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http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=266530
Chairman HEC takes over as Chairperson SAARC UGC Committee
Tuesday, June 16, 2015 - Islamabad—The 10th Meeting of the Committee of Heads of University Grants Commission/ Equivalent Bodies of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Member States was inaugurated by Mr. Sartaj Aziz, Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs here on Monday. The meeting witnessed selection of Pakistan as Chair of the Committee. Dr Mukhtar Ahmad, Chairman Higher Education Commission, took charge as Chairperson of the SAARC UGC/ Equivalent Bodies.
Sartaj Aziz, welcomed delegates from Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives and Sri Lanka, to Pakistan. He congratulated the HEC for its untiring efforts for successfully arranging the event under the umbrella of SAARC. He said Pakistan as a founding member of SAARC is committed to the principles and objectives enshrined in SAARC’s principal charter, its social charter and its development goals. He said over the years Pakistan has contributed to the efforts and took major steps to advance SAARC ideals and objectives. He highlighted the overall assessment in the field of education and literacy and pointed out that higher education cannot be isolated from the preceding levels of education that is quality of primary and secondary education.
He said, improvement in quality at all levels of education is essential or there would be a mismatch. He also highlighted the progress made since the inception of the Higher Education Commission. He also shared the Government’s Fee reimbursement schemes for students of less developed areas, technological readiness through provision of laptops for 100000 students nationwide and Youth Internship programme. He dwelt on the comprehensive Vision 2025 for economic and social development aims to focus on the goal for achieving knowledge economy.
While appreciating the outgoing chairperson in his opening address, Dr Mukhtar Ahmed expressed his pleasure at hosting the event in Pakistan and said that for countries to develop investing in education was a basic requirement. He stressed that the SAARC countries faced similar challenges and collaborations and cooperation in research and development could prove beneficial to all.
The other important aspect of the deal is geopolitical. The joint statement issued by the four countries noted that, “We took note of the progress made in formulating and negotiating the Motor Vehicles Agreement for the Regulation of Passenger, Personal and Cargo Vehicular Traffic between the Saarc Member States, but, at the same time, recognize the need to accelerate cross-border transport facilitation to deepen and hasten regional integration through sub-regional measures in line with the directive of our leaders as articulated in the Declaration of the Eighteenth Saarc Summit.”
This is putting matters delicately. It is well-known that the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) has not lived up to its promise, largely because of Pakistan’s obstinate behaviour in raising bilateral issues in that multilateral forum. At the Saarc summit held in Kathmandu in November, there was a move to finalize an agreement similar to the one signed on Monday.
Pakistan refused to sign that and two more agreements that would have boosted road transport and electricity sharing. The country cited “internal processes” as the reason for its refusal. Given the state of Pakistan’s economy, especially the power problems it faces, the country’s reluctance to sign these agreements was absurd. Now, four of the eight-member countries have decided to go ahead with the pact on their own.
What the agreement in Thimpu shows is that South Asian countries will not let their economic development become a hostage to a veto in Saarc: where their individual interests are involved, they will go outside the forum to take the necessary steps.
This is a development that India should explore with greater geopolitical purpose. India is negotiating a parallel deal with Myanmar and Thailand for access to road transport networks in those countries. The possibilities of building an economic community—minus the political friction that mars Saarc—are much higher on this side of South Asia. Myanmar is resource-rich but investment hungry. Thailand, too, is willing to partake in economic possibilities that are emerging with the opening up of Myanmar. And the four South Asian countries—India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan—certainly want to grow. Saarc can be what it is, a talking shop, while countries interested in economic growth and development can create a forum where work gets done. India should take the lead in this project.
India today held deliberations with experts from other SAARC countries to finalise modalities for developing a satellite exclusively for the regional grouping, nearly a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an announcement about it.
Top officials from Ministry of External Affairs and Indian Space Research Organisations were part of deliberations with representatives of the SAARC countries including from Pakistan.
"It was quite a fruitful meeting and there was interaction on various aspects. We tried to convey to SAARC representatives about what we can offer. A lot of doubts were addressed.
"For example, Afghanistan said it has a satellite, but it is weak in some areas and how can the new satellite help in bolstering its system. Nepal's main focus was on disaster- management while Pakistan explained about the satellites they have launched until now," said an ISRO official.
The official said the participants also decided to apply for ITU registration, an important step before launching a satellite.
The United Nations Outer Space Treaty's Article 6 includes a Registration Convention mandating that every nation putting something into space register it with the UN Office of Outer Space Affairs (OOSA).
"The ITU format will be sent to the member countries through our missions. The countries can respond if they have any query. The diagram for the satellite is more or less ready. If all goes well, the satellite could be launched by December 2016 on the SAARC charter day," said Gondane.
Minister of State for External Affairs Gen V K Singh today told the Lok Sabha that the government has enhanced its engagement with all South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation ( SAARC). In a written reply, the Minister said it has increased efforts for enhancing trade and connectivity links through land, air and sea for accelerating regional integration and greater people-to-people contacts.
"India continues its efforts to build peaceful cooperative ties with Pakistan to address the outstanding issues through peaceful bilateral dialogue", he said. The Minister said a sub-regional Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA) was signed between Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) on June 15 in Thimphu, Bhutan for the regulation of passenger, personal and cargo vehicular traffic between the four countries.
With a fleet of nearly 10,000 ambulances, EMRI provides emergency response services to over 750 million people across India. These services can be accessed just by dialling '108'.
"In Sri Lanka, we will start operations by the end of this year. An agreement was signed between both the countries. Government of India is funding their (Sri Lankan) operations with Rs 50 crore as an aid. They have given the job to us. We have to now buy the vehicles and send them there and start appointing people. By the year-end, it will be operational,"
Faced with depletion of forest resources due to over exploitation and destructive harvesting, eight member-countries of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) have decided to join hands to promote community-based sustainable management of Non-wood Forest Produce (NWFP).
A three-day meeting of the SAARC Expert Group on Community-based Sustainable Management of NWFP and Income Generation for Communities held at the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI), Peechi, last week mooted the establishment of legal, fiscal and market mechanisms to ensure sustainability of NWFP harvesting with community participation.
Delegates from the eight member-nations, namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, resolved to set up a comprehensive policy framework to legalise the collection, processing and certification of the products and to facilitate value addition. The meeting also came to a general consensus on establishing a real-time market intelligence and monitoring system for high value forest produce.
A consequence of BBIN?
"GMR Plans to Export Power from its Nepal Plant to Bangladesh"
Hyderabad: Infra major GMR Group, which is setting up two hydel power projects in Nepal, is in discussions with Bangladesh government among others to export power from the Himalayan country.
"Initial discussions were initiated for tying up sale of power with Government of Bangladesh, Power Trading Company (PTC) / NTPC / Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited (NVVN)," GMR said in its annual report.
India today held deliberations with experts from other SAARC countries to finalise modalities for developing a satellite exclusively for the regional grouping, nearly a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an announcement about it.
With the operationalization of the GSLV, this task should become somewhat easier now.
NEW DELHI: Five years after a dismal debut on the global assessment test for 15-year-old schoolgoers, the Indian government is rallying with fellow SAARC nations to attempt a regional version of the global test to assess learning outcomes — on a platform that offers "South Asian comparable learning assessment results".
In 2010, India participated for the first time in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) — a global test that assesses 15 year olds in the domains of reading, mathematical science and science literacy. The results were so discouraging that India has ever since shied away from participating in the PISA, arguing that the global test was not attuned to the socio-cultural ethos of the region. Supported by other Saarc nations, India has now proposed a regional learning levels test that is more sensitive to regional considerations.
Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday refused to participate in SAARC Training Conference in India citing the atrocious acts of Indian extremist party Shiv Sena.
Meh, as if the economically and intellectually bankrupt pukies would actually contribute anything to the conference anyways. They should stick to begging and wh0ring themselves out to the next country that comes along. I am surprised those pigs were even invited.
These are all significant setbacks to a focus on broader regional connectivity and a forward-looking trade agenda. How New Delhi handles the security implications and political landmines in its ties with these countries in the coming months will be a test of Modi’s strategic ambitions for South Asia, as well as an illustration of how a rising India will exercise power in the neighborhood.
NEW DELHI: India and six other South Asian countries have finanlised draft structure and terms of reference of a regional platform for information sharing on transnational organised crimes.
The delegates of seven countries -- India, Bhutan, Nepal Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Myanmar -- in a conference here discussed the modalities for creation of a regional platform for information/intelligence sharing to enable all Member States to respond to transnational organised crimes, the Finance Ministry said in a statement today.
The countries finalised the draft structure and terms of reference of ther platform to be called the 'South Asian Regional Intelligence and Coordination Centre on Transnational Organized Crime (SARICC-TOC)', the statement said.
he rescue and relief fighters from Saarc countries on Wednesday joined hands for the second time and undertook a massive field training exercise on combating a chemical emergency-like disaster with their specialized skills and equipment under a special cooperation drill in NCR.
The men and machine initiative is being hosted by India as part of the maiden four-day South Asian Annual Disaster Management Exercise (SAADMEx) which is being organized in the national capital region with the involvement of all Saarc (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India.
The joint teams created a near-identical scenario of a chemical leakage due to earthquake at a facility here, under the supervision of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and rescuers during the drill not only evacuated affected people but also analysed each others capabilities in this domain.
The joint teams had conducted a similar exercise in the context of an earthquake-like disaster at a location in Ghaziabad on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Pakistan to attend the SAARC Summit likely to be held in September 2016, in what will be the first prime ministerial visit here from India in 12 years.
...
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the last Indian Prime Minister to visit Pakistan who had come here in January 2004 and attended the SAARC summit besides holding talks with then Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.
Vajpayee's successor Manmohan Singh did not undertake any visit to Pakistan despite his desire to do so.
Indian Express - Nirupama Subramanian opinion of state of relations of India and her neighbors: http://indianexpress.com/article/explai ... -in-nepal/
"India and its neighbours: Something gained in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, a lot lost in Nepal"
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal have agreed to begin discussions on the possibility of having a rail network connecting the four SAARC countries to improve connectivity and regional trade.
The discussions were held during the two-day third Joint Working Group (JWG) meetings on Sub-Regional Cooperation on Water Resources Management and Power/Hydropower and on Connectivity and Transit that ended here yesterday.
The four countries - Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) - also agreed to give special attention to the construction of land ports and land customs stations, crucial for sub-regional trade and transit, the Daily Star reported.
http://www.india.com/news/world/climate ... e-1090195/
Climate impact: India for SAARC co-operation on agriculture
South Asia is one of the most sensitive regions with regard to impact of climate change, India said today and called for SAARC countries to cooperate in addressing its impact on the farm sector.
Maldives airport to be expanded with controversial $800m China contract
Move likely to annoy India which has been concerned at Chinese encroachment in the strategically located Indian Ocean islands
A plane lands at Male International Airport which is to undergo an $800m expansion.
Agence France-Presse
Friday 8 April 2016 vernment has kicked off a controversial $800-million expansion of the country’s main airport by a Chinese company, a move likely to irritate giant neighbour India.
President Abdulla Yameen inaugurated construction work in a ceremony on Wednesday night in the capital Male of the politically troubled country.
“The president stated that with the expansion, the airport would become the economic backbone of the Maldives and that this would be the main gateway of modern day development,” a government statement said on Thursday.
Chinese company Beijing Urban Construction Group was awarded the contract during President Xi Jinping’s visit to the strategically located Indian Ocean islands in September 2014.
Two years earlier, the Maldives kicked out Indian infrastructure firm GMR which was given the airport under a privatisation deal and cancelled its lucrative contract to run the airport.
The move sparked fury from New Delhi which threatened to cut off aid to the country, amid concerns the upmarket holiday destination was tilting towards India’s rival China.
The expansion comes as Yameen is set to arrive in India on Sunday for an official visit, and will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Maldives government, which says the airport will not be privatised again, has said the expansion is needed to accommodate increasing tourist numbers to the upmarket honeymoon destination.
The expansion means the Airbus A380 will be able to land at the airport which will also be able to handle 7.5 million passengers a year.
It comes despite ongoing political turmoil in the Maldives which has dented its reputation as a peaceful tourist paradise.
Yameen has faced international criticism over the jailing of dissidents and political opponents including former president and now opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed.
It remains unclear if finance minister Arun Jaitley will travel to Islamabad for the Saarc ministerial conference later this month, but reports from Pakistan say it will accord him a “warm welcome” if he does.
Given the current hostile atmosphere in Indo-Pak ties, sources in New Delhi said it was uncertain if Jaitley would travel to Pakistan for the meeting on August 25-26.
“Who would represent India and at what level is yet to be decided,” a source said.
However, Pakistan’s finance ministry said it will play a “good host” and avoid a repetition of the tense atmosphere that prevailed during home minister Rajnath Singh’s visit.
The ministry officials said there were chances of “gracious handshakes” between Pakistan finance minister Ishaq Dar and his Indian counterpart if Jaitley decides to attend the ministerial conference.
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/paki ... 41403.html
Going to Pakistan is like going to hell, says Parrikar; Jaitley cancels SAARC visit
...Meanwhile, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has also called off his visit to the SAARC conference in Pakistan. Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das is likely to represent India, sources said.
"Our soldiers sent back five terrorists yesterday. Going to Pakistan is the same as going to hell," Parrikar said, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi lashed out at Pakistan for supporting terrorism.
"Pakistan has encouraged terrorism, and now they are facing the consequences of that policy," Parrikar said....
Gautam
PS Bangladesh is also not going, so who will eat all that biryani?
Refusing to support India’s decision to pull out from the scheduled 19th SAARC Summit followed by Bhutan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, Nepal, the present Chair of SAARC, has strongly urged the member countries to ensure the summit was on time.
....
The statement further added that the government of Nepal has received communications from the SAARC Secretariat transmitting the diplomatic notes from four SAARC member states — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan and India, in which they have conveyed their inability to participate in the summit stating that current regional environment was not conducive.
In an indication that India will not allow Pakistan to stall regional development envisaged under SAARC, a smaller group of six south-Asian nations have released an operation plan running through to 2025.
Member countries of the South Asia Sub-regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka — SAARC less Pakistan and Afghanistan.
"SASEC OP (operational plan) is the program's first comprehensive long-term plan to promote ..
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) had signed a framework MVA in June 2015 to enable movement of passenger and cargo vehicles across borders among the four countries.
Bhutan has not yet ratified the pact for its entry to come into force, Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Mansukh L Mandaviya informed the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.
"Pending ratification, however, Bhutan has given its consent for the BBIN MVA to enter into force amongst the other 3 countries i.e. Bangladesh, India and Nepal, who have already ratified it," he said.
Last edited by A_Gupta on 18 Dec 2017 23:20, edited 1 time in total.
