22 pending laws to address local concerns, empowerment, and wildlife areas.

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India To Explore Closer Collaboration With US Under Trump's Term: Jaishankar

Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar on Monday said that India would be exploring more "collaborative possibilities" with the US once the Donald Trump-led administration takes over.

Addressing the CII Partnership Summit 2024 on the theme of 'India and the World,' S. Jaishankar said: "The advent of the second Trump Administration is also obviously a major consideration in business circles. Obviously, the only safe prediction is a degree of unpredictability. Different countries have had their own experiences from the first Administration and would presumably draw from that to approach the second. Where India is concerned, I can state with confidence that the strategic convergences with the United States have only grown deeper with time. They have created a larger environment in which more collaborative possibilities can be explored.

"Naturally, between two major economies, there will always be some give and take. When we look at economic or technology domains, the case for trusted and reliable partnerships have actually increased in recent years. A lot of what lies ahead would be in fashioning terms of engagement that are perceived as mutually beneficial. And in that regard, the more that India can bring to the table, the stronger our appeal."

He also said that economic re-balancing has started to acquire strategic connotations with the US-China friction assuming a salience that could not have been envisaged, just a few years ago.

The Ukraine conflict has created its own ripples, reflected in food, fuel and fertiliser insecurities. The Global South is also feeling the brunt of inflation, debt, currency shortages and trade volatility. In short, the world looks a tough place. And tough situations call for more friends and partners, S. Jaishankar said.

He further stated that in any economic conversation, FTAs inevitably arise as a possible avenue of partnership.

"There is much truth in that, but equally, grounds for some caution. A low per capita income country with small producers will have a natural reticence about excessive external exposure. This is all the more so if that exposure is to unfair, subsidised and large-scale competition. The nature of commerce and supply chains in the world is such that orthodox precautions are not always adequate. Yet, it would be unwise to forego opportunities and limit access. The working principle, therefore, has to be one of proceeding with caution," the Minister observed.

S. Jaishankar said that in recent years, India has progressed with the EFTA nations, UAE, Australia and Mauritius. Some major agreements are under discussion. In a world under churn, such endeavours will naturally occupy greater mind space, he added.

Partnerships are also increasingly cognisant of demographic challenges. The mismatch between the demands for skills and its availability is actually going to increase sharply, even in this decade itself. We, in India, have noted that mobility has steadily emerged on the global agenda as an area of cooperation.

Societies that were historically resistant are now moving to have a second look, the minister added.

At the same time, he pointed out that there was a flipside as well that needs to be appreciated.

"We are seeing a trend in the proliferation of Global Capability Centres in our country. In many ways, they have an efficiency and a sensitivity which addresses contemporary needs. 'In source' from India may well become the new mantra," he remarked.

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

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Trinamool Leader Thrashes Man With Rod, Kills Him; Arrested: Bengal Cops

A Trinamool Congress leader in West Bengal's Murshidabad district was on Sunday arrested on charges of killing a person who had demanded the return of the money that he had given him for ensuring the inclusion of his name in the list of beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) scheme.

The arrested Trinamool leader has been identified as Mithu Sheikh and the victim as Kali Sheikh. Both are residents of Mukundapur village under Mithipur village panchayat under Raghunathganj police station in Murshidabad.

As per the complaint registered by the family members of Kali Sheikh, he, for quite some time, was trying to get his name enrolled in the list of beneficiaries under the PMAY scheme and for that purpose, he was approaching many influential persons, including Mithu Sheikh.

Mithu Sheikh assured Kali Sheikh of getting his name enrolled in the list and took Rs 5,000 from him to get the work done, as per the complaint.

However, in the published list, Kali Sheikh's name still did not appear and hence on Saturday night, he went to the residence of Mithu Sheikh to demand the return of the money.

There was a heated discussion between the two, following which Mithu Sheikh allegedly started beating up Kali Sheikh with an iron rod. The neighbours somehow rescued a profusely bleeding Kali Sheikha and got him admitted to a local hospital. However, he died on Sunday morning, Thereafter, the family members lodged a police complaint following which Mithu Sheikh was arrested in the afternoon.

The development has created ripples in the locality and also become a cause of embarrassment for Trinamool leadership. The party's district president Kalilur Rahaman, however, said if any individual commits a crime, its responsibility does not necessarily come on the party.

"The law will take its own course," he said

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

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"Torture": Court Raps UP Police For Detaining Pregnant Woman For 6 Hours

The Allahabad High Court has come down heavily on the Uttar Pradesh Police for "unlawfully detaining" a pregnant woman accompanied by her two-year-old child for over six hours to record her statement in a kidnapping case filed by her family, terming it "abuse of authority" and "torture".

It directed the police to pay Rs 1 lakh to the eight-month pregnant woman and instructed the state government to issue guidelines for police to handle cases involving women more carefully.

The woman's family had lodged a complaint with the Agra Police, claiming she was kidnapped in August 2021 while on her way to appear for an exam. An FIR was lodged but investigation into the case did not see much progress. During the hearing of a habeas corpus petition filed by the woman's husband, their counsels Raghvendra P Singh and Mohd Sheraj refuted the kidnapping charge, saying she got married and has been living with her husband in Lucknow.

The petitioner's counsels told the Lucknow Bench of the high court that Sub-Inspector Anurag Kumar of the Agra Police had taken the eight-month pregnant woman accompanied by her two-year-old child in custody on November 29 in Lucknow to record her statement in the kidnapping case.

They claimed the investigating officer neither brought the case diary nor checked the woman's age before detaining her at the Chinahat Police Station in Lucknow for over six hours.

In its ruling, the bench of Justice Attau Rahman Masoodi and Justice Subhash Vidyarthi expressed grave concern over the violation of the woman's rights and noted that the "investigating officer failed to apply his mind to the allegations in the FIR".

"The manner in which police duties were carried out was far from the process of law and amounts to abuse of authority," the bench remarked.

The bench ordered that the woman be immediately released, taken back to her home in Lucknow and handed over to her husband in the presence of her legal counsel.

It also directed the Uttar Pradesh Police chief to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the officer involved and submit a report to the court within three months.

The high court bench underlined that the woman, being in an advanced stage of pregnancy and accompanied by her child, should never have been subjected to police custody.

It sought an affidavit from the state within 10 days, outlining the steps taken to comply with the ruling and emphasised that this case should serve as a reminder to police authorities to act with greater sensitivity in matters involving women.

The next hearing is scheduled for December 11. 

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

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RG Kar Ex-Principal Named In CBI's 1st Chargesheet In Irregularities Case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday filed its first chargesheet at a special court in Kolkata in connection with the multi-crore financial irregularities matter at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital here.

Sources aware of the development said that in the first chargesheet, former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital Sandip Ghosh and four others have been named.

The other four named in the chargesheet are Asish Pandey, Sandip Ghosh's personal bodyguard Afsar Ali, Suman Hazra and Biplab Singha. The last two individuals named are private contractors and suppliers.

Besides five individuals, three business entities engaged in the supply of products and services to the RG Kar authorities were also named in the chargesheet.

However, although the chargesheet was submitted by CBI to the court on Friday, it was not officially accepted by the court authorities.

This is because since Sandip Ghosh and Asish Pandey were attached to the West Bengal government as employees, the acceptance of the chargesheet by the court authorities can be done only after there is an official clearance from the state government.

Sources in the know of things said that in the chargesheet, the CBI officials had given details on how Sandip Ghosh used to manipulate the tendering process of RG Kar to ensure that only contractors close to him got work-orders or contracts against hefty commissions.

In the chargesheet, the investigating officials had also given details on the skyrocketing increase in the quantum of assets and properties of the accused persons, especially Sandip Ghosh, during the short period after he assumed the charge as the Principal of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Sources added that in the chargesheet, Sandip Ghosh has been identified as the mastermind behind the entire alleged scam.

Besides making manipulations in the tendering process, the other charges in the case are getting infrastructure-related work at R.G. Kar done by private outsourced agencies bypassing the state public works department, smuggling bio-medical wastes from the hospital and selling the organs of the unidentified bodies brought to the hospital for autopsy purposes.

Besides the financial irregularities case, the CBI is also probing Sandip Ghosh and former SHO of Tala Police Station Abhijit Mondal in connection with the ghastly rape and murder of a junior woman doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in August this year.

The main charges against Sandip Ghosh and Mondal in this case are tampering with the evidence and misleading the investigation while the initial probe was being carried out by Kolkata Police before the matter was handed over to CBI.

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

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