This will have significant impact for the return of international students, and travel of skilled and unskilled workers to Australia,” it said…reports Asian Lite News.
Australia on Monday recognised Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin for allowing entry of travellers who had received the vaccine.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the Australian drug regulator, announced that it has recognised two more Covid-19 vaccines not registered in Australia but used widely internationally, which includes Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and BBIBP-CorV (manufactured by Sinopharm, China).
“This recognition is for travellers aged 12 and over who have been vaccinated with Covaxin, and those 18 to 60 who have been vaccinated with BBIBP-CorV,” the TGA said in a statement.
Covaxin (Bharat Biotech) and BBIBP-CorV (Sinopharm) vaccines are now 'recognised' by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for the purpose of establishing a traveller's vaccination status. https://t.co/71bAIL2FInpic.twitter.com/5wWna2fJEK
The TGA further stated that with recognition of Covaxin, and BBIBP-CorV, along with the previously announced recognition of Coronavac (manufactured by Sinovac, China) and Covishield (manufactured by AstraZeneca, India), means many citizens of India and China as well as other countries in the region where these vaccines have been widely deployed will now be considered fully vaccinated on entry to Australia.
“This will have significant impact for the return of international students, and travel of skilled and unskilled workers to Australia,” it said.
The TGA mentioned that in recent weeks it has obtained additional information demonstrating these vaccines provide protection and potentially reduce the likelihood that an incoming traveller would transmit Covid-19 infection to others while in Australia or become acutely unwell due to Covid-19.
“The supporting information has been provided to the TGA from the vaccine sponsor and or the World Health Organisation (WHO),” it said.
In addition, with input from the TGA, Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) (ATAGI) have determined that those who have received two doses of a TGA-approved or recognised vaccine at least 14 days apart are regarded as fully vaccinated from seven days after the second dose (with the exception of Janssen vaccine, where they are regarded as fully vaccinated seven days after the single dose). This includes homologous (two doses of the same vaccine) and heterologous (two doses of two different TGA-approved or recognised vaccines) schedules.
“From 1 November 2021, vaccinated Australians and permanent residents aged 12 and over may depart Australia without the need to seek a travel exemption,” the statement added.
Chautala had then also won from Uchana seat, due to which he resigned from the Ellenabad seat and in the 2010 by-election it was won by Abhay…reports AMARPAL SINGH VERMA
All eyes are on Saturday’s by-elections in Haryana’s Ellenabad constituency, which has emerged as a prestige issue for the three main political parties in the fray – the ruling BJP, the Congress and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD).
The biggest and most emotive issue in the election is the farmers’ agitation sparked by the passage of three contentious farm laws in late 2020. Haryana’s farmers are among those taking an active part in the movement and resentment against the BJP has been brewing ever since.
Whether the saffron party wins or loses Ellenabad will not affect Haryana’s Manohar Lal Khattar government, but the election has become a prestige issue for the BJP, and the state machinery is employing its full force to win the seat. For the Congress and INLD, the by-election has become a question of survival with dignity.
A total of 19 candidates are in the fray, of which 11 are Independents, but the main contest is believed to be between the INLD, Congress and BJP.
Candidates in slugfest
The political atmosphere in the state is already charged.
Among the heavyweights is INLD’s Abhay Singh Chautala, who resigned from the state Assembly early this year in protest against the agricultural laws. Taking on him from the Congress is Pawan Beniwal, while the BJP has fielded Govind Kanda after inducting him into the party.
Traditionally, the Ellenabad seat in Sirsa has been the stronghold of former Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhary Devi Lal. Abhay, his grandson and son of the former chief minister and INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala, was victorious here in the 2019 elections when he defeated Beniwal, then in the BJP.
Abhay’s resignation from the seat is what led to the by-election here. While he is standing again from the INLD, his rival Beniwal switched to the Congress a few days before the announcement of the election date.
All parties campaigned diligently for their candidates from village to village, though flags and banners are not visible due to the fear of the Election Commission. In his rallies, Abhay campaigned against the agricultural laws and alleged scams during the rule of the Khattar government in Haryana, while Beniwal spoke about the lack of development in the state. BJP’s Kanda assured the electorate of all-around progress.
Former CM Chautala is not leaving any stone unturned for the victory of son Abhay. He is visiting dozens of villages every day seeking support. On the other hand, the entire Haryana government is working to take BJP candidate Kanda to the finish line. State BJP president Om Prakash Dhankar, all ministers, MLAs, and chairmen of Khattar government corporations and boards are scouring the villages of Ellenabad in their bid for victory.
In the Congress, leaders including state president Kumari Selja and former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, are making efforts to ensure a win.
Odds of victory
All three candidates have their pros and cons.
The Ellenabad seat has long been dominated by the Chautala family, and in 11 of 15 previous elections, a member of the family or a candidate of their choice has won.
In the 1970 by-election here, Om Prakash Chautala became the MLA. From 1977 to 2005, the seat was reserved for the Scheduled Castes. In this time, Bhagiram, who was close to the Devi Lal family, won from here five times. After delimitation in 2009, the seat was declared for the general category, after which Chautala senior became the MLA.
Chautala had then also won from Uchana seat, due to which he resigned from the Ellenabad seat and in the 2010 by-election it was won by Abhay.
In 2014 and 2019, Abhay won again by defeating Beniwal. Now Abhay is in the fray here for the fourth time and is confident of the support of the farmers and Jats who are agitating against the BJP government.
Yet, the challenges before him are no less.
By winning from Ellenabad in 2019, Abhay was able to register his presence as the lone MLA of INLD in the 90-member Haryana Assembly, all thanks to infighting in the Chautala family.
One of Abhay’s rivals has turned out to be his own nephew, Dushyant Chautala, son of Omprakash Chautala’s elder son Ajay. Dushyant is currently the deputy chief minister of Haryana – a post he got by forming a joint government with the BJP on the strength of ten MLAs from his Jannayak Janata Party.
Abhay has to thus face not only the Congress-BJP candidates but also the supporters of his nephew, a participant in the rival Khattar government. If Abhay wins, then it will give new strength to INLD in Haryana, but in case of defeat, the future of the party will be in question.
There are also strengths and weaknesses associated with Congress’s Pawan Beniwal.
In Ellenabad, Beniwal’s uncle, former MLA Bharat Beniwal, had been contesting elections on a Congress ticket. But this time the party gave his ticket to the nephew – which did not go down well with Bharat. The Congress high command has so far persuaded Bharat to remain in the party fold, but fears of rebellion remain.
On the pro side, Pawan Beniwal’s biggest advantage is that he is a Jat and the Congress is banking on him to get votes from the farmers as well as the Jats. The majority of Ellenabad’s nearly 2 lakh voters stay in villages and according to estimates, 37 per cent of voters are from the Jat community, with Jat Sikhs making up 7 per cent of the voters.
BJP on backfoot
The BJP in Ellenabad is facing the displeasure of farmers, who threw out party candidate Kanda and other leaders from the local gurdwara. Even in villages, farmers are raising slogans against the party. The United Kisan Morcha has taken out a Kalash Yatra with the ashes of the farmers killed in Lakhimpur Kheri to different villages in Ellenabad. So the farmers are leaving no stone unturned to make BJP’s path to victory here difficult.
The majority of Jat votes are likely to be divided between Abhay and Beniwal. In such a situation, the BJP is trying hard to get its candidate to win by mobilising non-Jat voters. Govind’s elder brother Gopal Kanda, former Minister of State for Home in Haryana, has also jumped on the campaign ground with full strength.
Palaram Jat, a farmer from Dholpaliya village, admitted to the impact of the farmer agitation on the Ellenabad election. In this case, Abhay has an upper hand as he resigned from the Assembly in protest against the agricultural laws.
Schools in Kerala reopened on Monday after remaining closed for 20 months due to the Covid pandemic…reports Asian Lite News
Since attending offline classes is not compulsory, only a million of the 4.2 million students returned to the classrooms.
Schools have been directed to strictly follow the bio-bubble model besides other Covid protocols.
Kerala schools reopen after 20 months
The state level inauguration of a ‘back to school’ programme was inaugurated by Kerala Education Minister V.Sivankutty at the Cotton School Girl’s School in the capital city.
Similar inaugurations were seen in the other 13 districts of the state a well, while some schools held their own functions to welcome students.
Sivankutty said since the Covid threat is not fully over, all mandatory protocols have to be strictly complied with.
“For around two weeks, it will be a readjustment to the school and classrooms. We will be observing how things are and have regular meetings to discuss and debate on how situation can be improved, even while caution is maintained. For the time being everything will be under a close watch.”
Across the state one common thing was school students were definitely happy to be back.
“We had started to get bored of the online mode of study so are happy to be back- though our smiles hidden behind the masks. Now we wait for the classrooms to be full, as at the moment, it’s only half or less than that,” said a group of students in the capital city.
In a rare sight, state Agriculture Minister P. Prasad came to drop her daughter at a state-run school in the state capital.
“I’m here as a parent of my daughter Aruna of grade 5. We all are happy that children are back as children. The government has ensured that things are in place as the schools reopen after the long break,” said Prasad.
A teacher in Pathanamthitta district said she could not wait to get back to the classroom and be with her students.
“It’s probably the first time we are having a celebration like this, as Monday also marks Kerala’s 65th birthday. All of us are really excited and happy to be back,” she said.
Popular comedian and character actor Jagdeesh said that his grand-daughter is attending her class in the state capital.
“We have come to know that of the 25 students in her class, only nine parents have given their consent for physical classes.”
For the time being, in many schools students of each class have been divided into different bio-bubble groups and each group will have to come to school either twice or thrice in a week.
Even though its mandatory for all teachers and non-teaching staff to be vaccinated, according to the latest figures, as many as 2,282 teachers in the state are yet to get vaccinated.
In a Kozhikode district school, a robot welcomed every student with sanitiser and a balloon.
However, while most of the schools have reopened, 25 schools in Kuttanad area in Alappuzha district could not, owing to heavy rain.
“We were all ready to return, but then our teacher called up asking us to wait as all the classes are submerged. We are sad,” said a student who is impatient to return to school.
Meanwhile, the tailoring shops witnessed a heavy rush with students continously walking in either to get new uniforms stitched or get the old ones altered.
The bank then sold both the hotels to a company for Rs 25 crore at a much lower price than the market rate. On this, the hotel group went to court…reports Asian Lite News.
Former SBI chairman Pratip Chaudhary has been arrested by the Jaisalmer Police from Delhi on the basis of arrest orders issued by the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in the case of selling a hotel property at a cheap price after declaring it NPA.
Pratip Chaudhary was arrested on Sunday and will be brought to Jaisalmer on Monday.
According to information received from the police, Pratip Chaudhary was arrested from his residence in Delhi in a case related to a hotel group in Jaisalmer. It is alleged that the property worth about Rs 200 crore was sold for Rs 25 crore by declaring it Non Performing Asset (NPA).
This property, in fact, was seized in lieu of the loan.
According to the police, the hotel group had taken a loan of Rs 24 crore from SBI in 2008 for the construction purpose. At that time, another hotel of the group was running smoothly. After that, when the group could not repay the loan amount, the bank seized both the hotels of the group after considering it as a non-performing asset. At that time, the chairman of the bank was Pratip Chaudhary.
The bank then sold both the hotels to a company for Rs 25 crore at a much lower price than the market rate. On this, the hotel group went to court.
Meanwhile, the buyer company took over it in 2016 and when this property was valued in 2017, its market value was found to be Rs 160 crore. At the same time, after retirement, Pratip Chaudhary joined the same company as a director to which this hotel was sold. At present, the value of these hotels is being estimated at Rs 200 crore.
In this case, the CJM Court of Jaisalmer ordered the arrest of Pratip Chaudhary.
Discussions also took place on combating climate change, particularly on the need for implementation of climate finance commitments, the release said…reports Asian Lite News.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday met the German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rome and agreed to expand the scope of the India-Germany strategic partnership to new areas, including green hydrogen.
Recalling their long standing cooperation and personal friendship, Modi complimented Chancellor Merkel for her leadership in not just Germany but also at the European and global level.
He committed to maintaining the close strategic partnership with Merkel’s successor.
“The two leaders expressed satisfaction at the close bilateral cooperation between India and Germany and pledged to deepen their trade and investment relations. They also agreed to expand the scope of the India-Germany strategic partnership to new areas, including green hydrogen,” a release from the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in New Delhi.
Modi conveyed best wishes to Merkel for the future and invited her to visit India.
Modi holds talks Indonesia President Joko Widodo
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday met the Indonesia President, Joko Widodo on the sidelines of G20 Summit in Rome, Italy and committed to strengthen bilateral trade and investment between the two countries.
Modi congratulated Indonesia for its G20 Presidency next year and assured President Widodo of India’s readiness to work closely with the country as part of Troika, a release from the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
Both leaders held discussions on the recent course of India-Indonesia comprehensive strategic partnership. The two leaders appreciated each other’s steadfast support during the Covid-19 pandemic and agreed to cooperate towards post-pandemic recovery.
Glad to have met President @jokowi earlier today. Discussed existing areas of India-Indonesia cooperation and new spheres where our countries can work together for the benefit of our citizens and the entire planet. pic.twitter.com/FBCQ7IKp7P
They also emphasized the importance of Indo-Pacific cooperation, the MEA release added.
Both the leaders committed to strengthen bilateral trade and investment between the two countries, and pave way for greater people-to-people interaction.
Discussions also took place on combating climate change, particularly on the need for implementation of climate finance commitments, the release said.
Modi meets Spanish counterpart on the side lines of G20
During a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit at Rome, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez agreed to further expand bilateral cooperation in new areas like e-mobility, clean tech, advanced materials, and deep-sea exploration.
“The two leaders welcomed the growing bilateral trade and investment linkages, including the recent signing of the contract to procure 56 C295 aircrafts from Airbus Spain, 40 of which will be ‘Made in India’ in collaboration with Tata Advanced Systems,” a release from the Union Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi.
The Prime Minister was in Rome for the G20 Summit that was held on Saturday and Sunday.
Modi and Sanchez agreed to further expand bilateral cooperation in new areas like e-mobility, clean tech, advanced materials and deep-sea exploration.
Productivo encuentro con el primer ministro de la India, @narendramodi, en el #G20. Coincidimos en la necesidad de reforzar las relaciones económicas y estratégicas entre nuestros países, especialmente en áreas de interés compartido como la transición ecológica y digital. pic.twitter.com/27FjeD0hK5
Modi invited Spain to invest in various sectors, including green hydrogen, infrastructure and defence manufacturing and further take advantage of India’s National Infrastructure Pipeline, Asset Monetization Plan and the Gati Shakti Plan.
“The two leaders discussed India-EU relations as well as cooperation on climate action and priorities at upcoming COP26. They also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, including Afghanistan and the Indo-Pacific,” the release added.
Prime Minister Modi looks forward to welcoming his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez in India next year.
Ed Edwards, Fawaz Al Ayban & Meshari Al Bahli of Golf Saudi Collect Award
The World Golf Awards, one of the industry’s most prominent and revered accolades, has awarded Golf Saudi with a Sustainable Legacy Award, during their annual ceremony in Dubai…reports Asian Lite News
The awards which brought together market leaders from more than 40 nations across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, North America and Oceania, was a celebration of the best courses and destinations across the golf industry.
Golf Saudi Win Sustainable Legacy Award
The World Golf Awards recognised Golf Saudi with a Sustainable Legacy Award for their efforts to inspire and encourage a nationwide culture of environmental and ecological innovation throughout all of its ongoing pioneering initiatives. This included Golf Saudi signing-up to a United Nations initiative for sporting organisations in the summer of 2021 aimed at achieving ambitious global climate change goals. Meaning that Golf Saudi is now one of the latest members of the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework, a growing community of organisations, leagues, tours and sporting tournaments committed toward the Paris Agreement’s net zero targets.
The World Golf Awards also acknowledged Golf Saudi’s Social Agenda and Mass Participation programme, both of which aim to provide Saudis with education and employment opportunities, providing certified golf specific career paths, as well as encouraging them to take up the game for the first time from a leisure perspective.
MAJED AL SOROUR, DEPUTY CHAIRMAN, SAUDI GOLF FEDERATION, CEO, GULF SAUDI: “To once again be recognised by the World Golf Awards is a huge privilege and underlines the progress, we as an organisation are making towards our Vision 2030 goals in Saudi Arabia. Just this week, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence pledged to reach zero-net emissions by 2060, as part of the Saudi Green Initiative. So, for us to already have joined the UN’s Sports for Climate Action Framework shows that we are playing an active part in sport’s contribution to global climate action. We still have much progress to make but being recognised in this manner gives us belief that our strategy to sustainability will allow us at Golf Saudi to develop a fully formed golfing ecosystem for all our citizens to benefit from in the years ahead.”
The World Golf Awards serves to celebrate and reward excellence in golf tourism, world-class courses and golf destinations. Voted for by professionals working within the golf travel and tourism industry, this accolade further solidifies Golf Saudi’s position as one of the world’s fastest growing golf markets. Golf Saudi was awarded for its commitment to providing a clear path to a low carbon future for golf. By engaging and working together with other sporting federations and organisations, Golf Saudi hopes to encourage wider engagement in terms of tackling environmental issues and to face up to the threat posed by climate change.
Chris Frost, Managing Director, World Golf Awards, said: “It’s great to see the progress of Golf Saudi and the scale of their ambition as they work towards their Vision 2030 goals. This award is in recognition of Golf Saudi’s efforts to establish themselves as a market leader in terms of sustainability and to us it’s clear that the organisation is taking noteworthy steps to meet and exceed international best practise across sport globally.”
Launched in 2014, World Golf Awards aims to improve standards within golf tourism by rewarding the leading destinations in their field. Votes for the 2021 World Golf Awards ceremony were cast by industry professionals and consumers from across the world in a range of categories, including both global and regional awards, with the ceremony itself taking place from the Park Hyatt Dubai on the evening of Thursday 28th October 2021.
Saudi Arabia has announced the launch of an initiative to document the oral history of the Ardah, a folkloric group dance…reports Asian Lite News
The dance involves two rows of men opposite of one another, each of whom may or may not be wielding a sword or cane, and is accompanied by drums and spoken poetry.
Ardah combines poetry, percussion music, and tap dancing to produce an evocation of the formidable respectability of a flag defended with a sword.
Saudi announces to document oral history of Ardah
The Oral History of the Saudi Arda initiative, announced by the Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA) on Sunday, aims to shed light on the traditional celebratory Saudi group dance made famous by the rising popularity of the Kingdom’s culture and heritage in the world over in recent years, Xinhua news agency reported citing an official statement.
The Authority is tasked by the Saudi government to redevelop Diriyah, a historic town located on the outskirts of the capital Riyadh and the original home of the Saudi royal family, into a global tourist destination.
This is part of a series of similar initiatives to preserve the national history, reinvigorate the festive Saudi dance, popularise Ardah songs and their writers, and introduce people to the Saudi art form.
Performed solely by men in a public space, Ardah is a manifestation of their upbeat enthusiasm as they reiterate their loyalty and love to the King and the Kingdom, according to a report by the Saudi Gazette.
Originally, Ardah started as a war dance to instil vigour in the hearts of fighting men right before engaging in a war.
The sword dance was a way to show off weapons and fearlessness to the enemy. Today, it’s a fundamental component of the Kingdom’s popular culture.
Tenth season of Dubai Miracle Garden welcomes visitors
Dubai Miracle Garden features over 150 million natural flowers and plants from more than 120 varieties, some of which are rare and not cultivated anywhere else in the Gulf region…reports Asian Lite News
Dubai Miracle Garden, the largest natural flower garden in the world, is returning for its tenth season, a milestone in the award-winning garden’s journey. To mark the opening of the new season on Monday, the garden has been decked up with a range of never-before-seen floral installations that promise a multi-sensory experience.
Dubai Miracle Garden features over 150 million natural flowers and plants from more than 120 varieties, some of which are rare and not cultivated anywhere else in the Gulf region.
The tenth season of Dubai Miracle Garden welcomes visitors
ABDEL NASER RAHHAL, CREATOR AND CO-FOUNDER, DUBAI MIRACLE GARDEN AND VICE CHAIRMAN OF CITYLAND GROUP: “We’re delighted to open the tenth consecutive season of the Dubai Miracle Garden. This moment is made more special because the garden offers families a unique opportunity to walk in floral spaces in an enchanting outdoor environment. The entire team has worked hard to ensure the new installations at Dubai Miracle Garden delight the visitors and gives them an opportunity to feel at one with nature in a safe and fun environment.”
“The new season of Dubai Miracle Garden is running parallel to the Expo 2020, an event that is capturing the imagination of a global audience. Dubai Miracle Garden, which takes inspiration from the Expo’s cutting-edge design, creativity and hospitality, is a unique addition to the itinerary of visitors to the mega global event.”
The highlight of Dubai Miracle Garden’s newest additions is a list of exciting floral installations inspired by The Smurfs, a children’s comic and animation franchise centered on a fictional community of small blue creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. A special ‘Smurf Village Attraction Area’ will host tens of life-sized mushroom houses and will be decked with furniture inspired from the animated film series. Families will have the opportunity to enter these innovative mushroom houses and share the experience of living like a character from The Smurfs.
Tenth season of Dubai Miracle Garden welcomes visitors
Dubai Miracle Garden’s tenth season also features a newly designed three-dimensional clock, a ‘floating rock’ with a fountain, floral peacocks, as well as two floral exhibits inspired by children’s favourite characters: a ‘Genie’ that stands almost 15 meters tall and a ‘flying magic carpet’. These new attractions are in addition to the Garden’s existing suite of floral displays: such as the green sculpted Emirates A380, ballet dancers, an amphitheatre-cum-observatory that hosts live performances, a scintillating ‘Floral Castle’ and much more.
‘Pushpa’ is Sukumar’s directorial and portrays the life of a sandalwood smuggler, and his encounter with the forest officers and the police…reports Asian Lite News.
With Telugu ‘Icon Star’ Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna in never-seen-before avatars, upcoming movie ‘Pushpa: The Rise’ has already generated big buzz all over. As the makers are planning to bring in the celebrations of the festival of lights, they are apparently ready to launch a power-packed teaser from the movie.
The makers would unveil a teaser of ‘Pushpa: The Rise’ on November 4, marking Diwali. As the fans wait for the confirmation, the official announcement on the teaser is likely to be made in a day or two. Also, there are reports that the makers have cut the teaser in a way to appeal to the mass audience. There is also talk that the teaser would amplify the buzz around this movie.
It is reported that ‘Pushpa’ is in the final leg of the shoot now, and would soon come into the post-production phase. Later, the makers are eyeing to kickstart the promotions, as the action thriller gears up for its theatrical release on December 17.
‘Pushpa’ is Sukumar’s directorial and portrays the life of a sandalwood smuggler, and his encounter with the forest officers and the police. The complete portion of this movie is to have a rural backdrop and is to feature the ‘mass’ side of Allu Arjun.
Rashmika Mandanna plays the female lead in this movie, while Malayalam actor Fahadh Fassil is to play the bad cop. Bankrolled under Mythri Movie Makers, Devi Sri Prasad has composed the music for this upcoming action drama.
Modi was received to the tune of Scottish bagpipes as he arrived at hishotel in Glasgow, where he was greeted by a large group of Indian diaspora representatives with chants of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”, reports Asian Lite News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Glasgow on Sunday for the COP26 climate summit and bilateral talks with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the sidelines of the United Nations (UN) meet.
“Landed in Glasgow. Will be joining the COP26 Summit, where I look forward to working with other world leaders on mitigating climate change and articulating India’s efforts in this regard,” PM Modi said on Twitter.
The Prime Minister was received to the tune of Scottish bagpipes as he arrived at his hotel in Glasgow, where he was greeted by a large group of Indian diaspora representatives with chants of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”.
“Leaving for Glasgow after a fruitful G20 Summit in Rome. During the Summit, we were able to have elaborate deliberations on issues of global importance such as fighting the pandemic, improving health infrastructure, boosting economic cooperation and furthering innovation,” PM Modi said in an earlier tweet.
The Prime Minister, who flew into Glasgow from the G20 Summit in Italy, is scheduled to begin the UK leg of his European tour with a meeting with community leaders and Indologists based in Scotland on Monday morning.
He will then proceed for the opening ceremony of the World Leaders’ Summit (WLS) at the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow, where he is set to address the summit plenary session.
PM Modi’s bilateral meeting with Boris Johnson is expected to take place soon after Monday’s opening ceremony, which will include cultural performances and a speech by the UK Prime Minister. Johnson has said the summit will be the “world’s moment of truth” and has urged world leaders to make the most of it.
“The question everyone is asking is whether we seize this moment or let it slip away,” he said, ahead of the two-week conference.
His talks with PM Modi are expected to focus on the UK-India climate partnership as well as a stock-take of the 2030 Roadmap for stronger UK-India Strategic Partnership – signed by the two leaders during a virtual summit in May this year.
“Both governments remain committed to the implementation of the Roadmap, within prescribed timelines. Accordingly, we are looking to launch negotiations in November 2021 for an Interim Agreement to be signed in March 2022 and eventually a comprehensive agreement, if all goes according to schedule, by November 2022,” India’s High Commissioner to the UK, Gaitri Issar Kumar, said ahead of the prime ministerial talks – the first in-person meeting between PM Modi and Johnson following the UK PM’s twice cancelled visit to India earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The PM Modi-Johnson meeting will be followed by a leader-level COP26 event entitled Action and Solidarity: The Critical Decade, with PM Modi set to deliver India’s national statement on the country’s climate action to the delegates soon after.
Leaving for Glasgow after a fruitful @g20org Summit in Rome. During the Summit, we were able to have elaborate deliberations on issues of global importance such as fighting the pandemic, improving health infrastructure, boosting economic cooperation and furthering innovation. pic.twitter.com/LBN17RFkah
“India is among the top countries in the world in terms of installed renewable energy, wind and solar energy capacity. At the WLS, I will share India’s excellent track record on climate action and our achievements,” PM Modi said in a statement ahead of the summit.
“I will also highlight the need to comprehensively address climate change issues including equitable distribution of carbon space, support for mitigation and adaptation and resilience building measures, mobilisation of finance, technology transfer and importance of sustainable lifestyles for green and inclusive growth,” he said.
India’s focus at the COP26 Summit will be on the country’s “ambitious” Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) goals for the post-2020 period under the Paris Agreement.
These include a reduction in emissions intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35 per cent by 2030 from 2005 level, as well as achieving 40 per cent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel based energy resources by 2030.
Predictable and consistent financing of green technology for developing countries will be another key area of focus for India.
At the end of day one of the World Leaders’ Summit on Monday, PM Modi will join more than 120 Heads of Government and Heads of State at a special VVIP reception at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum – one of Scotland’s most popular visitor attractions.
The reception will also involve members of the royal family, including Prince Charles and wife Camilla and Prince William and wife Kate Middleton.
Landed in Glasgow. Will be joining the @COP26 Summit, where I look forward to working with other world leaders on mitigating climate change and articulating India’s efforts in this regard. pic.twitter.com/G4nVWknFg1
Queen Elizabeth II was due to attend this special reception but pulled out last week after medical advice against travel.
On Tuesday, the final day of PM Modi’s UK visit, the PM is scheduled to hold a series of bilateral meetings with leaders of Switzerland, Finland, Israel, Nepal, Malawi, Ukraine, Japan and Argentina, as well as a meeting with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
The launch of the Infrastructure for Resilient Island States initiative and a leader-level event entitled Accelerating Clean Technology Innovation and Deployment are also scheduled for Tuesday before the Prime Minister flies back to New Delhi in the evening.
The India-led International Solar Alliance (ISA) will launch a new Green Grids Initiative in partnership with the UK, with an ambition to connect different parts of the world with a common solar grid.
