INDIAN FOREIGN POLICY CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS

2007
(01-01-2007 to 31-12-2007)
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1. (01-01-2007) SRINAGAR : The hanging of the former Iraqi President, Saddam Hussain, has been widely condemned by political leaders cutting across party lines in Kashmir. Terming the execution "unjust," the leaders said that this would further complicate the problems in the Arab World and divide communities. Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said the the hanging was unfortunate. "It is more painful that he was hanged on a day when Muslims were celebrating Eid. It is against the fundamentals of democracy," he said in a statement. People's Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti said that in today's civilised world, sending someone to the gallows was anti human. "In the case of Saddam, the verdict was given by those who were thrust upon Iraq by outsiders. People of Iraq as such had no role in it." Senior Shia leader and the former chairman of the Hurriyat Conference, Moulana Abbas Ansari, said ``the U.S. is conspiring to divide world Muslims on sectarian lines.'' ``See the timing of Saddam's execution, Muslims are right now out there in Mina (for Haj). America wants Muslims to fight even in Makkah and Mina." Opposition National Conference leader in the Assembly Abdur Raheem said that Saddam was not given fair trial. CPI(M) State secretary M.Y. Tarigami, strongly condemning the hanging, said "the U.S. has taken the world for granted... , [the world that] failed to stop him from destruction in Iraq. This will further complicate the situation." Syed Ali Geelani, chairman of hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference said it was a brutal and unjust killing. "We are against death sentence. It should be abolished everywhere. And I think the death of Saddam in such a manner will further deteriorate the situation in Iraq," said Mohammad Yasin Malik, chairman of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front. Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief Asiya Andrabi said that Saddam Hussain was a tyrannical ruler but "when he ought to have been hanged, the U.S. was backing him. It is U.S. hegemony and nothing else." Moulana Showkat Ahmad Shah, president of the Jamait-ul-Ahlihadees, said: "If Saddam was hanged for killing people, then the U.S. President George Bush should be hanged 500 times. " "It is American gundagardi (hooliganism). Americans invaded Iraq on the pretext that it possessed weapons of mass destruction. However, during searches no such weapons were recovered. Saddam was hanged on flimsy grounds," said senior State BJP leader Nirmal Singh. Senior separatist leader Fazal Haque Qureshi said: "Execution of Saddam on Eid has hurt Muslims." Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front convenor Javed Ahmad Mir said, "Saddam was hanged for not following the dikats of the U.S. His execution should serve as an eye-opener for those Muslim leaders who are busy appeasing the U.S. The CPI(M) affiliated Democratic Youth Federation, led by M.A. Dar, staged a protest demonstration in Srinagar and burnt U.S. President George Bush's effigy.
2. (01-01-2007) BHUBANESWAR: Rastriya Swayam Sangh (RSS) chief K S Sudarshan here on Sunday said India should not sign the nuclear deal with United States as the treaty seemed to be a ploy to restrict country's scientific mind. Addressing a seminar on `Superpower India' organised by RSS, Mr Sudarshan said US had extended hands of friendship with some ulterior motives.
3. (01-01-2007) NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party said here on Tuesday that External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee should not travel to Islamabad in view of Minister of State for Home Sri Prakash Jaiswal's statement that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) could be involved in the killings by the United Liberation Front of Asom. Party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said “The Government should either rebut Mr. Jaiswal's statement or cancel Mr. Mukherjee's visit and, instead, send a junior official to Islamabad.” He reiterated the BJP's stand that  the Government hold Pakistan to its agreement of January 2004, not to allow its territory to be used by militants for strikes against India.
4. (01-01-2007) JAMMU: India will take up with China the issue of opening of the Kailash Mansarovar route via Ladakh for pilgrims, as well as for trade, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said here at an interaction with the Himalayan Buddhist Cultural Association. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee recently assured him that the matter would be raised with China again, Mr. Azad said.
5. (01-01-2007) THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Vallakkadavu Jama-ath and various political parties took out a joint anti-imperialist rally here on Sunday in protest against the execution of the former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.
6. (01-01-2007) BANGALORE: A delegation of Members of Parliament from Tamil National Alliance (TNA) of Sri Lanka called on Sri Sri Ravishankar here on Friday and requested him to prevail upon the Sri Lankan Government to address the plight of Tamils in their country. Responding to the request, Sri Sri Ravishankar appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take action to bring peace in that country.
7. (01-01-2007) BEIJING: China-India strategic ties registered ``important progress'' in 2006 and the two Asian giants will make ``new progress'' and dance together in 2007 to a ``harmonious'' tune, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said on Sunday. ``In 2006, China-India relations have continued to grow in all fields, with important progress made in various areas of cooperation,'' Mr. Li said here as the curtains fell on the joint celebrations of 2006 as the `Year of India-China Friendship.' Mr. Li said, ``Both China and India are major developing countries and important countries in Asia. Relations between the two have gone well beyond the bilateral context and acquired global dimension in importance. ``We are prepared to work with India to fully implement the important agreement reached by our leaders and strengthen the strategic and cooperative partnership.''
8. (01-01-2007) KOLKATA: Veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu on Sunday criticised the Centre's response to the hanging of the former Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein. "They [the Centre] should have used stronger language," Mr. Basu told reporters, after a CPI (M)'s State committee meeting. "But they are scared of America."
9. (01-01-2007) KOCHI: The Delhi region comprising part of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana has attracted FDI of about Rs.28,000 crore between April and November, according to a study conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India. The largest investment attracting sectors have been electrical equipment, services, telecommunications and transport followed by chemicals, food processing, drugs and pharmaceuticals. In a region-wise FDI break-up between April and November, it is observed that Maharashtra, Dadra and Nagar Havaeli, Daman and Diu turned out to be second best region in terms of FDI with inflow of about Rs.25,560 crore. This was followed by the Bangalore region, which consists of Karnataka only, in which FDI inflow has been pegged at a little over Rs. 8,050 crore. Bihar remains the State in which, out of the 2,069 foreign companies that set up operations in India, only one set up operations with FDI of Rs.1.25 crore. Incidentally, in Gujarat, which is considered an investment friendly destination, only 15 offices of multi-national companies were established. In West Bengal, 62 MNCs chose to set up business. While the Gujarat region attracted a little over Rs.4,500 crore of FDI, it was Rs.1,500 crore in West Bengal. Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry together received FDI close to Rs.7,600 crore while Andhra Pradesh recorded FDI of about Rs.4,675 crore. The FDI in Orissa stood at Rs.500 crore with five MNCs setting up business there. In terms of the number of multinational companies operating in the country, Delhi tops the list with 1,280, followed by Maharashtra with 361. While Karnataka has 159, Tamil Nadu 75, Andhra Pradesh 26 and Kerala 7. The Government received a revenue in terms of fee and filing of various documents as per stipulations of the Companies Act from MNCs that established business in the country, which rose from Rs.2,63,17,225 in 2003-04 to Rs.3,41,54,075 in 2004-05. In 2005-06, this revenue rose to Rs.3,56,45,689, according to the study.
10. (02-01-2007) UNITED NATIONS : New U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has appointed veteran Indian diplomat Vijay Nambiar as his chief of staff and Haitian journalist Michele Montas as his spokesperson. Mr. Ban said he had known Mr. Nambiar for a long time and "we share deep confidence and respect for each other." Reacting to it, Mr. Nambiar said it is a great responsibility. "I feel honoured that the Secretary-General has put his trust in me." He was Special Adviser to Kofi Annan, whom Mr. Ban succeeded, and the new appointment takes him to highest echelon of the U.N. hierarchy.
11. (02-01-2007) NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan on Monday exchanged lists of nuclear installations and facilities. The exchange took place simultaneously through diplomatic channels at New Delhi and Islamabad. The exchange is mandated by the Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations and Facilities. Under the Agreement, the two countries, on 1st January of every calendar year are to inform each other of nuclear installations and facilities to be covered by the agreement. The first such exchange of lists took place on January 1, 1992. This is the 16th consecutive time that both countries have exchanged such a list, an External Affairs Ministry statement said. This Agreement, signed on December 31, 1988, came into force on January 27, 1991.
12. (02-01-2007) THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Social activist C.R. Neelakantan has said that a Government led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M) could not justify accepting the conditionalities attached to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan for Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Programme (KSUDP).
13. (02-01-2007) CHENNAI: Different segments of the telecommunications industry of the United States of America have appealed to the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to work for removal of "stringent'' restrictions imposed by India, even while acknowledging and welcoming the liberalisations that has been effected by the Indian government and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in recent years, going by postings on the USTR's website. In its representation to the Office of the USTR, the VON (Voice On the Net) Coalition emphasised that VoIP (voice over internet protocol) "is not a new kind of telecom service but a whole new frontier in communications'' requiring a "new forward-looking framework'' and not mere a "reflexive application of legacy telecom regulations.'' Another organisation, the Coalition of Service Industries (CSI), has complained that India continues to place "an unreasonable and discriminatory ADC (access deficit charge) burden on foreign international service providers and their customers making calls to India." New York-based United States Council for International Business, in its representation to the USTR, expressed the hope that the government would allow resale of international private leased circuits (IPLCs) as recommended by TRAI. Washington-based Satellite Industry Association, in its response on direct-to-home (DTH) services, said there were no technical or commercial reasons why foreign satellite capacity should need to be procured through the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) of the Department of Space which was a direct competitor of foreign satellites.
14. (02-01-2007) NEW DELHI: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has sent new year greetings to President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz also sent his greetings to Mr. Kalam and Dr. Singh. — PTI
15. (02-01-2007) ISLAMABAD: In the continuing bickering between India and Pakistan over travel rights, it is now official that Indian diplomats here have to seek permission to travel to two places where they could previously go at will. Although there has been no announcement, Indian High Commission officials said they had to take permission in recent days to travel to Murree, a hill station near Islamabad, and to Rawalpindi, a twin city of the capital. Trips to the airport at Rawalpindi were exempt from the restriction, the officials said. The permits have apparently been granted without delay. Pakistan recently hinted at the withdrawal of the travel arrangements, stating the privileges Indian officials in Islamabad enjoyed were granted on a reciprocal basis. When Indian officials were allowed to go freely to Murree and Rawalpindi, there was no reason why its diplomats in New Delhi could not go to Gurgaon and Noida, the Foreign Ministry said. The Indian view is that the arrangement to visit Rawalpindi and Murree was put in place four decades ago when Islamabad was a fledgling capital — the Indian High Commission even has its own guesthouse in Murree — and in return Pakistani diplomats in the Indian capital were permitted to go to Old Delhi.
16. (03-01-2007)  HUBLI: Based on the findings of the Lone Lantern Society of Chicago, Rajiv Dixit of Hind Swaraj Abhiyana (Ajadi Bachao Andolan) has alleged that the attack on the twin towers of World Trade Centre on 9/11 in 2001 was the handiwork of the U.S. Government. People across the globe were shown footage of planes crashing into the twin towers, and the building crashing down within a few seconds. According to research, it took 8.4 seconds for the twin towers to collapse. But, according to the principles of Physics, it should have taken 56 seconds for a 110-storey building to collapse, he said. Research done by journalists over five years pointed to planting of bombs on all floors of the twin towers and connecting them to a mother bomb that detonated the rest if them, he said. Another noteworthy point was that the U.S. Government had sold the WTC twin towers on September 5 and the person who bought it had insured it with a Japanese insurance company. It was the Japanese insurance company that suffered the loss, he added.
17. (03-01-2007) NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh discussed "the neighbourhood" with senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders here on Tuesday. In what was described as an "effort to reach out to the Opposition," Dr. Singh hosted lunch to the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, and the former External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh. The former National Security Adviser Brijesh Mishra was also present. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan, Prime Minister's Principal Secretary T.K.A. Nair and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon assisted Dr. Singh. The highlight of the interaction was, as described by a participant, a tour de force by Mr. Mukherjee of the geo-strategic situation in the immediate neighbourhood. He gave an update on the developments in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan. Dr. Singh invited the Opposition leaders to share their ideas and suggestions. From the BJP side, Mr. Jaswant Singh did much of the talking, with support from Mr. Mishra. There was no substantial disagreement, neither was any radical idea proposed by the BJP. It is learnt that there was no discussion on Kashmir or Pakistan's recent proposals. However, there was an exchange of ideas on President Pervez Musharraf. The civilian nuclear deal with the United States also did not come up for discussion. The Prime Minister and his colleagues had discussed the agreement, individually and collectively, with political parties. It is also learnt that the Government was encouraged by the positive tone and tenor of the interaction. Dr. Singh proposes to hold similar interactions with the Left parties after the CPI (M) and the CPI complete their deliberations in Kolkata.
18. (03-01-2007) CHENNAI: The Royal Government of Cambodia has awarded the Sahametrei Medal to M.S. Swaminathan, agriculture scientist, in recognition of his contributions to the revival of rice research and development in Cambodia in the 1980s. The medal was also in recognition of Dr. Swaminathan's work that led to the establishment and strengthening of the Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI). Recalling his association with Cambodia, the agriculture scientist said he had trained a large number of Cambodians. Recently, the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation prepared a food security atlas, which was adopted by the Cambodian Government as its official document. Calling for strengthening ties with Cambodia, Dr. Swaminathan said there was a lot to share with such countries, considering the fact that Cambodia too was a rice-raising nation.
19. (03-01-2007) CHENNAI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh , in a letter sent to the Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on the Sri Lankan issue, states that "Your concerns on this subject have been noted by me. I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate to you that the Government of India is deeply disturbed by the violence against civilians in Sri Lanka including women and children and about the particular situation and distress of Sri Lanka's Tamil citizens. As such we would not be a party to any activity that would have the effect of exacerbating the difficulties faced by the Sri Lankan Tamil community. It continues to be our position that the problems in Sri Lanka can only be solved through peaceful negotiations and we are urging all concerned to eschew violence which inevitably has a grave impact on innocent and defenceless civilians."
20. (03-01-2007) TIRUCHI: Condemning the execution of former Iraq President Saddam Hussein, advocates belonging to the All-India Lawyers Union staged a demonstration in front of the court complex here on Tuesday to mark their protest. They condemned the United States of America for invading Iraq and conducting an unfair trial against Saddam Hussein, besides telecasting the execution. Muthukrishnan, the former State general secretary of the union, led the demonstration.
21. (04-01-2007) NEW DELHI: Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac on Wednesday sought to set the record straight on the technical aspects of the controversial loan agreement that the State has signed with the Asian Development Bank (ADB). In the Capital to attend a meeting of the Empowered Committee on Value Added Tax, Mr. Isaac addressed the media to clarify his position but steered clear of all political questions relating to the ADB loan. The RRP is an internal document of the ADB, and the Government of Kerala is answerable and accountable only to the specific assurances incorporated by the Government in the loan agreement and the various specific references to the RRP in the loan agreement signed,'' Mr. Isaac pointed out in his written statement. Referring to the draft RRP, the Minister said there were a number of anti-people conditionalities in the original loan document and the draft RRP which was forwarded to the Kerala Government by the ADB in October. After consultations with the Mayors of the five municipal corporations, substantial changes were made in the conditionalities.
22. (04-01-2007) KANCHEEPURAM : A spontaneous people-to-people response in the process of mitigating distress of those affected by the tsunami has led to generation of enormous resources, according to David T. Hopper, US Consul-General, Chennai. Handing over keys of 26 houses constructed at Pudupattinam in Kancheepuram district on Wednesday, the Consul General recalled the financial help extended by US citizens immediately after the tsunami hit the coast of Tamil Nadu and other parts of the world. Around $ 4 million was given to India through the US Assistance for Infrastructural Development in the first phase when immediate relief materials were provided to the affected people. Subsequently, another $14 million was mobilised and used to help the tsunami-affected people, especially women and children.
23. (04-01-2007) PUDUCHERRY : Two Indonesian deep-sea fishing vessels, which anchored at Cuddalore port a few days ago without permission, were found to have violated Indian laws, according to sources in the Coast Guard.
24. (04-01-2007) RAMANATHAPURAM: The police have sought the help of Indian embassies in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and some more Gulf countries to arrest those persons against whom non-bailable warrants (NBWs) are pending. The police had arrested 3031 persons against whom NBWs were issued. Around 700 persons were yet to be arrested. Out of them nearly 200 persons had gone to Gulf countries for employment reasons.
25. (04-01-2007) KOZHIKODE: The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) has chalked out plans of agitation against the decision of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government to take loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) with "several anti-people" conditions. He said that the agitation was not against the international funding agency but against the strings attached to the loan.
26. (04-01-2007) CHIDAMBARAM : (Tamil Nadu): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday reiterated that developed countries must bear more responsibility in meeting the challenges of climate change and promoting sustainable development by altering their consumption patterns. The "developing world cannot accept a freeze on global inequity." The measures the global community took to protect the environment and deal with climate change should be equitable in their impact on the development prospect of the developing countries. Referring to the growing debate on climate change, at the inaugural function of the 94th session of the Indian Science Congress here, he said the environment-friendly technologies being developed across the world must be shared and made available to all.
27. (05-01-2007) LUCKNOW: Forcible closure of commercial establishments by Samajwadi Party workers led to clashes at several places in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. The day was observed as "black day" by the Samajwadi Party in protest against the execution of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
28.  (05-01-2007) NEW DELHI: Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi will lead high a level business delegation to India with a view to enhancinge economic ties between the two countries. Engaged in preparing the ground for Mr. Prodi's visit some time next month, Italy's Minister for International Trade and European Affairs, Emma Bonino, who addressed a FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) seminar, said on Thursday that the delegation accompanying the Prime Minister would lay special emphasis on sectors such as food processing, auto components, services, technology and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). "At present, trade between India and Italy stands at $2.5-3 billion. However, this figure is not satisfactory and the two countries should aim at achieving a trade of $10 billion in the next three years,'' she said.
29. (05-01-2007) MADURAI: The Malaysian Minister for Works, Dato S. Samy Vellu, visited the Madurai Kamaraj University on Thursday. The visiting Minister evinced keen interest in having collaborative arrangement with the university in Tamil language programmes and also offered assistance in undertaking academic programmes. Mr. Vellu invited the Vice-Chancellor to Malaysia for identifying potential areas for partnership between the Tamil academia in that country and the university.
30. (05-01-2007) CHIDAMBARAM: Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar told journalists here on Thursday that the civilian nuclear programme of the country would be independent and there was no question of its losing autonomy on the issue. Asked about concerns that the recent U.S. law on the Washington-New Delhi deal could impinge on India's research and development programme in the nuclear power sector, he said: "Certainly there are concerns and for that we have to seek clarifications [from the U.S.]." Pointing out that the Henry J. Hyde U.S.-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act was not the last word and the deal would be finalised only with the signing of the 123 agreement, he said: "We have to negotiate and make sure that it [the law] does not impinge on our R&D. We have to maintain our autonomy. No question about it."
31. (05-01-2007) CHENNAI : Nobel laureate and economist Joseph Stiglitz has suggested India use part of its foreign exchange reserves to fund infrastructure development. Though such a measure was controversial, one of the advantages that India enjoyed was the large amount of foreign exchange reserves it had. "There have been some discussions about investing some of those reserves in infrastructure ... [it] makes a whole lot of sense," he said, delivering a lecture on `Making globalisation work' organised by The Hindu here on Thursday. Cautioning India against going in for capital account convertibility and allowing short-term capital into the economy, he said the move could create instability. It was wrong to say that there would be no foreign direct investment without capital market liberalisation, Prof. Stiglitz said. He cited the example of China, which got substantial FDI without having capital account convertibility.
32. (05-01-2007) MUMBAI: Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray wants Prime Minister Manmohan Singh not take Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf as a friend as he was ``primarily responsible'' for terrorism in India. ``Gen. Musharraf behaves like a gentleman but he is not a gentleman and [do] not shake hands with him as a friend, he will never [be] a friend," Mr. Thackeray cautioned the Prime Minister in an interview to this correspondent at Matoshree, his residence, here.
33. (05-01-2007) BEIJING: In an event reminiscent of the great days of Buddhist pilgrimage from China to India during the Tang dynasty, a 123-member delegation will visit Indian cities between January 5 and 12. Monks, officials and lay Buddhists will travel to New Delhi, Varanasi, Bodhgaya, Nalanda and Rajgir. Indian Ambassador Nirupama Rao said the visit was an auspicious beginning of 2007, being celebrated as the `Year of India China Friendship through Tourism.' The group will be led by the venerable Jue Xing, vice-chairman of the Buddhist Association of China and chief abbot of the Jade Buddha Temple in Shanghai. Abbot Jue said the Buddhists saw India as a holy and fascinating land. He dubbed Buddhism a `commonwealth' of India and China.
34. (06-01-2007) NEW DELHI : Feroz Abdul Rashid Khan, a key accused in the March 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, has been traced in the United States. He had been absconding since 1994 and the Central Bureau of Investigation issued an Interpol Red Corner alert notice, an agency spokesman said here on Friday. U.S. law enforcement authorities have sought more evidence from New Delhi to decide whether Khan (47), located last month, should be detained. The CBI has sent photographs and a dossier to establish his identity.
35. (06-01-2007) CHENNAI: Shipping can be one of the important areas of economic cooperation between India and Croatia, Boris Suran, First Secretary-Economic and Culture in the Embassy of Croatia, has said. Addressing a meeting organised here on Friday by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), he said there was also scope for cooperation in the fields of tourism -- Croatia is also known as Mediterranean Switzerland -- information technology and biotechnology. A double taxation avoidance agreement between India and Croatia was on the anvil, he said.
36. (06-01-2007) COIMBATORE: The joint venture with Russia in the production of BrahMos missile is a success and this will serve as a model for similar tie-up in other areas of defence, Chief Executive Officer of BrahMos Corporation A. Sivathanu Pillai said here on Friday.
37. (06-01-2007) MUMBAI: India's forex reserves went up by $1.018 billion to $177.251 billion during the week ended December 29.
38. (06-01-2007) CHENNAI: Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Vaiko on Friday blamed the international community for failing to prevent the execution of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Mr. Vaiko said though it had been stated that the world had become a global village, the international community, more particularly India, should have raised their voice against the Iraqi administration's decision to hang Hussein. On several occasions Hussein had demonstrated his admiration for India, he said.
39. (06-01-2007) SANGAREDDY: Vice-president of the Central Party School of China Wang Weiguang has said that identical efforts are being made in both countries to improve the condition of farmers. He led a seven-member delegation to Chitkul village of Patancheru mandal on Friday to study programmes like Akshara Deepam and working of self-help groups. Later, addressing the people representatives at Panchayat office Professor Wang said that China, like India, has launched a rural development programme called `building the country side.'
40. (06-01-2007) NEW DELHI: Imports of sensitive items in the first eight months of this fiscal grew by 7.8 per cent to Rs. 13,075 crore. Despite the growth, the share of sensitive items in overall commodity imports went down to 2.5 per cent from 3.3 per cent in the same period last year.
41. (06-01-2007) NEW DELHI: India and Mauritius on Friday discussed the proposed Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Partnership Agreement (CECPA) as well as ways to end the deadlock at the World Trade Organization (WTO). Speaking after a meeting with Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath, the visiting Mauritius Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Madan Murlidhar Dulloo, said issues, concerning the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA), however, did not figure in the talks. He said issues relating to the DTAA were being taken care of by a technical group. He said the talks also examined ways to break the impasse in the Doha round of negotiations at the WTO. "Apart from trade, we discussed how to unlock the WTO impasse,'' he added.
42 (06-01-2007)ANANTAPUR: The United States of America is encouraging communalism in the world to extend its markets with the help of imperialism, said speakers at a meeting on `Communalism - secular culture' held here on Thursday night. State convenor of Janasahiti, a left-wing literary organisation, Divikumar, said America encouraged Talibans against Russia and was at the receiving end of the same terrorists now. He alleged that the US was encouraging the brokers who were protecting their economic interests while dubbing those raising nationalism and patriotism terrorists and physically eliminating them. The US got Saddam Hussein hanged as he had opposed their imperialism.