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Sushma, Sitharaman to visit Washington for strategic 2+2 Dialogue

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By Arul Louis
New York, June 21 (IANS) India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will hold the first strategic 2+2 Dialogue with their US counterparts on July 6 in Washington, the State Department announced on Thursday.

Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Secretary of Defense James Mattis will host the Indian ministers at the meeting that “will focus on strengthening strategic, security, and defence cooperation as the United States and India jointly confront global challenges”, the Department said.

The ministerial meeting was announced during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with President Donald Trump last July.

It was to have been held in April, but was postponed because of changes in the leadership of the State Department after Rex Tillerson resigned and Pompeo was in the process of taking over.

The optics of the Dialogue will break some stereotypes: Two powerful women from India will be sitting across from two men representing the US.

The dialogue is a centrepiece of the growing ties between the US and India which Washington wants to scale up by extending the strategic vision from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean.

Outlining the new approach, Tillerson said last year that India and US were “two bookends of stability on either side of the globe”.

“We need to collaborate with India to ensure that the Indo-Pacific is increasingly a place of peace, stability, and growing prosperity – so that it does not become a region of disorder, conflict and predatory economics,” he said in a reference to China’s role in the region.

Washington approach also meshes with Modi’s “Act East” policy of building on India’s relations with countries to the east.

An informal quadrilateral system with the Indo-Pacific region’s major democracies, India, the US, Japan and Australia, is also developing.

While the Dialogue is focused on strategic and defence issues, there has been signs of stress in the trade and services sectors.

Tightening of rules on visas for Indian professionals and possibility of increasing tariffs on Indian exports are matters of concern for India, but are not directly on the agenda at the talks.

Besides China and the developments in East and Southeast Asia, other strategic issues of concern — and divergence in some cases — are Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Trump has asked for India’s help in bringing stability to Afghanistan through aid programmes, but by reimposing sanctions on Iran he has threatened those very efforts.

In dealing with the strategic relations, the four officials will have to consider India’s reluctance to wholeheartedly embrace a deep alliance with the US or a bloc overtly opposed to China.

Modi has recently turned his attention to improve relations with China and Russia.

He met China’s President Xi Jinping in Wuhan in April and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin last month.

Meanwhile in East Asia, Trump’s historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has also introduced new factors in the region.

(Arul Louis can be reached at [email protected])

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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