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Chinese troops enter Sikkim sector, destroyed two bunkers

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Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh being welcomed at a function of Lodhi Samaj in Lucknow on Sunday. | Photo Credit: PTI

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...ays-rajnath/article19865626.ece?homepage=true

Lucknow , October 15, 2017 16:42 IST
Updated: October 15, 2017 20:56 IST

Under Narendra Modi, India has become a powerful country and its prestige at the international level has grown.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said the country’s borders were “completely safe” and China has also understood that “India is no more weak”.

Mr. Singh said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has become a powerful country and its prestige at the international level has grown.

“India’s borders are completely safe, and China has started to understand that India is no more weak. Its strength has grown,” he said.

Mr. Singh, who represents Lucknow in the Lok Sabha, was addressing people at a programme organised here by the Bhartiya Lodhi Mahasabha.

“Since the formation of government at the Centre under the leadership of PM Modi, India has become a powerful country in the world. India’s prestige at the international level has grown,” he said.

The Union home minister also hit out at Pakistan for “sending terrorists” to India.

“It (Pakistan) tries to break India, but our security personnel every day kill two to four terrorists,” he added.
 
The ministry officials said that it was the standoff between the two countries in Bhutan's Dokalam area between June 16 and August 28 this year that seems to have derailed the project.

By: PTI | New Delhi | Updated: October 15, 2017 5:59 pm

http://indianexpress.com/article/in...-india-likely-due-to-doklam-standoff-4891637/

An ambitious high-speed train project in south India has been delayed after Chinese railways, that completed a feasibility study a year ago, did not respond, railway officials have said, suggesting that the “lack of response” may be due to the Dokalam standoff.

An internal brief of the Mobility Directorate on the status of nine high-speed projects of the railways, accessed by PTI, shows that the Chennai-Bangalore-Mysore corridor, a 492 km stretch, lies in limbo because the Chinese railways have failed to respond to the ministry’s communique. “The Chinese company submitted the final report in November 2016 and after that, the Chinese team has suggested for a face to face interaction. No date has been fixed from their side,” said the note prepared by the Mobility Directorate.

On the reason for the delay, the brief states — “lack of response” from Chinese railways. The brief also states that the feasibility study by the China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co Ltd (CREEC) was submitted to the Railway Board in November 2016 and after that the Chinese company had sought meetings with officials of the Board.

However, officials say that the Board has been unable to get in touch with officials of CREEC despite repeated communications sent to them via mails in the last six months. “We have even tried to get in touch with them through their Embassy here, but we are yet to hear from them,” said an official.

The ministry officials said that it was the standoff between the two countries in Bhutan’s Dokalam area between June 16 and August 28 this year that seems to have derailed the project. “The study began in 2014 and they submitted the report in 2016. The entire cost was borne by them. In fact, they have shown so much interest in collaborating with us for other projects as well, so we think that it was the standoff that must have raised doubts,” said a senior rail official.

An email to the Chinese Embassy by the PTI on the issue did not elicit any response. Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day-long standoff in Dokalam since June 16 after the Indian side stopped the building of a road in the disputed area by the Chinese Army. Bhutan and China have a dispute over Dokalam. The brief, prepared by the department in charge of all the high-speed corridors, also states that except the Chinese roadblock, work on the eight other projects was on track.

China had in fact not only pitched for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed network, which was finally bagged by Japan, but also for the bullet project in the Mumbai-Delhi sector, which is yet to be finalised. China is also training railway engineers in heavy hauling and it is with Chinese collaboration that India is setting up its first railway university. The Chennai-Bangalore-Mysore corridor is one of nine such high-speed corridors being developed by the ministry. The aim was to increase the speed from the present 80 kmph to 160 kmph.

While the Delhi-Agra route was made operational in 2016 with the country’s fastest train Gatimaan Express running between the two cities, the work on rest seven of eight of 8 is going at a fast pace, the brief indicated

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http://indianexpress.com/article/in...for-quick-deployment-at-china-border-4891390/

The defence ministry had recently decided to significantly enhance infrastructure along this border including around the areas of dispute with the Chinese forces.

By: PTI | New Delhi | Published:October 15, 2017 3:43 pm
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For the first time in its over 50 years history, the ITBP is raising and deploying a mechanised column of power vehicles and machines to speedily mobilise troops along the Sino-India border in case of Chinese military transgressions and Doklam-like standoffs.

The decision to raise such a military-style combat wing in the paramilitary was taken after the Union home ministry recently approved deployment of snow scooters at all the high-altitude border outposts of the mountain-warfare trained force along the 3,488-km long frontier it guards.

A senior home ministry official told PTI on the condition of anonymity that the mechanised column of the force will comprise over 250 Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs), all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), snow scooters, excavators and few other medium-lift four-wheeled vehicles.

While the army has the mechanised infantry, it was essential to have a mechanised column in the border guarding force as it secures this border in peace times and will bear the first onslaught in case of a war or a conflict, the official said explaining the rationale for the latest move.

Till now, only the Border Security Force under the home ministry, that guards the Indo-Pak border, had an artillery unit and some mechanised components to aid it.

A proposal to raise a full-fledged mechanised column under the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) force was moved by the forces’ headquarters here sometime back, the official said, with the force Director General (DG) R K Pachnanda making a specific presentation to the ministry in this context.

The about 90,000-personnel force has sanctions to procure about 150 SUVs for high-altitude deployment, out of which it has about five dozen already deployed, half-a-dozen snow scooters and few excavators to clear snow-bound passes and landslide-prone border tracks.

A senior ITBP official said many more such vehicles and machines, including anti-skid ATVs, will be procured by the force in the next few months.

The force has about 30 border posts above the height of 15,000 feet and some 50 such posts above 12,000 feet and the home ministry has accorded sanctions to the ITBP to have at least one snow scooter at each of these frontier bases.

The force has also been given sanctions to upgrade its firepower by modernising the support weapons like 81mm mortars, he added.

“Sanctions have already been accorded to procure modern machines and vehicles for the force.


So, apart from expeditiously completing the construction of China border roads in the wake of Doklam-like incidents and transgressions, the government has decided to strengthen the assets and strength of the both the army and the ITBP, the first line of defence on the Line of Actual Control (LAC),” the home ministry official said.


The defence ministry had recently decided to significantly enhance infrastructure along this border including around the areas of dispute with the Chinese forces.

The decision was taken at the Army’s commanders conference which extensively deliberated on the Dokalam face off with China besides analysing all possible security challenges on the northern border.

The ITBP, as part of bolstering its capabilities to effectively secure this border, had last year procured over six dozen SUVs and sent them to far-flung border areas for patrol and transportation of troops and had similarly procured five snow scooters early this year.

The force was raised in 1962 in the aftermath of the Chinese aggression.

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http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...hina-border/story-2VWA4ItjLaLI4d6bwpNOPK.html

For the first time in its over 50 years history, the ITBP is raising and deploying a mechanised column of power vehicles and machines to speedily mobilise troops along the Sino-India border in case of Chinese military transgressions and Doklam-like standoffs.

The decision to raise such a military-style combat wing in the paramilitary was taken after the Union home ministry recently approved deployment of snow scooters at all the high-altitude border outposts of the mountain-warfare trained force along the 3,488-km long frontier it guards.

A senior home ministry official told PTI on the condition of anonymity that the mechanised column of the force will comprise over 250 Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs), all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), snow scooters, excavators and few other medium-lift four-wheeled vehicles.

While the army has the mechanised infantry, it was essential to have a mechanised column in the border guarding force as it secures this border in peace times and will bear the first onslaught in case of a war or a conflict, the official said explaining the rationale for the latest move.

Till now, only the Border Security Force under the home ministry, that guards the Indo-Pak border, had an artillery unit and some mechanised components to aid it.

A proposal to raise a full-fledged mechanised column under the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) force was moved by the forces’ headquarters here sometime back, the official said, with the force Director General (DG) R K Pachnanda making a specific presentation to the ministry in this context.

The about 90,000-personnel force has sanctions to procure about 150 SUVs for high-altitude deployment, out of which it has about five dozen already deployed, half-a-dozen snow scooters and few excavators to clear snow-bound passes and landslide-prone border tracks.

A senior ITBP official said many more such vehicles and machines, including anti-skid ATVs, will be procured by the force in the next few months.

The force has about 30 border posts above the height of 15,000 feet and some 50 such posts above 12,000 feet and the home ministry has accorded sanctions to the ITBP to have at least one snow scooter at each of these frontier bases.

The force has also been given sanctions to upgrade its firepower by modernising the support weapons like 81mm mortars, he added.

“Sanctions have already been accorded to procure modern machines and vehicles for the force.

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Snow scooters are among the new batch of vehicles procured by ITBP for patrol along the
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ITBP Border Out Post in Rimkhim in Uttarakhand (PTI File Photo for representation)

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Border Forces purchase Toyota Fortuner & Ford Endeavour for high altitude operations
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//economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/61087745.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Around 600 young women — between 19 to 21 years old — hailing from different parts of Uttarakhand will be undergoing intensive training to qualify in the recruitment process that the Army will be conducting early next year to induct women as jawans in its Corps of Military Police (CMP). The training camps which are being organised by the Uttarkashi-based Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), one of the premier mountaineering institutes in the country. in association with an NGO Youth Foundation Uttarakhand are believed to be the first such initiative to coach women interested in joining the Army as jawans.

The camps will be held in Srinagar (in Pauri Garhwal) and Dehradun and will commence from October 22.

Col Ajay Kothiyal, principal of NIM said that the selected women would undergo comprehensive physical training as well as preparations for written examinations in order to qualify for the CMP. “They will be made to do running, push-ups and other exercises for at least three months. One of the important criteria for joining CMP is knowing how to drive so we will be teaching them that as well,” he added.

Elaborating on the criteria for shortlisting the candidates, Suresh Negi, administrator, Youth Foundation Uttarakhand, said, “Army sources have confirmed to us that the recruitment for CMP is likely to start from January next year. Therefore, we have planned the pre-recruitment camps accordingly so that the candidates are ready by the time the recruitment process begins. We have received an overwhelming response. Around 2000 young women applied for the training out of which around 600 were selected after evaluating various criteria. For instance, the minimum height requirement is at least 157 cm and the candidates should have scored at least 45% in class X. They should also be unmarried.”


Nida Fatima, one of those made it to the final shortlist told TOI, “I come from a Muslim family and though my family has been supportive of my decision to join the Army, many in my area think I should just be under a burqa. I want to prove them wrong and become the the first from my locality to join the Army.”

In a similar vein, Neha Bisht whose father Narinder Singh Bisht, a havaldar in the 4 Garhwal Rifles who was killed in action in Jammu and Kashmir two months back, said that she wants to carry forward his legacy. “Since my childhood, I wanted to join the Army. After my father’s death, the resolve has become even stronger. I hope to follow in my father’s footsteps and lead the life that I had always wanted to live”, she said.



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https://economictimes.indiatimes.co...with-modular-bunkers/articleshow/61094310.cms

NEW DELHI: The Army has begun its search for Lego-like modular, portable, bullet and blast-proof bunkers to replace stone-mud-log and steel shelters as it secures the nation’s frontiers with China and Pakistan. The security revamp also includes standardising bulletproof material for all applications, including that for designing jackets and vehicles.

Besides maximising the use of technology to enhance operational efficiency, this is a way being taken the Army to adopt homegrown solutions rather than fine-tune foreign equipment as per local requirements.

BUNKER WITH LIGHT-WEIGHT MATERIAL
The Army is currently using two types of bunkers: One, constructed using material such as stones, mud and logs. The longevity of these bunkers is a problem because they collapse under enemy fire and are vulnerable to vagaries of weather. Two, steel bunkers constructed by ferrying material that are cumbersome to carry to high-altitude areas. They also need large manpower for construction and maintenance and don’t provide flexible loopholes
for firing weapons.

The Army has raised these issues in its Compendium of Problem Statements. It has asked for solutions for having a light -weight composite material for bunkers, which can withstand enemy fire, extreme weather and requires the least amount of manpower for construction

The Army wants composite material in the form of panels and balis which being lightweight can be easily carried up mountains and like ‘Lego toys’, be quickly setup into bunkers, said an official.

The Army also wants bunkers to be modular in nature to allow it to easily adjust the direction of fire.

Recently, Coimbatore-based Amrita University offered a composite material made of hollow steel and filled with plywood to withstand blasts. Although, there is no word on it being bulletproof, there are plans to take up the project as a research model, explained the official.

The material gains importance in the light of the regular ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the LoC and the terrorist attacks on military bases in J&K. It is also equally important for areas along the LAC to provide adequate protection from the weather and possible conflict.

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STANDARDISING BULLETPROOF MATERIAL

The Army is also looking at procuring lightweight, bulletproof and blastproof material for multi-purpose application, including for making jackets, vehicles and buildings. “It is standardising bulletproof material and will replace the existing bulletproof material after their lifecycle is over,” said an official.

The project will be brought under the Defence Ministry’s Technology Development Fund (TDF) that funds firm and academia to develop a prototype of the desired equipment. The TDF’s apex committee, comprising the vice chiefs of the three defence services, will soon clear the project to a private firm and an academia to develop a prototype.
 
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/638579/kerala-ministers-china-visit-not.html
DH News Service, Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 20 2017, 19:11 IST
Kerala Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran was denied permission to attend a UN meeting in China last month because his participation was not in “national interest”, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said.

The MEA statement came as part of a response to an RTI query by Kochi-based lawyer and RTI activist D B Binu.

The denial of permission for Surendran to attend the 22nd session of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation General Assembly at Chengdu between September 11 and 16 had triggered a row over its alleged political motives.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan termed the MEA move “unfortunate” and wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to reconsider the decision.

“Ministerial level participation at the aforementioned event was not deemed appropriate in the national interest,” the response by Prasanna Srivastava, Deputy Secretary (China and Korea) stated.

The MEA received the minister’s request for political clearance on August 23. Srivastava said in his response that requests for such clearances were examined as per guidelines issued by the Cabinet Secretariat and other relevant entities.

On September 13, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh had said protocol issues led the ministry to deny permission for the visit.

Singh said political clearance for such visits was typically issued after seeking views of the Indian mission in the respective countries, ensuring that protocol stipulations are met and meetings are arranged only with “relevant” people.
“We don’t want our people to be downgraded in the countries they are visiting,” he said.
 
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http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/20-iaf-aircraft-to-land-on-expressway/article19891357.ece

The Lucknow-Agra Expressway will play host to the Indian Air Force (IAF) on October 24 as 20 frontline planes are expected to perform touchdown drills on a designated strip of the 302 km road, the longest six-lane highway in the country.

While this is the second such exercise by the IAF on the expressway in eleven months, “What is different this time is that fighters as well as transport planes will perform a touchdown,” said Gargi Malik, spokesperson for the IAF’s Central Air Command (CAC).

Sixteen fighter planes and four transport planes will be part of the drill. The contingent of fighter planes will include the Sukhoi 30 MKI, Mirage and Jaguar planes. The much-larger transport planes, An32 and C130 Hercules, will make their first landing on the road.

The transport planes are deployed for HADR (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief) operations. They supply relief material in calamities such as floods and earthquakes, while also being used for evacuation.

The CAC said the drill was part of its “regular exercise started in 2015”.

“It is an operational exercise of the Air Force,” said Ms. Malik.

The flying exercise will take place on a 3-km airstrip on the Expressway in Bangermau in Unnao district, located between Lucknow and Kanpur.

The dedicated stretch has been designed for emergency take-offs and landings of IAF planes. Vehicular traffic has been restricted on the Expressway between the Araul interchange in Kanpur and Lucknow starting Friday. Motorists have been diverted, the Uttar Pradesh government said.

The Expressway was formally opened last November by the Samajwadi Party (SP) government, with spectacular ‘touch-and-go’ and low-pass manoeuvres of take-offs and landings by six IAF fighter planes.

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http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2017-10-19/rasuwa-border-closed-for-6-days.html

Oct 19, 2017-Chinese authorities have stopped cross-border movement from Rasuwagadi border point, the only trade route currently in operation between Nepal and China, for six days from Tuesday.

The trade and movement have been halted to repair K81 and K87 road sections from Kerung to Rasuwagadi, DSP Sharad Kumar Thapa Chhetri quoted a Chinese official as saying.



The Chinese side has said cross-border movement has to be halted considering the risky situation of roads due to heavy rains and landslides and that even explosive materials could be used for repairing the roads.



However, it is said that the Chinese authorities closed the border movement for Communist Party of China’s congress, a twice-in-a-decade meeting that started on Wednesday.



Published: 19-10-2017 09:13
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//economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/61165513.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

JAMMU: Army chief General Bipin Rawat said today that the Army has to remain prepared to counter any Doklam-like situation along the Sino-India border.

Rawat, while speaking to reporters at a function here, also said that the mountain strike corps, designated as 17 Corps, was being raised as a "force of deterrence" and the process of its establishment was on schedule.

Asked if the 17 corps was being established to counter China, Rawat said, "Why should we say it is against whom? It is for deterrence and deterrence is against any threat that may confront the nation."

The Cabinet Committee on Security headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had cleared the setting up of the 17 Corps in the latter part of 2014.

So far, one division comprising nearly 25,000 soldiers has been raised for the Corps, which is at present headquartered at Ranchi. Once the raising of the 72 division is complete, the Corps will be based out of Panagarh in West Bengal.

Asked if there was any possibility of a Doklam-like standoff with China in any other part of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Rawat said, "We have to remain prepared".

The 73-day face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Doklam started on June 16 after the Indian side stopped the construction of a road by the Chinese Army.

Rawat, while talking to reporters on the sidelines of the function where he presented the President's Standards to 47 Armoured Regiment, also said that the security situation in the Kashmir Valley was improving.

"I think the security situation in the Kashmir Valley is improving and what is happening now in the Kashmir Valley is possibly highlighting the frustration of the terrorists and those who are supporting them," he said.

The Army chief said that the "ups and downs" in terrorism keep happening.

"We will keep eliminating terrorists, and some wayward youth, because of the social media campaign of radicalisation, will come and join," he said, adding that most of them were now operating overground and were surrendering.

Asked about the reopening of terror training camps across the LoC, Rawat said that they were never closed.

Militants were stationed in the training camps even then as they are today, he said.

On whether the Army will again carry out surgical strikes to dismantle the terror camps across the border, Rawat said, "We have already said that surgical strikes were a method (to deal with terror infrastructure across the border). There are other methods also."

The Army chief also said that the enquiries into the terror attacks in Pathankot, Uri and Nagrota had been completed and action taken.

"Punishments are being awarded to the people who are found guilty. Nobody is spared," he said.

Asked about his reaction to the statement of Pakistan Army Chief Qamar Jawed Bajwa that his country wants to have peaceful relations with India, Rawat said the military has a task and it will continue to perform the task.

"Any talks or anything that has to be done, will be decided at the political level. If the political hierarchy takes a political call, we will continue to perform and do our tasks that has been entrusted to us," he said.

Talking about whether the militancy graph has gone down after initiatives under the 'Operation Sadhbhavana', Rawat said, "Winning hearts and minds (of people) is part of any counter insurgency strategy and our nation has been following it rightly."

"Success has been achieved through Operation Sadhbhavana which is evident the way you see the goodwill of schools in carrying out competitions. There are any number of people joining and supporting the campaign," he said.

Asked whether the Army was planning to close down Army Education Corps, Rawat said the instructions to close it down had come.

However, he also added that, "If we have to close down AEC, it will take time. It is being discussed.

The AEC is a programme run by the Army that develops soldiers and officers of all ranks in a variety of disciplines. The centre provides education in both combat and non-combat operations.

Rawat said action was being taken to secure all military establishments and garrisons.
 
http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...on-terrorism-says-chouhan/article19904739.ece
Washington, October 23, 2017 09:27 IST
Updated: October 23, 2017 13:47 IST

CHOUHAN

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. File | Photo Credit: A.M. Faruqui


The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister made this comment in Washington, while on a week-long U.S. trip

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan vehemently attacked Pakistan and China, saying today’s India is different from the India of 1962 and said that the country “would not spare” anyone on the issue of terrorism.

Mr. Chouhan, who arrived in Washington on a nearly week-long US visit, said this was realised by none other than China, whose troops had to withdraw from their position in Doklam because of the determination shown by Indian soldiers and the “emergence of a strong India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi”.

He was addressing the Indian-American community at a reception organised by the Indian embassy here.

His comment on China was a reminder of the then Defence Minister Arun Jaitley’s remarks during the standoff. “The situation in 1962 was different and India of 2017 is different,” Mr. Jaitley had said when asked about China’s warning that the Indian Army should learn “historical lessons”.

On August 28, India and China agreed to “expeditious disengagement” of border personnel at the face-off site in Doklam following diplomatic communications after over two months of standoff.

Mr. Chouhan said there would be “no compromise” on terrorism. “India would not spare anyone, if any (nation) tries to provoke us on the issue of terrorism,” Mr. Chouhan said, adding that India is the greatest advocate of world peace and does not want to provoke others. He spoke in Hindi.

The visiting Chief Minister described the India-US friendship under the current dispensation as a “golden age”.

During his address, he also referred to the recent statements on India made by top American leadership; in particular, ones by US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

The two largest democracies of the world are now working together not only to strengthen their relationship but also for the global good, he said.

In addition to visiting New York later this week, the Chief Minister would deliver key note address on integral humanism at the inaugural Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Forum at the US Capitol this afternoon.

On the two major policy decisions — demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) — Mr. Chouhan said only a Prime Minister of the caliber of Modi could take such courageous decisions.

“A normal Prime Minister cannot take a decision on demonetisation,” he said, adding that it can only be taken by one who has the determination to get rid of the black money and end corruption. Mr. Modi fulfilled the dream of one nation one tax, he said, adding that the country is marching ahead in every field.

After Mr. Modi became the Prime Minister, there has been acceleration in India’s development, decisions are being taken at a fast pace and inflation is down. There is an all-round development of the country, he said, exhorting Indian-Americans in joining fellow Indians in the all-round development of the India.

Indian Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna said Mr. Chouhan is “one of the most progressive far thinking and visionary leaders” of India.

Mr. Sarna noted that Madhya Pradesh under the chief ministership of Mr. Chouhan has become one of the “fastest growing” Sstates of India.
 
New Delhi , October 27, 2017 21:53 IST
Updated: October 27, 2017 21:53 IST
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/status-quo-at-doklam-says-govt/article19934099.ece

India on Friday said there are no new developments at Doklam and its vicinity and that reports to the contrary were incorrect.

“I would like to reiterate that there is no new development at the face-off site and its vicinity since the August 28 disengagement,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

He was asked about a media report about China ramping up its military presence in areas close to Dokalam. “The status quo prevails in the area and any suggestion to the contrary is incorrect and mischievous,” said Mr. Kumar.

Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day standoff in Doklam since June 16 after the Indian side stopped the building of a road in the disputed area by the Chinese Army.
 
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/639995/guard-chinese-soil-xi-tells.html

Beijing, PTI: Chinese President Xi Jinping has told herdsmen from a Tibetan settlement bordering Arunachal Pradesh to "set down roots" to safeguard "Chinese territory" and focus on developing their hometown.

"Without peace in the territory, there will be no peaceful lives for the millions of families," Xi, who began his second term in office, wrote to a herding family in Lhunze County, official media reported on Sunday.

India asserts that the Sino-Indian border dispute covers the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control, while China claims it is confined to about 2,000 km to the area of Arunachal Pradesh, which it refers to as Southern Tibet.

The family is based in Yumai, China's smallest town in terms of population, at the southern foot of the Himalayas, where steep slopes and rugged paths make it difficult to live, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Xi acknowledged the family's efforts to "safeguard the territory, and thanked them for the loyalty and contributions they have made in the border area," the report said.

Xi, who also heads the Central Military Commission - the overall high command of the Chinese military - made the remarks in a reply delivered to the Tibetan herders on Saturday, after they wrote to him introducing their township, the Xinhua report said.

The Chinese president hoped that the family would motivate more herders to set down roots in the border area "like galsang flowers," and become guardians of Chinese territory and builders of a happy hometown.

Fresh off the 19th CPC Congress, Xi told the family that the party would continue to lead people of all ethnic groups towards better lives, the report said.

Two girls - Zhoigar and Yangzom - from the Tibetan family wrote the letter to Xi while the Congress was in session in Beijing, telling him their experiences in safeguarding the border area and the development of their township over the years.
 
BEIJING:, October 30, 2017 11:55 IST
Updated: October 30, 2017 14:58 IST
http://www.thehindu.com/news/intern...chal-border/article19948602.ece?homepage=true

By appreciating the residents of the Lhunze County, Chinese President Xi Jinping has indicated China’s opposition to any change in the status quo

Chinese President Xi Jinping has lauded a Tibetan family residing in the Lhunze County — on the border with Arunachal Pradesh — for its decision not to vacate its village.

The President’s remarks signal China’s opposition — at least for now — to any change in the status quo of the border alignment in the area. It comes on the heels of the Doklam standoff on the border in the Sikkim sector.

China’s state-run Xinhua news agency said that Mr. Xi, also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and chairman of the Central Military Commission, was replying to Tibetan herders on Saturday, after they wrote to him about their township.

He acknowledged the family's efforts to safeguard the territory, and thanked them for the loyalty and contributions they have made in the border area.

“Without the peace in the territory, there will be no peaceful lives for the millions of families,” Mr. Xi observed.

Besides, he hoped that the family would motivate more herders to put down roots in the border area “like galsang flowers”, and become guardians of the Chinese territory and constructors of a happy hometown.

Specifically, Mr. Xi was responding to Zhoigar and Yangzom — two girls from the tiny Yümai township while the 19th Party Congress, held after a gap of five years, was in session.

Chinese media reports highlight that State Bureau of Letters and Visits receives around 2,000 letters every day, of which two-thirds are directly addressed to the President or Prime Minister Li Keqiang.

The Hong Kong–based South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports that between 1979 and 1996, the family of herders were the only inhabitants of the Himalayan village of Yümai in Lhunze county, which covers 1,976 square kilometres, according to Chinese records.

“The community has since grown to 32 residents but remains on the front line of China and India’s conflicting territorial claims,” the daily observes.

According to SCMP, Chinese National Geography reported in 2015 that the Tibetan family’s residence there had helped China maintain control of the territory.

“Yümai would be occupied by India already if the family had decided to leave,” the village’s head was quoted as saying.

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http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/bhutanese-royal-family-to-visit-india/article19951231.ece

Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, accompanied by Queen Jetsun Pema Wangchuk and Prince Jigme Namgyal Wangchuk, will arrive here on Tuesday on a four-day visit to India, the External Affairs Ministry announced on Monday.

The King will meet President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will host a dinner in honour of the royal family, a statement from the Ministry said.

Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and other Ministers will call on the King. “India and Bhutan enjoy unique ties of friendship, which are characterised by deep understanding and mutual trust,” the statement said.

India is Bhutan’s largest trading partner. In 2016, bilateral trade stood at ₹8,723 crore.


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The meet that comes months after a stand-off along the Sikkim sector which ended on August 28.
india Updated: Oct 30, 2017 23:30 IST
Indo Asian News Service, Itanagar
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This file photograph taken on October 21, 2012 shows an Indian soldier keeping watch at Bumla Pass on the India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh. (AFP )

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...hal-pradesh/story-wNMWsgh30DMeUEy65qXBPM.html


India and China on Monday held a Border Personnel Meeting at Bumla near Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang and a “thaw” in relations was evident at the meet, an official statement said.

The meet that comes months after a stand-off along the Sikkim sector which ended on August 28.

Located at an altitude of 15,134 feet and situated 42 km north of Tawang town, Bumla is one of the five designated BPM venues, between Indian and Chinese troops.

The Indian delegation was led by Brig MP Singh, and the Chinese by Senior Col Liu Jiang Xun.

The Scheduled Military BPM commenced with the hoisting of national flags and rendition of national anthems of both the nations. This was followed by ceremonial welcome address by both delegation leaders, who extended greetings; good wishes to each other.

“The thaw in the relations was evident during the meeting as both the delegations interacted in a free, congenial and cordial environment. The delegations parted amid the feeling of friendship and renewed commitment towards enhancing cordial relations and maintaining peace along the Line of Actual Control (LAC),” the statement said.

It said that in last 25 years, the BPM mechanism has evolved into a vital platform for resolving local issues and fostering confidence with a view to enhance peace and tranquility in the sector.

The stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops close to India-China Bhutan tri-junction started on June 16, when a PLA construction party entered the Doklam area and attempted to construct a road. Both sides announced disengagement on August 28.
 
Chinese and Pakistani aircrew members prepare missiles for their fighter jets during the Shaheen-VI joint air training exercise. The air forces of China and Pakistan conducted the Shaheen-VI joint air training from September 5 to 25, 2017 at an air base of the PLA Air Force in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. China dispatched J-11 fighters, JH-7 fighter-bombers, KJ-200 AWACS aircraft, while Pakistan sent JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, Mirage, F-7PG and ZDK aircraft to participate in the exercise. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/ Photo provided by the Pakistan Air Force)
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Chinese aircrew members prepare missiles for fighter jet during the Shaheen-VI joint air training exercise. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/ Photo by Liu Chang)
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Chinese maintenance men load a missile onto a J-11B fighter jet during the Shaheen-VI joint air training exercise. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/ Photo by Liu Chang)
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Chinese maintenance men load an aerial bomb onto a JH-7 fighter jet during the Shaheen-VI joint air training exercise. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/ Photo by Liu Chang)
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Two Chinese J-11B fighter jets take off from a military airfield during the Shaheen-VI joint air training exercise in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/ Photo by Liu Chang)
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A Pakistani ZDK-03 Karakoram Eagle Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft taxis on the runway during the Shaheen-VI joint air training exercise. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/ Photo by Liu Yinghua)
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A Chinese KJ-200 AWACS aircraft taxis on the runway during the Shaheen-VI joint air training exercise. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/ Photo by Liu Yinghua)
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The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi welcomes the King of Bhutan, His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, on his arrival, at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, in New Delhi on November 01, 2017.
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The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi welcomes the King of Bhutan, His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, on his arrival, at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, in New Delhi on November 01, 2017.
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The King of Bhutan, His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck meeting the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, in New Delhi on November 01, 2017.
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The King of Bhutan, His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck meeting the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, in New Delhi on November 01, 2017.

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The King of Bhutan, His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the Bhutan Queen, Jetsun Pema Wangchuck and Crown Prince meeting the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, in New Delhi on November 01, 2017.
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The King of Bhutan, His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the Bhutan Queen, Jetsun Pema Wangchuck and Crown Prince meeting the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, in New Delhi on November 01, 2017.
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The King of Bhutan, His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Crown Prince meeting the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, in New Delhi on November 01, 2017.
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The King of Bhutan, His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Crown Prince meeting the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, in New Delhi on November 01, 2017.
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Vice President's Secretariat
02-November, 2017 16:44 IST
India is committed to partner Bhutan in its socio-economic development: Vice President

Calls on the King of Bhutan

The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that India is committed to partner Bhutan in its socio-economic development, and to support in its XII Five Year Plan. He was interacting with the King of Bhutan, His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, here today. Senior officials from both India and Bhutan were present on the occasion.

The Vice President said that India and Bhutan share exemplary bilateral relations and these are unique and special. He further said that our historical and cultural linkages make us natural friends and partners. He thanked the King for his warm letter of felicitation on his assumption of responsibilities as the Vice President of India earlier this year.

The Vice President said that India is delighted to see the rapid progress which has been made in Bhutan while simultaneously preserving its very special culture as well as protecting the environment. He further said that the Government and people of India appreciate the vision of the Druk Gyalpos (Kings), which has guided relations between our two countries. With the wisdom and foresight of the Monarchs of Bhutan and Indian leadership, India-Bhutan relations have grown from strength to strength, he added.

The Vice President said that India has been happy to share its knowledge, experience and resources with Bhutan and thus contribute to Bhutan’s socio-economic development. He further said that our development cooperation has been guided by the priorities set by the Government and people of Bhutan. India is committed to partner Bhutan in its socio-economic development, and to support in its XII Five Year Plan, he added.

The Vice President said that India remains committed to consolidate existing hydro-power cooperation with Bhutan. Timely implementation of the ongoing hydro-power projects with minimum cost overrun, is important for both governments. This is the flagship area of our bilateral cooperation and has high visibility. We should do everything to make it a model of bilateral cooperation, which will be noted by others in the neighbourhood.

The Vice President said that the security concerns of India and Bhutan are indivisible, intertwined and mutual. We look forward to continuing close cooperation with Bhutan on issues of mutual security concern, he added.



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The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu calling on the King of Bhutan, His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, in New Delhi on November 02, 2017.
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The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu calling on the King of Bhutan, His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, in New Delhi on November 02, 2017.
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The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu calling on the King of Bhutan, His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, in New Delhi on November 02, 2017.
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The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri Arun Jaitley meeting the King of Bhutan, His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, in New Delhi on November 02, 2017.
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The Union Minister for Defence, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman meeting the King of Bhutan, His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, in New Delhi on November 02, 2017.
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