New Delhi: On the recent appointment of Eric Garcetti as the US Ambassador to India and speculation on his stance on various internal issues of the country, including the Citizenship Amendment Act, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said “unko 100 per cent pyaar se samjha denge (We will make him understand, 100%, with love).”
Garcetti, the former Mayor of Los Angeles, was officially sworn in as the US Ambassador to India recently by Vice President Kamala Harris during a ceremonial event.
Earlier this month, the US Senate had confirmed Garcetti’s nomination, ending a protracted hiatus of over two years to fill the key diplomatic position.
Garcetti has said in the past that he would bring up human rights and discrimination such as via the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as a “core” piece of his engagement rather than as an obligation, once appointed.
Replying to Garcetti’s statements that ‘human rights would be a major part of his conversation’ with India, Jaishankar had earlier said that he would “make him (Garcetti) understand with love”.
New Delhi: It is to India’s credit that it has managed to get the influential G20 grouping back on track to pursue its real business, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday.
The minister was speaking at Network18’s Rising India Summit 2023.
Jaishankar lauded India’s efforts to become the “voice of the Global South” and emphasised that the “hard work behind achieving the G20 presidency” had paid off. The country had also succeeded in contributing something new to the organisation, he added.
“I think our real contribution was to get the G20 back to the G20’s real business. The G20 is not the UN Security Council. It’s not the primary forum to debate international peace and security,” he said at the session India’s G20 Moment.
“I’m not saying international peace and security doesn’t matter or doesn’t have economic consequences. They do. But if you look today at the world, there are serious issues for the world to worry about: food and energy security, green financing…Agenda 2030…trade issues, debt issues.”
India got something very novel for the G20 to look at and something which could later be built on, said Jaishankar.
“It is something called Global Skills Mapping, that where are the skills in the world and where is the demand in the world and they are in two different geographies. So how do we actually put that together? I think that’s a very interesting avenue that we have opened up for the G20,” the minister said.
New Delhi: “Veer Savarkar sacrificed a lot and people should study him before commenting him,” Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said at News18’s Rising India conclave on Wednesday.
The remarks came amid a controversy over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s comments on the Hindu ideologue.
In a conversation with News18 India’s Managing Editor Kishore Ajwani, Gadkari also spoke about new initiatives by his ministry.
He said, “hydrogen buses will be ready in India very soon and planes will also use clean fuel soon.”
New Delhi: “Market is a market… it is the need of the time,” said India’s Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar speaking about the country purchasing oil from Russia.
The supply of Russian crude to India in January rose 6.2 per cent month-on-month, making it the highest-ever supply of Russian oil to India in a single month.
The minister said Russia will turn more eastward as its relationship with the western world changed after the Russia-Ukraine war that began on 24 February, 2022.
Speaking at the News18 Rising India Summit, Jaishankar said Russia will turn towards the east more than it had done previously.
“Russia’s relationship with the West has changed. That has other consequences, Russia’s relationship with Asia will consequently change. It will turn more eastward than it has done in its history for a long time,” the foreign minister said.
The minister India-Russia relationship currently has been ‘most steady’. There has been volatility in ties between Russia-China, Russia-US and other western nations, but since 1955 New Delhi and Moscow have been sharing a steady relationship.
“The bandwidth of Our relationship with Russia is very narrow. It has mainly been in defence, nuclear and space. The trade relationship with Russia has been narrow over the last two-three decades,” the minister said.
The India’s foreign minister pointed out that the Ukraine war has brought to the fore issues related to energy security and food security.
“This has also opened up the North-South divide. At the moment, there is an East-West friction and a North-South divide. It has made the world a much more difficult place,” Jaishankar added.
The minister said that Russia will show more interest in developing relations with India. “This has been one of the most steady relationships in international relations. All the major players have shown enormous volatility in their relationships,” he said as he pointed out that despite the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia and India ties remained strong.
The external affairs minister said that the trade relations between India and Russia have been narrow but now is witnessing a gradual growth. The two countries have also worked together in defence and space sectors, he said.
‘India has been the bridging force’
The minister said that despite the difficulties India has taken an independent position and urged all parties to pursue dialogue and push for peace.
“We are not the only ones but certainly more prominent ones. There are many countries who share similar views,” Jaishakar said, referring to South American nations Brazil and Argentina and major Asian economies like Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.
“We’ve been the bridging force. The world needs someone like us,” Jaishankar said.
New Delhi: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi stands out as Hero No. 1 for me,” said Union Minister Piyush Goyal at the third edition of News18 Rising India Conclave as he spoke about the importance of leadership.
“Everyone has several heroes in his life. Following only one person’s ideology is not good. Today, I am working under PM Modi’s leadership. We learn a lot from him. PM Modi has been an inspiration for me. If I have to recognise one hero, then PM Modi stands out as Hero No 1 for me,” Goyal said.
The minister also said Union Home Minister Amit Shah, former PM of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have also inspired him.
Modi surname controversy
Speaking on the 2019 ‘Modi surname’ defamation case in which Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been convicted by a Surat Court, Goyal said: “Rahul Gandhi did not apologise and also insulted the whole OBC community.”
The court has sentenced the Congress scion to two years in jail. He is currently on bail.
The case was filled after Gandhi, during a public rally ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections, said: “… why all thieves have Modi surname.”
Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction in the case.
Opposition parties in India stepped up their offensive against the Narendra Modi government and observed a “black day for democracy”.
Reacting to Congress’ action, Goyal said: “Raising questions over the integrity of institutions is the Congress strategy to put pressure on courts and institution.”
New Delhi: Payments using digital wallets via Unified Payments Interface (UPI), — including Paytm, Gpay, PhonePay — will from 1 April attract 1.1 per cent fee if the amount of the transaction is Rs 2000 or more.
In a notification, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which is the governing body of UPI, has advised that Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI) fees should be applied to merchant transactions on UPI from next month.
NPCI said the interchange fee is levied to cover the costs of accepting, processing, and authorising transactions. This in-turn will make transaction costlier.
“NPCI has now permitted the PPI wallets to be part of interoperable UPI ecosystem. The interchange charges introduced are only applicable for the PPI merchant transactions and there is no charge to customers and it is further clarified that there are no charges for the bank account to bank account based UPI payments,” the circular read.
NPCI said it will review pricing on or before 30 September, 2023.
What to know?
1.1 per cent fee will be charged on Rs 2,000 and above UPI transaction made through via PPIs, such as digital wallets like Paytm wallet
Any wallet transaction below Rs 2,000 will not attract charge
No fee would be charged on regular UPI transactions made directly from bank account to bank account
The charge will be levied on the merchant side and they may or may not choose to pass on the extra fee to consumers.
PPIs are digital wallets on UPI which enable users to store money and make payments.
What is interchange fee?
An interchange fee is the amount charged by one bank to another bank for processing a transaction. In case of UPI transactions, the interchange fee is paid by the bank of the merchant (the person/ business receiving the payment) to the bank of the payer (person making the payment).
Will customers be charged for payments using UPI?
Customers won’t be charged the fee. The interchange charges introduced are applicable only for the PPI merchant transactions. Also, there won’t be any charge on bank account to bank account-based UPI payments.
NPCI said the proposed interchange fee is in line with the recommendations of the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures and the World Bank, which suggest an interchange fee of up to 1.15 per cent for UPI transactions.
One of the aides of absconding Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh has links to Pakistan, intelligence agencies have claimed.
Sources told NDTV that the pro-Khalistan preacher’s financier Daljit Singh Kalsi is “close” to Saad Bajwa, the son of former Pakistan Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa.
As per the report, Kalsi had links to Saad’s Dubai-based company and had also visited the United Arab Emirates city for two months.
Let’s take a closer look at Amritpal Singh’s aides that have hit the headlines recently.
Daljit Singh Kalsi
Kalsi, who has been detained under Section 3 (2) of the National Security Act, is a close associate and adviser of Amritpal Singh, as per Hindustan Times (HT) report.
Kalsi often accompanied the Waris Punjab De chief during his public appearances since the Khalistan sympathiser arrived in India last August.
A resident of Delhi’s West Punjabi Bagh, Kalsi set up an office in Delhi some time back and worked as an agent for modelling and movie contracts in Punjab, reported NDTV.
As per HT, Kalsi is believed to be behind Amritpal’s anointment as “Mukh Sevadar” of the Waris De Punjab movement following the death of Deep Sidhu in a road accident in February 2022.
HT report last week said Kalsi had submitted a memorandum against India to the Consul General of Pakistan in Canada’s Vancouver.
As per the NDTV report, Kalsi’s two-month stay in Dubai, the dates of which are unknown, was arranged by gangster Lakhbir Singh Sandhu also known as Landa Harike.
Harike has been accused of several high-profile crimes in Punjab, including the Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) attack at Punjab Police Intelligence headquarters in Mohali in May last year.
Moreover, it is alleged Kalsi was in contact with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Sources told NDTV that Amritpal’s aide has links to a gangster close to the Bambiha gang and is also close to gangster Neeraj Bawania.
Papalpreet Singh
Papalpreet Singh is reportedly another close aide of the pro-Khalistan preacher. He was Amritpal’s media advisor.
As per an Indian Express report, Amritpal and Papalpreet – who has a postgraduate diploma in Computer Science and a three-year polytechnic diploma – have likely fled to Nepal and are hiding there.
The police have reached out to the local police in Kathmandu to monitor the duo’s movements and prevent them from escaping to a third nation.
Amritpal Singh now in Nepal. Pictures of his free run in Punjab are galore on Social media. Cops clueless. What a joke! pic.twitter.com/xh0lCjjblQ
38-year-old Papalpreet and Amritpal were last spotted on 19 March at the former’s friend’s house in Shahbad, Kurukshetra.
Papalpreet and Amritpal’s picture recently went viral on social media. As per News18, the image was taken a day after the Punjab Police launched a crackdown against Amritpal and his Waris Punjab De outfit.
Sources told Indian Express Papalpreet claimed to be a video journalist and an activist.
In 2015, he was arrested and booked for sedition after police accused him of having links to Pakistan’s intelligence agency, reported Indian Express.
Papalpreet had joined Simranjeet Singh Mann’s party Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) in 2017 but left within a year.
He also ran a website that investigating agencies said was a “Khalistan propaganda site”, as per the Indian Express report.
Varinder Singh
Another close aide of Amritpal, Varinder Singh alias Fauji, was recently arrested in connection with the Ajnala police station violence case.
On 23 February, 30-year-old Amritpal and hundreds of his armed supporters had stormed the Ajnala police station near Amritsar to get another supporter, Lovepreet Toofan, out of the jail.
Varinder is a resident of Johal Raju Singh Wala village, which falls under the Patti sub-division of Tarn Taran district, as per HT.
Varinder, who is a retired constable from the Indian Army, has been slapped with the National Security Act (NSA) and sent to Assam’s Dibrugarh jail in the Ajnala case.
He served as Amritpal’s bodyguard and was among the 10 gunmen who always accompanied the pro-Khalistan leader, as per The Tribune.
Ultimatum to the Punjab government
Meanwhile, Akal Takht issued a 24-hour ultimatum on Monday to the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government, demanding the release of Sikh youths picked up during the crackdown on Amritpal Singh.
The Akal Takht is the highest seat of authority for the Sikhs.
Amritpal Singh has reportedly fled to Nepal. PTI File Photo
Akal Takht jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh said after convening a meeting of panthic organisations that if the ultimatum was not honoured, the Akal Takht will launch ‘Khalsa Wahir’, reported The Times of India (TOI).
Singh also asked why the stringent NSA was invoked against only those who supported Amritpal and his demand for Khalistan. “There are lakhs who demand Hindu Rashtra. Those who are calling for Hindu Rashtra should also be booked” under NSA, the jathedar said, as per NDTV.
“All the Sikh bodies, including SGPC and SAD will go to people and highlight how the Sikhs are being terrorised and defamed,” Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president also told the media on Monday, as per TOI.
Earlier, the Akal Takh had asked the Waris Punjab De chief to surrender before the police and cooperate with the investigation.
Following the crackdown, the Punjab Police arrested over 100 aides of the Khalistan sympathiser.
The Punjab government has said it has asked the police to release those not involved in any “anti-national activity”.
