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Modi to visit Japan on Oct 28-29, focus on cooperation in Indo-Pacific region
New Delhi, Oct 25 (IANS) Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and infrastructure projects, particularly in terms of connectivity, will be major areas of focus when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Japan on October 28-29 for the annual bilateral summit with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, the External Affairs Ministry said on Thursday.
“It goes without saying that the Indo-Pacific will be a major topic for discussion between both the leaders,” Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said during a media briefing here.
“If you make a comparison, you will see that there are a number of areas of convergence, of commonality, of common vision,” Gokhale said.
“The two leaders will obviously discuss how we can take this vision forward and present it to the world and try to see how we can concretise it.”
Gokhale said that one of the areas that the two leaders will discuss is how the two sides can collaborate in the Indo-Pacific region in the context of Asia and Africa by way of capacity-building and in infrastructure projects in a trilateral manner.
Last year, a quad comprising India, Japan, the US and Australia was revived that seeks to work for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
Gokhale said that the regional security situation will be another area of discussion in view of Japan’s interest in developments in the Korean Peninsula and in North Korea.
“We will certainly raise the issue of our concerns over terrorism and other international trans-border crimes,” he said.
The Foreign Secretary stressed that bilateral issues will be of special interest during the discussions between the two leaders, both at the one-to-one level and delegation-level talks.
He said that the foremost of these would be how to leverage Japan as a development aid partner for India’s economic modernisation and flagship development programmes like Skill India, Make in India, and Digital India, as also the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail project.
The ground-breaking ceremony for the high-speed rail project was held during Abe’s visit to India in September last year for the annual bilateral summit.
With Japan already having released the first tranche of Rs 5,500 crore for the rail project, Gokhale said that discussions will now be held for the second tranche.
Also, there will be discussions on the Dedicated Freight Corridor that is close to its time framework.
Costing nearly Rs 50,000 crore, Japanese assistance for this has been to the tune of Rs 38,000 crore.
With Modi describing Japan as the cornerstone of New Delhi’s Act East Policy, Gokhale said that connectivity projects in the Northeast will be of special focus during the discussions.
“We will be discussing about projects regarding district-level connectivity in the Northeast,” he said.
The Foreign Secretary also said that defence and security cooperation will be another important area that will come up for discussion.
During the course of the visit, Modi will also take part in a series of business meetings.
This will be Modi’s third visit to Japan for the annual bilateral summit.
India is the only country with which Japan holds an annual bilateral summit while India holds a similar summit with Russia too.
–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
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.