Indian and Pakistani foreign secretaries to meet soon
The foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan – Sujatha Singh and Aizaz Ahmed, respectively – are supposed to meet at Islamabad on August 25. It is expected that this particular meeting would take forward the peace process that has been initiated anew with the ascent of Narendra Modi to the post of prime minister of India. It was only a couple of months back that both Modi and Nawaz Sharif had a meeting. One hopes that at this meeting both the foreign secretaries will touch upon the issue of repeated incursions of the Line of Control and International Border from the Pakistan side at a greater level than what has happened already.
In fact these acts of aggression, completely unwanted and one feels absolutely unauthorized, are putting a serious dampener on any efforts at peace by India and Pakistan. The foreign secretary level talks between the neighbors had stopped after the incidents of firing across the border. An Indian soldier lost his life in the latest round of firing that took place on July 22, 2014. The Indian foreign secretary has meanwhile informed her Pakistani counterpart that if such incidents continue to happen then it would be hard to hold any constructive discussion as such.
India not to support WTO protocol till issues are resolved
India has stated that it will not lend support to the new WTO protocol for facilitating trade till some key issues are sufficiently addressed. The main area of concern now is subsidy. The critics of this decision of the Indian government are saying that this will basically destroy a trade deal that could be regarded as a landmark from a global perspective. It is strange that the Indian government is adopting such a stance considering the fact that in the recently brought out budget subsidies have been drawn away from key products such as petroleum, diesel and cooking gas.
Modi asks chief of World Bank to provide ideas and knowledge instead of just financial assistance
In a remarkable departure from the previous attitude of India regarding dealings with global financial bodies, Narendra Modi has asked Jim Yong Kim, the president of World Bank, that it should help his country with innovative ideas, knowledge and expertise rather than providing mere financial assistance. He has stated this keeping in mind that India needs to develop its existing human resources so that the country’s future is in good hands.
Patients are being cheated by clinics and doctors, says Harsh Vardhan
In India, doctors are held in high regard and also accorded a status of divinity, especially in the rural areas. However, in certain situations the case is different as has been alluded to by Harsh Vardhan. He has stated that some doctors and diagnostic centers are now forming cartel like organizations in order to further their own self interests by asking the patients to take tests that may not be necessary at times. This happened because the doctors, who do so, are desirous of the commission that they get from these centres as a result of referring candidates to them.
All said and done this is a serious allegation against the medical fraternity and it remains to be seen how it reacts to the same. One of the common reasons, as per the doctors, for the tests is that they want to be completely sure of the condition of the patient before proceeding with the treatment. What is perhaps not said is that they wish to escape the beatings that are sometimes administered to them in case patients die. This is done by the near and dear ones of the deceased. Perhaps this needs to stop as well so that the doctors can feel little safe and the supposed cartelisation can be stopped.
Sushma Swaraj engages Mallikarjun Kharge in war of words
Sushma Swaraj had a heated verbal exchange with Mallikarjun Kharge when a leader from the opposition in Lok Sabha regarding whether Narendra Modi should appear at the lower house of the Indian parliament and then make a comment on his experiences in the BRICS Summit, which he attended recently. The problem arose when he stated that the prime minister was no god. While what Kharge said was not wrong, perhaps his choice of words did not go down well with Swaraj.
Tourism ministry launches app for global travelers
The union tourism ministry has come up with a mobile based application that is expected to assist tourists from across the world come to India and then explore the various destinations on offer. It is expected that this application will assist them move around at the pace of their liking and also choose destinations that appeal the most to them. The app is specifically geared for the Incredible India Walking Tours and at present covers 16 cities across the country, some of which may be enumerated as below:
- Delhi
- Amritsar
- Agra
- Mumbai
- Chandigarh
- Surat
- Jaipur
- Patna
- Chennai
- Goa
Indian government starting efforts to monitor Himalayan glaciers
Jitendra Singh, minister of state for science and technology, has stated that efforts to monitor the glaciers of Himalaya are afoot. The Indian government is looking to do this on a regular basis and also study the climatic patterns of the region. As per information provided by him in Lok Sabha, the government is already focusing on several glaciers so that they could be measured for a long-term. The work will be done by governmental agencies. It is common knowledge that Himalayan glaciers have been melting but the rate, patterns and extent are not the same. It is expected that regular monitoring will help the government have a proper idea of the dynamics of melting.
It is better that the Indian government is looking to monitor these glaciers but perhaps mere monitoring will not be enough. Steps need to be taken so that this situation can be stopped if possible. The ill-effects of the melting of these glaciers will be really serious and also long-term. The northern part of the country will experience extreme winters because of the winds from Central Asia and then there would be a acute source of freshwater for the north Indian rivers if these glaciers continue to melt.
Economic indicators
| Indicators | Value | Rise/Fall |
| SENSEX | 26147.33 | 121.53 |
| NIFTY | 7795.75 | 27.90 |
| Rupee/Dollar | 60.09 | -0.00 |
| Gold | 27,886.00 | -9.00 |
| Silver | 44,931.00 | -166.00 |
| Crude oil | 6,196.00 | 15.00 |
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