Remarking that the state-of-the-art warship INS Mormugao was a major example of the country’s indigenous defence production capability, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday expressed confidence about India being able to cater to not just local but global ship-building needs as well.
He was speaking at Mumbai during the Commissioning Ceremony of the INS Mormugao, the second of four Visakhapatnam-class destroyers, indigenously designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau. He added that the country was en route to attaining the objective of not only ‘Make in India’ but ‘Make for World’.
The warship, named after the historic port city in Goa, was built by the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited.
Noting the continuous increase for demand in military equipment owing to global security reasons, the Defence Minister said that the country had every opportunity to utilise its capabilities to the fullest and move forward towards making India “an indigenous shipbuilding hub.”
The INS Mormugao was launched in September 2016 and commenced sea trials on December 19, 2021, coinciding with 60 years of Goa’s liberation from Portuguese rule. The commissioning also coincides with the day that ‘Operation Vijay’ was launched in 1961 to free Goa.
Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar said the achievement was “indicative of the large strides” the country had taken in warship design and building capability over the last decade, while stating that the Navy had a tradition of naming ships after cities which created an enduring umbilical link between the two.
PM Modi speaks on development and welfare initiatives of the ‘double engine’ government
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a public rally in Agartala, Tripura, on Sunday and highlighted the efforts of the “double-engine” government to uplift the poor and tribal population of Tripura.
He also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for various projects and initiatives, including road infrastructure projects worth ₹4,350 crore. The Prime Minister remotely inaugurated the Agartala Government Dental College at the historic IGM Hospital premises, the first such facility in the State.
Beginning his speech in Bengali, Mr. Modi said he felt proud to be in the land of ‘Goddess Tripureshwari’, amid thunderous applause. He then switched to Hindi as he spoke on the achievements and development initiatives of the “double-engine government”.
Lashing out at previous governments without naming parties, he stated they only practised “politics of tricks” but did not endeavour to uplift the social and economic status of the ordinary and poor people. “Tripura earlier used to be discussed outside for two matters – elections and violence”, he said, adding that the State is now getting noticed for its “Swachhata and other initiatives”.
He said Tripura recently won first prize from the Centre for successful management of the Swachhata campaign in the ‘Small State Category’. He said the employment, economic and communication scenarios of the State will be boosted after completion of upcoming projects in all spheres.
Mr. Modi also spent considerable time speaking about the work done and projects completed for the benefit of the indigenous population by the State government led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He mentioned that BJP won almost all tribal reserved seats in Gujarat Assembly elections which showed that people from all sections had faith and supported the ruling party.
He further said the current allocation for tribal welfare is several times higher than in the past and elaborated on tribal-oriented projects being executed in the State.
The rally at the Vivekananda Stadium, where major political functions are held, saw a huge turnout. Though organised by the State government with Governor Satyadev Narayan Arya as the chief guest, the event had all the fanfare of an election rally, with speakers highlighting the achievements of the BJP-led governments at the Centre and State. Crowds too chanted BJP party slogans enthusiastically.
During his speech, Modi also termed Chief Minister Manik Saha “popular”, hinting that the party might continue to back Dr. Saha for the top post amid reports of friction in the State unit ahead of the Assembly elections due in February.
Former Chief Minister and Rajya Sabha Member Biplab Kumar Deb, Union Minister of State Pratima Bhoumik and Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Debbarman were present at the rally.
India pushes for new, dedicated fund for biodiversity conservation
There is an urgent need to create a new and dedicated fund to help developing countries successfully implement a post-2020 global framework to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, India said at the U.N. biodiversity conference in Montreal, Canada.
It also said that the conservation of biodiversity must also be based on ‘Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities’ (CBDR) as climate change also impacts nature.
As the 196 parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) finalise negotiations for a post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) — a new set of goals and targets to halt and reverse biodiversity loss — there have been repeated calls for the inclusion of the CBDR principle in finance-related targets.
Addressing the stocktaking plenary at CBD COP15, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said the successful implementation of a post-2020 GBF will depend on the “ways and means we put in place for an equally ambitious ‘Resource Mobilisation Mechanism’”.
“There is a need to create a new and dedicated mechanism for the provision of financial resources to developing-country parties. Such a fund should be operationalised at the earliest to ensure effective implementation of the post-2020 GBF by all countries,” the Minister said.
So far, the Global Environment Facility which caters to multiple conventions, including the UNFCCC and U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification, remains the only source of funding for biodiversity conservation.
At CBD COP15, developing countries have been demanding a new and dedicated biodiversity fund, saying the existing multilateral sources are not up to the task of meeting the requirements of the GBF.
Differences with rich countries on the matter had prompted representatives from developing nations to walk out of crucial financing talks last week. India said the developing countries bear most of the burden of implementing the targets for conservation of biodiversity and, therefore, require adequate funds and technology transfer for this purpose.
Libya militia held Lockerbie suspect before handover to U.S.
Around midnight in mid-November, Libyan militiamen in two Toyota pickup trucks arrived at a residential building in a neighbourhood of the capital of Tripoli. They stormed the house, bringing out a blindfolded man in his 70s.
Their target was former Libyan intelligence agent Abu Agila Mohammad Masud Kheir al-Marimi, wanted by the United States for allegedly making the bomb that brought down New York-bound Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, just days before Christmas in 1988. The attack killed 259 people in the air and 11 on the ground.
Weeks after that night raid in Tripoli, the U.S. announced Masud was in its custody, to the surprise of many in Libya, which has been split between two rival governments, each backed by an array of militias and foreign powers.
Analysts said the Tripoli-based government responsible for handing over Masud was likely seeking U.S. goodwill and favour amid the power struggles in Libya.
Four Libyan security and government officials with direct knowledge of the operation recounted the journey that ended with Masud in Washington.
The officials said it started with him being taken from his home in the Abu Salim neighbourhood of Tripoli. He was transferred to the coastal city of Misrata and eventually handed over to American agents who flew him out of the country, they said.
In Libya, many questioned the legality of how he was picked up, just months after his release from a Libyan prison, and sent to the U.S. Libya and the U.S. don’t have a standing agreement on extradition, so there was no obligation to hand Masud over.
Libya’s chief prosecutor has opened an investigation following a complaint from Masud’s family. But for nearly a week after the U.S. announcement, the Tripoli government was silent, while rumours swirled for weeks that Masud had been abducted and sold by militiamen.
After public outcry in Libya, the country’s Tripoli-based prime minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, acknowledged on Thursday that his government had handed Masud over. In the same speech, he also said that Interpol had issued a warrant for Masud’s arrest. A spokesman for Dbeibah’s government did not answer calls and messages seeking additional comment.
In Brief:
Makkal Needhi Maiam founder and actor Kamal Haasan will join Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Delhi on December 24. Party sources who were a part of the emergency governing council and executive council meeting on December 18 said Kamal Haasan accepted the invitation of Gandhi who had written a letter asking him to walk with him in Delhi. Speaking to the reporters briefly, Haasan said that his participation in the Yatra will indicate where his sympathies lie in politics.
Evening Wrap will return tomorrow.
