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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said that Terrorism is the biggest threat to South Asia’s stability.  While speaking at the opening ceremony of the 3-day long 15th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit in Colombo, he reminded the twin blasts in Bangalore and Ahmadabad and the Indian Embassy attack in Kabul, and stressed the need to fight terrorism.

“Terrorists and extremists don’t know borders. We must act with determination to fight terrorism. We cannot lose the battle against ideologies of hatred,” said Dr Singh.

He further called on the eight-nation regional grouping to identify and address new challenges if it wants to be a dynamic and responsive body. Dr Singh also discussed the surging crude prices and warned member nations that rising crude prices could jeopardize the region’s economic development. He said, “We must pool our resources to tap renewable resources in South Asia”.

Calling the establishment of SAARC Food Bank in 2007 an extremely significant development, Dr Singh said it was “an example of our foresight in the wake of world food crisis”.

“We need a second Green Revolution” to tackle the growing food crisis, the Prime Minister said in his address. “South Asian countries need to work together to ensure food security so that the specter of food shortages and hunger vanishes from our region,” he added.

Tags: Ahmadabad, Colombo, Crime, M M Singh, Manmohan Singh, MM Singh, PM, SAARC, SAARC Summit, South Asia, Terror, Terrorism, threat

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has won the confidence motion in the parliament. 275 member of parliaments votes in the favor of the government led by UPA and 256 votes goes against the government.

With this small election in the parliament, Congress lead UPA government will now has a complete majority in the parliament. 10 member of parliaments did not caste the vote.

This confidence motion has a two days of discussion in the parliament and UPA government won the confidence motion by a margin of 19 votes.

Entire congress man in India are celebrating the victory of the government. The latest news coming on the voting are saying that 10 member of parliaments are cross voted in the favor of government.

Earlier today one BJP MP shows the money offered to him in the parliament. That amount was offered to him for vote in the favor of the government.  Speaker Somnath Chatterjee has announced in the parliament that it is the black day of the parliament and he will conduct an inquiry for this.

Tags: Confidence Motion, India, MM Singh, PM, UPA

After the Left parties have withdrawn support to the Congress led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government President Pratibha Patil has asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to meet her on Thursday.

BJP demanded that the government be asked to prove its majority within a week and in wake of these political crises, Singh who is in Japan for the G-8 summit is asked by Patil to meet her. He will be back past midnight.

Samajwadi Party General Secretary Amar Singh and its Parliamentary party leader Ramgopal Yadav also met the President and gave a fresh letter of support of 39 of its MPs to the government.

Earlier in the day, top leaders of CPM, CPI, Forward Bloc and RSP met President Pratibha Patil at Rashtrapati Bhavan and submitted a list of 60 Members of Parliament and handed over separate letters withdrawing their support to the government. They also submitted a joint communication asking her to “direct the Prime Minister to seek a vote of confidence in the Lok Sabha immediately”.

Lok Sabha has a total of 543 members. SP, PDP and some independents are supporting the government and UPA hopes to get 272 votes for a simple majority in the Lok Sabha.

Ajit Singh-led RLD, JD(S) headed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, Mamta Bannerjee’s Trinamul Congress and TRS come in the “undecided” category but have given enough hints of backing the government in a trust vote.

There are clouds of worries in the Indian political ring. There is a curiosity among all regarding government’s survival? Now there are uncertainties whether the government will able to prove a vote of confidence within a week and will retain its power or will it fall??

Tags: Congress, G-8, India, JD, Manmohan Singh, MM Singh, PM, Pratibha Patil, President, RLD, SP, TMC, UPA

The US president George W Bush said that the Indo-US deal is important for both the countries and heaped praise on Indian PM “for his leadership at home” while talking to the PM, Manmohan Singh on Tuesday.

Amid the unrest in Indian political parties due to the Indo-US deal, the confident Prime Minister met Bush in Hotel Windsor on Mount Poromoi on the sidelines of the G-8 summit; hours before the Left parties would be withdrawing support on the nuclear deal.

Both the leaders expressed mutual admiration for each other and spoke of the need for closer relationship between the two countries during the 50 minute meeting.

“Our relationship with the United States has never been in such good shape as it is today…. And it is the intention of my government… whether it is a question of climate change… global economy, India and US must stand tall, stand shoulder to shoulder, and that’s what is going to happen,” Said Singh while reporting to media.

“We talked about the India-US nuclear deal and how important it is for our respective countries,” Bush said before the press in a relaxed mood and displayed personal warmth.

“I respect the Prime Minister a lot. I also respect India a lot, and I think it’s very important that the United States continues to work with our friends to develop not only a new strategic relationship, but a relationship that addresses some of the world’s problems,” said the President.

Tags: Bush, G-8, India, Indo US, Manmohan Singh, MM Singh, Nuclear deal, Nuke Deal, US

In the forthcoming G8 summit of eight wealthiest nations, India, being one of the participants, is going to raise the major global issues of climate change, energy security and food security.

India on Sunday said it will convey to the international community at the G8 summit its belief that climate change, energy security and food security are interlinked, and require an integrated approach.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who is going to attend the summit said on the eve of his departure for Japan, “At the forthcoming summit, I would present India’s perspectives on a wide range of global issues. They included the state of the world economy, development, and trade, transfer of technology, energy security and food security.”

He further told that he will, in particular, highlight the impact of the sharp rise in fuel prices on the global economy and the need for joint action by both producing and consuming nations.

He said he will have bilateral meetings with the Prime Minister of Japan, and some of the other leaders present, including those of Australia, Canada, China, Indonesia, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Russia, USA and the Secretary General of the United Nations.

He was also looking forward to participating in an informal meeting of the Brazil-Russia-India-China (BRIC) leaders on the sidelines of the G8 summit beginning tomorrow.

Singh said prior to the meeting with the G8 leaders; he will attend a meeting of the O5 group of outreach countries being hosted by the President of Mexico on July 8.

“Today, India’s views are heard with respect, and there is recognition of the fact that solutions to global issues require India’s involvement,” the Prime Minister said.

He said that he will also participate in the meeting of the leaders of major economies at which the issue of climate change will be discussed. He further stressed that there can be no solution to the issue of climate change without taking into account the developmental imperatives and aspirations of developing economies.

“For us, the foremost priority is the removal of poverty, for which we need sustained rapid economic growth.”

Tags: Energy Security, Food Security, G8, G8 Summit, Group 8, India, Manmohan Singh, MM Singh, PM, Technology

A day after a farmer was killed in police firing on Tuesday, in Haveri in north Karnataka, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa reached Delhi to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on this issue.

More than a thousand farmers protested violently since two days against lack of fertilizers, and they even burnt buses. A fresh violence started on Wednesday when the body of the 35 year old dead farmer was being taken for the funeral who was killed during an open police firing during the protest.

The Chief Minister called an emergency meeting of top government officials. He has asked for a report in the next 10 days.

“Two lakh rupees for the farmer who died, Rs 50,000 for those with severe injuries,” said Yeddyurappa.

The Chief Minister, after an emergency meeting, has called it a political game by the Opposition.

“I appeal to the farmers not to resort to violence and maintain peace,” said BS Yeddyurappa, Chief Minister of Karnataka.

It was first time the BJP government came into power and the Chief Minister sworn-in a few days back on the name of farmers. Hence it’s a tough time for the government.

Tags: Farmer, Farmer Issue, Karnataka, Manmohan Singh, MM Singh, PM, Yeddyurappa

When increasing price of crude in the international market is exerting a pressure over the Indian government to raise the fuel price, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said that government is not in a position to fully insulate the consumer from the impact of rising oil prices.

On one side when the political parties including the Left are opposing hike in fuel prices, Prime Minister warned that the government could insulate poor people “up to a point” and economic pricing of oil was essential to sustain growth.

“We cannot allow the subsidy bill to raise any further.” said Singh addressing the Assocham’s annual meeting in New Delhi.

Prime Minister, however, ensured that the Indian economy will grow at 8 per cent and above despite of global slowdown. India has maintained the economic growth of 9 per cent and above for the last three years.

Fuel crisis is a cause of concern in the country as well as the world now-a-days. Despite the crude oil prices crossing the range of 127 dollars a barrel in the market and causing huge losses to the state-owned oil marketing firms, Indian government has not been able to pass on the burden due to lack of political consensus.

There are differences within the government also as to how to resolve the crisis. Finance Ministry is opposed to duty cuts sought by the Petroleum Ministry as also the Left parties.

Due to these differences the fuel hike decision is delayed day after day. According to the current reports the government has said that the decision is expected to come in this week.

Tags: Essential Commodities, Fuel Price, LPG, MM Singh, PM, Price, Price hike

The radar blip detected by the Air Traffic Control (ATC) that led to a mid-air scare as the special aircraft IAF Boeing 737 carrying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh prepared to land at Delhi airport on Tuesday night was caused by an IAF Dornier aircraft.

The Dorneir was flying “behind and above” the VIP flight path creating a panic situation for the PM’s security and forced the IAF Boeing 737 to land through 16 minute behind schedule. Meanwhile IGI Airport put on high alert and security officials got scared.

PM was coming from Jamshedpur and the plane was in its landing approach over Delhi airspace when the ATC suddenly noticed an unidentified object on the radar.

An emergency drill on the ground was quickly put in place while air controllers asked the pilot of the aircraft to hover over the Delhi airspace for 16 minutes before clearing the plane for landing, the sources said.

The Dornier plane was in “no way on the flight path of the PM’s aircraft,” sources in the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said quoting preliminary investigations into the incident.

A team of officials from Director General of Civil Aviation, AAI, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and other agencies is investigating the incident, the sources said.

There can be some possible malfunction in the radar in detecting certain parameters of the Dornier’s flight path, officials suspected.

Tags: ATC, Manmohan Singh, MM Singh, PM, Secutiry

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh dismissed all the possibilities of bio-production fuel from food grains in India saying that country would not follow Brazil to use sugar for bio-fuel production. Currently India is facing an unprecedented inflation and shortage of food grains. Concerned on this issue, Prime Minister asked his government not to use food grains for the production of bio-fuel in India as it will definitely enhance inflation crisis.

According to Vilasrao Muttemwar, the minister for non-conventional energy, who is accompanying President Pratibha Patil on her 3-nation tour to Brazil, Mexico and Chile, “The prime minister is very particular that we should not use food grains for producing ethanol or any bio-fuel even if we are facing energy crunch. We cannot afford that.”

Pime Minister asked to use alternative sources of bio-fuel production.

“He has also made it clear that we will grow the (bio-fuel producing) plants (like Jatroba) in waste lands and we should ensure that there would not be any diversification from the traditional cultivation,” Vilasrao said, adding that the country has around 35 million hectares waste land that can be used for cultivation of such plants.

“But how can a country like India where a section of its large population still faces shortage for food grains, can use food grains for the production of fuel? We promote bio-fuels made of plants like Jatropha and energy out of indigenous natural resources,” the official said.

There has been a concern in the world about the increasing usage of food products to create the fuel that led to a food grain shortage. India and Brazil both imports 80 percent fuel. Like Brazil, India also needs to use alternative sources of fuel to level its import from other countries. India, the second biggest producer of sugar after Brazil, mandated in 2003 that nine of its states add a five percent ethanol mix to petrol.

Eighty percent of two million cars made in Brazil have flexi-fuel engines and the country has reduced its requirement of petrol sustainability since then. It has also emerged as the lowest cost producer and leading global exporter of fuel ethanol. Ethanol now makes more than 20 percent of Brazil’s transport fuel market, while the use of alternative fuels in the rest of the world is a scant one percent.

The government has proposed to constitute a bio-fuel board to formulate and implement a comprehensive plan for the production of alternative energy sources.

“The sugar producing states use 10 percent ethanol in the fuel,” Vilasrao Muttemwar, minister of non-conventional energy, told IANS.

The usage of ethanol, which releases less carbon dioxide than fossil fuels, helps to reduce the pollution in the air.

Economists have raised concern that the US move to use maize in the production of the ethanol was one of the reasons behind the current food crisis in the world.

President Patil has also shown his concern over the issue saying, “This is a matter of concern. Experts from both the countries will come together to discuss the matter.”

When asked whether India will seek Brazil’s cooperation in producing ethanol from sugar, Patil said: “That is one point of discussion.”

Tags: Bio Fuel, Brazil, food grains, India, Manmohan Singh, MM Singh, PM, Pratibha Patil, President