National
Italian PM’s visit first in over a decade
New Delhi, Oct 27 (IANS) Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni will come on a state visit to India on October 30, the first such visit in over a decade, the External Affairs Ministry announced on Friday.
Then Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi visited India in February 2007.
“Coming after a gap of more than a decade, the visit is aimed at strengthening the bilateral, political and economic relations between the two countries,” the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.
The visit assumes significance as diplomatic ties between India and Italy had virtually come to a freeze following the February 2012 incident in which two Italian marines, Latorre Massimiliano and Salvatore Girone, on the ship M.V. Enrica Lexie allegedly shot dead two Indian fishermen off the coast of Kerala.
India took the two marines into custody but Italy claimed that the ship was on international waters and the case should be handled by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Seas (Itlos) at The Hague.
India moved the Supreme Court and refused to hand over the two Marines but in September 2014, Latorre was allowed to return to Italy following an apex court order on health grounds.
In May 2016, Girone too was allowed to return and both the marines are now in Italy awaiting an order from the Itlos where the trial against them will be held.
The standoff between New Delhi and Rome also affected the talks for a free trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and India.
Diplomatic ties got revived only when External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited the Vatican in September last year for the canonisation of Mother Teresa.
Citing figures from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Friday’s External Affairs Ministry statement said that Italy is India’s fifth largest trading partner in the EU with bilateral trade at $8.79 billion in 2016-17.
“India’s exports to Italy are at $4.90 billion, while its imports are at $3.89 billion, resulting in a trade balance of $1 billion in favour of India. In the first four months of fiscal 2017-18, bilateral trade has reached $3.22 billion,” it stated.
According to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Italy is the 13th largest investor in India with cumulative investments worth $ 2.41 billion from April 2000 to June 2017.
The top five sectors in India that attract Italian investments are automotive industry, trading, service sector, industrial machinery and food processing industry.
According to the statement, a 15-member Italian CEO delegation will be accompanying Prime Minister Gentiloni during the visit and an interaction between the CEOs of the two countries was being planned.
There are over 600 Italian companies active in India covering various sectors such as fashion, garments, textile and textile machinery, automotive, automotive components industry, infrastructure, chemicals, energy, confectionary, and insurance.
“A number of Indian companies are also present in Italy mainly in IT, electronics, engineering, automotive, pharmaceuticals and railway sectors,” the statement said.
There is a 180,000-strong Indian community in Italy, the third largest in the EU after Britain and the Netherlands.
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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