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Modi to visit Philippines for Asean, East Asia Summits
New Delhi, Nov 9 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Sunday leave on a three-day visit to the Philippines where he will attend the Asean and East Asia Summits and hold a bilateral meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte, it was announced on Thursday.
This will be Modi’s first official visit to the Philippines.
“He will be going there to attend the 15th Asean-India Summit and the 12th East Asia Summit,” Priti Saran, Secretary (East) in the External Affairs Ministry, told the media.
With this, India would have undertaken high-level visits at the level of President, Vice President and Prime Minister to all 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) members – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – in the last three years.
“This shows the importance India attaches to its relations with the Asean,” Saran said. “It symbolizes India’s commitment to deepening relations with Asean member states in particular and with the Indo-Pacific region in general within the framework of our Act East Policy.”
While Modi will meet Duterte, also this year’s Asean Chairman, on November 13, the two leaders will participate in the two Summits the next day.
Modi will also attend the special celebrations to mark 50th anniversary of the Asean’s formation, a meeting of the leaders of the countries of the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and an Asean Business and Investment Summit.
RCEP is a proposed free trade agreement between the Asean member states and the six states with which grouping has free trade pacts – Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand.
Asean accounts for over 10 per cent of India’s external trade. Asean and India together comprise a population of 1.85 billion, one-fourth of the global population, and a combined GDP of $3.8 trillion.
Saran said investments in India from Asean countries in the last 17 years had been over $70 billion, accounting for 17 per cent of FDI. Indian investments in Asean is over $40 billion.
Modi’s visit assumes significance as this year marks the 25th anniversary of the India-Asean dialogue partnership.
“Asean is central to India’s Act East Policy. Therefore, our Prime Minister’s participation in the Asean-India Summit and the East Asia Summit provides a very important opportunity to reiterate our commitment to the partnership,” Saran said.
India also has 30 sectoral dialogue mechanisms and seven ministerial-level interactions with Asean.
Saran said India supported Asean’s centrality in the regional security architecture, and enhancing physical, digital, economic, cultural and people-to-people ties was a key focus in the relationship.
New Delhi attached the greatest importance to the East Asia Summit, of which India is a founding member, she said.
The East Asia Summit is held annually by leaders of Asean countries and those of Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea and the US.
On the margins of the summits, Modi will hold bilateral meetings with some other leaders as well.
Modi and Duterte were expected “to set up the stage for a quantitative change in our bilateral relations with the Philippines”, Saran said.
She said there was immense potential to enhance bilateral economic ties.
In the Philippines, Modi will meet members of the Indian community, visit the International Rice Research Institute and the Mahavir Philippines Foundation, an associate centre of the Bhagwan Mahavir Bikalang Sahayta Samiti of the Jaipur Foot fame.
–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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