New Delhi, Sep 3: Amid significant and far-reaching changes on the global strategic landscape, India and Germany will work towards doubling the bilateral trade, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar said on Wednesday, adding that together, they would like India-EU free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations to move to a decisive conclusion soon.

Bilateral trade has grown significantly over the past decade between the two nations, reaching a record high of around $33.4 billion (28 billion euros) in 2024. In a press briefing with visiting German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, EAM Jaishankar said that in one of his earlier interviews, his German counterpart had said he was very confident that “we would be doubling our trade” with India.

“Let me assure him that India fully reciprocates that sentiment. We look forward to working with the German government towards this. I want to reiterate that we remain fully committed to continuously improving the ease of doing business in this country. I assured the minister today that any concerns that German companies may have in India — coming to India, establishing themselves, working here — we would be prepared to give it special attention,” the EAM stressed.

He also said that the “changes we see in the world today do influence our policies and do influence the manner in which we approach other countries”. “We’re also seeing a lot of volatility on the global economic landscape, and I think together, they make a very powerful case for India and the European Union (EU) and India and Germany to work much more closely with each other.

This is a relationship where there are considerable possibilities for fairly rapid growth,” EAM Jaishankar highlighted, adding that there are big changes underway in the world which “make a very compelling case for a deeper, stronger, wider India-Germany relationship”.

Wadephul said that India is Germany’s key economic trading partner, and more than 200 German companies are active in the country. He called India a “rising economic powerhouse” with a “special importance” on the global stage, reaffirming Berlin’s full support for finalising the FTA between India and the European Union. Germany was the 8th largest trading partner for India in 2024-25.

It was India’s 12th largest trading partner in 2023-24 and 11th largest trading partner in 2022-23. Germany is the 9th largest foreign direct investor in India with a cumulative FDI of $15.11 billion from April 2000 to March 2025.

IANS

New Delhi, Sep 3: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday met and honoured the personnel of CRPF, Chhattisgarh Police, DRG, and CoBRA battalion, along with their families, for successfully carrying out ‘Operation Black Forest’ — one of the largest anti-Naxal drives in the Kereguttalu hills, a Maoist hotbed on the border adjoining Chhattisgarh and Telangana.

The felicitation ceremony was held at Amit Shah’s residence in the national capital, where he praised the forces for their indomitable courage and valour in confronting and eliminating the Naxals during the ‘Operation Black For

est’. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma were also present on the occasion. Notably, the ‘Operation Black Forest’ has been dubbed the largest anti-Naxal operation, which lasted continuously for 19 days in the remote hills of Kereguttalu.

During the daring operation, the brave jawans achieved historic success by eliminating more than 30 Naxals, including some dreaded comrades like Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju, the general secretary of CPI-Maoist. The forces destroyed the Naxalites’ base camp and also dealt a severe blow to their supply chain, without suffering any casualties.

Home Minister took to X to share the pictures of honouring soldiers and wrote, “The bravery of our security forces in anti-Naxal operations will be written in golden letters in history.” He also said that the Modi government, as well as the Chhattisgarh government, is committed to making the lives of soldiers who were martyred or injured in anti-Naxal operations and their families easier.

Further reiterating the resolve of making the nation naxal-free by March 31 next year, Home Minister Amit Shah said that the Modi government will not rest until the naxals are either made to surrender, captured, or eliminated. “The entire country is proud of the sacrifices and dedication of our security forces in fulfilling this resolve,” he added.

IANS

Thiruvananthapuram/New Delhi, Sep 3 : Congress General Secretary and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday welcomed the long-awaited approval for a government medical college in Wayanad, calling it a major milestone for the region.

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has sanctioned new medical colleges in both Wayanad and Kasaragod. In a statement, Priyanka Gandhi said the project marked the fulfilment of the dream of lakhs of people in Wayanad.

She credited sustained efforts by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and local leaders in pressing for the demand, while also thanking the authorities for responding positively. “Thrilled to know that finally, the dream of a medical college in Wayanad is going to be a reality. The earnest requests of lakhs of people of Wayanad, the sustained efforts by Rahul Gandhi, and all our own efforts to expedite the matter have borne fruit,” Priyanka said.

She urged the state government to take all necessary steps to make the college functional at the earliest, adding that it would significantly improve healthcare access for the district’s tribal and rural population. IHealth Minister Veena George on Tuesday confirmed that the NMC has sanctioned 50 MBBS seats each at the new government medical colleges in Wayanad and Kasaragod.

She said the state has set up the required infrastructure and academic facilities to meet NMC norms and assured that admissions would begin this academic year itself. At the Wayanad Medical College, a multipurpose block worth Rs 45 crore and a 60-seat nursing college have been commissioned.

To support the first MBBS batch, 140 posts, including 115 teaching and 25 non-teaching staff, were created and filled. A modern mortuary complex of Rs 2.30 crore, a cath lab of Rs 8.23 crore enabling angioplasty, a cardiology department, and a pediatric ICU have also been established. Notably, Kerala’s first sickle cell unit has been set up here, which recently performed the district’s first hip replacement surgery for a sickle cell patient.

E-health and e-office systems have been introduced, and an oxygen generator plant costing Rs 20.61 lakh has been completed. Both Wayanad and Kasaragod colleges, George said, would be expanded in phases, similar to older government medical colleges.

IANS

New Delhi, Sep 3: The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to consider formulating an appropriate policy to prevent foreign nationals accused of crimes in India from absconding from the country.

The issue arose when a Nigerian national, accused in a high-profile criminal case, allegedly absconded to his home country after being granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court in May 2022. The top court, in December last year, had set aside the bail order, directing the authorities to ensure the accused is brought back to India to face trial.

At the same time, it underscored the need to do “something more..as these cases keep coming up and therefore, a proper set of guidelines has to be framed and distributed to all the Courts concerned so that such incidents do not happen in future.”

In the latest hearing, a Bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih was informed by Additional Solicitor General Raj Kumar Bhaskar Thakre, the law officer appearing on the Centre’s behalf, that extradition was unlikely due to the absence of a bilateral treaty with Nigeria.

The Union Ministry of External Affairs, in an email to the Solicitor General, said, “In the absence of a bilateral Extradition treaty between India and Nigeria, the Nigerian authorities are unlikely to extradite their own national.

” Having regard to the fact that there is no bilateral treaty between Nigeria and India, the apex court observed that continuing to pursue the matter would serve “no useful purpose”. Disposing of a Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the Jharkhand government, the Justice Datta-led Bench said, “The special leave petition stands disposed of, confirming the order of cancellation of bail but leaving it open to the Central Government to formulate an appropriate policy or initiate such further action as deemed necessary and proper so that foreign nationals do not flee the course of justice after committing crimes in India.”

IANS

New Delhi, Sep 3: Amid devastating floods sweeping across northern India, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take immediate action and announce a Special Relief Package for the affected states, especially Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and J&K.

In a post on social media platform X, Gandhi called for urgent Central government intervention and relief for thousands of families battling the disaster. “Modi Ji, the floods in Punjab have caused devastating destruction.

The situation in Jammu-Kashmir, Himachal, and Uttarakhand is also extremely worrying,” he posted on X. “In such difficult times, your attention and the active help of the central government are extremely necessary. Thousands of families are struggling to save their homes, lives, and loved ones. I urge that an immediate announcement be made for a special relief package (Special Relief Package) for these states, especially for the farmers – and that relief and rescue operations be expedited,” he added.

He also shared a video message, appealing to the Prime Minister: “It is saddening to see people struggling to save their families and loved ones. Modi Ji, it is the responsibility of the government to safeguard people’s lives. I urge you to protect them and arrange a Special Relief Package as soon as possible.”

The situation on the ground remains grim. Heavy rainfall and cloudbursts have triggered flash floods in multiple northern states. In Punjab, 29 people have reportedly died and thousands have been displaced in what officials are calling the worst flood in recent history.

Entire villages are submerged, and the state machinery is under tremendous pressure to rescue marooned residents. In Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand, flash floods and landslides have claimed lives and caused widespread destruction, while many people are still missing. Himachal Pradesh has also reported collapsed roads, snapped power lines, and significant damage to infrastructure.

IANS

Kolkata, Sep 3: Several top BJP leaders will tour different states in the country during the forthcoming festive season starting from Durga Puja, and hold interactions with Bengali-speaking migrant workers there.

This is aimed at building a counter-narrative to Trinamool Congress’s allegations of harassment of Bengali-speaking migrants in other states, and presenting factual data with first-hand information collected from them, confirmed a state committee leader of the BJP.

Initially, it was decided that a team of 27 top leaders of the BJP in West Bengal, including some elected party MPs and MLAs, would visit different states during the festive season and interact with Bengali-speaking migrant workers from West Bengal currently settled there for their livelihood.

“The number of team representatives might be increased slightly if necessity arises,” said the party’s state committee member. It is learnt that during the course of interaction with Bengali-speaking migrant workers in other states, the state BJP leaders going from West Bengal will ask them certain questions.

The state committee leader said that the questions to be posed to migrant workers are: – What prompted them to take up jobs or contractual appointments in other states and get themselves far away from their family members and friends? – Whether these Bengal-speaking migrant workers feel that any entity, state-run or private, operating in West Bengal, could match the earnings or wages that they are receiving in other states? – What is the tentative difference in the payment they are receiving in other states from the maximum they could expect to receive in West Bengal? The final question would be whether they had even faced any discrimination at their respective workplaces because of the language they spoke, and even from the local administration after they could duly establish their Indian identities.

On Monday, a motion was moved in the West Bengal Assembly on the first day of the Special Session of the House, to discuss the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in different “BJP-ruled” states in the country.

IANS