1) Cricket Semiconductor invests in MP
US-based Cricket Semiconductor has committed an investment of $1 billion (over Rs 6,000 crore) to set up the country’s first analog electronic chip-making plant in Madhya Pradesh.
- The company will work on the detailed project report under the Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS) of the Centre for the first six months and then start work on the plant.
2) External Affairs Minister Sushma visit to China
Current Affirs To resolve the border issue, with China, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit to that country for boundary dialogue. India’s external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, who is visiting China has made ground work for the visit of Modi to China before May 26th of this year. In her visit during talks-
- Both sides concluded the exchange of notes on the new alternative route for the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage through the Nathu La pass in Sikkim.
- The journey time from the Nathu La pass will be reduced to 12 days, compared to the 22 days it takes through the Lipu Lekh pass in Uttarakhand.
Sushma Swaraj announced a six point proposal to realize with China. Listing out the proposals in alphabetical order A-F, Ms. Swaraj stressed that-
- New Delhi-Beijing ties can reach the next level if both sides enforce an action- oriented approach and a broad-based bilateral engagement.
- The two countries need to achieve “convergence on common regional and global interests” and “develop new areas of cooperation”.
- The two sides needed to “expand strategic communication” and “fulfill the common aspiration to usher and ‘Asian Century’
- On its part, China acknowledged the Sino-Indian relations had entered a new period of “major-country relations,” a nuanced formulation reserved to describe Beijing’s ties with regional and global heavyweights, including the United States.
Asian Trination’s discussion:
- India, Russia and China have decided to fight against Terrorism, and also to end the era of unipolar world. The discussions were held in China’s capital on 2nd February. The foreign minister of three countries i.e. Russia-India-China (RIC) have participated in discussion (Foreign Ministers are Sushma Swaraj, Sergei Lavrov and Wang Yi). The group issued a comprehensive joint communiqué that called for an ambitious reform of an international system that was respectful of the diversity of home-grown political systems.
- The communiqué recommended India’s inclusion in an expanded Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), a 21-nation grouping of Pacific Rim countries. The Ministers endorsed India’s impending membership to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) after elevating the grouping, which is pillared by Russia, China and most of the Central Asian States as “one of the key instruments in promoting multilateral political, security, economic and humanitarian interaction in the region.
- The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which India is joining soon, has been holding major counter-terrorism exercises, in anticipation of the withdrawal of the U.S. forces from Afghanistan.
- Recognizing the threat to stability posed during Afghanistan’s upcoming transitional phase, the three Ministers called for supporting the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), in tune with the withdrawal of the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
- Without specifying the “Pivot to Asia” doctrine of the U.S., which involves concentration of forces on China’s periphery, a joint statement by the RIC grouping called for advancing talks in the East Asia summit framework on rule-based security architecture in the Asia-Pacific, driven by the United Nations.
- China and Russia have already signed a $400 billion long term energy deal that would ensure supply of gas for 30 years to the Beijing-Tianjin –Hibei industrial belt through the “Power of Siberia” pipeline. The two countries have also signed, in principle, a similar agreement that would bring gas from Russia’s Yamal Plateau to China along the western Altai route.
- India’s oil giant ONGC Videsh has also been involved in negotiation for a foothold in the Arctic shelf. The joint communiqué also called for the immediate reform of the international financial system to increase the voice and representation of emerging markets and developing countries, with a focus on the implementation of the 2010 IMF Quota and Governance Reform by the end of this year.
- The three Ministers stressed the need for international financial institutions to provide more resources to promote development. As the Ukrainian crisis swirls and Moscow faces economic curbs, the three Ministers made it plain that they “opposed forced regime change in any country from the outside or imposition of unilateral sanctions based on domestic laws”.
Sushma discussion with Chinese President:
India’s foreign Minister SushmaSwaraj met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and conveyed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit China this year.
3) France offer for nuclear agreement
France has expressed an opinion that the Indo-U.S. agreement on nuclear liability could apply to other nations. It’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Laurent Fabius has met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister of state for Environment Prakash Javadekar on 5th February to discuss issue.
- India and France already have a civil nuclear cooperation under which the French company Areva is to set up six nuclear reactors in Jaitapur.
- In a joint statement last February after the visit of President François Hollande to India, there was a reference to the ongoing collaborative projects on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and India and France agreed to further strengthen bilateral civil nuclear scientific cooperation.
- A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in February 2009 between Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited and AREVA for setting up 6x1650 MWe EPR (EPR is a third generation pressurised water reactor (PWR) units at Jaitapur.
4) Quality Council of India inks MoU with US body
Quality Council of India (QCI) has joined hands with American Society for Quality (ASQ) to improve the quality of goods and services provided by Indian small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The MoU was signed by QCI Chairman AdilZainulbhai and ASQ chief AmitChatterjee in the capital
- This alliance is part of strategic plan to implement and boost Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s `Make in India` initiative. This MoU is expected to help institutionalize new quality paradigms in the field of training and delivery processes in manufacturing, healthcare, education, service industry and public services delivery processes.
- The prime objective of this alliance is to focus on quality of goods and services, said Zainulbhai, adding that the initiative will target manufacturing and services sector. Efforts will be made to improve quality in 1 million SMEs in the country in next few years.
5) Tata agreement with KION group for WAN services
Tata Communication on 6th February has signed a USD 20 million multi-year deal with Germany-based KION Group to provide global wide area network (WAN) services to the group`s 330 sites across 30 countries. As part of the deal, Tata Communications will replace the KION Groups existing stable of multiple WAN providers with a single global network
- The new network will form an important pillar of the KION Groups strategy 2020 plan to create economies of scale across the entire group with its six global and regional brands. The KION Group is the second largest global manufacturer of forklift trucks and warehouse technology.