World
India, US launch new ‘Diplomacy Partnership’ to align stands
Washington: Reflecting their dramatically expanded political, economic and strategic cooperation, India and the US have announced a new Diplomacy Partnership aimed at more closely aligning their strategic perspectives, diplomatic training, and engagements around the world.
The new partnership was announced at the conclusion of the first US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue co-chaired by Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and US Secretary of State John Kerry. The Diplomacy Partnership between the US State Department of and the Indian Ministry of External Affairs includes a new Policy Planning Dialogue to share perspectives on strategic challenges and opportunities.
The Diplomacy Partnership also will familiarise the two sides’ diplomatic corps with each other through site visits by institute staff and diplomats, and by the exchange of best practices in diplomatic training.
As part of the Diplomacy Partnership, the US and India will strengthen and expand their consultations on the full range of regional and functional diplomatic issues.
A fact sheet issued after the dialogue also noted that ten years ago, defence trade between the US and India was virtually non-existent.
Over the last few years, the US has signed more than $10 billion in defence sales to India.
These capabilities have strengthened India’s role as a net provider of security in the Indian Ocean Region, it said.
US and Indian businesses have partnered on the co-development of defence equipment, establishing a base from which to launch new Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) co-development and co-production efforts in the future and expand the Indian defence industrial base.
A renewed 10-year Defence Framework signed in June 2015 provides avenues for high level strategic discussions, continued exchanges between armed forces of both countries, and strengthening capabilities.
The fact sheet noted that to-way trade has increased nearly three-fold from $36 billion in 2005 to $104 billion in 2014.
Similarly, US investments in India have increased from a total FDI stock of $7.7 billion in 2004 to $28 billion today.
Travel for tourism, business, and education has seen unprecedented growth: a 152 percent increase in overall visa applications for Indians wishing to travel to the US, reaching a total of over one million applications in FY 2015.
Visa applications for Indian students have increased by 202 percent to 92,156 in FY 2015. US visitors to India have nearly doubled from 611,165 visitors in 2005 to 1,123,444 in 2015.
Indian students account for the second-largest group of foreign students in the US, with approximately 102,673 students studying in the US in 2013-14.
At the same time, more than a million Americans travelled to India in 2013, and more than 4,000 Indians applied for student visas at US diplomatic facilities in India on a single day in May 2015.
The Indian diaspora, the fact sheet noted, has made enormous contributions to every facet of American society.
It has contributed “its talents and ingenuity at the tech start-ups of Silicon Valley, the lecture halls and labs of premier educational institutions, the board rooms of Fortune 500 companies, and the corridors of Washington and across the nation.”
National
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
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.