Category Archives: Grant-in-Aid Projects of India (wef. May 04, 2023)

INTERNATIONAL: INDIA IN THE WORLD: India Gifts Missile Corvette INS Kirpan to Vietnam

Rajnath Singh holds talks with visiting Vietnamese counterpart .

India gifted the indigenously-built in-service missile corvette INS Kirpan to Vietnam to enhance that country’s naval capabilities. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced this on June 19 after bilateral talks with his visiting Vietnamese counterpart General Phan Van Gang.

“Progress on various bilateral defence cooperation initiatives was reviewed during the meeting, with both sides expressing satisfaction at the ongoing engagements,” a Defence Ministry statement said on the talks, stating that the two Ministers had focussed on enhancing cooperation between defence industries of both countries, and maritime security.

Both Ministers identified means to enhance existing areas of collaboration, especially in defence industry cooperation, maritime security and multinational cooperation, the Ministry said. As part of his engagements, General Phan also visited headquarters of the Defence Research and Development Organisation and discussed ways to enhance “defence industrial capabilities by cooperation in defence research and joint production”.

Earlier in the day, General Gang laid a wreath at the National War Memorial and was later given a Tri-Service guard of honour. He arrived in India on June 18 on a two-day visit.

INS Kirpan is a Khukri class missile corvette displacing 1,350 tonnes and was commissioned into the Navy on January 12, 1991. It has a displacement of close to 1,400 tonnes, a length of 91 metres, a beam of 11 metres, and is capable of speed in excess of 25 knots. The ship is fitted with a medium range gun, 30 mm close range guns, chaff launchers, and surface to surface missiles, enabling it to perform a wide variety of roles, including coastal and offshore patrol, coastal security, surface warfare, anti-piracy, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations, according to the Navy.

In June 2022, India and Vietnam signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on mutual logistics support in the presence of the two Defence Ministers during Mr. Singh’s visit to the Southeast Asian nation, and the two Defence Ministers signed the “Joint Vision Statement on India-Vietnam defence partnership towards 2030”, which the Ministry had said would significantly enhance the scope and scale of existing defence cooperation.

Hanoi has procured 12 high speed patrol boats for the Vietnamese border guard force under a $100 million Line of Credit (LoC) extended in September 2014. In 2016, India extended another $500 million defence LoC, and discussions are under way to identify the equipment.

India has also announced gifting two simulators and monetary grant towards the setting up of a Language and IT Lab at the Air Force Officers Training School for capacity building in the Vietnamese armed forces.

India and Vietnam have shared a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership since 2016 and defence cooperation is a key pillar of this partnership. Vietnam is an important partner in India’s ‘Act East’ policy and the Indo-Pacific vision, the statement added.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: INDIA IN THE WORLD: 05 Women Peacekeepers from India Received Prestigious UN Medals for Serving For Peace at UNMISS Award Ceremony

In a notable first, an Indian Army women’s officer, Major Jasmine Chattha, led over a platoon of over 1,000 Indian Peacekeepers at the ceremony where they were awarded UN medals.

For their vital work in South Sudan, exactly 1,171 Indian Peacekeepers have been honoured with the prestigious UN Medal on Thursday,” tweets the UN Mission in South Sudan.

However, what grabs more attention are the experiences of the female peacekeepers deployed in Upper Nile, who have also been honored. Of the total 1,171 troops awarded, five were female.

Taking to Twitter, the United Mission in South Sudan elaborated on the details of the award ceremony.

“Take a bow, India! Exactly 1,171 of your finest sons and daughters have received UN medals for their vital UNMISS work in Upper Nile, South Sudan. Major Jasmine Chattha and a couple of her female colleagues tell us more about their experiences.”

Breaking stereotypes, Indian women peacekeepers have bravely served in and around various conflict-torn countries in the past—on medical duties and as military observers. As part of the Indian Battalion in the United Nations Interim Security Force, the Indian Army recently deployed its largest contingent of women peacekeepers in the United Nations mission at Abyei, UNISFA.

In a press statement released earlier by UNMISS, Major Chattha was quoted as saying, “It has been an honour to represent my regiment on this special day. By positioning women as leaders, we are sending a strong message to the citizens of South Sudan in general and its women in particular. In our work, for example when we repair roads or try to mitigate floods, we are in contact with the local population, and they can see that we, women, are leading a team and we are both respected and listened to.”

The Indian contingent deployed with the UN Mission in South Sudan has been assisting in building and repairing critical infrastructure while also ensuring the protection of civilians as part of their mandate.

Captain Karishma Kathayat, an engineer, serving with the mission, said, “It is a great feeling to contribute to a better standard of living of the people we are here to serve. Our engineering work is something we take great pride in.”

Out of the many daunting tasks, the Indian Peacekeepers are also offering health services.

The Indian Medical Peacekeeping Staff deployed in the region since September last year has performed critical emergency surgeries that have saved the lives of many.

Major Amanpreet Kaur, who is also a doctor, shared her experience and said, “We have already learned a lot by providing healthcare to both UNMISS staff and our South Sudanese hosts who come for emergencies or special treatment they cannot find elsewhere. Seeing previous patients coming back in good health is a priceless experience.”

Notably, the Indian contingent is also well known for its frequent mobile veterinary clinics in various parts of Upper Nile State. Notably, thousands of cows, goats, donkeys, sheep, and other animals, including the occasional dog, have been given precious veterinary services rarely available to cattle owners in the country. Vets earlier treated 1,749 animals in Renk, the country’s capital, in just two days.

source/content: newsonair.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL / NEIGHBOURHOOD / SHIPPING & TRANSPORT: Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Inaugurates Sittwe Port in Myanmar; receives first Indian Cargo Vessel

The Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways highlighted the close historical, cultural and economic ties between India and Myanmar, particularly the Rakhine State of Myanmar.

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Myanmar’s Deputy Prime Minister Admiral Tin Aung San on Tuesday jointly inaugurated the Sittwe Port in Myanmar and received the first Indian cargo ship, according to an official statement.

The cargo ship was flagged off from Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata.

With the development of Sittwe Port, the cost and time of transportation of goods between Kolkata and Agartala and Aizwal will decrease by 50%, the statement said.

“This will promote trade connectivity and people-to-people ties between India and Myanmar and the wider region, and will help boost the economic development of NE states under Act East Policy of the government,” the statement quoted Mr. Sonowal as saying.

In his remarks at the inauguration ceremony, the Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways highlighted the close historical, cultural and economic ties between India and Myanmar, particularly the Rakhine State of Myanmar.

He reiterated India’s longstanding commitment towards the development and prosperity of the people of Myanmar through developmental initiatives like the Sittwe Port.

According to the statement, this project was conceptualised to provide alternative connectivity of Mizoram with Haldia / Kolkata / any Indian ports through the Kaladan river in Myanmar.

The project envisages highway/road transport from Mizoram to Paletwa (Myanmar), thereafter from Paletwa to Sittwe (Myanmar) by Inland Water Transport (IWT) and from Sittwe to any port in India by maritime shipping, it added.

Sittwe Port has been developed as a part of the $484 million Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP) funded under grant-in-aid assistance from the Indian government.

“The seaport with maximum capacity of 20,000 deadweight tonnage (DWT) will make Sittwe the maritime hub of Myanmar, drastically reduce transportation cost of cargo from other parts of India to our #NorthEast and open unprecedented avenues of economic growth in the region,” Mr. Sonowal said in a series of tweets.

The Minister further said a vibrant Sittwe Port can catapult Myanmar’s Rakhine State into a major connectivity hub.

Once fully operationalised the waterway and road components of KMTTP will link the east coast of India to the north-eastern states through the Sittwe port, the statement said. The operationalisation of Sittwe Port would enhance bilateral and regional trade as well as contribute to the local economy of Rakhine State of Myanmar.

The greater connectivity provided by the Port will lead to employment opportunities and enhanced growth prospects in the region, it added.

The operationalisation of Sittwe Port would enhance bilateral and regional trade as well as contribute to the local economy of Rakhine State of Myanmar.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

GRANT-IN-AID PROJECTS: India to Build Harbour for Maldivian Coast Guard, foundation stone laid

The development of the Coast Guard Harbour and repair facility at Sifavaru is one of the biggest grant-in-aid projects of India.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Maldivian counterpart Mariya Didi on May 3 laid the foundation stone for the Maldives National Defence Forces (MNDF) Coast Guard ‘Ekatha Harbour’. The development of the Coast Guard Harbour and repair facility at Sifavaru is one of the biggest grant-in-aid projects of India, a joint press communique issued at the end of Mr. Singh’s three-day tour said. This is the first visit of an Indian Defence Minister to the island nation in 11 years.

“Both Ministers reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability and security in the region and recognised the need to work together to address common security challenges. They underscored the importance of respecting international law and rules-based international order and expressed their commitment to upholding these principles,” the joint communique said. Both Parties reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the partnership between their countries, and expressed common sentiments that they looked forward to continuing the dialogue and cooperation in the future, it stated.

Noting the progress made in ongoing defence cooperation between the two countries including joint exercises and exchanges of visits by military officials, the two Ministers also noted the “importance of sharing best practices and expertise in areas such as counter terrorism, disaster management, cyber security and maritime security.”

The Ministers agreed to explore additional avenues for cooperation, including in the areas of defence trade, capacity building and joint exercises, the communique said.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)