India News

divided over russia, Quad on same page: channel for relief on ukraine

The war in Ukraine has had three of the four Quad partners -- US, Australia and Japan -- criticising Russia while India has chosen to remain "neutral" and abstain during votes against the Kremlin at the UN.

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine dividing the international community, Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined a virtual meeting of Quad leaders Thursday where they publicly set aside their differences on the issue of Ukraine and agreed to establish a “new humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mechanism” which will “provide a channel for communication as they each address and respond to the crisis in Ukraine”.

The war in Ukraine has had three of the four Quad partners — US, Australia and Japan — criticising Russia while India has chosen to remain “neutral” and abstain during votes against the Kremlin at the UN.

A carefully crafted joint statement, devoid of the rhetoric from Washington, Canberra and Tokyo, said, “The Quad leaders discussed the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and assessed its broader implications.”

“They agreed to stand up a new humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mechanism which will enable the Quad to meet future humanitarian challenges in the Indo-Pacific and provide a channel for communication as they each address and respond to the crisis in Ukraine.”

In New Delhi, the Prime Minister’s Office said, “Developments in Ukraine were discussed in the meeting, including its humanitarian implications. The Prime Minister emphasised the need to return to a path of dialogue and diplomacy.” This has been the consistent Indian position over the last month or so.

The coming together of the Quad leaders and the demonstration of unity, despite the divergence of views on the Russia-Ukraine crisis, also underlined their common position on the Chinese challenge. “Today the Quad Leaders – Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan, and President Joe Biden of the United States – convened to reaffirm their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, in which the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states is respected and countries are free from military, economic, and political coercion.”

This was a clear reference to Beijing’s belligerence and aggressive activities in the Indo-Pacific region — from the India-China boundary to the South China Sea to economic coercion against Australia.

“They reaffirmed their dedication to the Quad as a mechanism to promote regional stability and prosperity,” the joint statement said.

“In their continuing pursuit of a free and open Indo-Pacific, the Quad Leaders agreed to meet in person in Tokyo in the coming months,” it said — official confirmation of a Quad leaders’ summit in Tokyo in the first half of the year.

Biden, in a Twitter post after the meeting, said, “I met with my fellow Quad leaders Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio about Russia’s ongoing attack on Ukraine and our commitment to sovereignty and territorial integrity around the world, including in the Indo-Pacific.”

Kishida said, “Unilateral changes to the status quo by force or coercion like the recent Russian aggression against Ukraine are also unacceptable in the IndoPacific region. It is critically important for us to bring about a free and open IndoPacific. We agreed we will work in close cooperation to ensure the success of our next face-to-face Quad summit, which will be held in Tokyo in the coming months.”

The PMO said Modi “underlined that the Quad must remain focused on its core objective of promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region”.

“The leaders also discussed other topical issues, including the situation in Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean region and the Pacific Islands. Prime Minister reiterated the importance of adhering to the UN Charter, international law and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the PMO said.

This was reiteration of New Delhi’s position — of abstaining at UN votes on the Russia-Ukraine crisis, yet sending a message to Russia for violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

None of the tough language condemning Russia was there in the Quad joint statement, and that displayed accommodation of the Indian position.

Modi called for concrete and practical forms of cooperation within the Quad in areas like humanitarian and disaster relief, debt sustainability, supply chains, clean energy, connectivity and capacity-building, the PMO said.

voices grow louder in aiadmk to bring back sasikala, dhinakaran

reACTING to the development, Dhinakaran told reporters in Chennai that he can comment only after AIADMK arrives at a formal decision.

Voices supporting the reinduction of expelled leaders V K Sasikala and her nephew T T V Dhinakaran in AIADMK grew louder on Wednesday, a week after the party was routed in the urban local body polls.

The demand came from Theni, the native district of former chief minister and AIADMK’s coordinator O Panneerselvam. AIADMK’s Theni district secretary Syed Khan and other officebearers on Wednesday night met Panneerselvam at his farmhouse in the district to hand him over a resolution asking the party high command to bring back everyone who left after the death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa on December 16, 2016.

“He (OPS) said he will look into our demands,” Khan told reporters. “This is just the beginning. Such meetings will be held across the state. Our main demand is that we should unite. For you, the known faces are Chinnamma (Sasikala) and TTV. But there are many other people.”

Time and again, there has been a section in the AIADMK which wanted Sasikala back even as she continues to reclaim the party from where she left off – as interim general secretary (the topmost post) -- but in vain. While Panneerselvam has been in favour of Sasikala’s return, joint coordinator Edapaddi Palaniswami -- the numero

uno of the party hough the duo shares equal powers on paper -- has managed to keep the party away any form of rebellion. Both Panneerselvam and Palaniswami were propped up by Sasikala before she went to Bengaluru jail in the disproportionate assets case in 2017. Before she was released last February, the duo had united against her and solidified a dual leadership.

Reacting to the development, Dhinakaran told reporters in Chennai that he can comment only after AIADMK arrives at a formal decision. “Maybe they are thinking that if we are united we could have defeated the DMK even in the assembly polls,” Dhinakaran said. “But I’m not thinking about them (AIADMK). They have to do introspection. After they arrive at a decision, I will discuss with my cadre and then only can I make a decision.”

Ahead of the elections, the party had lost its allies one by one with a mutual agreement that they will contest alone to test their strengths but given

the results and BJP making a mark, senior AIADMK leaders were of the decision that they should do away with the saffron party and make themselves stronger with a Dravidian stance.

And the chorus for Sasikala is likely to grow in the coming days, feel AIADMK leaders. A senior AIADMK leader said the Theni district unit passing a resolution in favour of Sasikala and Dhinakaran is an outcome of the strained relationship between Panneerselvam and Palaniswami. “They are not even talking to each other,” said the leader, not wishing to be quoted. “The dual leadership would be fine but if a section of our cadre wants her back and if it will strengthen our vote bank then the high command must have that conversation.”

Joining hands will mean that AIADMK can collect Sasikala’s caste-based vote bank along with Dhinakaran’s Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam -- a breakaway faction -- which has been

indian student shot at While trying to escape ukraine's kyiv: union minister

kyIV: An Indian student has reportedly been shot at in Ukraine capital Kyiv, Union Minister VK Singh told news agency ANI on Thursday, days after another student died in Russian shelling in the city of Kharkiv.

The student was trying to escape Kyiv and was wounded in firing, according to the minister. He was reportedly taken back into the city and is in hospital. "We heard reports that a student leaving Kyiv was shot. He was taken back into Kyiv and immediately taken to hospital. This is happening in the fighting," General (Retd) VK Singh told ANI at Poland's Rzeszow airport.

On Tuesday, an Indian student was killed in Kharkiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine, when he was standing in a queue outside a grocery store. 21-yearold Naveen Shekharappa of Karnataka had stepped out to stock up on food before taking the train out of the city.

The minister said the Centre is making efforts to ensure that the maximum number of students can come out of Ukraine with as less loss as possible.

The minister said around 1,700 students are still waiting to be evacuated from Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia last Thursday.

General Singh is one of the four ministers sent as special envoys to Ukraine's neighbouring countries to oversee the evacuation of Indians from war-hit Ukraine. "The Indian embassy had earlier cleared on the priority that everyone should leave Kyiv. In the event of war, the gun bullet does not look at anyone's religion and nationality," General Singh was quoted as saying by ANI.

Thousands of students have been trying to escape Ukraine by somehow reaching the borders, where they can cross over to countries from where they are being flown back to India in evacuation flights under "Operation Ganga".

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, nearly 17,000 Indian nationals have left Ukraine's borders since advisories were issued over a fortnight back. Over 6,000 have been flown back home, says the ministry.

Before war broke out, around 20,000 Indians, mainly medical students, were in Ukraine.

eating into the AIADMK’s votes particularly in Tamil Nadu’s southern districts.

Political experts say that Panneerselvam’s moves are to show Palaniswami and his supporters that he too is powerful. As former chief minister, Palaniswami grew powerful within the party and in turn made Gounders, the community he belongs, to also rise. This sidelined Panneerselvam and the Thevars, the community he and Sasikala belong to. “At the end of the day nothing can be done in the party unless both leaders sign. And neither Panneerselvam nor Palaniswami will give up their power of signature,” said analyst Raveendran Duraisamy.

india vision institute, sightsavers india, visionspring hosted vars 2022 conference focusing on vision and policy for safer roads opens

A two-day Vision and Road Safety conference VARS 2022 opened today.

Hosted by India Vision Institute (IVI), Sightsavers India and VisionSpring, VARS 2022 will focus on the correlation between vision and road safety and on the imperative need for inclusion of vision in the national road safety policy.

Keynote speakers at the conference include Dr Meleckidzedeck Khayesi, Department of Social Determinants of Health, World Health Organization (WHO), RN Mohanty, CEO, Sightsavers India, Vinod Daniel, CEO, India Vision Institute, Ella Rain Gudwin, CEO, VisionSpring, Global, Prof. Praveen Vashisht, Office-in Charge, Dr. R. P. Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, AIIMS, Peter Holland, CEO, International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), and David Navarro Olivencia, VicePresident, Vision on the Road Group Plan, EssilorLuxottica, among others.

IVI's CEO Vinod Daniel said, "The vision and road safety conference has brought together all key stakeholders to discuss the important issue of vision, road safety and prevention of serious and fatal road accidents. It is great to partner with Sightsavers India and VisionSpring, and encouraging to see the participation of so many other vision care partners who all have the same focus to make our roads safer."

“Over two days, the online conference will have senior international and national experts participate as keynote speakers and in panel discussions,” he added.

Discussions will focus on overcoming barriers in vision and road safety, strengthening policies, and strategies for road safety and vision care.

Ella Rain Gudwin, CEO, VisionSpring, Global, said “To date, road safety interventions have focused on seat belts, speed, alcohol, road design, and overloading. Today, we are going to talk about an additional solution that is hiding in plain sight – eyeglasses. They are a simple, powerful, scalable tool to help drivers avoid hazards on the road and save lives.”

Sightsavers India CEO, RN Mohanty said, “Sightsavers realises the importance of eye health in ensuring road safety. Eye health is not accessible to many who don’t have the means and awareness. Our National Truckers Eye Health Programme—RAAHI seeks to make eye health accessible to the overworked truck drivers. Research over the past few decades has addressed the role of vision in driver safety (motor vehicle collision involvement) and in driver performance. It is wonderful to collaborate with India Vision Institute and VisionSpring to deliberate in finding solutions towards making our roads safer and making eye health accessible. India Vision Institute is an independent not-for-profit NGO with the vision to provide access to primary eye care for underprivileged Indians and a pair of corrective glasses to those in need. IVI’s initiatives have helped transform over 430,000 lives, including 300,000 children. In 1,550 vision screening programs across India, we have provided 100,000 free corrective glasses to people with uncorrected refractive errors. Our beneficiaries have included women, the transgender and weaving communities, stone cutters / sculptors, and fishermen, among others. Vision and Road Safety is an important priority for us, and we work with corporates and organizations on screenings and provision of free spectacles for commercial vehicle drivers. Our ongoing programs in this area are benefiting over 75,000 drivers of trucks, buses and autos.

Sightsavers India is a development organisation working to eliminate avoidable blindness and promotes equality of opportunity for people with disability. Sightsavers’ work in India, which started in 1966, has supported the treatment of millions of people with eye disorders and brought eye services to some of the least served areas of the country. In the last five decades, Sightsavers has supported treatment for over 36.5 million patients having potential eye problems and performed more than 5 million sight restoration operations. In little over the last decade, more than 25,000 visually impaired and blind primary school children have been supported under Sightsavers’ Inclusive Education programme, and over 15,000 people with disabilities have received livelihood or vocational training.

VisionSpring is a pioneering social organization creating access to eyeglasses for low-income adults and children. Annually in India, VisionSpring supports vision screening for more than 27 lakh (2.7 million) people and corrects the vision of more than 10 lakh (1 million) people with eyeglasses. On average, 73% of its beneficiaries acquire their first-ever pair of eyeglasses through VisionSpring’s See to Earn, See to Learn and See to be Safe programs. To date, VisionSpring has distributed more than 50 lakh (5 million) pairs of corrective eyeglasses in India, creating more than Rs. 8,100 Crore ($1.08 billion) in economic impact for low-income households. VisionSpring also responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with personal protective equipment, oxygen concentrators and vaccination access and awareness.

VisionSpring’s work has been covered in The New York Times | The conomist | Forbes | The Lancet.

the ceoinstitute confers cayley aerospace ceo Bishnujee singh with cceo

FeBrUAry 21: Victoria: The CEO Institute, Victoria in association with the IIDM, Australia conferred Certified CEO (CCEO) on Dr. Bishnujee Singh of Cayley Aerospace Inc. besides accorded the status of Fellow of IIDM. The Rules for Certification, approved by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC),

Australian Government set out the requirements for the approval of applicants as well as the standards of knowledge, experience and ongoing professional development that must be met in order to obtain the Certification designation and use the corresponding post nominal. The ACCC, in approving the Rules for Certification, determined that they were satisfied that The CEO Institute demonstrates the attributes necessary to competently undertake the certification role in respect of the Certification Trade Mark. Dr. Bishnujee Singh has

been Doctor of Philosophy in Management from Liutebm University which has been 27th University to be added to the Gold Seal of Approved Business Management Degree with The CEO Institute and IIDM.

CCEO Certification is first Global Certification program for Executive Leaders and Managing Directors conducted by University of North England in association with The CEO Institute & IIDM ,Victoria. This certification is a mark of distinction and respect in the profession.

The CEO Institute’s Certified CEO certification sets the Gold Standard in recognizing the Professional Qualifications of Business leaders globally. World Record Association on behalf of the Hong Kong SAR Government has recently awarded World Record for Highest Grade in Post Doctor Degree (Doctor of Science) DSc in Engineering Management to

Dr. Bishnujee Singh with Universidad Azteca, Mexico City for achieving Summa Cum Laude (Highest Distinction Honours) in January 2022.